See “The NY Times” Coverage of Fieldston’s Rube Goldberg Win Below:
When Fieldston’s junior and sophomore engineers excitedly pranced into the empty Purdue University ROTC Armory this past Friday April 5th, little did they know that on Saturday April 6th they would leave the soon jam-packed building as the National Division II Rube Goldberg Champions and winners of the People’s Choice Award. All that was imminently evident at the time was that the task that lay at hand – to re-assemble their Rube Goldberg boxes designed to put toothpaste on a toothbrush – was more vital now than ever. After a year spent building, it was show time.
To understand the magnitude of the feat and the journey to it, the only appropriate place to start this story would be the eve of travel day. Coming off of the success of the NYC Regional Competition, it seemed as though nothing could tame the lively spirits of “Rubies” eager to take Indiana by storm. That is, until the driver of the U-Haul truck that was supposed to deliver the precious machines to Purdue canceled at the last minute. With seemingly no way of remedying the issue other than finding somebody willing to take a spontaneous twelve-hour journey from New York to the Midwest, what was once unabated excitement evolved into an utter frenzy.
Coming off of the success of the NYC Regional Competition, it seemed as though nothing could tame the lively spirits of “Rubies” eager to take Indiana by storm.
Relatives with passions for road-tripping were called in. Club advisor and Science Department Chair Dr. Paul Church seriously considered driving the machines himself. Group chats erupted in fear that the long-awaited National Machine Competition may not be in the cards. Then, somewhat miraculously, the issue was resolved as Church diligently worked to find a mode of transportation for the machines. Now, the issue became the transportation of the teams.
As travel day dawned and nerves empowered Rubies to take on the day with gusto, something or rather somewhere critical had lost power: none other than the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. Due to a power outage, school was canceled for the day, and engineers could not meet on campus as previously planned. Always adept at devising creative solutions, the group instead loaded a school bus to JFK from the Ethical Culture campus on the Upper West Side. Inside the unassuming vehicle vlogging ensued, hopes for a successful weekend were whispered and hardly anybody could wait to reach the airport.
As travel day dawned and nerves empowered Rubies to take on the day with gusto, something or rather somewhere critical had lost power: none other than the Ethical Culture Fieldston School.
A short and bumpy flight later, Indianapolis welcomed a group of seventeen Purdue-bound students, all more excited about their present location than the average passerby. Before dedicating their minds entirely to rebuilding Rube Goldberg boxes, the glories of Purdue University were inevitably explored. From partaking in AG week’s “Tractor Trivia” (all hail Form IV student Zoe Gorman for her landslide victory), posing for a photo op next to the “world’s largest drum” and pieing present students in the face with whipped cream at a mid-campus event, engineers took advantage of all the university had to offer. This even included indulging in some touristy activities like following Purdue alumnus Neil Armstrong’s first footsteps on the moon and taking a group photo with his statue.
Invigorated by a morning spent appreciating the scientific minds that preceded them, it was time to get to work. Working on boxes in the armory until as late as 10 PM on Friday and in the early hours of Saturday morning, the groups ensured that the contraptions they spent months creating functioned free of human intervention. Each team member had a job to do, a step to take responsibility for and an obligation to put forth the utmost innovative effort. Despite traveling as a team, Fieldston’s entries into the competition were split into the juniors (Rube Goldbaargh pirate theme) and sophomores (Rubenheimer theme).
Having both teams in one division emphasized the importance of support, collaboration and above all maintaining genuinely amicable dispositions despite competing against peers. As the competition itself neared and pressure mounted on the respective groups when certain steps fell through, the spirit that has carried the Rube Goldberg club through the year showed through more than ever. Juniors uplifted sophomores and offered words of encouragement and vice versa. As Form IV student Liam Katzin described, “Not only did we get the amazing opportunity to compete in Indiana, we also got the privilege to journey with our fellow 11th-grade engineers. From setting up our machines to fixing broken steps, the juniors were always there for us and we are overly grateful and proud to have shared this unbelievable experience with them.” When the time finally came to present the machines, the junior team watched the sophomores’ runs with looks of care and support just as the sophomores did for the juniors. Fundamentally, this support between both teams led the groups to rise to the top.
“Not only did we get the amazing opportunity to compete in Indiana, we also got the privilege to journey with our fellow 11th-grade engineers. From setting up our machines to fixing broken steps, the juniors were always there for us and we are overly grateful and proud to have shared this unbelievable experience with them.”
Liam Katzin (Form Iv)
When MC and Rube Goldberg Machine Contest alum Zach Umperovitch of Zach’s Contraptions made his way over to the Fieldston boxes, members of the Fieldston community joined a live stream to get a look at the groups’ three runs. In a Rube Goldberg Contest, machines are judged both objectively and subjectively based on the amount of human interaction, creativity and a number of technical elements across the three runs. Judges and referees use score sheets to evaluate each run based on the goal of completing a simple task in a complicated way without human intervention.
While the sophomore “Rubenheimer” box required one human intervention in the first round, the juniors successfully completed three hands-off runs as sophomores and chaperones Ruth Taveras, Church and Palma Repole – biology teacher and chaperone – huddled alongside the crowd and cameras to get a look at the machine. A room of engineers devoted to uplifting one another, the environment of the Rube Goldberg contest was lighthearted, silly and simply fun. These same feelings underscored the awards ceremony that followed.
Nerves abounded as everybody took their seats in the rows of chairs engineers had laid out just the night before. The awards ceremony began with a toothbrush raffle with electric toothbrushes from sponsor Oral B. Repole secured a brush after being entered by a student under the alias “Queen Palma,” and sophomore engineer Lilah Glassman similarly found her luck in the raffle. Despite the win of infinitely clean teeth both Repole and Glassman will be guaranteed, the bigger wins of the contest came later in the ceremony. For one, the Fieldston sophomores secured the “People’s Choice Award” for their Rubenheimer box.
Most exciting of all, the Fieldston juniors were named the National Rube Goldberg Division II Champions! As the Armory filled with a cacophony of claps and cheers, the hard work that this year has entailed was nearly tangible in the atmosphere. As for Form V student and team captain Ruthie Behrendt, the win was an homage to a competition well fought. Behrendt expressed, “Winning first place after barely qualifying for nationals really made all of our hard work so worth it. I’m so grateful we got the chance to compete.”
Most exciting of all, the Fieldston juniors were named the National Rube Goldberg Division II Champions!
All the more, though the trip has concluded now, correspondence remains active, and engineering continues to be an integral part of students’ lives. For Form IV student Avery Simon, the contest was not so much about winning as opposed to pursuing a passion for engineering she has cultivated throughout her entire life. “I have always been fascinated with engineering, and since I was little I have built silly things out of cardboard and plastic. Finally, when I discovered Rube Goldberg, my imagination came to life. Everything in my brain became 3D and I can’t wait to see how my engineering journey continues,” states Simon.
In regards to the trip and the overarching process that brought both teams to it, beloved advisor Church put it best. “It was so wonderful to see every member of both teams delight throughout the competition. And as great as it was to see them both win, the true pleasure is watching the teamwork and joy they exhibited throughout the entire year. They met every challenge with determination and resilience. I cannot say enough about how proud I am of each and every one of these students – they represent the best of Fieldston.”
