Hyden Primary School first rural school to take part in the “one of a kind” Australian Sailing SailLab program

A “one of a kind” education program has made its way to the Wheatbelt, offering students a path to explore science, engineering and digital technology. Students from years 4, 5, and 6 at Hyden Primary School were the first rural school group to take part in the new SailLab program led by Australian Sailing, designed around STEM education while promoting sailing overall. During term four, students were taught how to use anemometers to measure wind speed, direction and strength, and how sail size affects a boat, as well as practical skills by building test boats with Lego and using radio-controlled boats on water. The program was conducted at the Lake Magic Swimming Pond. Art and digital technology teacher Emily Gilmour, who suggested the program, said that despite having no sailing experience, the program was easy to follow and featured lots of hands-on work. Ms Gilmour said the knowledge also linked to the students’ daily lives. “We had really great discussions with farm kids, especially about how they use that information for spraying, and if there’s a bushfire, where the wind direction is coming from, how strong,” she said. “It was a really great way of integrating it into normal life for them. “In Hyden, we’re getting wind turbines built, and they’re exactly the same shape as an airfoil sail, so we could relate it to that as well. “It’s given them practical knowledge because it’s not just about sailing, it’s got all of your STEM, digital tech, science, engineering, they’re learning all these different things in a different fun way.” Students tested their knowledge by driving radio-controlled boats on a local salt pond on December 1, where they were joined by SailLab founder Jessica Lundh. Ms Gilmour said the staff at Hyden are open to bringing “exciting, new, and different things to the table”, and the principal “didn’t hesitate” when Ms Gilmour suggested the program. “It’s about bringing different opportunities because we don’t get as many being out here in the country,” she said. “The kids thoroughly enjoyed the fact they got to do something different, and the knowledge of sailing has sparked interest for some kids, they absolutely loved the practical side.” Ms Gilmour said next year she will run the program for six months at Newdegate Primary School, after they heard about its success. Student Amber O’Shannessy said the experience was “one of a kind”. “I would have never thought we would have something like that in this small town,” she said. “The only thing that was challenging was to get it to move forward. “But when we got the hang of it, it was the best experience of my life and got to do so many fun things like races against my friends.”