NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (May 24, 2023) – Students from all primary and secondary schools on Nevis are eagerly anticipating their participation in the STEM Challenge and STEM Expo, happening May 24 and 26, 2023, respectively.

These activities form part of Nevis’ inaugural hosting of STEM Week, which aims to foster keener interest in the subject areas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, critical skills for the 21st century.

The First Federal Co-operative Credit Union Ltd. (FFCCU) STEM Challenge is presently underway at the Malcolm Guishard Recreational Park (MGRP). During the May 22 launch of STEM Week 2023, Mrs. Tamicia Lestrade, Project Officer in the Department of Education, said the event is expected to be exciting, keenly contested, and fun, challenging students to apply knowledge and skills gained in STEM education to perform given tasks.

“It’s going to be a challenge with a twist, a challenge with a difference, because the children will not be regurgitating information. We are promoting collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

“It’s a challenge that is open to the general public and you can come and sit in the audience and witness the challenges. These challenges are going to be new to them so they are going to have to use critical thinking, cooperate, and come up with the solutions.”

Primary school teams will engage in the FFCCU STEM Challenge during the morning session, while secondary schools will participate in their challenge from 1p.m.

Ms. Sarafina Osbourne, Member Experience Associate, First Federal Co-operative Credit Union Ltd., said the financial institution is pleased to partner with the Department of Education on Nevis to sponsor the event. She noted that while FFCCU has been serving the people of St. Kitts and Nevis since 1985, offering a plethora of savings products and credit facilities, the institution also prioritizes giving back to the communities it serves.

“What is most important to us is our social contribution to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. We are the proud title sponsors for the inaugural STEM Challenge. The idea of strengthening the STEM subject areas is important to First Federal as we recognize the need for critical thinking and a logical approach to solving problems around us, and particularly in the banking and finance sector it is becoming increasingly important…

“We consider ourselves as part of the solution in the banking sector to support economic justice and as well as holistically to support the socio-economic well-being of our Federation’s children as good corporate citizens. We are excited that the focus is on stimulating the minds of our young people. Our young people are the students of today but the go-getters and the movers of tomorrow, and so we are extremely proud to be supporting them in the subject areas,” she said.

The next major event on the STEM Week 2023 calendar is the STEM Expo at the MGR Park where the general public can witness school projects using renewable energy. The models, which will be judged, must contain at least two functioning parts, making them operational in real time.

The STEM Expo takes place Friday, May 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the project challenge segment beginning at 3 p.m. Food and drinks will be on sale and there will be exciting prizes for patrons to win.