Click here for Cloncurry SS P-12 Cannington mine tour photos

Click here for photos of the water workshop at St Joseph’s Catholic School.

It was a resourceful couple of days to end the school term for two Cloncurry schools participating in a mine site tour and a science workshop delivered by South32 in partnership with the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

Last week school hats were swapped for hard hats by a group of Year 11 and 12 Cloncurry State School P-12 students and their teachers, for a site tour of the South32 Cannington mine operations.

Cloncurry State School P-12 Principal, Kylie Barrett, said the site tour of Cannington mine was a wonderful opportunity to bring the periodic table to life.

“The students were fascinated to see how critical minerals are discovered, mined and processed,” said Ms Barrett.

“Classroom lessons about minerals and metals gain a whole new meaning when students see how they are processed and the many roles involved in a successful mining operation,” she said.

“The experience has given them plenty of career inspiration as well.”

“The site tour was also valuable for our teachers as it gave them great insights into the resources industry which is a major part of our community.”

During the day students also learnt more about the professional and trade roles involved in mining operations and the future skills required to support the industry into the future.”

It wasn’t just the older students exploring the resources sector, with Year 7 students from St Joseph’s Primary School joining Cloncurry SHS students for a water management workshop last Wednesday.

Jen Hoyle, from the QMEA, said the Water – Yours, Ours and Mine workshop explored all aspects of water management through practical experiments.

“QMEA educators explained the importance of maintaining water quality in a mining environment, giving the filtration and turbidity experiments greater meaning to the students,” said Ms Hoyle.

“By partnering with South32 to deliver these educational experiences to Cloncurry schools we aim to give their school lessons a local context that will have real meaning for the students and give them new knowledge about the resources industry in their community.”