Curbing food wastage all in a school day's work at Queenstown
Secondary schools combine theory, practice to engage students
At Queenstown Secondary School, the humanities can sometimes involve dealing with rubbish - compost to be exact.
Sec 3 students analyse compost converted from food waste by an eco-digesterduring science classes to check if it can be used as fertiliser.
It is part of the school's Quest (Questioning, Uncover, Explain, Strengthen and Transfer) approach to teaching humanities, in which geographical and scientific methods are combined to explore the theme of sustainability.
In Sec 1, students focus on water quality, collecting samples at different points of the Kallang and Singapore rivers, and cleaning dirty water using a sand filtration system.
Sec 2 students learn about energy by creating a solar mobile charger and Sec 3 students focus on food wastage by sorting food collected in food drives by Food from the Heart.
This year, 35 Sec 3 students went on a learning journey to Hong Kong to learn about food wastage.
They collected and sorted out discarded vegetables from Tai Po market that were later used to prepare meals for the needy, after rotten parts were removed.
Queenstown Secondary principal, Madam Rasidah Rahim, said: "Our motto is Dare to Serve, so we hope our students can learn to be active contributors through our applied learning programmes and how they can play a role to make our environment more sustainable and give back to the community."
Said Sec 3 student Cheryl Tan, 15: "I used to throw away fruits with little black bits, but now I have learnt that fruits and vegetables can still be eaten after cutting out the rotten parts."
QUEENSWAY SECONDARY SCHOOL
At Queensway Secondary School, students in the Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields built an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) using an underwater robotics programme, Sea Perch, to compete in a water race.
On Nov 2, they took their ROVs to Singapore Polytechnic's swimming complex for a Sea Perch race with Yuan Ching Secondary students.
Sec 2 student Lucas Chin, 14, said he applied physics concepts learnt in class tobuild his team's ROV.
"If you want to make the ROV sink or float, you need to know what materials to use, how much water to let in and how many holes to make in the pipes.
"I like it because it is a more hands-on type of learning. It is good that our school gives us this opportunity."
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