Issue eleven
BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
Digital
Delight!
2issue eleven
BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
W
Margaret Harper MBE
elcome to the 11th issue of the
Business Enterprise Bulletin - and
welcome to the new academic year.
This issue looks back to activities and
events from late last term and during the summer and
includes coverage of a superb national retail award for
Kilmarnock Academy and a special language event to help
senior pupils learn foreign languages for business.
There is an update on the roll-out of our cashless
schools programme, which gathers pace in this school
year, a round-up on some hair-raising STEM activities and
a special focus on some amazing ASN pupils taking part in
an enterprise showcase, inspired by the Sir Tom Hunter
Challenge.
Contents
Margaret Harper MBE
2
William Mcllvanney Campus
2
Lord Ahmad visits East Ayrshire
3
Sorn Scoop Science Cycle Prize
3
We say YES to Kilmarnock Academy’s Success
4
Lessons are up in the air at Willowbank!
4
Magical Multi-lingual Mathematicians
5
Digital Learning Week
6
Cash award paves way for Learning Success
7
All systems ‘grow’ for Green-fingered Gurus
7
Sir Tom Hunter Challenge
8
Start of Cashless Schools
8
ASN Rising Business Stars
9
Mandarin Showcase
10
Dyslexia Friendly School Awards
11
Famous Five go off on a Bronze Expedition
12
A Perfect Learning Opportunity
12
Potions, Prisms & Pots of Fun!
13
Competition Win is out of this World!
14
Science at Willowbank
15
Margaret Harper, depute head teacher at Grange Academy
enjoyed a double birthday celebration this year when she
was awarded an MBE by the Queen.
Margaret was honoured by Her Majesty for services to education, with a
career spanning over 40 years. Starting as a physics teacher at St Joseph’s
Academy in 1975, Margaret worked her way through the ranks in a
number of roles.
She said:
“This is for the Grange, East Ayrshire, and all of education.”
“It’s been an honour and a privilege to work in education and this is an award
for everyone working in the industry and everyone who has contributed to the
lives of others through education.”
William McIlvanney campus set to mark
new chapter in local education
Construction at the new £45 million William McIlvanney Campus at
Sutherland Drive, Kilmarnock, is now well underway.
Named in honour of the world-renowned author who was born and
educated in the town, the campus will be delivered through the Scottish
Futures Trust’s hub programme by Hub South West, with construction
work being undertaken by Kier Construction.
It will host the new James Hamilton Primary School and Early Childhood
Centre, with Kilmarnock Academy and James Hamilton Academy also
transferring and merging to a new Kilmarnock Academy.
Primary schools transferring to the William McIlvanney Campus are
New Farm Primary School and Early Childhood Centre and Silverwood
Primary School.
The new primary school will become James Hamilton Primary School and
Early Childhood Centre.
A third new school, Sgoil na Coille Nuaidhe, offering Gaelic language
provision will replace the Gaelic Medium Education provision currently
offered at Onthank Primary School and Grange Academy.
Sgoil na Coille Nuaidhe – is literally translated as New Woods School,
which also translates as ‘new beginnings’.
The new campus will give our young people the best possible start in
life and will ensure they have access to the kind of facilities and learning
environments they need to succeed in school, work and in life.
BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
issue eleven
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Lord Ahmad visits East Ayrshire
Pupils at St Joseph’s and Grange Academies enjoyed a special visit from Lord Ahmad, Parliamentary Under Secretary of
State for Transport and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Home Office.
An advocate for equality and helping foster good
community relations, Lord Ahmad was visiting
the pupils after learning of work led by the
New Farm Loch Community Council to reduce
sectarianism and improve equalities, which also
included visits to other schools in Northern
Ireland.
Eight senior pupils (four from St Joseph’s and
four from Grange) were also trained as peer
mentors to support S3 pupils, who were part of
the next equalities and diversity programme in
Northern Ireland and also delivered a successful
peer education programme to first year pupils in
their own school.
For the last year, pupils, teachers and the wider
community have been working together to
help promote diversity, which has seen two
community celebration events organised.
These featured dance, theatre and cultural
performances from a number of schools, with
a stand out dance performance from IQRAA
Muslim Women and Children’s Group.
