Delano MESA

Throughout the 2010-2011 year, MESA, Delano High's club was able to set up a few projects for our fellow members to participate in. This was done to give students a first exposure of what MESA was about. The first project that we did was paper airplanes. Our advisor chose the winner based on how far it flew and its accuracy. Many people constructed their own plane designs but only two were winners. As the students flew their planes each round, the distance was increased to provide a more challenging contest. The second project MESA members did was a spaghetti tower using marshmallows of various sizes. They were paired up in partners to complete the project within a limited amount of time. Students were pressured by the time limit and some were able to complete the tower in time. Thus, the tower to hold the greatest mass received a prize. Overall, the mini projects we did during our afterschool meeting really help our members get an understanding of how to build and design different types of structures to prepare them for the actual competition. Furthermore, also this gave them a new perspective in engineering and innovation outside of the traditional high school curriculum.

It has come to our clubs attention that we should give back to the community. The community where we were raised, the community that supported us and the club throughout the years. Even through troubled economic times, the school has been supporting our club and helping the club afford most of it expenses. Because of our school's unwavering support, our club has taken the liberty of cleaning our school's garden. It not only left the garden more pleasant to look at year round, but also for this year's WASC visit. Without a doubt the maintenance of the garden help make our school more appealing in a most crucial visit. The visit that would determine our school's credibility. Thus, MESA at  Delano has made an impact in the overall appearance of Delano High School and has given many students an ability and exposure to non-traditional activities.