CROSS COUNTRY

Cross Country

At school we had six separate cross country races (Junior: boys and girls, Intermediate: boys and girls and Senior: boys and girls). The Senior races composed of boys or girls from both Years 6 & 7, and took place at the end of the day on Friday the 8^th of August (Week 3). The top three children from each year and gender went to the Interschool Carnival with fourth place being a reserve. The weather was respectable with slightly clouded conditions.

Competitors in our class for the girls’ race were: Lucy, Mikayla and Rhian.

Lucy came in first overall with a 60 metre lead that she crafted during the race. Mikayla came fifteenth with Rhian completing her second cross country close behind.

Competitors in our class for the boys’ race were: Blake, Henry, Sean, Amos, Khaled and Lachlan. Blake came in first overall by at least 75 metres after a surprising sprint finish. Henry came in second after a slow start. Sean ran his very first cross country and managed to pull off a seventh place with Khaled two positions behind him. Lachlan didn’t complete the race but has only raced in a cross country once before.

Interschool Cross Country

Interschool Cross Country took place at Dawson Park Primary on the Friday of Week 4. It was a similar distance to the one the competitors ran at school (1.6 km) so the only obstacles our competitors faced were the other schools’ champions and the uneven landscape of the track. The day was perfect for running (not a cloud in the sky but because of the month, the air was pleasant). The top three place getters got a ribbon and will get a medal when they are ready. All representatives did especially well and managed to secure 3^rd place for the school overall and 5^th in the handicap scores.

Representatives for our school in the girls’ race were: Lucy, Isabella and Cass. Lucy pulled of a nail bitting win in the last millimetre with the other two girls coming in a comfortable 3^rd (Isabella) and 6^th (Cass) place.

Representatives for our school in the boys’ race were: Blake, Henry and Aidan. Blake secured second place after pulling off his now infamous sprint finish which he applied speed to after passing third. Henry reigned in at 5^th place after overtaking a few people. Aidan finished a few places behind Henry. The two events will be etched in my memory for a long time to come.

 - Blake

MATHEMATICS EXTENSION - L.S.H.S.

This term, at Leeming Senior High School, we are building AN ENTIRE COMPUTER?! Indeed we are, using only a fish tank, some Paraffin oil (also known as mineral oil), computer parts and some rocks. Although, it is not as simple as that, as there is plenty of maths involved to keep us thinking. We don’t simply put oil in the tank then drop in the computer parts and sprinkle in some rocks, oh no, as there are many specific variables that we must consider. We must find out the volume of the fish tank to find out how much oil to put in. That’s that done, right? Not quite. We must also find out the volume of the computer parts so we can find out how much oil they will displace and change the amount of oil needed accordingly. Finally, we’re done, yes? No, time for the rocks! Just put in some rocks until it looks nice, right? Wrong. What if you want 180 rocks, but the computer can only handle 169? Can those extra 11 rocks really make a difference? Probably not, but we cannot take the risk, as a few rocks is not worth an exploding computer.

Now it’s time to talk about the computer parts. It is absolutely vital to know the essentials of a computer. The problem is that if you put too much weight on the fish tank, it could crack, causing the Paraffin oil to leak out, and thus ruining the entire project. You must find the perfect balance between what is absolutely necessary and what can be replaced. For example, you could potentially replace a CD-ROM with a USB Port, as it is lighter and not much less convenient. This project has been a blast and it has enabled us to apply many mathematical skills we have learnt along the way. It has also helped us look at the world of computers and technology in a new way.

- By Adam