Sustainability S.T.E.A.M competition in association with Microsoft Dreamspace and W5 LIFE

Two teams from 5th and 6th class recently qualified and competed in the final of Microsoft Dreamspace’s SustainaBuildity competition within W5 LIFE in Belfast, coinciding with th NI Science Festival at the end of February. Teams consisted of 6 students including 4 builders, a coach and a manager. Their task was to build a futuristic sustainable community containing a multistorey energy efficient family home, a sustainable food source and a sustainable mode of transport using Minecraft Education software. The competition was open to children aged 11 to 15 in primary and secondary school. Over 60 schools with multiple teams entered the competition so it was a great achievement for 2 of our teams to make the final 8.

During the build final, teams had 90 minutes to recreate their qualifying submissions. They used key 21st century skills like resilience, creativity, problem solving and teamwork during the build. They were questioned throughout by the judges on how they incorporated sustainability into their builds and why sustainability is important for the future.

Following the final, the 8 teams were introduced to Justin Edwards, who is the Creative Director of Minecraft Education and is based in Seattle, U.S.A. Justin surprised the teams by offering them the privilege of being the first students IN THE WORLD to test the latest Minecraft Education Edition Learning game, 5 weeks before its release. The finalists were delighted to test the game and Justin enjoyed taking their feedback also.

At the end of the day, each of the finalists received a certificate and the winners were announced. Although our teams did not make the top 3, they had a fantastic day and we are all very proud of what they achieved here at Butlersbridge N.S.

Team 1: Ryan Ahmad, Fabian Nader, Leon Kaldanis, Johnny King, Conor Shannon, Sambor Kot.

Team2: T.J. Reilly, Charlie Nulty, Ryan Leddy, Cormac McGuckian, Ryan Mulligan, Niall Lynch.