Sponsored Blog By Ashville College
A renowned wildlife photographer and author has shared his experiences of working in some of the most remote and coldest regions of the planet with Ashville Prep School pupils.
As part of Year 6s ‘Frozen Kingdom’ project, Dr Michael Leach – whose work has taken him to all seven continents – lead a virtual workshop focusing on the Arctic and Antarctic.
During separate online presentations to the three Year 6 class groups, Dr Leach told his young audiences about the challenges facing animals and marine life, at both polar regions due to climate change.
The author of 36 books, who was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology earlier this month, also spoke about his photographic expeditions, and his various encounters with polar bears, penguins and killer whales along the way.
Emily Stocks, Ashville Prep School Year 6 Class Teacher, said:
“We were delighted that Dr Leach was able to lead this fantastic workshop, and share his experiences with our Year 6 pupils.
“The workshop enhanced the pupils understanding of the challenges faced when travelling to both polar regions.
“It was a huge success with both children and staff gripped at his every word. Dr Leach also shared some of his fabulous photographs with us from his experiences within his field of research.”
Joy Walker, Deputy Head (Pastoral) of Ashville Prep School, said:
“Ashville’s schedule of external guest speakers is an exciting aspect of our Enrichment programme, so we are glad to say it has not stopped during the pandemic.
“We are proud to provide our pupils with the regular opportunity to hear directly from specialist external speakers, to enrich their understanding of the topics in the curriculum. We look forward to welcoming more exciting external speakers again soon, either in person or virtually.
“For every year group within Ashville Prep School we always try to add a ‘wow experience’ to help engage and get the children excited about the new topic they are learning.
“We do this through guest speakers such as Dr Leach, school trips and workshops. We always try to do something different although this last year has had its challenges.”
For more information about Ashville College, please visit www.ashville.co.uk or call 01423 566358.
Founded in 1877, Ashville College is a leading independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 3-18 years. It is located in the North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate, and consists of Acorns Nursery Class and Ashville’s Prep School, Senior School and Sixth Form. Ashville College is a member of the HMC, BSA, ISC, and NEASC, and an associate member of the Methodist Independent Schools Trust.