A Celebrating Diversity concert was also held
at St Joseph’s Academy which attracted over
150 local people to watch four local bands and
solo performers. The event was organised
to support local Syrian refugees and raised
£480, which was presented by musician Daniel
Johnston to the Imam of Kilmarnock Mosque.
Sorn scoop science cycle prize, naturally enough!
Sorn Primary School won The Pupils’ Award at a science
and engineering challenge, hosted by Dumfries House
estate.
As part of a competition entitled ‘The Full Cycle – The Science of
Plants’, hundreds of pupils from more than ten Ayrshire schools
were asked to design a model garden layout demonstrating nature’s
cycles, such as the seasons and the water cycle. Pupils then used the
superb educational facilities at Dumfries House to take part in various
workshops on the themes of outdoor education, gardening, health
and wellbeing and STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics). The Sorn pupils produced an innovative and wellthought-out design that caught the imagination of judges.
The initiative forms a key element of the vision of His Royal Highness
The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, who used £20million of his
charitable foundation’s money in 2007 to secure the future of Dumfries
House and use it to help people engage in learning experiences that
promote confidence and personal development as well as offer training
in real-life skills to open up future employment opportunities.
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BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
We say YES to Kilmarnock Academy’s success!
Kilmarnock Academy has scooped a national accolade at the
Young Enterprise Scotland (YES) Awards in Glasgow.
The Awards celebrate the success of the businesses set up by young
people aged 16-18 and Horizon Pages, a company set up by Academy
pupils Jordan Muir, Heather Taylor, David Gibson and Robyn McGhee,
caught the judges’ eye – winning the National Retail Excellence Award
sponsored by ASDA.
Horizon Pages creates and publishes ‘survival’ guides for students and
pupils which are aimed at helping them navigate their way through the
educational jungle in a fun and informative way.
Packed with helpful facts, hints and tips, the colourful publications have
been a huge hit, earning hundreds of pounds in revenue for school funds.
Horizon Pages was showcased in the YES Regional Finals in April 2016
and, from across Scotland, 17 finalists were invited to Glasgow – with
Horizon Pages making the shortlist.
he school’s achievement is all the more remarkable as this was the first
time they had entered the YES Awards, competing with hundreds of
other pupils across Scotland. The team came out of the competition with
many plaudits from organisers and judges for their professionalism, vision
and business acumen.
Well done!
Lessons are up in the air at Willowbank!
Staff at Willowbank School in Kilmarnock have recently been The programme helps pupils with movement, promotes balance,
improves muscle tone, relaxation, sensory integration and improves
going to work with a little extra bounce in their step!
That’s because the school has become a host venue to deliver Rebound
Therapy – a fun exercise and mobility programme that uses special
trampolines as alternative ways to encourage movement, exercise and
recreation. It is specifically designed for those with a range of additional
support needs and training courses are currently being offered to school
staff by pioneers and Rebound Therapy founders Eddy Anderson and Paul
Kaye.
fitness levels. In addition it is a gentle and effective form of fun exercise,
which also has beneficial effects on communication skills and selfconfidence. It’s a different way for pupils to enjoy exercise and help them
with their movement and many have not experienced the thrill of being
on a trampoline, the rush of being weightless for a few seconds and the
sheer joy of bouncing up and down!
BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
issue eleven
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MAGICAL MULTI-LINGUAL
MATHEMATICIANS
The thought of solving tough mathematical
problems is enough to bring some folk out in
a cold sweat, but imagine trying to do it, after
first translating the problem from a foreign
language?
That’s exactly what Grange Academy students did recently
when they took part in the Scottish “Mathematiques Sans
Frontieres” (MSF) challenge, run by the Academie de
Strasbourg and North Lanarkshire Council.
MSF is a unique national competition, because some of
the questions are in French, German, Spanish or Italian
and because it is based around a team format. Entire
classes work together for 90 minutes before submitting
their best solutions to the ten questions posed, responding
in the language in which the question was originally set.
The great news is that our S3 class finished third in the
whole of Scotland while the S4 class were sixth overall.
SMS Maths Success
2016 has easily been the most successful year ever
for Grange Academy’s young Mathematicians.
In addition to third and sixth place in the
Mathematiques Sans Frontieres contest, pupils also
scooped accolades in the Scottish Mathematical
Council’s Maths Challenge.
