Rube Goldberg Teams Ready to Compete to "Open a Book"

The 11th Annual Regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is on Saturday, February 26.

(Ripley County, Ind.) - Genesis Pathways to Success and the Jac-Cen-Del Community School Corporation are pleased to announce the 11th Annual Regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at Jac-Cen-Del High School in Osgood, Indiana. The public is warmly invited to attend this family-friendly competition.

A Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is an event where students of all ages compete to imagine, design, and create complicated machines in a fun and competitive forum. This year’s Rube Goldberg machines are challenged to “Open a Book” with a minimum of 15 steps (Division I), a minimum of 20 steps (Division II), and a maximum of 75 steps in each Division. These clever contraptions promise to amaze and inspire kids of all ages!

The schools competing in this year’s Division I (Middle School) Rube Goldberg Machine Contest include Batesville Middle School, Paul Hadley Middle School, Salem Middle School, and St. Louis Catholic School. Division II (High School) competitors are Anderson High School, Batesville High School, and the Ripley County Engineering Academy.

“It’s fascinating to watch these inspirational students persevere through challenges, apply critical thinking techniques, and sharpen their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) skills as a result of building a Rube Goldberg Machine,” said Clarice Patterson, the Director of Genesis: Pathways to Success. Patterson further stated, “As teams compete against one another to Open a Book, there will be lots of laughter and amusing entertainment to make this a contest that nobody will want to miss.”

Doors open to the public at 10:00AM and the first machine run will take place at 10:30AM. The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest will also be live streamed for those who are unable to attend in-person. Live stream details can be found at the Genesis: Pathways to Success website at www.genesisp2s.org or on our Facebook Page. However, the contest is free to attend thanks to the generosity of many local sponsors.

Goldbergian Sponsors for this year’s Rube Goldberg Machine Contest are the Batesville Memorial Public Library, Osgood/Milan Public Libraries, and the Tyson Library Association. Contraption Sponsors include Batesville Tool & Die, Kids Discovery Factory, and Proud Moments Engraving. Kids Discovery Factory will be on-site with their mobile STEAM factory, which offers younger students the opportunity to experience STEAM learning with hands-on exploration and discovery. Chain Reaction Sponsors for the event are Friendship State Bank, Great Plains Communications, Napoleon State Bank, Obendorf Inc., and the Ripley County Community Foundation.

To learn more information about this year’s upcoming Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, please contact Clarice Patterson by emailing at cpatterson@genesisp2s.org, calling 812-933-1098, or stopping by the office at 13 E. George Street, Suite B, Batesville, IN, 47006.