Cern Scholars' Magazine

Scholars' Magazine - Geneva Trip

OVERVIEW From Monday, October 16th to late Wednesday, October 8th, Mr Aaron Markar, Head of Science, along with other Ballard staff, led twenty-two pupils on the inaugural Scholars’ trip to Geneva. The purpose of this journey was to both promote and reward the values we hold dear at Ballard. Scholars who exemplified these values and successfully navigated a stringent application process were selected for the trip. Participation was not guaranteed for all scholars.

The aim was to: • To stretch and challenge pupils with opportunities to extend their learning through specially designed enrichment trips.

• To reward and encourage excellence, consistency and determination at Ballard, across all disciplines and subject areas.

• To inspire pupils to always strive for, and maintain, high standards.

• To raise the profile of excellence at Ballard.

"Geneva is a beautiful town full of culture and sights. As soon as you arrive you are surrounded with rich shops and classic fondue. Geneva is also known for its powerful water jet spewing out water for the whole day. It reaches heights of 140 meters and on average shoots 500 litres of water per second!

The shopping district near the jet is full of expensive watch shops; famous brands like Rolex, Omega and Hublot along with several others.

Additionally, Geneva is home to the United Nations Palace. This is one of the four major UN buildings in the world. Inside, large meetings are held about the world’s problems and how to solve them." Lihan, Academic Scholar

DAY 1 - Flights and Transfers It was a really early start from Ballard but pupils were eager to see the sights.

On arrival at Geneva airport, Scholars made their way to Geneva (Cornavin) Train Station prior to checking in at a Youth Hostel in Geneva.

DAY 1 - Jardin Botanique Genève

On the first day of the trip to CERN, the Ballard Scholars started with a visit to the botanical gardens, where they explored the different plant species and enjoyed a peaceful walk.

DAY 1 - History of Science Museum Later, they went to the History of Science Museum. Here, the pupils took part in interactive physics exhibits, which allowed them to learn about scientific concepts in a hands-on way.

This experience helped them see how physics is applied in real-world situations, setting the tone for their educational adventure at CERN.

DAY 2 - Cern

Day two was jam-packed with a visit to CERN, famous for the Large Hadron Collider, a 27 kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way.

DAY 2 - Cern

Our Scholars visited the museum and spoke with some of CERN’s renowned physicists.

Mr Markar was really impressed by our teams’ questions that included deep and engaging conversations with the physicists about the different theories of the origins of the universe, including the multi verse and big bang theories.

The physicists said that language is the barrier to many of these concepts and that maths is often the best language to explain these theories – therefore a good understanding of maths is essential.

DAY 2 - Broken Chair & UN Alley of Flags Next, our intrepid Scholars visited the UN HQ, and its Alley of Flags and the Broken Chair sculpture, which is 12m high and made from 55 tons of wood. The chair, with its broken leg, symbolises opposition to land mines and cluster bombs to visiting politicians and diplomats.

To see 195 flags flying high outside the Palais des Nations is something utterly incredible. A symbol that despite any conflict, dispute or setbacks, we are all united and will give eternal support to our allies to restore peace. Us scholars were fortunate enough to be given an insight into the dedication and effort made by those who work in such an inspiring place. Upon arriving into the building situated in Geneva, the ‘Capital of Peace’, we were escorted by welcoming tour guides on a tour of the UN." Ava, Scholar

DAY 2 - UN Palace of Nations

In the UN Palace of Nations our pupils were able to watch a live meeting and learnt about the importance of talking in person, rather than online. The UN representative argued that, without the human aspect of dialogue, it is harder for officials from different countries to pick up on issues effectively. For this reason, many diplomats are chosen because they speak many languages and won’t lose any inference in translation. On any level, just having a chat is really important and helps you learn about each other. Human interaction, whether in a school or in the highest levels of government, is the key.

The Scholars finished the day with a delicious fondue accompanied by music from an alphorn player.

DAY 3 - Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum On the final day of the trip, our Scholars visited the Red Cross Museum, which was very emotive, moving and poignant – allowing pupils and staff to reflect on how lucky we are.

Two of the more harrowing exhibits included a large wall of Polaroids, a replica of one outside a refugee camp where of all the children who have lost their parents and are seeking a relative to rescue them. Another was based on the mass graves of Kosovo, where clothes of victims were laid out for families to find their child or relative.

DAY 3 - Home & Reflections From the Red Cross Museum, Scholars took the tram to Palettes, collected their luggage from the hostel and then made their way to the airport.

"Thank you for this wonderful opportunity, one that we will always remember."

Ballard Scholars