A team of Mars Area High School technology education students took third place in the fifth annual Shaler Area STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) Competition, held March 6 at Shaler Area High School.

As part the competition, seniors Ryan Barber, Petricio Beltran, Shiloh Mayer, Kyle Snyder and Adrian Zugehar were challenged to design, build and operate a non-motorized “Medieval Catapult” assembly. All catapult entries were judged on structural stability, flight path consistency and target accuracy, when lobbing a tennis ball at targets set at varying distances.

Each team also completed several on-site challenges based on the competition’s “Medieval Times” theme, including the construction of a functioning drawbridge, a working windmill, and a device to absorb the impact of a jousting lance. Teams also had to solve a series of problems and puzzles to escape a “dungeon.”