Marshmallows went flying and rubber bands went popping as eighth-graders put into motion what they have been learning about simple machines in Mrs. Pieroni's and Coach Smith's science classes.
Students formed small groups, working together to design and create a catapult that could launch large marshmallows. The middle schoolers were invited to not only knock over and destroy a wall of plastic cups, but to outperform their peers in the areas of innovation, uniqueness, decoration, lightest design and more.
"I love the fact that it is an entire process—they work together, they research it, they engineer it, they design it," said Angela Pieroni, ELA-8 science teacher and dean of studies. "It allows them to be creative, but it also gives them guidelines, which helps them have a goal to shoot for."
The science students also had the opportunity to shine as first, second and third place-holders in furthest distance, straightest and closest to target.
Screws and fasteners were not permitted on this project and size limits were enforced, pushing students to think creatively with clothespins, popsicle sticks, plastic spoons, cardboard, styrofoam, glue and other, simpler tools.
The catapulting contingent had a limited number of shots per station [represented by three marshmallows] that could be taken to make their goals.
"I enjoyed getting to show that I can build a catapult, being able to see everybody else's, and getting to compete against others," said eighth-grader Lawson Blake.
Both the instructors and pupils enjoyed the idea of taking science beyond the confines of course materials and four walls.
"I like how we interact [with what we are studying]," said
eighth-grader Hayden Baldwin. "We aren't just learning from a textbook, we are doing something fun outside of class, too."
After completing the catapult activity, students wrote reflective reports to help them think back on the process, focusing on their project's strengths and what they could have done differently.
Many students found that ultimately it was not about the aesthetics of their respective catapults, but in the simplicity of simple machines that lend themselves to success.
"A generic catapult is probably the best way to go, than to try to make something look crazy and really fancy," said Lawson Blake.
To see a photo gallery of the competition,
click here.
RESULTS
Herculean Award (Furthest Distance):
1st Place- Ezra Barnette, Jack Eady & Adam Himes (43 feet 5 inches)
2nd Place- David Braden, Ram MIniyar, Daniella Tomaselli & Andy Brunt (43 feet 3 inches)
3rd Place (TIED)- Kinsey Love & Kathryne Ledbetter (41 feet)
-AND- Emily Brandon & Annabelle Braden (41 feet)
Lightest: Chris Mauer & Jacob Daniel (18.6 grams)
Most Accurate (TIED):
Hayden Baldwin, Luke Gober, Riya Patel & Harsh Patel (.5 degree accuracy)
-AND- Kinsey Love & Kathryn Ledbetter (.5 degree accuracy)
Most Innovative: Tejas Reddy, Nic Seijo & Trey Yunger
Most Unique: Alden Astin & Andrew Land
Most Decorative: Gabi Horton & Anaston Ballard
Most Cups Knocked Down: Jiniya Trammel, Travis Black, Andrew Long, Jonathan Pieroni & Amelia Allen (6 cups)
People’s Choice: Tommy Atha, Alli Hagler & Lawson Blake
Superman Award (Best Overall Catapult): Chris Mauer & Jacob Daniel
