Other College News
International Women's Day
Student leaders, Z Club members and staff attended the International Women's Day breakfast at the Armidale Bowling Club on Friday 7th March. This annual event is organised by the Quota Club of Armidale.
Guest speaker was Dr Mandana Arshi. She earned her Medical Doctorate from Iran in 2001 and furthered her academic journey with a PhD from the University of QLD in 2012. Additionally, she holds a Fellowship of the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia.
Dr Arshi has worked for the last 20 years as an Australian qualified doctor. Currently, she is working at Infinity for Skin, a private health and aesthetic clinic. bShe also engages in casual teaching at the UNE.
Dr Arshi is married to the Vice-Chancellor of UNE and is the proud mother of two children.
Dr Arshi spoke of her journey as a young person growing up in Iran, and the challenges that she faced as a young woman in regards to gender inequality and the strict Islamic laws, making it difficult for her to pursue her dreams. It was very inspirational, as Dr Arshi spoke fondly of her mother being a wonderful support and strong role model. Speaking up, calling out gender abuse, volunteering, partaking in events such as IWD are all integral in gaining more equity in our world.
Science and Engineering Challenge
On Wednesday, 5th of March, 31 enthusiastic Year 9 and 10 students traveled to UNE’s Lazenby Hall to compete in the Science and Engineering Challenge—a prestigious event where schools from across the region put their STEM skills to the test. The competition featured hands-on challenges, each designed to test problem-solving, teamwork, and engineering creativity.
Throughout the day, our students participated in a variety of challenges, including:
- Designing and flying a balsa wood plane
- Creating a Morse code system using colored lights
- Constructing a resilient electricity grid
- Designing fish traps to allow sustainable fishing
- Scheduling Olympic Games events
- Building an efficient wind turbine
- Designing a cyclone-resistant, sustainable house
- Constructing a bridge to support a rolling trolley
As the morning competitions wrapped up, O’Connor students had secured several top-three finishes. By the midday score update, we were in the lead, and the energy was electric as students prepared for the final challenges. The bridge challenge, the only event conducted publicly, was the highlight of the afternoon. Using just balsa wood, masking tape, and paddle pop sticks, students had to build a bridge capable of holding more than 50 times its weight. Our team’s bridge impressively held 2.5kg, earning third place in this event.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for—the final results. As fourth and third place were announced, we realized we had made the top two. When NEGS was called for second place, we knew we had won! O’Connor had officially claimed first place in the regional Science and Engineering Challenge, securing the opportunity to compete at the state finals in Newcastle this August!
Reflecting on the day, our teachers expressed immense pride—not just in the victory, but in the sportsmanship and teamwork displayed by our students. Winning is an incredible achievement, but the way our students conducted themselves throughout the competition was just as commendable.
Congratulations to all participants on an outstanding performance! We can’t wait to see what happens in Newcastle!
