The School Buzz: Colorado Springs elementary students’ ‘Great Pumpkin Drop’ a smash hit

Students and staff at The Colorado Springs School may have a new, annual, Halloween smash hit on their hands.

With the help of Colorado Springs Fire, the college prep school's elementary students held a science experiment called The Great Pumpkin Drop. The goal? Find out how to safely land a pumpkin, after dropping it from a 75-foot fire ladder, with student-led engineering and design.

Each grade, K-5, engineered a design for a landing pod, something to prevent the pumpkin from smashing upon hitting the ground. Out of the six pumpkin pods that were dropped, three of them survived a successful landing: pods from the Kindergarten, 3rd-grade and 5th-grade classes.

This was a STEM project for the students, where they had full control over the concept and design process for each pumpkin pod landing system.

CSS Lower School Director Nathan J. Mylin said, “This is very much experiential education. It also dovetails with what we are doing in our science curriculum to make sure all students understand the Engineering Design Process,” he said.

“There’s a lot of excitement to see if what they invented works," said Mylin.

"It’s what NASA engineers do when they design how they are going to slow down a rover or a landing.”

Do you know a remarkable event, student or teacher at your school? Email me: SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.