STEM Project Formula 1 Challenge
Paul Eastwood’s enthusiasm for the ‘Formula One in Schools’ technology challenge has proved infectious for pupils at a Clitheroe school.
Paul, a senior manufacturing technology engineer at Clitheroe, has been a judge in the technology challenge’s national finals for the past three years and has seen first hand how it has benefited the pupils who have taken part.
As one of the site’s ambassadors for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), he thought it was a shame that no local school entered the competition. So he approached Ribblesdale School to encourage their interest.
The result is that the school has entered not one but two teams for the regional finals, being held in November – one from Year 9 and another from Year 10.
The challenge involves pupils not only in designing and building gas powered miniature racing cars from balsa wood but also in setting up marketing displays and presentations to gain sponsorship deals with local businesses to finance their entries.
“It’s a great all-round experience for them,” said Paul. “The challenge has been developed by the Formula One organisation to develop an informed view about careers in engineering, science, marketing and technology.
“The judging takes in a wide range of factors and it’s not just down to the fastest car being the winner on the day.
One of the first companies that the pupils turned to for sponsorship was 3M and the young marketing team were invited to make a formal pitch to site manager Shaun Morley. Shaun was so impressed with the presentation that they left with a pledge for £250.
Ribblesdale’s STEM co-ordinator, Mr Crashley, said the pupils were really enthusiastic about the challenge. “We’ve come into the competition quite late this year but the pupils will be building on the knowledge they gain this time to give themselves a good start for 2010.
“The skills they’re learning go across the curriculum of science, maths and design technology. It even takes in textile design, with t-shirts that they’ll be marketing to friends and family to raise more capital funding.”
School Council Elected
The new school council has now been duly elected through the proper democratic process and we are pleased to annouce the results:
School Council 2009 – 2010
Year 7
- Eleanor Mottershaw 7D
- Morgan Cooper 7C
- Aaron Reynard 7M
- Eireann Bradwell 7L
Year 8
- Laura Frankland 8G
- Ethan Wringe 8E
- Adnan Patel 8E
- Elliot Jenkinson 8D
Year 9
- Sophie Barry 9K
- Harry Fearnley-Brown 9G
- Lewis Wright 9H
- Hayley Tarn 9F
Year 10
- Adil Ghafar 10G
- Daisy Cockle 10L
- Issey Kenyon 10D
- Matt Ashworth 10K
Year 11
- Chris Meyer 11D
- Najeeb Shakoor 11A
- Edward Austin 11A
- Jade Robinson 11B
- Holly Guy 11H
Well done to all pupils elected, and everyone that took part in the process!
Scary guy!
Scary Guy visited Ribblesdale School to speak to nearly 1300 on Wednesday 7th October. Standing over six feet tall with many piercings and covered from head to foot in brightly coloured tattoos he cuts an intimidating figure. The reality, however, is that he promotes love, respect and compassion – a message he has presented to millions of people in a ten-year world tour.
Scary Guy, a former tattoo artist, computer salesman and baby portrait photographer, was born Earl Kauffman, but changed his name in 1996 after being enraged by a newspaper advert by a rival tattoo artist in his home town in Arizona, which said: “Are you tired of dealing with scary guys with all their facial war paint?”
He admits that his first reaction was to seek revenge, but after a lot of soul-searching, he decided to be positive and began to lecture schoolchildren about prejudice, tolerance and understanding. His classes grew and he now claims to have preached to more than seven million people across the world.
Scary Guy’s presentation raises issues of stereotyping, name-calling, bullying, anger management, hate and violence and pulls no punches.
He told stories of the despair felt by bullied children and challenged pupils not to say a negative word to anyone for a full seven days “It will be the hardest thing you have ever done,” he told them. “I cannot believe what children are doing to themselves these days. One guy alone cannot eliminate the hate, prejudice and violence infesting the world. I need all your help to do it.”
Mr Hemingway, Assistant Head Teacher at Ribblesdale School, said: “Scary was the ideal way to launch our revised anti-bullying policy. He engages the young people instantly and makes them think about their own words and actions in a way they would have never considered before. Care, support and guidance are outstanding at Ribblesdale but bullying exists in every school. When it does occur, we are determined to act quickly and effectively to support and empower victims of bullying.
Fifteen-year-old, Travis Holland, admitted he was a little scared at first. He said: “I thought he was a bit weird and that he was just going to shout but he was funny and got his message across. I have learnt that bullying is very serious and we should all try and stop it together.”
Creche for Open Evening
Year 10 pupils are delighted to be running the school crèche again for the open evening on 8th October from 4.00-8.00p.m. in the Main Dining Area.
Children aged from 0 to 7 may be booked in on the evening and will take part in a range of activities provided by the students.
Section 5 School Inspection
The school underwent a Section 5 Ofsted inspection on 29-30 September 2009. The outcome of the inpsection is not yet available, however, the overall effectiveness of the school was jugded to be ‘good’. Some aspects of provision and outcomes were judged to be ‘outstanding’. We are so proud of our young people, staff and parents.
Latest Tweets