PRIMARY SCHOOL FROM HELMOND WINS PSV BRAINPORT SCHOOL CHALLENGE

PRIMARY SCHOOL FROM HELMOND WINS PSV BRAINPORT SCHOOL CHALLENGE

Group 6 of IKC Trudo from Helmond has won the PSV Brainport School Challenge. The PSV Brainport School Challenge is an initiative of the companies in the Brainport Eindhoven partnership and PSV. The goal of the School Challenge is to introduce children from the 6th grade of primary schools in the region to technology and the world of top-class sport in a new way. In total, ten primary schools participated.

A football club of the future
On the 2nd of June, during the digital final day, teacher Lieke and her pupils were ‘surprised’ by PSV mascot Phoxy, who came to present them with a cheque. The participants were challenged to think about the football club of the future. They did so on the basis of five themes: energy, health, safety, food and mobility. The pupils worked in groups. They dealt with questions such as: what will PSV look like in 2030? How do you design a stadium without doors? And: do all the fans of the club live healthy lives? It turned out that the creativity in the region is in good shape. The students came up with very innovative ideas. From a stadium with a retractable solar panel roof to football shirts with built-in fans.

Final day
During the digital final day, numerous ideas were discussed. A live broadcast took place from the Philips Stadium, which was followed attentively in the classrooms. A video call was made with one of the participating classes regularly. This way, students could explain their ideas. The warm-up and rest were all about movement. There was plenty of dancing and moving during a performance by De Alpenzusjes.

Perfect score
Towards the end of the morning, the excitement among the pupils increased. Finally, Peter Fossen took the floor. On behalf of the jury, the PSV board member explained why the class of teacher Lieke had won. “You have achieved a perfect score on the safety aspect. The tube to escort supporters who are not allowed inside is really brilliant. We are going to investigate whether it can be made immediately.” The jury was also enthusiastic about the ideas for healthy 3D-printed food. “And then also a cool limousine that the players definitely want to sit in. You are a deserved winner.”

Training
This edition, a total of 10 selected primary schools participated. They form a mix of various educational institutions and forms of education from the region. Next year, the project will be expanded to include groups 6 and 7 of primary schools. Groups 8 will follow later. With the School Challenge, the Brainport partners want to prepare primary school children for the jobs of the future. The emphasis of the programme is on stimulating 21st century skills such as cooperation, research, design and creativity. These skills are necessary to prepare children for the wide range of studying and working opportunities in the constantly changing world of technology.