Abingdon News No.49

8 January 2019 This year’s Lower School Be the Best You Can Be programme welcomed back a truly inspirational guest speaker Talan Skeels-Piggins. Talan, paralysed from the chest down in a road accident in 2003, told the story of how he overcame adversity to take part in the 2010 Winter Olympics as a downhill skier and become the first paraplegic in the world to compete against able-bodied racers in motorcycling. He gave the boys plenty of advice that will stand them in good stead as they journey through Lower School and beyond, including the importance of realising that “failing is part of learning”. Be the Best You Can Be Studying Wildlife with Oxford University Abingdon Science Partnership co- ordinated a successful bid for a prestigious Royal Society Partnership Grant allowing schools to work with practising scientists and engage in real research. The project involves using camera traps to study wildlife behaviour at a variety of school sites around Abingdon. Eleven films were premiered at this year’s annual screening from the AFU. Documentaries outnumbered animation and fiction, and the range of subject matter explored was as wide as ever. There was certainly something to engage everyone. While all the films were excellent, Freddie Marshall, Joe Bradley and David Bicarregui won awards that honour the memory of the AFU’s co-founder Michael Grigsby. The films earned particular praise for their outstanding creative flair and technical accomplishment. The School’s Entomology Society study this giant spiny stick insect Eurycantha calcarata which is native to New Guinea. This female is able to reproduce without a mate by parthenogenesis. Abingdon News Inspiration from the Abingdon Film Unit