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News from Science

March 31, 2017/in General News /by Steve Telford

Civil Engineer Visit

On Friday the 17th of March, a selection of students in Years 9 and above had the opportunity to listen to a presentation by Mark Wheeler, a civil engineer. Whilst here, he outlined what his career was about and how he has developed and learned after becoming an engineer. He explained that civil engineering is a field that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical, artificial and naturally built environment around us.

In addition, he gave as an insight into what his job is composed of including designing and building works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings. He informed us that civil engineering takes place working with a variety of people including governments, individual homeowners and even Transnational Corporations. We were educated on how it ties in with a number of fields including mathematics, physics, law, business and sociology, and as such, is a great career choice as part of STEM for anyone who has multiple interests and skill sets.

Our presenter showed us a set of clips that outlined the biggest civil engineering disasters including: The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse and The Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse. These demonstrated that, small but crucial mistakes (such as not factoring in wind speed and aerodynamics to the calculations) would have dangerous repercussions – proving that engineering is very much an exact science! As well as this, he touched upon some other branches of engineering: (bio)medical engineering, aerospace engineering, electronic/mechanical engineering and chemical engineering. We found out what a wide scope of careers that involved engineering and how they require a lot of skill and logic. Also, our presenter gave us a brief overview of the ways in which you could become an engineer, including an apprenticeship route, university course or work experience. He shared with us his own personal career experiences, explained the benefits and disadvantages to each choice and gave us advice and suggestions on current opportunities to take.

At the end, Mr Wheeler gave us examples of past Presdales students who have gone into engineering as a career and who have won many awards and achievements within the industry. Our presenter was happy to answer any questions we had about the field, his job, or becoming an engineer in general; and the students intuitively asked detailed questions.

On behalf of everyone who had the opportunity to attend this interactive and educational presentation, I would like to thank Mr Wheeler for giving up his time to come and speak to us and the science department for organising a very inspiring talk.

Ayesha Unadkat, Year 9

Interview with Mark Wheeler

Mark Wheeler is civil engineer working for WSP. He has been doing his job for 23 years and on Friday 17th of March he came to talk to Year 9+. However, eight Year 8s (myself included) were given the chance to interview him and here are a few of the questions and answers:

What did you study? For A-level I studied Maths, Physics and Geography then I went on and got a degree in civil engineering.

Did you always want to be a civil engineer, if not what got you into it? When I was doing my A-levels I didn’t know what I wanted to be. After school I didn’t go to university; instead I applied for a bunch of jobs. One of those jobs was at a civil engineering firm. After a year of working there I decided I enjoyed it. This is what I wanted to do. So then I went and got a degree in civil engineering.

Can you get your job any other way? You can start off by doing an apprenticeship from GCSE. You could do an apprenticeship degree which is a lot harder but it makes you more valuable to the firm. Or you could join through the graduate route by going to university.

What’s the best part of your job? I think there are many good parts but my favourite parts are the variation of work and environments, sometimes I am outside, other times I am at the office. The immense sense of achievement after a project, the rewarding feeling of pride and getting to say ‘I did that’ is really good. Also there is the fact that every project is unique.

What kind of projects have you been involved in? I have been involved in thousands of projects. But civil engineers do all sorts of things depending on their field (purely technical, geo-technical or working mostly with customers). We build things from nuclear power stations to railroads, from bridges and tunnels to warehouses and depots and even skyscrapers and data centres. And environmental projects as well, like wind turbines or cleaning up contaminated land.

How long do projects tend to be? It depends on the project – it can be 6 months to 15+ years.

Is there any part of your job that you dislike? Well there is the general work like filling out forms and paper work, credit checks, Quality Assurance and all the different systems.

Do you work with architectural firms? Yes we do, loads. They do the plans mostly though we actually build it along with others because we are just lots of groups of specialised people working together.

