This year the Y9 and Y10 Ignite students battled it out with paper aeroplanes, marble runs and self-propelled vehicles made from scrap material…

Each year our junior extension students have the opportunity to experience cross-disciplinary learning in our Ignition Days. The first Ignition Day of the year focused on science, technology and engineering, using the design cycle to perfect contraptions and win points. Teams were made up of two Y9s and two Y10s, using the tuakana-teina model to promote inter-level relationship building and teamwork. 

The day was hotly contested, leading to the use of a tie breaker before ‘The Blobfishes’ were declared victorious. Their team featured Janna Lacson and Vanessa Sangkhamyong from Y10 and Tara Tanner and Sam Cabalit from Y9. On the innovation front, team ‘Give Me All Your Money!!’, comprised of Y10s Mila Andrews and Valerie Santini, and Y9s Jade Hurst and Cailey Lowe, were voted ‘Most Innovative Creation of the Day’. And, in an ironic twist, team ‘UNStable’ garnered the award for most impressive teamwork - well done to Y10s Sam Crawley and Sofya Kabalinskaya, and Y9s Eva Wilson and Edie Mahon. 

The teams were kept busy throughout the day with a variety of challenges, including one challenge that harnessed the power (and found the limits of) the AI tool ChatGPT. Students discovered that prompts needed to be carefully crafted in order to receive accurate and useful information about building a paper stunt plane. Team ‘Gracious Cockroaches’, (comprised of Y10s Caitlyn Ferguson and Mirella Singleton, and Y9s Kiri Reynolds and Lee Penfold) took out the paper crown for this challenge, with a very respectable 40 points. 

Akonga were also tasked with creating a marble run that could knock over a target, with points awarded for accuracy. There were some very innovative designs, including one that required the marble to bounce off the ground but in the end it was one of the many variations that relied on a combination of height and tubing which propelled itself to the winner’s podium. Congratulations to ‘The Lab Rats’ (Y10s Amanda Liu and Emma Meadows, and Y9s Grace Taylor and Sasha Hands) who gained the maximum points available for this task thanks to three direct hits of the target. Sometimes simplicity of design and careful testing is really all it needs. A life lesson for us all, perhaps!

The final challenge of the day was to make a ‘racer’ vehicle out of previously collected scrap. Furthest distance wins. Given that the focus of this task was sustainability, bonus points were awarded to those who managed to recycle elements of their previous designs. This time team ‘Superman’ lived up to its name, outstripping the nearest opponent by more than double the distance. Well done to Y10s Gabbi Greene, Georgia Opie and Judy Fouda, and Y9 Buthumi Galappaththi. 

Of course, no innovation challenge would be complete without a mention of the team behind the teams. A big mihi to Mrs Patel and Mr Pescaud who created such a challenging and inspiring day. We are looking forward to next’s years one already!