CREATIVE students at a Rugby secondary school have planted their flag over eight thousand miles away in Antarctica.
A group of students from Avon Valley School’s geography club were amazed when the flag they designed for Antarctica as part of a competition made it all the way to the continent.
As Antarctica does not have its own official flag, the UK Polar Network asked students at participating schools across the UK to design a flag which symbolises the continent. Chosen flags are then paired with researchers who are heading down to research stations in Antarctica.
In their weekly geography club, the Year 8 students were taught about Antarctica, Earth’s most southerly and least populated continent, by geography teacher Kaylee McHale to help them design their flag.
Their final design features stars which represent the countries who have signed the Antarctic Treaty, wildlife that lives on or around Antarctica, the continent’s outline, and a blue background to symbolise the ocean.
The students were delighted to receive a photo of their flag being held in the far off continent by marine ecologists Emily Rowlands, Angelika Slomska and Ryan Saunders. The ecologists are based at Signy Island, which is covered by a permanent ice-cap and is over 8,000 miles away from Rugby.
Headteacher Alison Davies said: “It is amazing to see that a piece of work created by our students has made its way to Antarctica and we are very grateful to the UK Polar Network for making this possible.
“Activities like this are an excellent way of inspiring young people while helping them to learn.”
