Have you ever thought about how cheese gets made? Nambour State College Pinnacle STEM students have. As part of their Pinnacle STEM (innovation and cultivation) program, Year 7 students learnt the intricate process of making soft cheeses and spent two full days in the College’s professional catering kitchen putting their skills into action. 

“We started by heating non-homogenised milk to a key temperature and adding a starter culture,” explained Year 7 Pinnacle student Iris. “Then we followed a process of rocking for the next several hours.” 

The group successfully ripened their first batch of camembert cheese in July under the tutelage of Agriculture teachers and trained cheesemakers Ms Yvette O’Neil and Mr Sam Wills, and operated at food production and hygiene levels thanks to the skills of Hospitality teacher Mr Rob Branch. 

“The practice cheese was really good,” said Iris, after students enjoyed a taste with some crackers. Pinnacle student Thomas said: “the best bit was getting to do cheesemaking with my friends and the most interesting part was the strong smell the cheese gave off as it started to ripen.” 

Classmate Tori, loved “Mr Branch playing ‘Rock-a-bye Baby’ every time we had to rock the cheese which made everyone laugh and the day even more fun.” 

The most recent batch of student-made cheese is currently wrapped and ripening under controlled conditions in the College’s hospitality block. 

This batch will be entered into the RNA Ekka’s Official Student Cheesemaking competition where the Pinnacle Innovator’s cheese will be judged against other bries and camemberts from across the region. 

About the Program

The Nambour State College Pinnacle Program has several passion areas including innovation, cultivation (farm focus), sports, creativity and leadership. 

Pinnacle students are placed into classes with like-minded peers and have learning and enrichment experiences themed around their passion area. 

If your child would like to experience cheese making, or any immersive experience in the other passion areas, find the Pinnacle Program application on the Nambour State College website: namboursc.eq.edu.au.