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AIA STATEN ISLAND’S SPAGHETTI – MARSHMALLOW CONTEST – BUILDING FUTURE ARCHITECTS by Jeffrey Geary, AIA, AVID Architecture, PLLC
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IA Staten Island’s Spaghetti-Marshmallow contest began as an idea with a focus on community outreach—the chapter wanted to educate and inform residents about the association, the profession and the practice of architecture. The original thinking was to create a program that involved students who would, by default, require at least one parent or guardian to attend the event with them. Through observation and listening, they would come to realize that working with an architect was not something that should be avoided, nor is it something only the elite few get to do when building their dream home with an ocean or lake view, and certainly not just a necessary evil to be “dealt with” because they received a violation of some sort from the local Building Department.
Cinderella’s Castle reimagined in Marshmallow! Sophia DiStefano, Guilliana Collegio, St Clare’s, 7th Grade. Photo Credit: Boris Vinokur.
Launched in 2012, the inaugural event was scheduled to run the week after Superstorm Sandy hit; an abbreviated event was held as a result. The program consists of students in grades two through eight, who gather to create something, anything they can imagine, using ONLY spaghetti and marshmallows. It can be colorful spaghetti, but it MUST be spaghetti. Any size marshmallows are also allowed, but absolutely NO FLUFF! The program has taken on a life of its own. The participants look forward to it year after year and the science and STEM teachers typically utilize the event as a graded project. In addition, the parents have an outlet for their aspiring architects and engineers that didn’t/doesn’t exist, at least in our area, prior to the inception of this event. The Chapter gets to interact with close to one hundred students, parents, and educators
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