What an absolutely amazing final week for our Y11s. After their last exam on Monday, we weren’t quite ready to let them go, so we planned a week of activities to send them off with a bang!
Final Word
Before you read the highlights from our final week we would just like to offer a massive appreciation to all the parents, grandparents, staff and friends who have supported our students’ Final Word presentations. It’s been a humbling experience to hear how their time at XP/XPE has prepared them for the future, be that through crew, expeditionary learning, the character traits or through the friendships they have made here.
There is no doubt in our minds that our young people will succeed in whatever they decide to do over the next few years.
Malham Cove
On Tuesday, we went back to where it all began for our crews: Malham Cove. We trudged up 400 steps that could make or break crew and ended up at the top of the Cove together. We spent some time reminiscing about the last time we visited and everything that has happened in Crew since then. We spent some time remembering those crew members who are no longer with us. We spent some time just enjoying being with our crews, without the pressure of revision and exams! Then, who would support crew by helping them across the wobbly stepping stones? We witnessed some really lovely examples of crew helping crew one last time – although I’m not sure which character traits were being displayed during the water fights (definitely not respect!)
Celebration Evening
Thursday night was our chance to celebrate C24 and all their achievements. To say it was emotional would be an understatement, especially when Mr Portman played the video posted above. It gave us all a bit of a jolt to see how they’ve grown physically (obvs!) and also in character. I’m sure every single person in the room felt an immense sense of pride that comes with knowing that our students aren’t just going to leave with whatever academic grades they get; they are leaving as kind, considerate, compassionate, beautiful human beings.
We crewed up one last time and handed out our Crew Awards, including the coveted Outstanding Crew Member Award, as voted by fellow crew members. Massive well done to:
XPE:
Crew Churchill: Arandeep Kaur
Crew Finch: Noah Nixon
Crew Mandela: Alfie Close
Crew Young: Summer Cunningham
XP:
Crew Hawking: Max Danby
Crew King: Kai Hall
Crew Macmillan: Frankie Booth
Crew Webb: Kyra Hazel
Alton Towers
Our last day together was spent at Alton Towers. Some of us enjoyed the rides; some of us enjoyed a gentle stroll around the gardens; some of us rocked a poncho in the rain! 😉
