The Let’s Talk Science Challenge is a great opportunity to learn about science and math, says Luca Quenneville, but what he really appreciated was the chance to engage with classmates.

“I thought the team-building challenges were great,” says the grade 8 student from Kingsville’s St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic Elementary School. “We all worked together to get the answers.”

Quenneville and his teammates were among more than 100 senior students from Windsor-Essex grade schools on campus Friday to participate in the event, staged by UWindsor student volunteers, faculty and staff as part of the national outreach program. Teams must apply their knowledge and problem-solving skills in a series of contests, from a trivia quiz to a design competition.

His teacher, Connie Hillman, says it’s important for her students to engage in competition besides athletics.

“They come in and have practical ways to experiences science,” she says. “There is no one right answer, so it builds their confidence.”

This is her third time bringing grade 7 and 8 students to the annual event, and each year, interest has grown.

“I started out with one team of four and this year, we had four teams,” Hillman says. “It has been fantastic.”

One of her teams took a silver medal and the spirit award in the competition, which was won by a squad from Academie Ste. Cecile. A team from Lakeshore Discovery took third place honours.