Discovery Surf Contest Huge Success

Discovery Surf School arranged and hosted a free surfing competition for local children at Bigbury-on-Sea over the weekend, the 19th of November. The event was extremely well attended and conditions were superb, which made for a hugely successful event. Martin Connolly, who runs Discovery Surf School was overwhelmed by the support the event gained, “We have run these events in the past, but this year we had at least double the number of entrants (over 50) and a really strong competitive field, which included children who are competing on a national level.
The waves on the day provided a magnificent platform for these aspiring surfers to really show off their skills and the spectators weren’t disappointed!”
“Our sponsors were also very generous and the children were delighted with their prizes from Xcel Wetsuits, Triocean Surf Shop and the Venus Café. 

A visit from BBC Spotlight also meant a few of the waves were broadcast on the TV which was exciting for the children to!”
Mark Capps, Kingsbridge Community College Surf Coach and parent of 2 of the entrants added "The contest represented a chance for our local surfers to do battle with some high calibre opposition from around the country. For local surfers to come away with wins in so many categories was really great. Also, with the cancellation of the British Schools Championships, which we would ordinarily attend, it gave the opportunity for a number of our novice surfers to gain their first contest experience. Our students had a super time; the event was a huge success." Individual winners included Joe and Ellen Harding who continue to impress. Joe’s win in the Pro-Junior category was of particular note! College surfers will continue to train over the winter months. Any surfers wishing to join in with Discovery Surf Club on a Saturday morning are very welcome. A range of standards are catered for and all equipment is included if you don’t have your own. Please see me in college for more information. All in all, a great event; maybe YOU will be involved next time!

Mark Capps

Music for an Autumn Evening

Students from Kingsbridge Community College delighted a capacity audience at Thurlestone Village Hall last week.

The programme was an exciting mix of vocal and instrumental soloists alongside groups and choirs with ages ranging from 8 to 18. The Junior Choir, which includes students from KCC’s feeder primary schools, also performed three songs and the evening culminated with a sneak preview of numbers from the forthcoming college production ‘Bugsy Malone’.

Sharon Mitchell, KCC Head of Music, said ‘It is great for our students to have the opportunity to perform in the community. I am so proud of them all. Each one gave a stunning performance and I am continually amazed at how much musical talent there is.’

Streets Ahead

Ariel and Ashton Da Silva, both students at Kingsbridge Community College, took part in the UDo World Street Dance Championships held last month in Blackpool Winter Gardens. The team came a fantastic second place in the over 18’s pairs category, competing against dancers from Belgium, Portugal, France and Spain.
Fresh from this success, Ashton and Ariel have started their own street dance and breakin' crew this term at the College with the aim to compete in future UDo Street Championships. The Dance Crew is open to all KCC students, by audition, and will meet on Mondays, 3.30-4.30pm in the Gym.

TAMING THE WILD

A group of students from Years 11 to 13 at Kingsbridge Community College spent six days in the wilds of Snowdonia.  As well as 7 students from the College, the group included a number of ex-students and staff.  The group was based in a climbing hut in Capel Curig and their activities included scrambling to the peak of Snowdon, using ways not normally trodden by general tourists.  They also spent days climbing and exploring new routes.

Principal Roger Pope said, “This is an activity which develops a fantastic range of skills in the students.  Not only do they develop a love of climbing and the outdoors which will sustain them throughout life, they also have to face many personal challenges and of course live together and cook for one another for a week.  I am glad they had such a great time”.

Maths Camp 2011

36 Year 11 students travelled to Penquite House in Fowey at the end of October to revise for their final GCSE exam this November.  The students were accompanied to the remote Georgian mansion overlooking the Fowey estuary by Mr Pope, the Principal, and specialised Maths teachers Mr Allen, Mrs Westlake, Mr Capps, Dr Kilby and Mr Roberts from the College. All the activities were led by a Maths consultant, Naomi Sani, who was full of energy and enthusiasm for the entire time!

Students worked virtually non-stop on maths for an afternoon, an evening and a morning, pausing only for food and sleep (and a very rowdy quiz)! Every single student who attended the course put 100% effort and commitment into their work.  At the end of the Camp, every student was given a KCC Math Camp goody bag, full of revision tools.

Mr Pope, Principal, said: “I am delighted that so many students were able to benefit from this experience and I am sure that all the work, enthusiasm and commitment that the students put in will ensure that they achieve their very best in their forthcoming examinations.  I am immensely grateful to all the staff in the Maths department for not only giving up time to take students on the residential but for also giving up their half-term to support the students”. 

British Surfing Championships 2011

Over the weekend of the 29th and 30th October, Ellen and Joe Harding from Kingsbridge Community College competed in the British Surfing Championships at Newquay, Cornwall. Following on from their strong performance in the British Schools Championships last year and a summer of competing and training, hopes were high for a good showing and they didn’t disappoint. The week leading up to the contest was spent practising on their local beaches, before two days with top coach Joel Gray in Cornwall. The contest dawned with challenging conditions and a highly competitive field. After two days of gruelling competition Ellen emerged with a fifth place finish in the Under 18 Girls; an excellent result. She still has three years left as a junior so this is really positive moving into the years to come. Joe was at the top of his age category, Under 12, and took full advantage of this gaining an excellent second place.