Seventy Key Stage Two pupils from Pond Park and Ballymacash Primary Schools gathered at The Wallace High School recently to take part in the Sentinus “Keyquest” roadshow.
Sentinus is a non profit making organisation which works to develop links between industry and educaton in Northern Ireland, promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The roadshow encouraged pupils to put their curriculum based learning into practice and to develop their problem-solving, teamwork, communication and confidence building skills.
The young pupils put their problem solving skills to very good use by working through a series of mathematical puzzles – working with shapes, numbers and cracking codes. They worked their way through a strange and perilous land in a quest to discover a mystical gemstone, encountering wizards, trolls and an imprisoned queen along the way.
One pupil from Pond Park commented, “I really enjoyed the keyquest roadshow – the movie clips were really funny and I learnt loads. I also enjoyed getting to know new people in my team.”
The Key Stage Two pupils worked in teams and were guided through this mysterious land by “treasure hunters” – also known as Sixth Form mentors from Wallace High!
Lower Sixth mentor Andrea explained, “Sentinus had planned a super range of activities for the younger pupils. I hope to become a Primary School teacher and loved the opportunity of working with younger pupils.”
Jamie, who was placed top in Northern Ireland in his recent Maths GCSE and third in Additional Maths, added, “Mentoring the younger pupils was a really interesting experience and it was great to see so many people excited about Maths. The “Keyquest” day was based around “Lord of the Rings” – all participants – both sixth years and Primary pupils – had a lot of fun.”
Brian Campbell, Chief Executive of Sentinus, said, “Considering the recent decline in the number of students opting to study Mathematics, it is vital that we open up the exciting world of Mathematics to young people. The “Keyquest” roadshow provides an excellent opportunity to show that Mathematics can be stimulating and fun.”
Last modified: October 16, 2007
