58 minute read
News, Events & Activities
St Peter’s Challenge
Senior Competition
The Christmas term saw the welcome return of the ever popular St Peter’s Challenge competition. Each week, pairs of Houses competed against each other, answering an array of general knowledge questions. The entire competition saw great House spirit and many impressive displays of knowledge and quick buzzer skills.
The final of the Inter-house Senior Challenge was contested by Clifton and The Grove where Clifton were victorious as Senior Challenge Champions 2017.
Enormous thanks must go to the staff who give up a great deal of their time to help with the Challenge competition. Junior Competition
The Summer Term welcomed the return of the ever popular Junior Challenge competition where every Thursday lunchtime Houses battled it out in this general knowledge quiz. This year’s final, in the last week of term, saw Clifton Vs Dronfield battle it out in the sweltering heat in a very tense and tightly fought competition. Ultimate champions were Clifton who held aloft the trophy for both the Senior and Junior competition. The team played superbly throughout the competition showing confidence alongside a superb range of knowledge from Manolo Blahnik to Colossus.
Just for fun – let’s see how you do: Who is the most commonly recognized patron saint of: (a) travellers? (b) children? (c) animals?
Whose motto is Ich Dien (‘I serve’)?
Volunteering Week
Following the successful work last year, our Fifth Form pupils returned to The Glen Respite Care Home to add a touch of colour to the premises and to weed and clear all of the detritus from a year’s weather.
The work is part of an annual volunteering initiative where our pupils spend a week working in the local community. The week is designed to provide the pupils with valuable working experience, as well as building an understanding of wider issues and contributing to the local community.
The pupils spent their time tidying and renovating, building a seaside garden, replanting herbs in the sensory garden, painting murals and so much more. For some it was the first time they’d used undiscovered woodwork skills under the guidance of our skilled estates staff who also gave their time and considerable talents.
Mr Christien Bembridge said “I was so impressed with the work ethic of all the volunteers. There wasn’t an idle moment and pupils used their initiative to make the biggest impact we could over the five days. It’s been one of my highlights of the year!”
City of York Independent/State School Partnership (ISSP) at St Peter’s, 2017-2018
York’s Independent/State School Partnership has had its busiest year yet from 2017-2018 and continues to be an example of a true partnership as it successfully offers exciting and wide ranging opportunities for secondary aged pupils in York. Staff and students from St Peter’s were heavily involved yet again this year in the plethora of events.
Miss Caron Downes taught the ever-popular ISSP Latin course to 30 pupils from schools across York. This superb venture sees ISSP offer Latin GCSE to pupils whose schools do not deliver the subject themselves. Third Form pupils are selected from the eight state schools in the ISSP to take part in the two year course, during which they learn five years of Latin in just two years and achieve a full GCSE qualification at the end of the fourth year.
The annual ISSP Masterclass programme created its most challenging and exciting programme yet. St Peter’s School continues to host the Year 9 - 10 event where classes are held over three consecutive Saturday afternoons. The event seeks to challenge interested and able pupils aged from schools across York. The question addressed through this year’s Masterclasses was ‘What is Truth?’ We had our busiest year yet with approximately 120 pupils - with the addition of a packed social get-together and tea at St
Peter’s to allow pupils to debrief, socialise and simply sit back and reflect on a superb three weeks. Thank you to all staff involved at St Peter’s in making this such a successful event.
We ended the year with an ISSP Summer School where a number of staff and pupils from St Peter’s and other schools from across York meet for four days of intense academic study – and a whole load of fun!
ISSP York goes from strength to strength each year and is invaluable in offering these great opportunities for our students, to not only develop their knowledge outside of the classroom but also in inspiring and enthusing them with the love of learning. We look forward to whatever next year may bring!
National Schools’ Challenge Competition
This general knowledge quiz competition has been running since 1978 and attracts entrants from across the UK. St Peter’s have now participated for five years and each year have progressed further and further in the competition; this was certainly our most exciting and successful year yet.
We once again played in the regional ‘round robin’ competition where we play all other schools in the region in short 20 minute rounds. St Peter’s had the pleasure of hosting this year and the competition saw a very strong St Peter’s team relatively easily beat competition from Ripon Grammar, Yarm, Queen Margaret’s and Hymers. St Peter’s were therefore crowned Regional Champions, winning the regional trophy for the third time.
We then faced Manchester Grammar School in the interregional final. Manchester Grammar had beaten us at this point the previous year and so we approached this match with some trepidation. Thankfully we were on home soil this time and after a nail-biting start the boys soared to victory winning with an outstandingly high score of 890-580, becoming the first St Peter’s team to make the final.
We therefore travelled to London, battling with the London marathon, inconveniently scheduled at the same time - to play in the finals at Westminster School. The opening quarter-final match pitted St Peter’s against a team with an illustrious history in the competition (previous champions and finalists) Hereford Cathedral School. This tense encounter finally saw the team emerge victorious 510-420. Unfortunately, even tougher competition awaited us in the semi-final in the shape of six-time champions and hosts, Westminster School. We were off to a flying start and yet, unfortunately, the Westminster team overpowered us in the second half, winning 840-550. We took some consolation from the fact that they went on to take the championship.
The team of Dan Hicks (c), Alex Phillips, David Ford and Percy Hill should feel very proud of their achievement this year and I very much look forward to what next year may bring.
Alcuin Society
2018 saw the birth of the Alcuin Society. This new society was set up for interested and intellectually curious Sixth Form pupils, with the aims to provide an opportunity to listen to talks, engage with presentations and partake in discussion with each other and our guest speakers. The society aims to broaden our understanding of the myriad ways there are to study aspects of human society and culture.
The inaugural meeting in March welcomed Dr Ailsa Mainman, Research Associate of the department of Archaeology at the University of York who came to speak to us about our namesake, ‘Alcuin of York’.
We very much look forward to further talks and opportunities in 2019.
Mr Christien Bembridge, Mrs Ella Mallard and Mr Richard Trevett
A Trip to Cambridge
A crisp day in November saw 26 pupils and three staff travel to Cambridge as part of an ‘Academic Extension’ trip. The aim of the trip was to give pupils in the Lower Sixth Form a taste of university life and a first-hand account of studying and applying to Cambridge.
Our first stop was at Murray Edwards College to chat with Admissions Tutor and History Fellow, Dr Andrew Spencer (who also visited the school later in the year to talk to pupils). This was an opportunity for pupils to ask questions and to get a better understanding of the university application process.
Another highlight of the trip was meeting up with Old Peterites currently studying at Cambridge; pupils were then whisked around on tours with these pupils and offered a candid perspective of life in Cambridge and what it is really like as an undergraduate.
