The Sixth Form pupils went on a residential trip to Aberystwyth University this week. This is a taster of their experience according to three of our pupils...
A group of sixth formers went to Aberystwyth University on Tuesday and Wednesday for a residential trip. We had the opportunity to taste university life by attending various lectures such as Biology, Agriculture and Psychology. In the Biology lecture we had the opportunity to do practical work on DNA by using new scientific equipment for us as sixth form pupils.
There was also practical work in Agriculture by searching and learning about parasites in farm animal dung, it was extremely interesting! In the Psychology lecture we investigated the effect of distracting a person while they are driving and we had the chance to use digital equipment and visit the Psychology department. After a delicious dinner at Y Llew Du we spent the night at Neuadd Penbryn.
BAC work was the focus on Wednesday morning using one of the University's modern computer rooms. As a group we had a lot of fun over the two days and a valuable opportunity to taste university life. Thanks to Mrs Morgan for organizing the opportunity.
Esyllt Jones
While visiting Aberystwyth University, I had the opportunity to attend sessions on International Politics, Law and Criminology, and Theatre and Performance. It was very interesting to hear about the different courses, and to get an insight into what university courses through the medium of Welsh look like.
I liked how the lecturers didn't sit and talk to us all the time, and encouraged us to take part in activities and 'games'. The Politics session was a long one that talked about the difference between a nation and a state, and how experts disagree on the fine details. This encouraged me to develop an opinion on something I had never considered before. The session was finished with a creative task related to the debate.
The Law and Criminology session was a very interesting one with two different speakers discussing with us. We had a discussion about ethical and legal problems that can arise with big events like Glastonbury, doing group work, and then an explanation of the different types of law and their meaning. Once again, the session ended with an activity where we had to decide whether an individual in a fictional situation was legally guilty or not.
During the Theatre and Performance session, we looked closely at a specific scene from 'King Lear' by Shakespeare, where one character was deceiving another character. Then, we had to decide what decisions we could take as actors to best convey the scene.
After a fun but busy day of discussions, activities and exploring the town, we went to the Black Lion to have dinner and relax. The food was excellent, and when we finished, we took part in a pub quiz.
On the second day we had the opportunity to use one of the university's computer rooms to do some of our BAC work for next year! All in all, the trip to Aberystwyth was very fun and an opportunity to enjoy with friends, while learning more about university life at the same time.
Peredur Llywelyn
Personally I really enjoyed the experience of going to visit Aberystwyth University! I attended the sessions for Biology, Agriculture and Drama where I got a taste of the subjects by doing experiments and practical activities.
In the Biology session we did an experiment on DNA discovery by doing DNA extraction. Being able to use all the different and new equipment in a quality laboratory was a great experience! Then in the Agriculture session we researched through a microscope looking at sheep faeces to see eggs and parasites, this was really interesting! The story of King Lear influenced our session with the Drama department, as we staged the horrific scene when King Lear wants to commit suicide. A completely moving experience as everyone had the opportunity to give a different feeling when staging the scene.
At the end of the day the group went to 'Y Llew Du' pub for a delicious meal and an interesting and fun quiz. On the second day we had the great opportunity to use the University's equipment to do some BAC work for our course at school, everyone was extremely grateful for this opportunity and took advantage of the opportunity to use the modern equipment.
These couple of days gave us a very realistic taste of life at the University as a group, we all had a wonderful experience, thanks to everyone who organised!
Alaw Evans
In December, our year 9 pupils were given the opportunity to take part in the 'Tasty Careers Challenge' Competition.
The challenge this year was to work in teams to design a new healthy food or drink product made from as much local Welsh produce as possible. The brief given to the pupils was that they had been approached by a well-known food and drink manufacturer asking them to come up with a new product that had clear health benefits, is sustainable and is also a great commercial proposition. The product needed to be original, with an original brand name, logo and slogan and ideally needed to be presented in a 500g/ml package. They also needed to present their idea to a panel of judges. We welcomed Rhian and Phoebe from Food Centre Wales to judge, and they have also worked with the winning group in preparation for the next round.
