Blackfriars Priory school opens Aquinas Centre for STEM

Boys at an inner suburbs school can test their skills at a brand new science and technology centre.

Blackfriars Priory Shool students Lewis Saint,17, Alex, 7, and Cory,14, in their new STEM centre. Picture: Mark Brake

Robots are coming alive in a new home at Blackfriars Priory School in Prospect.

The school’s $8.2m science, technology, engineering and maths centre has completed in time for the start of this school year.

Named the Aquinas Centre, it will feature science laboratories, tutorial-style rooms, an open-plan “learning commons”, traditional classrooms and teacher workspaces for individual and collaborative planning. It will be equipped for remote learning options.

Year 12 student and school captain Lewis Saint said he and his friends had watched with anticipation as building works progressed last year.

“The facilities, especially in the science and robotics labs, are amazing,” he said.

“It feels more like a college campus than your average school building.”

Fellow student Alex, 7, said he liked the big TVs and all the robot equipment.

“It’s going to make my lessons interesting and fun,” he said.

Fully financed by the school, it is the first major building development on the site for 40 years.

“It’s a real step forward for the school,” Blackfriars principal Simon Cobiac said.

“It’s a strong statement about having a vision for the future.

“While research suggests the most important factor in effective education is the work of educators themselves, appropriate environments play a significant role in supporting their efforts, especially when it comes to promoting self-directed investigatory learning.”

The centre will be open for the school community to inspect on Thursday night ahead of its official opening on Friday by Catholic Archbishop Patrick O’Regan.

The Aquinas Centre was designed by Adelaide-based Swanbury Penglase and built by Partek Construction & Interiors.

Blackfriars, which was founded by the Dominican order, opened in 1953.