Throughout the months of September and October, students in every Physics class participate in what is referred to as the Trebuchet Project. This project involves designing and building a trebuchet, which can throw any item with an unidentified amount of weight. Every year, physics students team up to design and build a trebuchet to present to the other teams on Treb Day.

Nate Colena ‘18 said he hopes to be accurate and successful with his group’s treb design. The group has already started building, roughly collecting pieces needed for the treb and building the framework. For each group, there are around four members, each participating in all aspects of the project.The building takes place outside of school as these devices are much larger than the models presented to students in room 301.

Physics usually consists of juniors and seniors, but even those who don’t build trebuchets get to go outside and see the outcome.  “It’s a fun way to learn about the forces of an object being thrown.”Cordelia Scales ‘19 said, describing the project, saying.

Eric Perry, a physics teacher who has given his students the project for many years, said it’s a tradition at HBHS. “But another reason is this project teaches teamwork, communication, and collaboration.  It’s a seven week project and at the end, we have Treb Day like a sort of celebration. We time it near Halloween and we get dressed up as medieval and it’s a lot of fun. But the main reason is that it’s a tradition and physics is more hands on, not just a bunch of math writing.”

The Trebuchet Project is a fun interactive project that will be held this year on October 27, just a few weeks away!