My thanks, as always, go to the Old Peterites and to the staff who accompanied the trip.
Mrs Ella Mallard
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
A Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is so much more than a ‘pat on the back’ for completing a programme of activities. It is recognition of a young person’s successful journey of self-discovery and development, and is renowned by employers and universities alike for the qualities it helps young people to develop.
For many the expedition section of the award is the highlight of the DofE. Going on an expedition gives you the chance to have an adventure, work as a team, and act on your own initiative. Our expeditions this last year have taken St Peter’s Silver and Gold DofE teams to the dramatic landscape of the North Pennines, the North York Moors National Park, and the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
At Bronze level we stayed a little closer to home for the two-day/ overnight expedition. For the practice the 13 groups walked out of St Peter’s School on the morning of April 22, along the banks of the Ouse and out towards Escrick and Wheldrake. This was an opportunity to learn the key skills required for the qualifying expedition a month later in the Howardian Hills. Navigating efficiently in urban, agricultural and low level wooded or open terrain can often be just as testing as being in more hilly areas. The Howardian Hills proved to be such a test, with 81 Third Form pupils successfully completing the challenge.
After their practice expeditions in the North York Moors the Gold and Silver groups ventured to the North Pennines in early July. The
area has tumbling waterfalls, sweeping moorland views, snaking stone walls, and the perfect landscape to test the navigational and camp craft skills of our more experienced DofE pupils. The Fifth Form Silver groups planned a three-day/two-night expedition, and the Lower Sixth Gold groups a four-day/three-night expedition.
In addition to the expedition the pupils have also focused on developing a new or existing skill, a physical activity, and have volunteered in some capacity in school or in the wider community. At Gold level pupils are also been required to actively participate in a residential course of five days or more. This year our pupils have attended Gold Revision Camps and Cookery courses.
A good deal of initiative and engagement has been evident across the various aspects of the award this year, and those pupils involved in DofE will have gained a great deal from the process, as well as the achievement of completing the award.
In total 169 pupils started an award this year; 86 taking on the challenge at Bronze level, with 51 at Silver and 32 at Gold. In 2016/17 over 100 pupils completed their awards, and we hope for a similar number of successes from those in this year’s cohort.
Mr Jon Whitehouse
English
Lower Sixth Theatre Trip Extravaganza: Three plays in Three days!
Lower Sixth Form English Literature pupils finished the year with a trip to experience a weekend of theatre in London.
A quick train ride down to the capital saw us arrive in time for lunch in Covent Garden and then a matinee performance of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband starring the ‘fantastic foxes’ (Freddie and Edward Fox) This was a highly enjoyable, gold-plated, delight showcasing Wilde at his humorous and astute best. This was followed by dinner in Covent Garden, with just enough time to wind each other up about the horror that would be the famously scary Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre, based on Susan Hill’s novel.
After a well-earned sleep (hopefully devoid of nightmares), the pupils ventured to the National Gallery to examine a range of art, consider its links with their A Level texts and compete in a treasure hunt / selfie competition (English department as highbrow as ever…). The trip concluded with Hamlet at the Globe Theatre, an adaptation that has received many contrasting reviews of its gender-blind casting, thus providing pupils with much food for thought.
This was an exhausting and thoroughly enjoyable weekend. Pupils were characteristically enthusiastic, well-behaved and great fun. Here’s to another one next year: four plays this time…? Trips
The English department also managed to squeeze in a visit to the Grand Opera House to see the National Theatre’s stunning production of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler; an Upper Sixth visit to London to see Wilde’s An Ideal Husband; the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth and an EMC conference in London to hear a plethora of speakers, including Professor John Mullen and Blake Morrison.
Man Booker Prize Debate
The Man Booker Prize was hotly contested this year with a stunning shortlist of exciting prose spanning a blend of genres from a gargantuan multiple-mirrored bildungsroman to a Yorkshire gothic-noir (if there wasn’t such a genre, there is now!) Sixth Form pupils, never daunted by such interesting prose, tackled one of the six texts and then presented to an audience in the Alcuin Library to justify why their book should be voted as the St Peter’s Man Booker winner. We were once again treated to a wonderful evening that not only showcased the talent of these writers but also that of St Peter’s pupils: all spoke with such confidence, insight and clarity. Our overall winner of the evening was Paul Auster’s 4321 presented by Jack Lawrence and Ethan Stone (who won the entire Booker shortlist.) My thanks to all the staff and pupils involved in the evening and I once again look forward to next year.
(The actual winner, announced the following evening, was George Saunders’ extraordinary novel Lincoln in the Bardo)
Carnegie Medal Debate
On the 18 June, a strong contingent of Fourth Formers gathered for an hour of food, fun and focussed literary debate. The topic at hand was the Carnegie Shortlist, seven books contending for a major, prestigious literary prize for young adult novels. The seven contenders were vigorously and persuasively debated by Harrison Gration, Antonia RyanBriscoe, Eva Parkyn, Dan Phillips, Tom Hudson, Iris Greaney, Issy Greenwood, Olivia Adeleke, Hannah Costin, Olivia Bone, Ella White, James Bray and James Hamilton. The eventual winners, Ben Dunsmore and James Hatfield, made a fluent and impassioned case for Geraldine McCaughrean’s Where the World Ends, and were rewarded with a complete collection of the shortlist. Shrewdly, the voting of our enthusiastic audience reflected the decision of the actual committee, and a good time was had by all.
National Poetry Day
The theme for National Poetry Day 2017 was ‘Freedom’
This year saw Mrs Wong adorn trees around school with poetry (thus, poet-trees were formed!) And an assembly video depicting St Peter’s pupils reading Invictus by William Ernest Henley. Pupils also entered their own poems on the topic of ‘Freedom’ into a poetry competition which saw some superb entries. The overall winner was Percy Hill Third Form).
Please see poetry in the creative writing section to read these.
World Book Day
World Book Day was hit heavily by the snow and yet we battled on with a belated celebration which saw Mrs Wong hiding giftwrapped books around the campus for lucky pupils to find.
We also celebrated with our annual author visit. This year we welcomed Olivia Wood, Bafta winning videogames writer, narrative designer and editor. Olivia attended a literary lunch and talked to pupils at St Olave’s and the Third Form about her career trajectory, the nature of narrative, experience in the publishing industry, her current game – ‘Where the water tastes like wine’ – and the process of building it. This was a wonderful insight into the gaming industry and a chance to see how the stories are planned, changed and marketed. Pupils were treated to an honest insight into gaming as a career (a dream for many!) and how English – and story-telling in particular - plays an important role in so many aspects of our lives and careers.
