Flint students scoop top prize in prestigious engineering competition

A group of high school students picked up the top prize in a prominent county engineering competition.

Year 10 students Summer Austin, Niamh Davies, Matthew Machell and James Moyes from Flint High School were thrilled to be crowned winners of the Rotary Technology Competition held recently at Coleg Cambria, after their car travelled the furthest distance in the challenge.

To enter the competition, students were required to design and build a weight powered car that could travel along a track up a slight incline.  Each team was awarded points in a number of categories, including: the furthest distanced travelled, best teamwork, and best design portfolio.

The Flint High School team’s vehicle travelled a distance of 13 inches along the track which, combined with their high scores in all categories, secured them poll position. 

Niamh said it had been “great to try new things,” Matthew said: “I enjoyed it, it was a great experience to learn new skills,” and James added: “We started as strangers with little communication between us but, through the process of preparing for the competition via trial and error, we became a good team.  We are so happy to have won, it really has been a fantastic experience.”

Members of the Rotary Club and Airbus apprentices judged the competition and awarded the team with their shield. 

Another team comprising year 9 students from Flint High School also entered the competition and were commended for their hard work.

The learners were accompanied by Mr A Craughwell, teacher of technology, and Mrs N McDonald, technology technician, from Flint High School who supervised the teams throughout the day.

Mr Craughwell said: “It was a pleasure to see our learners working on a project that took them outside their comfort zone and to watch them develop solutions to the problems faced throughout the day. It really tested their resilience and problem-solving skills through team work.  We are very proud of them and I hope this success will encourage the students to further develop their engineering skills.”