Meet Douglas Shire's newest state champions
FNQ education
A pair of Daintree State School students have doubled down after recently winning the Wonder of Science Regional competition, taking out the state championships.
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Grade-4 students Emily Torenbeek and Lara Mulley became state champions after presenting to a full auditorium at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
Representing the Far North Region, they competed against schools from across the state, including some that specialise in Information Technology and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
While other students presented in Brisbane in ties and blazers, the girls arrived proudly in their centenary shirts representing the small Daintree Village school.
The pair did the identical presentation as they did weeks earlier at James Cook University in Cairns, outlining their findings that Anzac biscuits are the ideal snack for extreme conditions.
To find this out, they conducted an experiment across 48 hours, then used hand-drawn graphs to show results, performing a rehearsed skit as part of the presentation.
Emily and Lara were commended by the judges for their ability to work as a team.
Daintree State School principal Jacqui Osborne said, compared to many others, the girls presented in an old-school, authentic way.
“They had a unique presentation style, and it was evident that the work had been done by the students,” Ms Osborne said.
“It was well recognised that this is the way we do things.
“This is a great accolade for small schools.”
The return journey to Brisbane was a great learning experience for the two girls, as it taught them about independent travel with a teacher rather than parents.
“As we do with everything, we use every opportunity to expand life skills,” Ms Osborne said.
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