The hugely successful Henry Lawson High School gang that journeyed forth to battle for the “Ausgrid Southern NSW Super Science Challenge” and came home as the state champions were: Back (L/R) - Mrs Gorman, Kyle Norris, Chris Dunn, Cameron McKellar, Kyle Anderson, Dylan McCallister, Finlay Johnson, Ben Kelly, Henry Hunt, Hugh Matthews, Alex Carney, Millie Scott, Ashlee Hewen, Grace Best, Lindsay Mitton, Mr Robinson, Eliza Taylor, Rachel Timbs. Middle (L/R) - James Seymour, Daniel Harveyson, Cody frost, Adam Green, Michael Millar, Ben Abbott, Robert Ryan, Melissa Causer, Kate Kelly, Emily Tognetti. Front (L/R) - Emma Carney, Vanessa Knight, Beccy Eastaway, Symmone Curl, Courtney Edwards, Amy Graham.
Best in the state!
The Henry Lawson High School continues their success at the science and engineering challenge winning the ‘Ausgrid Southern New South Wales Super Challenge’.
This is the equivalent of a state final.
To qualify, the school team first had to overcome seven local schools at the regional challenge in Young.
With a resounding win at this challenge they booked a spot at the finals.
They then took on the best school teams in southern N.S.W. and WON.
Mrs Gorman, science teacher and team photographer, said “I’m very proud of the team’s efforts and it just goes to show that team work and determination will always win out.”
The challenge (as it is known) is a competition in which eight schools are divided into groups that then compete in a number of engineering activities.
Each group then scores points for their school and an overall winner is then calculated.
At the super challenge this year the activities included making remote control hovercrafts that are able to both achieve high speeds while still being able to traverse rough terrane, Mars rovers with a suspension system that can smooth out the bumpy Mars landscape, engineering a chair that meets the three engineering maxims of cost, quality and time, build skyscrapers that stand tall and strong but can withstand earth quakes, and ‘The Bridge’, the final event of the day, where the teams have to construct a bridge that is both strong and light.
The Henry Lawson High School challenge team received the top points in all of these events to give them a commanding lead over second placed St. Raphael’s of Cowra.
The final points score for the event
The Henry Lawson High School - 1271
St. Raphael’s Cowra - 974
Kingsford Smith School ACT - 955
Wagga Wagga High School -926
The Illawarra Grammar School - 872
Ulladulla High School – 797
St Francis Xavier College Canberra - 714
Southern Highland Christian School -676
The team would like to thank Grenfell Rotary, The Henry Lawson High School, their parents and teachers for the support in making it this far.
At this time the school still holds the lead in national points score with Northern NSW, Queensland and South Australian finals still to be held. In the past the national final (The Grand Challenge) would have been held to find the overall winner, however, funding has been cut and the national event cannot find a sponsor.
If there are any politicians or mining magnates out there that are looking for an event, that helps inspire students to take on maths and science subjects in year 12 and complete university degrees in engineering (of which we have a national shortage) then please get in contact with the Science and Engineering Team at The University of New Castle.
Well done again to the teams from The Henry Lawson High School.