Breaking Bridges

Sin Ler Oo

Previously, the 8th and 9th graders were assigned with a task to build a miniature wooden bridge. May 18th was the day their hard work was tested to see the force their bridges could withhold.

A dull creaking reverberated through the room as the audience stared at the bridge with bated breath. Gradually, the little wooden structure began to bend before a sharp snapping was heard, and the beautiful piece of architecture would never be the same again. To any stranger that happened to enter the room without context, it must have been astonishing indeed when the room burst into applause over the destruction of the intricate bridge. For those in the loop, however, May 18th served as the day in which students competed with each other over the sturdiest (while being as light as possible) bridge. Unfortunately for them, the only way to do so was to break them.

That day, many 8th and 9th graders gathered around in Auckland to test the strength of their hard work. Formerly, the students were given basic engineering knowledge and entrusted with the task of building their very own bridge with specific requirements. First, the bridges could not exceed 25 grams in weight. For reference, 25 grams would equal to roughly 25 paper clips. Secondly, they were to be built with glue and wooden sticks. Finally, the bridges had to demonstrate thought and planning on some level. Thus, the students were given time to plan and build their bridges before the final day of May 18th. 

Unwillingly for some, D-Day arrived. The 8th graders were the first to go in the morning while the 9th graders had their turn in the afternoon. Bridges were measured, weighed, and the information was dutifully filled out on a sheet of paper. Mr. Brewster, Mr. Hutchcraft, and Mrs. Morken then reassured the students with gentle smiles as they placed their hard work onto the contraption that would eventually destroy it. Words of encouragement between teacher and student would be exchanged as the student watched Mr. Brewster set up the machine with expertise. He would even joke that the machine would always triumph over the bridge, much to the disappointment of countless students before them. 

Finally, once everything was in place, all that was left was for the students to break their bridges with their own hands. As Mr. Brewster stepped out of the way to give the students the spotlight, some of them began starting up the contraption with trembling hands. They had to keep going until a snap resounded throughout the room and the weight-to-strength ratio was recorded. Then, they could breathe a sigh of relief as applause was given and their bridge, whether slightly or completely damaged, was released from the terrifying machine. 

Audrey Shing (12), a volunteer, later commented on the event saying, “I was really glad I got to help out with the event! I think all four of us [volunteers] really relished the opportunity to see our friends and in my case dorm mates test out the projects they've been working on for so long.”