Esso Bright Future Grants help instill a love of science in Gippsland students

On August 28, Seaspray Primary School hosted the science fair and was joined by neighbouring primary schools Loch Sport, Cowwarr, Cobains, Bundalaguah, Wurruk, Airly and Devon North.

About 180 students rotated between watching the Big Science Show from Fizzzics education, visiting an energy trailer, launching rockets and doing beach activities such as a scavenger hunt and flying kites.

Seaspray Primary School Principal Dawn Luscombe said the science day, which was made possible by the Bright Future Grant her school received from Esso, would have a positive and lasting impact on the young people’s lives.

“This day certainly made lasting impressions and left them with positive memories for many young isolated rural students who through budget constraints would never have had this experience,” Ms Luscombe said, adding that the closest many students had seen something like it was on TV.

“The Big Science Show got rave reviews from both children and adults alike. The science show had the principles of light, energy, motion and combustion. They saw hair-raising electricity experiments, volunteers on a nail chair, a giant gyroscope, fire balls, experiments with a fog machine and a flame equalizer.”

Esso Longford Plants engineer Kieran Smith attended the day and was able to share with the students his real life experiences of where a passion for science could lead to.

 “Esso is pleased to support local schools by investing in education programs that focus on inspiring kids to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” Kieran said.

“The next generation of engineers at Longford plants may well have had their passion for the sciences sparked by the Seaspray science day, which is fantastic.”