Fiona Mozley
On the 2 October the Library and English Department welcomed Man Booker shortlisted author Fiona Mozley into school to talk to pupils from St Peter’s and other York ISSP schools about her novel Elmet, her writing process and her reaction to her whirlwind year and meteoric rise to literary stardom.
Fiona Mozley was wonderfully honest with pupils about the publishing process and about her own difficulty in maintaining focus when writing. She also talked to them about career paths and the possibility of not following an initial dream and the fact that surprising doors open, if you allow them to. It was lovely to hear advice to pupils to simply write for the love of writing and not to meet publisher’s expectations or to follow current trends.
She read us some short passages from her novel and then we were set loose and encouraged to write something of our own, using the first sentence of James Joyce’s The Sisters.
Despite being pipped to the post at Booker by Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo (see Booker report for more on this.) Mozley’s year has seen her notoriety and career flourish – as Elmet has been nominated for many, many more literary prizes – we therefore feel very fortunate to have been able to hear from her at the very start of this amazing year.
Modern Foreign Languages
French Department
Alongside trips to language learning courses, the French department got involved in something new this year.
The Lower and Upper Sixth Form French students were treated to an afternoon of French culture when, as part of the Festival of French, students from the University of Sheffield came to study and perform the play Les Précieuses Ridicules, by Molière.
We were able to read and perform parts of the text ourselves as well as discuss in small focus groups the meaning behind the language both literally and figuratively, enjoying the farcical plot as well as seeing a glimpse into the pretensions of 17th century Parisian society.
The play is a satire in which Molière pokes fun at a style of speech, and a certain ‘affected’ taste in art and literature, prevalent among a certain class at that time. Les précieuses are Magdelon and Cathos, two young women from the provinces who arrive Paris in search of amour and jeux d’esprit.
The fun continued into the evening when we were treated to a performance by the University students themselves, in French but modernised from the 17th century setting and dialogue to a beatnik 1960s Paris.
It was an immersive language experience studying the play; reading and speaking in French and then watching the play performed in the original language. The St Peter’s French students made the department proud with their enthusiasm, ‘have-a-go’ approach and great accents! The University students were very impressed! My thanks go to the staff and students of the University of Sheffield for their fun workshops and excellent performance, Miss Crawley for organising the whole event and, of course, to our students who made the most of this great experience.
Mrs Jo Lunardi
An Evening of Spanish Culture
Fourth Form pupils immersed themselves in the Spanish way of life with an evening of talks, salsa dancing and continental cuisine.
The Catering Department prepared some authentic churros, which pupils tucked into while hearing a talk from students studying Modern Languages at York University. Georgie and Lauren spoke about the many reasons for studying languages and shared their experience of living abroad for a year. They also talked about the growing popularity of combining university degrees such as science or humanities with a language.
It was then time for a taster lesson in salsa dancing from Laucinda from Encuentro Latino. It was a relaxed environment and it was lovely to see all the pupils joining in and ‘giving it a go’.
The evening finished with yet more of the Catering Department’s delights, this time a range of tapas such as tortilla, gazpacho, chorizo, aceitunas, jamón serrano and queso Manchego.
This was a fun and educational evening, which allowed our pupils to savour a little of the Hispanic culture. Thank you to everybody (including the Fourth Form) who contributed to making the evening such a success.
Mrs Anna Robinson
German Theatre Visit
On Tuesday 20 February 61 third and fourth form pupils attended a production of Hausarrest (Grounded) by the theatre company Onatti Productions at Queen Margaret’s School, York. As ever it was a highly entertaining afternoon and St Peter’s pupils were involved in the action on stage with Angel Norza impressing us with her ironing skills whilst dressed in a red leather jacket. It was a wonderful opportunity for pupils to be absorbed in the language for the afternoon and it was great to see how much of the unfamiliar language pupils were able to understand through the use of props, gesture and emphasis. It has become an annual tradition now and one which we are keen to continue with.
Mrs Jenny Houghton
Senior Team Challenge
Demi Xin, Cecilia Zhang, Nicole Chen and Zi Han Zhou competed in the Regional Final of the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust Senior Team Challenge, at Fulford School. The competition tests mathematical, communication and teamwork skills, and students compete against teams from other schools and colleges from their region. The St. Peter’s Team were placed seventh.
Senior Mathematics Challenge
This challenge encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using mathematical techniques. In November 37 St. Peter’s Sixth Form pupils took part, 11 received Bronze Awards, 13 gained Silver, and Gold Certificates were awarded to Demi Xin, Cecilia Zhang, Schephay Dong, Jack Hargrave, Marcus Brown, Zaki Ward and Harry Contreras. Senior British Mathematical Kangaroo
Due to their high marks in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge 14 students were invited to take part in a higher round of the competition. Francis Zhang, Cecilia Zhang, Zi Han Zhou, Jack Hargrave, Marcus Brown, Demi Xin, Zaki Ward, Schephay Dong, Aleyna Haxby, Jamie Dunsmore, Ksenia Trubacheva, David Lyon, Harry Contreras and Nicole Chen sat the one-hour Senior Kangaroo Challenge.
Year 10 Mathematics Feast
In March Ben Dunsmore, Kevin Xu, Olly Tomalin and Iris Greaney competed in the Further Maths Support Programme Year 10 Maths Feast at Bootham School. This is a national competition which combines mathematical, communication and teamwork skills. Out of 16 teams taking part from the region, the St Peter’s Team were the overall winners of the competition and were also rewarded for excellent teamwork shown during the afternoon.
Junior Team Challenge
In the summer term, Toby Mayfield and Harry Tsang, together with Martha Dunsmore and Thomas Johnson from St. Olave’s, competed in the Regional Final of the UKMT Team Challenge, at the Mount School. Twenty-two teams competed. There was a group competition, a crossnumber, a head-to-head and a relay race. They worked very hard during the day on these activities and finished third overall.
Intermediate Mathematics Challenge
This challenge is targeted at the top third of pupils in English Schools. The question papers are designed to make students think by using mathematical techniques to solve non-standard problems. In February, 61 St Peter’s middle school students took part, with 21 pupils achieving Gold certificates, 13, Silver and 13, Bronze. Intermediate British Mathematical Olympiad and Kangaroo
Ben Dunsmore, Harry Tsang and Francis Zhang were invited to sit the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust Intermediate Maths Olympiad following their outstanding performance on the Intermediate Maths Challenge in February. This is a national competition and only the best mathematicians are able to cope with the very challenging questions.
Due to their excellent performance in the Maths Challenge, Matthew Shawcross, Amelia Lam, Ben Hobbs, Harry Jones, Rueben Carter, Morgan Enoch, James Hanson, Laurie Carlyle, Andrew Liang, Nick New, William Taylor, Kevin Xu, Olly Tomalin, Kingsley Luo, Iris Greaney, Monica Wu and Toby Mayfield were invited to sit the European Kangaroo paper. The questions involved thought-provoking situations requiring the use of logic as well as mathematical understanding and pupils from over 40 countries in Europe and beyond took part.
