‘What do you call a plane that bounces? A boeing-boeing!
‘STEM club members completed their final mission of the year this week. They had to work in teams to create a glider that could fly as closely as possible to a target. They were launched from the balcony in the Hub and were aiming towards a hoop at the far end. I was inspired to launch this contest after hearing about the incredible story of the POWs who were incarcerated in Colditz during WW2. Unbelievably they built a glider in secret using bed slats and sheets after discovering a book on Aircraft Design that was left in the camp’s library. The war ended before they could see if their glider would have led to a successful escape but a recent recreation of the design proved that it would have worked.
‘What really impressed me throughout the competition was the perseverance from all pupils who tested their gliders repeatedly, making tiny adjustments to affect the flight path. They had to consider the 4 main principles of flight (thrust, drag, weight and lift) and adjust their designs accordingly. There were some very close results but overall champions who managed to get their glider to go through the hoop were Lola, Holly and Chloe in Year 7- amazing work girls and in year 7 too!
‘We have had a superb year in STEM club this year. Over the course of the year we have had between 30-40 regular members on a weekly basis. We took part in the Rotary STEM competition against many other schools who have had much more experience in this field and we won gold and silver medals.
Here’s to further engineering success and experience next year.’
And finally… Why did the aeroplane go to therapy? It had a lot of baggage to unpack!’
Mr Morris
