It’s been a busy couple of weeks in Forest School with students being fully engaged in all activities. Last week Mr. Woodward said, ‘“Won’t it sting my mouth?” is always the most popular question when you try to convince people to eat a hedgerow superfood which grows in abundance in the UK at this time of year. That’s right…nettles. These nasty little stingers contain vitamins A, C, K and several B vitamins, along with iron, calcium and magnesium. They’re packed with amino acids, beta-carotene and antioxidants. So, how to make them more palatable? Easy…light a campfire, mix up some self-raising flour, salt, water, curry powder and chopped nettles. Fry them in plenty of oil over the fire and you have some delicious curried nettle bhajis. Try it this weekend…I promise you you’ll be pleasantly surprised!’
And this week ‘The one thing you can rely on with May weather in Yorkshire is that you cannot rely on it. We were set up for a glorious, sunny session with bright blue skies and warm sunshine beating down as feather sticks were carved; however, within 15 minutes, the clouds were rolling in and the heavens opened! Thankfully, the students constructed adequate shelter under which they cooked their woodland pancakes.’
This week Year 9 girls were invited to a Power of Women event which was held at the Thalia waste recovery centre at Allerton Park. Power of Women aim to provide women in the North East of England with role models, inspiration, resources and information to help take control over the choices they have in life.
In the visitor centre, students explored a range of exciting career opportunities within the sector which included operations, human resources, accounting, social media, and environmental management. There was lots of interactive learning which included networking and a “Guess Who” exercise to find out the job role of each of the Thalia staff attending. Students also met one of the Thalia apprentices and learnt about how an apprenticeship works.
The visit also gave students the opportunity to see first-hand how Thalia Waste Management operates and learn more about sustainability. There was a guided tour of the facility and students saw how the waste is recovered, reduced, or recycled. Students demonstrated a good knowledge of Science in the questions they asked and showed confidence when talking to different members of staff.
Wearing their hi-vis vests and following all the safety instructions, the students were a credit to Boroughbridge High School.
Ms Mannion, Careers Adviser commented “I was very impressed to see how well our students were engaging with the Thalia staff ambassadors and they were clearly enjoying the event.”
I joined the event later in the afternoon and was so impressed with the confidence of our young people and the quality of the questions that they asked. Our thanks go to Thalia and Power of Women.
In Sporting news, you’ll remember that last week our Sports Leaders were in action being trained in Kin-Ball so that they can lead a session at the upcoming Wellbeing Festival at Dalby Forest run by North Yorkshire Sport. Here are the team who will be supporting other participating schools.
In Netball, Miss Robson reports, ‘Yesterday afternoon our Year 8 netball team travelled to Barlby High School for their final game of the season and a rematch! Our captain Amelia led by example, watching the ball closely to gain several interceptions as GK. They battled their way through a test of endurance, with 12 minute quarters! Barlby were a team not afraid to make their presence known and we felt the pressure from a few knocks in the first half. We held our own and kept turning the ball over. However, something to work on is our centre passes and delivery of our passes into our attackers’ free space. Overall a hard score line, 29-2. When isolating the second quarter the score was only 3-1 so there is potential there. Speaking with our opponents gave us insight into their training and has highlighted our need to consistently train weekly as a full team. Well done to India who was given player of the match.’
In Mr. Grierson’s assemblies this week, the theme was equality, recognising that every person deserves the same respect, the same opportunities, and the same chance to succeed, no matter who they are, where they come from, what they look like or what they believe. The students looked at individuals who had made a positive impact and changed the world including Emmeline Pankhurst and Nelson Mandela, reinforcing that one person can really make a difference.
There was a real buzz in the Hall for Year 7 Parent/Carer evening on Wednesday. It was lovely to hear positive conversations of progress made with a recognition of students’ increasing confidence confirming how well Year 7 have settled into Boroughbridge High School.
Looking ahead we have the Year 9 History trip to Beamish on Friday 5th June.
With beautiful weather forecast, have a great Bank Holiday weekend and we’ll look forward to welcoming students back into school on Monday 1st June.