Arabi Karteepan, the Croydon High School teacher who has got its pupils reaching for the stars, has been named as the winner of this year’s Teacher of Physics prize at the Institute of Physics awards, for “pushing boundaries and reaching extraordinary milestones”.
School star: Croydon High’s prize-winner Arabi Karteepan
And Karteepan has donated her £1,000 IOP prize to support the next phase of Mission Pegasus, the long-term project with the school’s Astrogazers Club which is working towards launching the school’s own satellite into space.
The award citation from the Institute of Physics said: “Mrs Karteepan has brought physics to life outside the classroom by running the Astrogazers Club, successfully launching two weather balloons, a first for a school in the UK. For this initiative, she developed a partnership with the University of Bath as well as collaborating with other universities and professionals in the physics and space industry.
“Mrs Karteepan’s approach within and beyond the curriculum empowers girls to envision themselves as future leaders in physics and beyond.
“She is dedicated to promoting inclusion and inspiring girls from diverse backgrounds, by organising talks to inspire girls on subjects such as: space weather and Mars exploration, muon detection and special relativity; and exploring motion in space.
“The popularity of the physics club has soared and serves as an exciting example of what is possible when pupils are allowed to dream big and teachers work to make those dreams a reality.”
Croydon High is the fee-paying girls’ school in Selsdon which was established in 1874, one of the original schools founded by the Girls’ Day School Trust. Its first Headmistress, Dorinda Neligan, served the school for 27 years and became a militant suffragette.
Prized moment: Arabi Karteepan receives her award from the Institute of Physics
Today’s Croydon High Headteacher, Annabel Davis, said of the latest recognition for the work of the school’s Head of Physics: “This award reflects the extraordinary inspiration Arabi brings to our girls every day. She shows them that physics is not only for them, but can be led by them – and Mission Pegasus is a perfect example of that spirit.”
Karteepan thanked the school and her collaborators, Prof Cathryn Mitchell, from Bath University, and Dr Robert Watson, for their help, saying, “I am profoundly honoured and humbled to receive this prestigious award. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to my mother, a dedicated teacher whose passion and example inspired me to follow in her footsteps. I aspire every day to be the kind of teacher she was.”
- Inside Croydon was the first media outlet to report on the fascinating, and inspiring, work of Croydon High’s Astrogazers.
- Listen to our 2024 interview with Arabi Karteepan by clicking here
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