SE Valley Times

Students at Kyrene de los Cerritos Leadership Academy in Ahwatukee participated in their third annual pumpkin drop, a STEM-focused event held on Thursday, October 31. The project involved designing an apparatus to protect pumpkins from damage when dropped from the school's media center roof.

“Over the last few years, Cerritos has been building an emphasis on STEM on our campus,” stated Principal Dr. Mark Eley. He described the pumpkin drop as "the perfect opportunity for us to get the kids excited about STEM in a fun, fall-themed way."

The challenge was inspired by the classic egg drop project. Students worked together to create devices that could safeguard small pumpkins during their descent. Former Assistant Principal Tim O’Donnell joined in to release the pumpkins onto a target-painted drop cloth, surprising and delighting students.

Each classroom designed one device per grade level using approved materials such as cotton balls, empty jugs, bubble wrap, and foam pool noodles. The designs needed to meet specific criteria and be accessible within 30 seconds for quick inspection.

"This was a class challenge aimed at teaching kids how to communicate with each other," said Principal Eley. He emphasized that planning was done collectively, providing students with collaborative experience.

After all pumpkins were dropped, Principal Eley praised students for their teamwork and efforts. Nearly half of the 17 created apparatuses succeeded in protecting their pumpkins—a notable improvement over last year’s results.