Pumpkin Competition – the results are in!

The entries for this year’s pumpkin competition were outstanding.

We had everything from The Peckish Pumpkin to a spaceship, Pumpkinstein, our School motto Laus Deo, a hedgehog, a Halloween rat, ‘Uni-Kin’ to Harry Potter.

Nigel, our Site Supervisor had the unenviable task of judging these superb entries.  After careful consideration, we would like to congratulate Florence Northall, KG2 for her Nemo, Emily Cotterill, Reception for Darth Vader and Teddy Marsh, Year 4 for ‘Punk-kin’.

Well done and thank you everyone for all your effort. The bar is being raised higher every year.

Here are a few pumpkin facts for you:

• Pumpkins are usually orange but can sometimes be yellow, white, green or red.

• The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’, meaning ‘large melon’.

• Scientifically speaking, pumpkins are a fruit (they contain seeds) but when it comes to cooking, they are often referred to as vegetables.

• Giant pumpkins can be grown for competitions, with some weighing over 450 kilograms.  That’s huge!

• Pumpkin plants feature both male and female flowers, with bees typically being involved in pollination (the transfer of pollen).

• As we know, pumpkins are popular decorations during Halloween. A carved pumpkin illuminated by candles is known as a ‘jack-o-lantern’. The tradition is believed to have come from Ireland, where they used to carve faces into turnips and other root vegetables as part of the Gaelic festival of Samhain.