Former Olympic marathon runner Steve Moneghetti will be visiting Stuartholme School in Toowong for a training session with members of the Stuartholme cross country team, during their annual Cross-Country Launch on Sunday, the 25th of February at 4:00 p.m. in the school grounds.
Chris Gale, the head cross county coach and cross-country coordinator for the school is also the head coach of the GaleForce Running Squad. Every year, Mr Gale brings the athlete to Noosa for a running training camp. This year, Mr Moneghetti will be visiting the school for the fifth time.
Role Model and Mentor
Mr Moneghetti started his athletic career with Ballarat Harriers, where he stayed for five years before switching to Ballarat YCW. In 1981, he finished third in the Australian Junior Cross-Country Championships over 8km and in 1982, he won the title. He won his first international race in Korea and his international career started to flourish in 1986.
His last race was during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Marathon where he finished 10th. Today, he continues to race for fun in Australia.
Lily Hunter (yr 10) pictured with Steve Moneghetti about 2 years on one of his previous school to Stuartholme
This has always excited students, who always get a big buzz out of the annual mentoring. Lily Hunter, a Year 10 student said, “Steve is such a successful athlete so I am looking forward to gaining some tips from him. I am keen to find out how he controls his nerves before a race.”
After the training session, parents and students are all invited to eat with and meet Mr Moneghetti.
Year 12 Geography students of Stuartholme School in Toowong might have a solution for the traffic congestion in Brisbane.
The students have surveyed parent drivers and mapped pick up congestion hot spots around Lambert Rd. in Indooroopilly using technology. This project is part of Esri Australia’s $100 million GIS for Schools program that provides educators in the nation with free access to their ArcGIS software.
According to the students who have tried it, the results that they have accumulated from the survey have helped them interpret data from the traffic sites better. Their results also showed that traffic is worse from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., which corresponds to peak school pick-up times.
With clearer data using GIS, they were able to identify patterns and come up with several solutions such as staggered pick-up times for schools and a foot bridge over Lambert Rd. They also want to share their findings with the Brisbane City Council.
The GIS (Geographic Information System) program is designed to promote a deeper learning experience around spatial sciences by providing access to different ready-to-go projects, which have been developed to link with the curriculum of the school. It was launched early this year. Since its launch, over 240 schools all over the nation have requested for a free ArcGIS Online Account. This technology is being used for learning Science, Mathematics, History, Geography, and more.
