General News
27 November, 2023
Highview College entry does Kenough to win category
“I’m a Barbie girl, in a renewable world — there’s no plastic, it’s fantastic.” That’s what a large crowd gathered to hear on Friday at Energy Breakthrough (EB), as Highview College’s secondary students delivered their presenta-tion...

“I’m a Barbie girl, in a renewable world — there’s no plastic, it’s fantastic.”
That’s what a large crowd gathered to hear on Friday at Energy Breakthrough (EB), as Highview College’s secondary students delivered their presenta-tion with a unique, pink and glittery spin, ahead of their 24-hour trial.
With most students focused on the race itself, the Maryborough-based school invested heavily in their Barbie-themed display to engage with the community in a creative, hands-on way.
“It was really important for us to get everyone involved and I think it’s also important for the kids to have a buy-in as well, that’s where this idea originated from after one of the boys on the team threw it out there as an option,” Highview College EB team manager Sarah Lovel said.
“We’ve got children of all age groups coming here for EB with their parents and everyone knows Barbie, it’s something they connect with and so they pay a bit more attention to what’s being said in the presentations.
“If we can create a presentation that connects with the audience, it actually makes it more memorable and the message translates better — the biggest take away for people hopefully is the concept of renewable energy and global warming that we touched on because at the end of the day it impacts everyone.”
The school’s Kenough Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) team ended their presentation with an important rhyming call to action: “You can plant some trees, protect the birds [and] bees — sustainability, make it our priority.”
Part of the group, Year 11 student Tilly Davis said the team wanted to initiate change in a more wholesome and enjoyable way.
“We wanted to choose a theme that was relevant, something that a lot of people would understand,” she said.
“It was great because we put our own spin to it and tried to relate it to our own preparation for EB — we wanted to show how the event improves the quality of the environment.
“I think it’s helped people learn something new and take that on board. We put a lot of effort into it this is also the most fun I’ve had doing a presentation.”
Kenough came out on top at the end of EB, nabbing the Overall Winner award in the Class C category — HPV Secondary.
“[Our] teams were able to achieve some outstanding results once again, however the learning and teamwork of the journey is what we are most proud of,” Highview College head of senior school Luke Treacy said.
“The students represented themselves, their families, and the school, with great distinction.
“EB provides a great opportunity for students to learn more about themselves, their peers and the world around them, whilst extending them out of their physical and mental comfort zones.
The teams showed great dedication with their preparation and training in the lead up, and demonstrated admirable determination and sportsmanship across the event.”