SENIOR SCHOOL Lawson Going for Gold I have now completed both Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh whilst at TC but the ultimate is the Gold Award. For my ‘Skills’, I chose playing trombone and worked towards my Grade 6 exam where I achieved 82%. For ‘Volunteering’, I chose football coaching and passed my FA Level 1 Coaching badge, and for my ‘Physical’, I demonstrated advancement in football by being made Captain of my local team. At Gold you also have to complete a ‘residential’. I found Frontier who specialise in volunteering projects and applied for a Whale and Dolphin Conservation Project in Tenerife, which I used my own wages from part-time refereeing to fund. This was something I wanted to pay for even though my parents were happy to support me. This volunteering programme really suited me as I have always had an interest in marine life and their environment, and as I would have to travel by myself from the UK to Tenerife, I felt comfortable to do that distance by myself. I have just returned from one of the best weeks I have ever had! I lived in a big house, in ‘dorms’ with project leaders and about 25 other volunteers, ranging from 16 – 24 years old. I had to be very self-sufficient, cooking and sharing household tasks. Days were spent out on the boats locating the whales and dolphins with evenings recording data about what we had seen. The purpose really was to understand how humans impact marine life, which was very interesting. We also did environmental work cleaning up debris from the beach. The highlight was seeing the dolphin calves swimming with their mom in their natural habitat. Before the end of the summer holidays I’m off on the ‘Final Expedition’ and that’s my Gold achieved and finished! Lawson Billingsley, Year 12 Sixth Formers Make Court Appearance A team of fifteen TC Sixth Formers appeared in Birmingham Crown Court in January – not for any teenage misdemeanours but to compete in the Independent Schools Mock Trial competition. Competing against seven other schools, the TC team comprised of barristers, witnesses, an usher, clerk and jury members. Cameron Watson was commended by the presiding Judge on his opening statements, Lawson Billingsley was praised on his cross-examination and named ‘Best Barrister’ in the court room, while Maryam Saeed and Jack Pritchard were praised for their clarity and ability to display the facts and guide the jury to the desired verdict. For the second year running TC won all of its cases, maintaining TC’s 100% success rate at the competition. Jack Pritchard, Year 13 25
26 Publizr Home