Senior School News

Year 10 Science

Eloise Oxley and Annika Fuller exploring the movement of the earth's tectonic plates with playdoh in Year 10 science last week.

UNE Excursion - Stage 5 & 6

Stage 5 and 6 Agriculture and Primary Industries students braved the ‘feels like’ 4 degrees temperature on Thursday of last week to participate in some hands-on activities at the UNE. Students learned about and used some of the technologies at Clarks Farm and the Kirby Smart Farm hub. Upon arrival to Clarks Farm, the students used sheep to practise estimating body weight, assess body condition scores and then weigh and record actual body weights using a weigh scale and data collector technologies. The next activity saw the students learning how to assess the amount of ground cover of pasture in a paddock before measuring and calculating the amount of pasture feed available in the paddock. After lunch at the UNE café, we headed out to the Smart Farm Hub at Kirby and learned about the new Ag360 software that the UNE has developed. Students were then able to use this program to add paddocks, animals and livestock treatments to their virtual farms. 

These are valuable experiences that allow students to access current and emerging technologies and see how they are being used in industry to increase efficiency and make data-informed production decisions. Students also gained insight into career pathways through their interactions with the staff at the UNE.

Touch Football

On Tuesday and Wednesday of Week 7, Mr Auld and Mr Smith took our opens and under 16's boys and girls touch teams to Inverell. All teams were incredibly strong and the extensive training they have been undertaking paid off. All four teams qualified for the Central Schools competition in Dubbo to be held late in Term 3. Our students represented our school to a very high standard, both on and off the field. Mr Auld and Mr Smith are excited at the potential in our touch teams, especially given most students have been playing for less than 12 months. We have some very talented athletes at our school. Stay tuned for future updates about how our training is progressing in the lead up to Dubbo.

Careers in Renewable Energy Industry Event

On June 14th, 2024, interested Stage 5 and 6 students from Armidale Secondary College, Guyra Central School Uralla Central School, and Walcha Central School participated in an Educational Pathways Program (EPP) industry event focusing on Careers in Renewable Energy.

Kaitlyn Leggett, Year 3 from Uralla Central School did an outstanding job in delivering our Acknowledgement of Country to the group of students and staff - Thank you Kaitlyn.

The morning workshops featured guest speakers Jenny Eddy on behalf of Career Tools and Heidi McElnea from Community Power Agency.

Heidi focused on spearheading advancements within our local region, and provided an overview of the lifecycle of renewable projects from conception and site selection through to operational stages and eventual decommissioning. Jenny then provided students with insights into the diverse roles and career paths available in this field and resources to further explore. Alison Dundon, the EPP SBAT Engagement Officer for the four schools also outlined how school-based apprenticeships and traineeships can contribute to career pathways.

After lunch we were very fortunate to tour the New England Solar Farm.

Our group of schools was the first school group to tour the Stage 1 facility following its construction. 

Students were given a direct and in depth briefing of the facility and WHS components of the site from ACEN Australia and Elecnor Australia representatives.

Set amongst 1200 hectares is Stage 1 of the project site. This site is home to 970,000 solar panels.

We subsequently embarked on a tour of Stage 1, where ACEN representatives were present to elucidate the components of the panels, units, and wiring.

We disembarked the bus for photo opportunities and an in-depth discussion of the Oorala site.

When field survey works started as part of the approvals process for New England Solar, it was understood by the Anaiwan people that the area Oorala had been used for thousands of years as an important meeting place for Aboriginal people.

It was during these survey works that a number of cultural sites and items were discovered. One of these being a significant Grinding Groove site where it is believed Aboriginal people gathered to learn from each other, celebrate events and trade. The site offers enormous opportunity for cultural knowledge building and as such, it being preserved. Importantly though, access to the site for the life of the solar project so that the Anaiwan can access it for decades to come.

A short documentary film capturing Aboriginal cultural values of the Oorala region along with cultural items identified where the New England Solar project is located has been produced. The film captures stories from Aboriginal representatives and was produced to share knowledge and raise awareness of Aboriginal cultural values in the region. This video can be found on the ACEN website.

ACEN - The Past to Guide the Future

The EPP team would like to thank everyone who contributed to this informative day. We are looking forward to further exploring connections within this field.