05 Jul 2019
The annual ‘breaking of the bridges’ took place yesterday as this year’s entry to the Camden Haven High School bridge building competition were tested to destruction! A dozen marvels of engineering were entered in 2019, made by student groups from years 7-10 who gave up there class and lunch times to be in the winning for the bevy of prizes available. A strength award for the bridge capable of holding the most weight, a design award looking at innovation, aesthetics and functionality and the efficiency award for the bridge that has the best weight held for its own weight. All entries were scrutinised carefully by our judges, including a representative from our excellent Sponsor Alan Taylor and Associates, to see if they met the criteria: Could they span the gap? Were they built only of the limited amount of kit materials – balsa, glue and string? Did they have places for the weighing machine to be placed? Ranked according to the judges best guesses as to how much they would hold the bridge destruction began with a cracker that held 11 kilograms whist weighing only 84 grams. One by one the bridges fell to the roar of a crowd hungry for engineering carnage! Some bridges covered themselves in glory, withstanding kilogram after kilogram, strings and wood straining against the inevitable forces pulling downwards, whilst others crumbled at the touch of the first weight. Eventually standing amidst the pile of splintered hopes, dreams and balsa wood, the calculations were expertly performed by the nimble fingers of a science teacher to determine the winners on the day. A huge congratulations to all of the competitors this year but an even bigger cheer to the winning teams! The overall winners will now construct another bridge to compete in the state championships.
Strength Award: Hayden Single, Joshua Emerton and Aaron Coulter
Design Award: Jasmine O’Brien, Anke Beukes and Natalie Bosch
Efficiency Award: Hayden Single, Joshua Emerton and Aaron Coulter
Overall Winner: Jasmine O’Brien, Anke Beukes and Natalie Bosch
