On May 9, Ocean County College held their highly anticipated annual Cardboard Canoe Race at the Ocean County YMCA. Manchester Township High School students found success and victory in the 2025 competition.

Mr. Kyle Pecora’s Advanced Drafting and Design students formed their own teams to participate in the race, dedicating several weeks to the process. 

“Team communication is vital to putting together a good project,” Katherine Estevenall, one team member, shared.

The first and arguably one of the most tedious events was called “Showboats.” All three teams were well prepared with their design model and ready to test the waters. 

“[Event 1] went well, very confident so everything went on as expected. Our boat was very developed and when we saw our competition we remained confident,” Team “Hawk 2” said. 

During the event, the hardest challenge they faced was the transfer process and ensuring that the members in their canoe would not tip into the water. Thankfully, though, this was successfully avoided. 

The same team went on to win the event with and broke a school record with an impressive time of fifty-three seconds. 

As for “Reverse Oreo” they came in third place with a grand time of sixty-seven seconds.

The team explained how everything went as planned and that the hardest part was getting everything planned. 

“I’m incredibly proud of our students and all the work they’ve put into this program,” Pecora says. “Their creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork continue to impress me every day. Watching them grow through these hands-on experiences is the most rewarding part of what I do. Every year we continue to break our previous records and goals!”