SIXTEEN students from across Queensland have come together to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing Zenadth Kes (also known as the Torres Strait Islands), and they’re doing it through a groundbreaking City-Country STEM partnership.
These challenges range from environmental to health and community infrastructure issues, which students from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School, Waiben (Thursday Island), and St Finbarr’s School, Ashgrove are addressing using First Nations knowledges and Western scientific perspectives.
The two schools have joined forces to present their student-designed inventions to Australian of the Year and proud Mabuigilaig and Goemulgal woman Dr Katrina Wruck in an exclusive showcase on Tuesday, 16 September, ahead of Brisbane Catholic Education’s STEM MAD (Make a Difference) competition (Wednesday, 17 September).
From floating filtration systems that mimic the cleansing properties of mangroves to sustainable transport solutions, these future thinkers are proving age is no barrier to innovation.
City-Country STEM partnership
St Finbarr’s School Principal Catherine Connors said students from both schools have been meeting each week via Teams to discuss ways they can respond to the challenges facing Zenadth Kes with empathy and innovation.
“Our students have formed four teams ahead of STEM MAD, exploring solutions to problems such as ghost nets, plastic pollution, rising sea levels, and food shortages, issues deeply affecting the communities in Zenadth Kes,” she said.
“Their ideas are thoughtful, creative and grounded in real needs.”
Dr Katrina Wruck a QUT researcher said, “sometimes brilliance just needs the right environment”.
Beyond STEM
Catherine said for her students, the benefits of the partnership with Sacred Heart School, Waiben have been vast.
“Drawing on the wisdom of Uncle Gabriel Bani and other Elders, they’re learning how science and traditional knowledge can work hand in hand,” she said.
“It’s opened their eyes to new ways of thinking, problem-solving, and connecting with communities beyond their own.
“We’ve found our students are listening more deeply, asking thoughtful questions, and using what they learn to shape solutions that respect culture, community, and Country.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Cairns Diocese) Principal David Graham said, “Beyond STEM, this project is building strong connections between city and country students.
“We are seeing the students growing in confidence, building friendships, and discovering how powerful their voices can be when they come together for a shared purpose.
“It’s been inspirational to see how excited our students from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart are about their projects.
“They have recognised the depth of their own knowledge as the cultural experts in their STEM MAD teams and have had the opportunity to share this with their peers in Brisbane.
“Our school may be one of the most remote in Queensland, but we’re providing world-class opportunities for our students to innovate, to lead and to design ways they can make a difference.”
BCE Senior Education Advisor, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education, and BCE Officer Lead for this project, Georgina Kadel said the City Country Partnership demonstrates how a place-based STEM inquiry uses Zenadth Kes scientific knowledges to engage students from diverse backgrounds in locally relevant and culturally meaningful learning.
“The way in which the students have engaged in respectful relationships and collaborative knowledge sharing, guided by Zenadth Kes Elders and community, for me, has been the most rewarding part of this project,” she said.
“This project has great transferability to BCE schools, as a best practice model in working in partnership, underpinned by First Nations knowledges and engagement.”
BCE Senior Manager Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Dr Mayrah Dreise said “it creates an opportunity for collaboration and action where Indigenous voice is central to the project and where First Nations contexts are embedded in the planning, implementation and evaluation processes”.
The partnership, which St Thomas More College, Sunnybank is also an important part of, is supported by the Yadha Muru Foundation and aligns with the Mpartnwe (Alice Springs) Education Declaration, which envisions a world-class education system that supports every student, regardless of their location or learning challenges.
For more information about St Finbarr’s School, Ashgrove or to enrol click here.
For more information about Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Waiben or to enrol click here.
The term Zenadth Kes, previously known as the Torres Strait, is now commonly used to reclaim and celebrate the Torres Strait Islander culture and identity.
About BCE’s STEM MAD Competition
The STEM MAD Showcase is a celebration of student learning designed to acknowledge and promote STEM learning initiatives that address ‘real-world’ problems and demonstrate the values of Catholic Schools; encouraging students to ‘Make A Difference’ (MAD) in the world by acting for justice and the common good.
The STEM MAD Showcase saw BCE students compete for the top prizes – Primary, Secondary, Future is STEM, People’s Choice, and the Executive Director Award.