Turning dreams into reality takes time, grit, skill, and a supportive team and environment who whole heartedly support you. At QAHS, we recognise that all of our students are highly capable. Our learners are students who have high levels of natural abilities with a record of strong academic performance who are motivated to learn.
As part of the 2025 Gifted Awareness Week, we were able to celebrate what it meant to turn the original ideas and policy of Education Queensland into practice by exploring how dreams become reality at QAHS. We celebrated the vision that led to the creation of the Queensland Academies—schools designed specifically for gifted and highly capable learners.
Students challenged each other to fold the best paper plane, with the winning plan flying 28meters. Students understood that folding planes was more than just play—it's an expression of the traits that research identifies in gifted learners. Folding planes requires spatial reasoning, iterative thinking, and precision—skills linked to the analytical and creative problem-solving strengths.
Students also got involved in creating their dream locations with LEGO. Students showcased the intensity, complexity, and originality that often characterise gifted learners while building with LEGO. Unlike structured activities, LEGO play offers a platform for open-ended exploration—something gifted students thrive on due to their preference for complexity and depth.
Finally, QAHS spent the Friday sharing time with our community, turning the dream of an inclusive learning environment—where like-minded learners engage, collaborate, and unlock their potential—into a living, breathing reality. Students joined together in the annual Health and Wellbeing Committee picnic through the heart of the school. Taking time to relax and enjoy friendships in this way is especially important before high-pressure periods such as exams, as social connection supports emotional wellbeing, reduces stress, and improves focus.
The 2025 Gifted Awareness Week celebrations allowed our community to take a moment to share in each-others gifts, collaborate on tasks to create joy, and to spend time celebrating the unique environment we've all dreamed to be part of.
Tammie Gilbert
HOD Contemporary Teaching and Learning