Bridge Building Showdown

The Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 kicked off a STEM-tastic bridge building showdown on January 7, 2025! In total, 53 students from grades 1–6 across 11 districts joined forces in teams of three. Armed with nothing but craft sticks, tongue depressors, pipe cleaners, toothpicks, and rubber bands, the students were asked to construct a free-standing bridge that could support a whopping five pounds! These mini-engineers had to whip up bridges at least 28 inches long, four to six inches wide, and six to 12 inches tall. When the moment of truth arrived, the bridges dazzled, with the top designs supporting over four reams of paper! Hats off to the brilliant winning bridge builders from Bradford, Coudersport, Galeton, Otto-Eldred, Ridgway, and St. Leos for their stellar creations! A big thank you to everyone who joined in for a day packed with fun, laughter, teamwork, and a sprinkle of perseverance. And let’s give a roaring round of applause to the advisors who took the plunge to guide these awesome kids toward becoming well-rounded citizens!