Students win prestigious NSW Space Discovery Award

St Bernadette's Primary Dundas Valley students with their award.

St Bernadette's Primary Dundas Valley has won the NSW Space Discovery Program Industry Award.

The award was presented at the recent showcase event, which included 14 schools from around the state, with St Bernadette's and St Thomas Aquinas Primary Springwood representing Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD).

Judges were very impressed with the project from the St Bernadette's team, which focused on addressing problems faced by people in war torn countries. The students identified access to food supplies during times of conflict as an area of need. Inspired by freeze dried foods originally developed for space missions, the innovative young thinkers designed a drone delivery system powered by solar energy.

The NSW Space Discovery program is a space education program for NSW primary schools delivered by The Andy Thomas Space Foundation (ATSF) and technology education (EdTech) company Makers Empire, in partnership with the NSW Government.

"The level of student engagement was amazing,” said the St Bernadette’s teachers.

St Bernadette's Primary Dundas Valley sent two teams of students from Years 5 and 6 to the showcase, while St Thomas Aquinas Primary Springwood sent two teams from Years 4 and 5.

Participation in the program includes professional development for teachers, 3D design software, hardware, tools and resources from Makers Empire, a new Space Discovery Challenge Course in the Makers Empire app, and a student showcase for students to come together and share their learning.

The St Thomas Aquinas Springwood team with their final design.

“We enjoyed discovering more about space, learning about the 3D design process, and seeing the creative ideas that other schools had,” said Nele, a student at St Thomas Aquinas. “It allowed us to collaborate with other students who had similar interests, making it a rewarding learning experience," added Bede.

"It was inspiring to see how engaged the students were and how much they grew from the experience," said teachers from St Thomas Aquinas. "They learned to collaborate effectively and became more confident in sharing their ideas with professionals and peers from other schools.”

Students worked tirelessly all term and with the support of their teachers, used Makers Empire 3D design software, to bring their ideas to life.

"These programs are so beneficial," said Clare Willemse, CSPD Digital Learning Specialist Teacher. "It has been a privilege for my colleague Rachael Usher and I, supporting these wonderful schools and seeing their projects come to life. I was so proud seeing the students present their amazing designs and projects. It was a wonderful experience to see students grow in their problem solving, digital learning and stem skills to share their creativity to answer a need linked to Space."

"All the designs and research were fascinating, and even though only two groups won, we were all winners in the end,” said Alice, a student at St Thomas Aquinas Primary Springwood.