First-hand Experience of the Olympic Park Regeneration Case Study

On 23rd October, Year 10 geographers travelled to the Olympic Park to see the sustainable features of this fantastic regeneration project, that they have learnt about in the classroom. The regeneration project had three key objectives that shaped the design and how it was constructed: sustainability, biodiversity, and accessibility.

We visited 6 sites. First, the aquatic centre which was designed with its legacy use in mind as a long term community amenity. The green walls are well established. They purify the air, reduce the ambient temperature and create a sense of well-being. Another point of interest was the ArcelorMittal Orbit created by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond. The magnificent, ruby red looping structure of the ArcelorMittal Orbit is an iconic symbol of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the London 2012 Games.

We walked along the River Lee which has been planted carefully to make the concrete channel look natural and provides important habitat for flora and fauna. This is one of 10 key green spaces in the park and follows with appropriate management strategies to conserve and enhance the environment.

Our last site was the Velodrome, the most energy-efficient of the permanent Olympic venues with its sustainably sourced wooden roof, sourced from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The white roof has rows of skylights crossing the complex, providing daylight and allowing overhead lights to be turned off during the day.

Luckily the rain stopped just as we arrived at the Olympic park which helped us understand how amazing the Olympic Park regeneration project is.

The BHGS International Club enjoys a workshop run by the ZooNation Dance Company.

On 7 October 2022, 20+ members of the International Club and a representative from the Diversity Committee trouped into the dance studio for a very special event. Xsia Blair, who has danced with Kate Prince’s ZooNation Dance Ensemble, ran a bespoke workshop. The theme of the workshop was ‘Message in a Bottle’, based on one of the dance company’s recent productions. The ‘Message in a Bottle’ theme was chosen as it seemed relevant to the International Club students, with its focus on ‘displacement, immigration and survival’. Ideas that are familiar to many club members. In preparation for the event, the students created their own decorative mini bottles, as well as writing messages for a bottle that the group are hoping the Y10 geographers among them will throw into the sea on their geography field trip next spring. The club members also decorated a bottle light as a gift for Xsia. During the afternoon, the International Club members were taught a dance from ZooNation’s ‘Message in a Bottle’ show. Marinela Covaci described the afternoon as ‘amazing!’, while International club members including Hilary Lau, Nourya Mukoko, Jolie Kwan, Heather Lau and Natalie Sui said that it was great fun. Ranya Asad and Luysa Timerman also enjoyed learning all the new moves. This admiration was not all one-sided. On leaving Xsia, the workshop leader, mentioned how much she had enjoyed teaching the students and that she would love to run more workshops at BHGS.

We’d like to thank Mrs Neesham for her dedication to our students, and her efforts and thoughtfulness in providing them with this fabulous opportunity.

Bishop’s students enjoy seeing and holding many exotic animals as part of Biology Week

As part of Biology Week at Bishop’s, we saw and held some very unusual animals; an African snail, tarantula, snake, hedgehog and an armadillo. Nathan, from Animals About, told us all about the animals habitats and adaptations. I held the tarantula, called Alice. Her feet felt like warm cotton buds on your skin! We learnt how Alice captures her prey and how snakes shed their skin as they grow. It was a great experience and one of my friends held Alice even though she was scared of spiders. How brave!

Harriett R