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How would you design the space village of the future – one that’s sustainable and ready to support life beyond Earth? That’s the challenge fuelling our students’ imaginations under this year’s STEAM theme: “Teamwork in Space”.
Our annual STEAM programme at Collège Champittet aims to spark curiosity, foster creativity and develop collaboration through interdisciplinary learning. Powered by our collaboration with MIT, our STEAM curriculum helps students sharpen their skills and knowledge in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Our students work together in teams to develop projects that apply their learning to the real world – or, in this case, outer space!
In December, we kicked off our STEAM Fair preparations with an engaging conference led by Dr Eleonore Cassandra Poli, an analogue astronaut and a proud Champittet alumna. Eleonore shared her professional journey with our students, discussing the importance of teamwork and perseverance, as well as the connection between science and everyday life. She also reminded our students of the importance of having confidence: “Even if I am going to fail, I am going to try. The biggest challenge I faced was to believe in myself.”
Eleonore’s visit set the stage for imagining how STEAM skills can help us reach new frontiers. As one of our Grade 10 students said, “Seeing someone who was here in Champittet and now has such an amazing career is inspiring – it makes everything feel real.”
Our students in Grades 9 and 10 have already begun tackling hands-on challenges as part of their preparations for our school’s upcoming STEAM Fair. They flexed their outside-the-box thinking skills in February by collaborating on two tasks: building a pentagon out of only straws, and testing materials to determine which one offers the best thermal insulation.
This experience of taking an idea from concept to completion was just the beginning! Next, our learners will embark on ambitious projects for our STEAM Fair, brainstorming solutions for two competitions. In the Interclass Competition, our students will design adaptive space stations built to survive extreme environments, like Mars, the desert, or underwater. In the Inter-team Competition, each team will engineer a critical module to power the station’s functioning. Our young scientists will present their work at the STEAM Fair in April – and we can’t wait to see it!
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Our STEAM programme is keeping our primary students busy learning and exploring as well, most recently in the field of microbiology! On 26 February, we welcomed Ms Nathalie Maury, Head of the Microbiology and Swimming Pool Sector at SCAV (Consumer and Veterinary Affairs Service of Geneva), to our Champittet campus.
Nathalie led workshops for six classes on the science of viruses and bacteria. This eye-opening experience introduced our young learners to important concepts that will certainly come in handy for our STEAM adventures ahead!
We are also delighted that a group of our students will be representing Collège Champittet at the Nord Anglia Education STEAM Festival in Ireland. Held from May 21st to 24th at Nord Anglia International School Dublin, this international event promises to be a stimulating experience for students and educators alike. The festival programme blends Ireland’s rich cultural traditions with cutting-edge science and innovation as part of its theme: “Sparks of Ireland – Igniting Curiosity Through STEAM”.
Some of the highlights among the many workshops and immersive experiences will include visits to Microsoft Dublin’s Dream Space and the interactive Explorium – National Sport & Science Centre. Mrs Jenifer Allaz and Mrs Alice Keeling from Collège Champittet will be accompanying our students on this trip.
Many thanks to all our teachers for motivating and supporting our students in their STEAM adventures!