Shawnee High School students build mini golf course

Engineering students from Shawnee High School recently showcased their drafting, design, engineering and technology skills when they designed and constructed a custom, nine-hole miniature golf course in the school’s courtyard. They showed their compassion for a fellow student when they donated proceeds from the attraction to the classmate in the midst of a health crisis.

“Throughout the year, 11th and 12th graders have learned about various science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) principles, which were put to the test through this mini-golf course,” engineering teacher Stefani Kirk said.

Fellow students, staff and neighboring elementary schools were invited to play the course. Shawnee’s math and science clubs planned end-of-year parties around it. The amusement was also open to the public for a community family fun night.

“The small fee ($1) we collect from those who play the course would have been used to reimburse students for out-of-pocket expenses incurred for supplies used to build their projects,” Kirk said. “But then a suggestion was made to donate the funds to Karing for Katie instead.”

After a unanimous vote by the students, all proceeds from the miniature golf course were earmarked for Karing for Katie-Katie’s Journey, a fund that supports fellow student Katie Kernan as she undergoes treatment for a brain tumor.

This is the second year Kirk has used a miniature golf course as a learning project.

“It was an original idea inspired while playing mini-golf with my husband,” Kirk said. “While doing research I found out about other teachers who had also tried it.”

Kirk plans for the project all year, mentioning it to parents at back-to-school night in September so they can start collecting and saving particular recyclable materials including wooden pallets, plywood, 2-foot by 4-foot electronic components and motors. The students buy some of their own supplies but may also request donations from local retailers.

Each golf hole is constructed of timber and lined with carpet padding. “Floor Coverings International in Southampton is a phenomenal sponsor,” Kirk said. Students were allotted a 6-foot by 10-foot portion of carpet padding for use in the project.

In addition, Photoshop skills are required to create a flyer and a poster to publicize the mini-golf course to students and the community. Students use a laser-engraver to create a marker that identifies each hole by number. All of these skills are considered during the grading process.

“They work on constructing the final project for about three or four weeks in class and at home,” Kirk said. “There are daily checkpoints that have to be met so I can be certain the project is on schedule. They had to present rough sketches and then final drawings done to scale on a computer.”

Because of all the planning and long lead time for collecting raw materials, the holes can be pretty dynamic, with moving parts like a windmill or multi-level holes that include a water component. The construction phase also had deadlines.

“Everyone has a cell phone that can take photos, so they would show me photos of supplies and preliminary work, what they had completed at home on their own,” Kirk said.

“There can be tons of changes that take place during the final weeks of the project, when improvisations and changes take place during the build phase,” Kirk said. “Every change has to be made on paper as well. The drawings must correspond to what is built.” Click on their website careel-tech for more information.