On the very hottest of days, the Year 9 Student Council completed their year with a Leadership day and a focus on the environment. Beginning with questions on energy:

Which of the following is not used to generate electricity in the UK?

1. Human waste
2. Solar power
3. Hydro power
4. Perfume

Followed swiftly with a very practical fun session led by Jasmine Patterson from the Groundwork charity supported by our Senior students George, Martha, Pappy and Ollie. Students had a choice of designing solar powered ovens – tested out in the glorious sunshine. (They melted the marshmallows perfectly!) Windmills and water wheels were also designed with great gusto.

Rated as a top session by the students with a request for more please, the day continued with a carousel of activities. Dai Richards ran short sessions about the issues of litter. Pesky plastics were discussed, particularly about where it all ends up and the harm it can do. Everyone was then asked to build a plastic sculpture with a message for the public.

Meanwhile, with Martha, George and Pappy leading the way, another group was off on a bug, butterfly and wildflower hunt to check out the level of biodiversity within the school grounds. They found pioneer species that had propagated an area of wasteland where only broken concrete, bricks and old rubble had been left after building works. In another area an old log was found to be degrading with beetles and slater bugs (woodlouse) enjoying a munchy lunch. Butterflies were harder to find but a small spotted tortoiseshell was identified low in the grass and a few more were definitely enjoying the wild buddleia bushes.

Out of the heat, Senior Student Ollie worked with another group learning all about the consequences and impact of climate change in other countries, and what he’d seen first-hand on an expedition trip. Through discussion and a card game that he brought back with him, he helped everyone to see the types of changes that were happening.

Learning how to de-stress and take a moment to appreciate the outdoors and our outdoor space at school was Yoga Tutor Jennifer Hall. She offered a gentle introduction to yoga moves which helped everyone feel relaxed; sunshine, birds singing, trees swaying and leaves rustling in the light wind. What more could you ask for?

Next up came a discussion with Jasmine about food waste. It won’t be long until all households will be given a food waste bin. As a school, our food waste is already being gathered and as we get closer to our Go Zero target of 2030, we continue to try and encourage everyone to use the right bins for food waste. Contamination is the biggest problem with non-food items being thrown in the bins too. Watch out for the next campaign in the new school year to get everyone to use the right bin.

A pizza lunch was followed by Dai Richards (Ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy Morpeth) and Richard Nash from Morpeth Lions supporting everyone in a litter blitz around the school grounds. Once the safety instructions were given and bags, gloves and litter pickers collected everyone headed out to seek out the rubbish. In total, 12 bags of litter were collected.

The final part of the day, run by Pappy, was an AI debate looking at the pros and cons. was it a good thing? Did it really use a lot of water and energy? With questions popping up: Did AI sometimes lie? Would it endanger future jobs? Some thought yes, some were more positive.  Was it useful for homework? Frustrations that arose:  AI developed worksheets sometimes did not make sense and were not helpful.

As the day ended, thank you’s were offered with great rounds of applause to all our guests, our Senior Students and Sheila for all their hard work and planning.  The feedback offered from the school councillors was that without exception, they loved the day. They enjoyed working with the senior students and all the guests. They asked for more days like this, and that each year group should be offered a similar opportunity. They’ve asked Jasmine to do some lunchtime environmental sessions with them starting in October. They’ve signed up with Dai Richards to begin a new ‘bin it to win it’ litter poster campaign and competition to deliver to all the schools in and around Morpeth. They’re enthusiastic about future litter blitz’s too.

Each Student Councillor received a certificate to recognise their work today and over the whole year; speaking up on behalf of others, developing teamwork, leadership and decision making skills in particular. Well done to all for a successful year.