For Immediate Release

December 7, 2012

PR 04413-Glassboro Intermediate Balloon Car Championships

Glassboro Intermediate School Holds Balloon Car Championships

Glassboro - Glassboro Intermediate School teachers, Denise Barr and Shannon Batten, wanted their students to experience the thrill of applying science concepts they studied in class. The teachers collaborated to host a Balloon Car Championship among the students in their nine eighth-grade classes. The students had studied speed and motion, and Barr and Batten thought this was the perfect opportunity to apply those concepts.

Students designed their own cars out of straws, compact discs, juice boxes, bottle tops, wood, sticks and other common objects. The cars were then powered by balloons.  Eighth-graders initially competed solely among students in their individual classes for “best in class” honors in distance and speed. The winners of the classroom competitions were then invited for an overall competition in the GIS gym.

            Classroom winners included:  Danny Guerin,  Devin Patterson, Dylan Skidmore, Joe Roantree   Bianca Jurek , James Rhoades, Nathan Burrell,   Matt Karnuk,  Jonathan Lin,  Eric Fields,  Tiarra Rodney, Dylan Taylor, Gulden Ozdemir,  Dursun Ortak, Chris Maldonado, Keri Straub, John Ryan Beck, Anthony Prosperi,  Jeda Gregg   Jacob Dorfman  Aaron Orcutt Da-mon Purnell, Jordyn Wigglesworth,  Tyler Stuart, Nyle Hart, Jack McMahon, Vincent Carbonaro,  Girish Livingston-Menon, T.J. Kerr and Skyler Colna.      

            Winners in the overall eighth-grade championship are listed below.

Distance Winners:

                                1^st — Anthony Prosperi and Chris Maldonado--- 16.1 m

                                2^nd — Vincent Carbonaro—15m

                                3^rd --- John Ryan Beck—13.15m

Speed Winners:

                1^st — Devin Paterson—3.02m/s

                2^nd — Jordyn Wigglesworth and Jacob Dorfman--- 2.9m/s

                3^rd — Gulden Ozdemir and Keri Straub—2.55m/s

Along the way, students learned valuable lessons through trial, error and victory. For example, Devin Paterson designed his car using numerous straws and no wheels. When asked after his first gym race what he learned, Paterson replied, “Use something better than straws next time. Put wheels on it.” However, Paterson had selected the straws because they were light weight and he felt they would have less air resistance than other materials. In the end, Paterson’s car did out-perform other cars in the speed category.

Anthony Prosperi and Chris Maldonado purposefully designed their car with strong spokes to keep the wheels from wobbling and set it  high off the ground so the balloon wouldn’t drag. Ultimately, their choices boosted them to first place in the speed category.

 

 

Glassboro intermediate School students Chris Maldonado and Anthony Prosperi
won the eighth grade balloon car competition in the distance category.
Their car traveled 16.1 m.

Glassboro Intermediate School student Devin Patterson  realized success
when his balloon car out-paced others in the speed category by traveling 3.02 m/s.