Following the success of our Mad Scientist Weekender last term, on 3rd and 4th February we brought together our day and boarding communities once again for another weekend of fun learning activities and a sleepover. This term, the Year 7s and 8s took part in an immersive film-making and English script-writing experience, followed by an exciting outing to London Zoo. We asked Charley-Rae, Genie and Angela to report back.
The English department’s Detective Mystery Weekender was super fun and inspiring. First, we were put into groups and had to guess the detective in movie clips, and it turned into a cool competition. The winning team got first pick on costumes, making it even more fun. After that, each group acted out and filmed part of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes story ‘The Speckled Band’. It was a chance to show off our creativity and teamwork.
At the end, all the groups put their films together into one story, showing how we could all work as a team. Seeing the final film was awesome, and the mini awards ceremony at the end made it feel special. Overall, the whole event brought us together in an exciting way that tested our detective skills.
When we got to the boarding house we were shown to our rooms, which were really comfy. Then we went downstairs and all watched Enola Holmes (a movie about Sherlock Holmes’ sister) and had loads of delicious snacks. All the house parents were really kind and made sure we were okay. After the film, we all brushed our teeth and went to bed. (Okay, fine, we didn’t go to bed straight away… we talked for a bit… or maybe a bit more than a bit… but in the end we were ready for the morning and the thrilling day ahead of us!)
We left early in the morning to catch the train to London Zoo. On the way we stopped for some Mooboo boba milk tea. Everyone bought one and was enjoying the tasty drinks. At the zoo, everyone was so excited and was desperate to take pictures and look around. The first animals we saw were the giraffes!
They were so much bigger than we thought they were going to be. Other highlights were the zebras and the cute penguins swimming around. We had our packed lunches and played in the children’s playground. After, we saw the more popular animals, which were tigers and lions. We even got to visit the zoo shop, where some people bought adorable stuffed animals!
It was a fantastic day to finish an exciting weekend. We all had such a great time seeing the animals and spending time with each other!
Charley-Rae, Genie and Angela