Before spring break, Grade 4 classrooms transformed into hubs of innovation as students unveiled their Passion-Based Learning (PBL) projects to parents, peers and teachers. Guided by Junior School teacher-librarian Thea Wilson-Scorgie and ADST/iLab coordinator Leigh Johnson, alongside classroom teachers Heather Sandquist and Samantha Rizzuto, the young learners showcased solutions, inventions and creative endeavours that blended curiosity with real-world purpose.
Prototypes with purpose
Pippa’s quest to solve frigid ski trips led her to prototype heated gloves, iterating designs and testing battery packs.
“I changed from sailing gloves to skiing because it would get wet sailing. Some challenges I encountered included spending too much time choosing who to give it to. I had to work really hard and not be focused on other people’s projects,” Pippa said as she recalled her journey.
Maddox stood beside his project on removing smog through chemical reactions.
Nearby, Ruby showcased her self-contained terrarium, meticulously housing a jade plant, spider plant and false aralia.
Ewan’s project on biodegradable gum featured a picture of a sad bird with a caption: “Like this guy.”
“If you spit out regular gum, animals get sick. I learned I care about animals and gum. If I had more time, I’d actually make bio-gum, not just recipes. Overall, I feel proud of how far I went,” Ewan explained.
Eason showed peers his Scratch platform video game.
“I love coding and platform games. I learned I'm great at coding. I just want it to be a fun game," Eason wrote.
The trio Emily, Harlequin and Tyley channelled their love for animals into a Victoria Humane Society bake sale.
“We wanted to help dogs and cats find forever homes,” Emily said. Post-presentation, they sold treats in the common area, with parents and teachers rallying behind their cause.
Where passion meets platform
True to its title, the PBL projects lived in the space where curiosity meets conviction. What struck me most wasn’t just the prototypes or posters, it was the way students stood beside their work, eyes bright with ownership, articulating chemical reactions or coding challenges with the ease of seasoned presenters. Each room hummed with a rare kind of alchemy, part science fair, part town hall. Parents didn’t just ask questions; they leaned into dialogues.
“How did you troubleshoot the battery pack?” a father asked Pippa, who responded with a grin: “Trial, error and a lot of trips to the iLab!”
As parents admired prototypes and sampled Humane Society cupcakes, the buzz of pride was unmistakable.
This wasn’t just a showcase. It was proof that when students lead with passion, classrooms become studios, labs become launch pads and “learning” transforms into something alive, collaborative and utterly, unmistakably theirs.
