The Mount has been shortlisted for the York Culture Awards 2017, in the category of Excellence in Cultural Education.
The winners will be announced at a glittering award ceremony in the North Transept of York Minster on Thursday 23rd of November.
Principal Adrienne Richmond said today, “I am thrilled that The Mount has been shortlisted for this Award, particularly because it recognises our initiatives for ‘Turning STEM into STEAM‘.
“What this translates to, is bringing together our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) subjects with our Arts subjects, essentially putting creativity into the heart of innovation. This drive is supported across the School, from our Junior years through to the Sixth Form.
“For instance, in the Junior School, two of the most popular extra-curricular activities are Robotics Club and Coding Club. Both of these clearly allow our pupils to use their creativity and artistic skills to explore and develop scientific understanding of how robots are built and the way in which the coding works to produce mechanical movement.
“In June of this year, our College II student, Sophie Search, won the George Cayley Cup at NYBEP’s Design Inspirations for a project that was a perfect example of STEM turned into STEAM. Sophie’s entry was a dimensionally-correct wooden pony for children with autism to pratise tacking up a pony. Research shows that children with autism benefit enormously from interaction with animals; Sophie’s creation gives them the opportunity to build up their confidence to work the tack before they come into contact with a live animal. This means that, for their initial encountere to tack up a live animal, the children are more relaxed, they become less flustered and have a far more enjoyable experience from the very start.
“When schools are willing to think beyond the curriculum, to dare to think differently, there is virtually no limit to what the pupils can achieve. We are currently planning a new Performing Arts Hub to further strengthen our offer in the creative and performing arts.
“On behalf of The Mount School, I’d like to thank the York Culture Awards, their sponsors and supporters for this recognition in their shortlist for Excellence in Cultural Education. Above all, this is truly thanks to the dedication of The Mount’s hard-working staff, our inspired pupils and our warm and vibrant community,” said Adrienne.
In 2014, The Mount became the first school in the UK to be awarded the Historical Association’s Gold Quality Kitemark for Excellence in History teaching. The School also holds a School of Excellence Award from the International PeaceJam Foundation and is a recognised Centre of Excellence for teacher training.
You can follow the Awards on social media with #YorkCA17 and @makeityork