Myrtleford students relish Wang Tech School visit

Wangaratta Tech School welcomed its first group of students last week, with year nines from Myrtleford P-12 College enjoying day-long sessions at the newly-opened Cusack Street location. The state government-funded $9.9 million school, at the Northern Victoria Institute of TAFE Wangaratta campus, is an educational resource now available to 9000 students from 23 partner secondary schools, including Wangaratta High School, Galen Catholic College, Cathedral College, Wangaratta District Specialist School and Borinya Wangaratta Community Partnership. Students are also drawn from Myrtleford, as for sessions held last week on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Bright, Mount Beauty, Benalla, Rutherglen, Beechworth and Wodonga, with free transport provided to and from the school for those attending. Equipped with technology such as 3D printers and scanners, laser cutters, robotics and drones, the school offers immersive free programs that will enable students to extend their abilities to solve real-world problems using new technologies and STEM skills, and to apply their learning in their own school classrooms. It also aims to inspire young people to pursue STEM study and career pathways, including those that align with local businesses and industry, such as health, agriculture, clean energy, sustainability and artificial intelligence. Myrtleford P-12 students attending last week's sessions explored how virtual reality technology can be used in different industries, and were taught to build and use drones, which were then employed in a 'gamification' of real-world farming issues. Claire Stock, a Myrtleford P-12 staff member, said students from the school had last year been involved in incursions related to what they would like to see at the tech school, so had enjoyed their hands-on day with the technology now in place. She said the school was an important resource for the region's schools. "Not every school can buy these resources, so this represents better resource and budget use, and the chance to make them available to all students," she said. "Some students came in today saying they didn't know how to fly a drone and weren't sure about it, but now they're all engaged. "They've chosen a very agricultural focus today, which is something the students can relate to." Ben Hodgkin was among the students who provided feedback about what they would like to see at the tech school in the lead-up to its opening, and said he had enjoyed seeing it in action. Wangaratta Tech School head of programs Lia Mitchell said it was amazing to see extensive planning come together in the program presented to students. "It's a big thing; this has been in the planning for the past two and a half years, so to see it really taking shape and hearing multiple 'a-ha moments' from students throughout the day, when in a regular classroom you might get them only now and again, says a lot about the skills they're learning," she said. "There were some who came in saying they didn't want to do it, but it's opened their eyes to new experiences, and ultimately they are learning collaborative, teamwork and communication skills which can be used anywhere." A ministerial opening for the tech school will be held early next month, with more student groups set to visit during terms three and four.

Myrtleford students relish Wang Tech School visit

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