Seven primary schools across Australia have won their share of cash and prizes as part of a nationwide competition that encouraged students to get crafty, while focussing on this year’s environmental theme.
In collaboration with Winc and OfficeMax, the Bostik Smart Schools program was open to primary school students nationwide. Students were asked to enter a unique craft project for a chance to win one of three first prizes of $5000 for their school, courtesy of Bostik.
This year’s competition was open from 22 April until 14 July 2019. A winner was chosen in each age group category: 5-8 years, 9-10 years and 11-13 years, each receiving $5000. Runner’s up in each category also received a $1000 product pack and the People’s Choice Award collected $3000.
Bostik’s Category Manager, Mellissa Coulter, said that introducing grants like this was a great way to help schools raise much needed funds while allowing children to participate and lead in the process.
“The aim of the Smart Schools program is to support learning outcomes within school curriculums and help stimulate creative thinking and problem solving in the classroom,” she said. “By asking our future leaders to create these projects, it encourages discussion around the importance of caring for the environment.
Ms Coulter added it was fantastic to see so many schools submit stand-out projects that showcased creativity and inventiveness.
“Creative projects around the environment, climate change and sustainability, allows kids to understand how our eco-system works and helps them become more conscious of their everyday actions. This competition is just one of the ways we hope to give back to our school community,” she said.
2019 Smart Schools winners
Age 5-8 Category
Winner: Pascoe Vale North Primary School, VIC. Project: Time Machine.
Runner Up: Bellerive Primary School, TAS. Project: Recyc-hill.
Age 9-10 Category
Winner: Belmore South Public School, NSW. Project: Strive to survive.
Runner up: St. Bernard’s Primary School, VIC. Project: Clag Bottles In Bloom.
Special mention: Dandenong North Primary School, VIC. Project: Eco-Mansion.
Age 11-13 Category
Winner: Leschenault Catholic Primary School, WA. Project: Precious Oceans.
Runner Up: Drouin Primary School, VIC. Project: The machines take over.
People’s Choice Category
Winner: School of the Good Shepherd PS, VIC. Project: Collaborative Collage.