St Swithun’s Juniors welcome Arctic explorer Oli Milroy as part of their polar environments project
08 Apr 2013
As part of their humanities topics this term, Year 4 at St Swithun’s Junior School has been studying polar environments and famous explorers and were delighted to welcome Arctic explorer Oli Milroy to the school.
Oli works for an organisation called Education through Expeditions (ETE) and at only 19 years old was the youngest member of the 2012 Arctic Jubilee Expedition, whose Patron was HRH Prince Charles. This historic expedition marked the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by holding the worlds most remote Diamond Jubilee Tea Party, at the highest point of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in Arctic Canada. Oli was also honoured as a torch bearer in the London Olympics for his charity work and within schools outreach.
During the course of the day Oli ran various workshops to help the pupils understand the climate, wildlife and extreme conditions of the Polar Regions. He also showed them all the kit which he took with him to the Arctic, before giving them the opportunity to dress up in it.
The girls then demonstrated the skills learned throughout the day when they planned their very own expeditions, varying in destinations from Madagascar to the Arctic. They had to choose where to go, what to investigate, who would fulfill which job in the expedition team and what kit they would take with them.
All the workshops gave the girls real insight into the life of an explorer.
Photo: St Swithun’s Junior School Year 4 with Oli Milroy