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Thirteen students from SEK-Catalunya—nine girls and four boys—took part in the 9th NASA Space Center Stage, representing SEK Education Institution in the competition organised by the US space agency. This year’s event was held from 8 to 12 December in Houston, United States, and also brought together students from an international school in Melbourne, Australia, as well as participants from Ohio, USA.
In this edition, the students were divided into 15 different teams. One of the Spanish teams, made up of María García, Rostyslav Zhadan and Sara Lin, three students from SEK-Catalunya, achieved second prize in the Stage, while one of the Australian teams secured first place.
The 13 SEK students competed at a very high level in an environment of strong technical and scientific demands, demonstrating the International Baccalaureate learner profile as inquirers, communicators, reflective, balanced and well-organised individuals, among many other attributes. NASA awarded all participants a certificate of participation, while the teams that reached the podium also received commemorative medals, further enriching their academic records.
The trip was complemented by a wide-ranging educational programme, including visits to the Science National Museum of Houston, the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, the Tex-Mex town of Alvin, Texas, and the southern region of Texas, where the students visited a US Navy military base and the US federal petroleum reserves. The group also toured the campus of Rice University in Houston, the Houston Medical Center at the University of Texas, and the historic district of Galveston, which was hosting the “Dickens on the Strand” festival at the time.
The activity was organised and accompanied by Sarah May and David Delgado, teachers at SEK-Catalunya. Both the participating students and their families expressed great satisfaction with the experience and the exceptional educational opportunity provided by this trip.
