The group, also known as The Silver Swordfish, participated in the 17th annual Tech Challenge competition for the first time and came out winners.

"We did it to have fun," says Lynn. "We actually convinced ourselves over and over that we weren't going to win so that we wouldn't be disappointed if we didn't."

But that didn't quite go as planned. Instead, they went home with tickets to the IMAX Theater and scientific calculators for placing first in the design journal and methodology category over 51 other teams in the fifth- and sixth-grade group. They also won for having the most autonomous device.

"I had to run around the court three times to burn off my energy," says Christopher. "I couldn't believe we won."

They deserved it. They spent the past three months perfecting a device that could safely separate and remove northern pike fish from a lake containing native species in three minutes or less.

Creating their own version of Discovery Channel's Monster Garage, the trio toyed with at least four different designs, cutting, gluing and taking apart bits and pieces of unused items around the house before coming up with the final product.

"We used a lot of junk that was laying around in our garages," says Nicole. "We thought, 'if they're not being used, we might as well make use of them.' They proved to be quite useful in our experiment."

What they came up with blew judges away. The team built a tank made out of plexiglass on top of a set of wheels from Nicole's younger brother's Tonka truck and attached a plastic crate lined with screening material in front. A small tube and string attached to the crate allows it to tilt backwards to prevent the fish from falling out while being transported.

Previous designs included devices with propellers and a rope net.

"The rope net didn't work because the fish kept falling through the holes," explains Lynn. "Also, the net kept inverting when it was in the water. We needed something stronger."

Everything ran smoothly at the April 24 competition, but things got a bit stressful the day before during trial runs, according to Nicole. The team found out that one of the wheels, which connects the motor to the main wheels on the floor, was loose and that fish were sliding out of the crate. So they spent a couple hours tightening the wheels and adjusting the tube that controls the crate's tilt.

"It was frightening," says Lynn. "We didn't want to mess up in front of the judges, so we checked everything over and over. I'm glad we did."

For these first-timers, Tech Challenge was more than about trying to build the best device and winning awards; it was about discovering something new about themselves.

"I realized that I actually like building things," says Nicole. "I wasn't sure, first of all, if I could do it. And, I didn't think that I would have this much fun doing it."

The Silver Swordfish team members weren't the only ones who went home with prizes. Defending their title as the first-place winners of the design journal and methodology category in the seventh- and eighth-grade group were Brandon Morales, Jay Maglione, Matt Morales and brothers David and Peter McPartlan of Triple M from Sacred Heart School.

It took the team two months to design and build a device comprised of a Tonka truck with an extendable crane, a net made out of a strainer and gutter guards duct-taped to a plastic toy boat used to fetch the fish.

Peter, the older of the McPartlans, admits their creation wasn't the most efficient, considering it had a lot of flaws. For example, the weight of the fish and the flimsiness of the gutter guards made the boat difficult to maneuver and slowed the process down.

Although they didn't get what they were hoping for—first place in the best entry grand prize category—the team members say they're proud of their accomplishments thus far and look forward to future competitions.

They also learned something about persistence.

"It's good to fail sometimes," says Jay. "It's all part of the process. It just makes you try harder."

And that is the essence of Tech Challenge—to succeed by trial and error.