Students crowned environmental champions for Big Idea
Pupils at Heath Park School are celebrating after being crowned National Champions at this year's Solutions for the Planet Big Ideas environmental competition.
The school, which finished second overall last year, went one better this time around with pupils Charlotte Corbett, Lojain Karim and Aryana Khalil’s idea of turning shredded paper into environmentally friendly plant pots impressing judges.
The Solutions for the Planet competition is fiercely fought, with over 500 teams and 3,000 participants competing for the top three places.
Geography teacher Jas Perrin said: "The girls did us proud, and their sheer determination, commitment and resilience was clear from the start of the challenge.
"The quality of their business plan and their exceptional presentational skills certainly wowed the judges, and they were able to present their idea with such poise.”
Executive Headteacher Georgetta Holloway added: "It's wonderful to have our children's ideas acknowledged in this way.
"We've been involved with the Big Ideas project for many years and every year, the imagination and innovation which the children are capable of blows us away. At a time of such uncertainty and confusion in the world, it's good to know that our future is safe in the hands of such caring, thoughtful and intelligent young people."
Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, added: "This is brilliant news, and I would like to congratulate Charlotte, Lojain and Aryana on their fantastic idea.
"This competition not only gets young people to think about the future of their planet, but also helps them develop important skills such as project management and developing business plans."
The Big Ideas Programme is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and enterprise programme with a focus on sustainability issues that matter to young people.
Delivered in secondary schools across the UK and using employee volunteers from Solutions from the Planet's Business Partner Network as mentors, the Big Ideas Programme harnesses creativity, encourages teamwork, develops STEM and wider employability skills, and gives young people a voice in the dialogue around sustainability, linking their ideas to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
For more information, visit https://solutionsfortheplanet.co.uk.
