Energetic girls used creativity and dance skills to win an eco-friendly makeover worth £100,000 for their school.
Pupils from Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls wowed judges, Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely from dance troupe Diversity, when they competed in the finals of Generation Green in Cardiff city centre on Friday.
The British Gas competition saw 12 HMSG girls face a group from Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School in a dance-off on Pavegen tiles, which convert kinetic energy from movement and footsteps into renewable electricity.
Watch the entire routine!
With help from Ms Parry, Director of Dance at HMSG, the girls managed to perfect a 1950s-style routine with plenty of bounce in just a week-and-a-half leading up to the contest.
They generated 3,422 joules during the intense three-minute show – the most energy British Gas has ever seen a troupe rack up on the tiles.
Ms Parry said: “It felt like a dream to see the girls win on Friday – I’m still on such a high.
“We had hardly any time to come up with the idea, the music, choreography and costumes.
“Although I knew it was an impossible task, I took it on because I knew it would be an incredible opportunity not to be missed.
“The girls have been focused, excited and they all pushed themselves to achieve the best for their team and for me.”
Members of the public, family members and school staff gathered to support the girls’ performance outside St David’s shopping centre.
It came after HMSG pupil Niamh, 14, submitted her innovative design for an energy-saving school of the future to British Gas when their Generation Green campaign was promoted as part of the School’s eco project.
Niamh’s sketch, which featured a school mounted on stilts over a river, was picked from 500 entries across the UK.
Clever use of solar panels, water mills, light-reflecting ideas and energy-generating tiles helped her entry stand out from the rest.
“I’m so excited,” Niamh said.
“I never expected to win – I did the project to give myself a break from revising during exam time.
“It’s made me much more excited about dance, geography and science.” And Nick Meek, Head of Geography, added: “Jordan and Perri from Diversity loved the dance routine and outfits, it was an amazing atmosphere.
“My face ached from smiling so much – I’m very proud of the girls.
“We look forward to welcoming British Gas to HMSG to carry out an energy audit and plan to involve the HMSG Eco Project team in the decision process of how to use our £100,000 prize – what a great start to the summer holidays.”
The girls have also been invited to the Diversity Dance Studio in Essex for a special street dance class next year.
