Becoming superheroes to bust the school mozzie problem has won students at Bexhill Public School the runners up prize in this year’s Green Innovation Awards.

The local school kids have spent months designing solutions to a local problem – for an annual competition that inspires innovation in our next generation of creative problem solvers.

Dr Bridie Cullinane, founder of the Green Innovation Awards said the ‘Mozzie Busters’ project was a close second choice made by competition judges. Another great entry was the Goolmangar Public School’s waste management app (which will be made publicly available).

Read more about schools participating in the lead up to the finals: Local students are Lego Masters of building a future Lismore

Koala Minecraft

“But, the winning entry was Koala Minecraft - from the Empire Vale Public School,” Bridie said.

“The game Minecraft is very widely used by young people and that’s why it’s a great solution for kids.

“It’s a wonderful example of how children can make learning fun and change the future in an engaging way – and that’s why the judges loved it.

“The children created an archipelago of islands in Minecraft and built different ways for us to look after koalas.

“On one island, players need to cross a paddock and avoid being trod on by cows – each year, a number of koalas are actually killed by cows.

“There’s a bushfire on one island and you need to put out fires. Another has a vet clinic where kids learn about koala diseases and they get checked to see if they are healthy.”

The school has created a link to the koala islands and anyone playing Minecraft can now explore and play the game.

Empire Vale School students.

Mozzie Busters

Finding natural ways to deal with mosquitos was the problem that the senior students at Bexhill Public School addressed in their second place Mozzie Busters project.

Bridie said students took a wholistic view of the mozzie situation and looked at ecosystems of plants, animals and insect larvae when designing solutions for the school.

“They created a fish pond and introduced fish into it that ate the mozzie larvae – and also looked at different plants they could use in school,” she said.

“They also created an entertaining video where they dressed up as superheroes to bust the mozzie problem. 

“Lismore City Council has even asked them if they can use the video to share with other schools as part of a mozzie management program,” she said.

“It’s a great result – especially after months of the kids waiting for the awards finals which were delayed due to Covid restrictions.”

In total, 21 local schools took part in the competition – with the finals being recorded after being streamed live.

You can watch the students talk about their projects in the finals video via the Green Innovation awards Facebook site

Bridie said the winning schools get to keep a perpetual trophy made from recycled metal and wood - and the winner received $300.

“The goal is to inspire YP to be passionate about innovation and recognise that their ideas are important. These awards recognize them and show them it is possible that they help create a positive future and make a difference, creating the works they want to see.”

The dates and details for next year’s awards are now available online, so if you missed out this year, apply to join next year’s competition. For more information about the awards, visit www.greeninnovationawards.com.au