Egg Drop XIII

What do beans, Crisco, rice, flour, vinegar, bread dough and water have in common? They might work as a good buffer when dropping an egg over 100 feet.

East Side School drew a crowd of students, parents and staff at the Glasgow High School on Friday, May 30, for the 13th annual egg drop. It lasted a few hours, starting first thing in the morning for the last day of school. While the sun was out, the wind may have effected some of the drops off the gymnasium roof onto the alley behind the track bleachers.

Kids were creative with their projects. They were given about a month to decide on the design and technique to drop an egg off a roof. Several made containers out of wood, wire, rubber – you name it – and it was probably used.

A few kids at the site reasoned that they thought beans might make a good texture to protect the egg from a big jostle after gravity took it plunging to earth. Others designed their container more for looks. There was a fake chicken behind chicken wire, with the egg suspended in a plastic egg and surrounded by a substance to absorb the shock.

Parents explained that while some kids put a lot of thought into their project, worth 500 points, others procrastinated and spent the entire previous weekend amaking their creations. The projects had a pretty strict weight limit. Sixth grade science teacher Wade Nelson explained that while the shapes and sizes could be just about anything, the weight was important. Nelson said that students were also graded on how easy access was to the egg to see if it survived the fall.

While only sixth graders participated, the fourth and fifth graders came to watch. Junior high students also came out to see how the class beneath them faired. Many parents also came to see how the project went, and of course to watch people throw things off the top of a building.

“We did this at my college, off the liberal arts building,” Nelson said.

He explained that was part of how the egg drop has become an annual tradition in Glasgow. It also came in a lesson plan, and he thought, why not?

While this was the first year at Glasgow High School, students in the past dropped off a crane 175 feet up. When access of the crane went away, they weight limit went up from 10-15 pounds, to 15-20 pounds. Nelson said they also dropped off the East Side roof.

This year. he said, it was a little crowded, but still a success. He said each year takes on a life of its own and students amaze him each time.

Around 24 students survived the first drop. After the first round, they dropped off a second time to see who really engineered a container that would provide a safe resting place for the eggs. A total of 15 students survived a second drop. While the students finished their drop, they may have given future ideas for upcoming classes.