It is with a great amount of sadness that we wave goodbye to our first cohort at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge. This creative and lively group have displayed excellent attributes such as resilience, adaptability and sensitivity, never failing to work together as a unified team to complete every challenge they have been set.
Over the past two weeks, it has been a real pleasure to watch our students aged 16 – 18 grow both academically and socially. Thanks to a wonderful range of classes, this cohort has developed skills that will be useful inside and outside the classroom, and we hope that everything they have learnt here will also help them in the later life and with their future careers. It is important to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to all of the campus staff who have also made everyone’s stay so memorable.
In particular, those studying on our Broadening Horizons programme have enjoyed the opportunity to gain a greater depth of knowledge in different areas, having experienced modules such as Blockchain Foundations and Cryptocurrencies. Those on our Veterinary Science programme have glimpsed life as veterinary professionals, with the opportunity to take part in dissections, as well as field trips to develop their skills. All of our classes here at St Edmund’s have incited passion in our students, and we feel that everyone will be leaving with new knowledge in their subject area.
Outside of classes, students have made the most of a busy social programme, forming international friendships as they take part in the exciting array of activities and sports on offer to them. Sports have been especially popular with this group and our students have played rounders, badminton, rugby and of course football! Sports have not been the only option however, as the students also return home with a wealth of knowledge of British playground games such as; duck, duck, goose, wink murder and splat.
Students showed off their public speaking abilities in the Great Debate with one of our other Cambridge Colleges, St Catharine’s. Everyone discussed whether or not standardised testing was the way forward for education. For students’ whose first language is not English, this debate was incredibly impressive and everyone made their points with clarity and respect.
The broad range of excursions available to our students have not disappointed. Local trips to the city centre, as well as the chance to view the city by punt and of course to the Cambridge escape rooms, have all proved popular. Thanks to our brilliant counsellors and junior deans who have acted as tour guides, every student has been able to experience all that this historic city has to offer. Outside of Cambridge, students were able to visit the UK’s exciting capital to watch a brilliant West End musical!
The session was not complete without a party, and a fun evening was provided to ensure that all of our students were rewarded for their hard work during the stay. After an emotional graduation ceremony, students enjoyed a three course meal, followed by a wonderful party with the other students from Catz. This event was a fitting close to the programmes, as everyone danced until their feet hurt!
We want to express a huge amount of gratitude for our staff and students alike at Ed’s, without whom the session would not have been the same. We wish everyone good luck with their future endeavours and hope to see a few faces next year!