St. B’s Egg Drop
November marked a favorite tradition among many Upper School students, the annual St. B’s egg drop.
This year, as in years past, each eighth grader built a container that housed a raw egg, which was then dropped from a fifth-floor science room window onto the recess deck. This thirteen-meter drop proved catastrophic for several eggs, but a remarkable 81% of the eggs survived the fall. This year the boys were especially creative with the materials they used, incorporating Nerf footballs, tennis ball containers, stress balls, and even a slinky into their projects.
The boys constructed their devices for two weeks. Mr. Parsons gave them some strict guidelines. The device could not contain a parachute, no electronics could be used, and the entire device had to fit on a standard 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper. The egg could not be boiled, soaked in vinegar, or changed in any way, and part of the egg (an area equal to the size of a quarter) had to be visible.
Everyone was eager to test their containers. They had been working on this project for weeks and were eager to see how their eggs would fare. Egg-stremely cold temperatures didn’t bother the boys as they looked up to the fifth floor with anticipation. The boys cheered when Mr. Jacala popped his head out of the window with the first customized egg container. The egg-citement continued with each drop, and the boys literally leapt with glee when they discovered that an egg had landed safely.
Two faculty members participated in the egg drop this year, but their results were less egg-ceptional. Only 50% of their eggs survived the great fall. The boys cheered on their teachers, and everyone had a great time as they put their knowledge of gravity, air resistance, and impact to the test with this creative and fun science project.
Everyone was eager to test their containers. They had been working on this project for weeks and were eager to see how their eggs would fare. Egg-stremely cold temperatures didn’t bother the boys as they looked up to the fifth floor with anticipation. The boys cheered when Mr. Jacala popped his head out of the window with the first customized egg container. The egg-citement continued with each drop, and the boys literally leapt with glee when they discovered that an egg had landed safely.
Two faculty members participated in the egg drop this year, but their results were less egg-ceptional. Only 50% of their eggs survived the great fall. The boys cheered on their teachers, and everyone had a great time as they put their knowledge of gravity, air resistance, and impact to the test with this creative and fun science project.
