Markham schools place at YRDSB astronomy fair

Markville and Markham District students place at board's first astronomy fair

Twelve teams of York Region public high school students designed rovers for one of Saturn's moons. Two Markham schools took second and third place.

By Markham Voice Staff

February 25, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. · 2 min read

Two Markham high schools finished on the podium at a new York Region District School Board competition that asked students to design a rover for a moon of Saturn.

Markville Secondary School placed second and Markham District High School placed third at the 2026 Astronomy Fair, the board said on Feb. 25. Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School took first place.

A mission to Enceladus

The fair was hosted by the student Astronomy Council at Alexander Mackenzie High School in Richmond Hill and drew 12 teams of secondary students from across the board.

Each team had to research, design and pitch a rover able to survive conditions on Enceladus, a small, ice-covered moon of Saturn about 1.2 billion kilometres from Earth.

The board said the event was built to mirror how a professional space agency works rather than a typical science fair. Students split into specialized roles covering engineering, logistics, design and communications. Teams then presented their designs, and in some cases working prototypes, to a judging panel that included astronomers, biophysicists, educators and researchers.

Participants also took part in hands-on workshops with Ontario Tech University and the SkyLab at the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, and toured the observatory.

Because every team member held a defined job, the board said, students had to work together to complete the mission, from the engineering of the rover to how the idea was pitched to the judges.

A first for the board

Organizers described it as the first event of its kind with astronomy as its theme. Benjamin Law, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme co-ordinator at Alexander Mackenzie, said in the board's announcement that many students have a strong interest in space and science, and that the fair could open doors for more students to take part in the future.