Coláiste Mhuire BTYSTE record down to students’ STEM club
Ten years ago, Eva Acton joined the staff of Coláiste Mhuire as a science teacher – and since then, the school has become a major force in the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE).
This year, Coláiste Mhuire had eight teams qualify for the competition, as did Moate Community School.
Eva refuses to take credit for the school’s phenomenal showing – but it is clear that among students she is held in the highest regard.
"I think it’s down to the fact that in the school we have a STEM team, which is an extracurricular club where students can get together and discuss their ideas and push forward ideas and collaborate for projects such as BT Young Scientists.
"So it’s kind of the case that even though they’re competing as individual projects, we do work together as a team. There’s a lonely camaraderie and they all help each other," says Eva.
The extracurricular club was started by Eva: "We’re well known for our sporting prowess: we’d be a great a sporting school, but I suppose I saw a little gap there where we could maybe push on the boys who were interested in science and technology, and I started a little club called ‘Coláiste Coding’.
"We started off with 10 students. And from there it has grown and built, and we have about 200 to 250 students involved now in different disciplines. They can take part in whatever they choose to, so for example, BT Young scientist is one thing we do and we also do SciFest, but they also have groups doing mobile journalism, podcasting.
"There’s lots for them to do and when the students find their niche, the thing they’re interested in, they let it take flight. And that’s when you see the success like we’re seeing now, because it’s student driven. The students do this themselves. I’m just there as a mentor."
Eva says there is a great rapport within the school: "It’s the students, the teachers, and then the STEM team – and we have great support from management. So between the students, the science teachers and management, it’s like a nice triangle that just works."