Students help to restore barge model

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. » Students in the Basic Principles of Construction class at Ballston Spa High School recently completed a restorative construction job for the Southern Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.

The primary responsibility for the students was to repair the stern of the Waterford Harbor Visitors Center Canal Boat, the Minnie Matton. The Minnie Matto, a working scale model barge, allows classes of elementary students to learn more about the Erie Canal.

Students in the high school’s Digital Electronics class created a remote-controlled, servo-operated rudder for the vessel, allowing the operators of the boat to actually mimic the 19th century operation of the boat much better, with one person acting as the “mule” to pull the boat and the other steering the rudder.

The Minnie Matton is a component of the CanalWays School Program run by the Waterford Canal and Towpath Society and the Waterford Harbor Visitors Center. The CanalWays School Program is a unique hands-on history experience, based on state social studies standards for fourth grade.

The district values the opportunity to partner with community organizations to offer service learning opportunities for students. Providing students with the experience of working on a project for an actual client allows them to truly understand the importance of the skills that they are learning in the technology classes at Ballston Spa High School.