Some Context:

I have wanted to do a sleep over in the iCentre since February 2016, and on the 8th of September this year I finally got to do it! I have been working on celebrating all things Geek with our students this year through the Geek Girl program, the goal being:

To encourage girls to embrace their talents and creativity in a safe environment, as well as exposing them to industry professionals, broadening their views on what they’re capable of, and assisting them to reach their full potential.

It’s been a fantastic year so far with fashionistas, illustrators, and animators coming in to share their experiences, as well as the process they go through each time they create something new.

For those girls that regularly attending these Geek Girl sessions, we wanted to give them the opportunity to really “Geek Out” so I combined my dream of sleeping over in the iCentre with a 24 hour Geek Out event and Geek-A-Thon was born.

Rationale:

Geek-A-Thon will be the culminating event of the Geek Girls program run by Krystal Gagen, Linda Clark, and Emma Maya, and hosted by the iCentre. The event will be invitational and focus on celebrating the success and experiences of the students that have participated in Geek Girl events throughout the year. The event will be a 24 hour event that will include guest speakers, opportunities for girls to share their “geekiness,” and for them to learn new skills and expand their thinking.

Geek-A-Thon Program:

• Introduction at 3:30pm Friday – explanation of rules and plan for the 24 hours
• Geek Out!
  • Computer circuit boards used to create sounds/lights that can change using the buttons or shaking them depending on the programming
  • Piper Raspberry Pi Computer Kit computer built by students during lunch breaks following blue prints – once built, had to finish it off by playing the game and learning how to wire the remaining buttons
• Escape Room Challenge – Rebel Revolt (ongoing throughout the 24 hours)
• Drones
  • Played with motion sensor drones + remote controlled drones
  • Design your own drone challenge
• Dinner and free dancing
• Sharing of drone designs
• Geek Out*!
  • Makeup tutorial
  • Drawing tutorial
  • Swing dance tutorial – learning the Shim Sham from Ms Maya
• Sphero races
• Movie and hot chocolates
• Bed time by 2am!
• Breakfast and free dancing
• Geek Out!
  • Public speaking tutorial
  • Music showcase
    • Guitar sing-a-long
    • Cello recital
• 3D Printing with Steph Piper of PIPER3DP
• Lunch and movie
• Pickup by 3:30pm Saturday!

*Geek Out sessions designed for students to share the geeky thing that they are particularly passionate about.

Thoughts:

This event was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was so nice to see students from different year levels working together to explore the possibilities of technology, have in depth discussions about the process of creating or using something new, and have lots of fun along the way. Every student that attended Geek-A-Thon walked away with new ideas, thoughts, and questions, and all said they had lots of fun and were begging to do it again next year. The most beautiful thing about the event, in my opinion, was watching the relationships between our Geek Girls grow stronger and the sense of community  that was established was really special.

A big thank you to my colleagues Linda Clark and Emma Maya for you support throughout Geek Girls, and to Helen Stower for enabling me to try these sorts of events.

Photo Gallery on iCentre Website