2024

FEBRUARY

RAD Club Makes Tech Accessible and Revives a Relic

The RAD Coding and Robotics Club is buzzing with activity as they gear up for another exciting year! Club members delve into the world of technology, fostering creativity, collaboration, and a commitment to community.

This year kicks off with a unique project: resurrecting a 2002 Apple eMac! Fueled by curiosity and a love for learning, Cameron Labes (Year 12) and Thomas Bannister (Year 9) are tackling the challenge of bringing this vintage tech back to life.

The club also embodies the spirit of giving back. Pax Talbot (Year TBD) is leading the "Recycle-a-Device" initiative, which aims to refurbish donated devices and provide them to families in need. This initiative exemplifies the heart of RAD – transforming discarded devices into opportunities for learning and exploration.

MARCH

Bebras Computing Challenge 2024: Celebrating Computational Thinkers

The Bebras Computing Challenge 2024 saw students from James Hargest College Senior Campus showcase their computational prowess. The Bebras Challenge introduces computational thinking to students all over the world, in over 50 countries. Here are the highlights from JHC:

Gold Medalists: Cameron Hughes and Tequin Lake demonstrated exceptional computational skills, earning gold medals.
Silver Medalists: Josh Chen, Noah Jaleeludeen, Sean Cross, and Ben O'Connor displayed commendable proficiency, securing silver medals.
Bronze Medalists: Zuriel Boanerges, Fahim Firdaus, and Logan Jordan exhibited strong computational abilities, earning bronze medals.
Participation: Noah Hackett, Gage Crow, Riley Ferguson, and Alex Zernov actively engaged in the challenge, contributing to the learning experience.

Congratulations to all participants for their dedication and enthusiasm, reaffirming the importance of computational literacy in education.

APRIL

Year 9 DGT Tasters - Robotics

Students in Year 9 recently delved into the world of robotics as part of their Digital Technologies Tasters program. Utilising LEGO SPIKE, they embarked on a journey of building and coding a variety of robots, including drivable ones equipped with sensors, dancing robots, and even a fitness guru named Leo that helps count sit-ups. The hands-on experience allowed them to explore the endless possibilities of robotics and unleash their creativity.

Students were given the exciting opportunity to bring their designs to life by printing them as stickers. One such example is the creation of Colbie and Dylan, showcasing their imaginative and unique designs in sticker form. This hands-on aspect added a tangible dimension to their digital creations, allowing them to further personalise and share their work with others.

May

Grok Python Challenges

The Digital Technologies Programming classes delved into the Grok Python Challenges for Beginners (Year 11 class) and Intermediate (Level 2 class), embarking on a 5-week journey of coding prowess. Throughout the competition, students from both classes exhibited remarkable dedication, showcasing their commitment to mastering Python programming. Ka Pai to their efforts! In the Beginners stream, Brock Smith, Cissie Lung, Misha Chisnall, Pax Talbot, and Saranya Sarisa achieved Perfect Scores, reflecting their exceptional understanding and execution of Python concepts. Meanwhile, in the Intermediate stream, Cameron Labes attained Perfect scores, while Amanda Henderson secured a commendable High Distinction, demonstrating their proficiency and skill in tackling the challenges. Congratulations to all students that competed.

Level 2 DGP Achievers

Year 11 DGP Achievers

Hargest Ball - 2024 with Year 13's Digital Technologies Programming Class (while some of them as the others were having a ball on the dance floor).

June

YEAR 13 SIT Visit

Exploring the Future of Digital Media and Programming at SIT

We took a trip to the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in Invercargill with our Year 13 Digital Media and Programming students on Friday, 17 May, and it was mind-blowing!

We got to check out the amazing LED virtual production wall at the Te Rau o te Huia Centre for Creative Industries. It was stepping into the future of filmmaking. With this wall, you can see real-time special effects and watch actors blend seamlessly into computer-generated worlds. It's like magic happening right before your eyes!

Programming students also got to hang out in the Information Technology Department: place for electronics, software and website development. We learned all about the amazing courses they offer. It was inspiring to know they can build their course by what they are interested in along with the required modules, of course.

The whole experience got us fired up about digital media and programming. SIT is all about giving us the best tools and skills to succeed in the real world. Plus, they even partnered up with local companies for internships!

Overall, our trip to SIT was nothing short of amazing. It's like we got a sneak peek into what the future holds for our students in the world of digital media and programming. SIT is all about pushing boundaries and making sure we are prepared for whatever we choose to do.

Year 11 Term 2 Showcase

The Year 11 Electronics and Game Development classes are gearing up for a thrilling showcase of their creations. This year, students will be pushing the boundaries of innovation using Godot 4, a powerful open-source game engine. Get ready to be amazed by a diverse range of projects, from mind-blowing electronic inventions to captivating games!

