Two Watervliet students worked together to design and build a top-scoring bridge in the annual Middle School Model Catwalk Competition, which is part of the Capital District 45th Annual Celebration of Engineers Week along with the annual High School Model Bridge Competition.
Eighth graders Chris Helferty and Malachi Prince designed and built the balsa wood structure that earned first place in the load bearing test and finished in second place for efficiency. The duo received a cash award totaling $275 for their prize-winning bridge. An impressive showing for Watervliet Jr.-Sr. High School’s first-ever time competing in the annual event against formidable challengers from 36 other middle school teams from seven districts.
The 2025 Model Bridge and Catwalk Competition was held on March 22 at Shaker High School. This exciting contest promotes physics, engineering, and hands-on skills. Watervliet students from 10 middle school teams participated in the model bridge competition as an extracurricular activity. They arrived before the start of school every morning over the last two months to construct their bridges. Another 15 teams from the high school took part in the competition through their technology classes — CADD, DDP and Engineering.
Congratulations to all our student teams for their dedication and creativity!
Reminder: Still time to vote for your favorite bridge design!
Our Watervliet middle and high school students worked hard on this project and designed some really sophisticated bridges! Let’s show our school spirit and support our ‘Vliet teams by voting in the Model Catwalk Comp & Model Bridge Comp Aesthetics Judging. Voting ends Friday, March 28. Read more about how you can cast a ballot for your favorite design
