Prep school pupils learn to terraform Mars

St Edward’s School’s Prep Schools Science Day, ‘Terraforming A Planet: making Mars the new Earth’, took place on Monday 23rd January. Year Six pupils from Moulsford Preparatory School, Northcote Lodge School, and Dr Radcliffe’s Church of England School joined St Edward’s staff for a day of discovery and creation. 

Pupils started their day with an introductory presentation on terraforming – the process by which a hostile environment is transformed into one suitable for supporting human life. They then worked in groups to try and work through a series of questions, such as what conditions are necessary for supporting life, and how could Mars be transformed to meet these needs, putting together a presentation on how they suggest solving the problems of terraforming a planet.

The six teams, each made up of pupils from all of the schools attending, displayed their research and presented their work at the end of the session, with small gifts awarded to all, with staff adjudicating on the two most original presentations.

St Edward’s chemistry teacher Ollie Richards was among the day’s judges, he said, ‘all the pupils worked creatively and tirelessly throughout the day. They produced some really thorough research and the range and quality of the ideas they came up with was really impressive to see.

‘It was a genuinely interesting and enjoyable experience for our staff and a real pleasure to welcome the pupils from the three schools, who looked to have had a rewarding day based on the high quality of work on display.’

The Prep Schools Science Day was part of a series of activities for prep schools put on at St Edward’s over the course of the school year. The next event, taking place on 28th February, is for Year Five and Six pupils. ‘In the Jungle’ will focus on the creative arts, including drama, music, art, and dance. For more information, please contact the Registry Office.