Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
South Peninsula High’s science boffins shine at expo
PUPILS of South Peninsula High School in Diep River beat their peers from 49 other Western Cape schools to scoop more than 40 medals at the Eskom Expo for young scientists. Sixty pupils vied for top honours in the contest last month, with a record 480 projects submitted for the three- day expo at UCT.
South Peninsula High won 10 gold and 32 bronze medals, securing it a spot in the next round.
The 10 gold medallists will join pupils from Herzlia, Bishops, Herschel, St Cyprian’s and Parklands at the International Science Fair in Johannesburg next week, where they will represent the Cape Town region.
Six of the projects presented by South Peninsula High will be included in the contest.
The pupils involved range in age from 13 to 16, including four Grade 8s, four Grade 10s, and one Grade 11.
Acting principal Zeid Baker said the school had hosted internal mini- expos for the past six years.
“This has been our best medal haul in the 11 years of our involvement. The cat- egories varied from social and psychological sciences, to engineering and renewable energy projects, as well as health sciences,” he said.
International Science Fair finalist Grade 11 pupil Thaakirah Isaacs said she was excited about her and the school’s achievement.
Her fellow pupils had worked on their projects since the beginning of the year, with their science teachers setting them targets, most of which they managed to achieve.
Daniel Williams, a Grade 10 pupil, received a bursary offer as a prize from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology for his project, titled Wind “Hertz” Sound.
“The school involves students in technology and innovation projects as we believe that the best way to understand science is to experience science and scientific research,” Baker said.
“South Africa is a developing country and it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that we produce scientifically literate young citizens who can contribute to the growth of our economy and the well-being of all its citizens.”
asanda.sokanyile@inl.co.za