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Friday, 10 June 2011
Year 12 students and their parents enjoyed a celebration evening
as they collected certificates and gave presentations about the
community work they had undertaken over the past year. In total,
over 10,000 hours of work had been undertaken by the Sixth Form
students!
All Year 12 students in the Girls' Division and the Boys'
Division have to undertake a minimum of 20 hours of community work
after which they receive their bronze certificate. Anyone
undertaking 50 to 99 hours receives a silver award and 100+ hours
students receive a gold award. Girls and boys had offered their
assistance to a wide range of local services including hospices,
charity shops, nursing homes, Starting Point (an organisation that
helps young refugee children and asylum seekers and gives them a
basic education), the Brownies, the Lads & Girls' Club,
conservation work and St John's Ambulance. Students had also helped
out mentoring within Bolton School, many of them assisting with the
SHINE: Serious Fun on Saturdays programme, where they helped local
primary school children with a range of educational pursuits on
Saturday mornings.
Prizes on the evening were given out by a young Old Girl, Rachel
Roberts, who left the school in 2005. Rachel herself recalled how
she had undertaken work in the community whilst at Bolton School
and how this had left a lasting impression on her, so much so that
she decided this is the career that she wants to pursue. Having
discovered that she "loved volunteering and helping people" she did
not take up a tempting university offer but focused on helping out
in the local community, working at pupil referral units in
Manchester and Bolton and then at Bolton Lads' and Girls' Club. She
is now in her first year on a top Social Work degree course at
university.
The evening closed with some words from Old Boy John Walsh, who
is Leader of the Conservative Party in Bolton. He recalled
how he had undertaken community work at Bolton School over 40 years
ago and so too had his wife, who was an Old Girl. He told the
audience that Bolton School had been part of the Big Society way
before Mr Cameron dreamt up the concept and that he would report
back to the Prime Minister the fine work that the school had been
undertaking, saying "the School should be commended for putting in
far more than it takes out." He said that the Prime Minister was
very much aware of the school, having landed on The Levels several
times in an helicopter.
Headmaster Mr Philip Britton said: "The work instils in students
the importance of recognising they are part of a wider world and a
bigger society where it is important to help one another. However
reluctantly some students entered into the task, all come out of it
having enjoyed themselves immensely and were very proud of their
endeavours. They develop self-confidence, inter-personal and
leadership skills. The Bolton School Big Society is very much alive
and well."
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