Need for speed: Dookie students take their billycarts for a spin

By Shepparton News

Dec 15, 2022

Need for speed: Year 4 students Charlie Comensoli and Lawson McDonald. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

Dookie Primary School students’ hard work and creativity paid off on Friday, December 9 when they showed off billycarts they engineered as part of a school-wide project.

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Principal Troy Woolley said it was a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) project, with students from Foundation to Year 6 working together in groups.

Full speed ahead: Teanamay Stevenson, Year 5, Ebony Dean, Year 4, Tamieka Stevenson, Year 6, and Blake Walker, Year 3. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

“All the students had to build models, then they had to source sustainable and recycled materials to build their billycarts to their design,” he said.

“The students worked in groups with teachers and used a range of tools and measurements to cut the timber.

“When the billycarts were put together they were able to test them out and learn how to drive them.”

Playing the part: Leading Senior Constable Simon Hutchings from Dookie keeping an eye on the speed. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

The groups put their billycarts through a series of obstacles — driving in zig-zags and reverse, and parallel parking.

“They had an amazing time and we had a great turnout from the families as well — it was a great activity for the kids to be involved in,” Mr Woolley said.

Local police also got on board with the day, bringing out the radar speed detection gun and doing roadworthy checks.