Greensprings Wins BIEA 2021 STEM Ambassadors Award

Greensprings School has won this year’s British International Education Association (BIEA) STEM competition after defeating 43 schools from 16 countries at the finals.

The school’s STEM team won the competition by designing a sustainable food packaging material that replaces plastic packaging materials that are not biodegradable.

Mr Lanre Oguntoye, one of the school’s STEM coaches, shared the details of the students’ project in the competition.

“Based on the theme of BIEA 2021 International Youth STEM Innovation Competition, which is ‘Repack to Restore Our World’, our STEM team proposed the use of modern technology to devise new and sustainable ways of packaging food to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced,” said Oguntoye. “The team was made up of Ayomide Hector-Olukoya, Mayomikun Soneye, Anjola Obasunloye, Damilola Adeosun and Seni Honponu-Wusu.”

He added, “Their solution was centred around the use of coconut shells as a sustainable approach to repackaging food. The students gave impressive presentations to the BIEA STEM judges and provided insightful answers to their technical questions. At the end of the finals, they were adjudged the winner of the competition.”

Reacting to the award, the secondary school principal at the school’s Anthony campus, Mrs. Magdalene Okrikri, stated that the award is another attestation that the school is raising global problem solvers. “I am highly impressed that our students won this award. The idea was quite innovative, and our students communicated their idea very well. They also answered all the questions from the judges with clarity and precision. This performance further strengthens the rationale for putting thinking skills at the heart of our curriculum, as it’s really helping the students to become global problem solvers,” she noted.
As the winner of the competition, all members of the Greensprings STEM team have now been accepted into BIEA STEM Stars, an accreditation programme providing an opportunity for students to show schools, universities, and future employers their passion for STEM subjects.