Excellence in Geography This term Second Year pupils have been studying the impact of plastic on the environment. This included a ‘taste challenge’ to determine if tap water was better or worse than bottled water and if we could actually tell the difference. Pupils were then asked to write a response to the question ‘Is it time to admit that bottled water is a fad and that we should go back to the tap?’. We received many excellent examples of extended writing but the work of Niamh Cafferty was considered to be truly outstanding and a great example to other pupils of what they should be aspiring to. Niamh was subsequently awarded a Head of Department Award for Excellence in Geography.
Big Bang
This year, the Competition Final took place at the NEC in Birmingham between 13-15 March, and offered opportunities for
more young people than ever to showcase their STEM projects and recognise and reward their achievements. On the first day, 22,000 people attended the Big Bang Fair at the NEC and there were many companies such as GSK, Siemens, etc. who were there to promote STEM. One of our CREST groups was selected for the final and worked incredibly hard to produce a display to showcase the students’ work. The group consisted of Upper Sixth
students Jakevir Shoker, Daniel Smith, Lewis Coleman and Leshanth Uthayanan and their project was titled ‘Investigating RAFT and CROP Polymerisation and their applications’. Unfortunately, the group did not receive any prizes, but all finalists were awarded a medal. The group also managed a photo with TV presenter Maddie Moate and with members of The Royal Institution, which is an independent charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science.
“ One of our CREST groups was selected for the final and worked incredibly hard
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the LION
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The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Competition aims to recognise and reward young people’s achievements in all areas of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and provide them with the opportunity to build their skills and confidence in projectbased work.