December 22, 2022
Loma Linda Academy
Youth-to-Youth Club Served Christmas Cheer to Unhoused Families
Since 1992, the Youth-to-Youth Club at Loma Linda Academy has served unhoused families with donations that they’ve collected for Inland Housing Solutions. During Red Ribbon Week, students promote awareness and help those affected by drug addiction. This year, the club spent the week bringing in a total of 758 items, including non-perishable foods, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss. During the holidays, students in the club are happy to help those who are less fortunate in the community. In the spirit of giving, club members also collected gingerbread house kits and board games to brighten the holidays for 19 families who are in need this Christmas.
What an incredible blessing!
Physics Trebuchets
The physics and honors physics classes at Loma Linda Academy, taught by Heidi Elssmann, built trebuchets this year, putting into practice the concepts of rotational motion and conservation of energy. A trebuchet utilizes a weight that must be lifted. This provides gravitational potential energy to the system. When the weight is released, the energy is transformed into kinetic energy while the lever rotates around to release the projectile.
This November 28, teams of up to four students competed to launch a baseball the farthest with their trebuchets. The baseballs landed an average of 60 feet horizontally from the trebuchet. The farthest measurable launch was 143 feet. However, two teams sent their baseball so far that it landed on the roof of a school building!
The trebuchet project spanned several months and taught students how to use a timeline to plan their strategy. Each group had to resolve unexpected issues that arose. Some students used the skills they learned in Loma Linda Academy’s TIE (Technology, Innovation, Engineering) program to cut essential pieces for the trebuchet's arm using a special router. “I was impressed with the thoughtfulness, creativity, and perseverance that the students exhibited with this project,” said Elssmann.
