Winter 2011 - Newbattle Community High School

Page 2
Newbattle News
A group of Newbattle pupils recently
braved the craggy heights of the Cairngorms
in a two day expedition as part
of their Duke of Edinburgh (DofE)
Bronze Award.
The expedition required that the students
used route cards, a map and a
compass to hike for 10km to a suitable
place to set up camp and then trek another
10km the following day. Not only
is this a great achievement in itself, but
add a 12kg rucksack filled with camping
equipment, food and water, and it becomes
quite an endurance test. Of
course there were no showers, toilets or
microwaves; this was wild camping!
‘We left school at the ridiculously early hour of
half seven in the morning. I think it is safe to
say that everybody, apart from the drivers
(thankfully) were still half asleep. After a long
journey in a minibus with a leaking roof we
arrived in Aviemore.
We unpacked the van and strapped our excessively
heavy rucksacks to our backs making us
look slightly turtle-like in my opinion. But, to
be honest, I don’t think anybody over the
course of the weekend was really caring about
their appearance very much. It is after all, very
hard to look attractive whilst wearing bulky
In July 2011 two Newbattle pupils
Amy Ronaldson and Jonathan Simpson
took part in the international Tall
Ships Race organised by Ocean Youth
Trust Scotland. Jonathan said of his
experience - ‘The tall ship race was the
best experience of my life. It has
changed my outlook on approaching
new experiences and has helped me
work better with others. I have learned
how people from other countries
work. I really think if you get an opportunity
of something, go for it! It
could be fun and an experience that
you will never forget.’
Jonathan Simpson 6P
Check out our website at www.newbattle.org.uk
www.facebook.com/newbattlehigh
Duke of Edinburgh Expedition
Tall Ships
walking boots, brightly coloured waterproof
trousers and a waterproof jacket!
Each of the groups confronted the challenge
and made it successfully to camp before dark.
Although one group took a major detour of
about two miles, their determination to gain
something from the past two years’ work
pushed them on and they found their way to
camp.
Once the tents were up everybody tucked into a
well deserved dinner with the added extra of a
Your Newbattle Community High School...
birthday sing song for Mrs Fegen and marshmallows
and digestives.
The next morning we all arose from our tents
with very little energy and enthusiasm. We
staggered through another day of walking and
eventually the minibus came into sight. We
had made it at last. Even though our feet were
covered with blisters and our backs were aching,
it was all worth it in the end!’ Andrea
McGoldrick 4LL
The Duke of Edinburgh is an award
scheme which recognises the commitments
pupils make to learning new
skills and helping their local community
through volunteer work.
‘I really enjoyed doing the Duke of Edinburgh
award as it gave me a sense of independence. It
taught me how to navigate and be self sufficient’
Sarah Findlay 4DM
DofE is not only a worthwhile experience
for young people, it is also recognised
nationally by schools, further education
institutions and employers as a
demonstration of a hard-working, dedicated
and skilful individual.
Miss C Miller English