A Contentious Catapult Contest
Tim Shafter takes a distance shot with his popsicle stick catapult.
June 4, 2016
This past Wednesday, June 1st, the Latin club hosted their annual culminating event. Students from all four grades gathered to celebrate the end of their year. In years past, this celebration has taken the form of a chariot competition. This year, however, there was a different spin put on the activity: Latin students put their creative skills to the test and crafted miniature catapults.
Approximately two dozen students attended the event, hosted by Mr. Minihane and Mr. Urbanati. Students, working both individually and in pairs, constructed small war machines that could fit on a desk. There were three major categories that these aspiring generals could compete for: accuracy, design and distance.
Students placed their catapults onto desks set at different distances from Mr. Minihane’s whiteboard, competing for one, two, or three points. The closest desk provided one point; the middle, two points; and the outermost, three. In addition, Mr. Minihane put up a picture of a Persian general that, if hit, would add a point to your overall score.
After the event was over, the desks were moved aside, allowing for a wide open space for the next event. The distance competition was decided by how far the catapults could fling a ping pong ball. The longest distance was about 10 feet from winner Henry McCullough’s “The Egyptian Boy.”
Finally, the award for best design was doled out after the distance competition ceased. While many of the catapults had excellent designs, the award was ultimately a contest between Henry McCullough and freshman Katherine Conolly, with Connolly ultimately coming out on top. Energy was high throughout the course of the event, and it was a great deal of fun.
