Duke of Edinburgh Presentation Evening
On the 5th December Our Lady’s invited award winning writer and film maker Matt Dickenson into school to present 58 of our year 10 students with their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
The students have been working hard for the past 9 months to achieve the Award. To gain the qualification students must undertake a physical activity, skill and volunteering for 3-6 months. They and their team must then complete a practice and assessed expedition in which they must walk and navigate 14km each day on their own. They must also carry all the food and equipment that they will need for the two day expedition. They are assessed on campcraft, teamwork and navigation.
One year 10 student commented;
“My group and I wanted to do the award as it was a commitment to school life, and would give us opportunities in the near future, such as improving studies and employment. It was also the chance to have an amazing experience, so when we were lucky enough to be told about the Duke of Edinburgh award in an assembly in year 9, it was definitely a challenge that we do not regret taking.”
On the evening students gave presentations about their experiences of the award and reflected on the progress that they had made. Matt then gave a rousing talk about his experiences on Everest (he is one of the only people to have filmed on the summit) and how hard work and commitment can allow you to fulfil your dreams –whatever form your ‘mountain’ may take.
We are incredibly proud of what all the students have achieved and hope that they have learnt a lot from the experience and maybe go onto complete their Silver and Gold Awards.
Photos
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