Spaghetti, marshmallows, and candy. These were not ingredients in a cooking contest, but they were a recipe for fun during community time Monday morning, January 30, in the Pearse Hub for Innovation (PHI) as the Loomis Chaffee robotics program held an open house.

Each group of participants used just uncooked spaghetti noodles and marshmallows to build a bridge that would stretch between two tables. The test was to see how much candy it could hold.

Sophomore Izzy Heflin was among the robotics team members at the event, which also attracted students who aren’t on the team.

“What drew me in was the community,” said Izzy, who is new to the team this year. “Everyone held my ideas to the same value as those who had been there for years. I went to a competition this month, and I don’t think I would have been able to work up the courage to do that if I didn’t have captains that were so supportive and wanting people to grow, and so willing to pass down their knowledge.”

Junior Lucas Levine, captain of outreach for the team, said he also feels that sense of community.

“I love coming here every day and talking with my friends,” Lucas said.

He was bouncing around from group to group as he sought to see how their designs would work. He said he enjoys suggesting something to teammates “and then seeing them take it and do what they want with it. It’s good to see people who get interested and invested.”

The robotics open house was a fun event between classes — yet another example of building bridges at Loomis.