Willmott Park RACV Energy Breakthrough HPV Racing Team 2.4

Willmott Park Primary School first entered into the RACV Energy Breakthrough event in 2007 in the anticipation of seeking new ways to engage our students by giving them a wider range of challenges.
This program encourages our students to examine and use technology while considering its impact on the environment and the way people live both locally and globally.
Primarily we invite our grade five and six students to participate by going through a rigorous try out process which gives us information on our students’ level of fitness as well as commitment toward this program. This process begins in February with lots of fitness training in our specially designed bike room.
At the same time, we work throughout the year to design, build and test our Human Powered Vehicles and ensure they are within the detailed specifications RACV require to be able to participate. Students learn about sustainability and how the materials used on the bikes is reusable and recyclable. They also learn about the benefits of a human powered vehicle on the environment. Our two Endurance Days during the year assist the students with practising their defensive driving skills, learn the job of being pit crew and test their endurance levels.
This requires a huge team effort by teachers, students and parents and gives our students the opportunity to be part of and experience real world challenges through an across-the-curriculum approach.
We then bring our Human Powered Vehicles to Maryborough in November, for a huge celebration with up to 100 other schools from around Victoria and interstate, in which we demonstrate and trial them in action and race over a period of three days.
Willmott Park Primary School in conjunction with RACV aims to:
• Provide our students with opportunities to explore technology in a way that is fun and exciting
• Encourage our students to explore solutions to environmental, sustainability and transport issues
• Provide our school with an opportunity to work and learn with our local community
• Provide an opportunity for both boys and girls to explore and address vehicle design, driving skills and vehicle safety issues
• Provide our students with an understanding of living a healthy lifestyle including diet and exercise
• Providing our students with valuable life skills that will carry with them throughout their lives such as persistence, resilience, commitment, self-belief and confidence.

Willmott Park Primary School is the only primary school within the Hume City Council to be part of this highly successful program.