Kinglake students put the cart before the horse
The Age
Tuesday November 17, 2009
KINGLAKE Primary School is one of 1067 Victorian primary and secondary schools that will do battle in Maryborough this weekend, racing fuel-free vehicles that students have designed and built.Teacher Sue Egan says that although Kinglake has sent a team to past events, the Black Saturday fires made an entry unlikely this year, with parents too cash-strapped to attend."It's been a very difficult year and the kids have been under a lot of stress, but they really wanted to do it," she says.It was a relief, then, when a commercial sponsor provided funds and the opportunity for some much-needed team-building.Kinglake racer Samuel Slater, 11, says he is optimistic about winning either the sprint, long-distance or obstacle races this Friday, but that the sense of teamwork among the group has been the "best bit".Teammate Jade Brasser, also 11, agrees. "We've always been friends before this [Black Saturday], but this has made us much closer."For Sam Nieumann, 12, preparing for the contest has been a welcome diversion."It takes your mind away from what's happened," he says.
© 2009 The Age
