2008 Woodie Awards
CMU Student Helps Community Program by Building Catapult
By: Robert Pore
Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Students keep themselves occupied in various activities throughout the summer.
For Mount Pleasant senior Ben Davis cq it was building a catapult.
"I figured I could build a catapult like this for the PEAK program for children," he said.
PEAK, which stands for Partners Empowering All Kids, cq is a year-round program to help children learn and have fun.
"We give them after-school homework, and a community for them to learn and play games after school," Davis said.
The catapult, properly called a trebuchet, was built this summer for an applied physics program for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders.
However, the trebuchet has been given a new purpose after the conclusion of the summer program - smashing pumpkins.
"I asked Bill Miller (Jr.) cq if he would house it, and he's been using it since the summer for amusing small kids by throwing pumpkins," said Nate Lockwood, PEAK Program director, cq.
Miller, the general manager of Papa's Pumpkin Patch, 3909 S. Summerton Road, cq hosts pumpkin-related activities all year.
Two of those events took place this weekend - the Papa's Pumpkin Smash Bash on Saturday and the Mushy Pumpkin Massacre on Friday.
Miller said this is the first year they've hosted the event on such a big scale.
"Before we had the trebuchet, we'd throw the pumpkins off the hill or run over them with the tractor," he said. "It's pretty much more amusing with the trebuchet. Next year, we're going to add a few more things, including a tower they can drop them off of."
Lockwood said PEAK gives Central Michigan University students, like Davis, a chance to do volunteer work throughout the year.
"Part of what we do with the PEAK program is to use the skills of our staff and volunteers, which include CMU students, to help the community," he said.
news@cm-life.com
For Mount Pleasant senior Ben Davis cq it was building a catapult.
"I figured I could build a catapult like this for the PEAK program for children," he said.
PEAK, which stands for Partners Empowering All Kids, cq is a year-round program to help children learn and have fun.
"We give them after-school homework, and a community for them to learn and play games after school," Davis said.
The catapult, properly called a trebuchet, was built this summer for an applied physics program for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders.
However, the trebuchet has been given a new purpose after the conclusion of the summer program - smashing pumpkins.
"I asked Bill Miller (Jr.) cq if he would house it, and he's been using it since the summer for amusing small kids by throwing pumpkins," said Nate Lockwood, PEAK Program director, cq.
Miller, the general manager of Papa's Pumpkin Patch, 3909 S. Summerton Road, cq hosts pumpkin-related activities all year.
Two of those events took place this weekend - the Papa's Pumpkin Smash Bash on Saturday and the Mushy Pumpkin Massacre on Friday.
Miller said this is the first year they've hosted the event on such a big scale.
"Before we had the trebuchet, we'd throw the pumpkins off the hill or run over them with the tractor," he said. "It's pretty much more amusing with the trebuchet. Next year, we're going to add a few more things, including a tower they can drop them off of."
Lockwood said PEAK gives Central Michigan University students, like Davis, a chance to do volunteer work throughout the year.
"Part of what we do with the PEAK program is to use the skills of our staff and volunteers, which include CMU students, to help the community," he said.
news@cm-life.com
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