Pupils worked at home solving ten challenging
puzzles and S1-S4 students scooped two Gold
awards, twelve Silver awards and twelve Bronze
awards.
Now, had there been an Olympic Maths event in
Brazil this summer, we’re sure our pupils would
have brought home the gold medal!
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BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
DIGITAL LEARNING WEEK
Electronic expertise, model pupils and digital delights!
Pupils and teachers recently took part in national Digital
Learning Week, a project to promote the use of digital
technology to enhance learning and teaching.
Organised by Education Scotland, the week-long event offered a series
of challenges, ideas and initiatives, all aimed at increasing the use of digital
learning to raise attainment, ambition and opportunities for all. From
tablets to 3D printers, online learning at home and even video lessons,
digital learning is now a key part of the curriculum and we are leading
from the front in delivering digital dexterity and encouraging electronic
excellence in all schools.
Pupils at St Joseph’s Academy have already been pioneering the use of
iPads in the classroom and at home, benefiting from more flexible learning
and becoming more digitally dextrous. It’s a learning model that has
delighted pupils, parents and teachers.
Since the project launched in August 2015, improvements have been
noted in educational attainment, group working is more inclusive and
supportive and special software means progress in class (and at home)
can be easily monitored. Lessons can also be recorded in real time and
replayed immediately, or at home, boosting learning and retention, with
access to additional resources just a click away.
At Gargieston Primary School, young people have literally become model
pupils, thanks to the use of 3D printing technology. They’ve been learning
to use electronic expertise in order to turn ideas into drawings on paper,
which can then be scanned and made into printed 3D models – with
name plates, badges and even the Eiffel Tower featuring in their designs.
Willowbank School has also been using technology to help pupils order
lunch, check the weather forecast, or view their daily timetable. Many of
the school’s pupils are already using digital technology in their home and
school life to make sure their needs are met, with learning offered flexibly,
at any time, in any place and on any device.
The different ways in which our schools are using digital technology is
truly amazing and is limited only by the imagination of the pupils and
teachers.
The great news is that we’ll be continuing to make digital learning a
central focus in everything we do, across the curriculum, making sure our
young people are fully prepared to live and work in the digital world of
tomorrow.
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BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
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Cash award paves the way for learning success
Cumnock Academy’s Supported Learning Centre has landed a
large cash award from Tesco to help improve the pathway between
Broomfield and Dumfries House.
Tesco awarded the school £12,000 and excited pupils are now
hard at work exploring improvement ideas which could have
additional benefits for their studies. Signposts, distance markers,
litter bins, murals, sculpture and studies of animal habitats have all
been discussed by the pupils, as well as producing interpretation
boards, work to improve biodiversity, adding benches and other
seating areas to enhance the walkway.
The works will form part of the pupils’ planned coursework across
a wide range of departments in this school year.
All systems ‘grow’ for our
green-fingered gurus
Pupils across East Ayrshire have been hard at work becoming
green-fingered gurus, thanks to a superb ‘Green Gym’ project, run
by The Conservation Volunteers (TCV).
Green Gyms are active, outdoor sessions offering hands-on
learning and guidance in practical activities such as planting trees and
sowing meadows. For six months, East Ayrshire Council’s Learning
Outdoors Support Team partnered with TCV to support eight
schools in the area to develop Green Gyms with pupils – and a lot
of fun learning took place!
Eight Green Gyms in local schools now offer hundreds of pupils
(and teachers) a unique opportunity to improve the greenspaces
within their schools, develop new habitat for wildlife and support
the health and wellbeing of the pupils. As the greenspaces become
established, they also become available for use by the wider school
community.
Celebrating the success of the initiative, a garden party was held
at Cumnock Academy with guided tours of their Green Gym.
Pupils happily discussed their experiences of the Green Gym, what
they’d learned and how these skills and new knowledge could
help them in the future. A short networking and lesson learning
session was hosted by TCV to share the highlights and key aspects
of the project. Discussions followed on how more opportunities
can be created to increase the number of pupils actively involved in
improving greenspaces in and around school grounds.
There’s more to come, so, as they say, ‘watch this
(green) space!’