Mr David Spencer
Maths Inspiration is one of the largest maths enrichment programmes for teenagers in the UK. It’s a chance for pupils to experience the UK’s most inspiring maths speakers live, in big venues, presenting mathematics in the context of exciting, realworld situations. In March a group of Lower Sixth Further Maths students attended the Maths Inspiration Lectures at the Leeds City Varieties Music Hall. There were three talks:
1. Paul Shepherd: Simply the Best
Mathematician and Engineer Paul Shepherd helped design sports stadiums around the world, and now researches ways in which the power of computers can be harnessed to make better buildings. In his talk, he showed how he used everything from the geometry of chains to the maths of swarms to design structures that combine strength and beauty whilst minimising their carbon footprint.
2. Sammie Buzzard: A Slippery Situation
In this talk Sammie Buzzard, a researcher from University College London explained how you can use maths to learn more about our planet and demonstrated how modelling can unlock secrets hidden in the ice in Antarctica.
3. Rob Eastaway: Hey, That’s Not Fair!
Although everyone has a sense of whether something is fair or not, making things fair is another matter. In his presentation, Rob explained how mathematicians can help to decide how to make things fair, from sharing cakes to penalty shoot-outs in football.
Mr David Spencer
Exploration Week
With their last exam complete, the Lower Sixth returned to school for Exploration Week 2018. Now a permanent fixture in the St Peter’s calendar, Exploration Week is an opportunity for pupils to try something different, with university-style lectures and seminars, practical sessions and team-building activities, all designed to expand horizons and complement the year’s learning.
As pupils look ahead to their final year at St Peter’s, UCAS and careers advice made up a significant part of the week. Along with two UCAS sessions and a workshop on personal statements, pupils took part in activities with Moj Taylor from Push Talks based around ‘Employability and Selling Yourself.’
This was accompanied by ‘Discover Your Voice’ workshops with the English Speaking Union, which helped pupils advance their presentation and debating skills. A great variety of other skills were developed throughout the week, owing to the expertise of staff on an array of subjects. Staff-led sessions throughout the week covered code-breaking, independent travel, sports nutrition, psychology, restorative justice, stargazing and cryptic crosswords, to name but a few, while practical sessions engaged pupils in flower arranging, bike maintenance, dissection (for the biologists), t-shirt printing and that most essential of university skills, cooking for yourself.
As ever, a real highlight of the week was the team-building day, led by WiseUp, which tests pupils’ communication, leadership resourcefulness and teamwork in a series of active outdoor tasks.
Mr Ben White
Debating
Senior Debating Society
What does this House believe?
This has been another busy and enjoyable year for the senior debaters.
The Senior House Debating Competition in the second half of the Christmas Term is one of the busiest times of the school’s debating year. All 10 houses debate several times, as 15 debates are held over five weeks to whittle down entries to our leading speakers and best house team.
We’ve argued to and fro about the merits of compulsory voting in UK general elections, whether social media does more harm than good and how to tackle tobacco – should it become a Class A drug?
As with anything at St Peter’s, house loyalties are strong and it’s good to see new faces raising their voices for their house alongside more experienced members of the Debating Society.
Linton (last year’s winners) and School House made it through to the semi-finals before losing out, leaving Clifton to propose ‘This House would separate church and state’ in the final, against Grove’s opposition. Our two judges, Miss Pearson and Dr Dunn adjudicated, and declared Clifton House the winner.
Our weekly, Thursday lunchtime debates have ranged widely from ‘This House would add e-sports to the Olympic Games’ to ‘This House would ban relationships in schools’ (for Valentine’s Day) and ‘This House would prosecute the Grinch for crimes against Christmas’. Old favourites (‘THB that God created the universe’) were balanced with student concerns (‘THB that university is cheap at the price’).
Our annual Debating Dinner is firmly established as the highlight of the year. We welcomed teachers and students to participate in the ‘dinner debate’, which this year was ‘THB that Yorkshire is God’s own county’. The proposition of Miss Crawley, Iris Greaney and the Reverend Daniel Jones were wittily rebutted by Aleyna Haxby, Mr Parr and Henry Brown.
The consistent support of a core group of students, this year mainly from the Lower Sixth, and their enthusiasm for speaking and chairing debates acts as the heart and soul of the society, and I applaud their contribution. A number of debaters were awarded Debating Colours at the end of the year: Cosmo Forbes, Henry Brown, Alex Busuioc, Jamie Dunsmore, Georgina Edwards, David Lyon, Alex Philips and Hugh Whitworth. I also acknowledge the stalwart contribution of Fatima Abdulsalam, Pierre Herrenschmidt, Daniel Hicks, Aleyna Haxby, Ewan Henworth, Paddy Renwick, James Smith, Lydia Theos, Anna Wililams and Ellie-Mae Winstanley.
I would like to thank Miss Pearson for her support, expertise and new initiatives throughout the last few years. After six years in charge of debating I’m delighted to hand that position on to her and with a stellar group of debaters I’m sure the society will continue to thrive.
Junior House Debating
Junior House Debating was the first event in the 2017-2018 calendar and we began swiftly in September. All 10 houses debated well with at least 30 students trying their hand at the art of competitive speaking. The final in November saw Hope House face The Manor debating that ‘This House would give parents full access to their children’s social media accounts.’ In a packed Lecture Theatre, both teams debated extremely well with last year’s runners-up, Hope, pipping The Manor to the post and emerging as this year’s champions. Flynn Southgate of The Manor was awarded best speaker for the competition.
Junior Debating Societies
The Third Form society boasted a small but tenacious crew this year and we hope to see more emerging talent from this beginner’s group next year. The Fourth Form opted to have round table discussions as well as structured debates, the former being the most popular. Stocks of Jaffa Cakes and Pom Bears kept the 12-strong group in good form. Topics ranging from euthanasia to affirmative action were sensitively examined, revealing some excellent insights and good research from the debaters. Beyond the round table we had some good wins at our outreach events and it was nice to see so many junior debaters from other schools coming to St Peter’s. The jewel in the crown of the Fourth Form came in the shape of their victory over Ampleforth in the inaugural ‘Alcuin Debate’ this year held at Ampleforth. Iris Greaney and Henry Butters were captained to their win by Fifth Former Patrick Renwick proposing the reintroduction of national service.
