Celebrating our 2025 YASTA STEM Congress Crew

Last week, four of our outstanding Year 8 students – Tanner Cox, Jayce Peel, Mavis Coleman and Lyndah Jeffrey-Richards – proudly represented PLHS at the 2025 YASTA STEM Congress at the Adelaide Oval.

Their project, “Wabilya” (meaning “to restore”), explored how a combination of solutions, bridging both Western science and traditional knowledge, can help mitigate harmful algal blooms in our marine environment. Across the three days, our crew ran daily workshops for visiting primary school students, sharing four interactive workstations that modelled:

layered filtration systems to reduce land run-off
bubble curtains protecting cuttlefish breeding grounds
oyster gill filter-feeding models in relation to the restoration of native oyster reef
Barngarla-inspired fish trap structures safeguarding coastal ecosystems

In addition to leading workshops, our students:

• attended industry sessions on AI Systems (Defence Science & Technology Group) and Energy Transition (Ventia)
• introduced keynote speaker Justyce Manton, Electrical & Electronic Engineering student, at the Congress opening
• listened to Mitchell Odegaard, a former Salisbury High School student and Indigenous STEM Scholarship recipient, now a Civil Engineer at SA Water
• hosted a “Spotlight on STEM Yarn”, interviewing Belinda McKeown (Australian Space Agency), who inspired participants to see how transferable skills open doors to limitless career pathways; Bel had spent a large part of her life living in Tumby Bay

The Congress concluded with a performance by Dem Mob, a remote hip-hop group from the APY Lands.

We are deeply grateful to Barngarla Elder Emmalene Richards for her invaluable cultural insights, ensuring our project was both meaningful and connected to Country, and for supporting us to engage with industry leaders.

A special thank you also goes to Mr. Craig Curtis for his ongoing guidance, encouragement and participation throughout Congress.

This incredible achievement represents hours of work over almost two terms, and we could not be prouder of the effort, teamwork and leadership our STEM Crew displayed.

~ Ms. Beck Paterson (Curriculum Leader: Maths & Science)