WEAVERHAM students have emerged victorious from an annual technology tournament organised for high schools by Northwich Rotary Club.
The tournament, held at Weaverham High School, involved eight teams of four students, with Weaverham, Harford High, County High School and Rudheath Senior Academy all represented by two teams each.
Having been told to bring a set of tools, the teams were told when they arrived on Friday, March 15, what their engineering challenge would be.
A 'train', carrying 'hazardous chemicals' in a container, had been derailed and teams were required to design and build a crane to recover the chemical container from a safe working distance.
Armed with A4 card, screw hooks, wood, dowel, an electric motor, wire pulleys, pins, paperclips, string and rubber bands, the team had to design a crane capable of moving to the location, picking up the container with a hoist mechanism, and transporting it to safety.
A team hard at work
The challenge also involved producing diagrams and sketches of their process, with the challenge judged by Rotarians with an engineering background.
All teams completed the task, with two teams neck-and-neck before the winning team of Henry Young, Joshua Handley, Alisha Brew-Padley-Fletcher and Rea Gaskill from Weaverham High School emerged.
They were presented with winners' medals and the school with a plate trophy by the Northwich Rotary Club president Denise Watkinson. All competitors will be presented with certificates of participation in the tournament.
The winning design
Rotary organiser Tony Rowe said: "This is the sixth year that Northwich Rotary has organised this Tournament and the feedback from the schools is very positive.
"The day is very challenging for the students as they have to think on their feet, work together as a team and produce a working mechanism against the clock – but most of all, the day is about broadening their design and technology experience in an environment where the emphasis is on enjoying themselves and having fun."
The tournament is accredited by the British Science Association to the CREST Discovery Awards – a national award scheme for project work in science, technology, engineering and maths.
All participating students will receive CREST Discovery Certificates, sponsored by Northwich Rotary Club.
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