Video: Guntown Students ‘Building Bridges’ And Learning Valuable Lessons

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GUNTOWN, MISS. (WCBI) – Middle Schoolers in one Northeast Mississippi district are preparing for a national competition that tests math and science skills along with teamwork.

These Guntown Middle School students are using their free time to design and build a bridge

Students are learning how bridges meet load, stress and aesthetic challenges. The youngsters are part of a team known as “The Dixie Bridge Builders.”

After competing earlier this month a the state competition where their balsa wood truss bridge design was put to the test, the group was invited to the national Bridge Building competition in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

As part of that invitation, they had to submit a detailed explanation and portfolio about their design. They’ll have to prove it in Wyoming. Eighth grade science teacher Connie Gusmus says it’s an opportunity the eager students don’t even fully grasp.

“They’ve learned programs they normally wouldn’t have got to work or learn and they have got to competitions and present in front about 50 people where they would not have had that opportunity before in a professional setting,” Gusmus said.

Educators hope these contests an exercises may inspire the next generation of civil engineers, which remain in high demand. And it’s challenging young minds to meet standards that are more rigorous each year.

“We’re dealing with college and career readiness standards and we’re taking our kids deeper we’re not just going on facts and recall, we have to apply the knowledge that we’ve learned,” said Principal Steven Havens.

Students say they have learned how to use each other’s strengths to make the team better.

“One of us is usually the designer, through computer programs, one of us has I would say, more people skills or so and one of us has more building skills,” said Eighth Grader Britton Smith.

This year’s competition is May 13th.
This is the second year in a row the Guntown team has been invited to the National Bridge Building Contest.