Cathedral Catholic’s Science and Engineering Club held a paper-airplane competition in the Grassy Knoll during lunch last Thursday in order to promote the appreciation of physics. According to club presifentsenior OIivia Balmert, the club was inspired by member Joel Kosmatka’s father who is an engineer and hosts similar contests.

For thirty minutes, competitors folded and flew airplanes while Balmert monitored and recorded the flights’ times, distances and heights.  The event gathered paper-airplane fanatics from all over campus (mostly males) to compete for the ultimate prize, a Starbucks gift card.

Experienced plane-making sophomore Jacob Fujioka said, “I love making paper airplanes; usually it’s to throw at teachers, but right now, it’s for the contest.”

The competition’s emphasis on physics encouraged students to brandish their technical skills, and in return, students created models like, “The Brown-Noser,” and “The Dive-Bomber.”

“I use the ‘dive-bomber’ technique. It doesn’t glide well, but it looks cool,” said Fujioka.

Besides the structure of the paper airplane, which ranged from cylinders to crosses, students also customized their planes by dubbing them with nicknames like “The What is That?” and “The Bluebird.”

At one point, junior Patrick Fitzgerald’s “PB&J” wowed the crowd by unexpectedly soaring over Manchester Stadium’s gate.  “I’m a little disappointed that I lost it to the stadium, but it was worth it,” said Fitzgerald.

By the end of the lunch period, the grass was spotted with white planes as students flocked to their lockers when the officials of the Science and Engineering Club gathered in a circle to announce the contest winner. The winner of the time portion of the contest was junior Dalton Case.  Diego Crespo won the distance section.