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SCHOOL NEWS
Local man recognised by Dorset’s High Sheriff for his youth work
On Tuesday 18th January the High Sheriff of Dorset Mr Michael Dooley MMs. FRCOG visited Sturminster Newton High School (SNHS) to present a High Sheriff’s Award to Shaun Weeks for his long-standing support of the young people of Sturminster Newton and the surrounding villages. Shaun is a huge asset to the young people of the area and despite having a family himself he donates significant proportions of his time to local young people in a number of ways. In 2001 Shaun started up Sturminster Newton Boxing Gym; it has since produced several National Champions and currently has one boxer on the England pathway (14yr old Ruby ‘The Pocket Rocket’ Else-White is crowned Two Time National Champion, BV Oct 21). A spokesperson for SNHS said “we are very fortunate to have Shaun supporting the school in many ways; Shaun has worked to support, mentor and guide students and their families and encouraged young people into youth sports. This has developed their confidence, trust and selfesteem which has in turn served to remove barriers within school and allowed them to be successful in their education.” Most recently Shaun has been one of the community volunteers as part of the high school’s enrichment programme, where he runs an introduction to boxing for beginners at the gym during school time. This has led to several students becoming part of the main club, as well as expanding the opportunities, expectations and horizons of a great deal more. In addition, Shaun has also sponsored a PSHE programme ‘The Fight Against Knife Crime’ aimed at our older students as part of the Sturminster Newton Boxing Club which is delivered during the PSHE lessons at school.
Shaun Weeks (centre) with SNHS Headteacher Mr Davis (left) and the High Sheriff of Dorset Mr Michael Dooley MMs. FRCOG
Shaun has also supported the local community in many other ways, being a key member of Stalbridge Youth Football Club. He regularly fundraises for the organisations he is involved with, and recently raised over £2,000 for Julia’s House by coming out of retirement himself and boxing two matches with local people. Headteacher Mr Davis said “We are extremely fortunate in this community to have so many local people who are prepared to freely donate time and effort to the school and local projects for young people. We hope everyone joins us in congratulating Shaun on his award.”
Washer goes to school...
Okeford Fitzpaine Primary School was visited last week by Washer the 5 week old Friesian cow from Poppy Farm. The children from the Primary School and Sunbeams Day Care had the opportunity to see Washer up close and ask any questions. The children learnt he was bought from auction, which is why he had a sticker on his back. He had two tags on his ears which were like his passport, and he still drank milk twice a day. We learnt how tall he would get - and that cows cant fly but they can jump when this young. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to see a beautiful animal up close.
SCHOOL NEWS
The Prince of Wales School will be teaching Dorset ‘knob throwing’ to children after a local festival was cancelled for the third year in a row.
Dorset knob-throwing contests traditionally involve competitors hurling a Dorset knob – a hard biscuit – as far as they can. The record throw of 29.4 metres (96 ft) was set in 2012. Speaking about the new initiative, Headteacher Mr Gary Spracklen said, “The Dorset knob biscuit is part of our local cultural heritage. Many of our children enjoy attending the Dorset Knob Throwing Festival. With the festival cancelled, we will be bringing Dorset knob throwing to the curriculum and hosting our very own Dorset knob throwing event for families here at The Prince of Wales School”. Year 4 pupil Charlotte, on hearing the news said, “In our lessons we already learn about the international significance of the Jurassic Coast, the life and work of Thomas Hardy and we become experts on Maiden Castle. Me and my friends are very confident that we will be better than our teachers and parents at Dorset knob throwing. We are going to get practising in our PE lessons and do our very best to set some new world records!” Asked if other schools could get involved? Mr Spracklen said, “It would be great to see other schools locally embracing the Dorset knob and hosting their own throwing events. Perhaps we could set up a Dorset knob throwing schools league with home and away fixtures? I’d love to hear from any schools that would like to get involved”.
Knob Throwing Rules:
• Three Dorset knobs per go, furthest knob thrown is measured • Use only Dorset Knobs provided • Standing throw from marked standing point • Underarm throwing only • One foot must remain on the ground during throwing • Distance of the furthest knob measured within the designated throwing zone, which is 5m x 32m, marked in 2m zones, with use of measure to determine distance thrown • Dorset knob measured at final resting place • If Dorset knob breaks upon landing it will be the umpire’s decision of final resting place
Local school youth debating competition
The launch of the inaugural local heat of Youth Speaks, a national competition organised by Rotary Club International has been announced
Shaftesbury School will be the venue for the inaugural local heat of Youth Speaks on February 17th 2022. Youth Speaks is a debating competition organised and promoted by Rotary International, intended to challenge a young person’s public speaking abilities in order to perform, persuade and entertain the audience with a display of wit and knowledge of a topic. In teams of three, participants present arguments and points of discussion, before taking questions from the judging panel who are, themselves, skilled orators. Participants can select a topic which is important to them, giving them an opportunity to delve deep into research, formulate ideas and build confidence. The area event has been organised by Shaftesbury Rotary Club, working in partnership with other local Rotary Clubs and Shaftesbury School. The judges for this year’s event include Simon Hoare MP and Rachael Gale a local teacher. The students will be asked questions by Questioner, Andrew Hollingshead, after they’ve put forward their arguments. Teams from Shaftesbury School, Gillingham School and The Blandford School will compete in the Intermediate Competition for 11-13 year olds and the Senior Competition for 14-17 year olds. The winners will progress to the Rotary District Competition stage. For more details contact Shaftesbury Rotary Club on hello@shaftesburyrotaryclub.org or by phoning 01747 852328.
