Last Friday, 32 students from Year 9 and 10 attended the 2025 Science and Engineering Challenge at Cheltenham Girls High School. The event brought together students from a range of local high schools to compete in a day filled with innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork, all while showcasing the exciting world of STEM.
From the moment Oakhill arrived, the energy was high. Students were split into teams and rotated through a variety of hands-on engineering and science challenges, each designed to test our creativity, logic, and collaboration skills. Some of the events we participated in including Bridge Building (“Bridge Blitz”) – construct a bridge using limited materials; Confounding Communications – In this activity, we had to convey a coded message across a barrier using non-verbal communication; and Electracity – This puzzle was all about building a working electrical grid to power a city, dealing with issues like efficiency and cost.
Throughout the day, Oakhill students worked under time pressure, often with problems with solutions which are not complete, which pushed us to communicate clearly and take on leadership roles. It was also great to meet students from other schools and see different approaches to solving the same problems.
The overall experience was incredibly motivating. It gave many of us a new appreciation for the types of careers and university paths available in science and engineering. The facilitators and volunteers made the day exciting and informative, and the event was so well organised.
We left feeling inspired and proud, especially when we saw how far we had pushed ourselves. Whether we win or not, the real prize was the experience itself – and for some of us, a clearer direction for the future. It’s an experience like no other!
Student Responses:
During the challenge I spent the whole day building an eco-house with my group members out of limited items and made it so it could withstand water, wind and weight while still having the design features that were asked for in the design brief. I found the event quite tough in the beginning because the limitations that were set in our design made it really hard to design the final house but then after we finished designing we worked together in building the house and turned out to be successful. I found working cooperatively with my group and ending up with a satisfying product good about the day. This event relates to my education as it gives me stimuli where I have to gather all prior knowledge learnt in science classes and apply them into an engineering task where we use the engineering design process to execute the design and build a successful working house – Year 9 Euan A.
During the STEM Challenge Day, my group participated in the Bridge Build challenge. Using a limited set of materials, we were tasked with designing and constructing a bridge that could hold as much weight as possible. The event was a fun and engaging experience that called on us students to think critically under timed conditions and work effectively s a team. Although there was a competitive aspect to the challenge, the day had a supportive and collaborative atmosphere from the staff involved that made it enjoyable for everyone involved. One of the highlights was seeing our bridge perform well during testing. Although it didn’t survive the final weight, it held up impressively until that point. Our group placed second overall, missing first place by just 5 grams, which we were proud of given the difficulty of the challenge. It was also great to see how different teams approached the same task with such a variety of ideas and designs which allowed my team to realise what we could've possibly done better to ensure that our bridge can be further reinforced next time if required. The STEM Challenge is connected directly to what we learn in subjects like science, maths, and technology. We had to apply principles such as force distribution, material strength, and structural design, all of which are key aspects of STEM subjects. It also helped build our collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills under time conditions, which are essential not just in school, but in real-world careers – Year 9 Rishi B.
Last week, we travelled to Cheltenham Girls High School to take part in the Science and Engineering Challenge. It was an action-packed day filled with a variety of engaging and hands-on STEM challenges. The competition was intense, true to its name. It provided a valuable learning experience for all of us. We raced against the clock to complete our projects, striving not just to finish but to achieve the highest standard possible and of course, to win. What made the day especially memorable wasn’t just the competition itself, but the collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving it demanded from us as a team. As someone with a deep interest in STEM, I found the entire event incredibly rewarding. I definitely won’t forget it anytime soon! – Year 9 Archit D.
Throughout the day my team was given two activities which were, 'Electracity' in the morning session and 'Fish Traps' in the afternoon session. Within the first activity my group and I had to find ways to be as efficient as possible to gain the most points from each scenario while being fast enough to get through all of them. This often resulted in almost perfect results at the end of each scenario which were usually not perfect but still rewarded us with a fair number of points. For 'Fish Traps' we had to find ways to prevent marbles of three different sizes from passing through whilst letting others through which for my team proved to be quite more difficult than connecting wires. I found the event to be a very fun experience with friends where we were had to think of innovative solutions to more practical engineering puzzles. I also found it to have run quite smoothly despite the number of students having to move around their activities within the one hall. The day was very enjoyable, and I particularly enjoyed the competitive atmosphere which was always present throughout the day. All the teachers and helpers on the day who were there also helped a lot in making all the events run without much issue while even providing helpful strategies. An event like this relates to my education by getting my mind to think like an engineer and try to find ways to solve engineering issues which do not always have a single straightforward answer. It also helps provide a practical way to see how aspects of physics and engineering have real life applications to jobs people may have – Year 10 Edward W.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take part in the Science and Engineering Challenge for my second year. And it was a day I won’t forget anytime soon. The challenge stretched our STEM skills through hands-on, real-world problem-solving. My team tackled two activities: a “Fish Trap” design and an electrical circuit puzzle called “Electracity.” We felt confident with the Fish Trap, using teamwork and creative thinking to build a solid design that proved effective. Electracity, on the other hand, posed more of a challenge; it didn’t go quite as well, really pushing our problem-solving skills. But we learned a lot from the experience. The day was a great mix of fun and learning; it showcased how STEM is more than just a subject, it is a quickly advancing field of work with real-life problem solving – Year 10 Ilia S.
We did electricity in the morning and fish trap in the afternoon, these activities are both fun and challenging. While solving these problems, it really gives an insight about what is meant by problem solving in engineering study. The good about the event is that it gives us an opportunity to experience engineering examples and broaden our experience, while practicing our communication skills as a team – Year 10 Tuohao Z.
Last week during the Science and Engineering Challenge, I took part in building a balsa wood aeroplane and a teamwork activity called Job Juggler. In the plane challenge, we had to design and build a small glider that could fly as far as possible, which was fun but also tricky. In Job Juggler, we worked together to organise colours without overlaps, which tested our problem-solving and communication skills. I really enjoyed the day because it was hands-on, competitive, and made science and engineering feel exciting and real. Our overal result was a bit sad though – Year 9 Murphy W
Last week, I participated in the Science and Engineering Challenge, where I took part in the Wind Turbine and Confounding Communications challenges. During the day, we worked in teams of four to design and test solutions, like building a working wind turbine that could generate power. I found the event really engaging and fun and it pushed us to think creatively and work together. The best part was seeing our ideas actually work and also competing with other schools – Year 9 Bryson S.
Mr Ryan Hamilton
Science Teacher
