For a couple of precious seconds, JibJab Jr. held up.

And then, as Charlotte Potter and Josie Iadicicco looked on helplessly, the miniature bridge, weighing just half a pound and built of nothing but dry pasta and glue, cracked and collapsed under the weight of the twenty-five pound disc resting on its roadbed.

“I’m actually surprised,” math teacher Ken deBettencourt told the two regional high school freshmen, “I thought it’d hold at least fifty [pounds].”

There are many harbingers of spring on the Vineyard — pinkletinks, daffodils, the Dairy Queen reopening — and the annual Linguini Bridge Contest held at the high school, now in its fifteenth year. Today is the deadline for entries and beginning at 7:30 a.m. a rush of freshmen and sophomore students will flock to Mr. deBettencourt’s classroom to drop off their bridge projects, which will then be tested for stability and strength in front of their classmates on Monday morning.

Mr. deBettencourt began the competition as a way to apply math and engineering skills to a real-life problem: building a bridge. Actual construction materials being overly expensive and space for additional Island bridges limited, the structures entered in the competition are made of Prince linguini and held together by Elmer’s glue. As the official rules state, “That’s it!”

Last year’s competition winners, Tony Canha and Jason Gruner, built a bridge weighing four-fifths of a pound. The structure withstood 1,500 pounds with nary a creak.

”We take every weight from the weight room,” said Mr. deBettencourt.

Although JibJab Jr.’s future is still unclear based on its collapse during an early practice round last Tuesday, its architects were fortunate in that they had time to rebuild a stronger bridge before the Friday deadline.

“If I were to go back to previous me, I would have started three weeks ago,” freshman Zana van Rooyen said in an interview. Zana and partner Rae Filley were about two-thirds finished with their bridge as of Tuesday night, but getting to that stage involved staying up until 3 a.m. last Friday and working round-the-clock over the weekend (as well as keeping Rae’s cat from eating the linguini). Most of the time was spent double-bonding pasta strands together for stronger “beams.”

Ken deBettencourt Charlotte Potter Josie Iadicicco
Charlotte Potter and Josie Iadicicco test bridge, Ken deBettencourt supervises. — Ivy Ashe

Though starting bridge-building late is virtually a rite of passage for the contest participants, it comes with potential risks — namely, finding materials. Mr. deBettencourt recalled a contest several years ago in which “one kid bought up a bunch [of Prince linguini] and was selling it for triple the price.”

Josie and Charlotte stocked up on the day of the contest announcement, and still had a large supply of double-bonded strands to work with to rebuild JibJab Jr. They are hoping to reach at least the 25 pound threshold.

A bridge that holds 25 pounds is guaranteed an 85 for the assignment. Withstanding 50 pounds merits a 90; 100 pounds earns a 100. Beyond 100 pounds, said Mr. deBettencourt, “It’s bragging rights.”

The linguini bridge building contest is open to the public. The main event takes place from 7:45 to 10:45 a.m. at the Performing Arts Center at the high school.