General Information
Science & Engineering Challenge
Recently, our budding engineers and scientists from Stages 4 and 5 travelled to the annual Science and Engineering Challenge to put their skills to the test. Across two days of intense competition, our students proved they have the grit, creativity, and technical skill to tackle some of the toughest problems in the field, representing our college with an exceptional level of communication and teamwork.
On Tuesday, 17th March, our Year 9 and 10 teams set a high bar by demonstrating sophisticated strategic thinking. The morning flight team achieved a spectacular result, building an aircraft specifically designed for a specialised launcher that was tested for both precision and distance. They ultimately won their activity with a perfect 200-point bullseye. Meanwhile, our "Eco-Habitech" team worked throughout the day to create a model research facility for Antarctica using only cardboard, straws and plastic wrap. Their model met all specifications and successfully withstood the highest levels of wind and weight testing, with their only hurdle being the final water-collection criteria.
The Year 9 and 10 bridge builders also worked tirelessly to design a structure capable of supporting a weighted carrier. Their design was meticulously engineered, and despite having to adjust their plans due to limited resources, they secured a very respectable third place out of nine schools. Thanks to these strong performances across the board, our Stage 5 team brought home seventh place overall.
The momentum continued on Wednesday, 18th March, as the Year 7 and 8 team took their turn. This group showed a great deal of resilience and cohesion, sitting in an impressive second place by a narrow margin at the half-day check-in. While the team did not win any single individual activity, their success was built on remarkable consistency across every single challenge they faced.
A major highlight for the Stage 4 group was the bridge-building task, where our students designed an incredibly efficient structure weighing just 85g. This light design earned the school 65 bonus points toward the final score. The bridge successfully passed the test for all regular ingots and was only defeated when it was tasked with carrying the "Big Chungus," a massive 9.8kg load. This brave attempt earned the team third place in the activity and contributed to an overall fourt place finish for the Stage 4 team.
Beyond the final rankings, our students demonstrated to the wider community that they are collaborative problem-solvers who can pivot under pressure. We are incredibly proud of how both our teams conducted themselves over the two-day event. Congratulations to all our future engineers on these fantastic results!
Angela McCabe
English Classes at TAFE for families:
LOOKING FOR DONATIONS OF WOVEN FABRICS
Textiles is back in full swing at McCarthy and we’d love any unwanted woven fabrics. We’re only looking at fabrics that might become future landfill.
They can be any fibre content: cotton, polyester or a blend and we’re not fussy about colour or patterns.
The fabrics come in handy as students practise developing their skills.
Please drop any donations at the front office so the students can continue their stitching.
Suzanne Day
McCarthy Study Club
