Eighth Grade Bridge Builders

By Susan Coney

Longtime Middle School Science teacher Martha Babbit, with the help of her husband Don, has been bringing a popular project to her classes for the past six years. Every year Mr and Mrs Babbit purchase balsa wood bridge building supplies from Midwest Products Company and divide the eighth graders into small groups to compete in their annual bridge building contest.

The object of the competition is to determine which bridge has the greatest efficiency. The bridges were tested to see how much weight they were able to hold before collapsing. The bridges were also judged on appearance, neatness, design, and accurate specifications.

The students were given identical supplies and handouts providing them with guidelines on how to construct the bridge. Different designs of bridges that may be built were provided in the guidelines given to the students. The eighth graders had only four days of class time in which to design and construct their bridge.

The project covers a broad range subjects, making it an excellent interdisciplinary lesson. The students apply their knowledge of design, physics, geometry, and measurement skills. In English class the students wrote about bridges in their relation to spanning a gap. The students wrote poetry about their own experiences bridging from elementary school to middle school and later the upcoming move to high school.

In social studies students learned about different types of bridges and the impact that bridge building has had on westward expansion, bridges built during the Civil War and during Reconstruction.

This year’s winners for the construction portion of the contest were Steven Meade, Brianna Liotta, and Cody Kellogg. The bridge that the winning team constructed weighed only 24.2 grams but was able to hold 27,500 grams. The bridge hit an all time record of holding 56 bags of sand before finally collapsing. Mr Babbit documented on video the entire contest, including the winning bridge. While making his video he also interviewed the other cluster teachers who had contributed by teaching lessons that correlated with the bridge-building project.

Technical Education teacher Don Ramsey challenges the students every year to see if he can outdo the students in building a superior bridge. Unfortunately for Mr Ramsey, he has never beaten the students. He conceded to the winners by saying, “I hereby congratulate Steven Meade, Brianna Liotta, and Cody Kellogg for the bridge that shattered the expectations of optimism. It was engineering extravagance that I am privileged to have witnessed. It was the epitome of aesthetics and performance. Congratulations to all other builders who surpassed my design for greater efficiency. If there is any consolation for me, perhaps it is only that I taught you well.”

He went on to say, “The unsung hero is Mrs Babbit herself, along with her husband, for the vision set forth to bring out the best in all her students. For every worthy endeavor, there is a vital force that serves as the prime mover. For this, Mrs Babbit deserves a standing ovation.”