Co-curricular News During the Summer Term virtual clubs and activities continued to run with the aim of providing pupils with as many opportunities as possible even during lockdown. Pupils were encouraged to sign up to as many activities as they wanted, whether it was something they had tried before or a new experience. Academic clinics and societies were offered on Microsoft Teams, with recordings being made available to overseas pupils in different time zones; a new YouTube channel, Lancing Active, launched at the end of the Lent Term, offering an array of workouts and sport challenges. Online drama rehearsals, collaborative music projects and ‘virtual choir’ performances took place regularly; and pupils in the CCF were involved in competitions and given tasks to complete. Chris Eustace, Assistant Head – Co-curricular, said about the programme: ‘This term presented a challenge for the Co-curricular programme, as many of the activities
would usually require students and staff to be physically present on site. However, undeterred, the staff rallied to the challenge and were able to continue many of the previous activities, remotely and in a new and inspired way, whilst also establishing new ones that fit the new routine. The Co-curricular programme has been a vital part of keeping the College community together in these unusual times, and is an incredibly strong driver of confidence building, personal development and friendships. I am really pleased that this has been able to continue at a distance.’
Debating Society – A pre-COVID report
Just as the Lent Term ended the College debaters took part in the English Speaking Union Schools’ Mace Debate regional finals. Lohith Konathala, Rosie Holt and Shirin Mirzayasheva very ably proposed the motion that ‘This House would abolish the House of Lords’. Lancing was one of six teams vying for one place in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, we did not make it to the final round but Lohith, Rosie and Shirin deserve an enormous amount of praise for their excellent arguments, thorough research and skilled defence of their points. The Mace 2019/20 Final did not take place due to the Coronavirus pandemic but we enjoyed participating and look forward to next year’s competition. Fifth Former Shirin Mirzayasheva recalls the final day of the competition: ‘Lancing’s competition against Sackville School was indeed a tight race, their arguments were precise and well thought out, leaving us with difficult points to argue against. However, we were able to stand strong throughout the debate, ensuring that sufficient rebuttals were made and that our points were well supported through statistical evidence. Despite the unfortunate outcome, the team held a high standard of debating at the competition and it was, all in all, a fantastic experience.’ Dr Elizabeth Keane, Head of Politics
Medics’ Virtual Meet Ups
This term has obviously been very different for the school, but we had still the opportunity to be engaged in interesting conversations in the Medics’ Society meetings. We have been looking at writing our personal statements, and how to produce a top application specific to Medicine with the guidance of Mrs Webber. We also had a conference call with some OLs who are now in their first or second year studying Medicine at university. We asked them questions about their courses and we got an insight into what life at university as a medical student is like. With lockdown, it has been hard for medics to find suitable work experience, so we have discussed different online work experience opportunities, such as ‘Observe a GP’. Some of the students have been reaching out to their local communities in these uncertain times, for example collecting donations for local care homes and helping the elderly with their grocery shopping. During the summer we will continue to work on our personal statements and look for further work experience and volunteering placements when opportunities open up. Nelu Mendis, Lower Sixth
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The Quad • Summer 2020
