Skip to main content

Home | Technology Tournament | Great support for Rotary’s Technology Tournament in Halifax

The tournament was held at the North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax on Tuesday 8th March

 A jam packed room saw students from thirteen schools, comprising one hundred and forty six students split into thirty seven teams, all with the same goal in mind, to save a potentially disastrous chemical spill onto a railway line and the surrounding neighbourhood!

Throughout the day their young minds struggled with many differing designs to build a crane capable of moving forward, some under a low bridge, and then to utilize an electrically operated lifting mechanism (magnet), to raise the damaged container from the derailed carriage and to return it back along the track to a safe area..

Now the above might sound simple enough, but all participants soon found that the effective construction of such a device was anything but! Ingenious though some of the models were, in each of the three tasks which were based on the student's age, 'Basic', 'Intermediate, and 'Advanced', the judges stated that no team actually completed the task. It was agreed by all, that in its nine year history, this was a constructor's greatest challenge. 

However several teams were close to its completion and there had to be winners and plaques were awarded to The Brooksbank School for the Basic Task, Rishworth School for Intermediate and North Halifax Grammar for the Advanced.

The pictures show various models about to be tested or 'in test' and the final photo of the winning three teams having just been presented with commemorative plaques from the Major of Calderdale Councillor Keith Watson in the foreground on the left and President David Nash of the Rotary Club of Halifax on the right. Students from the winners, and their models are from the left in the foreground Brooksbank, behind them North Halifax Grammar and to the right Rishworth School.

Rotarian Peter Lloyd thanked not only all the judges, organisers, the various Rotary clubs from the locality who had supported the day but all the students for their efforts on the day. It had, he said, been 'a fun learning day for all' and they could return to their schools proud of their achievements.

More photos of the finished articles will be loaded when all 11 separate tournament throughout the district have taken place, otherwise some may have an advantage!