THE LONG-STANDING proverb that “it takes a village to raise a child” remains relevant, possibly even crucial today, seeing that social media and the Internet may increasingly encourage polarisation of ideas. In school, international mindedness and community support act as vital—and often invisible—threads, weaving well-rounded students. This insight is what drives Tenby Schools to offer its students more than just learning, it fosters community building.

Every year, in the northern part of Penang island, Tenby Schools hosts a lively festival named the STEAM Fest to promote the second wave of STEM education, as mentioned in the Malaysia Education Blueprint. The term STEM, founded in the early 1990s, later evolved in the US in the mid-2000s to include A for Art, hence the acronym STEAM. Already in its fourth consecutive year, the STEAM Fest is open to the community, and promises discovery-based learning, memorable experiences and tonnes of fun.

STEAM and UN SDGS

In Tenby, STEAM doesn’t function like regular subjects, taking up two or three hours of a student’s weekly timetable. It is a learning framework that underpins every subject, guiding the learning goals and content. It is a multifaceted approach that often combines the skills and disciplines of different subjects. STEAM brings together Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics to create holistic learning experiences that mimic reality in the world beyond their classroom: always complex, rarely in silos and never in black and white.

Tenby heavily emphasises five important competencies in their students: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, character and community. STEAM and these 5Cs work hand-in-hand to equip students with the skills and mindset needed, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals provide meaningful, real-world contexts. Together, they empower learners to solve real-world problems. This is reflected in many hands-on activities conducted during STEAM Fest.

Last year, the school launched the STEAM Engine—an impressive three-storey building on the Penang campus. With rooms dedicated to robotics, XR labs (Extended Reality), culinary arts, drama and music, the space often teems with Tenby students working on various projects. “The STEAM Engine’s launch underscores our mission to provide a holistic education that is both inclusive and forward-thinking,” explains Jeanne Denyer, Campus Principal of Tenby Schools Penang.

When asked about their thoughts on the new 75,000ft² building, Tenby student, Qandra writes in response: “I feel so happy in the STEAM Engine. It is full of laughter, fun, respect and kindness.” Parents of students seem to feel the same; they frequent The Engine Room—a café serving coffee and brunch delights—making friends with other parents.

The School and Its Surroundings

This year, on 26 April 2025, over 800 people poured into the school to participate in the festival. Across the campus, various STEAM activities took place, echoing the vibrant atmosphere of a regular day at Tenby.

“The main objective is to raise awareness about STEAM and create intrinsic motivation among younger minds. We want them to take the STEAM pathway in their lives and understand the important role they can play as a member of society,” says Sathisha Goonasakaran, the STEAM Lead at Tenby.

In one corner, Tenby students performed an interactive street drama with a twist: “Aladdin and Jasmine”—but highlighting the harsh truths of social inequality (UN SDG 10). In another, students learned about the impact of fast fashion and took on the role of designers at the Makerspace, stitching blankets from recycled fabrics for an animal shelter (UN SDGs 11 and 15).

Many explored augmented reality through designing a unique piece of furniture for their classroom, and by using the green screen in the XR lab where students took on the role of newscasters. Harry Potter fans had special treat given to them by the Tenby School Parents Association; participants wore VR goggles to explore the world of Harry Potter while learning about our fivelife competencies. May from Year 5 writes that the activities during the STEAM Fest were “all challenging in a good way, and tested our creativity and collaboration with others. I liked the robotics and cooking challenges in particular because I get to work with my friends to complete the activities.”

There were also workshops on integrating gamification in financial literacy, making money matters fun and engaging even to younger students. While one group of students delved into how bacteriophages work as an alternative to antibiotics (UN SDG 3), another learned to cook while adopting zero-waste principles (UN SDG 12).

All these activities are not just fun and games. As Sennen, a Tenby student expresses it: “The STEAM Fest has encouraged me to think about STEAM in my career.”

Making Learning Stick

The event was made possible by Tenby’s many strong partnerships with TechDome, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), AIMST University, INTI College, SEAMEO RECSAM, The One Academy, Cytron, Walnut Academy, Gleneagles Hospital Penang, Cezar’s Kitchen, Switch Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia, University of Southampton Malaysia, Beacon Mart and Viatris. “These partnerships provide our students with meaningful opportunities to engage in new experiences, making their learning relevant and engaging—making learning stick,” said Denyer.

The institution has also decided to make STEAM learning experiences accessible to the community at no charge. “We may be an international school, but we are still in the local community, and we want to support the community we’re in,” Sathisha adds.

The STEAM Fest is held to inspire teachers and school leaders, empowering them to champion STEAM learning. At Tenby, they are not gatekeeping knowledge, they want to see more schools investing in STEAM so that together, schools can actively and effectively shape Penang’s future generation.

Tenby’s commitment to STEAM for the broader Penang community is what motivates them to organise the yearly STEAM Fest, so that the public can come and experience it themselves.