Northfield Academy has been accepted to participate in the RHS Rocket Science project. The project will see the school receive 200 rocket seeds, 100 of which have been on the international space station since September and will return to Earth in March. Science club pupils will become space biologists by participating in experiments which investigate how the seeds grow and will learn about the challenges of preserving life on other planets in the future.

Thanks to everyone involved today with the Northfield Academy BBC School Report.

It’s been a long day – time to go home to reflect on all that we have achieved.

Jordan talks about Northfield Academy’s recent successes at Go4Set.

The people who took part this year were:

Hayley, Erin, Caitlin and Rachel from S5.

Joe, Rebekah and Brittany from S3.

Jordan from S2 and Cameron, Nicole, Amy, Josh, Jake from S1.

The team was lead by Mr Rae, Miss Smith and Miss Darroch. We were lucky enough to be joined by Fiona Stalker from the BBC and the Media Department from NES College as well as a group of students.

The NES College team allowed us to use their facilities which helped us to improve the quality of our news stories this year. BBC School Report was bigger and better this year as we had a wider range of news and a bigger team to work with. Although the day was busy it was very exciting and eventful, mirroring what it is like in a real news room.

The news we gathered came in from Pittodrie, Aberdeen City Council and even Alex Salmond’s car. The whole day was a great success!

We would like to thank everyone who took part and everyone who helped us.

Most of the first years at Northfield Academy went to Loch Eil on the week beginning March 2nd . There were two groups that went, Wallace went from Monday – Wednesday. Stewart and Macbeth went from  Wednesday – Friday. We had to be at the school for quarter to eight. From Monday to Wednesday it was snowing there so whilst the pupils of S1 who stayed at school were nice and warm, we were freezing at Loch Eil.

When the S1 pupils were at Loch Eil they all had fun. They did lots of fun activities that were amazing and hysterical at times. Some of the activities were quite difficult and some were okay. Some of the activities included mountain climbing, jumping in the loch, wee wall ( climbing over a wall) and torrelian ( making a zip wire).

A lot of the pupils who went said they enjoyed themselves.

Some second and third years went and some of us might even get the chance to go back next year.

Here is what some people had to say about the trip:

Nicole:” I found it really fun and hopefully I get to go back again next year”.

Cameron: ” I enjoyed it but I didn’t enjoy the bus journey that much”.

Josh: ” I had fun! My favorite activity was playing camouflage”.

Lanya: ” I liked Loch Eil a lot”.

In our school there is a charities committee, the committee is linked with the Rotary Club. We support three charities, one international and two local;

• Red International
• Cash 4 Kids
• Kayleigh’s Wee Stars

Red International work with carefully selected implementing partners whose focus is specifically on relief, education and development projects in particular countries and regions. Northfield Academy sponsors two Indian children (a boy and girl) who are living in poverty, we are raising money to ensure they get a better education.

Cash 4 Kids responds to the needs of children in our communities so they can live life to the full and realise their individual potential.

Kayleigh’s Wee Stars is a charity based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.  Kayleigh’s Wee Stars was established to provide financial support for families where a child has a terminal illness.

The committee is arranging many different events in order to raise money for these charities. Some of these events include and India night to raise money for Red International, a football match with Balfour Beatty to raise money for Cash 4 Kids and a sponsored leg wax in school to raise money for Kayleigh’s Wee Stars.

Valentin Gruener, a 27 year old man from Germany rescued and raised a young lion cub by himself in a wildlife park in Botswana. Gruenur says that since Sirga, the lion cub, arrived he basically hasn’t left the camp. The pair spend their time hanging out in the Botswana bush, together they do the kind of things that big cats enjoy, such as hunting, play-fighting and  chilling under trees. Gruenur says he was unsure of Sirga after her first kill, however she ‘allowed him to come in’.

Willy de Graaf has gave Gruener 500 hectares (two square miles) to create a “miniature park” for Sirga to roam freely, but she will not be released into the wild. They will not release Sirga back into the wild not because she would not survive but because she has lost her fear for humans. In the park Sirga can roam like a wild lion but she will remain safe.

Gruener put aside his work on a PhD while he was raising Sirga, and has hardly ever left her alone. He says he will possibly return to his work once Sirga has a bigger closure and more space, and possibly another lion companion. Gruener says Sirga is his priority and as long as she needs him, he’ll be there for her. Gruenur says nothing will ever change between him and Sirga.