Every week at St. Monica School, curiosity fills the room as a group of students gathers for the STEM for Girls Club. Tables are covered with circuits, coding cards and colourful robots. The air hums with excitement as students test new ideas, troubleshoot designs and cheer when a robot finally completes its course. It’s a space alive with creativity, teamwork, and discovery, where students learn that STEM is not just about science and technology, but also about confidence, connection, and imagination.
Encouraging Girls to Explore and Lead
The club was created to provide girls with a space where they can explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in a supportive and empowering environment. Through a partnership with Virtual Ventures at Carleton University, a facilitator visits weekly to lead engaging sessions that invite students to experiment, collaborate and solve problems together.
Each meeting combines inquiry-based learning and hands-on activities, core elements of the OCSB’s Deep Learning approach, which emphasizes developing competencies such as collaboration and critical thinking. The club’s activities encourage girls to take risks, ask questions and see mistakes as opportunities to learn, building skills that reach far beyond the classroom.
Hands-On Learning with Real Tools
Students use LEGO Spike to design and program robots that move, react and respond to sensors, giving them an understanding of how coding connects to problem-solving. With Sphero Minis and Sphero Indies, they learn to code through play—guiding small spherical robots across obstacle courses while mastering logic and cause-and-effect.
On laptops, the group experiments with Scratch, a beginner-friendly coding platform that lets them bring stories and games to life.
Building Belonging and Confidence
The STEM for Girls Club is helping students see themselves as capable, creative thinkers who truly belong in STEM. While many girls enjoy these subjects, they don’t always feel confident taking part or pursuing those interests further.
Across Canada, there’s still a noticeable gap between girls and boys when it comes to studying STEM subjects after high school. In fact, women are about 30 percent less likely than men to enrol in postsecondary STEM programs. Statistics Canada research says this gap isn’t about ability. It’s often linked to a lack of role models, lower confidence, and long-standing social expectations.
At St. Monica School, the STEM for Girls Club is helping to change that story. It provides girls with a welcoming space to explore, experiment, and share ideas together. By focusing on curiosity, teamwork and creativity, the club helps each student see that she belongs in STEM and has something valuable to contribute.
Teacher Anita Badoux, who supports the program, has seen firsthand how students have grown through the experience.
“The girls are deeply engaged. They’re building, coding, problem-solving and collaborating every session,” she shared. “They’re learning that they can figure things out, work together and have their voices heard.”
Shaping Future Leaders
The learning happening in the STEM for Girls Club reflects the heart of the OCSB’s mission to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. By nurturing curiosity and resilience through Deep Learning, students are building the skills they need to become compassionate citizens and creative thinkers.
At St. Monica School, these young innovators are not just learning how to code. They’re learning how to think critically, collaborate meaningfully and believe in what they can achieve. Every session is a step toward the future they are already helping to shape.
