RIPLEY COUNTY, IN — The 11th Annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, hosted by Genesis: Pathways to Success and Jac-Cen-Del Community School Corporation, was held on Saturday, February 26, at Jac-Cen-Del High School.
This year, six teams of middle and high school students created crazy chain-reaction machines designed to “Open a Book.”
Teams competing in Division I were Batesville Middle School, Salem Middle School, and St. Louis Catholic School (Batesville).
Division II teams participating in this year’s competition included Anderson High School, Batesville High School, and the Ripley County Engineering Academy (Osgood).
Their clever contraptions amazed and inspired the contest officials with humorous stories and themes fully integrated into the crazy chain-reaction machines.
Batesville Middle School captured first place in the Middle School Division and also the Best Literacy Theme Award. Second place and the Most Innovative Way to Start a Machine Award went to St. Louis Catholic School. Salem Middle School was awarded third place.
Anderson High School captured first place in the High School Division, in addition to the Best Use of a Robot Award. The Ripley County Engineering Academy placed second in a very tight race against Batesville High School which captured third place.
“Building a Rube Goldberg Machine teaches students how to problem solve, how to work together, and how to do lots of new things they’ve never done before; it’s trial-and-error. These students should be extremely proud of the machines that they built to Open a Book,” said Clarice Patterson, Director of Genesis: Pathways to Success.
“Volunteer judges and referees do a wonderful job of providing positive feedback to the teams to ensure that they learn how to overcome their mistakes for next year,” added Patterson. “This contest would not be possible without our volunteers or without the generosity and endless support of our sponsors.”
Sponsors for this year’s Regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest were Batesville Memorial Public Library, Batesville Tool & Die, Friendship State Bank, Great Plains Communications, Kids Discovery Factory, Milan/Osgood Public Libraries, Napoleon State Bank, Obendorf Inc., Proud Moments Engraving, the Ripley County Community Foundation, and Tyson Library.
Rube Goldberg Machine Contest Finals will not be held in 2022.
Instead, teams are invited and encouraged to submit a video of their chain-reaction contraption to Rube Goldberg Inc. to participate in the online competition.
Online submissions are due March 22, and additional details can be found at www.rubegoldberg.com.
If you are interested in learning more information about the 2022 Regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, please contact Clarice Patterson by emailing at [email protected], calling (812) 933-1098, or stopping by 13 E. George Street, Suite B in Batesville.
(Genesis: Pathways To Success press release)
