Year 10 pupils at an Aycliffe school are hoping their ‘medalling’ in design and technology will bring them a touch of real Olympic glory.
With support from Durham County Council and nearby Aycliffe Fabrications, a group of pupils at Woodham Community Technology College have turned D and T classes into an innovative medal manufacturing hothouse.
Drawing up the design and even overseeing the manufacturing and financial processes, the students’ medals will now be handed out to the winning athletes at Durham County Council’s International Youth Games next month.
The Games, part of the council’s Olympic Legacy ‘Join in…’ campaign, will see 226 athletes representing 11 countries from as far afield as Bangladesh and Brazil, Slovakia and Sri Lanka go head to head for top honours in the true spirit of the Olympics.
They have been organised by the council’s International Relations and children and young people’s teams and are supported by the European Commission.
The youngsters all aged 15 or under, will compete in five sports at venues across the county including: Swimming at Freemans Quay, Athletics from Shildon, Fencing and indoor rowing at Maiden Castle and Gymnastics from South Durham Gymnastics Centre, at Spennymoor Leisure Centre.
Christine Forsyth, headteacher at Woodham, said: “It is a great privilege to create these medals which will be treasured by winners for years to come.
“The creativity and skill of our future engineers bodes well for the future of the region.”
Student, Ryan Metcalfe, 15, said: “This was a unique opportunity to work with a real client on a real project that gave us an insight to life in the workplace. We feel so lucky to be involved in such a special project.”
Fifteen-year-old William Kirton added: “This has been a fantastic opportunity that has taught us how to adapt ideas to a client’s preference and acquire skills such as teamwork and communication.”
The student’s head of Design and Technology, Mike Nelson, said: “This has been a fantastic chance for our students to work on a real life project using modern manufacturing methods.”
■ Pictured is: Caitlin Hindle (15), Natasha Barry (15), Ryan Metcalfe (14), Georgia Franey (15), Abbie McDowell (15), Lucy Hay (15), Ruby Knapton (14), Jennifer Wells (15), Rebekah Varty (15), James Newton (15), Mr. Mike Nelson, Emily Campbell (15) and William Kirton (15).