The students’ energy set the atrium abuzz as they drew plans and measured out materials to build bridges.
The 37th Spaghetti Bridge Building Contest had students from Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton and Osoyoos work together on building structures with nothing but uncooked pasta.
Okanagan College’s Kelowna campus hosted the students.
There were three events in the day: first, a team event where students had an hour to build a bridge. Second, an event where students brought in stronger, pre-built bridges which were then tested by judges. The third event was a heavy weight round, where more advanced bridges were tested to see if they can withstand heavier pressure.
Michelle Lowry has been organizing the day for the last 15 years and she said she’s seen a few changes throughout the years but for the most part, it’s the same event that started 37 years ago.
What hasn’t changed is the fact that the contest provides an inclusive and interactive way to introduce students to science, technology, engineering and math, according to Lowry.
Salmon Arm students Mikah Richmond and Levi Kamstra said they were nervous, but were excited to be building their bridge.
“We have the base of it so far and now we’re just trying to build the arms leading up to the top,” Richmond said.
“There’s just a lot of measurements. It also needs to be a good weight. Plus, you need to know all the angles to put everything (together).”
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