Reddford House teams win top spots in global competition
MIDRAND – Reddford House Blue Hills teacher David van Leeuwen said he was a bit concerned that the learners might not be up to the task, however, they proved him wrong.
Two Reddford House Grade 7 teams placed in the top five of the recent Global Inspired Builds Robotics 2021 competition hosted by Fulham House School in London, United Kingdom.
A team comprising members from all three Reddford Schools in South Africa, called Inter-Reddford, and a team from Reddford House Blue Hills in Midrand, each produced a robot that complied with the competition’s focus this year – enabling movement. The judging criteria included intelligent design, general appeal, innovation, and quality of programming.
Competition organiser and director of digital learning at Fulham School, Brendan O’Keeffe, said the competition produced a rich range of projects. “To have over a thousand participants from four continents was a brilliant opportunity for students to find a fresh sense of motivation for their Stem [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] learning,” he said.
“This has been a real spark of joy and creativity in academic years that have tested the resilience of both staff and students.”
Reddford House Blue Hills teacher David van Leeuwen admitted he was a bit concerned at the start that the learners might not be up to the task. “They proved me wrong. Straight out of the gates, the Grade 7s impressed me with their creativity,” Van Leeuwen said.
The learners in the Inter-Reddford team were Ewan Curry (Reddford House Northcliff, Johannesburg), Bonolo Thaneng (Reddford House Blue Hills, Midrand) and Masotsha Mathivha (Reddford House The Hills, Pretoria East).
The learners in the Reddford House Grade 7 Blue Hills team were Makaziwe Ntsele, Philile Mkhatshwa, and Kgatlhiso Moreosele.
Thrilled to be among the top five teams, Masotsha said it was an amazing feat, “I got to rank myself not only locally, but on a global stage, and see what I could do to eventually become the best.”
Ewan added, “Even though there is a pandemic, this competition allowed us to compete and succeed, and to express ourselves. Not being able to see the other competitors’ robots made us work even harder. The hard work paid off.”
The team members all agreed the achievement was like a dream come true for them, and that through the competition, their coding skills improved, they learnt a lot about teamwork, and they overcame challenges together.
Details: Reddford House 010 060 0761.
