摘要：The journey began on March 22, 2025, when our team of four high school students from Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School gathered

The journey began on March 22, 2025, when our team of four high school students from Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School gathered for our first virtual meeting held by the University of Queensland, Australia. Little did we know then that this would mark the start of an unforgettable adventure - one that would take us from complete beginners in business to second place winners at an international innovation competition.

故事始于3月22日，我们是来自石家庄外国语学校的高中生张榭予、潘秋含、左益宁和杜秋实，在2025年昆士兰大学QLabs北亚创业挑战赛活动第一次线上会议中聚首。那时我们未曾想到，这段经历会成为一场难忘的经历——让我们从商业领域的懵懂新人，蜕变为国际创新大赛第二名得主。

The Learning Curve 学习曲线

Every Saturday morning became sacred time as we logged into training sessions from Sherry's room. Those early days were humbling. Business terms like "value proposition" and "mvp" might as well have been foreign languages. But week by week, through heated debates and collaborative problem-solving, the fog began to lift. We learned to conduct market research by interviewing dozens of plant owners in our community, discovering their universal struggle: loving plants but lacking time to care for them properly.

每个周六早晨，我们都会在张榭予家准时参加线上培训课程，这段时光变得格外珍贵。最初的日子充满挑战，“价值主张”“最小可行产品（MVP）” 等商业术语对我们来说宛如天书。但每周，通过激烈的讨论和协作解决问题，迷雾逐渐散去。我们学会了通过采访社区里数十位植物爱好者来开展市场调研，进而发现了他们共同的困扰：热爱植物却无暇妥善照料。

Then we came up with the idea of an intelligent watering rotating device. Early prototypes were comically crude: plastic bottles connected to salvaged aquarium pumps, controlled by repurposed Arduino boards. But each iteration brought improvements, fueled by user feedback from our classmates and teachers who tested our creations.

随后，我们萌生了设计智能旋转浇水器的想法。早期的原型简陋得有些滑稽：用塑料瓶连接从水族箱回收利用的水泵，再通过改装的 Arduino 开发板控制。但在同学和老师试用后给出的反馈中，每一次迭代都让产品更臻完善。

The Competition Grind备赛时光

As submission deadlines loomed, our lives became a whirlwind of activity. During the day, we had to stick to daily classroom learning; weeknights were spent refining our business plan; weekends were fully occupied by product testing. I will never forget that marathon night when we redesigned the presentation slides fifteen times and argued late into the night over every word and image. Director Jia Zhifeng's company and guidance gave us great help. Not until we realized that a speech requires not only facts but also emotions did the breakthrough come.

随着提交截止日期的临近，我们的生活变得忙得不可开交。白天坚守每天课堂的学习，晚自习的时间，我们聚到一起完善商业计划；周末则全被产品测试占据。我永远不会忘记那个马拉松式的夜晚，我们重新设计演示幻灯片达十五次，为每个字词和图像争论到深夜。贾志锋主任的陪伴和指导给予我们巨大的帮助。直到我们意识到，演讲需要的不仅是事实，更要有情感，这才迎来了突破。

Competition Day比赛当天

Entering the virtual judging room, our hands trembled with nervous excitement. All those months of preparation came down to this 5-minute presentation. When we demonstrated how our product could save water while keeping plants healthy, we saw judges nodding in approval. Their questions were tough but fair, and thanks to our countless mock Q&A sessions, we responded with confidence.

走进虚拟评审室时，我们的双手因紧张和兴奋而颤抖。数月的准备都浓缩在这5分钟的展示中。当我们演示产品如何在节水的同时让植物健康生长时，我们看到评委们纷纷点头认可。他们的问题犀利却公正，多亏了无数次的模拟问答训练，我们自信地一一作答。

The Sweet Taste of Rank收获名次的甜蜜

Hearing our school announced as second place winners brought indescribable joy. The judges particularly praised our practical approach to solving a genuine problem, and our clear understanding of real users' needs. While the winning team had more polished manufacturing specs, we took pride in having created something truly accessible - a system that could help ordinary plant lovers without requiring technical expertise.

