05 May 2021
Last term, Amaroo School invited students and their families to an activity filled, all-ages STEM education night – an exciting event that the community looks forward to each year.
The night featured hands-on activities such as race cars powered by a C02 canister, miniature catapults, and a mock forensics lab.
There was also a presentation on the forces of gravity from the ANU, a functional student-built robotic arm, a 3D printer in action and to finish off the night, a science presentation by Fizzics.
Amaroo School’s STEM Night provides a fantastic leadership opportunity for older students, who organise all the activities and operate the stalls. It also allows them to showcase their learning for the school community.
Hospitality students pitched in by hosting a sausage sizzle and making coffees for the guests, and photography students were on hand to record the excitement.
Jatinder is head of STEM education at Amaroo School, and works alongside the Digital Technologies team to deliver the STEM Night and other major projects each year to engage, inspire and educate in all things STEM. The team is comprised of 12 teachers and 32 students from years 7-12.
Jatinder hopes that inviting parents to get involved in science and STEM education will help them better understand the STEM pathways for their children.
“We’ve received lots of positive feedback from parents. They loved all the hands-on activities – they’ve all said that next year they need more time to make sure they can visit every station!” Jatinder said.
This year’s theme was ‘Women in STEM’ and the event was supported with an ACT Government Girls in STEM grant.
Jatinder has noticed some students are hesitant to try STEM subjects, as they might appear to be difficult or intimidating - but once they start learning, they realise how fun and relevant STEM can really be.
“We aim to educate students for the 21st century skills. Every profession everywhere needs STEM skills,” Jatinder said.
Jatinder and the Digital Technologies team will continue their work to promote the benefits of STEM classes to all students as an interesting, rewarding and relevant way to build skills for the future.