Contributed to by Year 9
It has been a spectacular week for our students and the Science Department as we celebrated British Science Week – a week full of opportunities that are interactive and informative!
Throughout the week, students were able to enjoy a myriad of interesting and engaging activities! During lunchtimes, students and staff were able to have a more relaxed approach to gaining scientific knowledge with the ‘Science Cinema’ in the Main Hall, where a science documentary was screened. It was fascinating to learn more about our planet and space as we watched Frozen Planet by Sir David Attenborough and Universe – Black Holes: Heart of Darkness by Professor Brian Cox, to name a few.
“On the 16th of March at lunch, we got to watch an old lecture by Professor Brian Cox. We learned about the origins of the universe as well as the scale on which the known universe exists. As well as hearing about red shift and how we can essentially prove that the Big Bang happened, we also got to listen to him geek out over Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy while learning about the Hubble Constant. Overall, although the information was a lot to take in, we learnt a lot and we all enjoyed Ms. Whittington’s helpful commentary about Brian Cox’s old profession as the ‘pretty boy’ member of multiple boy bands.” – Ally and Tessa (Year 10)
Early on in the week, a poster competition for Years 7 & 8 was launched (and we can’t wait to share these wonderful artworks with you!) as well as a poetry competition for all year groups, both on the topic of ‘Growth’. Moreover, Years 7 & 8 grew some truly colourful crystals during Wednesday lunchtime to create their own ‘crystal garden’!
The highlight of the week, without a doubt, occurred yesterday, when students took part in a fascinating and explosive-filled day about rockets! Bangs and blasts could be heard from the Main Hall as Senior and Prep School students attended a whizz-bang talk and experiment show about rocket propulsion.
A towering prototype of the Skybolt 2 research rocket, which stands just under 9 metres (30 feet) tall, was propped right by the sunflower and greeted students and staff as they entered the school. The actual rocket was flown on September 11th 2017 but it is now decommissioned. More excitingly, Year 9s took part in a rocket-making workshop led by the company Starchaser, making their own (and rather artistic) models of the Skybolt 2 and then launching them in the school field!
Some of our Year 9s commented:
“We made our own rockets based on real blueprints for rockets, and got to launch them in the sports field. It was a really exciting experience and we all had great fun. We were very privileged to see the 9m rocket that Starchaser brought in for us to see. We were amazed to find out that it had been to space to take scientific readings, and could travel 5 times the speed of sound. We enjoyed a heated competition to build a replica of the Skybolt rocket. From minion-balloon-rockets to Lord of the Rings-themed starships, the designs were all very creative and exciting.”
“How the rocket launch evolved step by step after loads of explosions was fascinating.”
“Rocket building was fantastic because I love crafting and making things.”
“It was great to use lots of different materials to make our own artist’s impressions of a rocket.”
“I found the rocket launching process incredibly fun and interesting, and I think it was a really good experience. I would definitely recommend for other years! Thank you very much for organising this!”
“We really liked rocket day. We didn’t expect such a good programme of activities. The 9m rocket was really cool and it’s crazy to know that it went into space. The rocket launching went much higher than we thought they would, and the propulsion talk was interesting. Thank you.”
“I found launching the rocket very fun, I found it very interesting as well, it was very fun to make, I would definitely do this activity again, I loved decorating and building the rocket too. My thoughts on today are very positive and I would recommend it to the next year 9s. Thank you so much for this great day!”
