GEMS create Rube Goldberg machines

Sophie+Smith%2C+Lexi+Emond+and+Megan+Ochalek%2C+seniors%2C+and+Emily+Boehlke%2C+junior%2C+work+on+their+Rube+Goldberg+machine+on+Saturday+night.+The+team+worked+together+at+last+years+competition.+Smith+said%2C+%E2%80%9CIt+was+a+lot+of+fun+to+work+together.+It+was+hard%2C+but+it+was+worth+it.%E2%80%9D

Sophie Smith, Lexi Emond and Megan Ochalek, seniors, and Emily Boehlke, junior, work on their Rube Goldberg machine on Saturday night. The team worked together at last year’s competition. Smith said, “It was a lot of fun to work together. It was hard, but it was worth it.”

A chorus of elated laughter and frustrated groans fills the air in room 112 at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19. That night marked the start of the GEMS club’s annual Rube Goldberg night, led by Mr. Paul Sivanich, physics teacher, where the the members of the GEMS club would build machines with the goal of creating a contraption that is overly engineered to perform a simple task. This year’s goal? Hammer a nail.

Before the competition started, Mr. Sivanich announced that the prize would go to “the most creative invention that works… and I’m going to be the judge.” At this, the girls broke out into teams of three to seven and started their contraptions.

The only materials that the girls had to work with were seemingly random supplies that they brought with them from home and materials that Mr. Sivanich could give them. There was a wide range of objects that the girls brought, from duct-tape and frisbees to even a couple of stuffed animals. Mr. Sivanich was able to provide weights, scissors, cardboard, bike tires, drywall, hammers and nails.

As far as building the contraptions, there seemed to be a method that worked. Kristina Smeshko, junior, stated that “the best way to do it is by planning out the end first. Figure out what your goal is, and then figure out what you could do to make that happen.”

However, the task is much easier said than done. Lexi Emond, senior, revealed that the hardest part of building the machines is “getting an idea, and you think it’s going to work, but then it doesn’t work.” Despite the disappointment, teams had an optimistic outlook on the night and were excited to see what they could create.

As the clock turned to 7:30 p.m., Mr.Sivanich called out, “It’s time to think about food.” The girls let out a sigh of relief and trudged across the hall to take a break and eat some well-deserved food. The menu consisted of Out & Out mac n’cheese, an assortment of beverages and a plethora of cookies and brownies.

As the dining wrapped up, the girls made their way back across the hall to continue their work.

The time approached to share their machines with the group, and while some teams seemed eager, some despaired and others took a relaxed approach. As she shrugged her shoulders and hoped for the best, Emond decided that her team would “just wing it.”

Mr. Sivanich proceeded to watch five of the six machines, as one team decided not to participate.

At the end of the judging, Mr. Sivanich decided that the team consisting of Kristina Smeshko, Shefai Murkerji and Annie Kleynerman, juniors, had won the competition. Mr. Sivanich reasoned his decision by saying that “you guys did a few different things… I gotta go with you.”

The members of GEMS had a positive experience. Annie Kleynerman, junior, wrapped up the night by concluding, “Would you ever do that on your own? No. What motivates me is that we’re all together.”