The Year 9's started the new term with a trip to the Herstmonceux Observatory Science Centre in mid-September.  In the Discovery Park, the students had great fun playing with the giant equipment.  Amongst the favourites were the Archimedes screw, the balance board and the lever and echo tube.

 

Indoors were many hands-on activities including a seat that lifted the students' weight using a Henry vacuum cleaner!  They had a close up look at three large telescopes in the observatory towers and the groups competed against each other in team-building exercises to build a bridge and tower out of the available equipment.  The Year 9's were great ambassadors for the School and thanks go to Miss Goldsworthy for organising the trip.

In early October a group of Year 10's visited Tilbury Power Station.  The trip was linked to their studies of the various parts of the National Grid and the energy transfer and transformation involved at each stage of the power station.

 

To create a positive change in the perception of electrical energy production, the tour guides were engineers from the power station who had first hand and extensive knowledge about electrical energy production issues.  The trip was also aimed at familiarising the students' understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of using fossil fuels in the production of electrical energy.  During the day the engineers shared their knowledge, skills and enthusiasm with the students, helping to bring the 'world of work' to life.

The 3rd and 4th October was Biology Weekend at Bethany.  18 keen A level biologists arrived in the labs at 9.30 on Saturday morning for three hours of investigations in preparation for the ISA's.  Year 12's investigated the effect of temperature on the enzyme trypsin with Mrs Gale, while the Year 13's did some ecology in the woods with Mr Macdonald.

After lunch the groups went to Down House, the home of Charles Darwin.  An audio tour by David Attenborough and Andrew Marr made the house and gardens come alive.  It was quite something walking through the house of such a famous scientist, although some were a little concerned to learn that Darwin had married his cousin.

 

In the evening the group was treated to Mrs Gale's famous Mexican cooking followed by an eye opening feature length documentary on the conservation of sharks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday started with a full English breakfast, (courtesy of Mrs Gale, Patrick Gentle and Ollie Cooter).  They then set off for a trip to Kew Botanical Gardens.  The highlights included the 18m high walk in the treetops on the Xsrata, the giant waterlillies and the carnivorous plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From 12th to 16th October, Bethany participated in European Shark Awareness Week.  The display, pictured above, was set up in the Science Centre, including a set of shark jaws loaned from the Hastings Aquarium.  Over half the school signed a petition to ban shark finning in Europe after discovering that shark populations have declined by 90%.  Mrs Gale said that more people are killed annually by vending machines than by shark attacks and that on her diving expeditions there are noticeably fewer sharks than expected.  After half term the winner of the shark identification competition will be announced.