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Posted on July 19th 2018
Cultural Horizons Fortnight - Full Report
Alongside outstanding academic success, at HBAED we are just as motivated to ensure that the creative abilities of our pupils are developed and challenged. That’s why we’ve created Creative Horizons Fortnight - an incredibly fun and exciting final two weeks of the year. Here’s just a taste of what happened…
Viva Espana
Our ‘Viva Espana’ days celebrated Spanish culture and encouraged boys to think in a more ‘global’ way about our role in the wider world. Some of the highlights of these days were:
- making pinatas (pictured below) - a traditional craft involving making and decorating animal figures. We were impressed by what the boys made!
- learning about flamenco dancing – and trying out some moves!
- investigating the geometry of Spanish architecture
- evaluating why the Spanish have had such great success at football over the last decade.
Trips and visit
Nearly 400 boys have been on trips over the last two weeks. These have included:
- Tours around Canterbury including a visit to the Canterbury Tales attraction
- A visit to Dover Castle (pictured below - see also Tayo's report at the bottom of the page)
- Science trips to a local museum.
We also have two days at Downe Activity Centre - including fun activities to develop skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership and also conquering fears. We undertook lots of activities and were so impressed with the resilience and determination that our boys, as well as their politeness and manners.
Our students were abseiling down the 30 foot wall. Very scary at the top!
They also had to climb a 30 foot pole, but could they make the jump at the end?! Other activities including crate stacking which tested the teamwork skills and communication. How high could you get? And could you light a fire in the middle of the woods? The first to burn through the rope wins!
Sport
The PE Department ran three ‘Inclusive Sports Days’ to ensure that all boys had an opportunity to take part in games. The nerf ball and soft ball were particularly popular!
The Federation Sports Day saw us bring back our biggest ever haul of medals – which shows elite sport is flourishing at HBAED too.
Humanities
In Humanities, lessons have included:
- studying the highs and lows of the reign of Elizabeth I by creating board games (pictured below)
- RS lessons focusing on the importance of symbols in religions
- investigations based on the Geography of the World Cup.
Science
Science lessons have been particularly well received by pupils – especially activities such as:
- constructing rollercoasters
- building rockets (see film below)
- making survival equipment to help survive on a desert island
- carrying out a series of dissections
- identifying the main structures of the eye
- exploring the thorax and abdomen of a rat.
The two weeks of trips, activities and Viva Espana days were only a success thanks to a huge amount of hard work from the staff at HBAED and the outstanding efforts of our boys. Thank you everyone!
Harry Ingham
Assistant Principal
Dover Castle, by Tayo
Read what one student thought of our trip to Dover Castle.
Hmmm…. As I stand within the mighty walls of Dover Castle I wonder…. What do I think of this place?
Dover Castle is the best place I have ever been on with a school by far! The Castle shows you a lot of history between England and France which you can see if you are on the top of the castle.
It’s a great view where you can eat your food and play with friends. At the back of the castle you can see the weapons England used against France in the 12th century, when it was built.
When you’re in the castle you will see lots of things that they used in the 12th century like ropes to keep the bed still.
Was it worth it? I would recommend it to kids and adults who want to know more about England and our history.
