Calling all Pupils: The Sirius Society Needs You!
Are you a scholar interested in developing your research skills, writing academic papers, gaining experience and confidence through public speaking and engagement with like-minded academics? You might be a linguist exploring an ancient manuscript, a mathematician who wants to share your thoughts about Pythagorean music theory or Euclidean geometry (who wouldn't want to read that!?), or a physicist investigating the latest mind-blowing scientific breakthroughs. You might be an artist, an actor, or a musician who wants to be part of a supportive network of like-minded creative souls, where ideas and techniques can be openly discussed and. You might even be the next University-Challenge-Master-Mind-walking-encyclopaedia type of person whose knowledge of the flags of the world, the works of Shakespeare, or the periodic table is unsurpassed. Or you might just want to talk about Finn and Jake and how Adventure Time is an allegorical dystopian vision of a future nightmare. If you really want to make that argument, then the Sirius Society will give you the opportunity to do so.
We are now beginning the exciting process of building a series of events that will cater for all age ranges and academic interests from Third Form up to Upper Sixth. The Sirius Society will be fully inclusive and will represent the diverse interests of all its members. The only requirements for membership is that you are passionate about learning, knowledge acquisition, your subject specialty (be it academic or vocational), and that you want to challenge yourself and others to go above and beyond... wherever that may lead.
Events scheduled for launch in early 2022 include:
- The return of the renowned Inter-house quiz tournament for Juniors (Third/ Fouth Form) and Seniors (Fifth/ Sixth Form) – a University Challenge style quiz competition where House takes on House. Highly competitive and great fun. Talk to your House Master and Tutor to see how you can get involved now!
- The Laurentius Lecture Series - the Laurentius Lecture series provides an opportunity for academically interested pupils to share their research with the wider school community. Last year 26 intrepid pupils took to the stage to educate, enthral, and amuse with topics ranging from Greek Tragedy, Music and the Brain, Economic in Practice, The Psychology Behind Design, Virtual Reality and Architectural Design, to name but a few. Pupils deliver a short lecture of fifteen minutes to their peer group, the Head Master, the Head of Scholars and members of staff with a particular speciality in a given area, followed by questions from the floor. Any Scholar from Third Form upwards is invited to speak and the lectures are open to pupils and staff, enabling scholars to develop their research and presentation skills as they prepare for further study beyond St Peter’s.
- The Sirius Society Presents! Departmental events organised by pupils for pupils. Do you have a great idea for an event or project you think your subject department could host? Perhaps a foreign language film club, a Law society, or a Philosophical debating circle? Perhaps you’d like to invite industry leaders and professionals in your specialist subject area to come and talk to like-minded pupils at school or via Zoom. Last year we had interest groups working in the following fields: Philosophy, Medicine, History, Law, Engineering, Chemistry and Neuroscience, Classics, Maths, Spanish & French, Cybercrime, Property, Marketing. For more information, please contact the Sirius Society Student Leadership Team: Alfie, Martha, Henry, Wolfe.
- The Journal of the Sirius Society - For those of you who are unfamiliar with academic journals, journals are a great way of publishing your research, from full essay style papers, to reviews, translations, or general articles of academic interest. They also give you a taste of higher education study and the wider world of academic research. Published annually, the Journal of the Sirius Society will represent the best work the society and the wider academic extension family from across the school has produced that year. It will be pupil-led, hence we will need an editing team including proofreaders, designers, a selection panel, peer reviewers. This could provide an excellent experience for those interested in publishing, and a great CV entry. Please send expressions of interest to Dr Flett and the SSLT team.
- Chess at St Peter’s - our very own chess club and tournament series. Think you’d make a great Grand Master or maybe you don’t know your Rook from your Bishop, or your en passant from a king side castle. It doesn’t matter – everyone is welcome.
- The Sirius Society Annual Research Competition – Have you written a great research paper, created a research poster, or produced a research video/animation/podcast which you think deserves recognition and pecuniary reward? If so then we’d love to see it.
- The Sirius Society Guest Speaker Series. Leaders in their field and hand-picked to entertain! Ranging from Authors to Historians, Scientists to Musicians.
If any of this sounds like you and you’d like to get involved then please send an email to Dr Flett and he will add you to the Sirius Society Teams channel. Alternatively, you’ll find Dr Flett in the Classics Department most days if you want a chat, or contact the Sirius Society Student Leadership Team: Alfie, Martha, Henry, Wolfe.
