Our greatest achievement in STEM so far this year is our participation in Robocup Junior Australia. This tournament requires students to make a robot to certain strict specifications and then code it to make it chase an infrared ball. As it was our first attempt, we thought we would start off small and have two teams made up of three students; The Springers (Ben, Dilan and Jomel in S39) and The Springettes (Blayne, Indie and Kendall in S39). These students used their snack and lunchtimes in preparation for the RoboCup. They faced many difficulties and problems over the weeks and I believe this made them even more determined. They all showed an incredible amount of resilience and responsibility. Luckily for us, Mr Harris also jumped on board to help out.
The event was held at Sacre Coeur in Glen Iris, with each team having three rounds of competition against other schools. Unfortunately, the Springers had little success on the scoreboard, but were amazing in their sportsmanship and showcasing our great school. The Springettes came away with many victories, eventually winning the Grand Final to take home the gold. All students were exceptional on the day and with their efforts leading up to the competition. The school is very proud of them all.
They have set the bar high and I look forward to achieving more success next year when we go back to compete! I want to also thank the parents of these students for supporting our attempts and for also supporting the kids. Lastly a huge thank you to Mr Harris for his knowledge, wisdom and support, to Mrs Cotterell for her support and also Brendan, our IT guru for his time and wisdom.
Mrs Tanjil-Lea Delport
Middle & Senior School STEM Teacher
