Te Pahu School’s EPro8 Challenge team – from left Ava Sawyer, Evander Almao, Mila Young and Hunter Robson.
A team of Te Pahu school students has engineered some top results on the national stage at this year’s EPro8 Challenge.
At the grand finals of the annual inter-school science and engineering competition Year 5 and 6 Te Pahu students Ava Sawyer, Mila Young, Hunter Robson and Evander Almao placed eighth overall in their competition category.
Designed to promote problem solving, the challenge attracts more than 25,000 students nationwide as it runs its course.
There are three other age ranges – Year 7-8, Year 9-10 and Year 11-13.
The event culminated in the Rotorua-based national finals at the end of May.
Te Pahu students were set the task of designing a conveyor belt that transported, washed, dried, counted and then packed apples, making them ready to be delivered.
Adults were not allowed to help throughout the challenge, and the assignment had to be finished within a predetermined time frame.
Te Pahu School principal Meegan Dunn was brimming with pride when speaking with The News about the results.
“As a school, our vision is to demonstrate that attitude determines altitude – inspiring our students to give their very best in all they do,” she said.
“And I think these four are amazing examples of working towards a goal, while at the same time expanding their minds and taking on a challenge.”
The EPro8 Challenge starts with an event teachers run in their own school.
Then, the top teams from each internal event qualify for the inter-school heats.
The event covered four zones – Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Waikato/Bay of Plenty – and each heat featured 12 teams.
Top teams then qualified for Rotorua’s national final, held at Mokoia Intermediate School.
Situated on the northern side of Mt Pirongia, Te Pahu School has just over 100 students on its roll.
“The national result is a huge achievement for our little school because even the journey to get to the finals was amazing,” Meegan said.
“Ava, Mila, Hunter and Evander worked so well together throughout. We absolutely have to congratulate our budding young scientists and engineers.”
