March 2016: ENTERPRISING students engineered a solution to win the trophy in a technology competition.

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The Year 10 team from Haslingden High School also enjoyed double success having scooped a trophy last year when they entered.

At Nelson and Colne College the Annual Rotary Club Technology Competition was keenly contested by teams from schools all over East Lancashire and Burnley College as well as Nelson and Colne College.

The Year 10 team had to construct a bridge that would support a 1kg truck, raise to allow a vessel underneath and lower to allow the truck to return across.

Jacob Cowan, 14, said: “It was hard. We made it out of cardboard and wood and we only had about four hours to construct it.

IMG_2479“When we had made it we carried out several test runs so we could work out how we needed to improve it.”

Lewis Simpson, 15, wants to be a joiner and so enjoyed building the structure.

He said: “We made the pillars for the bridge from wood and drilled a hole through them for the string, which we then used to raise the bridge.”

As well as building, the team also had to put together a design portfolio of the project to explain how they worked out what to make and diagrams of the construction.

Over the years the school has won 13 trophies and this year three teams entered from Years 9, 10 and 12.

Design Technology Curriculum Leader Craig Greenwood said: “Higher Level Teaching Assistant Sharon Jeffrey and I also entered a competition where we had to undertake the task set for Year 12s and we also won.

“I am very pleased with how the students did; they may be back to defend their title next year.”

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