Harris County Department of Education’s Highpoint School was the source of creativity and innovation on Tuesday, Jan. 30, as students put their mathematics, engineering and architecture skills to the test at the school’s inaugural bridge-building contest.  

Assistant Principal Troy Moore coordinated with the math department to head the event, the culmination of a three-week lesson centered around creating mathematical equations and examining the strengths of geometric shapes. Students studied four types of bridges before choosing one design to recreate using glue and popsicle sticks.  

The project fostered an environment where students learned valuable life skills, including perseverance, time management and teamwork. Math instructor Aurick Smither described how the skills gained during the assignment can be applied at students’ home campuses and throughout their daily lives.  

“Our students hail from various backgrounds, but we wanted to show them it’s not about your past but your future,” he said. “Many were able to see the bigger picture of ‘I’m not just building a bridge. I have to change my mindset and keep pushing and trying to be better and apply some of these skills to my life because I don’t want to give up.’”  

Administrators invited members of the community, including engineering and architect professionals and engineering students from Prairie View A&M University, to serve as guest judges. More than 50 bridges were evaluated on efficiency using a student-created formula that calculated the bridge’s weight, the weight the bridge could hold before breaking, and creative design.  

Gift cards ranging from $25-$75 were awarded to the first-, second- and third-place finishers of the bridge-building competition.  

To learn more about HCDE Schools, visit hcde-texas.org/special-schools.