On Friday, December 11, 2020, a group of Young Reporters for the Environment students at St. Margaret College Secondary School Verdala, Cospicua launched a litter-less project campaign in making Christmas cribs. Upon invitation from their teacher Martin Azzopardi sdc, students Isaac Zerafa and Mikael Galea Kent offered a power-point presentation to their classmates at school about the process of making Christmas cribs using only recycled material.

Student Isaac Zerafa said; “I have learnt the technique of making a Christmas crib from my family and it is not so difficult to make. The materials required are few. I only make use of recycled material and it takes me a few days to complete the work.”

YRE students Isaac Zerafa and Mikael Galea Kent explained that a Christmas crib can easily be constructed with Papier Mache’. To adopt this technique, newspapers are dipped and soaked in glue and then left to dry. When dry, the papier mache’ gets hard and can be painted quite easily. To make the glue, one needs to pour half a litre of water in a bucket and add to flour to it while constantly stirring with a wooden stick. One keeps adding flour to water until the mixture becomes creamy but not so thick. Finally, a cup of carpenter’s white glue is added to the mixture. Actually water and flour is good enough for the mixture but adding the carpenter’s white glue makes it stronger and will keep insects away from the crib when kept in storage.

Then one dips and soaks the newspaper strips in the mixture and while still wet, the excess glue is removed. Once put on a cardboard base and frame, the newspapers strips are twisted and wrinkled to form the cave; and the ground can be covered with additional strips to make it uneven like rocks. Additional strips will make the big cave and other minor caves on each side. At this stage one can make use of his imagination to make the Christmas crib very original.

Another easy technique to make Christmas cribs is by using polyurethane foam or ‘jablo’. One can easily find jablo from package material used for home appliances and other goods and then patiently start cutting the jablo into small cubes using a sharp knife or blade, being careful with the handling of the knife. Once the jablo cubes are ready, one can use imagination to create a crib on a wooden base. Glue is needed once again to stick the jablo cubes together and pieces of net cloth soaked in glue can be used to form the green moss of the cave.

When the papier mache’ or jablo crib is dried and hardened one can then start the painting process. To make the paint, pour two tablespoons of carpenter’s glue into a small container and add to it four tablespoons of water while stirring. Then add two tablespoons of coloured powder, preferably using yellow pigment, and the paint mixture should be a bit thick, enough to cover the papier mache’ or jablo crib. Use the paint to cover the whole project material and add to it some white chalk powder if necessary. Then allow the material to dry for a couple of hours. Meanwhile prepare some brown and green paint using the same adopted technique for the yellow colour. When the yellow coat is nearly dry, start painting the crevasses with brown colour and dab some green colour around the brown to make it look like rocky moss. Painting the proper colours to make the whole project look like a natural cave requires skill and imagination too.

Then when everything has completely dried out, one can apply a semi-matte coat of clear varnish to bring out the colours and make it more vivid. When it comes to the painting process of a jablo crib one can make use of acrylic paint instead which makes it easier to cover.

Teacher Martin Azzopardi sdc, who coordinated this Litter-less Campaign school project said: “Our students were very eager to present this project as it was an opportunity for them to share their creativity and make other students aware of the need to be more environment-friendly in our decisions”.

Thanks to this litter-less school project campaign other students can make their own Christmas crib adopting the three R’s – REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE – which all help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away and learn to conserve natural resources and energy.

This project aims to reach three of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Quality Education.

On Wednesday, March 10, 2021, a group of Form 3 (Year 9) CCP Science students at St. Margaret College Secondary School, Verdala, Cospicua participated in a school project learning about China’s earthquake- resistant buildings since antiquity. This project was coordinated by Senior Science teacher Martin Azzopardi sdc and it was related to the Science study unit about Forces and Motion. Throughout this project students had the opportunity to watch a short documentary about how a structure built in the Forbidden City holds up to a simulated earthquake test. This science test can be watched in the following video:

Earthquakes are experienced in many parts of the world, but China had the world’s 10 deadliest earthquakes. China is susceptible to earthquakes due to the structure and position of the globe’s tectonic plates.

Earthquakes in China has always been taken seriously and 2500 years ago Chinese builders developed earthquake-resistant structures with interlocking flower-shaped brackets called ‘dougong’ that survive modern day shake tests.

It was during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 B.C.) that China adopted the ‘dougong’ system in architecture to build temples and palaces. The ‘dougong’ system consists of a series of interlocking beams cut to precise measurements that, when compressed under the weight of the buildings’ heavy timber roofs, are strong enough to withstand earthquakes. By using a large number of pieces in the design, the weight is shared so individual elements are not prone to splitting or cracking. The pieces are fitted together without using nails or glue and require formidable skill and precision to make each timber piece.

What surprises European architects is that the system isn’t sunk into the ground with a foundation or footing but it floats, sitting lightly on the ground.

In 2008, China experienced a massive earthquake in the Sichuan province. It is estimated that over 69,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake and more than 300,000 people were injured. Since then, massive changes in regulations have been introduced to ensure that rebuilt buildings are able to withstand earthquakes and many Chinese architects are trying to imitate the old ‘dougong’ system when designing new building structures.

At the end of this project students discussed building sustainability and earthquake-resistant buildings in Malta.

Teacher Martin Azzopardi sdc and his students offer thanksgivings to the Malta China Cultural Centre and the Chinese Embassy in Malta for their continual help and support in fulfilling these school study projects.