听到我们学校被宣布为第二名时，喜悦难以言表。评委特别称赞了我们解决实际问题的务实方法，以及对真实用户需求的深刻理解。尽管冠军团队的产品制造规格更为完善，但我们为自己创造了真正易于使用的产品而自豪 —— 这是一套无需专业技术知识，就能帮助普通植物爱好者的系统。

Lessons Beyond the Trophy获奖之外的启示

More valuable than the rank were the skills we gained: how to transform an observation into a solution, how to present ideas compellingly, and most importantly, how to work as a team through challenges. As we prepare to launch our product in local flower shops this summer, we carry forward not just a product, but the belief that young innovators can make a real difference. This journey taught us that great ideas don't require fancy technology - just careful observation, persistent effort, and genuine desire to improve people's lives.

比名次更宝贵的是我们收获的技能：如何将观察转化为解决方案，如何有说服力地展示创意，更重要的是，如何在挑战中开展团队协作。今年夏天，我们准备在当地花店推出这款产品。我们带走的不仅是一个产品，更是一种信念：年轻的创新者能够真正改变世界。这段旅程让我们明白，伟大的创意无需华丽的技术加持 —— 只需要细致的观察、不懈的努力，以及改善人们生活的真诚愿望。

Acknowledgments 致谢

We extend our sincere gratitude to the teachers from the High School Department—Hou Mansheng, Jia Zhifeng, Zhang Yan, Sheng Yue, and Li Li—for their strong support and language guidance. Special thanks go to Ge Lingzhang from the Public Resources Department for his selfless help and direction in general technology. We are also deeply grateful to Mr. Jacqueline Niblett for his patient instruction and answers to our questions. We appreciate the opportunity provided by the University of Queensland to broaden our horizons, collaborate, and embrace new challenges. Through participating in the competition, we have gained a profound understanding of the true meaning of each word in the twelve-word cultivation goal of Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School: Patriotism, Sociability, Cooperation, Civility, Health, and Creativity, especially the spirit of creativity. We will carry forward the spirit of SFLS and that of the competition, and continue to strive for a better world in our future endeavors at Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School and beyond.

感谢高中部侯满生、贾志锋、张燕、生玥、李莉老师的大力支持和语言辅导，尤其感谢公共资源部通用技术葛令章老师的无私帮助和指导。 感谢在这次大赛过程中一直给予我们耐心指导和答疑的Jacqueline Niblett老师，感谢昆士兰大学组织主办方给我们一个拓展认知、合作学习和挑战新领域的机会。通过参赛，我们深刻地理解了石家庄外国语学校的十二字培养目标“爱国、交际、协作、文明、健康、创新”中每个词的真正含义，尤其是创新精神。我们会锚定石外培养目标，秉承赛事精神，在石家庄外国语学校和未来更广阔的天地中为世界更美好做出自己的努力和贡献。

背景链接

Background

QLabs 2025北亚创业挑战赛是由澳大利亚昆士兰大学主办的一场线上创业竞赛，面向北亚地区十一年级的学生。活动时间为2025年3月至5月，参赛学生需组成4人团队。在竞赛过程中，学生们将参加互动式大师班课程，学习可持续性和创新领域的前沿知识，并通过真实世界的问题解决挑战来展示他们的创意和解决方案。这些挑战将由专家评审团进行评估。此次挑战赛不仅为学生们提供了一个展示创新思维和创业能力的平台，还让他们有机会与其他顶尖学校的学生交流合作，获取宝贵的实践经验。昆士兰大学作为主办方，凭借其在澳大利亚排名第一的学术地位（2023年和2024年《澳大利亚金融评论》最佳大学排名）、全球第40位的排名（2025年QS世界大学排名）以及在研究领域的卓越表现（2024年自然指数排行榜澳大利亚第一），为参赛者提供了高质量的学习资源和指导。

来源：石家庄外国语教育集团