How many types of engineers are there? There are 5 main fields, usually most engineers fall into one category. They are: I. Civil II. Mechanical III. Chemical IV. Technical V. Software

And finally: Are there any extra skills or degrees you might need? English is always helpful and if you want to work overseas another language is good. Being organised and having good time management is useful too.

For me and the other Year 8s involved, it was really interesting and got us to consider a future career in science.

Anthe Beston, Year 8

Year 9 Science Trip to GSK

On Friday the 24th of March, a group of year nine students attended the launch of an interschool science competition called Go4SET held in the Ware GSK Headquarters. The competition is sponsored by EDT and it hopes to inspire young people to go into STEM careers and to gain experience that will make them stand out in the eyes of potential employers. Those completing the process would ‘graduate’ with a silver science CREST certificate and Industrial Cadet Award.

On arrival, we had a presentation led by the co-ordinators of the event, and they explained the ideas behind the project we would be studying, whilst we arranged our teams. Overall we had three teams: Presdales Brilliance, Excellence and Radiance. They were composed of around 6-7 girls per group with different strengths and ideas. We then had some time to choose our project categories from among: Our Healthy School, Eco-Classroom and Energy Sources for Our School. Next, we met our mentors (GSK employers) that will work alongside us in our project development and 10 week course, one of which was Steph, a recent GSK recruit. Next, we spent some time planning how we would manage our time in our weekly meetings and brainstormed ideas and thoughts with our mentors about potential themes, marketing, research and presentation ideas for our projects. We mainly considered conducting surveys and interviews with our peers, parents and teachers.

After this, we went on a tour around the drug manufacturing site, led by a GSK pharmaceutical managing director and explored the various prospects to their drug development process including the granulating, compression and coating stages. Our tour guide explained the importance of the protective clothing and goggles and gave us new information about the GSK production line and the long process to get drugs on the market. Our volunteers listened eagerly and inquisitively asked questions that our guide was happy to answer. After lunch, our presenter explained project management to us and to illustrate the point we were set a task where we had to plan, design and build the tallest tower that would support the weight of a golf ball made entirely from spaghetti and jelly babies! The project had to be completed within 30 minutes and within budget.

All of the teams set off to a roaring start and the Presdales models were certainly the most well thought out and geometric ones there! Soon enough, our time had run out and everyone was eager to find the winners of the challenge. The tallest tower was built by St. Edmond’s School (over 50cm in height), however the 2nd tallest and the most economic was built by Presdales Brillance and, therefore, they were the overall winner!  In our final hour or so, we finalised our thoughts for our projects and came up with a main focus, as well as planning our time in the next few meetings using a Gant Chart. Finally, the session had come to an end and everyone was given a set of science-themed stickers and wristbands to commemorate the day. We then left the site and began to find our way back to school; we were all raring to commence our projects the following week, in preparation to the presentation we would make back in GSK, 10 weeks later.

On behalf of those attending I would like to say a big thank you to the science department who organised the visit, encouraged students to attend and signed us up to an event that will prove to be educational, beneficial and enjoyable to all those taking part.

Ayesha Unadkat, Year 9

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Year 9 Italian Trip to Rome

March 31, 2017/in General News, Trips & Visits /by Steve Telford

Ciao!

In the (very) early hours of the morning of Tuesday the 28th March, we hopped on the coach and headed to Rome; our journey was just beginning…

After the fun that was baggage reclaim, excitement bubbling in our bellies, we stepped outside and were welcomed with sunny Rome rays! Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain and a cheeky gelato break! We were introduced to the wonder that is banana sorbet! All of the coins thrown into the Trevi Fountain are collected and donated to an orphanage, which is favoloso!

We had dinner at a train station, era delizioso! After we had finished our evening meal, the early start caught up with us and as soon as we arrived back at the Nord Nuova Hotel (which was lovely, by the way!), we fell fast asleep, anticipating tomorrow’s adventure.

