Foundation Magazine 2021-2022 | Mount Kelly

ADVENTURE
DUKE OF
EDINBURGH AWARD
This year has seen another bumper
year for completion of the Duke
of Edinburgh awards with the
following being achieved over the past 10
months since September:
68 Bronze Awards
32 Silver Awards
11 Gold Awards
These numbers show our strength
throughout the programme and we have
many more who will complete their award
timeframes over the summer to add to
these numbers.
The Year 9 Bronze pupils have been
particularly impressive this year with 52 of
them taking on the challenge of the award
in September and working hard during
their service afternoons to get ready for
each challenge. Pupils have worked hard
to gain their physical and skill sections in
their own time with pupils using LAMDA,
music lessons, sports leaders award,
major games matches and many other
activities to show how they have been
developing their skills and the Mount Kelly
values.
On a Wednesday afternoon pupils had
the opportunity to spend one term on a
volunteering activity including Tidy Tavi
and helping at Yelverton play park whilst
the other half worked on expedition skills
and navigation. The teams then swapped
for the second term before spending the
final Summer Term preparing for their
assessed expedition in the Tamar Valley.
Conditions were perfect and the routes
were testing but manageable for all. All
pupils worked well within their teams
showing great leadership and teamwork
skills, supporting each other through the
highs and lows of the walk. Despite some
groups getting navigationally misplaced
at times, they all completed the walk and
have a great sense of achievement having
done so. For the majority of pupils this is
the final section for them to sign off for
their Bronze award so they are now ready
to move onto Silver when they return to
school for Year 10.
Our senior pupils who have chosen to
continue with the awards have now
moved onto the Silver and Gold awards
with a fantastic take up from across the
year groups. They have been working
hard on all sections and are now able
to get back out in to the community,
following Covid-19, in order to support
the charity shops and local charities. We
have also had Market Garden continuing
and Mrs Holwill has run a fantastic baking
group who then sell their produce for
charity. Pupils have also focused on their
skill and physical with more and more
pupils taking on new skills such as chess,
crocheting, new languages and learning
to drive.
The Gold Award also requires pupils to
take part in a 5 day, 4 night residential
programme of their choosing but they
must complete it with people they have
not previously met. This year we have
managed to get these back up and
running properly and have seen people
head off on outdoor activities, learning to
cook courses and helping at a residential
home for a week. This year we are
also very lucky to be sponsored by the
Conway Merchant Navy Trust again which
has allowed us to run our own residential
on Olga this summer, allowing some of
our pupils the opportunity to sail along
other similar aged members of the local
community. The Conway Merchant Navy
Trust has also sponsored two pupils this
summer to attend a Tall ships challenge
week.
The culmination of the year for the
Silver and Gold pupils is always their
assessment expedition which this year
once again took place in Wales with 52
pupils heading up to the Brecon Beacons
to complete their assessment walks. We
had 6 teams completing Silver over 3
days and 2 teams completing Gold over
4 days. Each team must be assessed by
a member of staff with the Golds having
an external assessor ensuring that they
meet all of the 20 conditions of a DofE
expedition. The weather was hot, and
the midges were out in force at dusk and
dawn, but the pupils all pulled together
really well in their teams and worked
hard to achieve the walk. Water and sun
hats were vitally important to keep off the
effects of heat exhaustion and significant
water needed to be consumed each day
to keep the pupils hydrated in these tough
and humid conditions. A top effort by all
involved to make it a very successful and
enjoyable trip, once again demonstrating
the majority of the Mount Kelly values
over the expedition.
We now look forward to another year of
introducing the Duke of Edinburgh Award
to our youngest pupils at the College in
September and supporting the more
senior pupils to continue to complete
their awards. It is an award which allows
pupils to develop nearly every Mount
Kelly value through all of its various
components. It is fantastic to watch as
pupils grow and progress in compassion,
courage, humility, respect, commitment
and integrity and we look forward to
continuing this for many years to come.
Thanks go to all of the staff, parent
helpers and assessors of the award for
their time and support that they give to
the pupils.
BRONZE BRONZE SILVER GOLD
Abduljabar Adama Charlotte Lee Panos Angelakis Thomas Birchell
Adejola Adekoya Constance Logan Logan Ashall Jamie Brew
Sophie Benn William Mathieson Theodore Ayling Isabelle Davis
Ivan Blazej Roman Mokhovik Freddy Bott Maisie Gilford
Liberty Bourne Esmay Moore Noah Bridle George Goodfellow
Joshua Bratt Jago Nicholas Samuel Burns William Hutton
Zak Briggs Lily Nordmann Rowan Caldwell Sophie Main
Rowan Caldwell Daniela Palacio Fernandez Max Czech Luke Maxa
Grace Cazzoli Harry Parr Ferris Charlotte Davis Isabel Nichol-Garcia
Abigail Chang Francis Partridge James Gee Joseph Rizk
Han Chi Harry Pearse Ilir Gjoka Rosie Warren
Jed Claxton Elliott Pocknell Bartholomew Grainger
Lewis Critchley George Rickard Lewie Harrison
Sienna Critchley Matilda Riggott Daisy Heal
Tilly Davis Maxim Robertson Louisa Hess
Bailee Deignan Frasier Robertson Rowena Hill
Ryelee Deignan Freya Sarkar Eliza Kumar
Millie Dixon Chloe Searle Matilda Kurzman
Caitlin Dolby Gracie Simons Thomas Lawrence
Alessandro D'Onofrio Esmee Stockley Olivia Mackenzie
Elizabeth Dudman Daniel Sturt Thomas Parrott
Freddie Durup Rory Summers Francis Partridge
William Durup Poppy Taylor Iona Reid
Jack Earley Morgan Thomas Maxim Robertson
Clara Edwards Hannah Tilney William Scruby
Keir Francis Sofia Vaughan Kiera Semple
Lewie Harrison Amicie Vellaud Rory Summers
Connor Hayles Jessica Ward Holly Tasker
Rowena Hill India Washer Noah Taylor
Charlie Hodges Benjamin Whysall Javier Torres Langmead
Lottie Hodges Anna Wilkinson Sophie Varcoe
Gabrielle Idle-Beavers Dilys Williams John Warren
Oliver Jordan Connor Wynne-Jones
Matilda Kitson Kelly Wynne-Jones
ADVENTURE
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