In a thrilling culmination of two terms of hard work, Year 8 students showcased their engineering prowess in the highly anticipated Rocket Car Drag Race Competition. Over the past two terms, the three Year 8 Technology classes have dedicated their time and woodworking skills to design and construct rocket-powered model cars from timber. This hands-on project aimed to enhance their understanding of energy, forces and motion.
The competition took place in the COLA, where the atmosphere was electric with anticipation. Each car was loaded with its rocket engine - a small carbon dioxide canister. In a round-robin format, two cars at a time were launched in a drag race along the length of the basketball court, and hurtled towards the finish line.
Excitement peaked as the races commenced. The cars, sleek and meticulously crafted, zoomed down the track (see this video), leaving trails of carbon dioxide smoke and cheers in their wake. It was a display of both creativity and precision engineering. Some cars shot forward with remarkable speed, while others demonstrated the importance of aerodynamic design and stability.
There was a high benchmark for creativity and craftsmanship amongst the cohort. Across the three classes, an A grade for the Rocket Car practical task was awarded to Roman Grzech, John Melhem and Benedict Jaucian. While there were many well-designed and well-built cars across Year 8 this year and too many to individually acknowledge, three special mentions for creativity include Jacob Rodrigues’s “Banana Car”, Ethan Sheppard’s “Mark the Shark” and Angus Bowen’s bulky but deceptively swift “Gus Bus”. Congratulations to the winners of the round-robin competition from each class: Robert Mandla, Bryan Li and Aryan Dhawan.
Salvatore Tropiano, Year 8 Technology Teacher