The next day, we visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum (probably the oldest buildings we will ever see – dating back to 81AD!), Capitoline Hill, where we saw some stunning views, and last but not least, a triple-church (three churches built on top of each other). We had a stupendo din dins at a pizzeria.

On our last full day a Roma, we decided to take a journey on the metro to the Vatican City (which was amazing!); era molto bella! We then took a stroll through the beautiful cobbled streets to the Pantheon, where another gelato stop was made! We then got back on the metro and went to dinner – at a cute little ristorante!

Our last day had arrived (cue sad music) and shopping was on our minds! There were shops ranging from sciarpe to cioccolato! We were allowed to choose where we ate lunch, and we (Saf and Alice) found ourselves in a quaint little bar where we ate pizza and pasta; it was truly magical! After purchasing some souvenirs and other items, we ventured to the oldest ice cream factory in Rome; there were millions of delicious gelato flavours to choose from including frutti di bosco, rice pudding, and liquorice!

Our time in Rome was coming to an end, and we couldn’t believe we were leaving after having such a memorable time. We arrived at the airport and said arrivederci to Roma.

On behalf of the students who went, we’d like to thank Mrs Evenden, Miss Jennings and Miss Bray for organising and taking us on this amazing trip; we truly had a fantastico time! (Also we’d like to thank Rome for being so beautiful and historic!).

Grazie and thanks for reading, Un bacio,

Alice Webb and Safia Sipi

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News from Music

March 23, 2017/in General News /by Steve Telford

Spring Concert (2)

On Thursday the 23rd the music department was proud to present the spectacular second Spring concert entitled ‘Around The World’. The concert featured around 150 pupils from Year 7 up to Year 13 and thrilled the packed audience of parents, friends, teachers and governors of Presdales school.

The concert started with the ever popular Little Big Band performing three Jazz standards from around the globe, including Fly Me To The Moon – which was indeed out of this world! The Senior Choir then performed Freedom ’90 in tribute to George Michael, followed by a touching rendition of The Abolition of Slavery by Bob Chilcott, a poignant setting of words by Charles Bennett that reflects on one of the most significant events of our time. The school’s concert band concluded the first half with a roaring piece called At A Dixieland Jazz Funeral which features our very own Dixieland combo of Carrie Craig (year 11) on Clarinet, Beth Marshall (year 13) on Trumpet, Claire Barker (year 13) on Trombone, Maddie Bryan (year 13) on Tuba and Lydia Silcock (year 12) on Drums. Celtic Ritual, a mesmerising piece for concert band, finished the first half in a thrilling display of the concert bands’ skill and finesse.

The Junior Choir began the second half with Maddie Bryan (year 13) conducting a fun version of the traditional Joshua Fought The Battle of Jericho that, from the look on their faces, the Junior Choir thoroughly enjoyed singing! The orchestra then brought us Leroy Anderson’s Blue Tango, and a roaring rendition of the Bavarian Ein Schnapps. The string group, which is made up of beginners to grade 8 and beyond string players, brought us a refined performance of Warlock’s Capriol Suite, adding a touch of class to the evening’s proceedings. Bella Voce, our auditioned choir, performed the thrilling Las Amarillas by Stephen Hatfield. This tricky acapella piece hails from Mexico and challenged our singers to clap, snap and stamp whilst singing the feverishly complex melodies and harmonies. It was a real treat for the eyes and ears.

This year’s finale saw all performers from the evening join together on stage for The Circle of Life. Azaria Gayle (Year 8) began with the famous Zulu solo whilst the combined orchestra, string group and concert band accompanied. The Senior Choir were already gathered on stage and, during the introduction, the Junior Choir arrived singing from the back of the hall. The performance was spectacular and received a standing ovation from the audience – it was the perfect way to end one of the best concerts Presdales School has seen in many years.

