An audience full of parents and teachers were truly wowed when a group of Lower Sixth formers presented their topics at this year’s Bedford School Independent Project (BSIP) presentation evening on Wednesday 1 February.
The elite group of seven boys have been working on their self-chosen projects since September, each sharing their findings in a fifteen-minute presentation, before taking questions from a panel of adjudicators and members of the audience.
The BSIP, now in its eighth year at Bedford School, helps boys to stretch themselves academically on an area of personal interest to each individual boy. All A-Level boys are required to produce a BSIP, but only a small number are chosen to take part in the presentation evening.
As ever, the boys delivered some superbly positioned subjects, impressing both the audience and the adjudicators with their erudition and the confidence with which they delivered their talks, resulting in a thought-provoking and enjoyable evening for all present.
Winner of this year’s BSIP was Shaun Thomas, who said afterwards, “Winning the BSIP was truly a privilege and an honour given the commendable talent on display at the presentation evening, and I was thrilled to be named the winner. I decided to choose my topic due to my interest in current affairs and how specific global events can affect us. I wanted something that also combined my interest in law (specifically, international law) and economics. With a little bit of research into this, I landed on my topic.”
Boys presenting their projects were:
Shaun Thomas (winner) won the presentation prize for his talk ‘Economic Sanctions on Russia: Do they work?’. The adjudicators awarded Shaun the prize for his assured delivery, precision, his clear answers to questions and his approach to expanding his research resources.
Sam Maling (runner up) delivered a presentation on ‘Is the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques ethically permissible in the modern world?’, which was well-prepared, engaged the audience and used detail to add credibility to his argument.
Edward Briers (runner up) was also highly commended for his discussion of ‘Is there a need for chemical fertilisers in the future of agriculture?’. His talk contained well-selected detail, specialised knowledge and clear explanation for the benefit of his audience.
Ben Smith spoke with clear lines of argument and a considered rationale on ‘Is the political centre a tenable and justifiable position in modern society?’.
Jake Reynolds impressed with his use of data and evidence in his talk, ‘How has Roe v Wade had an impact on society from 1973 compared to present day?’.
Isaac Dutson’s ‘What does El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption suggest about the future of cryptocurrencies?’ contained personal insight and updated amendments. Adjudicators noted the rapport he built with his audience.
Charlie Lawrence was confident and informed as he reflected on ‘The Theatre of the Oppressed: To What Extent Did Augusto Boal Create Social and Political Change?’. Charlie’s pace, intonation and emphasis were all excellent.