Positive Reaction From Team Mount at ‘Top of the Bench’ Competition
Representatives from The Mount School once again battled it at the ‘Top of the Bench’ competition held at York University on Wednesday 25th January.
Harriet (Year 8), Zara (Year 10), Florence and Ursula (both in Year 9) joined forces to attend the national inter-school chemistry competition designed to fuel pupils’ excitement of STEM subjects.
The event is organised each year by The Royal Society of Chemistry and incorporates a variety of fun and engaging science-based activities to stretch and challenge teams of pupils from across the country, beyond the level of the curriculum and awaken their interest in Chemistry. Wednesday’s event was the regional heat, in which teams gathered from across Central Yorkshire and as far as Skipton and Wakefield to compete.
The girls participated in a range of technical and practical challenges that tested their knowledge, resistance to time pressures and teamwork abilities. There were various rounds to the competition, including building molecular models, elements anagrams and questions on the topic of water. The girls then had further questions, such as “What is heavy water?” and “What is hard water?”
A series of theoretical challenges followed, interspersed with a refreshment break before the competition recommenced with the introduction of the day’s practical element. Participants then had the opportunity to do two experiments in the amazing university labs. Experiments included trying to make a film cannister explode within 60 seconds and ranking coloured liquids in order of density. The girls really enjoyed the opportunity to work as a team across different year groups and they worked well together.
After a tense wait, the results were announced. In the end the girls ranked in 11th place and had an enjoyable afternoon. They were rewarded with a periodic table and chocolate orange for their efforts.