‘Great teamwork’ on display at Northpower EPro8 Challenge

Kamo Intermediate and St Francis Xavier Catholic School have been crowned champions of the 2023 Northpower EPro8 Challenge competition.

In closely fought finals, Kamo Intermediate won the years 7-8 title while St Francis took out the years 5-6 contest.

Both teams gained the most points by completing challenges in their respective competitions held jointly on Tuesday last week at Whangārei Boys’ High School.

The challenges included building a pendulum clock, a car wash, a rat wheel to generate electricity and a lightning detector.

About 70 teachers and parents watched the finals, and were treated to a great contest after 64 teams from 22 schools had previously competed in the heats and semifinals.

Northpower community outreach facilitator Arriane Christie says she was impressed with the calibre of the finalists.

‘‘All of the teams displayed great teamwork, excitement and drive and it was great to see young people enjoying themselves while competing and learning,’’ she says.

‘‘Northpower can see that sponsoring this event provides a real benefit to students and schools. It gives students a wonderful opportunity to get involved with, and learn about science, technology, engineering, and maths, but in a practical way.

‘‘I want to congratulate all the students that participated in the EPro8 Challenge, from the school’s internal events to the grand finals, and especially the finalists. It is a huge achievement that they can all can be proud of.’’

The years 7-8 joint runners-up were Arapohue School and Whangārei Heads School, while in years 5-6, One Tree Point School was second, with St Francis Xavier Catholic School third.

It was the first time a secondary interschool competition has been run in Northland, with years 9-10 and years 11-13 competing last Wednesday, with Whangārei Boys’ High School taking out both competitions.