Energy Breakthrough Update

Here we are again with around two weeks to go until the
2009 RACV Energy Breakthrough. The teams are making
very good Progress at this stage, training vigorously and
making preparations. The Maryborough Education Centre
has entered 7 HPV and Hybrid teams for this year’s event:

• 2 Primary HPV teams
• 1 Year 7 & 8 HPV team
• 1 Year 9 & 10 HPV team
• 1 Senior All Girls HPV team
• 1 Hybrid Open Vehicle team
• 1 Hybrid class B/C 1 Vehicle team
• There are also 2 Primary Push Cart teams,
• 1 BeckworthPush Cart team and
• 5 Innovations in Technology Primary teams.

This event continues to grow every year. This year we were able to enter an additional Hybrid team as we were cut
back on the number of entrants per school on the RACV track however, we were welcomed at the Holden track.
Setting up a new vehicle and team is a very difficult and expensive task as everything has to be developed from
scratch. The vehicle was originally to be powered by a petrol engine and an electric motor but a few issues caused
time to be against them so it was converted to pedal and petrol similar to Black Magic, but in the Open class. The
team, under the supervision of Colin Govan as manager has done very well with help from Michael Reeves. They
have a new Hybrid vehicle and of course need a complete team set of equipment. This is a new experience for this
team and will bring its own set of challenges.
Our other team managers from last year are Geoff Macilwain (All Girls team), Phil Collier, (the Year 9 & 10 HPV
vehicle manager) and Leeane Postle (the Year 7 & 8 HPV vehicle). Doug Marr returns with Black Magic and is
aiming for a third straight win. Andrew Tatchell has offered to managed the 2 Primary HPV’s this year as Sally
Wren takes a well earned rest. All teams have done an excellent job in training the teams and preparing the vehicles.
After last years’ successes, I am sure they will be eager to improve their teams’ performances on the track, Design
and Construction and Design and Presentation.
This year’s vehicles are currently being built or rebuilt ready for the upcoming event and are in various stages of
assembly. All will be ready by the time they need to be presented.
The MEC are sponsoring and looking after a team from England this year. A group of 9 male students and 3 teachers
will arrive a few days prior to the event to help prepare a reincarnated training vehicle from the MEC. Hopefully it
will be almost complete by the time they arrive. They will have a pit site next to our own teams at the RACV track.
They are known as “Haley’s Comets” as they hail from Haley Hall College just out of London.
For all parents of students, team members and pit crew involved in all the Year 7 to 12 teams for this year’s
Breakthrough, there is an important meeting on Wednesday evening the 11th November at 7:00pm in the Craigie
Pod at MEC. People attending can access the lower car park at the lower end of Balaclava Road. The purpose is to
present the MEC team riders with their “T” shirts for the event and to discuss the weekend procedures and assign
tasks to parents willing to assist the smooth running of the teams and the event in general. There is much to do but if
the load is shared, it will be an extremely memorable weekend.
It is also envisaged to present all the MEC HPV including the Primary’s and Hybrid vehicles with their teams to the
school community at a special assembly in the Gym on Wednesday the 18th November.
We wish all the MEC Energy Breakthrough teams the very best of luck.

Doug Marr
Energy Breakthrough Coordinator

Central Goldfields Shire Youth Awards

E v e r y o n e a t t h e Maryborough Education Centre congratulates the winners from our school community who received awards at the Inaugural Central Goldfields Shire Youth Awards. A number of our students and two staff members were acknowledged for their outstanding efforts as individuals and as team members. T h e Ma r y b o r o   g h E d u c a t i o n C e n t r e acknowledges the Central Goldfields Shire on this initiative and the excellent work carried out by Central Goldfields Youth and Family  services Coordinator, Cara Barnes.
Congratulations to the following MEC representatives who received individual/team awards on Friday night:
Brylie Earl, Kahlia Dix, Yana Dellavedova, Zoey Kerr, Giuliana Sutton, (Team Sport Award), Hayden Wilson,
Alternative Sports Award; Lachlan Roberts, Photography Award; Elkie Belcher, Individual Sports Award; and
Caitlin Chapman, Individual Academic Award.

Wannik

Pictured above: Beckworth Deputy Principal - Mrs Elwynne Wentworth,

MEC Principal - Mr Barney Healy; Mr Ray Bale, Brandon Mc Redmond and Jodie Mc Redmond.

Ray Bale from the “What Works”program recently visited and worked with a few staff around our Wannik program. This was followed by several parents and students coming into MEC at the end of the school day. It was great to see so many of our teachers avail themselves of this opportunity to meet with the parents, especially at such a stressful time of the year. We thank the staff who did take the time and effort to attend and also thanks to the staff who attended the afternoon session.

Jeans for Genes

Congratulations to both the primary and secondary students at MEC for raising a huge $1040.80 for Jeans for Genes Day!

Students came to school wearing their denim jeans on Friday the 7^th August each making a donation. Many students and staff also purchased merchandise that was sold by the Student Representative Council.

Jean for Genes day is a major fundraiser of the Children’s Medical Research   Institute and has been running since 1994, the iconic campaign has raised over $46 million for vital research programs such new epilepsy treatments. 

Special studies in our Cell Signalling Unit on the brain cell communication may eventually lead to new treatments for conditions such as epilepsy, schizophrenia depression and Alzheimer’s.

These studies cost around $200 so with the funds raised by MEC we will have provided 5 of these experiments which is an amazing effort!

Well done to all the students who took part in this fun day and an amazing fund raising effort!

Tegan Crosbie SRC coordinator.