Concordia

Concordia Winter 2023

Eco Club The Eco Club has a far-reaching remit in all areas of school life and is looking to make specific strides forward on the allotment. The award from the Committee has enabled the club to revive the school allotment, which aims to educate the boys and encourage them to think differently about the environment around them, as well as where their food comes from. During the Summer Field Day several boys were tasked with overhauling the allotment to make it a better community resource which would give students an opportunity to engage in the environment and look at the growing process. After removing the old and rotten wooden sleepers, weeding the beds, removing old or dying plants and preparing the pathways, the boys laid around 500 bricks to make solid bedding areas, as well as secure walkways.

Around 40 students passed through the allotment weekly in the summer term, and they got hands-on experience. Some highlights include weeding, investigating eco-friendly pest control, fruit harvesting and tasting, and much more. Lower School students planned out the space and purchased plants that they

wanted to grow, aiming to use their curriculum time to learn about how they grow, look at why certain plants are thriving and, equally, why others are not. Mark Fothergill Head of Manor House, Teacher of Mathematics and Jack Tallboys Assistant Head of Lower School, Teacher of Chemistry

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Kayak Club There has been growing interest among the boys in the Kayak Club following an initial grant from the Fund in 2019 to purchase White Water Kayaks and four boys have qualified as Paddle Sport Instructors. The award in 2023 enabled the Club to purchase additional second-hand Kayaks. Zachary Ward (Fifths) describes his experience on a school trip to Wales in the summer. ‘For our third day, we paddled the river Dee where the staff, Sid and Reece, descended a challenging stretch of river called Serpent’s Tail. After a couple of white-water rolls, we continued down the river until we reached an exit point near to the town. Here, everyone but Mr Williams, Mr Markus Noorem and Thom Haynes got out to watch the three remaining paddlers descend what might have been the trickiest run of the week – Town Falls, with Mr Markus Noorem even descending part of it backwards.’ Ian Williams , MTS Bursar

Rowing Club The award from the Clubs and Societies Fund enabled the Rowing Club to purchase a Single Scull on the second-hand market. Single sculls are critical to your training; they are most likely to capsize if you make a mistake, and so is the best place to hone your technique. Having this additional boat means more boys can participate in the Rowing Club and we can expand our games option. Albert Vasvari (Divisions) has shared his experience of using the new Single Scull: ‘My friends and I do Rowing as part of our GCSE Sports Science. We must demonstrate progress in a new sport. I used the new Scull on its second day in the school, just before the summer break at Rowing Club. It was my first time in a single, and I didn't capsize (probably because it was the right weight for me), and I was very careful not to knock it on anything while on the lake! Using a new boat is an experience people hardly ever get, and I got it the first time I was ever in a single (I’d been out in the double a couple of times). I certainly demonstrated progress!’ Davena Scott, Assistant Head of Lower School, Teacher of English

Development