Public Speaking
This year’s Senior Public Speaking was timed to co-ordinate with World Speech Day and we were pleased to be a part of this international event for the first time. Finalists Anna Williams, Freddie Dorling, Georgina Edwards and Hugh Whitworth spoke eloquently in front of judges The Chaplain, Mrs Lawrence and the Head Master. Hugh was the eventual winner speaking passionately about lowering the voting age, a popular topic amongst the debating community. Hugh received his award on World Speech Day, which was also marked with classroom oracy activities and plenty of tweets! Junior Public Speaking was a more modest affair with interest being mainly captured in the Dramatic Reading Competition. Deserving winner, Louis Recchia, spoke about the positive ways in which technology makes the world a smaller place. Competitive Debating and Outreach
This year saw St Peter’s debating take a new direction and aim for more opportunities to debate and train with neighbouring York schools. We started the competitive programme by running a wellattended evening of seminar and debate presented by ESU mentors and designed to prepare local schools for the ESU (English-Speaking Union) Mace debating competition. We were pleased to host two heats in Round One of the Mace and put forward two teams: Hugh Whitworth and Cosmo Forbes debating under the St Peter’s banner, and Georgina Edwards and Alex Busuioc debating as a swing team. Both teams received excellent feedback and Hugh and Cosmo progressed into Round Two, which we were also delighted to host. Paddy Renwick, Freddie Dorling and James Connolly were excellent ambassadors in chair and timekeeping positions. Following our work with the Mace, we ran more outreach events drawing schools from nearby and as far as Wensleydale and Barnard Castle. We would not have been able to run such useful evenings without the help of York University who provided judges and presenters to support our outreach goals. We look forward to more events next year and further strengthening of our ties with the York Uni DebSoc. The highlight at the end of the debating season came in the form of the ESU Mace Debating Culture Award, which we were proud to accept in Dartmouth House, the ESU’s London HQ.
Mr Ben Fuller and Ms Laura Pearson
Politics trip to London
Lower Sixth politics students and debaters enjoyed a busy day in June exploring the centre of the UK’s parliament, government and judiciary in Westminster on one of the capital’s hottest days.
Our tour of Parliament took us on to the floor and into the division lobbies of the House of Lords as well as into Westminster Hall where Henry VIII used to play tennis and Kings and Queens have lain in state. Around the building our top political spots were Ed Miliband and Andrea Leadsom.
The students enjoyed the spectacular sights (and air conditioning) at the London Eye, before a quick visit to the Supreme Court to see the most senior branch of the judiciary in action, as Lady Hale of Richmond and her colleagues heard a case.
Then we moved on to Downing Street and were privileged to gain access inside the secure area to observe the inter play between parliament and the executive in action as Tim Farron MP submitted a petition on Northern Rail and its failings. The former Liberal Democrat leader came over and chatted to us, appropriately so as a number of the students use Northern Rail every day to get to school – and like him and his Lakeland constituents are far from impressed. As we left Downing Street the Aga Khan swept in with his motorcade and police outriders.
The busy day ended with shopping, food and relaxation in Covent Garden before the journey home.
Mr Ben Fuller
Sixth Form Conference
There was another opportunity for those in the Sixth Form to improve their Pre-U evaluation skills at this year’s VI Form Philosophy conference.
The Candle Conference, fronted by leading authorities Peter and Charlotte Vardy, brought together pupils from 12 schools across the region to get a head start on preparing for their upcoming Religious Studies and Philosophy exams.
Covering topics such as the problem of evil and suffering and arguments for the existence of God, the speakers focused on developing the argument and reasoning skills that are essential for success in this subject. The interactive lectures allowed pupils to engage with the topics, combining their own understanding with the demands of the exam.
Christien Bembridge, Head of Religious Studies, said “By this point in their academic journey, our pupils have developed firm understandings and a great enthusiasm for their subject – this conference has given them the guidance they need to really focus that into an effective exam response. It was great to welcome other schools to this really valuable event, and I would like to thank Peter and Charlotte for sharing their expertise with us all.”
Third Form Science and Religion Day
On Friday 18 May, all Third Form pupils were off-timetable for a day to explore the connections, similarities and differences between these two subject areas.
Activities included: A lecture by Dr Matt Pritchard, science magician and Curator of Wonder. As an independent science communicator he performs to over 50,000 people a year and works with organisations like The Royal Institution, The Big Bang Fairs, and the Science Museum Group. Previously Matt conducted atomic physics research at Durham University, where he won the Institute of Physics’ Postgraduate lecturer award.
A trip to the Yorkshire Museum to take an epic journey back through 150 million years of Yorkshire to discover lost giants and the changing worlds they inhabited in a major new exhibition.
Finally, a performance by Andrew Harrison of ‘Mr Darwin’s Tree’, a one-man play about Charles Darwin. The play explores the life and work of Charles Darwin within the contexts of science, faith and family.
The day began with a superb address in chapel by the ‘God and the Big Bang Team’s Hannah Malcolm, and ended with a brilliant Q and A where the quality of questions (and answers!) showed that the day had been very thought provoking and well received.
Mr Christien Bembridge and Mr Edd Mallard
Keith Ward Seminar
We were all thrilled when Keith Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, presented what he called the culmination of his 50-year career in teaching and research, in a public lecture based around his latest book, ‘The Christian Idea of God’.
Professor Ward began with a broad consideration of the question ‘What do we know?, leading into the construction of an argument for belief in a ‘Cosmic Mind’, a theory that crosses the barriers of empiricism and rationalism, to offer what he called a ‘Personal Idealism’.
His thought-provoking exposition interrogated our understanding of the basic nature of truth and fact, and showed that science, philosophy and religion can all work together to underpin a wider view of reality.
The following day, St Peter’s Sixth Form pupils who are studying the Pre-U in Theology and Philosophy also benefitted from small group seminars with Professor Ward, as he discussed with them their set texts for their upcoming exams in Theology and Philosophy. Professor Ward is cited within one of their set texts Science and Religion by John Polkinghorne. He was also taught at Oxford by the author of one of the other set texts Evil and the God of Love, John Hick. We knew we were in for a treat when he began some of his explanations with the words “Do you want to know what John Hick really thought?”
Christien Bembridge, Head of Religious Studies and Philosophy at St Peter’s, said “It was a real pleasure to welcome Professor Ward back to the school after he first visited us three years ago. His expertise, passion and unrivalled experience in his field really shone through in a tremendously enlightening lecture, which will have opened many minds amongst both the public and our pupils.”
AC Grayling
When Mr Winkley told me that during a conversation with Professor A C Grayling he’d agreed to come and give a Public Lecture at St Peter’s, the RS and Philosophy department were filled with excitement.
He’d visited the school previously but it was before my time at St Peter’s. Professor Grayling was to speak on the following:
In an age of apparent chaos and misinformation, philosophical thinking is essential
Before an audience of hundreds at St Peter’s School, Professor Grayling provided an illuminating and extensive overview of philosophy’s history, from Socrates’ dramas to Descartes’ application of method.
