Hennessy Catholic College Yearbook 2022

SCIENCE REVIEW2022 Big History and Design and Technology were offered as elective subjects to our Year 9 & 10 students and were thoroughly enjoyed by the students who developed new knowledge and skills. Big History provides an opportunity for students to understand the integrated history of the Cosmos, Earth, Life, and Humanity, using the best available empirical evidence and scholarly methods. Students this year enjoyed comparing and contrasting origin stories from multiple cultures and found common threads that underpinned many of them. These concepts were considered in the light of the accepted scientific understanding and the idea that origin stories are not necessarily mutually exclusive was explored. The major assessment task for Big History also fired the imagination and creative processes of our students. They designed a planet that was capable of sustaining life as we know it that had at least one major difference to Earth. Finally, students invented a life form that had evolved adaptations to best survive their exoplanet.

Design and Technology (formally known as iSTEM) involves designing, producing and evaluating quality designed solutions. Some of the projects this year included robotics with the new Lego Spike Kits, producing Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings to be manufactured using the school's laser cutters and designing and constructing a tower made out of balsawood as part of their structural engineering challenge. This year's structural engineering challenge was won by Ben Knapman who’s tower held over 65kg which was over x500 its own weight. Another notable mention goes to Callum Holt who’s tower was voted best design due to its stylish features and complex structures.