The Faculty of Science
I
n writing this introduction to the Science Faculty, some quotes came to mind as being particularly apt. You may recognise some of them. “Nobody told me there’d be days like these, strange days indeed “ What a year that was! As with the previous year, 202021 was a unique and challenging year for the Science Faculty, and once again our staff and students rose to all the challenges thrown at them throughout the year. “I can be a better me than anyone else.” As ever, in Science our aim is to be a true learning community and we all strive to communicate this love of learning to our students. Opportunities for out of school learning are actively promoted and we make a point of mentioning interesting developments and new ideas to students. “We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.” After a supreme effort by the students, the public examination results achieved by Years 11 and 13 were again outstanding. Wonderful results all round. Congratulations to all our students on those outstanding achievements. The students adapted wonderfully to the challenges of bubbles, blended and remote learning and all the other many out-of-the-ordinary difficulties that the year presented. They emerged from the lockdown to sit mock and summer exams and their performance was truly remarkable. We are very fortunate to be able to teach such a motivated, inquisitive and intelligent cohort of students. We look forward to welcoming our new 6th Form students and wish all those students embarking on University courses or careers all the best for the future. “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.” Students also excelled in National Competitions and Olympiads, proving themselves capable of competing with the most able students throughout the country. As always it is incredible that so many of our students actually volunteer to sit such rigorous tests of their scientific knowledge, resilience and ability to adapt their understanding to complex situations. Their motivation
48 – Olavian 2021
and desire to overcome ridiculously difficult problems is inspirational. “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” Academic success is only one part of the work of the Faculty, with many clubs and societies thriving in the department. The quality of presentations given at clubs such as Natural Sciences Society, Physics and Engineering Society, Medics Society and Chemistry Society is astonishing, as is the breadth of topics covered. Lower School students have their own clubs (CREST Club, Junior Natural Sciences Society, Junior Chemistry Society) which encourage them to try out experiments that go above and beyond the curriculum. Many of the societies produce high quality journals, and are beautifully written and presented. The ingenuity and enthusiasm of the students during school closure meant that many of the clubs and societies continued to run remotely. It was great to witness the determination and resilience that the students displayed at a very difficult time. “Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.” Although I do not usually mention the staff, other than to thank everyone, or mention those who are leaving the department, they really do deserve special mention this year. We have all had to adapt to teaching Science outside labs and without practicals (one of the key aspects in furthering understanding of the subject). As an example, Sixth Form students were given the opportunity to carry out the experiments they required to meet the requirements of their courses. Keeping everyone safe was a huge logistical effort, and was a very successful aspect of the year. Ms Marwood and Mrs Johnson and our amazing team of technicians did a fantastic job in co-ordinating the whole process for their respective departments. “ You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.” Staff also adapted their teaching during lockdown, providing exciting on-line lessons and giving the students the opportunity to continue to progress. An INSET in January on ‘Teaching in the Online Classroom’ provided lots of new ideas and they were rapidly deployed to great
