Some Super Computer Students

Illawarra Mercury

Tuesday August 5, 2008

A group of tech-savvy Smith's Hill High School students have proved they have the world at their fingertips after some impressive results in the 2008 University of NSW computing competition.

Senior high school students Jordan Trudgett, Alex Cetinski and Adam Humphries placed fourth in the highly competitive open category of the Australia-wide UNSWCompProg programming competition.

In an impressive show of programming skill, their younger compatriots, Hugh Powell, Riley Boughton and Rhys Powell, took home top honours in the junior section, beating 12 other schools in their first ever competition.

The senior team will go on to contest the grand final at UNSW in September. They will compete for a share in prizes worth more than $10,000.

The competition was held online simultaneously around the country in June.

Each team was given a series of programming challenges to solve in a two-hour time frame.

Despite a few technical glitches along the way, the Smith's Hill teams managed to bring home the goods.

Computing teacher David Schmelitschek said all the students demonstrated great talent in problem solving and programming.

Funds for finance

Applications are now open for Illawarra secondary schools to apply for a Commonwealth Bank Foundation financial literacy grant of $3500.

The grants are designed to help secondary schools fund initiatives that will develop the financial literacy and money-management skills of students.

Each year, the program awards 100 grants of $3500 to secondary schools across the Catholic, government and independent sectors.

Applications are open until Wednesday, September 17, 2008.

For more information and entry details, check out www.commbank.com.au/ financialliteracygrants.

State of innovation

Nominations for the Caltex and Rotary Club of Sydney Awards for Innovation in Teaching are now open.

In their ninth year, the awards recognise the work of pioneering NSW teachers.

Primary and secondary school teachers across the state are invited to submit entries for the annual award program that seeks to acknowledge the work of remarkable educators.

Three winners will be chosen and rewarded with an educational trip abroad, valued at up to $7000 each.

The purpose of the trip is to give teachers the opportunity to both share and learn more about their area of academic innovation in an international environment.

Winners are selected according to the contribution their innovative programs make to students, teachers or practices in their schools, which may relate to any area of teaching.

Entries for the 2008 Caltex and Rotary Club of Sydney Awards for Innovation in Teaching must be received by close of business September 1, 2008.

More details about the Caltex and Rotary Club awards as well as entry forms are available from the website www.caltex.com.au/ community-spo-teach.asp or by calling (02) 9488 3200.

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

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