It is the latter which Professor Grayling believes is of paramount importance in the modern age. Describing the basis of rationality, the speaker demonstrated how the news inherently presents an irrational view of the world, before explaining how the vast amount of information and opinion on the internet requires clear, critical thinking in order to separate fact from fiction.
Taking questions from the audience, the philosopher spoke on the importance of spirituality, be that in a religious or secular sense, and how it is that which cannot necessarily be explained that gives colour and meaning to our lives. Professor Grayling’s ability to speak about such weighty and complex issues with such warmth and lucidity is unsurpassed, and it was a real pleasure to hear him share his latest thinking on the challenges and opportunities of our time. Everyone in attendance will have received plenty of food for thought – but what caught my Sixth Form pupils’ attention was this: “Knowledge should be defeasible” said Professor Grayling. This openness to changing one’s mind depending on the evidence available is very much what we’d all be working towards when analysing philosophical arguments for the Pre-U in Theology and Philosophy. Several of us thought this was refreshing to hear.
We were all grateful when Professor Grayling joined us for drinks and questions after the Lecture where he was able to address questions from the public and our Sixth Form pupils.
Art Exhibitions
2017-18 was a bumper year in the Whitestone Gallery, as we hosted seven exhibitions over the course of the year.
We began the year with ‘Proper Champion’, an exhibition of art produced by all the schools in the York ISSP Partnership. Predictably this was an eclectic and dynamic exhibition, reflecting the wonderful variety of creative skills, from both pupil and teachers alike, within our local community.
In November we held our annual themed exhibition and postcard competition. Kind of Blue showcased work from both local and national artists, all on the theme of ‘Blue’. Stunning large-scale paintings by Sunderland-based painter Virginia Bodman dominated the walls, complemented by cyanotype photographs by Londonbased artist, Jo de Pear, and Paddy Sutton’s incredible photographs taken from battle points in the Atlantic. Local artist Jean Drysdale also showed her sensitive and delicate felt collages. The postcard competition was, as usual, a melting pot of student creativity from across all three schools within St Peters, and submissions for the ‘Blue’-themed Haiku competition were also represented on the walls.
Perhaps one of the highlights of our exhibitions this year was ‘Legless’ which showcased work created by young adults who are supported by Martin House and St Leonard’s Hospice. The young
people have been working with photographer Tony O’Connell and others to create a very poignant and at times light-hearted exhibition of photographs, film, collage and sculptures, all of which reflected very clearly the rather unusual experience of these young people. The name of the exhibition was taken from the name of the beer that the organisation brews under the slightly ironic label ‘Legless’!
The New Year saw an exhibition of third form Art entitled threes into 9. All groups had made work on the theme of letters and numbers and this was reflected in a wide variety of drawings, prints, paintings and mixed media work. Every member of the Third Form was represented in the exhibition and it coincided with the Third Form parents evening at the end of January.
Towards the end of the Easter term we hosted an exhibition of art from students on the Fine Art Programmes at Sunderland College of Art. ‘Fresh’ showcased work which was ambitious and exciting and gave our students an idea of the breadth of work produced by students on the next stage of their creative journey.
We began the Summer Term with York Open Studios. All three art teachers were represented in the exhibition, and the event attracted more than 500 visitors into the gallery.
Of course the highlight of every year is the end of year show, traditionally held on the last Wednesday of the summer term. This year entitled Imagine 18, as ever the whole Art School was transformed into a white-walled gallery, with Upper Sixth work dominating the ground floor and work from all the other years spilling out throughout the corridors and studios. Visitors were stunned by the huge variety of work exhibited, reflecting the very personal engagement from each and every student. For the first time this year we had created a postcard set of 45 cards, with a postcard for each of the GCSE and A Level students. This was a huge success and will be repeated in the future.
The eclectic mix of exhibitions and events held within the Art School in 2017 and 2018 reflects what we hope is not only the quality of the students’ work but also the outward-looking nature of the department. Art is all about communication and through using the excellent facilities available to us in particular the gallery space we hope that we can open doors not only to our students but to those from outside our community who are interested in ‘looking in’.
Public Lecture Series
Literature, Ideas and more in our Public Lecture Programme
Groups of students enjoyed four lunchtime talks. MPs Rachael Maskell and Kevin Hollinrake paid us return visits, fresh from their re-election in 2017, and answered questions honestly and directly. Richard Drysdale, former House Master of Temple and Head of History spoke about his book ‘State of Emergency’, a counterfactual which asks how a British government would react if the Scottish people voted for independence in a future referendum and whether they would try to force Scotland to stay in the Union. One of our governors, Sue Palmer, gave us a personal insight into life and attitudes in Iran following a recent visit, rebutting many of the stereotypes and simplifications in the western media. Finally, Lower Sixth Form pupil James Smith explained the challenges and achievements of his recent trek to Everest Base Camp – both Sue and James bringing their wonderful photos to illustrate their talks.
In the autumn we welcomed Randall Munroe, the web comic creator and ‘Thing Explainer’, all the way from Massachusetts with his brilliantly simple but perceptive cartoons and diagrams, which he spoke about to the Sixth Form during the day and to a public audience in the evening. Professor Keith Ward visited for the second time to talk about ‘The Christian Idea of God’ and the links between religion, science and philosophy. In December, Terry Waite was very warmly received by
our audience as he spoke with calm, measured eloquence about forgiveness, his experiences and international relationship building.
The spring term is always the busiest for the programme, with the Literature Festival in March. There was a strong historical strand this year: Dr Janina Ramirez explored the power of medieval mysticism and the life of Julian of Norwich, Sir Simon Jenkins gave us a wonderful illustrated talk on the architecture and social importance of Britain’s 100 Best Railway Stations and Dr Lindsey Fitzharris gave a gruesome but captivating account of the brutality of early surgery and the transformative work of Joseph Lister in The Butchering Art. TV legend Johnny Ball brought the history of mathematics alive with numerous tricks and props whilst Dr Phil Manning updated us on the latest research which he’s led in the USA into the death of the dinosaurs – taking us through their last days. Guy Bass brought his character Stitch Head alive in the Alcuin Library, completely capturing the imagination of the young children (and adults) in the audience with his spooky, energetic presentation. We were honoured to welcome Britain’s first female, Muslim Cabinet Minister (and Yorkshire woman) Baroness Sayeeda Warsi who spoke directly and honestly about community relationships and her book: The Enemy Within – A Tale of Muslim Britain.
