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In the schools: Students create working trebuchets for physics class

Frank Reeves
East Grand School District Superintendent
MPHS students in Mrs. Hargadine’s general physics class fine-tune their designs as they use the engineering and design process to construct a functioning and adjustable trebuchet.
Courtesy EGSD

Great Happenings in East Grand Schools the week of Nov. 15.

• Fourth grade GES students went to the Colorado History Museum on Nov. 7. They are studying the early Indian tribes, explorers and fur traders of Colorado and look forward to our experience at the museum to further our learning.

• Granby Elementary’s pumpkin decorating contest had 62 entries and was voted on by students, staff, parents and community members last week. Eighteen favorites were chosen by popular vote and winners received a goodie bag.



• Minnesingers sang for our veterans on Monday at Snow Mountain Ranch. The second graders did their annual Barn Dance on Thursday in the Granby Elementary Gym.

• The fall play was performed last weekend where our student-actors and stage crew put on an amazing performance of “The Fiddler on the Roof.” This year, we had our show screened for a chance to perform on the main stage at the Bellco theatre during the Colorado Thespian Conference. The screener who came was very detailed and insightful in his comments, most of which were very complimentary. He was impressed by what we have done with the theatre program at Middle Park — and gave specific kudos to the community that rallies around its high schoolers and arts in the schools. Thank you for being such an important part of that support.



• Drama will be doing our evening cabaret on Thursday, Dec. 5 — most likely at Brickhouse 40. The students would love to have a big, enthusiastic audience.

• Congratulations to Mark Simmons, 2016 MPHS graduate, and the cross country team from University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Mark and his teammates will be racing at the National Cross Country Championships on Nov. 23 in California. Good luck, Mark!

• On Saturday, East Grand Schools hosted a teacher recruitment event, in which 25 college students and prospective future teachers toured the district, participated in activities and had dinner with students, teachers and administrators. The attendees were excited about the district and hopefully becoming a future educator in East Grand.

• Congrats to the graphic designers who won the anti-vaping poster contest. They will have their projects printed on a poster and displayed around the school. In addition, look for other student flyers hanging in the stalls around campus. The students are all published artists now.

• We have been awarded a $28,368 grant from CDE. The grant involves training and coding/computing programs for our new elementary tech classes.

• The trebuchet was a siege weapon once used to break through barricades like castle walls. Its design used simple machines and general physics concepts. In this challenge, MPHS students in Mrs. Hargadine’s General Physics class used the engineering design process to design and construct a functioning and adjustable trebuchet. As part of the design challenge, students had to investigate and apply physics concepts such as mechanical advantage, work, power and Newton’s laws to optimize their design. They will compete with their classmates for the farthest distance, most accurate and power.


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