Sumter Academy teams clean up in egg drop competition

Clay Truelove demonstrates angular momentum while Ryan Moore, Landon McElroy, Sean Dotson, Jessica Gordy, Lexie Larkin, Shelby Averett, and Emily Waddell look on.
Clay Truelove demonstrates angular momentum while Ryan Moore, Landon McElroy, Sean Dotson, Jessica Gordy, Lexie Larkin, Shelby Averett, and Emily Waddell look on.
Junior team members  (L-R): Chief Engineer Sean Dotson, Shelby Averett, Jessica Gordy, Clay Truelove, Landon McElroy.  (Cullen Bailey; not in picture)
Junior team members (L-R): Chief Engineer Sean Dotson, Shelby Averett, Jessica Gordy, Clay Truelove, Landon McElroy. (Cullen Bailey; not in picture)

On Thursday, April 16, Shelton State Community College hosted its fourth annual Engineering Day, an outreach activity for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Sumter Academy participated in the Egg Drop Competition and won both first and second place, defeating over 30 teams from West and Central Alabama.

The competition required students to design and build a container using only straws, toothpicks, rubber bands and tape that would enable an egg to survive a 36-foot drop onto a concrete surface. Successful containers were then ranked according to their weight (lightest being the most desirable).

“I am so proud of my students’ performance this year,” Sumter Academy science teacher Angela Smith said. “It is a truly impressive feat to take both first and second place in the face of such stiff competition from large public schools. We have some very talented young engineers at Sumter Academy.”

Tyler Haney watches as Sumter's project safely lands.
Tyler Haney watches as Sumter’s project safely lands.