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Sir
T H E
BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
Tom
HUNTER
Two sixth year pupils at St Joseph’s Academy have won the
2016 Sir Tom Hunter Enterprise Challenge.
Raymond Houston and Joao Luis, who devised a customised music
therapy service for dementia sufferers, received a trophy presented by
Sir Tom and a prize of £5,000 to develop their idea further – with an
offer of support from Sir Tom.
. In an East Ayrshire one-two, Doon Academy lifted the second prize
of £2,000 with their company Stand Tall. The Stand Tall team of Korina
McMahon, Chloe Meredith, Cameron Peters, Ben Willis and Bailey
Wood, created an activity pack for use in tandem with the Mentors in
Violence programme. Over the last four years, entrepreneur Sir Tom
Hunter has challenged youngsters to come up with ideas for products,
innovations or businesses of the future. This year the format was
slightly different. A semi final heat was held in East, North and South
Ayrshire where the top three teams of young entrepreneurs were
selected to represent their local authority at the all Ayrshire final held
at the Park Hotel in Kilmarnock. In a Dragons’ Den style contest, nine
teams presented their ideas to a panel of judges made up of Sir Tom
Hunter, Willie Mackie (Regional Chair, Ayrshire College and board
member of Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland),
David Ross (Director, Keppie Design) and Frank Gormanley (enabler,
Entrepreneurial Spark).
The teams represented:
• Ardrossan Academy
• Prestwick Academy
• Arran High School
• Queen Margaret Academy
• Doon Academy
• St Joseph’s Academy and
• Loudoun Academy
• St Matthews Academy.
• Marr College
Sir Tom said: “The Ayrshire schools taking part were a huge inspiration
and should be roundly congratulated as should the teachers and
Councils supporting them.
“The ideas the teams came up with, the teamwork they put in, the
opportunities they identified, all contributed to an exceptional outcome.
These young people can and will succeed either in the world of work or
in building their own entrepreneurial workforce.
“Ayrshire schools – a true inspiration for all of Scotland.”
The Sir Tom Hunter Challenge forms part of the Council’s sector leading
business enterprise programme, designed to develop entrepreneurial
skills and help make young people ‘business ready’.
All change as ‘no change’ marks the start of cashless schools
A faster, simpler and better way for parents, carers and pupils to pay for meals and trips is continuing to roll out across East
Ayrshire, as online school payments and cashless catering in schools is introduced.
Parents will now be able to go online at any time and pay for a range
of school services and goods – and the new cashless biometric school
meal system offers a more secure and quicker way for pupils to get a
school meal.
The biometric system has already been installed at Annanhill Primary,
Grange Academy, Park School, St Joseph’s Academy and St Andrew’s
Primary School, with other schools coming online over the next 18
months. It’s been warmly received by pupils, parents and staff, leading to
a cash-free environment in schools, with meals bought by simply placing
a thumb on a biometric scanner. Importantly, the biometric system does
not use a thumbprint, or an image, but uses a unique encrypted code to
identify each pupil.
The new systems offer a range of benefits that include:
• Making payments online whenever you like, with no transaction fees
• Reviewing your child’s meal purchases and
seeing what they have had to eat
• Viewing your full payment history
• Not worrying about your child carrying cash to school
The aim is now to get as many parents as possible to register an online
account, to pay for school meals or school trips. It makes for a faster,
more flexible way to make payments and is especially useful if you have
children at different schools, as you can access all your children’s accounts
through one ParentPay account.
BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
ASN rising
business
stars
An enterprise initiative exclusively for pupils with Additional
Support Needs (ASN) and one of the first of its kind in
Scotland – has held its finals in Kilmarnock.
The Enterprising Stars Challenge was specially created for ASN pupils
after Park School successfully competed in the 2015 Sir Tom Hunter
Challenge, an event which encourages pupils to explore business and
develop marketable idea.
In total, 13 teams took part and prizes were awarded in three age
categories: Primary School, Secondary School (Broad General Education
BGE, S1-S3) – and Secondary School Senior (S4-S6). In addition there
was an overall trophy on offer for the Best Trade Stand where all teams
were competing against each other. This was won by Cumnock Academy
Supported Learning Centre.
