Leitrim and Westmeath schools reach finals of Minecraft-powered competition
St Hugh’s National School from Leitrim and Moyvore Primary School from Westmeath have made it to the All-Ireland final of Ireland’s first national digital skills competition, Ireland’s Future is Mine.
Delivered through a collaboration between Microsoft Ireland and RTÉjr, the competition challenges students to think creatively, collaborate and problem-solve as they re-imagine their communities and shape Ireland’s sustainable future through the world of Minecraft.
First announced in September, the Ireland’s Future is Mine digital skills competition challenges primary school students in both Ireland and Northern Ireland to use Minecraft: Education Edition to build critical 21st century skills by exploring fun challenges such as building their own NASA rover and coding their very own polar ice hut.
These challenges are aligned to curricula covering subjects from English and Maths to Science, Geography and SPHE.
Delivered by Microsoft Ireland’s Dream Space teachers on Dream Space TV in collaboration with RTEjr, the lessons are designed both to support teachers to deliver digital learning experiences in the classroom and inspire students to think creatively and encourage them to explore the possibilities within STEM now and into the future.
Having successfully progressed through the semifinals, St Hugh’s National School and Moyvore Primary School will now compete in the All-Ireland final, which will be televised in June in a never-before-seen e-sports-style exclusive programme.
James O’Connor, vice president of Microsoft International Operations said: “At Microsoft, we’re passionate about ensuring students are given the opportunity to develop the essential skills that are required to fully participate in our increasingly digital economy and society. The ‘Ireland’s Future is Mine’ digital skills competition is designed to do just that while encouraging students to have fun, think creatively and re-imagine a more sustainable future for the communities they live in.
“We are so proud to see this vision realised in the form of the many innovative submissions we have received from schools around the country. I want to congratulate the Microsoft Education team and RTEjr for their passionate work in bringing this competition to life and St Hugh’s National School and Moyvore Primary School for their dedication and commitment to creating such compelling entries.”
“Congratulations to St Hugh’s National School and Moyvore Primary School for advancing to the All-Ireland final,” said Suzanne Kelly, RTÉ Group head of children’s & young people’s content. “We have been blown away by the incredible creations that have been built in primary school classrooms across the island of Ireland since September. We should take a moment to say well done and thank you to all the teachers and pupils who signed up and submitted their work. The Ireland’s Future is Mine competition has challenged primary schools across the country and provided students a fun and innovative platform by which to amaze us. We are very proud to have been there to assist them in shaping Ireland’s sustainable future with Microsoft’s Dream Space team and we can’t wait to see what innovations we’ll see next in the final.”
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