Sarel Cilliers wins international bridge building competition
The team was provided with limited materials, the rules of the build, and limited time to build a masterpiece.
After winning the provincial round in Harrismith earlier this year, the Sarel Cilliers bridge building team left for the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) International Bridge Building Championships in Pretoria.
Working under pressure, the bridge was finally ready on time for the Friday evening weight testing.
Sarel Cilliers was randomly drawn first to be weight-tested and in a nail-biting testing, weighing in at only 157 grams, the bridge reached breaking point at 110.1kg.
As each successive bridge was tested, the suspense was tangible as many of the other bridges broke at lesser weights.
Out of the 18 entries, with one other bridge breaking at 111kg, it was down to the wire.
As each bridge is awarded points in accordance with length-to-weight breaking ratio, as well as appearance, all points contribute to the score. In a fantastic finale, Sarel Cilliers were announced as the winners!
With many years of bridge-building and design experience, kudos to Mr du Plessis and Mr Slabbert for their invaluable coaching.
Siyabongomenzi Mthethwa, Ziphozonke Nkabinde and Adrian Terblanche each received R2500 in prize money, as well as backpacks and other prizes.
It was a fantastic achievement and the school is very proud of this team of future engineers.
Rugby: The rugby teams left to play in the Pioneer 7s on Saturday. There was stiff competition and the games were fast and furious. Sarel Cilliers lost 0-34 against Northwood High School, to regroup and win 40-0 against George Campbell.
Well done to the team for playing some outstanding rugby.
The Super 8s also did well over the weekend, coming third in the tournament after conceding to Ferrum High School and Newcastle High School
Choir: The choir participated in the Newcastle High School Primary School Choir Festival last week, in preparation for the up-coming choir competition to be held at Sarel Cilliers on Saturday.
The Battle of the Drums promises to be an outstanding event, with many choirs taking part. With a special appearance by the full Drakensberg Boys Choir, it is an event not to be missed. Tickets are R75 and available from the school office.
