Primary school students check it out at CSU Orange
Year six students from Parkes Christian School, Parkes Public School, Parkes East Public
School and Wellington Public School have visited Charles Sturt University (CSU) Orange to
experience what it’s like to be a uni student.
With high energy and enthusiasm, ninety-eight students worked in mixed school groups on
a selection of workshops coordinated and planned in collaboration with the CSU Future
Moves team.
Students were able to extract DNA from a strawberry, study supermarket botany, cell
biology or business and human resources, and join a media workshop.
Whilst on campus the students participated in a tour of the campus, a scavenger hunt in the
CSU library and enjoyed lunch at Banjo’s food hall.
Afterwards the students took part in a mock graduation ceremony in a lecture theatre and
were presented with certificates.
All activities were supported by a keen team of volunteer CSU student leaders from the
Bathurst and Orange campuses.
Guest speaker at graduation was Future Moves staff member, Nathan Peckham who
encouraged the students to build confidence for their future directions by “aiming high and
having a go!”
Faculty of science lecturer Doctor Scott Andrew ran the strawberry DNA workshop and said,
“I had one little guy come up to me afterwards and say ‘you know, I never really liked
science, but after today’s prac, I think I might become a science teacher, it was so much
fun’.”
Parkes East Public School teacher, Angela Fitzpatrick said, “You have inspired one of the
little artists in my class. She has heaps of questions about being an artist and what subjects
she should be looking at in high school and which universities are offering good arts degrees
..”.
Photo: year six students from Parkes Christian School, Parkes Public School, Parkes East
Public School and Wellington Public School ‘graduating’ at CSU Orange last week.