MANCHESTER – As the Taco Tour Manchester kicks off this Thursday, two things are guaranteed: The crowds will be big and the competition for the best taco will be fierce. When this year’s winner is chosen, they’ll raise a trophy crafted right here in one of our schools.
The Greater Manchester Chamber, which hosts the Taco Tour, connected with Manchester School of Technology in hopes of having students design and craft the Best Taco trophy. Students Megan Shamer, of MST High School, and Corah Daigle, of Londonderry High School, took on the challenge of conceptualizing and building the trophy.
“It was great to see the students be able to work through the entire process of client request to the completion of the project,” said Dan Colburn, Advanced Design Technology teacher at MST. “This experience replicated what professionals do in industry.”
Over the last month, the students worked using Autodesk Inventor software and a 3D printer at the school to build the trophy, which features Manchester’s iconic City Hall topped with a hard-shell style taco. For the students, the process and the end product were well worth the effort.
“This was a highlight of the school year knowing we were designing something that is going to be part of such a large event in Manchester,” Daigle said. Added Shamer, “I would like to receive this as a trophy! It's cool to see the outcome of the work.”
More than 100 restaurants are participating in this year’s Taco Tour, which runs from 4-8 pm on Thursday. Tour-goers are able to vote for tacos in two categories: Best Taco and Most Creative Taco.
“Our Chamber team loves the trophy made by the students at MST,” said Cole Riel, Director of Taco Tour Manchester. “MST embraces innovation, creativity, and enabling students to thrive. We are thankful for the students’ assistance in crafting a memorable piece for a memorable event!”
Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel thanked the Chamber for presenting this opportunity and Jillian Corey, District Director of Career and College Pathway Development, for connecting to MST.
“Any time that our District and students can connect to our community, it’s a huge win,” Chmiel said. “This is one of the city’s biggest events of the year, and our students got to play a big part in that. This was an amazing way to bring a real-world experience into the classroom, and Megan and Corah knocked it out of the park. Congratulations to them and good luck to all of the restaurants competing.”
You can find more information on Taco Tour Manchester at https://www.tacotourmanchester.com/.