Sorry, but yeah, it's dumb. Two things I would consider would be to get a two- or four-sided pedal (the only 4-sided pedals I know of offhand are Crank Brothers Eggbeaters) or to add a weight to the underside of the pedals you have now.

Adding a weight won't always work, though, because the bearings on the pedal spindle might not necessarily move freely enough to allow a small weight to maintain a pedal's orientation. You'd have to use a weight that's heavy enough and/or make sure the bearings can spin very freely and easily.

Since you haven't said what kind of clipless pedals you've got, remember that road-specific pedals like those from Look or Shimano's SPD-SL line (Dura-Ace, Ultegra, 105, etc) are only one-sided.

(wondering if high schools even have shop class anymore..)