Inspiring Assemblies from Our Sixth Form Science Societies
This week, we were delighted to welcome members of The Wright Society, the senior school’s medical society for aspiring medics, vets and dentists, who led a fascinating and inspiring assembly on women in engineering and medicine.
The Sixth Form pupils introduced us to several remarkable women whose determination, resilience and achievements changed the world.
We learned about Mary Seacole, the pioneering nurse who cared for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Despite facing prejudice and being refused official support, she travelled independently to the war zone and established the “British Hotel”, where she provided care, comfort and medical assistance to those in need.
We also heard about Rosalind Franklin, whose groundbreaking work using X-ray diffraction was crucial to discovering the structure of DNA. Sadly, her contribution was not fully recognised during her lifetime. The Nobel Prize was awarded to Watson, Crick and Wilkins in 1962, four years after Rosalind Franklin’s death, and many people believe her vital role deserved far greater acknowledgement.
The assembly highlighted the achievements of Marie Curie, the brilliant scientist who pioneered research into radioactivity. She became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains the only person to have won Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields: Physics and Chemistry.
We also learned about Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, who overcame significant barriers to become Britain’s first female doctor. At a time when women were not allowed to study medicine, she persevered and eventually helped open opportunities for future generations of women in the medical profession.
A key message from the assembly was that these women never gave up. They faced prejudice, obstacles and, in some cases, a lack of recognition for their achievements. However, through determination and perseverance, their contributions have been recognised and celebrated, even if that acknowledgement came many years later.
It was a truly empowering discussion, and we would like to extend our sincere thanks to The Wright Society for sharing these inspiring stories with us.
Following the assembly, we were excited to hear the results of The Moncrieff-Jones Society Video Competition. All finalists received a large gemstone and a certificate in recognition of their outstanding efforts.
Congratulations to our top three winners:
🥉 Bronze Award – Cicero, who has entered every year since Year 3 and has consistently achieved a place in the top three.
🥈 Silver Award – Noah
🥇 Gold Award – Amelie
In addition to their gemstones and certificates, the winners also received exciting animal electronics build kits. Well done to all the finalists and participants for their creativity, hard work and enthusiasm. We are incredibly proud of your achievements!
