Mid-February 2024 saw the 10th Rotary Technology Tournament organised and managed by the Rotary Club of Leicester for teams of pupils from Leicester & surrounding schools. This event is repeated by Rotary Clubs across the country throughout the year and is one of the many creative activities for young people that Rotary puts on every year. This one has an emphasis on STEM topics (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) and brings context to curriculum subjects in a team working and self-motivating environment.
The Tournament this year welcomed 136 pupils in teams of four from 11 Leicestershire schools and was our biggest yet. It is an inspiring experience to be in a room filled with so many young people focusing their minds and skills on the task with such enthusiasm.
This year’s challenge was to design and build a model vehicle to transport aid across a raging torrent! At 9:30am, the teams get their first sight of the task brief and set to working out what they would build. By 2:00pm, building ceased, and each model was tested by our judges.
Most successfully completed the task; others not so. But the work and learning through the day were the real prize. Trophies went to Leicester High School for Girls in the Foundation age group, to Dixie Grammar School in Intermediate and Oadby Beauchamp Community College in the Advanced group.
We are grateful to our hosts, Leicester Grammar School, for providing the venue and so much more by way of assistance and our sponsors, Sir Thomas White Charity Trust, Pick Everard and Hodges & Drake for their financial support.
Pick Everard and Hodges & Drake released young professional designers/engineers to assist with the contestant support and judging.
