Stars of the future
Learners at Pickering High School have had their say in choosing the name of the innovative new Academy in West Hull, to be created under Hull's city-wide Building School's for the Future project. Staff and learners were invited to enter a competition led by the academy sponsor, Hull College, to choose a suitable name for the Academy, which will be situated on the current Pickering High School grounds.
The winning name was suggested by Year 7 learner, Dez Greenwood, who chose The Sirius Academy; Sirius being the brightest star in the night sky which also provides an appropriate link to the Academy’s subject specialisms of sport and environmental science.
Hull College Chief Executive and Principal, Elaine McMahon, said “The new Sirius Academy will be at the heart of the local community and the naming competition helped to ensure that individuals and groups had an opportunity to influence and share their views on the academy development as part of the consultation process.”
Dez, aged 12, hopes to work for NASA when he is older and has been rewarded with a new iPod nano for his winning entry. He explained why he chose the name Sirius, “I knew that Sirius was the brightest star because my Dad teaches me a lot about the stars and science. I think the competition was a really great idea. It gave us the chance to talk about how the Academy will be different for learners, what it needs to be about, plus we had brilliant fun thinking of the names”.
Dez’s Head teacher Elaine Wadsworth added, “It is fitting that Sirius is the name of the brightest star in the night sky – something we want all our young people to be, bright stars of the future.”
David Martin, Hull BSF Project Director, said “I am delighted with the choice of name and the approach to naming the new Academy, paving the way for how the Academy will engage students, staff and the community in transforming learning.”
The new Academy, due to open in September 2009, will offer a broad and balanced curriculum, focusing on subject specialisms of sport and environmental science.
