A PROGRAMME that is teaching students engineering, problem-solving and innovation skills at Whakatāne High School is thriving, thanks to a funding boost.

Science teacher at Whakatāne High School Erin Nolan is thrilled they received a $95,800 boost from Trust Horizon to purchase additional Epro8 equipment for the school.

“Epro8 stands for engineering, problem solving and innovating,” said Mrs Nolan. “They are a New Zealand company.”

The school has been able to purchase a number of new Epro8 kits for students to use with the funding.

Mrs Nolan said the funding was a boost for their after-school Epro8 club – and this is attended by not just Whakatane High students, but also students from primary schools.

A regional and national Epro8 competition between schools also runs every year – the most recent held only a week or so ago with fantastic results for Eastern Bay teams.

“Last year, our senior team made it to the finals, and they had been competing against students who had been doing it for seven years, whereas our team had been doing it for only one year. Our team finished seventh in the Waikato-Bay of Plenty region overall.

“That is where the idea for the Epro8 club started. We started our own school club last year and realised after the finals that there was a gap with the primary schools ... so we opened our doors to primary schools to come in and work with our students.”

The club meets on Monday afternoons and is thriving, with the seniors mentoring the juniors.

Paroa, St Joseph’s, Whakatāne Intermediate, Awakeri, Ōhope, Allandale and James Street schools have students in the club.

In the competitions, students are given construction challenges.

“They could build anything. Last year, they had to build a scooter they could ride on; it was quite technical, and a washing machine or an air conditioner.”

Mrs Nolan said the school would not have been able to purchase the new kits without the Trust Horizon funding.

“It allowed us to buy 45 kits, which include 25 construction kits and 20 electronics kits, which are brand new to Epro8 this year.”

The additional kits will also be used to teach junior students at the school how to use Epro8 as part of their term 3 topic, How to Build Things.

Year 11 student Ollie Harris said his team practised every Wednesday.

“We have a teacher who gives us tasks, such as building a security alarm for a door, a Mars rover. We get tasks like speed-building.

“I have been doing it since year 8. I like the hands-on work. It is a lot like Lego or Meccano. The competition is New Zealand wide and the guy who is running it came to this school.”

Ollie is teaching a group of junior students how to use Epro8 at the club: “They have built a boat, and a Land Rover with a trailer. All the electronics are made, it goes forwards and backwards, has steering and a trailer that can turn, and the boat has a motor.”

Epro8 results

Epro8 Grand final Waikato/Bay of Plenty

Year 9-10 – Trident 1 team from Trident High School, 7th; 1 Bolt from Whakatāne High School, 10th.

Year 5-6 grand final – Awakeri Architects team from Awakeri School, 9th.

Year 7-8 grand final – Awakeri Problem Solvers from Awakeri School, 5th; Pink Fluffy Unicorns from Whakatāne Intermediate, 9th.