Huron Expositor, 2009-05-13, Page 8. 4. A., • 44•• 4440 V lamn
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Papp 8 The Huron Eiposittor • May 13, 2009
1'
New�
Technochallenge sees 30tt co
Ian Schwab
Shooting off. air -powered rockets
and popping balloons isn't normally.
part of a student's day of school.
But on May 7, more than 300. stu-
dents from_ about 20 schools across
Huron and Perth Counties came
together at the Seaforth Commu-
nity Centres to apply what they've
learned in science class in new and
exciting ways.
The annual Huron -Perth Techno-
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challenge, hosted by the
Avon -Maitland District
School Board and the
Huron -Perth Catholic
District School Board,
encouraged students in
Grades 7-12 to design,
build and activate their
own science projects.
The activity had them
working together in
teams from 10 a.m. till 3
p.m., at which point they
squared off in competi-
tion against teams from
other schools.
The triathlon event had
teams completing three
tasks. The first - stomp
rockets — had students
building air powered
rockets using an oil can,
clamps, plasticene, tape
and plastic tubing.
A student stomped on
the empty oil can filled
with air that would
send it through a tube
and launch the rocket.
The rocket that flew the
farthest distance was St. James
named the winner. • down onto
The next event had Vincent.
them building a tower from straws
and pins that could support weight.
ing with scepe skills
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School
a
Dan
Schwab photo
student Andrea Bokkers, right, leaps into the air and
`stomp rocket' with teammates Kourtney Ribey and Emily
The third event — a blindfolded
walk through a maze — focused on
communication skills, as one stu-
dent would shout out directions to
the blindfolded teammate.
Other events included building a
cable car using small motors, pulleys
and wire, which is able to carry an
egg on a cable across the length of
the arena.
Other teams were challenged to
build a robotic balloon popper — a
pneumatic arm that can pop five bal-
loons in a short time, using five feet
of tubing, syringes, pins, wood and
other materials.
Y " fey don't
a ehanee to do
this stuff , in
class," said Don
Pottruff, math
and science
curriculum co-
ordinator fo the
Avon -Maitland
District School
Board. "But it's
a very technical
event. It brings
together years
worth of cur-
riculum."
Other stu-
dents arrived at
the event with
bridges made
from popsicle
sticks they'd
made _ weeks
before, and had
them tested to
see how much
weight they
could hold.
Another group
of students
made electric
cars.
At the end of
the day, one winning team from each
event was selected and the students
were sent home with gold, silver and
bronze medallions.
Cash prizes of $75, $50 and $25
were also awarded to some students
to take back to their schools to pur-
chase materials to build the same
projects at their school.
Pottruff says new events are added
to the annual Technochallenge every
year and that it's satisfying to see
the students applying what they've
learned in the classroom.
"It's very neat. Each year we try
an event and have no idea how it
will turn out," he
says. "We just get
the materials and
students build
something just
so cool that we're
surprised by it."
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