June 2018
For the third year in a row, multiple teams of Design and Technology students from Wagga Wagga Christian College represented the Riverina at the State Finals of the Aeronautical Velocity Challenge (AVC), a competition organised by the Institute of Industrial Arts Technology Education and hosted by Wollongong University.
Wagga Wagga Christian College represented the Riverina very well over the two day competition, placing in all three categories – balsa model propeller powered planes, bottle rockets and drones.
The Junior Bottle Rocket team had an exciting conclusion to the day. Given one hours construction time to complete the design and manufacture of a bottle rocket the team were given six opportunities to test fly the rocket, with the top eight teams securing a place in the final. The Christian College entered the finals in fourth place. A series of finals flights saw some of their main competition suffer structural damage, while the durability of the College Rocket ensured them a spot in the Grand Final. The team finished in second place, with the winners winning by just centimetres.
The Senior Drone team are State Champions in the Drone Cinematography Division.
Mr David Crick, the College’s Design and Technology (D&T) teacher, views the AVC competition as a means of focussing the students’ minds, giving them an understanding of how the theoretical concepts of maths and science work together in a practical way in the world in which we live. “These opportunities to design working models help the students make sense of what they learn in the classroom. Working together in a team, solving problems in a time critical setting and being fully engaged in the design process help ignite their imagination and desire to learn.” Both Junior and Senior D &T teams won their right to represent the Riverina after competing in the Regional competition against Griffith High School, previous record holders for the propeller plane competition, and Barellan High School. Jye Hefren, Junior D&T student, is excited about the competition, “ The Regional competition was a great opportunity to test and modify our bottle rocket design. There are so many elements to consider as we seek to design a rocket which will fly the furthest distance, but our team has been working really hard and we are seeing great results from our practice flights. The furthest distance we have flown is 125m! I’m looking forward to testing our designs against the best schools in the State.”