"Hopefully it works," said Victoria Nap as she waited patiently beside her solar-powered hot dog cooker Friday on the grass at Willow Road Public School.
"It's the first time we've used it," said the Grade 7 student.
The sun wasn't being too cooperative Friday as all Grade 7 students at the school took to the field to try out their creations, part of a cross-curriculum project that saw teams conceptualize, design, build and market their solar powered hot dog cookers.
Designs ranged from intricate creations that used solar cells to power a rotisserie (wooden skewer) that was part of the cooker, to simpler ones, such as the inside of an umbrella coated with tinfoil.
Science teacher Janet Lambier said it was the first time that five different teachers collaborated on one project.
"It gave them a lot more reason to engage in the project," she said. "It's not just about cooking a hot dog, but making something they could sell."
Vice-principal Chad Reay got in the swing of things by dressing in a hot dog costume.
Reay said the project included math, language, art, science and even French, with the brochures the students created to describe and sell their products being in both official languages.
"It was all about collaborating on a project that was outside the walls of the classroom," he said.
Market research included cost analysis and then Reay brought in some local businessmen who listened to 30-second pitches from the teams.
"We wanted to make it as real as we could for them," he said.
The BBQ Bistro team had a rotisserie motor and even places to store salt and pepper on their creation.
"And it works," said Liam Britton, although the rotisserie did have the hot dog spinning so fast it was surprising it didn't fly off.
Unfortunately it turned out to be a cloudy afternoon and not many of the hot dogs cooked.
Luckily the school also planned a regular barbecue so students could eat a hot dog without waiting for the sun to shine.
