Dozens of Wantagh High School physics students put their scientific knowledge to the test during a fun, holiday-themed activity on Dec. 18, building gingerbread houses that could withstand hurricane-force winds.

Juniors and seniors from Samantha Gordon’s Advanced Placement Physics, Conceptual Physics and Regents Physics classes gathered for a two-hour endeavor. The 94 participants worked in groups of two or three to construct gingerbread houses, using their knowledge of Newton’s Laws of Motions and engineering design practices. Each group had the same supplies which included graham crackers, frosting, red and green icing, and assorted candy.

The teams were given 45 minutes to plan, build and decorate their houses. Each structure had to be completely edible, at least eight inches tall and include a pointed roof. 

After they were done, students brought their gingerbread houses to a table in the front. Judges, including high school administrators and science teachers, evaluated the structures. Then, Hurricane Gordon arrived. Running a leaf blower at full force, each house was subjected to 60 seconds of wind.

The groups were judged based on how well their gingerbread houses were decorated and how the structures held up. 

“The students love that they get to be creative,” Ms. Gordon said. “It’s a hands-on, festive lab.”

She has been hosting the gingerbread house building competition every year before the holiday break for about a decade. In the past, it was done in class but this was the first year students from all of physics classes came together at the same time. 

Students said it was a fun was to learn science. Juniors Reese McCarthy and Madi Spar, who are in the Regents Physics class, enjoyed working together as a team to meet the challenge. They modified their design several times while building, and one of their ideas was to put a graham cracker in the middle of the house to create a stronger base.

“If something didn’t work out, we could fix what we did and try something new,” Reese said, explaining that there was a lot of trial and error during the 45 minutes. 

“I thought it was really fun,” Madi added. “It’s a cool way to use your science skills.”

The competition winners were:

Sturdiest House - Lilianna Kelly, Lauryn Fisher and Charlotte Drago.

Tallest House - Richards Qu and James DiBona.

Best Decorations - Lana Lee, Victoria Ferraro and Tanisha Athwal.

Sturdy House Honorable Mention: Danny Donahue and Rosie Eletto.

Sturdy House Honorable Mention: Ethan Mei and Liam Fields.