On November 9th, 2016 Juniata High School's CADD class held a chair building competition. The idea of the competition was to build a sturdy chair, able to hold a full-grown adult, out of nothing but cardboard and duct tape. Some of the additional requirements included having the ability to rock and/or recline, and showing JHS spirit through either the chairs' colors or the incorporation of a cardboard J shape. Mrs. Haubert, the instructor, then graded the chairs based on their appearance and overall ability to hold an adult person. In order to test this factor, Mrs. Haubert brought in three JHS administrators: secretary Sabrina Shipp, guidance counselor Lisa Kile, and principal Edward Apple.

The first group of students judged were Maci Kreider and Raven Weiand. The students started with a concealed cardboard base and built up from there. Their creation had the appearance of a small easy-chair, short, with arm rests that extended from the floor. Their chair was then covered in red and blue duct tape to cover the JHS spirit requirement. Maci and Raven accomplished their goal, as their chair was able to support Mr. Apple easily and could also rock.

The next group was Chase Lehman and Eros Huentequeo. Their chair was also short and very much resembled a recliner with arm rests that protruded from the sides of the chair, and the entire structure was spray painted in red and blue. This chair also held Mr. Apple comfortably and was able to rock.

Logan Robinson and Wade Ruble were judged next. This chair was much smaller, but was similar to the previous contestants' recliner appearance. The main difference was that the arm rests for this chair were made from foam, attached with red and blue duct tape, in order to add comfort. This chair also held up to the requirements and could both rock and recline.

Chase Brown and Jahzeel Nieves were next, and their chair stood out quite a bit more. They built a much taller chair that resembled a throne, though it didn't show much in the school spirit category. This chair had a hexagonal base, and slanting arm rests. While the color was overall brown and gray, the chair was able to support most adults and did not collapse.

Gabriella Canas and Preston Lynch were judged next. Their chair was not only tall, but some of the judges had trouble reaching the seat. These students went with the same recliner shape, and covered it all with red duct tape, except for a blue J that was attached to the front. The arm rests were given a slight twist, since they were made with rolled up duct tape rather than cardboard. Overall, this chair met its requirement, including the ability to rock.

James Grix and Isaiah Fields had a much more interesting creation. Despite their doubts, their chair was given Mr. Apple's thumbs-up seal of approval. As for the appearance, the chair did not include any JHS spirit, and James later remarked that he thought the chair looked "somewhat ship-like." The base was round and then surrounded by two cardboard flaps. Between these flaps was a cardboard step to help shorter judges reach the actual seat. However, the step was later vandalized by Mrs. Shipp. In the end, the chair met most requirements.

The next group was Kolby Dean and Gage Gray. Similar to the others, their chair was small and shaped like a recliner. The entire chair was plain brown and did not include any spirit but was able to hold anybody who sat in it.

Josh Whitesel and Austin Spickler put a twist on their recliner. It had a much flatter appearance than the previous chairs, and they made their armrests rounded. Also, this chair was decently sized, not too short or too tall for any of the judges.

The most interesting chair of all was made by Michael Kauffman and Bryer Kirk. Instead of having a base, this chair was supported by six legs, two of which were not properly attached and kept causing the chair to collapse. This chair was much wider than any of the previous contestants, appearing to be more of a loveseat than a recliner. This chair came with boxy armrests and was haphazardly spray-painted with red. When Mrs. Shipp started to sit in it, the chair began to crumble, and only Michael Kauffman was willing to sit in it. However, it was still able to support him, so it could handle some adult-sized people.

The question is, who actually won the competition? According to the judges, the winner was a group of students who were in a different class! Mason Hockenberry and Zayn Hazard were the unexpected, dark horse winners, as their chair met every single requirement with flying colors. This accomplishment was made even more impressive by the fact that both students are ninth-graders.

Mrs. Haubert has mentioned some upcoming projects for the CADD class later this year, so check back for more updates in the next few months!