Year 9

Year 9 Teams Shine at Model Solar Vehicle Challenge 

Article by Lisa Newton and Suchi Kumar, Year 9 Mathematics and Science Teachers

Over the weekend, 11 teams of Year 9 students took part in the Model Solar Vehicle Challenge held at Scienceworks, an exciting event that promotes innovation, sustainability, and hands-on STEM learning. Designed to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists, the challenge tasks students with designing, building, and racing solar-powered vehicles.

Despite overcast skies and limited sunlight, which made it especially difficult for solar panels to function at their best, our students demonstrated outstanding resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving skills. 

Competing across both the Advanced Boat and Sheridan Car Kit  categories, our teams delivered exceptional results. 

Congratulations to: 

• Noah, Gian, and Raymond – 1st place, Advanced Boat 

• Aaron and Harrison – 4th place, Advanced Boat 

• Rory, Lincoln, and Spencer – 2nd place, Sheridan Car Kit 

• Himank and Daksh – Best Poster, Sheridan Car Kit 

• Shiven and Anay – Best Poster, Advanced Boat 

   

The poster awards recognised students’ ability to clearly communicate their design thinking and the learning journey behind their projects. 

A huge congratulations to all students involved for their dedication, teamwork, and creativity in challenging conditions — a true testament to the spirit of innovation! 

Tom F – Ice Hockey Australian Representative  

Congratulations to Tom F from Year 9, who was recently selected to represent Australia in the inaugural IHA Youth Pan-Pacific Ice Hockey Series. This was a tremendous honour for him to be chosen to wear the green and gold and represent Australia. Tom was selected due to his outstanding performance at the Kurt DeFris U15 National Tournament held in Perth earlier this year, where he was voted MVP for Victoria.  

The tournament developed by  Ice Hockey Australia for this age group  brought together talented young players from Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. There were two Australian teams entered (team Gold and Team Green) where Tom was in Australia Gold.  

Tom’s team advanced all the way to the  gold medal match, where they faced Hong Kong. The team played with great determination and spirit, showcasing their skill and teamwork on the ice. Despite their strong performance, they were defeated in the final with a score of  5–2, but it was an exciting and hard fought contest that highlighted the high standard of play. Tom, playing as a right sided defender, had an excellent match and played with great skill and determination across the whole tournament.   

We are incredibly proud of Tom’s accomplishment and look forward to following his continued success on the ice.  

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