Mount Vernon students fling pumpkins, learn engineering

Mount Vernon High School held its first annual “Pumpkin Chunk” earlier this month,  with engineering students designing and building trebuchets to fling the fall fruits.

The students, 10th through 12th graders, did the research and design on the trebuchets, which are a type of catapult.

Pumpkin chunking (or chunking) has become a popular fall activities for students and grownups alike. The Mount Vernon kids were find various degrees of success — sometimes the 7-10 pound pumpkin did not want to cooperate — but ultimate this year’s winners were able to pull off a 30-yard chunk.