Best Company Name
Best Product/Service
Primary: Park School
Secondary BGE: Park School
Secondary Senior: Cumnock
Academy Supported Learning
Centre
Primary: Park School
Secondary BGE: Cumnock
Academy Supported Learning
Centre
Secondary Senior: Park School
Best Presentation
Best Company Logo
Primary: Park School
Secondary BGE: Cumnock
Academy Supported Learning
Centre
Secondary Senior: Park School
Primary: Willowbank School
Secondary BGE: Hillside School
Secondary Senior: Park School
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BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
Mandarin Showcase
was full of Eastern promise
East Ayrshire schools have taken part in a spectacular end
of school Mandarin Showcase, with pupils from North and
South Ayrshire, at the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock.
Over 300 pupils from the three Ayrshire Confucius Hubs, which cover
primary and secondary schools, had been hard at work practicing dance,
music and song to showcase the work they have been doing to learn
Chinese. Having a grasp of the Chinese language is seen as an excellent
way to help boost understanding, knowledge and, possibly, future
business and cultural links with the country.
East Ayrshire Council’s hub is based in Grange Academy, Kilmarnock, with
links to Xinhua High School in Tianjin, China. North Ayrshire Council’s
hub is based in Greenwood Academy, Irvine and has links to No. 2
Nankai High School in Tianjin and South Ayrshire has links to No. 20
High School, also in Tianjin, with the Confucius Hub in Queen Margaret
Academy, Ayr. The hubs promote joint planning of cultural activities
between the schools, sharing ideas and resources to stimulate the learning
and teaching of Chinese language and culture.
This was the second year East Ayrshire has hosted the Mandarin
Showcase, which encourages young people to take to the stage and
show how they have developed their language skills and the extent to
which they have learned about Chinese culture. The event began with a
welcome song from all three Ayrshire schools, followed by performances
from pupils at:
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•
St John’s Primary School
Loudoun Academy
Grange Academy
Annanhill Primary
Queen Margaret Academy
Sacred Heart Primary
St Cuthbert’s Primary
Lawthorne Primary
Greenwood Academy
Cumnock Academy
St Ninian’s Primary
St Patrick’s Primary
Hurlford Primary
The finale featured the Goodbye Song by Annanhill Primary pupils.
Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning
said: “The Mandarin Showcase was a brilliant event and clearly shows
how much our young pupils gain from exposure to a different culture and
language teaching.
“Mandarin Chinese is a complex and difficult language to grasp. This event
shows how well our young learners have been able to apply their new
language skills to the different song and dance numbers”.
“It was a beautiful, visual treat and
I’d like to congratulate every single
pupil for their efforts as well as hoping
this becomes an annual fixture.”
- Councillor Stephanie Primrose
BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
issue eleven
Dyslexia Friendly School Awards
Twenty amazing schools and specialist provisions received a prestigious Award at the second annual
East Ayrshire Dyslexia Friendly Schools Award Ceremony, held at Dumfries House, Cumnock.
East Ayrshire’s Dyslexia Friendly School’s model helps pupils’ talents to flourish by creating learning experiences and
environments in school which encourage this. The model embraces national standards to meet the literacy needs of all
learners and pupil perspectives on how learning can be improved are welcomed. All schools are actively encouraged to
engage with parents, carers and members of the school community to create classroom environments for all styles of
learning, making it easier and more fun for everyone to succeed!
Each of the 20 winning schools had key aspects of their journeys showcased and Councillor Stephanie Primrose, East
Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning presented the well-earned awards. Embedding the principles
and ideals of the Dyslexia Friendly School model from the earliest point in a pupil’s academic journey is a fantastic
achievement – well done to all!
11
Bronze Award:
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Auchinleck Primary
Barshare Primary
Bellfield Primary
Kilmaurs Primary
Littlemill Primary
Mauchline Primary
New Cumnock Primary
Onthank Primary
Shortlees Primary
St Sophia’s Primary
St Patrick’s Primary
Park School
EAST Campus
Doon Academy
Silver Award:
• Annanhill Primary
• Galston Primary
• Gargieston Primary
Nether Robertland
Primary
• Sorn Primary
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BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
Famous five go off on a Bronze expedition
Five pupils from Willowbank School have earned a
prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.
Evan Logan, Mark Millar, Ryan Cairns, Jordan Templeton and Ethan
Scoular took part in a series of demanding challenges which tested them
physically, mentally and emotionally on their route to success. In the
course of the award, the pupils had to complete a number of tasks and
learn new skills – which included map reading, walking, wall climbing,
sailing and volunteering.
