STEM State Champions!

On the 17th of August, a team of our Year 10 STEM students competed in the finals of the Young Change Agents Coronavirus Youth Design Challenge. The students did extremely well, coming second in the state!

Students were challenged to design a digital solution to address some of the challenges presented by the Coronavirus pandemic. Working with our mentors from Swinburne KIOSC, Telstra and Young Change Agents, our students were able to develop Hax and Tipz, an education social platform aimed at junior students.

Here is the team pitch!

Hax and Tipz is an app that allows a student to customise their own profile with their hobbies as well as their interests. Year 7s can chat and learn among their peers. The app includes features like notifications and events. For example, students can be notified about latest events, reminders, chats and tip and tricks to keep a healthy mental state.

Our target users are Year 7 students, teachers and parents. Because Hax and Tipz is aimed at juniors, it creates a safe space for them to interact as it's used only in schools and where some information can only be seen by teachers and not other peers.  

Momentum has begun! The Department of Education has identified that collaboration is really important in online learning. The Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership says that remote learning has to become more about building remote communities.

Our ultimate purpose is to create a place for learning and healthy social interaction for Year 7s. We want to strengthen students' mental health to a point where they feel connected and know they are not alone - students feel motivated and in control. They take care of themselves in a way where they feel mentally healthy and stay positive about what's next, no matter what!

In October, the students will be presenting their idea to the national Vantage Conference, hosted by Telstra.

I would like to congratulate Fei, Jenny, Murtaza, Zengquin and Mohsen on their fantastic achievement. 

Ffion Bowles

Art, Design and Digital Technologies Leader