Schools from Chile,
Brazil, Spain and UK recognised for projects focused
on digital innovation and making a difference in their local
communities
LONDON, July 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- One of the world's leading global schools
groups, Cognita, today announced the six winning schools of its
inaugural Student Challenge. The winning students were from
Brazil, Chile, Spain
and the United Kingdom, and were
chosen after regional and global judging by Cognita educators.
Throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, this global competition
saw students design innovative projects in the categories of
Digital Innovation and Making a Difference, key components of
Cognita's focus on holistic education. Cognita students of all ages
were able to engage with the student challenge, regardless of
location, curricula, or school type, showcasing the very best of
their creativity and ingenuity.
Dr Simon Camby, Chief Education Officer at Cognita,
said:
"Congratulations to all the winners and participants in the
Student Challenge 2024 competition. The entries were remarkable,
which made it very difficult to decide the winners. It was
fantastic to see students from different countries take part in the
Challenge, and a reminder that no matter where they are in the
world, our schools and pupils are linked by our core values and
commitment to holistic education.
"All the entries show the way in which our students can use
their learning to solve real-life, complex problems. Through this
Challenge, students were able to build their agency, adaptability
and positive attitudes, creating a strong foundation to support
their future endeavours."
Three schools won for their digital innovation projects.
1. Students at Brazil's Instituto GayLussac worked
towards creating computer vision glasses for the visually impaired.
After extensive research and leveraging machine learning
techniques, they developed and implemented a Computer Vision Model
combined with a Raspberry Pi-based system to create a robust model
that can recognise objects, people, animals, and text.
2. Students at Colegio Manquecura Ciudad
del Este, also in Chile, designed
and built a radio telescope using recycled materials and low-cost
technology, in an effort to democratise access to astronomy among
high school students. The students shared the knowledge they gained
from the project at the school's science fair.
3. In the UK, a student at North Bridge House
Canonbury created a programme to help distinguish foxes and cats
from other objects caught on camera, to help efforts to conduct
research on the behaviour and population of these animals in an
urban environment. The programme uses deep machine learning and
principles of machine vision to collect data and plots a graph of
the number of foxes and cats seen on different days.
A further three projects were recognised for their commitment to
making a difference in the students' local communities.
4. Students at Colegio Dunalastair Valle
Norte, in Chile, ran digital
campaigns to raise awareness of the needs of residents at a local
rural homeless camp, which is without drinking water and a
functioning sewage system, and has precarious housing. Students
collected aid received as a result of these campaigns to give to
the camp residents.
5. Students from El Limonar International School
Murcia in Spain met with a local
supermarket manager, food bank director, foodbank volunteers and
the district mayor before organising a food collection for a nearby
foodbank. To raise awareness, students created and distributed
posters in their local town and online and kept a record of the
food collected. The project also highlighted the importance of
ensuring more sustainable practices to avoid food waste.
6. Elsewhere in Spain, students at Mirasur School created
a documentary raising awareness of the delay in starting
construction of a new bus stop in a local neighbourhood, which was
due to start in 2000. The documentary aimed to highlight the
importance of public transport institutions being accountable and
committed to providing equitable services to the local population,
including those from vulnerable backgrounds.
About Cognita Schools
Launched in 2004, Cognita is an extraordinary family of
diverse yet connected schools that span 16 countries and share one
common purpose: to enable students to thrive in a rapidly evolving
world. With over 100 schools in Europe and the US,
the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia, Cognita
employs over 18,000 teaching and support staff in the care and
education of more than 90,000 students. Together, Cognita schools
provide a uniquely global education that goes beyond grades, to
develop all-round academic excellence – equipping young people with
the agency, adaptability and positive attitudes that prepares them
to grow, thrive and find their success in a rapidly evolving
world.
www.cognita.com
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