The Everest Files by Matt Dickinson

Each year for the past 6 years Saint Ninian’s School library and Woodfarm High’s school library have been working in tandem on specific literacy projects – from You’re Booked; the football scheme where pupils met the Scotland manager, read books by and met author Tom Palmer and were trained by the local SFA development team – to our cli-fi carbon neutral project where we created our own films on the premise- Can books save the world?
This year after having read the amazing book by Matt Dickinson; The Everest Files there really was nowhere else to seek inspiration.

The scheme will focus around the novel which deals with topics such as Buddhism, the cold chain, arranged marriages, ethical tourism, animal welfare and much, much more as well as the obvious of climbing. The aim of the project is to get pupils thinking about fiction in all its various facets. No book is ever written in isolation so how can we take each thread, each idea, each character and look at them on their own? Over 80 pupils will be involved in this scheme our biggest challenge yet!

The difference with this book to many others is that the author has lived this experience having climbed Mount Everest a number of years ago. So, the detail is the reality and, the thrill of the action is based on truth.

We hope to have pupils putting themselves into the book by having experience of researching the topics but also having a go. Part of the grand plan is to have some pupils trying out a climbing wall to see if they have what it takes to really face a challenge such as Everest. I would like, in the wake of the horrific earthquakes in the region, to have pupils think about the lives of the Nepalese whose lives are dominated by the presence of the mountain and their livelihood sustained by rich mountaineers (which will be used as part of an inter-class debate). In the light of this I would like pupils to be sponsored to walk Mount Everest using pedometers and the monies raised would go towards supporting the relief effort.

Pupils will also be able to present their work using an interactive online poster using thinglink.com; an image is used for the focal point for research, how that research manifests itself will be , in part, up to the pupils; allowing them to take ownership of the scheme and play a significant role in their final project.
Pupils will be directed to different ideas through working through a traditional booklet on their own, in pairs or as part of a team. The team aspect will also come into play with the other final project; a playable board game. Pupils will have a chance to play traditional board games and discuss what makes them tick and apply this knowledge to their own games.

The scheme will be supported by other departments –
Geography – will talk about the creation of the Himalayas
RE – will talk about Buddhism
HE – will help pupils plan a Nepalese feast, and will look at Nepalese attire, and
Art and Design – have created a Pinterest board of relevant images to use as source materials for pupil’s own selection for thinglink and their board game.

In September, a new film will be released all about climbing Everest and I would like to take a small group to the I-max theatre to experience an epic up close. And we are also hoping that Matt might be able to fit us into his busy schedule and pop in to the school to talk about the book and his experiences!

The final part of the scheme – I would like to have an evening at the school where family and friends will be able to come in to the school, have a taste of Nepal, try out the board games and watch some of the presentations – any monies raised from this event will again go toward the relief efforts in Nepal. ( bobble hats at the ready!)

It is only with the support of pupils, parents and teachers that I am able to undertake such an exciting scheme and I would like to thank all of you who will get your snow boots on and harness yourself to this climb.

Nearly 7000 people have summited Mount Everest – I hope we can too. Sort of!