A group of Aboriginal students from Salisbury North Primary School, in Adelaide, have taken out top prize in a national technology competition, using the video game Minecraft to build a school that celebrates First Nations culture.
The 2021 Minecraft Education Challenge was hosted by Australia's first Indigenous EduTech company, Indigital, and required students to engage with this year's NAIDOC theme 'Heal Country'.
Technology teacher, Tina Giglio, said the competition was an opportunity to "celebrate our Aboriginal students".
"They were asked to design a future Salisbury North Primary School, keeping in mind how they can heal our country, and build a more sustainable community by embracing First Nations cultural knowledge," she said.
"They needed to create a school of the future, linking back to what Aboriginal people taught us 60,000 years ago."
The students built their dream-school using Minecraft, a game in which players create three-dimensional worlds using building blocks made of various materials.
Block by block, over four days, the students built the school of their dreams complete with a yarning circle, cultural burning station, greenhouse and even a turtle sanctuary.
Year 7 student Deaken Gray, 12, said he enjoyed the process.
According to classmate Kyamma Thompson, 12, that included looking to the past for inspiration.
"We built the school using materials that the Kaurna ancestors probably would have used, like mushroom stems, oak leaves, and wood."
Learning about culture, and each other
As well as engaging with traditional land management techniques, the students also had to learn how to work together as a team.
"The best thing about this was I got to learn a bit more about my fellow Nunga students that I didn't know," Kyamma said.
"I learned that even though people don't have stuff in common, they can still get along."
13-year-old Matthew Dedecke admitted there were lots of competing creative visions.
"Yeah there was a fair few disagreements, but we managed to bring all our ideas together in the end."
That's perhaps best exemplified by the design's pièce de résistance: a yarning circle that takes centre stage in the schoolyard.
For Talieya Williams, 12, it is a place of community and collaboration.
"It's good for when you want to talk to your friends and teachers."
'It'll stick with the kids for life'
When Ms Giglio found out her students had outperformed more than 6,500 students from 160 schools across Australia, she was thrilled for them.
"I just love seeing the students be successful, I just love watching them work together, and challenge each other."
Aboriginal Community Education Officer, Robbie Young, said it was an achievement that would fill the students with confidence as they embarked upon high school next year.
"So it's something we're really proud of."
And of course, so are the students.
"I was speechless, I couldn't believe it," Kyamma said.
"When I heard we won, I was excited and proud and happy," Talieya said.
