Critical Inquiry

Banyule Nillumbik Tech School  - Student Ambassador Program 

The Student Ambassador Program brings together students from across our region to learn, lead, and create change. Over five sessions at Banyule Nillumbik Tech School, our students will: 

• Build creative solutions to real-world problems 

• Collaborate with students from other schools 

• Grow your confidence, communication, and leadership skills 

   

Meet our student ambassadors 

Damon, Alex, Annabel and Ella from Year 8 were selected because we believe in their potential to step up, speak out, and help shape the future. Voice, Leadership and Teamwork. Our select group of students were chosen to represent our school in this region-wide leadership experience.  

Our Student Ambassadors will represent our school with pride, grow their leadership skills, work with students from across the region and make a real impact through creative problem-solving 

Values and Expectations 

Here’s what we expect from all Student Ambassadors: Be Curious – Ask questions. Try something new. Be Respectful – Listen actively. Celebrate difference. Be Brave – Take risks. Share your ideas. Be a Team Player – Support your group. Communicate clearly. Be Reflective – Learn from your mistakes. Grow forward. 

Across five dynamic sessions, our students explore innovation, solve real-world challenges, and grow confidence as a leader.  

Session 1: Design Thinking Skills 

“I enjoyed doing this program as it was a very interesting experience and allowed me to meet people outside of our school who had had similar interests to myself. I'm grateful to have been asked to do it and I look forward to the next sessions!”  

Ella (Year 8, Pakana House)

“The program was a great opportunity to do something out of school with a different group of people, the experience was very engaging. We learnt more about the steam processes and managed to use our ideas to create. I am very glad to have been chosen for this and am excited for the sessions ahead!”  

Annabel (Year 8, Toner House)

 “Firstly, we got a debrief of what we will be doing for the next 5 sessions, got a tour of the facility and got teamed up with a random student from another school. We had to brainstorm the answer to somebody else's problem. My partner needed to remove verbal annoyance from his brother. To quiet him down, I invented a shock collar to send electrical pulses through the child to discourage him from speaking to him. We advanced our ideas by making 4 different variants and choosing the best design. We then created our prototypes from cardboard and tape. By the end of the day, we both showed our designs to each other at the end. (He made a teleportation hub for me.)” 

Alex (Year 8, Pakana House)

“The program went great; I'm looking forward to next week.  First, we were introduced to the team, what they did at the school, and told us what we were going to do for the next 5 sessions. They then split us up into 2 groups and took us around on a tour of the facility. Following that, we teamed up with someone from another school and found a product to make for the other person. My partner's problem was that his phone battery kept running out, so I decided to brainstorm ideas for this. Everybody narrowed their idea down to 1 and started to design it a bit more detailed. Then we started to design and build prototypes for this. Our partner gave us feedback on how we did, and we reviewed what we did through the day.” 

Damon (Year 8, Toner House) 

EHS STEAM Philosophy 

STEAM at Eltham High School is both a way of thinking and doing where: 

Teachers inspire, shepherd, and foster the ‘big picture thinking’ skills that enable students to engage with concepts and problems from their own perspective as well as other points of view.

Students show curiosity and creativity in their approach; thinking critically about the issues presented to them, and providing evidence-based responses to posed questions as well as seeking evidence-based responses from others. With a growth mindset and trust in the problem-solving process, students are open hearing different perspectives and reasoning allowing them to try new solutions, processes, and approaches to their issues and work. These studentsre resilient and persevere knowing that if they do fail it is always forward. 

We're excited to share that in 2026, STEAM will be running across Years 8, 9, and 10, expanding opportunities for even more students to explore innovation and creativity. 

DONNA AYRES, Critical Inquiry Leader