'Merched Mêl' won the school round and they represented the school last Friday in the next round. Many congratulations to the girls, as they will now be competing in the final next month in Parc y Sgarlets. Well done girls, and good luck!
The pupils had the opportunity to learn more about the tractors, and how to maintain a tractor effectively. We thank the company for their warm welcome.
"An unforgettable experience," according to Peredur Llywelyn, a year 12 pupil at Ysgol Bro Teifi, was the school's recent trip to New York and Washington. They enjoyed the hustle and bustle of all the main attractions of New York and then the calm and beauty of Washington.
They started their journey visiting John Lennon's home and Central Park, then on to Rockafella Center and Time Square. They had the opportunity to see the musical show 'Six' and according to Mari Thomas, another pupil from year 12, "This was an experience and a half!" They went on a trip to Liberty Island, where they saw the famous 93 meter high statue that was given to America in 1886. The silence of the 9/11 Memorial Museum was a shocking experience where they had the opportunity to see a film of the tragic event. Unfortunately touching the 'charging bull' and Wall Street did not bring them any luck but it was fascinating because many of the pupils are studying Business and History for A Level. Seeing the city at its best from the summit of One World Observatory in the night, was really worth doing.
They finished the tour around New York in Soho before they started their journey to Washington. On the way to Washington they made a quick stop in Philadelphia to run up the famous 'Rocky Steps', one of the most famous filming locations. A quick photo was taken of a statue created for a scene in the movie Rocky III.
Their first day in Washington was spent with a very knowledgeable guide visiting many famous monuments and memorials including the Lincoln memorial, the Jefferson memorial, the Vietnam memorial and to top it all off, the monument to one of the pupils' heroes, Martin Luther King. They went on to the National Archives Museum where they saw the 'Charter of Freedom' documents together with one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta.
Their guide then took them to Arlington cemetery, they visited the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and saw the changing of the guards ceremony. Their trip to Capitol Hill was very interesting and informative, it is where the Senate and the House of Representatives make the laws of the country. Last of all they spent a few hours in the Library of Congress and the National History Museum.
According to Alaw Evans, a year 12 pupil, "The experience was truly amazing and we are very grateful to the school and the staff who gave their time to take us on this once in a lifetime trip."
Many thanks too, to Delineate for sponsoring the hoodies.
Last week Meinir Mathias came to speak to our year 8 pupils in their art lessons as part of this term's work. She made an interesting and educational presentation about the content and subjects of her work, her style and her experience of working as a professional artist. Pupils were able to ask questions and to discuss her work based on the Rebecca Riots. We look forward to seeing our pupils' work inspired by Meinir's style and subject.
On Friday 8th of November year 1 and 2 pupils celebrated that they were Enterprising and creative contributors. We welcomed Dwynwen and Sioned from Theatr Felinfach and the pupils developed their dramatic skills in the workshop. Thanks to Theatr Felinfach for visiting the school.
Lowri Jones and Dylan Iorwerth visited the school today to hold a journalism workshop with a group of year 11-13 pupils. The pupils had excellent ideas for possible news articles. Keep an eye out for their journalistic work soon!
Our Year 13 pupils had their mock interview day today, preparing them for their next steps whether it being university, college, an apprenticeship or the world of work. We welcomed interviewers from Hywel Dda Healthboard, Coleg Ceredigion, The Open University, Mentera and Golwg, with everyone praising our pupils.
Staff from Profi/Menter Gorllewin Sir Gâr visited the school today and last Friday to prepare our Year 11 pupils for the world of work. This is a first in a series of activities in the partnership between the school and Profi.
Pupils registered today on the Profi website and completed a Skills Quiz. This was in preparation for Year 11's CV writing workshop later this month, which will then be used in their mock interviews in January.