Techognition 2024

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Today is Techognition Day -- a chance to celebrate the often army of highly skilled professionals that keep our school running smoothly! 

Technicians are highly skilled, very experienced and essential members of school and college staff whose work often goes unseen. We all benefit from the specialist skills our technicians bring to make sure that students have the best learning outcomes.

Design & Technology/Art Technicians help to make sure that all equipment is running properly and make sure that students are supported on complicated machines. They prep materials for lesson and tidy up after practical lessons. They also use their valuable skills to make sure that our school is looking it's best which can include unique tasks like repairing the science skeleton and stitching up our school flag.

Science Technicians also prepare science practicals for students, as well as demonstrations for science teachers. They can often be seen delivering and collecting resources around the school or can be found in their massive resource room making oxygen gas, methane rockets, the Thermite reaction in flower pots for Chemistry; preparing agar plates for microbiology and buying ox hearts, eyes, lungs and brains for dissection for Biology; and setting up the Van de Graaf generator, ripple tank, oscilloscope and Rubens tube for Physics.

ICT Technicians help make sure that students and staff are able to work efficiently by keeping computers, laptops, tables, smart boards and TVs connected. They help students access learning materials online by setting up our Sheldon learning portals (and recover forgotten passwords). They help keep everyone safe online as well by making sure that our IT systems are secure. They also maintain our Soundfield system so that our classrooms are accessible for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Sheldon couldn't run without all of our talented technicians. We hope you will all join us in thanking them for their contributions if you see them around the school!

My favourite teacher was Mr Girvan. It was impossible not to absolutely love English if he taught it. He was just the nicest human being and he never raised his voice at our class once and I had him for years from year 8 to year 12.
Kirsty Wang - Medical student at Bristol University