Camarillo teenagers aim to break the world record with the largest sausage board – with cheese and meat

Forget volcano models and mini robots! A group of Oxnard Unified School District Adolfo Camarillo High School students are taking their schoolwork to a whole new level by trying to build the world’s longest sausage board – 175 feet to be exact.

Dozens of students enrolled in the Architecture, Innovation, and Product Design program hope to accomplish an extraordinary feat by St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, March 17th.

Peter Wachtel, the program’s instructor, came up with the idea when he set out to do “something big” for his students and the community.

“The goal is to set a world record, but the main thing, as a community, is what we can do together,” Wachtel explained. “As students, as the city of Camarillo, as Ventura County, we are all working together to raise awareness of skilled trades.”

The students said they were amazed and excited to take part in a project they never dreamed of.

“Perhaps the most interesting thing is when it’s all set, when you see it actually coming true,” said William Enos, one of the high school students involved in the project. “To be in the world record book would definitely be very cool. It would be great if the school appeared on the map.”

For the past three weeks, students have used recycled wood from the school’s 65-year-old gym bleachers to build a sausage board. While the main material may be free, Wachtel said he’s been busy collecting his ducks in a row as the deadline is fast approaching.

“The biggest problem at the moment is the logistics — organizing the event and attracting students,” Wachtel said.

Another problem is the collection of funds for this grandiose project. While students, their parents, and the school are actively seeking donations from local restaurants and grocery stores to fill the huge board, they hope to raise $15,000 towards other expenses such as the Guinness event and judges’ fees.

The school is set to host a public event at the school’s football stadium at 6:00 pm on St. Patty’s Day as 175 students will bring the finished product to the stadium to be presented and judged by Guinness World Records.

According to Wachtel, when all is said and done, it will be like “winning the Super Bowl.”

“That’s what gives you purpose—something you work on every day outside of normal school hours,” the teacher said. “This is more than yourself, more than school. It’s about the whole community. It’s something when you look back and say, “Look what I did to help build this.”

Wachtel said all the cheese, fruit and meat used to fill the board will be donated to local shelters.