Weird High School Projects -- Bragging Rights

[Mercule]

A couple of posts in this thread got me thinking. Rather than hijack, I thought I'd start a new thread.

Here's your chance to brag about some of the weird/wild/cool stuff you've turned in for a class. I'm thinking mainly things like presentations and the like, but college or grade school exploits probably count, too. Just try to keep it to things that were done publicly (relatively speaking) and to the nerd/geek stereotype.

Edited to use the humor icon -- because using the OT icon in the OT forum is redundant.

 

[francisca]

A couple of posts in this thread got me thinking. Rather than hijack, I thought I'd start a new thread.

Here's your chance to brag about some of the weird/wild/cool stuff you've turned in for a class. I'm thinking mainly things like presentations and the like, but college or grade school exploits probably count, too. Just try to keep it to things that were done publicly (relatively speaking) and to the nerd/geek stereotype.

OK, since college counts, my first proposal for senior design, a rail gun, was turned down. So instead, me and two other guys built a 32 line PBX from scratch. Not weird or wild, but it was pretty cool. The only thing we didn't really build was the rack it was in and the ring voltage generator, because the local GTE phone office techs gave them to us.

 

[Mercule]

So, here's mine for a starter.

When I was in 9th or 10th grade, everyone in the class was given the assignment to give a persuasive speech to the class. It so happens that this particular teacher was the assistant coach for the debate/speech team. Now, all throughout high school, I was involved in speech and debate events and competitions, so I had a slightly more casual relationship with this fellow and knew I could push him a bit further.

So, on the day of the speech, everyone is getting up at the podium with their notes and talking on whatever. When it comes my turn, I walk over, close the door and turn off the light (ambient light from the windows, still). I climb up on the teacher's desk and sit cross-legged and casual. Then, I start telling everyone why they should worship Satan.

Just as a note, I'm an extremely strong Christian and was doing it all in gest. I assumed everyone would take it for the joke it was.

 

[Mercule]

Doh! Beat to the first real post on my own thread.

 

[francisca]

Doh! Beat to the first real post on my own thread.

Can't win 'em all!

 

[Greatwyrm]

I thought it was cool when I got to use the exact same term paper for two different classes in the same semester in my junior year at college.

 

[Tsyr]

I built a single coil design railgun for my senior science fair project. Total cost in parts was about $100 dollars, of which the school footed some, local buisnesses footed a bit, and I payed the rest out of pocket.

Worked pretty good, for being a single-coil system. Took about 45 seconds to charge the bank of capacitors from 110 AC, which got you a single shot. The shot was fairly harmless... I was firing finishing nails with the heads cut off, and they wouldn't stick into corugated cardboard... But they did shoot, a few feet. In retrospect, I should have tried using lengths of steel wire, but I only got it working the night before the exhibit, so I had to scrounge for something to fire in a hurry.

 

[der_kluge]

Speaking of speeches, my "informative" speech in Speech class was on Dungeons and Dragons. What is was, how it was played, common misconceptions addressed. Went over fairly well. A couple of the notes I received afterwords indicated a few ex-gamers were in the audience, and were surprised to learn that people my age still played it.

 

[the Jester]

For two years (7th and 8th grade), about 30% of my grade in my GATE class came from drawing comic books.

 

[Greatwyrm]

... my GATE class ...

What's a GATE class?