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Bridge project wins awards for Edison Middle School students

Photo by Art Smith Lucy Powers, left, and Kendal Mader, right, hold their model of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. Their model was part of a project, “Suspended Over Time,” that won first place in Division II, State and Local Studies at the state Social Studies Fair.

PARKERSBURG — If you want to know anything about the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge, just ask Kendal Mader and Lucy Powers of Wood County.

As eighth-graders at Edison Middle School this past school year, Mader and Powers researched the history of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge and visited the bridge that spans the Ohio River from Wheeling to Wheeling Island.

They used the knowledge gained to create a project “Suspended Over Time,” which won first place in Division II for State and Local Studies at the state Social Studies Fair.

The two, who will be freshmen at Parkersburg South High School this year, have maintained 4.0 grade point averages during their school years, while being involved in leadership, sports and music programs. Mader lives in Parkersburg and Powers lives in Mineral Wells.

Mader and Powers, both 14 years old and longtime friends, selected the bridge last October for the school project.

They read newspaper articles about the Wheeling Suspension Bridge and walked across the bridge, which was opened in 1849 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Their project won school, county, regional and state honors, including the Mayor’s Award at the county level. The judges at the Social Studies Fair competitions used words such as “amazing” and “wow” to describe “Suspended Over Time.”

Their model of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge is almost 36-inches long and weighs 13 pounds. It is constructed mostly of wood with some screen representing the bridge’s deck.

They used “QuickWater” to create the Ohio River under the bridge. The teens gave the bridge towers a weathered look.

The most difficult part was constructing the bridge’s cable wires, Mader said.

The poster board display accompanying the bridge model contains information on interesting facts, a timeline, old and new photographs, newspaper stories, bridge improvements and questions.

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is 1,010 feet from tower to tower and is 154-feet tall. The span is a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

“Lucy and I have had great fun working on this project, and appreciate the fact that others thought highly of our work as well to honor us with a 1st place finish at the state level,” Mader said.

“We had one special person who mentored us along the way and we appreciate Judge J.D. Beane, my uncle, for his suggestions and patience for helping us complete it,” Mader said. “We also would like to thank his dad, Dr. John Beane, who provided us with an original invitation to the grand opening of the bridge and many picture post cards of the bridge from its beginning,” she said.

“It has been really enjoyable doing this project with Kendal and learning more about West Virginia,” Powers said.

“It was interesting hearing what the different judges had to say at each of the levels and it was a wonderful experience,” Powers.

Powers was named sixth chair out of 29 cellists at the West Virginia University High School Honors Orchestra, placed second in the county science fair and was selected to play for the solo and ensemble state recital in Charleston on saxophone. She is the daughter of Rodney and Libby Powers.

Mader is a member of the National Junior Honor Society, member of student council, was eighth-grade class president, member of the student leadership team at school, and two-time number 1 singles tennis champion and a finalist in tennis in Wood County Schools. She is the daughter of Jon and Dana Mader.

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