Miss Mapplebeck

Circle of Life Workshop

On Monday 20th March, Gary Hind, the children’s musical director for the West End hit musical The Lion King, came to Presdales to lead a workshop for the orchestra, concert band and choirs. Miss Cheetham had planned and arranged a special finale, the Circle of Life from the Lion King, for our “Around the World” themed concert on Thursday 23rd March, so the opportunity to meet and work with Gary to ensure the concert finale would knock the audience’s socks off was not to be missed.

First, Gary worked with the Junior and Senior Choirs. Since he knows Circle of Life so well, Gary could tell us what all of the Zulu words meant and how to pronounce them properly (even if the meanings weren’t exactly as exciting as we thought they would be – “It’s a lion, yes it is a lion”.) He gave us some pointers to improve our performance of the song: to use good diction, to smile and to use our facial expressions to make it look more interesting. Gary also helped the Senior Choir with some harmonies in the chorus.

Next, Gary spent half an hour working with the orchestra and concert band. Even though they had many long notes to play, they had to make them as exciting as possible to create the amazing Lion King atmosphere.

For the final part of the workshop, the massed choirs, concert band and orchestra came together to play or sing with each other for the first time. After the first play-through, Gary explained to us how dynamics are very important in the Circle of Life and we had to emphasise them as much as we could. The final practice, conducted by Miss Cheetham, sent shivers down our spines and we knew we were ready for the concert. On the night, with the microphones and lighting, the concert finished to rapturous applause, a standing ovation and smiles on everyone’s faces.

Charlotte Waring, Year 7

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Magistrate Court Mock Trial Competition

March 18, 2017/in General News /by Steve Telford

On the morning of Saturday 18th March 2017, a team of Year 9 Presdales students, arrived at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court to compete in this year’s local heat of the Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial Competition. They came second place, out of three schools, only a few points behind first.

The Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial Competition is organised by the Citizenship Foundation, an independent charity which helps young people to engage with their community through education. Furthermore, the competition is part of a project to develop legal education at schools nationwide. This quote, by the Citizenship Foundation, is a description of what happens: “The competition involves a team of students taking on the roles of magistrates, lawyers, witnesses and court staff to prepare a specially written case. Schools compete against each other in a live format at a real magistrates’ court.”

Our co-ordinating teacher, Miss. Bray promoted the competition last year – we all signed up with only a vague idea of the competition. The case was given to us in January and the following two months we were busy in preparation for the court appearance in March. The charge for this case goes as following: “On Thursday 19th January 2017, at Westwich in the county of Southshire, Bek Lejohn entered a domestic dwelling, being 22 Cool Road, Westwich, and stole goods therein, namely a PlayStation 4 to the value of £260, contrary to Section 9 of the Theft Act 1968”. Not only did we have Miss Bray’s invaluable support but also Mr Rowley’s – an experienced Magistrate – tips, tricks and helpful information about the Court, the format and how the legal system works in real life.

First, we chose our roles: a magistrate, lawyer, witness, legal advisor and usher. Students who wanted to be lawyers had a special audition. From then on, we all met afterschool on Thursdays and on Friday lunchtimes. The lawyers worked hard to write speeches, questions, and answers; the witnesses, legal advisor and usher had practised continuously to get their statements memorised. Our roles gave us an overview of the various legal professions and what they were about. This experience helped us to familiarise ourselves first-hand with courtroom etiquette and behaviour and have a great legal experience at a young age, teaching us skills and attitudes that we would take with us further into our learning careers. Along the process of revising the case, we learnt more about the legal system – for example, the difference between civil and criminal law. Furthermore, we practised crucial life skills, such as public speaking, that are very helpful in the future. In addition, there was a visit to Stevenage Magistrates’ Court in February, organised by Miss Bray and guided by Mr. Rowley.