During the summer term we welcomed back Prof A C Grayling who fired us up with the importance of clear thinking and a philosophical approach in an uncertain world. During the
Festival of Ideas we hosted Gavin Esler and the How To Do Good book tour team with inspiring stories about tackling poverty from a diverse panel including a Médecins Sans
Frontières surgeon and a Sudanese poet and refugee, Emi Mahmoud, who has gone on to study at Yale and become a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
We had three excellent Sixth Form Lectures during the year. Carolyn
Hodgson brought her experiences as a TV presenter to the needs of Sixth
Form pupils trying to make a good first impression in the world of work or at
interview - and went on to work with small groups through the term in the Upper Sixth Global Perspectives programme. In ‘Where next Barney’ OP Ed Gill talked us through his recent adventures on his motorbike, Barney, as he rode from London to Sydney. Martin S Taylor returned and although he debunked the myth of hypnotism, he demonstrated that peer pressure, suggestibility and our desire to obey and conform could lead us to do amazing and unexpected things. The Sixth Form loved his visit.
Groups of students enjoyed four lunchtime talks. Rachael Maskell paid us her second visit as our MP and answered questions honestly and directly, fresh from her re-election in 2017 where she almost tripled her majority. Richard Drysdale, former House Master of Temple and Head of History spoke about his book State of Emergency, a counterfactual which asks how a British government would react if the Scottish people voted for independence in a future referendum and whether they would try to force Scotland to stay in the Union. One of our governors, Sue Palmer, gave us a personal insight into life and attitudes in Iran following a recent visit, rebutting many of the stereotypes and simplifications in the western media. Finally, Lower Sixth Form pupils James Smith explained the challenges and achievements of his recent trek to Everest Base Camp – both Sue and James bringing their wonderful photos to illustrate their talks. As ever all this would not have been possible without the support and professionalism of all those in Estates, Catering, House Keeping, IT, Marketing and the School Office who have helped me enormously. This year’s monitors and Heads of School have been great ambassadors as they welcomed our audience guests. In particular I would like to thank Sara Burns for continually raising the level of professionalism on the technical side so that the Memorial Hall and speakers always sound and look amazing, Josh Booth for the hours of support with box office, marketing and his many writeups and excellent photos and Leo Winkley for supporting the series enthusiastically from its inception eight years ago.
Mr Ben Fuller
Science Lectures 2017-2018
Dr Peter Wothers: Gods Devils and Alcohol
Dr Wothers came up from Cambridge in September, to deliver a lecture on the topic of Chemistry. He employed some explosive demonstrations to illustrate why historical scientists got the names of oxygen and hydrogen the wrong way round, traced some shampoo ingredients back to their classical origins, and explored the unusual connection between alcohol and Egyptian eyeliner. He tackled questions from the audience on the use of chemistry in ancient warfare, how gold can be destroyed in water, and the effects of certain chemicals on the human voice. This was a real whizz-bang of an inspiring lecture and a great way to kick off the science lecture series of 2017-2018.
Dr Geraint F. Lewis and Dr Luke A. Barnes: A Fortunate Universe
In October 2017, two Physicists from Sydney came to talk about the idea of so called fine-tuning of certain quantities and constants in the universe. They took the audience on a tour of the universe, investigating its very fundamentals, and establishing that life as we know it is very finely tuned, to the point where a slight alteration could make life as we know it impossible. Concluding that, rather than worrying about how delicate our universe is, people should perhaps consider themselves ourselves lucky to inhabit such a fascinating and beautiful part of it, was a great way to finish a really entertaining and interesting talk.
Professor Anil Seth: What in the World is Consciousness?
In November 2017, Professor Anil Seth, from the University of Sussex, brought together the disciplines of neuroscience, philosophy, psychology and maths to explain that consciousness is a deeply personal and subjective experience for each of us, which poses all manner of questions about the nature of our reality. Professor Seth employed audio and visual illusions to demonstrate that it is a mixture of external signals and our internal preconceptions and expectations that inform our brain’s “best guess” as to what reality is. This was a really thought provoking talk to an audience of over 400 enthralled members of the public.
In April, Pil Manning from the University of Manchester came to give a talk on the area of palaeontology that he is involved in, namely mass-extinctions. This lecture was run in partnership with the York Literature Festival as Professor Manning is the author of some excellent palaeontology books. Phil told the story of how some new research that he has been doing in the northern states of the US has led him to conclude that his team has uncovered the fossil remains of dinosaurs that perished on the last day of the dinosaurs, when the Chicxulub meteor impact ended the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago. This was a truly enthralling lecture and was hugely appreciated by the audience at St Peter’s.
Professor Nessa Carey: DNA Isn’t Your Destiny
In May, Nessa Carey came to talk on the subject of epigenetics. She tackled some questions that have puzzled biologists since the discovery of DNA: cells can have identical DNA, but express the genes very differently. Her book Why a Tooth doesn’t Grow in your Eye explains the questions well but was rejected by the publishers. She explained how these questions are now beginning to be answered, thanks to studies in the field of epigenetics, a field lead by the likes of Professor Nessa Carey.
Professor Carey shared her learnings from her long and varied career on the cutting edge of biological advances in a lecture at St Peter’s. Using confectionary as illustration, Professor Carey explained the structure of a cell, and how modifications are made to each of the 37 trillion genetically identical cells in the human body. This allows cells to develop different functions, to form different organs, for example, despite sharing the exact same DNA. After the lecture, much of the audience queued to speak with Professor Carey and get signed copies of her books on Junk DNA and the Epigenetics Revolution.
Dr Marina Petri: Exotic nuclei: On the edge of existence
At the end of May, Marina Petri visited from the University of York to talk on the field of Nuclear Physics. She explained how her research focuses on examining isotope decay rates with greater or fewer neutrons. Dr Petri explained that these microscopic nuclei, 0.000000000000001m in size, existing in some cases for less than imperceptible fractions of a second, have an incredibly fleeting but important role in the cosmos. She explained how studying exotic nuclei, provides scientists with explanations as to why the Big Bang created a scarcity of some elements and an abundance of others, and the possibility of stabilising these exotic nuclei could well revolutionise our fundamental understanding of the universe.
Professor Martin Hendry MBE: Flashes of Light, Ripples of Gravity: The dawn of multi-messenger astronomy.
In June, as part of the York Festival of Ideas, Professor Martin Hendry from Glasgow University came to give a talk on the latest findings of the LIGO and VIRGO collaborations’ work on gravitational wave detectors and how they are combining their efforts with electromagnetic astronomy to reveal some really surprising things about our universe. Professor Hendry described how the work he had been involved in helped to ‘keep the noise down’ in the detectors allowing scientists to detect some amazing events in space. He explained the story of the detection of colliding Black-Holes and Neutron-Stars, which has been unravelling since the middle of 2015. He really filled in a lot of the gaps in the information as reported by mainstream media, to a very astute audience on the night.
