Graham Games create competitive spirit
in D2

A candy challenge brought District 2 employees together over the holidays.

Normally, there’s a potluck and a Christmas story read by one of the employees.

This year, Engineer Janet Zarate pioneered a game with materials donated by co-workers and admin’s planning genius.

The challenge: build a transportation structure with your team in 30 minutes, with the winner elected by popular vote.

About 30 people participated, offering up six structures made of pretzels, marshmallows, graham crackers, frosting and other decorative sweets.

“Thirty minutes was a little tight,” Zarate said. “We had some teams with graham crackers that broke who asked for a change in conditions, and others were willing to pay liquidated damages to keep working.”

At the end of the time limit, the bridge named “To Grandma’s House We Go” claimed victory. A plaque for the Graham Games winner is on order to feature in the office along with a photo of the team (Joe Schacher, Howard Cooley, John Eldred, Neal Scott and Chris Stewart).

This special event was made more special by a surprise call from Chad Clawson, D2’s former materials engineer who is completing an AASHTO fellowship in Washington D.C. Clawson normally leads story time, and admin’s secretive planning helped carry on an important tradition.

Engineering Manager Doral Hoff was caught saving the game’s instructions for a family reunion.

There’s already talk of Phase II, which could involve more rigorous criteria for winning and safeguards against sham supplies. Bridges could be the structures to build next year, with winners selected by a load-rating test, and a taste tests could be used to ensure that homemade frosting is in fact not made with glue.


Published 01-11-19