On the day, we all couldn’t wait to begin the trials. As there were three schools competing instead of four, the running order was slightly different; Presdales was prosecuting first, sitting out during the second trial and then defending last. Our first trial started brilliantly, with a declamatory and crisp opening speech. There were amazing questions and answers in both the Examination-In-Chiefs and Cross Examinations. All students had clear and confident voices, allowing them to be properly heard. Though Bek was proved not guilty, the prosecution team had definitely impressed us all. Presdales was not competing in the second trial, which meant we had time to reflect on the first trial, and to practise for the next. The defence team also had a great performance, with creative, clever responses to questions raised in the Cross Examinations, and an articulate, impressive closing speech. The defence successfully were able to prove Bek not guilty. Although we weren’t given first place, we were given second place, which is also an achievement. The certificate we received in the end will always be a great reminder.

Overall, the Presdales team’s strong performance was the result of everyone’s tremendous effort. Therefore, I would like to say a huge thank you, on behalf of my team, to Miss Bray and Mr Rowley for sharing their knowledge and helping us create spectacular arguments for both sides of the case. And we can’t forget about the ones who allowed us to participate in the first place – another thank you goes out to the parents! Finally, we are very grateful to the Citizenship Foundation for providing an opportunity to learn more about the legal system and to acquire important life skills. We have completed a valuable, educational and enjoyable experience, and it has brought us many memories.

Saidhriti Siddantham and Ayesha Unadkat (Year 9)

Ayesha Unadkat, Year 9, writes about her experience of the Mock Trial:

Particularly, the event helped us to become familiar with the sequence of events and setup/positioning of a conventional court trial. I believe that this event was very worthwhile as it gave us a flavour of various roles in the legal profession as well as showing us a range of styles of putting forward arguments and responses, a transferable and important skill.

Personally, the experience of collecting up evidence from the case study, being able to form and alter an argument, conclude a case and think on the spot were very prominent and transferable skills I practised as a defence lawyer in the competition. In my opinion, this trip provided a very insightful view into the world of law and formed a great foundation and experience for those considering taking up law as a career in the future. It has most definitely inspired me to go into the legal profession and to take advantage of all the possibilities that may come my way. The event motivated us to be confident, do the best we could and keep calm in particularly nerve-wracking situations. Our performance was practised and perfected in our weekly rehearsals and we were all able to work together and take on constructive criticism. This really helped me when I was writing my examinations, cross-examinations and closing speech that I would present when representing our school. I write on behalf of the whole team in saying that we found this event very informative and inspiring for those considering a legal future. I was very happy to see the amount of enthusiasm of our peers to work together and do our best as a team. On behalf of the Presdales Mock Trial Team, who were given the amazing opportunity to attend this event, we would like to say a big thank you to the court staff and competition judges and of course, our teachers, Miss Bray and Mr Rowley, for organising and helping prepare for a very educational and beneficial day.

Court Artist Freya Church (Year 9) depicts Lawyer, Grace, questioning the opposition’s defendant, in her hand drawn pencil sketch:

https://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/court.jpg 600 800 Steve Telford https://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/presdales-school-logo.png Steve Telford2017-03-18 14:58:462019-03-21 17:24:09Magistrate Court Mock Trial Competition

Spanish Theatre Performance

March 17, 2017/in General News /by Steve Telford

On Friday 17th March, the Year 8-10 Presdales Spanish learners gathered in the hall for an exciting Spanish live theatre experience. The aim of the afternoon was to enhance our Spanish listening skills and learn new words from the performance of the play – all in Spanish! Some of us also had to answer quick-fire questions that came our way during the performance, which was exciting – if a little nerve-wracking! The storyline followed Carmen Tecles García on her birthday as she tried to meet up with her cousin María, a cycle courier in beautiful Barcelona. Carmen thinks that María has forgotten her birthday but there is actually a fun surprise planned at the end – a feast María would never forget!

