On Friday 18th October, 21 students from LC3 to SFC1 embarked on a memorable trip to China.
We flew to Shanghai and as soon as we arrived, we hit the ground running! On our first day we visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, which had stunning views, before enjoying an unforgettable cruise down the Huangpu river. On Sunday, we spent the day outside Shanghai making the most of the charming views in Zhujiajiao, a water town, where we experienced a typical Shanghainese lunch before returning to the city for an acrobatics show.
On Monday, we moved to Nanjing where we visited the highly informative Imperial Examinations Museum and the Confucius Temple next to our hotel.
On Tuesday, we were taken to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre which was both moving and thought provoking. In the afternoon, we climbed the exquisite Porcelain Tower and enjoyed the views of Nanjing from its ancient city wall.
The next day we had a fantastic tour of the Univeristy of Chinese Medicine and a visit to a local school. We took part in a myriad of activities with the children and exchanged contacts to stay in touch.
We were determined to make the most of our last day in Nanjing. Our visits to a local clothing company and a solar energy firm were fascinating!
On Friday we experienced China’s bullet train and before we knew it we were in Beijing, ready and very excited to experience the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square. Our climb to the Great Wall was challenging but as soon as the Great Wall emerged in front of us we were absolutely wowed by its presence and magnitude. There are several towers and our group challenged itself to reach Tower 20. Arriving took over two hours but it was certainly worth it!
We moved to District 798 within the city, a reconverted industrial site where trendy designers and artisans have now settled to share their work.
Sunday was our last sightseeing day in Beijing. In the morning, we arrived in Tiananmen Square in the heart of the city, an impressive site, witness to numerous historical highlights. The square serves as a preamble to the impressive Imperial Palace and Gardens where we discovered a wonderful insight into Chinese imperial history. The day came to an end after attending The Golden Dynasty Mask show. The show was a thrilling experience full of magic and history. We loved it!
This unforgettable trip has allowed us to gain a real insight into Chinese culture and language. Thank you Mrs Sonnenschein for leading this memorable experience.
Mrs Roca-Aguilera, St Hilda’s Housemistress
On Friday 18th October, we left CLC and headed to Ratcliffe College for back-to-back netball and hockey fixtures. We then made the short journey across to Loughborough University for a lacrosse fixture before checking in to the Elite Athlete Centre.
In the evening we were joined by some guests who came to share their story with the pupils. This included Joe Fuggle, former junior international hurdler and founder of The Athlete Place. He shared lessons he learned as an elite junior transitioning into university sport, and his career supporting and mentoring athletes.
We were then joined by Liv Breen and Emma Fraser, two elite hockey players and junior internationals (England and Ireland respectively).
On Saturday, early morning training sessions for netball, hockey and lacrosse were followed by a special training session by Speedworks where students learnt how to be faster and more agile. In the afternoon, we had a tour of the university campus, followed by some downtime to watch some sport.
Late afternoon we gathered to hear from Loughborough University first team lacrosse players Abby Sloman and Isla Forbes, alongside their coach Heather Macrae. It was brilliant to hear how Abby and Isla balance their studies and sport. Heather’s journey was particularly interesting as she also coaches Scotland U20s, while playing for Scotland (alongside Guild member Phoebe Thornett) and studying for her PhD.
The evening finished meeting Tokyo and Paris GB Paralympian Lucy Robinson, who taught us how to play wheelchair basketball and shared her journey in sport.
Sunday was filled with challenging fixtures against University sides for hockey, lacrosse and netball. We ended our tour with presentation of awards before returning back to Cheltenham.
Mr Parker, Director of Sport
On 16th of October, a group of UC and SFC students left College for Iceland.
Arriving in Reykjavik, the capital, we went to the viewpoint to see the whole city and then in the evening a group went down onto the waterfront to see if they could see the wonder of the Northern Lights. Many of them took amazing photographs.
The second day was busy with seeing waterfalls, geysers and visiting a greenhouse powered by geothermal energy.
On the third day we went on a glacier walk. We got to see a wonder of nature that is slowly disappearing due to changing temperatures. On the walk the weather took a turn for the worse and students and staff had to hike back amongst heavy rainfall and wind, so strong that it was difficult to stay on our feet. The students were incredibly resilient during this, and enjoyed taking shelter in a local shopping centre where they could spend time visiting the cafes and the tourist shops.
We finished our trip with a visit to the beautiful Blue Lagoon, which for many was an absolute highlight, getting to swim in warm water heated by geothermal activity and use the silicone mud masks on their faces.
The students were excellent company on the trip, resilient when the weather difficult, and full of fun and humour. Thanks go to Miss Hall, Head of Geography for all the hard work planning and running the trip and to the staff for accompanying the trip (Dr Coupland, Mrs Newman, Mrs Flatley, Mrs Burrows).
Mrs Burrows, Teacher of Geography
On Friday 18th October, Art and History of Art students flew to New York.
Their trip started by visiting Guggenheim Museum, the architecture of this building as rich as its contents. They also went to the Met, and could've spent hours there. It was impressive on every level.
On Sunday, we had a guided tour of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum which students found thought provoking.
Students then had the opportunity to watch The Lion King on Broadway which was wonderful. They enjoyed the whole experience, with the costumes and staging a particular highlight.
The next day, we visited The Whitney Museum of American Art followed by a walk along the High Line and a boat trip to see the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. In the evening we went up the Empire State Building with the skyline further enhanced by a blood moon.
On the last day, students visited the Museum of Modern Art.
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