STEMtacular time in Ballinamore
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Great success for St Patrick’s NS Gowna in Ballinamore STEMtacular. They scooped 2nd place in the Senior Category. From left: Rory McWade from AbbVie, sponsor; with Dearbhla Courtney, Ialaith Hartin, Abigail Reilly, Tiegan Butler and Ewan Eccleston.PHOTOS: Sean McMahonImage 2 of 19
Agricultural Award for St Patrick’s NS Gowna. From left: Emily McCabe, John Simms from Irish Agricultural Science Teachers Association, sponsor; Max Kelly, Darcy Galligan, and Aiden Simpson.Image 3 of 19
Sustainability Award For St Patrick’s Gowna NS for their project Pure Water. From left: Sponsor Lisa O Connell from Leitrim Enterprise; Julia Yarova, Grace Corr, Fynley O’Reilly and Kailum MacFarlane.Image 4 of 19
Scoil Naomh Brid pupils from Ballyconnell being interviewed by RTÉ Television at the event.Image 5 of 19
Students from St Aiden’s NS in Bawnboy enjoying the event: Gavin, Andrew, Aleesha, Maya, Aoife and Sarah.Image 6 of 19
The team from St Patrick’s NS Corlough. Back (from left): Fionuala Murphy, St Patrick’s NS Corlough; Nathan McGovern, Tommy Prior, Callum McBrien, Daniel Prior and Niamh Cryan, teacher; front, Rebecca McGovern, Niamh McGovern, Kayla McGovern and Amy Glynn.Image 7 of 19
Lean BPI Technology Award for St Hugh’s NS, Dowra. From left: John O Shanahan from Lean BPI; Sami Syed, Emily McGourty, Lily Rynn and James O’Rourke.Image 8 of 19
Codex Display Award for St Hugh’s NS, Dowra: Louise Gallagher, STEMtacular event organiser; Carrie McGourty, Glen Gilrane, Dean Maguire and Donnacha McPartlin.Image 9 of 19
Reflection and Satellites projectPupils from Scoil Naomh Brid in BallyconnellL-R: - Maggie Edwards, 5th Class Teacher; Andrew Fitzgiobbon, Kamil Morahan, Caelan McVitty, Jack White and Darragh Gannon.Pictures: Sean McMahon.Image 10 of 19
St Aiden’s NS BawnboyEnjoying the Stemtacular are - Gavin, Andrew, Aleesha, Maya, Aoife and Sarah.Image 11 of 19
St Aiden’s NS BawnboyKaren Griffin, Dylan, Joseph, Dylan, Oisin and James Flood, Principal.Image 12 of 19
St Aiden’s NS Bawnboy.L-R- Sophia, Amelia, Nellie, Catherine, Patrick, Jayden and James Flood, Principal.Pictures: Sean McMahon.Image 13 of 19
St Patrick’s NS Corlough.Back Row L-R: - Fionuala Murphy, St Patrick’s NS Corlough; Nathan McGovern, Tommy Prior, Callum McBrien, Daniel Prior and Niamh Cryan, Teacher.L-R: Rebecca McGovern, Niamh McGovern, Kayla McGovern and Amy Glynn. Pictures: Sean McMahon.Image 14 of 19
St Mogue’s NS CurrinKieran Conefrey, Principal St Mogue’s Currin NS; Clara Brady, Lauren Farrell, Mary Edwards and Ciaran Walsh, Teacher.Image 15 of 19
St Mogue’s NS CurrinKieran Conefrey, Principal St Mogue’s NS Currin; Aimee Callaghan, Cian Corby, Fergal Corrigan and Leon Stojak.Pictures: Sean McMahon.Image 16 of 19
St Gaillins NS FenaghL-R: - Ronan Gordon, Teacher; Laura Connolly, Ciara Conlon, Éanna Flynn, Mykola Yuschenko.Image 17 of 19
Curravagh NS GlangevlinL-R: - JaIme Tighe, Teacher; Melissa Borysen, Sinéad Hickey, Angelina Levchenko and Tara Scott, Principal.Image 18 of 19
Curravagh NS GlangevlinL-R: - Tara Scott, Principal; Ciara Shannon, Eva Scott, Hoa McHugh.Image 19 of 19
Currravagh NS GlangevlinL-R: - Tara Scott, Principal; Philip McManus and Liam Hickey.Over 500 primary school students, from counties including Cavan and Leitrim and further afield, attended STEMtacular, powered by Analog Devices, in Ballinamore late last month.
The event, a dynamic showcase of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, brought together schools from across the region.
Students presented their own STEM projects, tackling a wide range of intriguing questions. Their projects delved into issues such as: Does warming up before sport improve performance? Does living on a farm lead to a healthier lifestyle? Does toast always land butter side down? And, perhaps most controversially, is cracking your fingers bad for you?
Each group was eager to explain their findings to a panel of esteemed judges from both industry and education, who engaged with the students, asking insightful questions and offering encouragement.
While the students’ research projects were at the heart of the event, STEMtacular had much more to offer. The Discovery Zone, an interactive area filled with 20 fascinating exhibits, gave the young attendees the chance to engage directly with a variety of STEM fields.
In the Discovery Zone, Analog Devices, the event's primary sponsor, set up an engaging series of interactive games that allowed students to explore different aspects of STEM in a fun and hands-on way. These games helped bring the world of technology and innovation to life, sparking curiosity and excitement in the young minds that participated.
Some of the other highlights were Met Éireann, Ireland’s National Meteorological Service, which set up a green screen that allowed students to try their hand at weather presenting.
Midlands Reptile Zoo brought an assortment of reptiles, giving the students a rare opportunity to learn about these fascinating creatures. Jaguar Land Rover contributed by bringing the inner rig of their state-of-the-art jeeps, where students explored the technology behind the vehicle's design.
The team from the Marble Arch Caves set up an immersive Virtual Reality experience, enabling students to take a virtual tour of a cave, exploring its wonders without leaving the event. Other exciting exhibits included VEX Robotics, where students got the chance to engage with programmable robots and learn about robotics and engineering.
Armagh Observatory offered a glimpse into the wonders of space with hands-on activities focused on astronomy;while Geological Survey Ireland provided interactive experiences that helped students discover the science behind the Earth’s geological processes.
These were just a few of the many interactive experiences available, as the Discovery Zone showcased how diverse and exciting the world of STEM can be.
The event culminated in an awards ceremony, where students were recognised for their hard work and creativity. St. Paul’s Castlerea emerged as top in the senior category and overall winning school, earning an exciting prize — a trip to the University of Limerick’s Chemistry Department.
St Patrick's NS from Gowna were close second in the senior category for their project 'The Composters'.
The team was made up of Iarlaith Hartin, Tiegan Butler, Abigail O’Reilly, Ewan Ecceleston and Dearbhla Courtney.
The school also picked up a ‘Sustainability’ Award for their project 'Pure Water', sponsored by Leitrim Enterprise. St Patrick's NS also received an 'Agricultural' Award.
The event left everyone involved excited for what the future holds, and reaffirmed that STEM education is alive and thriving in schools across the region.