This project aims to reach three of the main goals proposed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:  Good Health and Well-being, Life on Land, and Quality Education.

On Wednesday February 24, 2021, Form 3 CCP Science students at St. Margaret College Secondary School, Verdala, Cospicua participated in a Science project about the healthy benefits of dark chocolate. In this Science project, students learned about the history and the production of dark chocolate. This project was organized by Senior Science teacher Martin Azzopardi sdc and was related to the science study unit about mixtures.

The making of dark chocolate is quite a lengthy process which first involves the picking of ripe cacao beans from cacao trees. Then these cacao beans are cleaned and left to ferment for approximately nine days with the help of a yeast-based starter. The cacao beans are then put in wooden boxes or covered by banana leaves to develop their flavour. During this process the appropriate temperature, humidity and ventilation are necessary.

After fermentation, the cacao beans are left to dry and then roasted to acquire a dark brown colour and develop their flavour and aroma. Then the outer shell of the beans needs to be removed in order to get the inner beans called nibs. These nibs are then ground at high pressure to produce cocoa mass (chocolate liquor) and cocoa butter. Sugar is then mixed with cocoa mass and cocoa butter to produce a paste which needs to undergo a conching process.

The conching process involves rolling, rubbing and heating steps until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Chocolate will be smoother if the conching process is longer. Then a stabiliser (like soy lecithin) and additional flavours (like sea salt or vanilla) are added to the mixture. Finally comes the tempering process whereby the chocolate mixture is poured into moulds to cool and turn solid.

Dark chocolate should contain at least 75% cocoa chocolate, as the larger the cocoa percentage, the greater the health benefits. Flavoured dark chocolate is likely to contain more sugar and salt and so it is better to opt for plain dark chocolate to attain more health benefits. Consuming 20g of dark chocolate (two large squares or six small pieces) a day offers many health benefits but a balanced diet is always recommended, as dark chocolate contains saturated fat and sugar.

One of the benefits of dark chocolate is that it is rich in antioxidants and flavanols. The health benefit of flavanols is that they help our body to improve the cells that line the insides of our blood vessels and so reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Other studies show that flavanols in dark chocolate offer some type of neuro-protective benefits and prevention from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Flavanols also have an anti-inflammatory effect which prevents inflammatory bowel disease; they can also protect our skin from sun damage because flavanols improve blood flow to the skin and increase skin density and hydration.

Another health benefit of dark chocolate is the fact that cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine which can improve and stimulate the brain function.

At the end of this research science project, participating students discussed the issue of fair-trade in the production of dark chocolate as some workers involved in this market (especially in African countries) are exploited. After the discussion students enjoyed the tasting of a piece of dark chocolate with 75% cocoa.

This project aims to reach three of the main goals proposed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:  Good Health and Well-being, Life on Land, and Quality Education.

On Wednesday February 3, 2021, Form 3 CCP Science students at St. Margaret College Secondary School, Verdala, Cospicua learned about the process of filtration and how to make a water filter at home as part of their Science practicum. This Science task was related to their Science study unit about Filtration and Separating Mixtures.

After learning the science concept of solubility and insolubility, students were given the task of learning how to separate sand from water through a simple filtration experiment. Then students were encouraged to build a simple water filter at home as part of the ‘Saving the Drop Campaign’. It doesn’t take long to build a simple water filter at home and students were encouraged to opt for recycling material in this science task.

To build a water filter at home one needs the following materials: plastic bottle, tall drinking glass, small stones or gravel, clean sand, activated charcoal, cotton balls or cloth and scissors or knife.

Then one has to follow some simple steps to build a basic water filter. First, one cuts the bottom of the plastic bottle using scissors or knife and place it upside down into the tall drinking glass. The first thing to put inside the plastic bottle is cotton balls or cloth, making a two inch thick layer. Then one adds an inch of activated charcoal as the second layer on top of the cotton layer. As third layer, one adds about two inches of small stones or gravel and then as fourth layer, another four inches of clean sand on top of the gravel. The final layer should be another layer of gravel while leaving a half-inch space from the top of the upside down bottle. Then first tests can be done by pouring some muddy water in the water filter and observing the filtered water dripping down clean into the glass below. It is important to avoid drinking the filtered water unless it is boiled.

For this experiment, students were instructed to test the water before and after the filtration process. Several water filters can also be made using different materials to observe which materials better filter muddy or dirty water into clean water.

The materials used to build a water filter at home can easily be found and it is very important that recycled material is used for this science project. Instead of cotton balls or cloth, a coffee filter can be used and instead of gravel, small pebbles would do just as well.

Each layer of the water filter has a purpose. Large sediments (like leaves or insects) in water are filtered while going through the small stones or gravel, whereas fine impurities are removed by the sand layer. Finally, contaminants and other impurities are removed by the activated charcoal through chemical absorption.

Senior Science teacher, Martin Azzopardi sdc (who supervised this experiment) said: “Teaching Science students how to build a water filter at home is a very simple science task which helps them understand the need to save every drop of water at home and put science into practice.”  

Mother Earth filters water naturally as it is absorbed into the aquifers of the ground. Ground soil filters water from leaves, insects and other debris as part of the water cycle infiltration process. Unfortunately, ground water is being contaminated due to pollution such as household chemicals/products and fertilizers and so it becomes unsafe to drink.

Thanks to this science project, students learn how the process of infiltration works and are encouraged to save water consumption. This project aims to reach three of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Quality Education.