From Buckingham Palace to National Championships
Welcome to the School Blog. This week began with a momentous occasion as some of our former students were presented with their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award at Buckingham Palace by the new Duke of Edinburgh. Mr. Kevin Davies was also invited in recognition of the tremendous number of Castell Alun students who have achieved the Gold Award in the last 10 years—158 in total!
Taking place in the Palace Gardens, the event featured speeches by well-known personalities who had also participated in the DofE journey, including Ore Oduba (This Morning and The One Show), Levison Wood (Professional Explorer), and Aljaz Skorjanec (Strictly Come Dancing). Mr. Davies had the pleasure of meeting Will, Elin, Grace, Ayla, and Abigail, who are now either at university (Oxford, Durham, and Bristol) or working. Everyone remarked on the palpable excitement as they walked through the main gates, making it a special time for many reasons, not least the chance to catch up with old friends. The Duke of Edinburgh scheme at Castell Alun continues to thrive, with many students involved in the Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards again this year.
Welsh Baccalaureate Dragons’ Den Day Success
As we mentioned in the Blog on 28th April, our Welsh Baccalaureate Dragons’ Den Day, which rounded off students’ enterprise challenge, was a great success. The winners of the Year 12 Dragons’ Den were Ella and Kirstyn with their Welsh App, Wello. The judges, Simon Checketts and Deb Owen from Lloyds Bank, were highly impressed with the students’ standards, commenting on the quality of presentations and the students’ ability to answer the judges’ questions.
This activity forms a crucial part of our students’ A-Level Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification. In second place was Lucy with her Trax Cube idea to improve mental health, and in third place was a company called Tink (Jack, Henry, Faith, Abigail, and Hannah) with the concept of a water recycling toilet. Additionally, EYN, a business designed by Amie, Daniel, Kyle, and James, received high commendation for their work.
National Champions: Deeside Netball Club’s Triumph
Last weekend, Lucy and Macy (Year 7) travelled to Pembrokeshire to compete for Deeside Netball Club in the Welsh National Club Championship finals. Winning every game, they advanced to the final, an all North East Wales showdown against Mold. In a very close game, Deeside emerged victorious, becoming the Wales U12s National Champions. Many congratulations, girls—fantastic news! We also want to give a special mention to Erin (also Year 7), who played exceptionally well for Mold.
Oscar’s Skiing Success
We have been following Oscar’s (Year 9) progress with great interest over recent years. He recently competed in the finals of the National Schools League skiing competition in Gloucester. Oscar delivered outstanding performances, narrowly missing out on a podium place by under 3 seconds! Great job, Oscar! But there’s no rest for you as you now move on to train at the British Ski Academy in Llandudno.
Upcoming Leaving Ceremonies
We close out this half term with our Year 11 Leaving Ceremony on the afternoon of Thursday, 25th May. We also have our Year 13 formal farewell on the afternoon of Friday, 26th May. Parents and carers of these students are most welcome to join us for these joyous occasions. Please let the school know their intention to attend if they have not already done so. It’s hard to believe how time has flow. we remember so many of these students from when they first joined us at the start of Year 7!
See you back here soon for the next School Blog!
