The students building the tower for the Loftis Beta Club had to move into the gymnasium to practice because the ceilings in the classrooms and hallways weren’t tall enough to accommodate their tower.Winning a statewide competition and earning the opportunity to compete at the national level isn’t something done without hours of effort and preparation beforehand. The months of work is exactly why the seven Loftis Middle School students who will attend the National Beta Club Convention in New Orleans at the end of June believe they’re ready for the trip.
“I think we deserve it after all the work,” eighth-grader Austin Rawlins said. “The trip, I mean.”
“Winning, too,” said teammate Jackson Key.
Six of the seven students will be competing in the tower building competition. They will have 15 minutes to build the tallest freestanding structure out of 250 straws and a roll of masking tape. At the conclusion of the build, their tower must hold up a tennis ball for one minute.
Club sponsor Ashley Reagan, a science teacher at Loftis, said the kids have been practicing every day since the state competition in November.