Gladstone South State School Takes out Annual Pitch-A-Thon!

On November 11, five primary schools and five young Junior Innov8ors competed for the Mayor’s Innovation Award for 2022. Organised by Startup Gladstone Inc., the annual Pitch-A-Thon is a chance for participating primary schools to showcase and compete their best business, product or service. The EarlyPreneur Program (EPP) is the company’s start-up program which engages STEM innovation and entrepreneurship at grassroots levels. South SS won for their creation of making a school-run business from the EPP. The 6 graders created different businesses over the year to raise money for their schools, selling at Under 8’s day, Sports Day and icy cups – their first product. They created ads and jingles. The idea was to create a business that could be carried on by the next group of Year 6s to come through and follow on. Teacher Lindy Taylor and principal Pat Dendrinos did a great job of mentoring and guiding the students to create this gift of posterity for the school. Mr Robert Gibb of ConocoPhillips said that they have supported the program since 2018, largely because it encourages local students to develop real-world solutions to real-world problems. “ConocoPhillips Australia, as the downstream operator of APLNG, continues to support the EarlyPreneur Program which inspires local primary school students to pursue STEM careers and lead innovative change. This event is a great opportunity to see the entrepreneurial skills these students have developed through this program and their bright, innovative and sustainable ideas,” said Mr. Gibb. Launched in 2018, the EPP program has been sponsored and supported by Advance Queensland, ConocoPhillips and Bank of Queensland. Sponsor Andrew Bauer of Bank of Queensland said that BOQ Gladstone was proud to sponsor the project. “BOQ Gladstone has been proud to sponsor and be involved in a number of projects with Startup Gladstone over many years. Together with other likeminded sponsors the team have produced some amazing results - especially in the EarlyPreneur Program for school-aged kids. The excitement and energy they bring to their learning is hard not to get caught up in. Congratulations to Startup Gladstone for persevering with an outstanding set of projects and vision for the region,” said Mr. Bauer. In July 2022, Startup Gladstone Inc. introduced a higher digital, STEM, and enterprise program called Junior Innov8ors, with funding for this received from Here For Gladstone, Rio Tinto Yarwun’s Community Fund, as well as Boyne Smelters Ltd and Queensland Alumina Ltd. “Rio Tinto invests in the youth of the Gladstone region, and Pitch-A-Thon’s focus on innovations inspired by young people certainly aligns with our aim. With Rio Tinto Yarwun partnering with Boyne Smelters Ltd, both operations are able to support local students who have a passion for science, technology, engineering and maths,” said Rio Tinto Yarwun General Manager Mark Gilmore. BSL also generously supplied 15 new laptops to help run the programs. “I’m proud that Boyne Smelters has been able to support Startup Gladstone through the purchase of 15 laptops for use in the Junior Innov8ors STEM Club, Junior Innov8ors and Youth Innov8ors Programs. We are also proud to partner with Rio Tinto Yarwun to provide almost $20,000 in financial assistance towards these programs. I’m delighted that both these sponsorships provide ongoing opportunities for the development of ICT, STEM and enterprise skills within our local and regional schools where these resources are not currently available,” said BSL General Manager Lesley Bryce. Member for Gladstone Glenn Butcher said the Queensland Government was a keen supporter of Startup Gladstone's EarlyPreneur program. "Over the last three years, the Palaszczuk Government's Advance Queensland initiative has invested $60,000 to inspire Gladstone students in the jobs of the future," Mr Butcher said. "We know supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of the next generation of Queenslanders is important for the State to shine on the world stage in local industries - existing and emerging - as we roll out the Energy and Jobs plan, as well as on our runway to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. "One of the priorities of our new Innovation for a Future Economy 2022-2032 roadmap is tapping into entrepreneurship in regional Queensland to grow great ideas and help business prosper in the emerging global innovation economy." This event couldn’t have happened without the judges: Councillor Natalia Muszkat, Stephen Strachan, Startup Gladstone’s President, and Sophie Ovenden of ConocoPhillips. Also, the team at Startup Gladstone thanks David Nunn of High Risk Solutions for sponsoring some of the gifts and prizes, Ri Ri’s Food Van for catering, and NFP House for mic donation. [gallery ids="29826,29825,29824,29823,29821,29820"]

Gladstone South State School Takes out Annual Pitch-A-Thon!

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