BLAIR, NEBRASKA (2025 February 20, Thursday)
Don Harrold, Editor
editor@blairtoday.com – Facebook
Blair fifth-grade students have an exciting opportunity to test their engineering and teamwork skills in OPPD’s 12th annual Marshmallow Challenge, a competition where teams build the tallest possible free-standing structure using only spaghetti, string, tape and a marshmallow.
The challenge, open to fifth-grade teams throughout OPPD’s 13-county service territory, has seen impressive achievements in recent years. St. Margaret Mary School in Omaha has dominated the competition, winning first place for four consecutive years from 2019-2023, with their record-setting 41.5-inch tower in 2019 still standing as the height to beat.
“What’s remarkable about this challenge is how it encourages students to think creatively and work together,” says Mike Herzog, P.E., an OPPD engineer who has coordinated the challenge in previous years. “We often see that children actually outperform adults because they’re willing to experiment and adapt quickly when something doesn’t work.”
Teams have 20 minutes to build their structure using only:
- 20 pieces of standard spaghetti (not fettuccini or angel hair)
- One standard marshmallow (1″ × 1.25″) that cannot be cut
- One yard of masking tape
- One yard of string
The structure must be free-standing on a table or desktop and support the marshmallow at its highest point. Height is measured from the table surface to the top of the marshmallow.
Last year’s competition drew entries from 19 schools with over 60 teams participating. The top three teams will win goodie bags for their entire classroom, and an OPPD engineer will visit to discuss engineering careers.
To participate, teams must submit a photo of their structure, along with its measured height, through the Marshmallow Challenge link on OPPD’s Facebook page by 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 5. Winners will be announced Friday, March 7.
The OPPD Society of Engineers will also present a special Creativity Award for the most innovative design, even if it’s not among the tallest structures. Past creativity winners have included designs ranging from origami-inspired towers to wind power concepts.
“This challenge shows students that engineering isn’t just about following instructions – it’s about innovation, teamwork, and learning from both success and failure,” says Cory Rosenblad, current OSE chair and senior programs engineer. “After trying the challenge myself, I gained a whole new respect for what these students achieve.”
The Marshmallow Challenge is part of OPPD’s ongoing commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. For additional information, visit http://www.oppd.com/MarshmallowChallenge.
About OPPD
Omaha Public Power District’s mission is to provide affordable, reliable and environmentally sensitive energy services to our customers.
