Glyn students go west in search of technological inspiration

Computing students from Glyn School in Ewell ended the academic year in digital heaven after a spectacular trip to California to visit some of the world’s leading technical and scientific institutions.

During the week-long trip, the group of students under the guidance of the school’s head of computing Jane Harding, visited such prestigious locations as Google headquarters, Intel’s educational institute, Stanford University and Nasa. During their free time, they also got to
sample some of the more traditional tourist delights of California, such as the beach, San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

“This trip took a lot of organising but everyone involved will agree
it was worth every second of it,” said Ms Harding. “Glyn places great
importance on computing and technology, and on this trip, the students
have visited some of the world’s leading locations in that field. It’s
been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and they’ve made the most of it
– after we visited Intel, one of the staff who showed us round said
the Glyn students were the best school visitors they’d ever had. To
have made such a positive impression at such a world leading
organisation is a huge compliment to all the students."

Although the trip came at the end of an exhausting school year, Ms
Harding said there was never any danger of the students running out of
energy or enthusiasm. “In the world of technology, the places we’ve
been to see are the very best, most exciting destinations going, and
we’re lucky that the students are all so passionate about the subject
that they really appreciated that and made the most of it,” she said.

“For me as someone who loves the subject, it was a thrill to see
inside places like Google and Nasa, but even more so to see how it’s
inspired the students,” she continued. “Everyone will have their own
personal favourite memories from the trip – for me, it was seeing how
much it meant to them all. If they can keep that motivation going into
their work when they return to school, the results could be amazing.”