Over a thousand volunteer hours and months of hard work have paid off for fifty-seven Queen Elizabeth II High School students who managed to complete their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for 2012-2013. Seven students gained a Gold Award, one student a Silver Award and forty-nine students gained Bronze Awards.
To achieve a Duke of Edinburgh Award, young people choose their own programme which must include regular participation in three sections: volunteering, physical and skills. They must also complete the expedition section which encourages journeying in all forms of travel and can be by foot, bicycle or kayak.
Students have been volunteering for from three months up to a year, helping a variety of organisations including the MSPCA, Wildlife Park, Wildlife Trust, Tram Horses, RNLI, Coastguard, Hospice, Nursing Homes and Charity Shops. The participants have also developed leadership skills through coaching a variety of sports including sailing, football, swimming, gymnastics and dance. Communication, confidence and self-esteem have been further developed by helping with Brownies, Cubs, Sunday Schools, drama and youth clubs.
Many of the participants have learned new skills which have included dog handling, cookery, photography, horse care, playing of musical instruments, singing, farming, bee keeping, learning Russian and first aid. Students have been involved in the Charity Challenge and Junior Achievement Programmes. By developing new skills, the students have been able to develop, not only practical, but also social, organisational and time management skills.
A variety of sports have been undertaken including golf, kayaking, Zumba, climbing, mountain biking, horse-riding, dance, judo, squash and Tkaewando to name but a few. Hopefully participating regularly in sport will enable the young people to achieve greater physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle.
Over the year, twenty-eight expeditions have taken place. These have included both practice and assessed expeditions. Gold expeditions were completed in the Yorkshire Dales. Many students undertook research projects on the state of the footpaths on the Isle of Man, wildlife, litter and the recreational users of our countryside.
Sophia Winstanley, Unit Leader, said “I would like to congratulate all those who have gained an Award. It is a great achievement and I appreciate the time, commitment and perseverance needed to complete the Award. I would also like to thank the community, as many volunteers have supported the young people and given them the opportunity to develop new skills and achieve their targets.”
Lesley Sleight, Unit Leader, added “Over the past nine years 700 students from the School have been involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and 485 Awards have been gained. This is an average of 54 Awards per year, a conversion rate of 70%. This is a tremendous achievement. Not only the hard work of our students should be congratulated, but also the voluntary work from our staff should be acknowledged. The success of the Unit, for it is one of the most successful Units on the Island, is also down to the teamwork, support, dedication and commitment from our staff.”
The following students gained Awards -
Gold – Angus Bonnett, Gwilym Jones, Rhys Moore, Moira Pain, Katie Watson,
Alyssa Whittam, Tabby Wright
Silver - Amber George
Bronze – George Alexander, Kate Anderson, Leena Anwar, Fred Atherton, Olivia Avery, Caitlin Ball, Edie Bankes-Jones, Ellie Blayney, Jenny Cain, Conor Caley, Isla Callister-Wafer, Lee Chapman, Katie Colgan, Chris Corlett, George Crellin, Michael Faragher, Arran Gimbert, Chris Hastie, Olivia Helmer, Wilf Hewson, Andy Hopkinson, Jack Kearsley, Greg Kelly, James Kelly, Jake Killey, Juan Killey, Chelsey Kneen, William Leece, Jasmine Marsh, Aoibhinn Martin, Juan Mercer, Adam Midghall, Lee Moffatt, Antonia Molyneux, Rhian O’Leary, George Patsourakis, Jack Ralph-Holloway, Alex Ralph-Holloway, Thomas Ralph-Holloway, Elena Reid, Callum Rowley, Isaac Sanderson, Simon Sheath, Samantha Shimmin, Bobby Thorne, Tom Walker,Amy Wootton, Glenn Yates.
Photo - Gold group at Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales. Left to right – Ben Cotton, Thomas Whiteway, Alyssa Whittam, Moira Pain, Katie Watson, Beth Vickers.
