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In 11th grade I took AP Physics even though, quite frankly, I really wasn't qualified to take it.
Not so much because of the math, which ended up lighter than expected, but because I lacked the focus and determination to make it work. Most of the time I slacked off, forgot about homework, skipped class, and then crammed before our exams. I remember bugging my friends to spend some time crash tutoring me at the public library, rehashing the same concepts over and over because I just wasn't in love with the subject, and I didn't work hard enough.
Somehow I passed the class though, in fact I even passed the AP examination. A miracle I still don't completely understand. Divine intervention, I guess.
But anyway, while we were taking this class---which was brand new and only had about 10 people in it, our teacher Mr. Iucker made a deal with us 4th term. Somehow a discussion of catapults came up and Iucker remarked that he'd always wanted to build a trebuchet, or something. Either that or he thought it'd be cool if we, as a class, made one. We agreed that would be pretty sweet. And so the bargaining began. Iucker promised us that if we built a big trebuchet that worked he'd give us all A's for that quarter. What a deal!
The next thing we knew we were at Lowe's buying lumber, springs, and all kinds of junk. I'm not very mechanically minded so I couldn't really say. Then we were at Troy Munroe's house measuring, sawing, and screwing things together. I wasn't very involved in the design work, thank goodness, and I wasn't very involved in the construction process (another thank goodness, else the catapult would have failed) though I remember spend a few hours there on a few different days.
Eventually we made it, our beautiful trebuchet or "tree-bucket" as we referred to it endearingly.
Once we'd finished it Iucker insisted we use our new launcher to splat Mrs. Roach's window with a water balloon (on the third floor). She was the AP English teacher and a friend of Iucker's, but they had a little science vs humanities rivalry going. So she agreed to a bet that we couldn't do it whilst Iucker was a believer. The day came and we set up our catapult along with a mountain of water balloons. From Mrs Roach's window several grammar geeks and she waved signs, jeered, and taunted us. So we opened fire.
Splat!
Our first shot that didn't disintegrate instantly smacked the window right next to hers, belonging to Mr. Wilson. Just a minor adjustment, we thought, and we'll nail her. Couldn't be easier.
But things never go the way you need them to. And our balloons would either destroy the minute they were launched, go over the school, or end up any which way. They landed everywhere BUT Mrs. Roach's window. It was like she could bend the properties of physics. All the while they booed and hissed (in a good sport sort of way) and that only hardened our resolve.
And, eventually, we did it. We splattered her window with at least one big fat balloon.
Unfortunately, by then, she'd already left.
But for the record, we won.
And we all got A’s.
Not so much because of the math, which ended up lighter than expected, but because I lacked the focus and determination to make it work. Most of the time I slacked off, forgot about homework, skipped class, and then crammed before our exams. I remember bugging my friends to spend some time crash tutoring me at the public library, rehashing the same concepts over and over because I just wasn't in love with the subject, and I didn't work hard enough.
Somehow I passed the class though, in fact I even passed the AP examination. A miracle I still don't completely understand. Divine intervention, I guess.
But anyway, while we were taking this class---which was brand new and only had about 10 people in it, our teacher Mr. Iucker made a deal with us 4th term. Somehow a discussion of catapults came up and Iucker remarked that he'd always wanted to build a trebuchet, or something. Either that or he thought it'd be cool if we, as a class, made one. We agreed that would be pretty sweet. And so the bargaining began. Iucker promised us that if we built a big trebuchet that worked he'd give us all A's for that quarter. What a deal!
The next thing we knew we were at Lowe's buying lumber, springs, and all kinds of junk. I'm not very mechanically minded so I couldn't really say. Then we were at Troy Munroe's house measuring, sawing, and screwing things together. I wasn't very involved in the design work, thank goodness, and I wasn't very involved in the construction process (another thank goodness, else the catapult would have failed) though I remember spend a few hours there on a few different days.
Eventually we made it, our beautiful trebuchet or "tree-bucket" as we referred to it endearingly.
Once we'd finished it Iucker insisted we use our new launcher to splat Mrs. Roach's window with a water balloon (on the third floor). She was the AP English teacher and a friend of Iucker's, but they had a little science vs humanities rivalry going. So she agreed to a bet that we couldn't do it whilst Iucker was a believer. The day came and we set up our catapult along with a mountain of water balloons. From Mrs Roach's window several grammar geeks and she waved signs, jeered, and taunted us. So we opened fire.
Splat!
Our first shot that didn't disintegrate instantly smacked the window right next to hers, belonging to Mr. Wilson. Just a minor adjustment, we thought, and we'll nail her. Couldn't be easier.
But things never go the way you need them to. And our balloons would either destroy the minute they were launched, go over the school, or end up any which way. They landed everywhere BUT Mrs. Roach's window. It was like she could bend the properties of physics. All the while they booed and hissed (in a good sport sort of way) and that only hardened our resolve.
And, eventually, we did it. We splattered her window with at least one big fat balloon.
Unfortunately, by then, she'd already left.
But for the record, we won.
And we all got A’s.