For many of us, completing any of these would be a triumph, but the
pupils went further – as well as the set tasks, they also had to complete a
two day and one night camping expedition in the great outdoors – which
they passed with flying colours! Not only did the five set up camp with
minimal support, they also cooked on stoves, had a BBQ and worked
well as a team making the expedition a great success and a pleasurable
experience for all involved, school staff included.
Congratulations to Evan, Mark, Ryan, Jordan and Ethan – great job!
A perfect learning opportunity –
however you choose to say it!
Hola, schönen tag and bienvenue!
Our pupils have been getting a little
extra help with their foreign languages,
especially for business.
An event held at Kilmarnock Academy was
hosted by the Council, Scotland’s National
Centre for Languages and Developing the Young
Workforce Ayrshire. It aimed to highlight the
importance of learning another language, and
language skills in Scotland, especially if working
for organisations with overseas operations or
interests.
Three workshops sessions also took place
where experienced keynote speakers
worked with pupils on languages skills,
helping them understand the relevance and
importance of fluency in another language.
In addition, a marketplace introduced pupils
to possible careers, where a second, or even
a third language, might be useful to their
future prospects, with many businesses and
organisations represented.
Language for Business builds on the Scottish
Government’s 1+2 approach, based on
learning the mother tongue, plus two additional
languages, establishing a new model for the
learning and teaching of languages in Scottish
schools. It is aimed at ensuring that every child
has the opportunity to learn a modern language
from Early Years/P1 onwards.
BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
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Potions, prisms and pots
OF FUN!
It could have been a scene from Hogwarts as young pupils at Grange Academy
got hands-on with science thanks to a fair, organised by the school.
Purple potions, pretty prisms, radical rockets, electrifying electrics and fiery flames all featured as the
new pupils were split into 12 groups for a series of lively, colourful, vibrant and, sometimes, noisy
workshops. There was even an owl on hand (alas, not Hedwig) to help the pupils have a hoot, as
they explored questions posed by the greatest scientific minds of our time.
Presented by campus teachers, the Glasgow Science Centre and Owl Magic, the science fair
sought to de-mystify science through fun, games and a hands-on approach to the subject. For many
pupils, the fair was the first time they had been in a science department and they received a gentle
introduction to equipment, etiquette and a bit of science history, before the fun began. The fair
focused on three themes: Matter, Energy and Living things, with six workshops developing different
aspects of each theme. Pupils were asked if they had ever burst a bag of crisps without touching it,
or blown up a chocolate marshmallow, before being shown how it was done!
Prisms, rayboxes, mirrors and lenses also featured, as pupils investigated the curious behaviour of
light as it struck different surfaces. Life through a lens introduced microscopic observations of life’s
building blocks, life processes and reproduction and there were even sessions on potion making,
owl magic – and a good old fashioned Whodunnit?
The budding scientists also found out about the wide range of interesting careers they could pursue
in science, literally all over the world – and beyond – through astronomy, zoology, forensic science,
or oceanography.
Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning attended the event and
said:
“What a fantastic way to introduce new pupils to the super subject of science!
“The workshops were cleverly designed to link to what they see around them, helping them
answer questions through observation and experiment. The STEM fair is a brilliant way to stimulate
young minds and get pupils thinking about the many varied opportunities science can offer either in
study or as a career. It fires their imagination and curiosity, helps develop creative and critical skills
and, best of all, it’s a lot of fun!”
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BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
Competition win
was out of this world!
Auchinleck Academy pupil Laura Borthwick is over the
moon – almost literally – after winning a special science
competition to send an experiment into outer space!
Laura was part of a group at the International Space School Educational
Trust’s (ISSET) space school, funded by the Ayrshire College Foundation
and hosted by Ayrshire College at its Ayr campus. Her team designed
an experiment to study the speed of slime mould on different materials
while in space and astronauts will now carry out that experiment on the
International Space Station (ISS).
Fifty pupils each from East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire
secondary schools, and 50 pupils from Ayrshire College, worked in
mixed teams over the week in a variety of team building exercises. Judges
included former NASA astronaut Michael Foale CBE, who deemed
Laura’s team worthy of winning the week-long space school competition.
