SANDUSKY, Ohio, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- K'NEX Brands, the U.S. construction toy company headquartered in Hatfield, Pa., and Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio, recently challenged school groups nationwide to design and build the ultimate amusement park ride model in the Cedar Point K'NEX Great Thrill Ride Build-Off. Schools from coast to coast entered and five winning classrooms spanning three states were selected to showcase their thrill rides, built entirely out of K'NEX pieces, during Cedar Point's Math & Science Week, May 16 through 20.
Winning schools are Marshall Middle School (Wexford, Pa.), Glenfield Middle School (Montclair, N.J.), St. Raphael Catholic School (Bay Village, Ohio), Bellevue High School (Bellevue, Ohio) and Fairbanks Local Schools (Milford Center, Ohio).
Students in grades 6 through 12 were asked to construct a "real life" ride, considering mathematical and scientific applications such as potential and kinetic energy, speed, acceleration, gravity and/or rotational motion. A select group of K'NEX designers and Cedar Point ride engineers evaluated entries based on creativity, uniqueness, detail and accuracy of the ride description.
"We were extremely impressed by the quality of rides submitted by the school groups," said Rob Decker, corporate vice president of planning and design at Cedar Point. "The models showed innovative thinking, creativity and mathematical skill. We hope the students had as much fun constructing these rides as we had judging them."
The winning models will be displayed as part of Cedar Point's Math & Science Week celebration, which invites middle and high school students to participate in educational programs and activities located in various areas along the park's midways. Each winning classroom will be given complimentary tickets to visit Cedar Point as well as a K'NEX building sets and a knex.com shopping spree valued at $250.
"K'NEX builders never cease to amaze us with their creations and these amusement park rides are no exception. I hope that seeing these models displayed next to the life size thrill rides at Cedar Point will inspire more students to explore the fascinating world of building amusement park attractions!" said K'NEX President and CEO Michael Araten.
In celebration of Cedar Point's Math & Science Week, K'NEX will display a giant, six-foot Ferris wheel and provide a building station for park guests. Other Math & Science Week participants include NASA's Glenn Research Center and Plum Brook Station, Center of Science and Industry of Columbus (COSI), the Imagination Station in Toledo, Ohio, and the Detroit Science Center. New this year will be weather education presentations, where Cedar Point teams up with various television networks to educate students on how weather uniquely impacts the park.
Participating weather forecasters include Betsy Kling of WKYC-TV 3 in Cleveland, Ohio, Doug Moats of FOX Toledo, Jim Geyer of WLNS-TV 6 in Lansing, Mich., and Eric Elwell of ONN-TV in Columbus, Ohio.
The winning classroom from Glenfield Middle School in Montclair, N.J., will travel to Sandusky for Math & Science Week to see their model on display. "Teaching with K'NEX gave me a chance to have the students apply math to technology, writing and science in an exciting manner," said the school's math teacher, Courtney Washington. "The students are excited that they won and are equally excited to meet the engineers who judged their work."
For more information about K'NEX and upcoming building contests, please visit www.knex.com or the K'NEX official Facebook page.
SOURCE Cedar Point Amusement Park/Resort
