Empowering Students Through Robotics, STEAM, and Personalized Learning at Carmel School

Edarabia had the opportunity to interview Principal Rachel Friedmann of Carmel School Hong Kong, a leading STEAM school in the region. Principal Friedmann shared her insights on the school’s academic focus, challenges in education, student engagement, inclusivity, well-being, career preparation, parental involvement, teacher development, and leadership opportunities. She also highlighted the impact of their Robotics program and offered her definition of success and a sentence to inspire the world.

1. What are your plans for 2025?

Carmel School is the STEAM school of Hong Kong. This year we are emphasising Entrepreneurial Innovation under the STEAM umbrella, including our successful Plastic Upcycling programme, whole school STEAM Week, and our recent achievement of making it to the FIRST Robotics World Championships last year.

2. How do you decide what to focus on academically each year, and which new ideas are you pursuing?

Each year Carmel cultivates academic engagement through extending student interest within and outside of the classroom. As an adaptive school focused on 21st century learning, academic themes revolve around STEAM and interdisciplinary learning.

3. What challenges do you anticipate in the field of education over the next 5 years?

The future workforce will demand new skills, adaptability, collaboration, and digital literacy. The rise of artificial intelligence and other technologies will reshape how students learn and how teachers teach. We continually strive to prepare students for jobs that may not yet exist, while balancing traditional academic expectations and the personal aspects of learning, such as fostering empathy, integrity, and interpersonal connections.

4. How do you keep students interested in learning, especially those who struggle or seem unmotivated?

Top-calibre faculty, with state of the art facilities, and cutting edge technologies are at the core of student connection to learning and engagement. Carmel teachers connect with their students through personalised learning plans that tie their learning into real-world scenarios. Inquiry-driven learning empowers student motivation as they learn through their interests and strive for excellence.

5. How does the school ensure all students feel welcome and have the same chances to succeed?

Our teachers get to know every student personally, understanding their strengths, challenges, and interests. A supportive teacher-student relationship and high pastoral care teacher to student ratio, results in students feeling valued and understood across ability ranges, supported by adaptive teaching. With platforms such as student council, our house structure, and our mentorship programme, student agency and voice are at the forefront of our educational model. We also offer regular workshops to help parents understand the school’s values, curriculum, and how they can support their child’s learning.

6. How proactive is the school in matters of student stress and bullying?

As a faith-based school, everything revolves around wellbeing and caring for each other and those less privileged. On top of that, a strong pastoral care programme with an emphasis on mindfulness led by a dedicated pastoral care team and a high teacher to student ratio in each grade provides a support structure for students to feel safe and able to share concerns and ask for help where needed.

7. How do you help students build the skills they need for life after graduation?

Through a bespoke and highly personalised delivery of the IB programme, hand-in-hand with a strong focus on personal wellbeing. We emphasize teaching each student how to critically evaluate online information, practice cybersecurity, and use technology responsibly, including offering coding, robotics, and data analysis to prepare students for careers in technology-driven industries. We provide a lot of opportunities for students to explore different career paths through personality or aptitude tests and career fairs.

8. How involved are parents and the community in making the school better?

We are a community school at our core. Our parents have a very close supportive relationship with the school, represented by a very active PTA, with PTA representation on the school Board. The PTA meets with the heads of schools monthly, supports curricular and cocurricular activities, and initiates plans and carries out multiple varied events for students as well as the community at large throughout the school year.

9. How do you develop a school culture that attracts and keeps great teachers?

At Carmel we cultivate a community of care and support with strong interpersonal relationships across the school. We encourage open dialogue between leadership and staff. Regular staff meetings and informal check-ins ensure that teachers feel heard and valued, as does an open door to the Principal. Along with an active social calendar, these are all contributing factors to our warm and supportive professional setting.

Carmel provides extended access to and support of professional advancement and personal growth, through formal and personalised opportunities such as workshops, training, and conferences that align with teachers’ professional goals and interests. The school supports certifications like Master’s degrees as well as IB PYP, MYP, and DP training workshops and certifications.

10. Do teachers at your school have growth opportunities for leadership roles?

I feel we are exceptional in this respect. As a small school with high level faculty, we provide pathways for talented teachers to progress their careers to middle and higher management, fast-tracked through personal professional development from the Principal as well as opportunities to step up and showcase their own skills and thereby take on more areas of responsibility.

11. Which after-school activity would you say has the biggest positive impact on a student’s future?

Our Robotics programme, hand in hand with the other school-wide STEAM programmes: whether you are an engineer, a coder, or a budding marketing specialist, students get to explore their interests in new and exciting ways outside of the normal settings. Our Robotics team members have gone on to study Engineering at top schools around the world, including at Oxford, Technion, and UCLA to name a few.

12. As a Principal, what is your definition of success?

Being able to help each student reach their full potential, find purpose in life, and meet the world head on with the tools necessary to build a future for themselves.

13. If you had the opportunity to inspire the world in one sentence, what would that sentence be?

Be the change you want to see in the world.