Faculty News

Science Faculty 

Perhaps now is an ideal opportunity to reminisce about the past and a group of Mazenod students that made history in December 2019. Nine senior students had the privilege of attending an exciting expedition to NASA, Houston, USA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) along with Ms Mrock. This added further exposure and experience to the learning journeys of our students. A once in a lifetime opportunity.

The two-week long program was filled with adventurous discovery, development and lots of hands on learning. The students were able to grasp a lot of knowledge in a very short time due to the excellent structure of the program and being in an alternative learning environment.

The trip had many meaningful checkpoints. The first was the NASA tour itself. It started with the NASA mission control room. Experiencing the real thing first hand, the students got a taste of what it would be like being part of an actual space mission. Next, they saw the Saturn Five Rocket. This launch vehicle has been used by NASA for 6 years and is the one which supported the Apollo program for exploring the moon. There were also some rocks from Mars and the Moon on display. The students were exhilarated when they got to touch the space rocks!

Next came the Space University at NASA. There, they got to participate in a number of STEM activities. It started off with them teaming up and making rockets and launching them for testing, making thermal shields and cryogenics and testing them as well. All were also truly engaged in designing Mars rovers/robots. There were coding activities, giving a touch of digital technology learning experience to it. The students not only saw actual astronauts training in the neutral buoyancy lab, but they also got a chance to experience neutral buoyancy first hand by a scuba diving routine. There was plenty more to stimulate the learning minds of the kids in the form of water robotics and designing their own Mars habitats.

Students got their spoonful of NASA history by learning about the Gemini, Apollo and Mercury missions. There were many exhibits on display for the students to connect the stories being told. Any questions or confusions were clarified by expert guides who were giving them company all the time on the guided tour. There was some information shared about upcoming missions to the Moon and Mars in their new Orion capsules. Another highlight of the trip was when the students got to meet astronauts Brian Duffy and Nicole Stott. Learning about this subject from experts who have done it first hand is not a common thing to come by. Those were indeed some of the most fulfilling moments for curious minds. Students got a real insight into what being an astronaut is really all about.

All this apart, there were also some development programs to participate in. These included situations to enhance the students’ problem solving, critical thinking and leadership skills. They got to exercise their brains nicely with challenges which were given to them daily. Students also got another rare opportunity of mission control simulation and space suit engineering activities. What followed was a trip to the Houston museum of natural sciences. There was a dinosaur exhibit there which included some very rare fossils which was pretty intriguing for everyone.

The tour concluded with some alternative activities. Everyone went to watch an NBA game – the Houston Rockets vs San Antonio Spurs. At the end of the program they all graduated from the Space University and got their Space school graduating certificates!

Watch this space for any future explores and Moowalkers!

Ms Mrock

Ms Vissenjoux

Mr Stoforidis

Sport Faculty

The Mazenod Sport department hopes you have being keeping fit and active.

Physical activity is part of your everyday routines and you have plenty of time to do so, with timetabled Physical Education classes as well as designated Sport time.

Keeping active during these times of restrictions is important and can be a great way to break up long times of sitting in front of the computer and avoiding Netflix binges.

By keeping active, you can help reduce stress, improve your cardiovascular fitness and boost your immunity.

Exercising with your parents, walking the dog or doing a body weight circuit are just a few ways in which you can incorporate some exercise into your daily routines. 

To help you maintain motivation to keep active, the Sports department has come up with a challenge to get the heart pumping and body moving.

What you need to do is upload a photo or video to the Sport Challenge Forum on the MazCom Sport page.

It could be of a makeshift gym, a run you completed or just one of you taking a leisurely stroll around your neighbourhood. 

Make sure you use your creative skills, as there will be two gift vouchers awarded to winner and runner up, so get up and get moving!

For further information, please go to the Sport page on Mazcom - Mazenod Sport

Stay fit and healthy!

The Mazenod Sport Department