However, on her way to meeting María (just missing her every time), Carmen comes across many strange people, including: a fortune teller, a watch seller, a tourist looking for directions, swindlers, news reporters, buskers and a very helpful policeman; all portrayed magnificently by the actresses. In her journey, she comes across some of Barcelona’s most beautiful attractions including La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Plaça Catalunya and Plaça d’Espanya! She even has a rather bumpy journey on the metro and gets a lift from a policeman. During the performance, we were given the opportunity to get up and dance onstage, and to converse with the actresses during an interesting and interactive Spanish television news report.

In our lessons before the performance, we were provided with a booklet that consisted of an introduction to the city, buildings, culture and characters as well as some key vocabulary we would need to decipher what the characters were saying. It provided a breakdown of the scenes and a brief synopsis of the play that allowed the Spanish learners to follow the story as much as possible. As well as this, there was a map of Barcelona, so that we could track Carmen’s journey. In addition, it was full of interesting activities that allowed us to reflect on the play as an experience, and exercises to practise our translation, cultural knowledge and writing skills.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience as it improved my ability to interpret what the characters were saying and I learnt lots of new vocabulary that I will be able to use further on in my Spanish learning career. On behalf of all of the Spanish students here at Presdales, I would like to say a big thank you to the theatre production cast that performed for us, and the Spanish department for organising a very enjoyable and educational day for the students.

Ayesha Unadkat, Year 9

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Year 11 Theatre Trip to Jane Eyre

March 15, 2017/in General News, Trips & Visits /by Steve Telford

On March 15th Year 11 Literature students seized the moment to embark on a little pre-Easter revision with a trip to Hertford Theatre to see a one-woman performance of Jane Eyre. Talented actress Rebecca Vaughan delivered a ninety minute monologue in the role of Literature’s most famous governess.

Wearing a plain costume suitable to a woman of Jane’s status, and using only one piece of furniture which became by turns window seat, bed, punishment stool, chaise longue – and anything else the plot required – the actress brought to life Jane’s neglected childhood and tumultuous love affair with Mr Rochester.

Was it worth it? – ‘Really helpful,’ said the students. ‘Just brought the plot back to mind; now I want to re-read the Moor House bit. It’s a great way to start my revision.’

Miss Corbett

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News from Maths

March 14, 2017/in General News /by Steve Telford

On the basis of her fantastic achievement in the UK Intermediate Maths Challenge this year, Grace Farrell, Year 10, has been selected to attend the UK Mathematics Summer School. She will be attending St Anne’s College, Oxford, for the week long course this summer.

On Tuesday the 14th March, 4 girls from years 8 and 9 (Emily Mayes, Elisenda Henderson, Leanna Rhodes and Rebecca Fletcher) participated in a UKMT Team Maths Challenge held in Bancroft’s School. There were 4 rounds of different sets of questions, varying from asking for the sum of certain primes to finding the distance between two houses when given two times and a difference in speed. This was made all the more intimidating by the 28 other (mostly private) schools who participated, out of which we came 11th, and the overall large, old, and impressive nature of the school building itself. However, the last challenge of the day wasn’t mathematical at all- it was finding our way out! Many thanks to Mr Beckley who organised the training sessions before the event, and took us there too.

Rebecca Fletcher, Year 9

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The GSK Science Challenge

March 14, 2017/in General News /by Steve Telford

On Tuesday 14th March, several of our students took part in the GSK science week school challenge and we are very pleased to report that the Presdales team won the chemistry part of the challenge!

Well done to Quynh-Phi, Hannah, Grace, Lottie, Chloe and Alyssa.

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The Bloodhound Engineering Day

March 8, 2017/in General News, Trips & Visits /by Steve Telford

On Wednesday 8th March 2017, nine Year 9 students went to Harlow College for an exciting Engineering Workshop with Bloodhound SSC, organised by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Bloodhound SSC is a British owned and manufactured supersonic car which is attempting to break the World Land Speed Record – they are aiming to reach 1050 mph which means they could break the barrier of sound! The Bloodhound education project, created with STEM, hopes to inspire future generations to take up careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – they host several workshops like the one we attended in Harlow.

