STEM Squad (Science Technology, Maths and Engineering) is Toolooa State High School’s signature enrichment program for students who want to explore, design, build, and innovate in a rapidly changing world. It is a community of curious thinkers and practical makers. These are young people who want to move beyond classwork and textbooks and instead work like to like real scientists, engineers, coders, and designers.
Students in STEM Squad gain the confidence and capability to understand how STEM shapes the world and how they can shape its future. They build hydrogen-powered cars, design video games, construct space habitats, program drones, engineer bridges, and fly aircraft models. Through these hands-on experiences, students test ideas, design prototypes, analyse data, refine solutions, and collaborate on challenges that reflect real industry practices.
As industries transform and new technologies emerge, the world needs young people who are adaptable, creative, resilient, and digitally fluent. Research suggests that around 40% of current jobs may not exist in the future, while up to 75% of the fastest growing occupations will require strong STEM skills. STEM Squad prepares students for this future by teaching essential knowledge and developing the high-value capabilities that employers and universities seek.
Toolooa State High School is committed to providing learning opportunities that connect students to the demands of a modern workforce. STEM Squad enables students to engage with emerging technologies, work with industry professionals, participate in national competitions, and take part in design, engineering, and coding projects that reach far beyond classroom learning.
What Is STEM Squad?
STEM Squad is an innovative, application focused program that strengthens students’ STEM knowledge while providing:
Immersive, interactive learning experiences
Real world, scenario based problem solving
Student driven investigation and discovery
Hands-on design, prototyping, and testing
Opportunities to think creatively and approach problems from new perspectives
Authentic engagement with industry experts, competitions, and emerging technologies
Students pitch ideas, develop solutions to real challenges, create prototypes, build apps, program robots and drones, operate new technologies, and participate in excursions, incursions, and workshops led by STEM professionals from across Queensland and Australia.
STEM Squad First Lego League Teams 1 and 2, 2025
STEM Squad Events 2026:
Future Makers – STEM Inventors Challenge (Years 7 to 12)
Hosted by the Queensland Museum, this challenge guides students through identifying a real-world problem, researching it, developing prototypes, testing ideas and presenting a final innovation. Finalists exhibit their designs at the World Science Festival at the Gladstone Entertainment and Convention Centre where they practice networking and gain exposure to scientists and industry professionals.
Australian Space Design Competition
(Years 10 to 12)
ASDC places senior students inside a futuristic aerospace engineering scenario where they act as a professional design team responding to a detailed Request for Tender. Over 6 months, teams design a complete space settlement. Students will have to respond to issues including but not limited to: life support, robotics , transportation, automation communication and safety. Students then need to present their proposals to engineers and industry judges.
FIRST LEGO League (Years 7 to 9)
Students design, build and program LEGO robots to complete missions related to a global theme, while also researching a real-world issue and presenting their solution. The challenge builds teamwork, creative thinking, coding ability and engineering design skills in an engaging, supportive environment. Students compete on a Saturday with local schools and is a favourite event of past Toolooa State High students.
External link: https://www.firstaustralia.org/first-lego-league/H2GP – Hydrogen Car Engineering (Years 7 to 9)
Students engineer an advanced hydrogen-powered car by refining aerodynamics, gearing, weight balance and energy efficiency. Through repeated testing and data-driven adjustments, teams learn advanced STEM problem-solving and renewable-energy engineering. After modifications are complete students take their final vehicles to competition.
External link: https://www.h2grandprix.com/
FIRST Tech Challenge
(Years 10 to 12)
In this seniors only advanced robotics program, students design, build and program competition robots using an Android-based control system and robust engineering components. Teams document their process in an engineering notebook, develop branding, collaborate in alliances, and compete in strategic, high-intensity robotics matches. FTC mirrors real engineering workflows and builds mature STEM, teamwork and leadership skills.
Australian Virtual Astronaut Challenge (Years 7 to 12)
Students tackle real aerospace design problems such as lunar rovers, space habitats, AI-assisted missions or sustainable space systems. They research, develop and communicate their ideas through posters or video pitches, with finalists presenting at major STEM event. This event is sponsored by solidworks and involves 3d printing and prototyping of physical objects.
Physics in Flight – QMEA Hosted (Years 7 to 12)
Delivered by the Queensland Minerals & Energy Academy (QMEA), this workshop helps students uncover the science of flight by designing and testing flying models. By exploring lift, drag, thrust and stability with real industry mentors, students connect classroom physics to aviation, drone tech and engineering careers.
Minecraft Engineering & Design Challenge (Years 7 to 12)
Students use Minecraft as a digital engineering environment, transforming virtual landscapes into functional structures that represent real world locations based on a theme. They explore real-world engineering concepts such as structural integrity, resource efficiency, landscape design and liveability, all while collaborating in a creative shared world.
External link:https://ael.org.au/minecraft/
Young ICT Explorers (Years 7 to 12)
This national technology showcase challenges students to design and build an innovative digital solution such as an app, website, robot, VR environment or hardware prototype, then present it to industry experts. Students gain experience in problem-solving, digital creativity, user-centred design and pitching their ideas.
Spaghetti Engineering / Bridge Challenge (Years 7 to 12)
Using spaghetti, glue and creativity, students explore structural engineering principles by designing bridges or towers capable of supporting surprising amounts of weight. This hands-on challenge helps students understand load distribution, balance and material behaviour through rapid prototyping and iteration. The most successful designs will be submitted to the Spaghetti Bridge competition in September.
Australian STEM Video Game Challenge (Years 7 to 12)
Students become game designers, creating original video games that combine story, art, sound, coding and gameplay mechanics. They learn the full development pipeline; from concept and prototyping to testing and final refinement; and finish with a playable game they can be proud of.