Haven Bay Elementary

Three students, two girls and a boy in a black baseball cap, stand around a light gray table working on a paper engineering project. A white "Judge Score Sheet" with a table of criteria sits in the foreground. They are using strips of white paper and tape to build a structure. The girl in the middle wears a black hoodie that reads, "I'M COLD. I'm Always Cold... ME 7/24."

Three students are huddled over a small desk, collaborating on a paper craft. One student wears a purple tie-dye shirt, another a pale yellow tracksuit, and the third a bright turquoise hoodie. Blue scissors and scraps of white paper are on the desk. In the background, a glass wall is decorated with red, pink, and yellow paper hearts and "handprint" art.

Three boys work on a STEM project involving a small paper bridge structure. One boy in a white Jordan t-shirt and grey baseball cap looks down at the structure. Another boy in a red t-shirt holds a piece of paper. The background wall is covered in student drawings of ecosystems, including volcanoes and waterfalls, under the heading "Interactions with Earth's Systems."

A boy in a bright green and black jacket with an "Ariat" hat sits at a table, looking surprised with his mouth open while working with paper. Two other students are partially visible on either side, helping fold and organize paper strips. A "Judge Score Sheet" lies on the table in front of them.

Three boys work at a table in a room featuring a large mural of a night sky with a crescent moon and tall grass. One boy in a black jacket leans on the table, looking toward the camera, while another in a blue t-shirt stands nearby. A long, thin strip of white paper hangs off the edge of the table next to a pair of blue scissors.

Three girls are focused on building a white paper arch structure on a long table near a window. One girl wears a pink hoodie and a white baseball cap, another is in a black t-shirt, and the third wears a black hoodie with a "Lightning McQueen" graphic and the words "Shining Queen." A "Judge Score Sheet" is prominently displayed on the table.

A boy in an "American Chevrolet" t-shirt and glasses leans over a table, carefully assembling a long, pointed paper structure. Other students are visible in the background of the open hallway. The structure is being built over a blue line of tape on the table surface. A boy in a black "Bucket Squad" hoodie stands in the foreground.

Three girls sit or stand around a table in a bright hallway with floor-to-ceiling windows. They are collaborating on a tall, thin paper tower. One girl wears a camouflage hoodie, and another wears a dark blue sweater with a teddy bear graphic. Strips of paper and a pair of blue scissors are scattered on the table.

Three students work on a paper structure that resembles a small table or goalpost. A boy in a light blue hoodie leans in to observe the build. On the table, a "Judge Score Sheet" is visible with sections titled "MATERIALS & BUILD CHECK," "STABILITY CHECK," and "MEASUREMENT." In the background, a glass door is decorated with colorful paper hearts.

February 27, 2026

Haven Bay

🏗️ Engineering Excellence at Haven Bay! 🏗️
Our Great Blue Herons have been reaching new heights—and lengths—this week! Our brilliant fifth-grade students faced off in the STEM Olympiad tryouts, tackling the ultimate structural challenge: the Longest Freestanding Paper Cantilever. The goal was to build the longest paper structure that sticks out from a table and stays up entirely on its own. Working in teams of three, our Herons had a tight 15-minute window to design and build. 📏It wasn’t just about length; it was about precision engineering! To qualify, every team had to follow strict rules. Each team used only 10 sheets of copy paper and 20 inches of masking tape; no masking tape was allowed to touch the table surfaces; and the structure had to stay on the table using only its own weight—no attaching it to the floor or walls. All parts of the structure on the table had to remain between the table edge and a blue tape line set 12 inches back.

⚖️ Once "hands off" was called, the pressure was on! A judge set a 30-second timer. To qualify for measurement, the cantilever had to remain perfectly stable—no collapsing, no touching the floor, and no visible downward movement. It's inspiring to see our 5th graders collaborating and problem-solving under pressure. From reinforced paper tubes to clever counterweights, their innovation was off the charts! 💙 Who will hold the record for the longest stable cantilever at Haven Bay? Stay tuned for the final results!

#HavenBayElementary #GreatBlueHerons #STEMOlympiad #FutureEngineers #FifthGradePhysics #STEMChallenge

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