ACS Hillingdon received a visit from Foreign Secretary and MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Boris Johnson last week, to see the school’s state-of-the-art facilities and hear how students use technology in class and learn about coding in preparation for an ever-changing future.
Mr Johnson (pictured with Lower School students) was interested to experience the school’s facilities first hand, which includes the brand new £10m Science Centre, and visited two classrooms specially equipped to teach STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) subjects.
Martin Hall, head at ACS Hillingdon, commented:
“We know that many of our students will leave us here at ACS and go on to have jobs in industries which we have not yet even been conceived. It is vital that we encourage students to pursue their curiosity, develop creative thinking and hone their technological skills ready for the future.”
As part of his visit, Mr. Johnson met with students, aged seven to nine, using coding to drive robots; an iPad pre-loaded with the codes for the robots was presented to the foreign secretary giving him the chance to drive one himself.
Known as ‘Project Nepal’, ACS Egham has a long-term relationship with Jana Bhawana primary school and the local community in the Kathmandu Valley.
In the last three years, funds raised by the ACS Egham community has built five classrooms, a community football pitch and installed running water and electricity. Project Nepal has also sponsored a number of university degrees for Jana Bhawana graduates in Kathmandu.
The annual dinner dance kicked off a string of 2018 fundraising events. Guests took part in a charity auction, with prizes such as luxury wine hampers and Judo classes. Many of these were kindly donated by attendees.
Lauren Kelley, Project Nepal Director, commented on the project:
"This is the fourth year of a five-year project in Nepal, following on from the success of ‘Project Kenya’. I’m always extremely proud of our ACS students, parents and staff who commit whole-heartedly to fundraising every year to provide new resources for the school."
ACS Cobham’s girls’ basketball team reigned victorious at the recent International Schools Sports Tournament (ISST) held in Bonn, Germany.
The basketball team (pictured) played over twenty games this season prior to reaching the championship finals last weekend where they played students from across Europe including the American International School of Vienna; Munich International School; Bonn International School and the American School of London.
The semi-final turned out to be a rematch with the American School of London, the only team this season to have beaten ACS Cobham’s basketball team.
During the final against Frankfurt International School, ACS Cobham led by 20 points at halftime only to see Frankfurt mount a furious comeback in the second half. However, the team regained its composure eventually winning 59-42 and securing a historic victory. In fact, this is the first time an ACS Cobham’s girls’ basketball team has secured the first place, gold medal.
David Schuchter, ACS Cobham’s Athletic Director and basketball coach, commented:
"We’re extremely proud of all 13 girls whose never-ending work-ethic, team work, perseverance and determination has resulted in this season’s fantastic result. There was simply no stopping these young ladies from the moment they stepped on the court! The team are fantastic role models for the whole school."
ACS Cobham students, Ekaterina Bukina, aged 16, and Laura Salo, aged 18, were also selected for the ISST All-tournament team, a special award for their skill and prowess throughout the championships.
Two coaches from ACS Doha International School, kicked off 2018 by showcasing the Coerver Coaching methodology – a globally renowned football-coaching methodology for skill acquisition and increased confidence among young footballers.
Chris Quinn, ACS Doha’s Athletic Director and one of the coaches presenting the Coerver Coaching programme, said:
“It’s a real privilege to be involved in football coaching especially during these important years in Qatar. One of Coerver’s core philosophies is to convey the message that skill is not a fixed quantity but can be learned. Thus, everyone can improve. Educationally, this is an important message which is very much in line with our philosophy and ethos at ACS Doha.”
The values of the Coerver methodology run in parallel with a number of very important modern educational philosophies. Most importantly, that persistence and hard work are key to success. Participants see their level of skill continually placed under graduated levels of pressure, in doing so it stretches the student’s potential for growth. The learning never stops, when fluency in action is achieved it is time to either introduce a more testing competitive format or expose the student to a new skill or combination of skills.