MINDEMOYA—The first annual Manitoulin Island Technology Day elementary school competition held last week was a huge success.
“We are very pleased with the results, but I don’t think we were prepared for such an onslaught of talent displayed here today,” stated Margit Alberti, who along with fellow Central Manitoulin Public School (CMPS) teacher Andre Leblanc, organized the event. The competition took place at CMPS on Thursday of last week. “This is our first tech challenge and we will be holding this again next year.”
Five schools took part, Wasse-Abin, Charles C. McLean Public School, Central Manitoulin Public School, Little Current Public School and Assiginack Public School. Each school had junior and two senior teams-made up of four students each competing in all events.
The teams of students took part in four challenges: a 10 foot egg drop, constructing the tallest straw tower, and the longest glide by a drop glider (paper airplanes), and a mystery challenge that was revealed at the competition. The latter was a music experimentation assignment. Teams were given a chair, bucket, two sticks and a shaker and were to use these instruments to make music; to provide a variety of sounds and volumes with different rhythm. Each team had between 20-30 seconds to make their presentation, with every member of each team participating.
The work, creativity and talent demonstrated by each team was incredible. And when the results were all tabulated in the senior division the Assiginack team took first place; there was a two-way tie for first place in the junior division with Assiginack and Little Current Public Schools.
Ms. Alberti told the Recorder after the competition, “there are technology challenges held in Sudbury and within the Rainbow District School Board every year, but for some of our schools-students they are too far, and too expensive to take part in. And a school can only send four students to these other competitions.”
“This past summer Andre (Leblanc) and I were thinking along the same lines and felt that we should put on an annual tech challenge for the island school, and it has proven to be very successful,” added Ms. Alberti. “We will definitely be holding this event again next year.”
