English High teacher cracks open physics

LYNN – Encouraged – or egged on, you might say – by his friends, Matthew Souvanthong leaned over the edge of Lynn English High School’s roof Monday and dropped an egg on Jeff Bigler, hitting the science teacher on the left shoulder with a splattering blow.”It felt good,” said Souvanthong.The egging did not earn Souvanthong a suspension; on the contrary, Bigler congratulated Souvanthong on his aim before urging other physics students to attempt to egg him from 46 feet above while he walked below them wearing a black trash bag, a yellow climbing helmet and clear plastic safety goggles.The exercise was part of a carefully planned and long-anticipated experiment Bigler has conducted in his physics classes for four years. It illustrates a basic physics formula designed to calculate how and when two objects moving at different speeds in different directions meet.”It’s easier to learn it hands-on,” said student Josias Polonia.When Bigler decided to pursue a career teaching teenagers science, he learned early on the value of converting lessons from a book or a chalkboard into fun experiments. His 140 physics students put their heads together to learn and figure out the formulas required to conduct a velocity experiment before climbing to the school roof to test their calculations.”I also checked with (Principal) Mr. (Thomas) Strangie, and he said it was OK, as long as we were safe,” Bigler said.For an hour on Monday, Bigler walked back and forth on a plastic tarp wearing his helmet, glasses and trash bag while teams of students took aim with their eggs. Every hit earned a thumbs-ups; every miss prompted Bigler to thumb his nose at the rooftop scientists.Souvanthong, Polonia and classmate Bryan Sang managed to score a hit, but Marceliz Tolentino, Analiz Ramirez and Cynthia Rendon scored a direct hit – an egg dropped onto Bigler’s head at approximately 35 mph.Tolentino and her friends received certificates for their success and the entire class received praise for their egg accuracy.”A 50-percent hit rate – that’s really nice,” Bigler said.Tolentino said students in Bigler’s basic and AP physics classes look forward to the egg drop as well as another experiment Bigler conducts to celebrate students’ birthdays.”He lights us on fire,” Ramirez said.Well, not exactly. Students hold a soap bubble filled with methane gas that ignites for a fraction of a second before harmlessly vaporizing.Tolentino said she didn’t give a science career much thought before scoring a direct hit on Bigler during Monday’s egg drop. “Maybe I’ll rethink it after today,” she said.