Science & Technology
Head of Faculty – Science & Technology
Chris Pacey
Year 11 Field Camp to Orpheus Island
Early on Friday morning in Week 3, Year 11 Marine Science students, joined by Mrs Van Homrigh and Mr Pacey, headed up to Orpheus Island to the James Cook University research station to gain skills in coral reef research as they embark on their Year 12 journey. They undertook fish and coral surveys and deployed baited remote underwater video systems to find out more about how the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem works. Participation in these field investigations allowed students to develop their suite of science inquiry skills, while gaining an enhanced appreciation of the relationship between environmental change and the capacity of organisms to adapt. Such collaborative experimental work also helps students to develop communication, interaction, and self-management skills. The class had the opportunity to witness shark feeding close up, visited the giant clam garden and snorkelled across the reef edge as they very quickly adapted to their life on the water.
Year 11 Biology Field Trip
With our location on the Strand, St Patrick’s College girls are blessed with many different locations nearby where they can study ecology. On Thursday 24 October the Year 11 Biology students, joined by Dr Welch and our lab technician Mrs Finney, visited Three Mile Creek near Pallarenda. The aim of the trip was to study a varied ecosystem by measuring the biotic and abiotic factors that influence the distribution of organisms near the creek. The girls had the opportunity to learn the practical skills of using quadrats and different data collecting instruments to sample the ecosystem. Back in the school lab the girls analysed soil samples and processed the information collected. Gaining these practical skills is a requirement of the new Senior Biology curriculum, but our convenient location makes popping out for a quick field trip very easy and time-efficient!
Connecting Regional Queensland Sustainability Summit
On Tuesday 29 October, St Patrick’s College Townsville welcomed eight different schools from across North Queensland to share their sustainability initiatives as part of the ‘Connecting Regional QLD: Sustainability Summit’.
Year 10 student from St Patrick’s College, Ella Hall, said “The event was about letting the younger generation know about sustainability, not only in our community but globally, and how it can impact our future as young world leaders. The younger kids that we had speak to us were from primary schools and they are actually doing heaps of sustainability initiatives such as composting, and investing in eco-friendly materials such as reusable cutlery and plates for their tuckshops and canteen areas. It is definitely something that we as a high school, and other high schools, need to look to, because as these younger students come through the grades and enter high school they need to know that their voice is really important as well, and especially because they will be the next generation that leads the generation on after we go.”
Thank you to all of the schools who attended and well done to all of the students who presented their school projects. You have inspired others to take on board like-minded projects and we are excited to see how sustainability education will continue to grow across the North.
