19/06/20 – Good News from Croydon High

GDST Debate Success

Our KS3 debaters are doing really well in the GDST virtual debating competition! Ananya and Louise in Year 8 won their first debate, and Ania and Elsa in Year 7 came second. Good luck for the rest of the competition!

Our Wildlife Garden

A wonderful story from Hollyann in Year 8 and her family – inspired by our News Links!

“After reading News Links, we were inspired by the Wildlife Trust’s ‘30 Days Wild’ campaign and decided to make a wildlife garden.

We selected an overgrown area at the end of our garden, which previously we have referred to as ‘Fairy Wood’. It began with a log pile to encourage fungi, moss, insects and birds. We left the stinging nettles to grow round the log pile as stinging nettles are great wildlife attractors: caterpillars of the small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies use them as food sources and ladybirds feast on the aphids that shelter among them. We left behind any wildflowers which were already growing, like buttercups, forget-me-nots and green alkanet, to sustain the numbers of bees and other insects.

Next, we made a small clearing which was overgrown with grass and we made a path. We then levelled the ground and pathway by digging the soil over and breaking up the clods of earth. We were so surprised at how many worms there were, a resident robin kept visiting us as we turned over the soil.  Next, we removed any litter we found (due to foxes and badgers); this included a chewed trainer! We laid stepping stones on the fresh, newly turned earth, this enabled us to keep off the ground we intended to plant up. We sprinkled wildflower seeds in compost and watered it, we planted many wild flowers including cornflowers, poppies and oxeye daisies.

This has taught me so much-  I have always loved gardening but I realise it is not only about the flowers’ welfare but also the pollinators’ and other wildlife. This is very fitting because I am enjoying my Biology lessons where we are learning about wind pollinators, insect pollinators, the parts of a flower and how this attracts floral visits.

We have already noticed a change in animal behaviour in ‘Fairy Wood’ – birds are resting on the log piles, a variety of bee species are pollinating our wildflowers, birds are chirping in the trees because we have left seeds out for them and put bird boxes up and we even have a little house for hedgehogs. Our garden is generally more alive! Our little seedling wildflowers have started to germinate and we are looking forward to a beautiful wild meadow in the future.”

Hollyann, 8T

Black British Authors Top Book Charts

Reni Eddo-Lodge became the first Black British author to top the UK bestselling non-fiction book chart since the chart was first launched in 1998, with her book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. Bernadine Evaristo became the first Black British woman to top the UK bestselling fiction book chart, with her book Girl, Woman, Other.

The Guardian

Life-Saving Drug for Coronavirus Patients

A cheap and widely available steroid treatment has been revealed to be an effective, life-saving treatment for patients suffering from Covid-19. For patients on ventilators, the risk of death was cut by a third; for patients on oxygen, the risk of death was cut by a fifth.

BBC

Another Record Broken

The UK has now gone over two months without using coal-powered energy. This is the longest coal-free period since the Industrial Revolution! More hope for a greener future.

BBC

Sustainable Fashion Tool

A new fashion footprint tool from Far Fetch helps consumers discover the true environmental cost of a fashion purchase. Even more hope for a greener future, as people start looking for sustainable alternatives in all areas of life!

Far Fetch

Barn Owl Numbers on the Rise

The number of barn owls in the UK declined by 70% between 1932 and 1987, with only an estimated 4,500 breeding pairs in existence. However, there are now an estimated 12,000 breeding pairs! This is largely due to the number of barn owl nesting boxes that have been erected all over the nation, following a hugely successful campaign by Barn Owls Conservation Network.

The Guardian