Students in a Lego league of their own
SEVEN Geelong students have been internationally recognised among the next generation of creators and innovators.
The Grade 5 and 6 pupils from Newcomb’s Christ the King Primary School recently returned from Hungary, where they were one of two teams representing Australia in the First Lego League Open Invitational Central Europe competition.
The event required students to complete a STEM- based (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) research project centred on the theme of water and relating to their local area.
The children chose to redevelop the Point Henry area with a vertical garden tourist attraction, which included its own sustainable irrigation system, similar to those seen in Singapore. They even consulted engineers from Ford and Barwon Water.
Teams also created and programmed a robot to complete “missions”, such as dropping water into a container, under time restrictions.
The students competed against 67 teams from 40 countries and took out first place in the Core Values Teamwork Category.
“The Christ the King students were standing among some of the most clever kids in the world. These kids will be our future problem-solvers,” said teacher Aisha Kristiansen, winner of the competition’s National Mentor Award.
The two-week trip, funded by $40,000 of community donations, included a visit to Singapore to see the vertical gardens.