Powered by sheer physical energy and a little bit of engineering Kevin Humaran, of Holtville Middle School, labored hard Wednesday to make it across 80 feet of water using shoes or sandals attached to what looked like makeshift water skis made of foam and covered in duct tape.

Kevin, a 14-year-old eighth-grader, didn’t quite make it but said he learned how the mechanics of motion go a long way into attempting to do something as deceptively simple as trying to “walk” across the surface of the water without falling.

“I just lost my balance,” said Kevin. “It was pretty difficult.”

About 200 middle school students competed at the Central Union High School swimming pool during the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement program’s “Walking on Water” competition.

Twenty-seven schools throughout the Imperial Valley entered the competition that required, in addition to two months of preparation, a keen focus on how math and science mesh in engineering, said Jeanette Espino, MESA program director.

Read the entire story at the Imperial Valley Press.