MICHAELMAS 2023
Introduction from Editors Nick and I are incredibly pleased and grateful to hold the positions of editors of The Breconian. Our task was to bring the termly newsletter back to life since the last newsletter, the Herald, was produced back in 2017. We hope this paper will not only keep everyone informed about CCB life but also bring together the community of pupils, parents and Old Breconians. We are delighted to be given this opportunity and hope you enjoy reading the The Breconian. The Editors Annika H and Nick H
Head’s Welcome Welcome to our new termly newsletter, The Breconian. I am hugely grateful to the editors, Nick and Annika, for all their hard work and to all those who contributed to the articles. I hope this newsletter keeps everyone in the CCB community engaged, informed and inspired. I also hope that it captures this moment in time for the school’s history so memories can be re-visited by pupils many years into the future. Enjoy!
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CCB Adventure What a remarkable start to the new academic year! Students from Year 7 to 12 all participated in Adventure Days within the National Park. Our first adventure was Year 11’s exploration mission in the Black Mountains looking for remnants of a downed aircraft, closely followed by Year 10 and 12 challenging themselves by climbing in Twyn y Gwynion and Morlais. Simultaneously, Alway pupils conquered Sugar Loaf Mountain and Fan Frynach in the Beacons, and the Year 9 cohort completed the iconic circuit route of Bannau Sir Gaer in the Black Mountains. All our pupils, and staff boasted of how much they enjoyed their time in the hills. In conjunction with these activities, the Saturday Adventure program kicked off with Year 7 and 8 pupils venturing out to tackle the River Usk by canoe, kayak and SUP. Our climbers refined their skills at Llangorse, while our hillwalkers undertook various routes to perfect their hill craft and navigation skills week by week. Wednesday afternoons witnessed our mountain bikers, under the guidance of Mr. Francis and Ian Owen, navigating the
downhill sections of Dirt Farm on our custom MTB track, graciously provided by the Burgess family and crafted by our own hands. Concurrently, our climbers engaged in rigorous preparation for the House climbing competition with Mrs. Goodrich and Mrs Ashdown at Llangorse, and we anticipate the introduction of a kayak program led by our newly qualified Paddle Sport Leader, Mr. Howells. Finally, our Gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) candidates successfully completed their qualifying expedition in September amid ‘changeable conditions.’ A commendation to our cohort of explorers for an outstanding expedition. We witnessed some weary bodies crossing the finish line at the CCF office on Sunday afternoon, but nevertheless they had a smile on their faces as they were warmly welcomed back to school by the Head, and promptly treated to a well-deserved ice cream. A whirlwind of diverse and challenging activities for our students, marking what has now become a traditional start to the academic year! (see more pictures on page 2) 1