Students from Brooke Weston designed and constructed gravity powered cars for this year’s Rotary Challenge competition. They had to build vehicles that would travel up ramps of different gradients with the Year 7, 8 and 12 teams working at foundation, intermediate and advanced level respectively.
The annual event took place at Weston Favell Academy in Northampton. Teams from up to 25 other schools attended, including those from Kettering Science Academy and Corby Technical School. Our students were accompanied by Mrs Black and Mr Barrett.
He said: ‘Our students did very well. They had to make a gravity powered machine go up a ramp and the difference was that the ramp got steeper depending on if they were working at foundation, intermediate or advanced level. They all made these four-wheeled trucks which, as the weight descended pulled it up the ramp. It was quite an interesting project.
'Everyone was given an identical set of materials, some wheels, some pulleys, some elastic bands so they had a few different things. There was a teachers’ team as well so I joined up with KSA and CTS and we all worked together. Students learned construction skills, they worked to a timetable, tested their design and changing it if necessary. It was all about overcoming obstacles and working together.’