November is a time when some construction projects start winding down for winter, but for students in Design Drawing and Production Classes at Camden High School, the work is just getting started. The classes recently wrapped up their annual Bridge Construction challenge, and it was truly one for the record books.
The challenge places students in the role of a civil engineer on a smaller scale. They have to design, draw, model, and construct their own bridges using ⅛ inch thick basswood sticks and glue with the goal of creating the most efficient bridge possible.
An efficiency score is calculated by the weight the bridge holds, divided by the weight of the bridge itself. For example, if a bridge weighs 50 grams, and holds 11 pounds (about 5000 grams) then the student’s efficiency score would be 100, because the bridge is holding 100 times its weight.
Last year, Darrell Sumner put future builders on notice by setting an impressive efficiency score record of 835. But this year’s group was not deterred by that imposing number. Especially not Colton Schuler.
Schuler’s bridge came in at 54.4 grams, and went on to hold a staggering 112.1 pounds, or about 50,847 grams. That data came together for an efficiency score of 934.5, which means it held 934.5 times its weight to shatter the school record held by Sumner.
Out of the eight school records tracked by the Technology department, Schuler now holds two of them to earn multiple spots on Mr. Petrie’s “Wall of Fame”.
His competitors were also quite strong. The runner-up spot went to Troy Cox, who reached an efficiency score of 641.7 to narrowly outpace several of his classmates.
Stay tuned to see what the Technology Department does next! 
