Scores of excited youngsters watched their mechanical creations come to life on the Northumberland coast yesterday.
Around 30 pupils from Ashington met on the beach at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea after their designs for sub-sea ploughs were turned into the real deal by engineers.
Hirst Park Middle School pupils Harry Bainbridge and Jordan Dixon test out sub-sea ploughs at Newbiggin beach
The children, all aged between 12 and 13, at Hirst Park Middle School, in Ashington, raced the two mean machines along the sand at a special unveiling event.
Plans have been lodged for the construction of Northumberland's second privately-sponsored academy school as part of a £48m education shake-up affecting three neighbouring communities.
Education officials at the county council have submitted a planning application to demolish Hirst High School in Ashington and build the new academy - sponsored by the Duke of Northumberland and the Church of England - on adjacent land.
The new building will cater for almost 2,000 junior, senior and special educational needs children, and form the centrepiece of the five-site Hirst Academy.
There are no 2009 performance tables for schools in Newbiggin as the Northumberland Church of England Academy had not yet opened. To view exam performance reports for other Wansbeck schools see the Journal's Ashington and Bedlington sites.
View Newbiggin Middle School's 2008 Key Stage 2 results.
View comparative tables for Northumberland schools: Key Stage 2, GCSE, Post-16.
Hundreds of youngsters are being challenged to make money grow as part of a drive to foster a new spirit of enterprise.
About 1,500 school pupils in Wansbeck are joining forces with local companies of all sizes, who are investing thousands of pounds in the project.
Make £5 Grow is the brainchild of the Wansbeck Education Enterprise Network (WEEN).
Parents and their local MP are locked in a dispute with education bosses over a call for free transport for more than 100 children attending a new academy school in Northumberland.
The youngsters, aged 11 and 12, face a daily walk of more than two miles from their homes in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea to the Church of England Academy site in the Hirst area of Ashington because the county council says they don't qualify for a free school bus.
Their parents, supported by Wansbeck MP Denis Murphy, claim the council has a responsibility to provide free transport because the route the pupils have to walk is not safe enough.
As teenagers across the country scored record results in their A-levels again this year, students from Hirst High School were over the moon to discover they'd got the grades they needed to go to university.
Coral Appleton, 18, pictured, of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, got Bs in psychology and maths and a C in biology. She is going to Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh to study maths.
She said: "I'm very pleased with my results. I've always liked maths and it has always been my strongest subject."
A dance school has moved into new premises to provide a performance centre for Northumberland children.
Dance Northumberland has opened Studio One at Newbiggin Middle School, where children can learn anything from modern dance and vocal training to trapeze and aerial skills.
Claire Hanson, founder of Dance Northumberland, with Kirsti McDonagh
The project came about when Dance Northumberland approached Newbiggin Middle School after noticing there were few dance or performance facilities for young people in Northumberland.
Pictures from Newbiggin Middle School's beach party yesterday, celebrating the school's 50 year history before it closes next month. Read related story »
A Northumberland beauty spot became the scene of a massive beach party when it was invaded by more than 300 students.
The youngsters were celebrating the 50-year life of their school before it went out of existence.
And the sun helped everything go with a swing yesterday as Newbiggin Middle School was moved to Druridge Bay beach for the day.
We want to publish your blog on one of our community websites. Find out more.
Keep up to date subscribe to our RSS feed
Living or working in Newbiggin? We'd like to hear from you. Send your stories, pics and videos
Journal Extra, Northumberland's free weekly, is inside copies of The Journal across the county every Thursday, and can also be picked up from these locations around Newbiggin »
"Karen Turner was suspended from that school administration job for being reported as having a histor..."
"what can you say he was mad rude loud but he was the best blokes you could ever meet he had a heart..."
"he will be missed and remenbered always..."
"soo soo sad i fished that place once it looks soo dangerous RIP and love to the family..."
"so so sad me and my brother and 2 of his mates got washed off roker Pier in 1978 and we were lucky ..."
"R.I.P my thoughts are with his family and friends..."
" From a fellow angler. My condolences to family and friends at this very sad time.rest in peace. go..."
"God bless him and may he rest in peace.We fish clifftops every week in our club down here and it cou..."
"This is tragic news and I know the whole of the north east sea angling community will be shocked and..."
"Typical! If this were a private organisation, you'd just get the manufacturer, or another manufactur..."