Amazing Fiji Tour!

Avondale Band and choir flew to Fiji and made music in a number of unique places. The group was overwhelmed with the generosity and welcome of the local people.

The feature concert of the tour packed the Suva Civic Centre and raised funds for the local Adventist schools. Eight performances, sightseeing, fire walking, swimming in warm water in the middle of winter and coping with a shock fire that burnt out a cabin were just some of the amazing experiences in Fiji. It was also a very real experience with the real needs of schools and communities experienced by our students

Solar Hot Water Systems 

 
Last Wednesday, Avondale Schools Year 10 students made a practical effort towards combating one of today’s most pressing environmental crises. Their individually designed Solar Hot Water Systems were put to the test under cloudy conditions that presenting an additional challenge to the task of heating water with energy from the sun. The home-made projects were the applied aspect of an Assessment that invited students to be conscious of diminishing fossil fuel stores and pollution and to learn about the physics of energy.
 
Despite the cool 23 degrees and the occasional drizzle of rain, many of the projects were measured to raise the water temperature by several degrees. One outstanding display of innovation belonged to Brenton Di Cesare who had built a system resembling a satellite dish with a two metre diameter. However it was Lauren Farquharson whose Solar Heating System topped the class with a temperature rise of nine degrees.
 
The designs ranged from polystyrene boxes with inlaid bags to thermo siphoning systems and pressure release valves. Making use of insulation and the reflection and absorption of light was a large part of the educative experience. Aluminum foil was a popular technique used by students to reflect light towards their water storage sections. Long, coiled pipes also served to increase the surface and contact that the water made with sunlight. The significance of science and design in allowing for the future use of renewable energy became evident to the students throughout their efforts.
 
The hands-on approach made for a fun day that actively sealed the theoretical expansion of each scientific mind. To be aware of renewable resources and their scientific qualities is the first step taken by Avondale towards facilitating social change and promoting environmental care.
 
Susan Rogers