The St. John’s College Giants Inertia determination to recapture the Build-A-Bridge contest title paid as they defeated consecutive champions, St. Augustine’s College. They achieved the highest efficiency score which is determined by the weight of the bridge compared to its failure load. Pictured L-R is the winning team: Dr. Wazir. Abdool, Coach/Science Teacher; Aashiq Abdool, Seratara Wilkinson, Olmaide Olawoyin, Lynneice Charlton and Jason Thompson.
Nassau, Bahamas - St. John’s College dashed St. Augustine’s hope for a
third consecutive victory in the Build-A-Bridge competition sponsored by
Integrated Building Services held at The College of The Bahamas Performing Arts
Centre on Thursday, 5th May 2011. The contest which was first launched in 2004 featured
tenth and eleventh grade students from sixteen private and public schools
throughout The Bahamas competing to determine who can build the lightest bridge
that can hold the greatest weight.
Students are provided with 300 regular Popsicle
sticks and Elmer’s glue to construct their bridges and can use any other
materials. The objective of
the competition is to generate interest among high schools in the field of
engineering. The competition is
staged by a duo of young Bahamians, Nick Dean and Kevin Sweeting, of Integrated
Building Services
Anatol Rodgers High School walked away with third place in the challenge
Mr. Ross Smith, District Superintendent in charge of
High School Curriculum at the Ministry of Education spoke on behalf of the Minister
of Education, The Honourable T. Desmond Bannister at the event. Mr. Smith told the budding engineersthat they are venturing into an
extremely disciplined field and not paying attention to details or cutting
corners can cause grave consequences.
Mr. Smith further told the students about Mr. Thomas Heausler,
an American Engineer and writer, who noted that “engineers get their glory
through anonymity; that is, as long as their building stands firm”. He admonished them to become
professionals that will be known for their integrity, adherence to standards
and the welfare of your clients.
Prior to the competition, Anatol Rodgers High School
had declared on Facebook that it would be victorious. It was the first school to have it bridge weighed and its
weight of 137. pounds made it a contender to finish in the rankings. The organizers kept the audience in
suspense by saving last year’s three top finishers C. C. Sweeting Senior High
School, St. John’s College and St. Augustine College to be weighed last. Prior to this, bridge after bridge
collapsed after being weighed with sand and weights, keeping Anatol ahead in
the standings.
St. Augustine’s Big Red Machine took second place in the Build-A-Bridge Challenge
St. John’s College’s bridge took almost twenty
minutes before it collapsed causing the defending champions to have doubts
about retaining the title.
St. Augustine’s however, came to win and demonstrated their experience
in the competition by the building the strongest build. In the end St. John’s
College was announced the winner having constructed the lightest build in
proportion to its weight. St,
Augustine’s finished second and Anatol Rodgers was third.
Organizers for the first time added an Aesthetics
category to the contest. C. V. Bethel
Senior High School was the winner of this segment followed by St. Andrew’s
School, second and St. John’s College third.