CHARLESTON, W.Va – They love to see pumpkins falling out of the sky at BridgeValley Community and Technical College.
That is, of course, in a controlled environment as part of BridgeValley’s annual “Capital City Pumpkin Drop,” which returned to GoMart Ballpark in Charleston on Thursday.
“It’s a great opportunity for the students to apply science, engineering, and math in a fun way with something outside of the day-to-day classroom,” BridgeValley Director of Strategic Initiative Cody Tomblin said.
More than 20 schools from across the state brought their pumpkins to be dropped from bucket trucks with unique devices protecting them from the fall. Some students took what they learned in last year’s drop and applied to this year’s devices.
“We kind of did what we did last year. We put pillows, again, together with more security inside of the box because last time it was just pillows and the pumpkin,” Mason County Career Center student Weston Starkey said.
BridgeValley hopes that students can learn more about taking what they learn in class and how it can be utilized on real-life tasks. In addition to the academic aspects, teamwork is crucial to developing a good protection.
“Everyone’s got to come in agreement first and working with people is fun, and it’s difficult, but at the end of the day, it’s about having fun,” Starkey said.
Three months of planning and contributions from more than 40 volunteers go into the pumpkin drop, now in its 27th year. Tomblin said all the hard work is worth it when he sees the students’ faces.
“I’m always so stressed the day before, but then you come this morning. We get set up early, and you start seeing the kids walk in, and they have all of their pumpkins and their protective devices, big smiles on their faces, so it makes it all worth it,” he said.
BridgeValley linemen students also gained hands-on experience by assisting in dropping the pumpkins and operating the trucks.