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Merits and Nerve Cells – recent successes in Year 7

In our latest blog, we congratulate Isabella Lawrence Posso on receiving the most merits by an SGGS student ever and also Isabel Bates who has received a Headteacher’s Commendation for a fantastic handmade model of a motor neurone.

Isabella Lawrence Posso                                                                                                                                                                          

I recently broke the record for the most merits in the entire school which I’m very proud of - I’m currently on 104 merits! Thank you to my teachers for their support in my work. The House competition is really strong at SGGS, which means I am determined to work hard over the final term and keep pushing my performances to get as many as I can to help URSA win the merit cup again!

 

I am particularly proud of some of my achievements, such as my Head Commendations award for the Steps to Tokyo Challenge and creating a poster to celebrate Women in Science. I’ve also been awarded merits for applying a lot of creativity in all my subjects, being motivated during the lockdown periods and completing a full house in the Eco Bingo Challenge over February half-term (which kept me very busy and even persuaded me to adopt a Tiger with the WWF).

 

Joining SGGS was such as exciting experience for me and after my first few days at school, all my lovely teachers and new friends helped me to feel settled and part of the SGGS community. So far, I’ve enjoyed all my subjects and given my best efforts to them, although I’ve always had a deeper interest in Maths, Science and PE, ever since primary school.

 

Some of the most exciting things that have happened during my time in Year 7 have been making lots of new friends, being able to take part in different activities that pushed me outside of my comfort zone and all the challenges given to me by the teachers along the way. I’m definitely looking forward to more of this throughout the rest of the year. The fun activity week, in particular, will be happening soon. This with all of the upcoming House competitions and festivals will be so much fun as everyone gets competitive and works really hard in the run-up to try and win the Brownhill Cup for our Houses.

 

Isabel Bates

 

I recently received a Head’s Commendation for a Science project where I created a rather large model of a motor neurone, which conveys electrical impulses to muscle cells or other neurones in your body. I did this by constructing papier-mâché for the cell body and a smaller sphere for the nucleus. I then inserted an LED strip light through many 2 litre bottles to form the axon and myelin sheath and attached multicoloured pipe cleaners to form the dendrites and synaptic terminals.

 

I’ve always loved Science and been fascinated by the natural world, especially the spectacular adaptations of flora and fauna and cellular biology which inspired my recent and proudest achievement. My interest in Geography has also developed since my very first lesson at SGGS. Although I didn’t particularly enjoy it in primary school, my SGGS teacher, Mrs Whan, is so inspiring and enthusiastic that she has really opened up my eyes to the world around us.

 

Before starting Year 7, I was a little nervous as I was the only one from my primary school who succeeded in getting a place, but I didn’t need to worry as I was greeted with a warm welcome from the start. Despite taking a little longer than normal to settle in due to COVID-19 restrictions, everyone was very friendly and I quickly felt part of the SGGS family.

 

The best part of my experience so far has to be the Christmas House Festival because it was great for making friends and collaborating with others in my House, particularly when we played benchball. This year, I’m really looking forward to Sports Day and House activities because I absolutely love the fun and supportive atmosphere that you can feel throughout the entire school!