Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): Last Tuesday was International Day of Women and Girls in Science, so I visited Thornbury High with a mission to inspire some of the young women in the year 11 biology class to think about following a career in STEM. But something very different happened. It was not me inspiring the students; it was them inspiring me. Admittedly it has been some time since I donned the lab coat for my biology class, but that is not the point. The real story is the impressive work going on at Thornbury High. I met Abbey P, Rayaan K, Amelia R, Izzy B, Stephanie M, Majd A, Scarlette X and Ester W—and of course their amazing teacher Lisa Pieropan. Majd spoke of her recent trip to NASA headquarters in Florida, as one of the students to be chosen for this trip by the school, and Ms Pieropan, your passion for what you do is infectious.
Thornbury High also partner with Robogals Melbourne from Melbourne Uni to give their year 7s an intro to robotics and engineering and is one of just 13 schools in Victoria with a NexStar Evolution telescope. Right now, women make up just 27 per cent of the STEM workforce, and with the right support we can change that. Schools like Thornbury High are helping to shift the dial. Their recent VCE results speak to the quality of their STEM program and, I must add, a new STEM centre at this great school would help unlock even more of its potential.
