With the help of the Plymouth Fire Department, some fourth grade students participated in a hands-on STEM-related activity.
According to PHS Career Marketing student Ivy Martin, the 6th Annual Pumpkin drop was recently held at the Washington Discovery Academy.
WDA facilitator Amanda Dreibelbis shared that students have been investigating the effects of gravity, thrust, drag and lift. With this exercise, they try to build contraptions to counteract the gravity of their pumpkins to keep them from smashing when dropped from a fire truck bucket 80 feet in the air.
She added that this is always a fun, educational opportunity for students to get a better understanding of the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
Martin reported that students filled their boxes with various creative materials such as blankets, clothing, balloons and marshmallows hoping it would cushion the blow when their box was dropped. This year, only two pumpkins survived the drop while the others were smashed upon impact.
The fourth grade teachers extended their gratitude to Plymouth FD for lending their bucket truck and making the Pumpkin Drop activity possible once again.
