Pizza Coaster Finale! - Mark Day School
We did it!! Welcome to the worlds longest, awesomest, most complicated pizza coaster ever! These tinkerers brought their A game for the last build session and after some final tweaks they finally had a chance to unveil and fully test their masterpiece.
Having perfected the art of track building throughout the week, one group of tinkerers flew through building and securing the final sections in place.
When we arrived in the morning, we discovered some of the cardboard on the track had warped overnight. Without missing a beat, the track team quickly worked up a solution - more underbelly supports!
Table. Check! Plate. Check! Pizza... on its way...
Friday was also decoration time. In fitting with our culinary theme, several pieces of pizza artwork were commissioned and proudly displayed on the coaster.
Gotta make sure out pizza doesn't fly out on the crazy ride!
This super dedicated team cranked out the last major piece of the coaster - the slide between the two tall towers.
Finally, after five full days of building, the moment was upon us! The anticipation was huge! The crowd was huge! This wooden pizza was ready to be sent on the most epic journey of its life!
Up it goes! The hand crank-powered conveyor belt slowly moved our pizza away from the oven...
And dumped it into the holding bin for the next cart to carry up the next track. This second cart was powered by gravity. A hungry customer at the end of the track pulled a cord to release a trapdoor in the center of the tower that dropped a weight (can you spot it?). As the weight fell, it pulled the cart and pizza up the steep vertical track.
Whoa! It worked! The pizza made the climb to the top of the slide...
...and got stuck...we discovered we needed a steeper slope for the pizza to slide - even with the rollers.
Next stop, roller cart!
And away it goes! This might be the most popular pizza ever - hoards of paparazzi followed its every move.
Through several obstacles, and up yet another slope, our pizza continued its journey...
And coasted along the last sections of track...to its final resting plate!
SUCCESS!!
The real success this week though was not completing the final project... This dedicated crew of tinkerers proved to themselves that they could build huge, elaborate constructions when they worked together. They DEFINITELY tried harder than usual. They made new friendships. They made tons of glorious mistakes and learned how to adapt and try new things. Just like our pizza rolling down its (75'+ long) path, these tinkerers proved its all about the journey! And what a success it has been! Watching this awesome crew collaborate and tinker together has been a joy. Till the next time, save the rest of us a slice!