On Tuesday 4 July, as part of its annual Activity Week, Rydal Penrhos hosted a brand-new event in the form of STEM Day; a fun competition testing the strength of our pupils in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
STEM education has become increasingly vital in today’s world, where technology and scientific advancements continue to shape our society. By focusing on these disciplines, pupils develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills. This empowers them to become adaptable and creative thinkers, equipped to tackle the workplace of the future.
Rydal Penrhos has been proactive in adapting to the increasing importance of these fields, taking great strides in recent years to enhance its STEM provision. The school provides dedicated STEM lessons starting from just five years of age, ensuring that pupils develop a strong foundation in these disciplines from an early age.
As pupils move through the school, their interest in STEM is quenched not only through their weekly lessons, but also a variety of opportunities outside the classroom – not least the Senior STEM Club, which engages pupils in hands-on projects and experiments, proving extremely popular since its introduction.
STEM Day is just the latest addition to our super curricular provision in this vein. The day began in the Memorial Hall at 08:30, where Mr Richardson, a long-time member of our Science Faculty, introduced the event and welcomed the pupils, who were sorted into their teams for the day.
They then embarked on a thrilling journey across the Senior site that saw each team take on a variety of activities designed to test their knowledge and skills. These challenges included a rocket launch exercise, a catapult-building task, and even a rat dissection. By engaging in these activities, students were encouraged to apply their STEM knowledge in practical and engaging ways, fostering their passion for these subjects.
After completing six rounds of stimulating tasks and a well-earned lunch break, Year 7 and 8 reconvened in the Memorial Hall, where the 2023 STEM Champions were crowned. It was not only the winners who were celebrating, however, as a series of prizes were awarded for Design, Dexterity and Skill, and Teamwork.
Rydal Penrhos would like to thank all the teachers and staff involved in organising and running this memorable event. STEM Day proved the latest demonstration of the impressive progress made by Rydal Penrhos pupils in the field of STEM, as is already reflected in the school’s GCSE and A-Level exam results.
As the next academic year approaches, we have high hopes for our pupils, and expect them to continue Rydal Penrhos’ excellent record at the annual inter-school STEM Olympics competition, where our pupils claimed an outstanding victory last year.
Be ready to don your lab coats again in September everyone!
