Grade 8 students capped off their school year with a final exam unlike any other. It combined physics, engineering, and a glimpse into their future in the Upper School.
In a hands-on culmination of their physics unit, students tested their own custom-designed, 3D-printed cars on a challenging ramp course in the Boehly Upper School’s Seawell STEM Center.
“This is Newton’s law in action; they’ve been studying velocity, acceleration, momentum, incline, and decline. This final was about pulling all of that together,” said Middle School Science Teacher Dr. Fenton Blake.
Each car was unique, with students making decisions about gear ratios, battery placement, and structural design.
“It was like an obstacle course,” said Chase Meeker ’29. “You had to launch your car down a ramp, clear a jump, land on another ramp, and get enough momentum to do a final jump.”
The boys demonstrated their ability to plan and problem-solve by setting up the course themselves, determining the angles of the ramps and the distances between them based on the unique specifications of their vehicles.
For many students, the experience was a refreshing break from traditional exams. Along with the practical component, the final assessment included a written portion, allowing students to demonstrate their understanding in multiple ways.
“You get to showcase what you learned in class during the testing and in writing. It was a really great way to learn about velocity and momentum,” said Boubacar Seck ’29, who paired up with Sam Dillon ’29 for the test.
“Ours didn’t work as we had planned which was a bit of a disappointment, but when we did the reflection questions we were able to go into that deeper and explore what that meant for us,” Sam recalled.
The challenges of the final exam encouraged the boys to embrace Landon's Core Value of perseverance.
“They have a practical component where the rubber meets the road – did they get it right? Did they make all the correct assumptions? If they didn’t, it’s a learning opportunity to see whether or not they can figure out what went wrong and bounce back,” Dr. Blake said. “That’s how science works. It’s not always perfect.”