HSIE Faculty News
This year, we had 25 students, across Years 7-10, sign up to the Minecraft Build Challenge run by the Australian E-Sports League (AEL). The AEL runs national and international competitions to do with E-Sports, and they do so across various platforms. They run competitions from primary school all the way into adulthood and offer so many different competitions through schools and independently.
This year, the AEL presented different themes for Years 7-9 and 10-12, with which students were to build to demonstrate their understanding as well as create a PowerPoint video to showcase academic understanding. St Joseph’s students were competing against schools who did this as part of their learning units in classes, schools in city centres with a lot more resources put towards them and we had some truly OUTSTANDING results!!
Years 7-9
In the Years 7-9 age group we had four teams. Each of those four teams received 80% or higher!
We had one of our Year 8 teams – the Block Builders Union - receive an honourable mention as I announced last term. However, what I am very very proud to announce is that this team consisting of Justus, JB, Jake and Nicholas achieved an incredible 35/35 score from the judges.
The group received glowing feedback – “The students delivered an outstanding project focused on the International Space Station, capturing the marvels of modern space technology with impressive scale and detail. The build was ambitious and well-executed, reflecting a strong understanding of the International Space Station’s structure and purpose. It was fantastic to see such a large and complex design come together so clearly and thoughtfully within Minecraft. The presentation was a highlight, showcasing the depth of research and the reasoning behind each design decision. The students demonstrated not only creativity and technical skill but also a genuine interest in space exploration. This was an excellent example of how detailed research and imaginative building can come together to produce a truly memorable project. A job very well done!”
Congratulations boys excellent work!
Year 10
This year, we had one Year 10 team and they worked hard to deliver! The Keyboard Warriors team; Alyssa E, Lachlan C, Kaori S and Tyler M received an honourable mention achieving a 34 out of 35 result!
The impressed judges wrote - “This project delivers a highly detailed and engaging representation of a career in Military Services, thoughtfully covering the Navy, Army, and Air Force across a series of interconnected island builds. The students have effectively used Minecraft’s advanced features, including command blocks to simulate a plane in flight, and armour stands to depict personnel in action. Key features such as a helipad with a helicopter, a tank unit, a government building, a submarine, a naval ship, and an airfield complete with a fighter jet and hangars show a strong grasp of both structure and spatial design. The accompanying video presentation is polished and informative, featuring animations and real-world photo references that directly link to in-game elements. The students demonstrate a clear understanding of the theme and learning outcomes, tying everything back to the broader concept of futurism within the military context. The result is a cohesive and imaginative submission that blends creativity, technical skill, and real-world relevance into a compelling exploration of the future of Military Services. An excellent effort all around.”
Congratulations team!!
This is how you can bring knowledge and your different skills and talents to success in a team environment and I encourage you all to consider the ways in which you could contribute to a team next year.
A sincere thank you to Mrs Rolfe for not only supporting us in bringing the league to our school, but subsidising it to allow us to showcase the talents of our students.
Thank you to all participants for taking this on in addition to your learning and your assessments. Your incredible results truly show the talent you have.
Mrs Rensburg
HSIE Teacher
