Pupils create their own Temenos at twelfth Meteor

Over 500 primary children converge on Teesside University to take part in the twelfth annual Meteor Summer School.

Meteor was launched by the University in 1999 to inspire local primary Year Six (aged 10 to 11) pupils to think about further and higher education.

Meteor offers a series of activities on and off campus covering a wide range of curriculum based activities. It also provides an opportunity for pupils to meet and talk to students working on the activities and in schools.

A mini graduation It culminates in the summer school and a ‘mini-graduation’ at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Tuesday 20 July, where pupils will cross the stage to receive a certificate from the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Henderson, watched by their families, friends, teachers and VIPs.

Meteor was initially offered to six schools in central Middlesbrough and has now expanded to over 27 primary and secondary pupils across the Tees Valley. This year two Darlington primary schools, Heathfield and Corporation Road, have joined the scheme.

Mark Hopgood, Project Director for Middlesbrough’s £2.7m, 48m high Temenos, will deliver daily presentations about the sculpture to the children, including a time lapse video showing the construction of Temenos. They will then, in teams, design, computer visualise and finally build their own constructions.

Mark Hopgood said: 'I’m delighted to be coming in to the University to talk to the Meteor pupils. It gives them an opportunity to engage in a major art development in their own town and will be very interesting to see which structures they decide to make, whether they’re similar to Temenos or they feel inspired to go in a completely different direction. Temenos will be here for 120 years so it’s important that young people and their families come down to see it, they are the future.'

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