Thomastown Secondary College provides opportunities for students of all year levels to participate in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) events and activities. Our programs develop students’ creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking while introducing them to the wide range of careers available in these fields.
Year 7 and 8 students attend a single-term elective in which they spend one hour a week completing simple projects such as paper engineering, Lego robot building, and 3D design and printing. Year 9 students enjoy a semester-long STEM class with more in-depth projects. In the past few years students have laser cut custom name plates, designed new towns for their communities, and built and flown their own balsa wood airplanes. They also attend unique excursions and incursions such as town planning, launching rockets and producing biofuel.
A lunchtime STEAM club is also open to all interested students in order to participate in special projects, excursions, and statewide competitions. The club has competed since 2022 in Quantum Victoria’s PrintACar Challenge, which involves designing and printing a miniature race car as well as a design portfolio. In 2023 a team of Year 10 and 11 students won Best Secondary Portfolio. This year we are also aiming to compete in the Australian STEM Video Games Challenge. The club also regularly attends STEM conferences such as It Takes a Spark!, where Thomastown teachers presented a workshop on the creation of our periodic table display.
The College also has opportunities for students interested in astronomy thanks to a program from the University of Melbourne. Astronomy Night events run during Terms 2 and 3 and are open to all. Students enjoy free pizza and stargaze through a university-loaned telescope to learn more about our amazing universe.
