Seacole College
Seacole Day
On Wednesday 24th November, students celebrated the inaugural Seacole Day at The Leigh Academy, the day of Mary Seacole's birthday.
Years 7 to 10 took part in an hour-long immersive session, enabling students to develop their knowledge of Mary and her statue which stands at St Thomas' hospital in London. Students learned about Mary's start in life in Jamaica, how Mary provided comfort for British soldiers during the Crimean War, and her subsequent return to London where she was lauded for her bravery in Crimea.
Students also learned about Mary's statue, how long it took to sculpt and how the disc in front of which Mary stands is a direct replica of the land on which she stood during the Crimean conflict.
During the documentary, students were tasked with being thinkers, identifying the correct answers to the questions they were set. Students proved themselves to be great communicators, taking part in discussions about all things Seacole and feeding back their responses to their peers and Mr Brewer and Ms Bodle. Seacole students left the Lecture Theatre more knowledgeable about Mary Seacole and how she represents the ethos of our college.
Competition
Students were also invited to take part in competitions:
Year 7 are to write a poem about Mary Seacole and how she represents our college
Year 8 are to write a report on their visit to The New Tavern Fort in Gravesend, a working military unit during the Crimean War
Year 9 are to write a poem about Mary Seacole and how she represents our college
Year 10 are to write a short description of a day in the life of Mary Seacole.
Prizes include a fantastic trip to London, travelling by river boat from Greenwich to Westminster and a visit to Mary Seacole's statue, as well as other famous locations in London. Entries to Ms Bodle by Tuesday 20th December
It has been a busy two modules in Seacole: welcoming our new Year 7s who have settled in really well, new Tutors who are an excellent addition to our team and the activity day that was postponed due to the extreme heat in the summer. Students were able to be open-minded risk-takers, team up and take part in a range of activities, from Laser Quest to inflatable table football and an inflatable assault course.
Year 8 Trip to the New Tavern Fort
On Wednesday 21st September, Year 8 Seacole students enjoyed a day trip to the New Tavern Fort in Gravesend, a military installation that was in full swing during the Crimean War, when our figurehead was involved in the care of British soldiers fighting in this area of the world.
Students were able to explore the dark tunnels under the fort, where soldiers would have lived and worked, the grounds of the fort itself and a variety of cannons and guns from across the ages.
They were also able to explore the oldest part of the fort, a medieval church and hospital in a corner of the fort grounds.
When not in school, or taking part in academy based activites and trips, Seacole student find time to take part in the things they have passion for.
One of these students is Sophie, who is lucky enough to have her own horse. You can see from the pictures that Sophie and Bonnie have a real bond - they both look very pleased with themselves! This is Sophie and Bonnie's story:
'When I get to the stables in the morning at about 9.30am, I let Bonnie out and she goes galloping down the field to find all of the other horses and then I have to start all my jobs, including mucking out her stable, freshen her hay, water and food for the morning and night.
I go to school and go back about 4.30pm to collect her from the field. She’s usually waiting to come in at the gate and looking for me to get her in. I then take off her horse coat and vest, that keeps her nice and warm when it’s cold out in the field. I groom her well and get her saddle and bridle put on. I then get myself ready with my hat and ride her around the sand school. I just walk her and once I have had a 20 minute ride, I take off her bridle and saddle and put it away. I groom her to get all the sweat off and put her vest and horse coat back on to get her warm again. I then put her back in her stable and give her dinner. Bonnie begs for her food; I put her hay in as well. Then I pack up all my grooming bits and go home.'
Seacole Stars in the Spotlight
Alfie - Kickboxing Champion
Hi my name is Alfie and I am 12 years old. I live in Dartford/Gravesend and I am a kickboxer and boxer.
It all started when I was about 7 years old and I fell in love with fighting. From then on I have been training with my Dad and putting my full dedication and hard work to becoming the best.
I weigh in at 50 kg and I fight for Gravesend and Bexley Kickboxing Club and I train 3 to 4 times a week. I have had 2 fights and won one and lost one. I have learnt that you can’t always win, but failure will encourage you to do better next time.
Through my journey of kickboxing I have learnt you have to work hard for things you want. I have to thank my Mum and Dad for encouraging me and being supportive in my dreams and helping me develop and get better. I have had to suffer through sweat and tears and pain but it has made me more disciplined to work harder. If I was to sum up my journey in one word I would say hard! There has been many times where the thought of quitting has occurred in my mind but I have pushed through and got here today.
I am going to move on and tell you about the experience I have had during the time of my fights. Knowing I had a fight brought a lot of nerves and anxiety, but I had my family there supporting me. When the day came it was the most nerve wracking day ever! Walking in the hall brought so many thoughts in my mind of what it was going to be like. But there it was, my name was called. A flutter of thoughts were rushing through my mind but I walked out and entered the ring,
As I was getting ready my family and friends were shouting my name and my coach talked to me. I was getting overwhelmed but carried on and pushed through. There it was. The bell rang. My first thought was to stay calm and fight. During the first round I fought really well. This carried on into the other rounds, taking me to take the win.
From the experiences of my fights I have built up my confidence. The fight I lost brought tears to my eyes but I kept my head up and carried on pushing and giving it my all.
People out there reading this remember to keep your eye on what you want and never give up! I know those thoughts will occur but you just have to carry on pushing and believing in yourself.
I would thank my coaches for being there for me during my journey and pushing me to my limits. The journey I have taken to get here has been so hard for me and looking at my medal now makes me so happy that I took those steps in my life to get to this point.
Everyone, remember keep going and keep pushing. Don’t stop when you are tired, stop when you are done and remember you have your family and friends supporting you.
Christmas Assembly
Seacole students were fortunate enough the have the last assembly of the calendar year and what a fun event it was!
Students welcome Ellis from Netchurch who played some games and gave away Amazon vouchers to the winners. One of the games was 'heads, shoulders, knees and shoe' which Janelle and Shuhana took part in. Janelle just had the competitive edge and won the game!
The culmination of mass voting to complete the World Cup competition - 'Ms Bodle's Favourite World Cup Christmas Song', also occurred during the assembly. Jamie was the lucky winner of the Christmas chocolate box by guessing correctly: World in Motion by New Order and also won a box of Heroes for his tutor group. Well done Jamie!