A ‘meteorite’ crash-landed at a Sydney junior school in a staged demonstration to launch National Science Week that left students stunned.
Staff and students arrived at St Pius X College last Monday where they discovered the replica extraterrestrial rock outside the primary school in Chatswood.
‘It’s not every day students arrive at school to find space debris waiting for them, and the discovery quickly became the talk of the college,’ the school wrote on its website.
Experts from GeoScience Australia and a Willoughby Fire and Rescue crew attended the school where they fielded questions from amazed students.
While the school has since confirmed the episode was simply a demonstration to mark the beginning of Science Week, the excitement felt by students was genuine.
‘The event sparked imaginative and factual writing, as well as Mathematics lessons exploring size, weight, and even possible trajectories through space,’ it wrote.
‘It was a stellar start to the week and a reminder that sometimes the best learning comes from a little bit of mystery.’
Students were pictured standing behind yellow caution tape at the scene of the impact, where hazmat-suit cladded experts tested for radiation.
Experts investigated the meteorite outside St Pius X College in Chatswood last Monday
Parents lauded the demonstration which sparked the imagination of onlooking students
St Pius X College said the meteorite quickly became the ‘talk of the college’, and and set students off asking ‘plenty of curious questions’.
Parents were equally impressed by the demonstration, heaping praise on the school and participating fire crews.
‘Wonderful way to get the student’s curiosity activated,’ one woman wrote on social media.
‘Gotta love the firies and GeoScience Australia,’ one man added.
National Science Week is an annual, themed celebration of science and technology coordinated by the Australian Science Teachers Association.
Established in 1997, the program consists of more than 2,000 events nationwide and aims to encourage interest in science among students and the general public.
The annual event is part of the Australian government’s ongoing effort to boost participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
This year’s theme was ‘Decoding the Universe’ and focused on mathematic and quantum science.
Schools, universities, libraries and museums across the country hosted week-long events involving the participation of more than three million Australians.
The Daily Mail contacted St Pius X College for comment.
