teacher Patrick Mahon and Bermudian
technician Michael Hooper ('79), joined
Saltus in 2010 as part of Headmaster
Staunton's push to revamp the DT
department and make it a Centre of
Excellence at the School based on rapidly
expanding economic labour needs
within the industrial arts sector. Mr.
Heap was a former head of faculty for
Art & Design Technology at St. olave's
Grammar School for Boys in London,
where his students excelled in numerous
national design competitions, winning
the school a special award from the
Duke of Edinburgh for achievement
in engineering. Under his leadership,
students also won a Royal Institute of
British Architects' competition for two
consecutive years. Mr. Mahon oversaw
the KS3 curriculum at London-area
boarding school Bradfield College and
helped integrate the teaching of modern
computer-aided design and manufacture.
"While I was at Bradfield, we doubled
the number of students opting to take
the subject at GCSE and significantly
improved results," says Mr. Mahon.
With the new DT machines now in
daily use, both teachers expect similar
triumphs by Saltus pupils. For starters,
Mr. Heap says the department's
CAD/CAM capabilities will allow
Saltus to compete in the prestigious
annual "Formula one in Schools
Challenge," in which students around
the globe use CAD software to create
100th-scale models of an F1 car of the
future and teams compete for the design
deemed to be the fastest. The world
championship event has been held in
London, Singapore, India, Australia
and other locations and is sponsored
by big-name corporations such as Red
Bull, Lotus Engineering and Pirelli.
"F1 in Schools is a UK-based initiative
launched in 2000 to encourage students
to follow careers in Engineering," says
Mr. Heap. "We hope Saltus will be able
to enter both junior and senior teams in
the 2014 event."
S A L T U S M A G A Z I N E
1 5
Science spruce-up
Student scientists are working in renovated
classrooms and laboratories this term.
The Secondary Science Block enjoyed an
extensive refurbishment over the summer,
overhauled with new floors, ceilings, internal
and external wall repair, new windows,
doors and centrally-controlled heating and
cooling systems. Blackout blinds were fitted
to aid experiments requiring total darkness
and new noticeboards and shelving were
fitted to the walls. Some students even
made a painting on ceiling tiles that have
now been fitted for the new lab.
The science prep room also
received a complete makeover,
with imported racking to store a
multitude of equipment for lab
experiments, from pestles to
petri dishes. A new floor,
cupboards, a sink unit and
dishwasher were also added.
The upgrade included installation
of a safety shower--for use by
students or staff to remove
dangerous contaminants
should the need ever arise.
Support came from the
Saltus Association, the Ernest
E. Stempel Foundation and the
$6,000 second-place award
won by Steve Briggs's KPMG
Investment Challenge team
(
Daniel Pell, Jonas
Frumkin, Nicholas Barton).
Library's new leaf
Upper Primary bookworms can now enjoy the
refurbished comfort of the Ernest E. Stempel Library. Donations from the Stempel
Foundation enabled a makeover that included rebuilt bookshelves, new windows
and flooring, an airconditioner, and a desk for the Librarian or parent volunteers.
A computer workstation with two laptops was also installed, allowing students to
access the Library catalogue or take online Renaissance Reading Programme tests.
Working in the refurbished Science Block
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