Experiencing all that York has to offer from Higher Education to Harry Potter
Ten students attended a three-day residential at York St John University. Together with a further 55 students from other Yorkshire schools, the students stayed in university accommodation, and took part in a mixture of activities including subject taster sessions and social activities. There were four different subject ‘strands’ which students could sign up for: British Sign Language, Religion and Theology, Performance and Media.
On the first day, students had a welcome brunch, a campus tour, checked into the halls of residence and then took part in a sports day activity at the brand-new York St John facilities. They returned for a barbecue and a quiz night in the Students’ Union.
On the second day, students took part in their strand activities until late afternoon and then were split into teams for a scavenger hunt around York which was organised by the student ambassadors. This included finding The Shambles, The Harry Potter shop, The Minster, The York Chocolate Story, Betty’s Tea Rooms, The Jorvik Centre, Clifford’s Tower and Whipmawhopmagate. The challenge ended at the Panda Mami buffet restaurant near the River Ouse where students could choose from a never-ending supply of international dishes.
On the final day, there was an awards ceremony. Five prizes (boxes of chocolates) were given for ‘a positive attitude to learning’ shown at the event and two of these went to Richmond School students. Emily Walker was awarded the prize for being the “Ray of sunshine” in her group as she made sure that everyone was motivated. Al Haw Ahmad was awarded the prize for “Most helpful student” in his group for the way he has assisted the student ambassadors.
Ms Mannion, Careers Leader, concluded: “I felt so proud of our students as they were so engaged in all the activities. They have had a very positive experience and had an insight into university life and lots of fun too. I am talking to York St John University about putting on more trips so that even more students can benefit.
“We would all like to thank Mrs Bentley from our School Admin team for organising the trip so well, and a big thank you to Ebony Moreno from York St John for putting on such a successful event which had so many positive outcomes for students.”