Caledonian Primary School’s Energy Breakthrough team have been on an emotional rollercoaster this week after callous thieves stole their two race carts just days before they were due to compete.
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Team members went to their shed after school on Tuesday to get the $6000 human-powered race carts out for a training session, only to find the shed empty with thieves believed to have broken in over the long weekend.
“They were devastated, shattered, shocked … followed by a lot of questions why would someone do that,” said principal Brea Terris.
The team of 10 grade five and six pupils have been training for the Energy Breakthrough event in Maryborough since the start of the year.
But less than 24 hours later they were back in business thanks to the generosity of fellow schools, competitors, businesses and the Energy Breakthrough community.
Within hours of posting about the theft on Facebook, the school was inundated with offers of training carts, new carts, materials and other support from across the state.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by schools from all over Melbourne, bike companies and my mobile hasn’t stopped ringing,” Ms Terris said.
The school decided to take up an offer to buy a new cart which will allow the team to compete, but put them at a disadvantage in other elements of the competition where teams have to answer questions about the cart, its constructions and materials.
“The disadvantage is that even though they will be able to race something next week, they won’t be as familiar with it and they have to answer questions about the cart and construction materials which is worth 25 per cent of their marks,” said staff member Sacha Guirietto.
“It will have to be a built cart so the kids won’t have had that whole experience. They knew the old ones inside and out.”
Team members will race around the Maryborough street circuit for 15 hours during the breakthrough event.
One school parent will drive to Melbourne on Thursday to pick up the new cart. In the meantime, to keep the pupils’ training program on track, Canadian Lead Primary School has lent their training trike to the school.
“We decided as a school, we have been fortunate to purchase a new cart but financially that was a big decision to make because it was not budgeted for, which impacts on school resources. But a great company has come forward and offered a cart that is ready … we would not have the time to build a cart,” Ms Terris said.
The stolen carts were the “skeleton” of the pedal-powered vehicles with the final shell, sponsor and supporter logos and race safety features due to be put on this week.
Nothing else was taken in the theft, leaving school staff believing it was a targeted break-in.
“They are quite specialist and built for 12 and 13 year old children so a normal adult wouldn’t fit in them,” Ms Guirietto said.
The Energy Breakthrough is an important part of Caledonian Primary School’s curriculum and the opportunity to become a team member is hotly contested each year.
“We’ve got kids in grade one and two who aspire to be on the team when they are older,” said EB coordinator Prue Morrison.
“Our science program, school garden program, sustainability program, robotics all build up to the Energy Breakthrough. The EB team is about community involvement, working as a team which we really build as part of our school values, learning about environmental impacts and link in to our science projects.”
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