Western News: December 12, 2017

10 Tuesday December 12 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
WESTERN NEWS
Hornby students amazing app
• By Emily O’Connell
THREE HORNBY High School
students have won a national
competition with an application
they made to help alzheimer’s
sufferers.
Year 10 students Kimberley
MacKinnon, Fleur Johnson-
Dunn, and Zoe Evans recently
took out the 2017 TechHub Creativity
in Science and Technology
Challenge in Wellington.
Together they won the regional
and national competition, receiving
$1500 in prize money.
Hornby High School digital
technology teacher Ben Carter
said the application was inspired
by a student’s family member.
“It was something that was
very close to the students,” he
said.
Mr Carter said they were
blown away by the win.
“The students felt they had
accomplished something truly
amazing and it helped inspire a
profession within the industry,”
he said.
The regional winners from
SUCCESS: Hornby High students Kimberley MacKinnon (left),
Fleur Johnson-Dunn, Labour MP Clare Curran and Zoe Evans
at the national finals of the competition in Wellington. (Right) –
The students receiving their prizes. ​
Auckland, Wellington and
Christchurch gathered at the
Royal Society Te Apārangi to
give presentations to judges and
each other.
The teams then toured Datacom
and Trade Me, followed by
afternoon tea at the Beehive with
Labour MP Claire Curran who
presented the students with their
regional awards.
The Hornby High students
were then declared as the nationals
winners in front of a crowd of
more than 1000 people.
Mr Carter said the application
acts as a hub for alzheimer’s sufferers.
“Users are able to set up a
profile with contact details for
relatives, the games they want
to play which are supported by
scientific research to help determine
games relevant to severity,
an achievements board and a
video chat function,” he said.
Mr Carter said the students
want to put the finishing touches
SCHOOLS
on the application before marketing
it.
“The competition is only open
to year 9’s and 10’s so they will
not be able to participate again,
however, they will mentor the
next competitors from Hornby
High School,” he said.
Pupils turn hand-made
goods into cold hard cash
• By Emily O’Connell
ST BERNADETTE’S School
pupils turned handmade and
secondhand goods into money at
their market day last Thursday.
All 140 pupils, from new
entrants through to the year 8
students, were involved in the
market.
“We believe that every child
FUN: KiwiCan’s Reece
Bonner under fire at the
school’s market day. ​
has something worthwhile to
offer. One of the children in our
school is blind, he was able to
contribute by brailing labels for
bookmarks,” assistant principal
Lyn Satherley said.
Miss Satherley said each class
decided on a reward they would
like to have at the end of the
school term with the money they
raised.
She said classes then began
thinking about, and researching
products or services they could
sell or offer at the school market.
“Having a market offers an
authentic purpose for hands on
learning, across the curriculum;
science, maths, literacy, health,
the arts and in the key competencies,”
miss Satherley said.
Sweets, bookmarks, secondhand
items, stress balls, games,
cards and sausages all went up
for sale.
The school also had a cafe,
face painting station, hair colour
station, traditional games, and a
water balloon throw.
“Having all of the children involved
in the market allows them
to take ownership over their
learning and working as a team,”
miss Satherley said.
She said any additional profit
from the market will go towards
a community day at the end of
the term.
St Bernadette’s hold a market
day every second year.