PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles High School students took first, second and third place overall at the American Society of Civil Engineers Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition in Seattle.
“We swept them,” said Joe Donisi, Clallam County assistant engineer.
“We did the best we’ve ever done and we’ve been doing it for 17 years now.”
Fifteen Port Angeles students brought seven bridges to the contest Feb. 4, competing against a total of 36 bridges made of Popsicle sticks and judged on their ability to bear weight, as tested by a hydraulic press, as well as aesthetics.
Winning first place overall for a bridge that bore 395 pounds were juniors Bonnie Sires, Owen Nevaril and Lauren Rankin.
Second-place winners were Ryan Amiot, a senior; Brynn Clark, a junior; and Drake Anderson, a freshman. Their bridge held up under 368 pounds of pressure before collapsing.
Third place was taken by seniors Maya Wharton and Lael Butler for a bridge that bore 223 pounds.
The district could enter only three bridges officially, but the other bridges also were tested, unofficially.
• A bridge by freshmen Andrew Baker and Matt Lasher bore 230 pounds.
• The structure created by freshman Emma Weller, Kenzie DeLeon and Emily Sirguy bore 161 pounds.
• A bridge built by juniors Andrew Borde and Shawn Flanigan bore 148 pounds.
• A bridge by Carson Shamp, junior, and Hannah Officer, a senior, bore 132 pounds.
Project adviser Derek Johnson, a teacher at Port Angeles High School, “is the spark plug for the contest,” Donisi said.
Scholarships funded by a consortium of Port Angeles engineers were awarded Wednesday to Port Angeles bridge builders.
Winning $500 scholarships were Sires, Rankin and Nevaril, while $300 scholarships were given to Amiot, Clark and Anderson. Baker and Lasher each received a $200 scholarship.
Sponsors of the scholarships were Gene Unger Engineering LLC, Zenovic &Associates Inc. and Northwestern Territories Inc.
Civil engineers Chris Hartman of Zenovic &Associates; Gene Unger, a former Clallam County engineer; and Donisi have visited the school once a week since November to mentor students interested in building bridges for the contest.
They had worked with 20 students, Donisi said.
“It’s awesome to see them start at the beginning with their general designs and get them constructed, perfecting their details,” he said.
“They get an opportunity to test bridges as they go through the process.
“For us, it’s a good opportunity to interact with the kids and let them know about what we do,” Donisi said.
“It’s a lot of work for these kids. You see how much time they put into it.”
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