Michael, a veteran of six Space Shuttle missions, was joined by NASA’s
Assistant Chief of EVA, Robotics & Crew Systems, Sarah Murray, Julie
Keeble, Lecturer of Pharmacology at King’s College London, and ISSET
Director Chris Barber in making up the ISSET team.
Other finalists’ ideas included testing a foam designed to treat internal
bleeding, carrying out an enzyme reaction experiment, and investigating
Krill in space.
Laura said; “It’s amazing. I’m so surprised, we didn’t expect this. I can’t
believe our experiment is going into space!”
Astronaut Michael Foale CBE
Did you know?
Kaitlyn Lodge of Mauchline
Primary School has
designed the mission badge
used during the weeklong Mission Discovery
programme at Glasgow
Prestwick Airport.
Her winning design won
her school £1,000 to be
used to purchase science
or technology resources,
while Kaitlyn has also won
£150.
BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN
Science at
Willowbank
National Science Week was a big hit with the pupils at
Willowbank School, as they celebrated and explored science
in all its forms at their Science Fair.
With the help of volunteers from the Kilmarnock Engineering and Science
Society (KESS), teachers from St Joseph’s Academy and senior pupils from
Stewarton Academy, the pupils explored rockets, astronomy, electricity
and the properties of mass with a series of fun activities and experiments.
A range of fun activities were put together – from the hair raising to the
practical. A day like this provides huge benefits for the volunteers and
pupils alike, as they all share their enthusiasm, knowledge and thirst for
learning about all areas of science.
The fair offered something for everyone and was a great example of
inclusive education in action, for learners of all ages!
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Science on the agenda at Bellsbank
Bellsbank Primary has formed its very own Science Academy with the
assistance of the Kilmarnock Engineering and Science Society (KESS).
KESS promotes engineering and science in Kilmarnock and East
Ayrshire and each year it adopts a school for special support with
scientific activities and resources. As part of this association between
the society and the school, 15 pupils were enrolled in the Science
Academy, which ran every Wednesday afternoon between January
and March 2016. The youngsters were selected by their teachers as
having demonstrated extraordinary interest and ability in science.
During that time the pupils were given talks and demonstrations on
various aspects of science from Danny Gorman of KESS (forces and
matter), Kayleigh Moffat of Doon Academy (light and waves), Mark
Klimek of Tuopeek (electricity and magnetism), Uli Doepner of KESS
(biology) and Graham Longbottom, Alex Baille and John Sharpe of
KESS and the Ayrshire Astronomical Society (astronomy). Crowning
their Academy experience, the 15 budding young scientists travelled
to Dumfries House, Cumnock, to celebrate their achievements. They
took part in a fun workshop of scientific experiments followed by their
Academy Graduation.
Physics and Engineering lecture
at St Joseph’s Academy
The fifth annual Physics and Engineering Lecture has been held at
St Joseph’s Academy, organised by physics teacher Colin Barbour
through the Kilmarnock Engineering and Science Society (KESS).
The main audience was Advanced Higher Physics students from St.
Joseph’s, Stewarton, Grange and James Hamilton Academies. The
event was opened by Danny Gorman of KESS who taught physics
and engineering subjects for 30 years in Universities. Danny spoke
to the students about the challenge of transition between school
and university and the great advantages to be gained by successful
completion of Advance Highers. He then introduced the main
speaker of the day, Dr Nicolas Kelly of the Energy Systems Research
Unit at Strathclyde University.
Dr Kelly outlined the pros and cons of all the available energy sources
and systems and the need for a “balanced mix” of energy sources to
meet fluctuating short and long term demand. He encouraged the
students to become engaged in the lecture by encouraging them
to suggest the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in
our current energy policy and management systems. He finished by
convincing the students that irrespective of the exact detail and bias
of future energy policy and systems, the need for new and improving
energy storage facilities would always be present.
KESS President, Graham Short said: “KESS is really pleased to support
this annual lecture. It is great to see so many young people interested
in courses in science and engineering. This is a really important time
in their lives and we are very grateful to Dr Kelly for delivering such a
stimulating and relevant lecture.”
Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and
Learning, added: “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics,
the STEM subjects, are vital areas of study and research to keep us
at the forefront of the rapidly moving world of science. This annual
lecture is as fascinating as it is inspirational and I’m pleased to see it
going from strength to strength.”
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