For the local Year 9 and 10 students who attended a problem solving workshop this week – it wasn’t just about finding solutions to real world problems.

According to workshop organiser Karen Ramsay, from the Rivers Academy of STEM Excellence (RASE) – it’s all about creating a resilient generation of problem solvers, who are changing things little by little.

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The RASE schools program has recently been recognised for its amazing results – and has won the NSW Government Secretary’s Award for an Outstanding School Initiative.

Karen said the program has been running in 12 local schools since 2020 and works with students and teachers in Kindergarten to Year 12. 

Participating schools include Kadina, Richmond River, Albert Park, Bexhill, Dunoon, Goonellabah, Lismore Heights, Lismore South and Wilson Park.

Dunoon Public School students at a STEM Design Thinking Process workshop.

“The Rivers Academy of STEM excellence focusses on using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) design thinking practices across the curriculum – in literacy and creative arts too,” Karen said.

“It’s not a new way of thinking - businesses use it too.

“We get our kids to think creatively and critically, rather than work out of textbooks.

“We are getting them ready to face the world.

“Today at a workshop, we have Lismore High School and three campuses of kids at a STEM process workshop.

“We have Year 10 girls working on a problem about how to engage more year 10 girls in choosing STEM subjects.

“This is their third day working on the problem and they brainstorm and identify why it’s a problem and what’s caused it. Then they work on their solution.

“The idea is we keep things as authentic as possible, with real world problems - and they come up with amazing ideas.

“The Year 9 boys chose any problem they wanted - and they chose to look at how there’s not much mental health help available here for young people Their solution is a mental health app.”

Karen said the STEM thinking process they learn now are processes that will stay with the students as they move on from school.

“The kids are also becoming more resilient - instead of thinking why the solution didn’t work, they ask why and what can I do about it,” she said.

Karen and Zane - another RASE program staff member - attended an awards ceremony in Sydney last week, after successfully submitting the RASE program application into the Public Education Foundation, which manages the awards.

They accepted a certificate on behalf of all the principlals in the academy. It was presented to them by Georgina Harrison, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education.