When 11-year old Zoe Hawker from Goondiwindi first heard about the STEAM Residential Programme during the July school holidays, she was both excited and nervous to take part.
“I was excited to come to Stuartholme and meet other girls like me but was also a little nervous about what it would be like to be in a big city,” Zoe said.
“I knew it would be a great opportunity for me. I really enjoyed it!”
The three day Residential ran from Sunday 6 to Wednesday 9 July and offered approximately 50 gifted girls from around Queensland an intensive programme of learning in the STEAM areas: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths.
Zoe currently ranks in the 90th percentile of students at her school, St Mary's Goondiwindi.
“We first noticed Zoe was a gifted student when she was in kindergarten,” Zoe’s mum Bernie Hawker said.
“She was able to understand concepts and ideas well above her grade level. Zoe showed above average cognitive and perceptive abilities in class and her teachers accelerated her grade accordingly.”
STEAM is an initiative of Clearing Skies together with Stuartholme School. Clearing Skies offers a range of professional services to nurture talent development and wellbeing within the gifted population.
“What makes this Programme special is that it provides an opportunity for gifted and talented students to learn alongside those of similar abilities and interests,” Director of Clearing Skies and STEAM Residential Manager, Michele Juratowitch said.
“They are encouraged to talk about issues that are important to learning, thriving and becoming the best they can be.”
“The students who took part in the Residential were able to work one to two years above their current schooling grade.”
Students participated in STEAM workshops led by industry professionals and teaching staff.
Head of Information Technology at Stuartholme, Leigh Ferguson, led the technology workshop and showed students how technology can be used in today’s society.
“The workshop showed the students how to design and construct program code, how animated gifs operate, why and how greenscreens are used, what Makey Makey and Dot Diva are and what the future can look like with technology innovations increasing each year,” she said.
The science workshop was led by Rosanne Blundell and investigated the mysteries of DNA at a cellular level.
“We looked at how DNA can impact personality traits, disease, genetics and aging,” she said.
“The girls were able to design and construct a genetically modified organism while looking at the consequences members of the scientific community face in the future.”
The Programme runs at a cost of $350 per student which includes tuition, materials required for the workshops, accommodation in Stuartholme School’s Boarding House and all meals.
Acting Principal at Stuartholme, Andree Rice said Stuartholme recognises the importance of encouraging gifted and talented students to understand and utilise their unique abilities.
“At Stuartholme we place a high priority on peer-based learning and discovery. This Residential supports our curriculum philosophy where girls are encouraged to communicate solutions together and work effectively as teams,” Andree said.
For more information please contact Michele Juratowitch on email michele@clearingskies.com.au
