I recently had the great privilege of visiting Oxford University for the awards ceremony of the John Locke essay competition, where I received a commendation. With over 19,000 participants globally, I wrote an economics essay titled ‘What would happen if we banned billionaires?’ A question which intrigued me as billionaires have a profound impact on the economy even in ways that may not seem related, such as their influence on politics.
Over the summer I had the opportunity to take part in a month-long German language scholarship, run by the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (educational exchange service) and fully funded by the German government. After the application process, which included essays in German, I was one of ten students from the United Kingdom selected to take part.
For two weeks in the summer, I attended World Youth Day, with support from the Kendrick Travel Bursary. I fund raised for the trip and the money I received from the grant ensured I could reach my target. World Youth Day is a global gathering of Catholic young people that happens every few years and, despite its name, it actually takes place over two weeks and culminates in a huge Mass. In Portugal this year, there were around 2 million of us and experiencing this universal joy of faith, exceeded all my expectations.
After a 5-hour journey with a quick pit-stop at Cardiff West Services, we arrived at Dale village. We made our way to Dale Fort on foot, accompanied by scenic views of the ocean.
On arrival, we were greeted by the amazing staff and briefed on safety, the role of Dale Fort as a Field Studies Centre, and a timetable for the next few days. We were then given a short break to settle in our dorms and collect any waterproofs we may need. We then made our way down to Castle beach, where we had the opportunity to explore the different organisms that inhabit these shores. There was particular excitement over a jellyfish that was found!
We closed last year’s Eco chapter with a flower show.
Four weeks ago, students were asked to sign up if they wanted to be a plant parent. Mrs Kaur bought three different types of flower plants including 
Marigold in orange and yellow, Dianthus in pink, Carnations and Begonias.
This was the first year we opened up the challenges and started the Intermediate Biology Olympiad, for Year 12 students and the Biology Challenge for students in Year 9 and 10. We are very happy with the number of students who completed the challenges, 29 year 12 students signed up for the Intermediate Olympiad, and we achieved 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 8 Bronze awards. For the Biology Challenge, 17 Year 9 and 10 students completed the exam, achieving 1 Gold, 5 Silver and 8 Bronze awards.
Just before the start of the summer holidays, Cara in Year 10 attended a karate master course with her karate school, TISKA in Spain where she successfully graded for her 2nd dan.
Cara shared that the master course was an excellent opportunity for her to train for longer hours, learn more advanced skills, and meet more senior members of the school. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience and is excited for he next steps.
On the 6th of July I visited Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge University to receive my Certificate of Commendation for the Fitzwilliam Economics Essay Competition. I also had the opportunity to discuss my work with Dr Anna Watson, the Director of Studies for Economics at Fitzwilliam College. This was hugely rewarding as she is a renowned economist with an inspiring life story and great enthusiasm for this subject.
I would like to thank Mr Wilson, our Head of Department for Economics, for his unwavering support. Without his detailed feedback and constructive criticism I would not have succeeded in this competition.