2026 Bridge Event - 4th Grade

2026 ASCE 4th Grade Popsicle Stick Bridge Event 

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Location: Greenville Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville, SC  *Conference Hall 

Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026                 Time: TBD

Bethel will be the ______ group tested at the _________Station. 

Things to keep in mind:

·         Please allow students to stand at the front of the line in order to watch the testing of their school’s bridges.

·         Some seating will be available along the perimeter of the event but testing is not viewable from seated areas.

·         Parents must bring their student(s) to this event and supervise them at all times.

·         Please do NOT touch any bridges prior to testing.

·         This facility does not have good acoustics, and it is difficult to hear instructions at times. Signs will be used as visuals to help alleviate some of the sound issues.

Background:

The students spend several months learning about bridge design and the challenges of creating a strong, yet lightweight bridge which is essential in today’s real-world scenarios of cost-efficient design.  The bridges were built with Popsicle sticks and Elmer’s Wood Glue and must adhere to certain constraints regarding height, length, and width.

Bridges are judged by a panel of judges and winners are chosen for the following categories: 

1.    Best Architectural Design

2.    Most Original Design

3.    Best Craftsmanship

4.    Best Structural

Students selected a goal before they began designing/building.  Ask your child which category they selected.

The “Best Structural” category is based on load testing the bridges to failure while taking into consideration the weight of the bridge. 

The engineers will tell the groups how much sand their bridge held before load failure.  The actual load weight is approximately double the weight of the sand.

Ex:  If the bridge held 18lbs of sand before breaking, you would then double that and the load weight (before breaking) would be approximately 36lbs.

http://www.asceupstate.com/popsicle-bridge-event.h 

4th Grade Bridges 2024-2025

4TH GRADE/IMA BRIDGES 2023-2024

CONGRATULATIONS TO TEAM WOLF GANG.  THEIR BRIDGE DESIGN WON 1ST PLACE FOR MOST ORIGINAL!!!

4th Student Bridges 2022-2023

4th Student Bridges 2021-2022

Congratulations to Team Pickle Power!!!  They won 1st Place overall for Best Craftsmanship.  They competed against approximately 400 bridges designed and built by 4th Grade Challenge students in Greenville County.