Catholic school students shine with winning STEM projects

News, St Joseph’s School, Star of the Sea Primary School, STEM

As Term 3 came to a close, students from St Joseph’s School in Waroona and Star of the Sea Primary School in Rockingham have shone as part of a student showcase for The Andy Thomas Space Foundation’s Kids in Space program.

Twenty students from St Joseph’s School, comprising four different teams, and sixteen Year 5 students, compromising three teams, from Star of the Sea Primary School participated on the day.

They utilised 3D design to show their solutions for issues such as ocean pollution, global hunger, and more.

St Joseph’s School’s Team 2 took home the WA Industry Award for their project addressing the issue of world hunger and food security. The Team designed a device that uses satellite technologies to calculate and manage sprinkler and fertiliser usage for plants in an effort to minimise wastage of food and water.

Star of the Sea Primary School’s Team 3 won the Peer Prize for their project ‘Octocleaner’, a robot that identifies, collects and stores rubbish ready for recycling, using LiDAR remote sensing technologies.

St Joseph’s School Principal, Ronan Kelly said:

“At St Joseph’s School Waroona, we believe a strong grounding in STEM equips our students with the skills they will need to thrive in an ever-changing world. STEM fosters curiosity, creativity, problem-solving and resilience, helping children to not only understand the world around them but also to become innovators and critical thinkers. These skills are essential, not just for future careers, but for empowering our students to approach challenges with confidence and creativity in all areas of life.

“Our school is proud to offer STEM as a specialist subject, ensuring that every student engages in hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences throughout the year.

“One of the most distinctive aspects of our STEM focus is our annual STEMathon – a large-scale National Science Week event that this year united seven local schools and over 500 students in a day of immersive, interactive STEM learning. From aviation flight simulators and VR experiences to maths challenges, robotics, space science and engineering showcases, the STEMathon brings real-world STEM experiences to our students and highlights our school’s commitment to making STEM engaging, exciting and accessible for all.”

Mauricio Da Silva, Principal at Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School said:

“It is crucial for our students to have a solid foundation in STEM, as it fosters an integrated approach to learning that shapes both personal and academic development. STEM learning instils creative and critical thinking, collaboration and effective communication, resilience and adaptability, equipping students to handle setbacks and view challenges as learning opportunities.

“At Star of the Sea, we are committed to integrating technology across all areas of the curriculum. We have a dedicated Digital Technologies specialist teacher who collaborates closely with year level teachers to facilitate STEM based projects, ensuring that technology is deeply embedded in our educational practices.

“The recent introduction of a 3D printer has significantly increased student engagement and motivation. Incorporating 3D printing into our STEM projects, provides students with hands on opportunities to design and create physical objects, enriching their learning experiences and real-world applications.

“Each of our three groups presented their responses to the design thinking challenge with confidence. We are particularly proud that one group of five students won the ‘People’s Choice’ award for their innovative creation, the Octo-cleaner.”

Check out Star of the Sea’s video to find out more about their projects and experience on the day.