Utah elementary schoolers connect one mile of cubes to break world record
BOUNTIFUL, Utah (ABC4) — A second grade class from Holbrook Elementary School set out to break a world record on the morning of Saturday, April 27, 2024 — a record that was originally set in 1999.
The students ended up connecting more than 92,000 Unifix cubes — which the school said is equivalent to one mile — in 55 minutes, beating the previous record of roughly 91,000 cubes in 90 minutes.
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The students gathered early in the morning on Saturday, getting started around 6 a.m.
Several students were seen wearing shirts from the manufacturer of the cubes, Didax. The manufacturer donated the cubes used to break the record after learning about the students’ goal, the school district said.
The school said the project had been in the works since January. A spokesperson for the Davis School District said second-grade students were playing with Unifix cubes on the playground and thought they set a record.
The district said the students “were way off” but were encouraged by their teacher, Marilee Hullinger, to “follow their dreams and break the world record.”
“This project excited kids — one student said about a week after we started, ‘This is way better than a math journal,’” Hullinger said.
The school district also said the students learned new math skills to prepare for breaking the record.
“They are doing math beyond their standards and making it fit this project and beyond,” Hullinger said.
Despite the early-morning weekend activity, the students were full of energy and excitement as they jumped around after completing the task.
The district said Didax also donated $2,700 to help pay off some students’ lunch debts at the elementary school. Bountiful Police Department helped by shutting down Bountiful Boulevard while the students connected a mile’s worth of cubes.
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