National Success at 2025 STEM Mad National Showcase

The showcase brings together the brightest student minds from across the country who have successfully answered their Catholic call to action. Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) took home two major national awards, a testament to the quality, engaging, and authentic learning opportunities being cultivated in our classrooms.

Congratulations to our Major Award Winners

Holy Spirit College, Bellambi’s Kai Macpherson, and his innovative Straight Up Ergo Rocker Chair was awarded the prestigious Catholic Social Teaching Award.

Holy Spirit College has now won a major award at this event for the past three years. Their consistent ability to identify real-world problems and design empathetic solutions speaks volumes about the culture of innovation within the college.

Holy Cross Catholic Parish Primary School, Helensburgh, students Sadie Wong, Sophia Arena and Vida Bernardini captured the hearts of the audience with their project, Frankie the De-Stress Dog. Their project, addressing anxiety and wellbeing, saw them take home the People's Choice Award, a fantastic achievement that highlights their ability to connect with a national audience.

These accolades are the culmination of a rigorous learning journey. It began with CEDoW's own Innovate for Impact showcase, which featured 63 projects from 15 schools. From that pool, 13 teams progressed to the national stage (live and virtual), with six standout teams travelling to Adelaide to represent the Diocese.

Thanks and congratulations also go to the teachers and their work for their dedication. By empowering students to apply STEM and design thinking to real-world contexts, our teachers are enabling students to answer our Catholic call to action: to be positive change-makers who make a tangible difference in our world.

We also congratulate Holy Spirit College's Eva Gebour Crystal Clear project, which was also recognised as a National Online Finalist.

Congratulations to all six teams who travelled to Adelaide to represent CEDoW with pride:

• Holy Spirit College, Bellambi (Straight Up Ergo Rocker Chair)
• Holy Cross Catholic Parish Primary School, Helensburgh (Frankie The De-Stress Dog)
• Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School, Fairy Meadow (Queue Watch)
• St Joseph's Catholic Parish Primary School, Bulli (Healthy Hearing)
• St Francis Catholic College, Edmondson Park (Aqua Alert)
• St Joseph's Catholic High School, Albion Park (Study Buddy)

We extend our gratitude to the teachers, mentors, and families who supported these students, and to Catholic Education South Australia for hosting a spectacular event. We look forward to seeing what our future change-makers create next year.