General News
20 October, 2023
Camperdown College girls embrace STEM
FOUR students from Camperdown College’s primary campus have taken part in the Girls as Leaders in STEM (GALS) program, learning various skills and putting together a special project for the school.
FOUR students from Camperdown College’s primary campus have taken part in the Girls as Leaders in STEM (GALS) program, learning various skills and putting together a special project for the school.
The Deakin School of Education program is committed to fostering young girls’ interest in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and equipping them with the skills they need for the jobs of the future.
STEM teacher Lauren Murphy said an email was sent last year, but the school was unable to participate.
“When the information came out this year, we were very happy to jump on the opportunity and were very happy to be accepted into the program,” she said.
In July, students Isla Spokes, Sophie Wilson, Abey McLachlan and Emily Wood travelled to Deakin University in Warrnambool to participate in the program.
It was at this session, which involved an explanation of the program and a discussion on pollution in Australia, that they set off on their project.
With the theme of an ‘Inclusive Environment’, the students have been working on building a sensory garden for their school.
Ms Murphy said the students aimed to build a garden that all students can fell calm and included in during outside play times.
“Disabilities impact so many students in our school community and we are wanting to make all students in school feel included in our school yard,” she said.
“At the moment our school yard does not cover students with different needs.
“We are wanting to explore this problem so that we can make a garden where kids can unwind and relax.
“A place where students can feel safe, included and calm in the school yard, so we are going to create a sensory garden for all students no matter their age, ability or personality to enjoy.”
The GALS have been collecting silver lined chip packets to bake so that they can sell them to raise money for their new sensory garden. The GALS team have been selling chip packet keyrings for $1 from the end of August and will continue doing so until further notice.
Over the course of three weeks, they have gathered a large amount of chip packets which are now being sold as keyrings.
The program concluded with a presentation night in September, but works are still underway to complete the garden.
The students said they were able to develop their leadership skills, their connection to the wider community, and their confidence through the program.
“It was a great experience and we all enjoyed being a part of it and representing our school,” they said.
“We were very grateful to be a part of an amazing program.
“Being part of the program has improved our leadership skills and it was a very enjoyable experience that we would be a part of again.
“We really enjoyed being a part of the team and being able to work with girls from different schools around our area.”
Works will continue on the sensory garden during term four.