21-05-2025
Reality meets theory in Geneva's STEM Wars
GENEVA — Laughs and learning mixed freely Tuesday afternoon as the Geneva High School's STEM Wars kicked into full gear.
Eighty students from the school's advanced placement classes competed against each other in five different events, including an egg drop, rocket launch, popsicle stick bridge construction, and mouse car building.
Students worked together to create entries into the tournament, which takes the stress off after a long semester of hard work. Any Geneva High School students interested in advanced placement courses are allowed to take them.
'It is a lot more fun than the three hour exams we took,' senior Julie McDaniel said. She said she really enjoyed watching John Barbo throw things off the roof of the school.
The students went from place to place, in and outside the school building, testing their work against that of other students.
Science teacher Anne Markijohn said students previously competed in a multiple-school STEM Wars event through the Chagrin Valley Conference, but it got cancelled last year, so the school decided to start their own.
'It is a fun way to keep them motivated,' Markijohn said.
Geneva High School Principal Michael King said any time you can do hands-on work, it is better than pure classroom work, or tests, because it is something students will remember for a long time.
'This is what science is all about,' Markijohn said after a surprise result at the rocket launch.
A pre-launch estimate was 20 feet, but the rocket went hundreds of feet as the students and teachers reacted with surprise.
A popsicle bridge experiment had similar results.
'Guys this is unbelievable,' GHS science teacher John Barbo said.
A wrong measurement may have made the test easier than expected, as a full bucket of sand turned into weights from the weight room.
Geneva High School science teacher Wendy Booth was also deeply involved in the event, and was as excited as the students as the results developed.
Amy Fernandez, a junior, said she learned it is challenging to build a car. She said students also learned patience and how to overcome challenges.
