Peter Carnley Anglican Community School

PETER CARNLEY ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL

IGNITING A SPARK

Peter Carnley Anglican Community School (PCACS) hosted more than 400 students and 80 teachers from 40 schools for the ‘It Take a Spark’ conference exploring STEM innovation. Deputy Premier and Science Minister, The Honourable Roger Cook opened the conference. Conference attendees came from as far as Busselton, Mt Barker, Northam and even the Gold Coast to attend the event.

In conjunction with the School’s annual Arts and Technologies Week, the conference featured workshops and inspiring presenters as well as hands-on displays and an expo, all focused on the possibilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Attendees were immersed in a variety of minimasterclasses from industry guests including experiences with Virtual Reality, drone design and programming, renewable energy explorations, a STEAMpunk Excursion, Intelligent Robots, Minecraft Education and the secret Science of Cryptography to name a few.

Designed to ignite and support students in co-designing and co-leading the learning in their respective schools, ‘It Takes a Spark’ was created by Dr Adrian Bertolini and Rachel Manneke-Jones. Partnered by Engineers Australia, the conference was also supported by a wide range of industry sponsors, including scholarship funding provided by the University of Western Australia and the City of Kwinana who supported six schools with 11 teachers and 89 students who may otherwise be unable to attend.

PCACS is at the forefront of STEM Innovation, recognised as one of the country’s most forward-thinking schools in The Educator’s 5-Star Innovative Schools 2022 list. Through the unique TIDES programme, students dive deep into the fundamental concepts of STEM to ensure they are future ready. The TIDES Programme stands for Technology Innovation Design Enterprise and Sustainability. The Programme emphasises interdisciplinary, crosscurricular, collaborative, and community-linked learning experiences to foster increased learner engagement, development, and autonomy.

Through TIDES, PCACS is developing a stimulating and engaging STEM culture and the conference provided an opportunity for students across a variety of schools to meet and explore the possibilities that come with STEM innovation.

Following the success of this year’s conference, PCACS will host the conference again in 2023.

“TIDES has elevated our student experience as they engage in real life problem solving activities, providing a sense of agency and hope as they tackle complex issues, such as those confronting the climate and our environment,” Principal Felicity House said.

Click here to see ‘It Takes a Spark’ video