St Francis Xavier College ‘Team Velocity’ have received the Chair of Judges Recognition of Achievement Award for their incredible growth throughout the F1 in Schools STEM Challenge after competing at the Australian National Finals in March.

The team of five Year 10 engineering students took on the challenge to develop the world’s fastest miniature Formula Once car that saw them finish in first place at the ACT Regional Finals in 2018.

College Principal, Paul Carroll said that the team deserves a hearty congratulations for their effort competing against 36 Australian teams in the second largest STEM Competition in the world.

“Team work, dedication, collaboration, creativity and co-operative problem solving were the attributes that the team demonstrated in their support for each other and to the task at hand,” he said.

Velocity Team Manager, Dominic Ferraris said that it was fun learning about engineering, project management and corporate partnership and looks forward to utilising these skills in future jobs.

The team worked together to fine-tune and brand their car, create trade displays, present their work and gain sponsorship.

Design and Technologies Supporting teacher and mentor, Graham Stock said that he is proud of the team who put their hearts into the project over the past nine months and saw their hard work pay off.

“It has been incredible to see how much growth the competition has fostered in the students,” he said.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but so unbelievably rewarding for them and their teachers.”

Graham said that F1 in Schools is incredibly diverse and is a phenomenal competition for students that encapsulates the essence of STEM incredibly well.