Students excel at engineering challenges

Brunswick School students Charlotte Stent, Caleb Squire, Charlie Schwamm and Luke Squire with their teacher Sarah Lourie. Photo/Bevan Conley

Caleb Squire, Luke Squire, Charlie Schwamm and Charlotte Stent are geniuses - and they have the certificates to prove it.

Collectively the foursome from Brunswick School are known as the Atomical Geniuses, and they recently won the Whanganui heat of the Years 7-8 epro8 challenge. This nationwide science and engineering competition was held at Rutherford Junior High a week ago.

Teams can choose challenges to complete within a certain time frame, and the harder the challenge is, the more points a team gets for completing it successfully.

"One of our challenges we did was making a bridge that survived a bomb test," Caleb said.

In one of the challenges, the team scored the highest points ever recorded in New Zealand. They will go on to compete in the Manawatu-Whanganui regional semi-finals in Palmerston North.

All four students said they enjoyed the challenges.

"We're a good team, and we have different things that we do well," Charlie said.

Last year the team came third in the Whanganui heat, second in the semi-finals, and third in the finals.

Atomical Geniuses' teacher, Sarah Lourie, said all four students were bright and co-operated very well together.

"I've noticed with these competitions that it's the teams where they start arguing that end up falling apart. So I've had a few chats with these guys about co-operation and working with each others' strengths."

Ms Lourie said the students hadn't had any technical coaching, but they did benefit from "free-thinking Friday", where the students at Brunswick School get to investigate whatever they like.

"It's just amazing what they'll come up with. Caleb once built himself a working ornithopter (an aircraft propelled by flapping wings)," Ms Lourie said.

A team from St Anthony's School won the Years 5-6 epro8 challenge competition.