Science Christmas Lecture 2017
There was a distinctly festive feel promoted by the Science department for their annual Christmas lecture this year. The title was “The 12 elements of Christmas” and we delivered this lecture using the backdrop of a Christmas meal provided by our fantastic catering department. We must take the blame for ruining the perfectly laid out Christmas table by including an inflatable turkey, radioactive salt and dishes and other random artefacts vaguely connected with Christmas, such as liquid nitrogen (?)
Mrs Greenhalgh started us off by suggesting some practical but pretty dangerous tips to help with the Christmas meal. Please don’t try these at home! If your turkey has cooled down too much and it is still in its aluminium foil then all you need to do is to brush the foil with mercury (II) chloride. There were similar tips about how to make salt and crackers from scratch if you had the suitable chemicals and a fume cupboard nearby.
Iron and nitrogen were next. Iron is in the cutlery, which wins the prize for the most tenuous link to the theme – but Mr Cannon did show how magnetism can cut sausages. Mr Cannon then went on to make some ice cream using liquid nitrogen and demonstrated some of the wondrous effects of superconductivity using specialised apparatus on loan from York University. Having eaten our meal enhanced by all of the science tips, we settled down to story time. This was the story of the three kings and their journey to the manger. In particular had they ended up with magnesium on their shoes and then walked on the very hot sand and then trodden in some hydrochloric acid, not only would
they have extracted silicon but they would have had quite a surprise with the bottom of their sandals producing lots of little miniature explosions. Mr Edwards went on to introduce the recent discovery of neutron stars colliding, and how this led to the formation of most the gold that the wise men were carrying.
The Biology department gave us an overview of Christmas past, present and future but, instead of ghosts, talked about the evolution and selective breeding of turkeys and also what future Christmas meals might look like where turkey meat might be synthesized (yum). Leading on from this there was also a quiz where some members of the audience truly believed that Christmas Crackers contained Semtex.
As a finale, Chemistry continued their top tips by showing us how to warm up a can of Pringles and distribute them evenly to the guests as efficiently as possible. The lecture was completed with a song ably composed and led by Mr Ledger. My thanks go to the many people involved with this lecture – particularly Mr Gant, Mr Gill and Mr Robinson our fantastic technicians.
Mr Mark Edwards
Science Department Trips and Outreach
Science Ambassador Training
Eight Third Form pupils earned the title of Science Ambassador in January following a fun-packed training day with the Institute of Physics. They travelled down to Sheffield Hallam University for the day, which involved a range of science demonstrations and skills sessions. Working with pupils from the other schools, attendees learned how to fuel rockets with vitamin tablets, compare the sizes of planets to everyday objects and even figure out the water absorption capabilities of different nappies. Having developed their skills in presentation throughout the day, the pupils finished with their own demonstrations to IOP staff, teachers and other pupils. Josh Lightwing said: “We learned about some really fun new science ideas today and it was great to be able to confidently demonstrate them to other people. It was a really good experience to work with pupils from other schools, and I’m looking forward to more events like this in the future.”
Stargazing January 2018
Cloudy skies didn’t discourage the York community from turning out in their hundreds at St Peter’s School’s annual Stargazing Live event in January, which was attended by members of the public and schools from across the region. Though there was little chance of observing the skies above York, the York Astronomical Society’s impressive array of telescopes were welcomed inside by plenty of interest from young stargazers, who also took the opportunity to explore the night sky from inside the ever-popular Cosmodome.
The University of York Cosmodome was joined this year by the Sundome, which illustrates the nuclear reactions at the core of the sun, as well as a variety of other scientific exhibitions and experiments from the Institute of Physics and pupils from St Peter’s and St Olave’s, and many others besides. The evening concluded with a tour of the cosmos, courtesy of Dr Pete Edwards from the University of Durham. In his lecture, Dr Edwards used images from the Hubble Space Telescope to demonstrate that even the most seemingly empty patch of the night sky is a gateway to an incredible number of distant and fascinating galaxies. Employing simulations developed by supercomputers at the University of Durham, Dr Edwards showed the audience how close scientists are to answering the question “How did the universe evolve into the beautiful place we see today?”
IET Faraday Challenge:
In January, St Peters hosted teams from visiting local schools for the esteemed IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) Faraday Challenge. This was an all-day event, where year 8 pupils are presented with a real-life engineering problem, which they had to race against the clock to solve. Teams from Archbishop Holgate School, Manor Academy, The Minster School, The Mount School and two from St Olave’s took part and teams where presented with an open-ended task to design a new feature for Thorpe Park. Teams came up with some really clever concepts and gained a real boost in confidence with technical challenges.
York Schools’ Science Quiz:
In March, 18 teams from York and the surrounding areas have come together to test their skills and knowledge at St Peter’s annual York Schools Science Quiz.
Over nine varied rounds, teams were faced with challenges based on the three core subjects, science in the news and the Ig Nobel Awards, while also having their powers of observation and estimation put to the test. The competition was particularly tight this year, with the top three Sixth Form teams all achieving notably high scores, separated by only five points. Ultimately, it was Bootham’s team who took home the trophy, with The Mount and St Peter’s finishing second and third respectively. This was a really fun and yet challenging event for all, and special thanks go to Schephay and Charles in the Upper Sixth who were our first ever pupil-markers, well done!
The Physics Olympics 2018
There are of the order of 1023 atoms in Meghan Merkel’s wedding ring, was one of the answers in this year’s Fermi quiz, which forms part of the annual St Peter’s Physics Olympics, now in its 12th year. In June 2018, over 100 budding Year 8 physicists from across the north of England put their skills to the test in this very popular event.
Challenges included building and racing miniature boats, constructing a tower capable of holding a light at the top, and engineering a sloping maze through which a ball could pass as slowly as possible.
The winners of the five individual challenges were Archbishop Holgate’s School, Bootham School, Pocklington School, Scarborough College, and St Aidan’s CofE High School, respectively. Beverley Grammar School took home the David Morris plate after coming out on top in the Fermi Quiz, which
poses hypothetical questions, such as how long it would take to walk around the moon, or how many footballs could fit inside the Memorial Hall. The final trophy, though, went to St Aidan’s, as they performed the best across all the tasks set.
Everybody who has taken part in this year’s Physics Olympics was a real credit to their school. Not only did we see some brilliant scientific minds at work, we’ve seen tremendous enthusiasm and teamwork and everyone can be justly proud of how they have performed in their tasks. My thanks go to all the staff and pupils who have helped out today, especially those who have come from farther afield, and particular congratulations must go to St Aidan’s for showing great consistency and initiative throughout the day.
