On February 9th, two teams from HNMCS travelled to Upper Canada College to compete with other Grade 7 and 8 students from CIS schools for the coveted Future Prize. The Future Prize Challenge was started by the Future Design School to introduce middle school students to a methodology and a mindset using innovative problem-solving methods that foster critical thinking and compassion. The Future Prize Challenge encourages students to learn about and use design thinking to solve real-world problems. Our question, how might we address a meaningful challenge in our local community, drew our students out of the classroom and into the world around them. They had the opportunity to learn about challenges in their local community, build empathy for people impacted by those challenges, develop creative ideas to solve the problem, create a prototype of their solution, and pitch their idea to a panel of judges. Doing this fostered their creativity and allowed them to feel empowered to reshape the world around them.

Our Grade 7 team, Maya B., Elena D. and Elia O., looked at fully accessible playgrounds and the lack of these spaces in their communities. Our Grade 8 team, Sofia P., Alessia M. and Olive D., brainstormed a solution that involved creating a social media app that would support social-emotional learning, help improve views on body image, and promote a more positive environment for youth online.

We are very proud of both our teams, the Future Stars and the Star Seekers, for showcasing thoughtfulness, creativity, and an energetic vigour in their approaches to creating their solutions. Go Stars!

- Ms. Olivia Lubanski & Ms. Kristin Prillo, Faculty Advisors