Our Year 11 Programming students have been exploring the exciting world of electronics using the versatile Arduino microprocessor. They've created some impressive projects, including a whack-a-mole-style game by Nathaniel Shefford, Saranya Sarisa, and Munokoa Faletiute. Back in the '80s, when programming was becoming more common, people started doing all sorts of wild things. This included designing arcade games. In this game, the goal is to react as fast as possible to the LEDs that light up by pressing the corresponding button. But don't cheat or hit the wrong button, or the game's over. This game is based on the super-popular arcade game, 'Whack-A-Mole'.

July

RAD Club Rocks!

Big thanks to Jayden (ICT Tech Dept.), William McCann (Y9), and Thomas Bannister (Y9) for crushing it on "Recycle a Device Tuesdays" this term!

Their hard work means our recycled device stockpile is growing, ready to help out classmates who need some tech for schoolwork at home. Stay tuned for details on how to snag one!

Huge Congrats to Our GirlBoss Bound Students!

Amanda Henderson, Hannah Wilson, Shalom Naitau, Tihara Fonseka and Irene Tendean (Digital Technologies Level 2 Programming students) have been accepted into the incredible GirlBoss Edge: Tech for Good program in July!

This fully-funded online course is a fantastic opportunity to develop tech skills, gain mentorship from inspiring leaders, and connect with a supportive community.

We're so proud of their ambition and can't wait to see what they achieve!

Congrats Tequin Lake!

This talented Digital Technologies student secured a spot at the competitive Grapple24 event! His diverse coding and electronics portfolio, as well as his home projects impressed the judges. At Grapple24, Tequin joined 20 other young innovators for a week (July 13 - July 19) of tech creations & challenges in Christchurch! Grapple24 aims to assemble Aotearoa’s top young innovators, uniting them to tackle real-world problems. Over an intense seven days, Tequin grappled with a problem presented to him and his team at the beginning of the week. The theme for this grapple was World Tech Economic Crisis: no imports or exports permitted to New Zealand. Tequin and his team had to work to maximise their points across the judging criteria, while receiving coaching and mentoring from 4C staff and industry experts. Their end of the week pitch event provided an exciting opportunity for participants to showcase their skills to the fullest and impress our judges. The pitch also offers a great chance to connect with future employers present at this event!

During his stay, competitors had 24 hour access to the 4C makerspace – equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, iPads with Procreate/ animation software, robotic equipment and a range of other creative and digital makerspace tools.

See more information >>>

August

A personal trainer called Leo who blows a whistle (done with code), counts your reps, and does sit-ups right alongside you - built by Japanese student Takumi Aoki.

Cameron Labes (Year 12 Programming Student) created a thrilling two-player game that combines visual and auditory elements. The objective is simple: press your button as many times as possible within 10 seconds. As the game begins, players frantically tap their buttons, and the game tallies their scores. Colourful LEDs provide visual feedback, counting down the initial seconds and indicating button presses and the current lead. To enhance the gaming experience, Cameron incorporated sound effects, adding an auditory dimension to the gameplay.

Amanda Henderson and Logan Jordan (Year 12 Programming Students) developed a pair of AR goggles using an Arduino microprocessor to help people be more aware of their surroundings. These goggles have a sensor on the front that can tell how far away things are up to 10 meters. When the user gets close to a wall, a red light will flash, and a speaker on the side will make a beeping sound. The volume and speed of the beep get louder and faster as the user gets closer to the wall. An LCD screen on the goggles shows how far away the user is from the wall and warns them if they're too close.

Hargest Makes a Strong Showing in New Zealand Programming Contest - see Official Site for more

Hargest has once again solidified its position in the New Zealand Programming Contest amongst 57 other schools countrywide, showcasing remarkable growth and competitiveness. This year, the school fielded three teams coding in Python 3, each demonstrating their unique strengths.

Team 'Microsoft Paint', returning with the same members as last year, continued their impressive performance. Malachi Lang, Tequin Lake and Sean Cross (Year 13 students), showcased their unwavering dedication and problem-solving skills.

Joining the competition for the first time were '3Musketeers' (Irene Tendean, Shalom Naitau, and Tihara Fonseka) and 'Lionhearts' (Alex Liang - Year 11 and Thomas Bannister - Year 9). Both teams displayed promising potential, demonstrating their ability to collaborate effectively and tackle complex programming challenges.

While the competition was fierce, Hargest’s teams showcased their resilience and determination. Despite facing a grueling 5-hour contest, they successfully navigated the challenges and secured respectable rankings. Notably, David, the lone Rust coder, displayed exceptional programming prowess placed 1st on leader board at one stage, earning admiration from his peers and mentors.

Looking ahead, Hargest remains committed to fostering a culture of excellence in computer science. The school's participation in the New Zealand Programming Contest serves as a testament to their dedication to providing students with opportunities to develop their skills and compete at the highest level.