Yesterday saw the first full day for our students at St Catharine’s, as everyone has now settled into the timetable after their introductory classes on Monday. 

In the morning, it was business as usual as everyone walked across campus to get to their classes. The walking at Catz is a nice opportunity for students to chat and get to know one another, as well as the campus staff who accompany them to their classes. So far, no one has been late for lessons – well done to counsellors for being so prompt and making sure everyone gets to the right place!

Once morning lessons were over, lunch beckoned as our hungry students enjoyed a meal together in the dining hall. After lunch, there was a few minutes for some free time before the group prepared for an afternoon of ORA Masterclasses. 

For these workshops, the group at Catz joined with our other students aged 16 – 18 in Cambridge from St Edmund’s college. By far the most popular of the Masterclasses was run by the Oxford Imps, a premiere improvised comedy group who perform weekly in Oxford and take a show a year to the famous Edinburgh Fringe. Students enjoyed learning from their expertise about body language and laughter before playing some entertaining drama games. The Stockmarket Masterclass was also very successful, with students challenging themselves to quadruple their initial share prices.

Overall, the afternoon was dynamic and saw our students stretching their minds as they learnt important practical skills that we hope will benefit them in the future. Subsequently, the evening was a more relaxed affair with a chance to catch up on homework followed by a movie night!