Brace yourself, Old Colony Regional Vocational High School students are prepared to lay siege armed with an award winning medieval-style weapon.

This month, students in the school’s Bean Busters Builders club conquered foes at the fourth annual “Siege the Day” trebuchet contest.

The team’s hand-built trebuchet, a type of catapult, earned wins in the “most accurate” and “historic construction” categories. Trebuchets used a system of levers to hurl large stones at castle walls.

This was the first year the Bean Busters entered the contest, which was sponsored by the Higgins Armory Museum, located in Worcester.

Students from three shops – design, carpentry, and welding – worked together to build the catapult. The Bean Busters had to work within specifications set by contest organizers.

Student Norman L’Heureux, of Rochester, said a few different designs were studied. Eventually, they settled on the most authentic. “That’s the one we wanted. It was an easy concept to design,” he said.

According to L’Heureux, the hardest part of the design process was: “Making sure it would work.” Next, carpentry students used antiquated methods to build the catapult.

Cody Davignon, of the carpentry department, said the catapult’s frame was joined using a technique known as mortise and tenon.

The method earned the team authenticity points, Davignon said, despite being more difficult to master. The extra work was worth it, he said. “It was something I made. That we made,” he said. “Seeing all the mechanics come together, it was pretty cool.”

Welding student Nick Demling said the other teams were impressed by the “battle hardened” look the team achieved by burning the wood with torches.

Demling’s shop was also responsible for forging the catapult’s metal. Instead of using the modern hydraulic machines the shop is equipped with, students forged the metal components by hand.

On the win, Demling said, “It was exciting to hear our names called. There were some pretty cool trebuchets there.”

Eighteen teams from across the commonwealth gathered in the museum’s parking lot to test their machines. There were four categories in total, including “modern construction” and “coolness.”

For their win in the “most accurate” category the Bean Busters had six attempts to launch a projectile 100 feet. They averaged 100.333 feet, making them the most accurate team since the contest began.

Judges noted the attention to detail the builders took, especially the catapult’s hooks and metal straps that helped the team to win. Carpentry instructor Doug Simms said the Bean Busters plan to return next year with a second team.

The machine that won this year would be re-entered into the contest alongside a modern-style catapult, yet to be built.

The second catapult will be competing against machines in the modern construction and coolness categories, he said.