A select team of three year 8 Stover School pupils (Emily Eastley-Jones, Alex Mackenzie and William Matthews) 
recently represented the school at a Salters Festival of Chemistry, held at the University of Plymouth.
During this day they were set two chemistry challenges, competing against 15 other schools from the South West.
The first challenge was to use forensic science techniques to solve the murder mystery of the Body in the Staff Room!
The teams were judged on their ability to work safely and with the minimum of supervision, as well as identifying the correct solution – that the Principal had been killed by the PE teacher!
A second challenge was presented as a Harry potter potions scenario and involved some cool thinking in how to keep a potion cooled to a precise temperature, using just water, Citric acid and bicarbonate of soda. Stover School’s team came within 2 degrees of the target temperature but not close enough to win the prize.
They did, however, achieve second place in the forensic challenge, winning two Moly-mod kits for the school! Following their hard work in the lab, the teams were treated to a fiery presentation involving explosives and liquid oxygen! 
Photograph – Emily Eastley-Jones, Alex Mackenzie and William Matthews