When we arrived at the new HAMEC centre – or Harlow’s Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Centre – we were surprised to see the Bloodhound SSC straight away! At first we thought it looked like a small plane or submarine but realised it was the soon-to-be record-breaking car! Shortly after, we were given an interesting and informative introduction to the car and the company by Mike Ford, Bloodhound’s STEM Communicator. What stuck out the most for us was the enthusiasm and encouragement, especially for girls, to aspire to have careers in STEM. Following this assembly, we were sorted into groups and began our activities.

Our first activity was a tour of the Bloodhound SSC itself, led by Mike Ford. We learnt about the science and engineering behind the car: for example, it is powered by a jet engine – the same type used in Eurofighter Typhoon planes – and also that it is made of layered carbon fibre and 3D-printed titanium. A memorable moment of the talk was when Mr. Ford sprayed rocket fuel into a combustion tube and proceeded to light it. What happened a second later made us jump – the lid was now on the other side of the room!

Next, we met Jas Thandi, who is part of the event team, for a design challenge. Our task was to make a plan for the base camp of Bloodhound SSC and its team; it had to include accommodation, security, some way to monitor the weather, how to get water and food supplies, a recreational activity, workshops/garages and storage. After being told that we had to complete this within half an hour, all the Presdales teams set off to a roaring start. There were ideas all around and the teamwork was at its best – everyone was enjoying this challenge! Finally, half an hour had passed, and it was time to present our designs to Jas and the other students. All three Presdales teams had excellent, innovative plans and were very creative – we included a shuttle bus and even helipads to our designs! One Presdales team – consisting of Millie-Anne, Saidhriti and Ayesha – won the challenge.

Our final activity took place after a long lunch break – a Knex challenge led by Chris Rockard, whereby teams had to make cars that would be powered by an air pressure cylinder which they had to be able to support as well as allow the car model to roll. Some teams found it difficult, but others had already made half of their cars! Fortunately, one Presdales team’s car had run successfully and for quite a long distance, gaining a place on the top 3! Two Presdales students were also featured in an interview which was displayed on a TV at the HAMEC open event later on that day.

In our opinion, we enjoyed this event because it was extremely informative and inspiring. We were very happy to see the amount of encouragement given to students to go into STEM careers – particularly girls. On behalf of the nine Presdales students who were given the opportunity to attend this event, we would like to say a big thank you to the Presdales Science Department, Harlow College and the Bloodhound SSC staff for organising an educational and beneficial day.

Saidhriti Siddantham and Ayesha Unadkat, Year 9

https://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/bloodhound.jpg 600 800 Steve Telford https://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/presdales-school-logo.png Steve Telford2017-03-08 10:25:522019-03-22 14:34:42The Bloodhound Engineering Day

Year 10 Work Experience

March 3, 2017/in General News /by Steve Telford

The week of February 27th was an exciting one for Year 10 at Presdales, taking them out of their classrooms and off to the world of work.

Local employers generously hosted students giving them a valuable insight into the working day of dentists, librarians, solicitors, vets and beauticians. Some students were able to return to their former primary schools in a different role and help out with hearing children read, teaching them songs and observing the daily life of primary children.

For some Year 10s, however, the lure of London proved irresistible and they sampled the rigours of commuting, before experiencing what it was like to join the work force.

Head of Year 10, Miss Louise Waite, said: ‘It was really lovely to go out and see some of the girls at their placements. They were just so competent in the various roles they were taking and interacted really well with adults.’

For all of the students, it was a not-to-be-missed opportunity to try something different – a chance to see what all the study and the exams are really preparing them for.

Miss Corbett

https://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/workex.jpg 600 800 Steve Telford https://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/presdales-school-logo.png Steve Telford2017-03-03 12:56:112019-03-22 14:35:49Year 10 Work Experience

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