A group of Aquinas students have proven their engineering prowess, blitzing the field at the recent Faith-Based Schools Kahui Ako STEM Challenge.

Year 8 students Sepp Downes, Patrick Nelis, Jin Tumbokon and Cormac Gardiner won the overall competition on the back of an outstanding display of teamwork in the contest’s EPro 8 category. Teams had just two hours to build a mobile wharenui, a well with a pulley to haul up a load, and a free-standing cross. Our Aquinas lads nailed all three challenges, and even built their cross in just 16 minutes flat (other teams took two hours to do just that!)

A special mention to our Year 7 team which narrowly missed out on a top three placing. Adrian Adelaide, Hannah Anderson, Ella Chea and Lotte Jones competed strongly at the September 16 competition held at St Mary’s Catholic School in Rotorua.

Congratulations to Lotte Jones for scoring the second-best overall mark for the Measurement and Maths activity, and to Jin Tumokon who got second overall in the contest’s Scratch activity. Students had to complete a maths problem-solving activity and a scratch game-making activity. Well done all!