CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

From Learning to Leading: IGS Students Turn STEM Education into Innovation

GlobalGiving Quarterly Project Report

Ibadan Grammar School Old Students’ Association of North America (IGSOSANA)

This quarter brought exciting evidence of what sustained investment in young people can accomplish. Through our continued support for STEM and STEAM education at Ibadan Grammar School, students are moving beyond learning concepts in the classroom to applying their knowledge, competing with their peers, developing innovative solutions to real-world problems, and being recognized for excellence.

Three areas were particularly significant this quarter: the continued growth of our STEM Clubs, the students’ outstanding performance in a major STEM competition, and the recognition of student achievement through the STEAM Awards.

STEM Clubs: Building Skills Beyond the Classroom

Our STEM Clubs continue to provide students with opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, and innovation beyond the traditional classroom.

Through practical activities, students are developing skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, engineering design, technology, and creativity. The clubs provide a space where students can experiment, ask questions, build, make mistakes, improve their ideas, and discover abilities they may never have known they possessed.

The Engineering and technology-focused clubs have become particularly important platforms for translating classroom knowledge into practical skills. Students are learning that technology is not something they can only consume. They can also create, design, and use it to address problems within their own communities.

This quarter, we saw compelling evidence of the value of this investment.

Golden Phoenix Takes Second Place in Major STEM Competition

A five-student team from Ibadan Grammar School, known as Golden Phoenix, represented the school in a STEM competition organized by OPSAM Education Foundation in collaboration with The University of Alabama, USA.

The competition, which ran from February through May 2026, challenged students to examine Nigeria's transportation system, using Ibadan as a case study, and develop innovative solutions around the ACES² theme: Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared and Safe transportation.

The competition brought together 33 schools from six Local Government Areas, more than 250 students, and over 33 coaches and teachers.

Supported by three IGS STEM Coordinators, the five-member Golden Phoenix team was challenged to use critical thinking, engineering, creativity, design, teamwork, and problem-solving skills to develop a model using locally available materials.

Their solution was ambitious:

SmartRide Ibadan: Autonomous Electric Shuttle Network

The students designed a concept for an autonomous electric shuttle network that would use technology and artificial intelligence to address some of the transportation challenges experienced in Ibadan, including traffic congestion, pollution, safety concerns, high transportation costs, and excessive travel time.

What makes this achievement especially meaningful is that these young students were not simply asked to identify problems. They were challenged to imagine themselves as engineers, innovators, and problem-solvers capable of designing solutions for their city and their country.

Their project progressed through different stages and categories and was evaluated by a panel of eight judges from Nigeria and the United States.

The result was outstanding.

Golden Phoenix placed second overall with an impressive score of 97.5 points. The team also received a Special Recognition Award for the Most Innovative Solution Idea.

For us, this achievement represents far more than a trophy or competition result. It demonstrates what can happen when students are given access to the right learning opportunities, mentorship, technology, and encouragement.

Celebrating Excellence Through the STEAM Awards

This quarter also provided an opportunity to recognize and celebrate students who have distinguished themselves through participation and achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.

The STEAM Awards celebrate more than academic performance. They recognize curiosity, creativity, innovation, perseverance, teamwork, and the willingness to explore new ideas.

Recognition matters, particularly for young people. When students see their work celebrated, it reinforces the message that their ideas have value and that excellence is worth pursuing. It also inspires other students to participate in STEM and STEAM activities and challenges them to discover what they, too, can accomplish.

The awards therefore form an important part of the broader ecosystem we are building at Ibadan Grammar School, one where students are encouraged not simply to pass examinations, but to think, create, innovate, and lead.

Your Support Is Creating Real Opportunities

The success of Golden Phoenix provides a wonderful example of the long-term vision behind IGSOSANA's investment in STEM education at Ibadan Grammar School.

Programs like these require instructors, training, equipment, materials, technology, coordination, and committed mentors. Through the generosity of our GlobalGiving donors and other supporters, we are able to continue creating opportunities that many students might otherwise never experience.

We extend special appreciation to STEMWonders and the IGS STEM Coordinators for their dedication to teaching, training, mentoring, and guiding our students. Their work continues to translate our investment into meaningful learning experiences for the young people we serve.

Most importantly, we congratulate the five members of Golden Phoenix. Their achievement reminds us why this work matters.

A few years ago, some of these students may never have imagined designing an AI-enabled transportation solution, presenting it before judges, or competing successfully against students from dozens of schools.

Today, they can.

That is the impact of opportunity.

With the continued support of our GlobalGiving community, we hope to reach even more students, strengthen our STEM and STEAM programs, provide better tools and learning experiences, and give the next generation of Mountaineers the confidence to believe that they can help solve the problems of tomorrow.

Thank you for helping us turn potential into possibility, and possibility into achievement.