Innovation Day at STS
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
By: Alanna Wellwood, Director of Learning Innovation
Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School hosted its first Innovation Fair on Saturday, March 12, 2022. This day brought together some of our STS Summer Camp program partners including Coded Minds, Fuse33/Make Fashion EDU, 3DPHC, Ten Peaks, Green Prints YYC, and Film Camp in a Box, just to name a few, and our curricular partners including 3DPHC and Harvard Innovation Labs; and, our students in Grades 7-12 Design Technology showcasing their projects and start-up ideas. Working with Craig Elias, Entrepreneur in Residence at Bow Valley College, Sales Expert, and Pitch Coach, we launched our first-ever start-up competition where Grade 12 students pitched their start-up ideas.
Roughly 200 people were in attendance to support, celebrate, and learn more about our Design, Technology, and Innovation programming which is truly second to none. Guests were struck by the degree of expertise of our students with design thinking, the design cycle and technological skills; the breadth and depth of the program, and the degree to which we involve and leverage industry partners in our projects. It was an honour for the Design Technology Innovation team consisting of Mark Race, Mark Schweitzer, Brianna Dawe, Chris Simon, and myself to showcase the program as there has been considerable investment in time, professional development and resources over the past three years to bring it to its current scale.
Perhaps the most moving comment from the day was from a prospective parent who noted, “It is heartwarming to see students engaged in positive action regarding problems rather than dwelling in the problems themselves. I haven’t felt this hopeful about what education can do for a long time.”
“IT IS HEARTWARMING TO SEE STUDENTS ENGAGED IN POSITIVE ACTION REGARDING PROBLEMS RATHER THAN DWELLING IN THE PROBLEMS THEMSELVES. I HAVEN’T FELT THIS HOPEFUL ABOUT WHAT EDUCATION CAN DO FOR A LONG TIME.”
It seems that at STS, an antidote for the languishing state of the past two years is making even more space for young people to contribute to the solutions troubling us all. They may be young, but they are mighty.