International Trips: WGS goes back on tour

What a joy to be able to celebrate the return of school trips both home and away! Pre-pandemic extra-curricular activity has fully resumed and WGS students and staff spent a busy halfterm travelling to Europe.

Iceland

The Land of Science tour to Iceland, led by Mr Jeavons, was the first of three successful international trips. After a six-month delay, this much anticipated trip offered the chance to see some of the natural phenomena studied across all year groups in science subjects. Whether a discussion about the migration and evolution of whales in Biology, walking on a melting glacier and learning about the impacts of carbon dioxide on our planet in Chemistry or seeing and appreciating the Physics of ionised particles from the sun interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field, it was a memorable educational experience.

The trip began with a visit to the Perlan Wonders of Iceland museum, which provided a tantalising taste of what to expect in the week ahead. An educational film in the planetarium explained the science behind the Northern lights and students were able to explore the world’s first indoor ice cave.

Venturing to the LAVA Centre, a Volcano and Earthquake Exhibition, students had the opportunity to learn about different types of volcanoes and eruptions and watch a live lava show. A visit to the magnificent waterfalls of The Golden Circle also offered breath-taking scenic views. Next was the exploration of the Solheimar Eco village. Here, tomatoes are grown year-round, and students learnt about what is needed for life at the Fridheimar Tomato greenhouses. There was even a chance to taste some tomato ice cream!

The theme of sustainability continued with a trip to a geothermal power station showing how Iceland manages to be a low-carbon economy through their clever use of natural resources. It was then on to the geothermal park where an egg and bread were cooked underground using only natural energy. Food duly sampled, students went on to explore the inside of a lava tunnel and were introduced to a new bacteria that is unique to the interior walls of these tunnels and a very recent scientific discovery.

The trip concluded with views of a spectacular night sky lit up by dancing green bands; the Northern lights were visible in all their glory.

Portugal

In Southern Europe, the Sports department were busy leading two European tours. Boys and girls took part in a Portugal Football Development Tour which provided a golden opportunity to train in world class facilities, interact with elite players and learn from highly qualified coaches.

The 5-day football experience began with the Liga Portugal game: Famalicão vs Paços Ferreira. All the students enjoyed watching an excellent game of high-quality football, which was eventually won by the home team, 2-1, much to everyone’s enjoyment.

The next day began early with the first training session delivered by Porto coaches. The students enjoyed a mixture of activities and a high standard of coaching, with a specific focus on possession and positional play. During the afternoon, they played three very competitive fixtures against local teams, which resulted in one victory, one draw and one defeat. It was an excellent opportunity for students to experience a very different style of play that focuses on ball retention and patience with the ball. Training continued the next day at Dragon Force HQ, where students worked on improving skills observed by the coaches the previous day. This was followed by a relaxing evening spent playing pool and bowling.

The final training session gave our students an opportunity to play a game against the coaches which was very much enjoyed. That evening, in their final fixture, WGS were able to achieve a notable victory against a much stronger local team.

The highlight of the trip came on the final day with a full stadium tour of Porto’s ground, Estádio do Dragão exploring the presidential box, changing room, touchline and even the pitch itself. In the club museum, students could view the numerous trophies won by Porto, including the Champions League trophy won by José Mourinho in 2004. A three-course meal in one of the club boxes, overlooking the stadium, provided the perfect end to the day.

Netherlands

Mr Martin travelled with 29 Year 8 and 9 girls on his first WGS tour to Valkenburg in the Netherlands. After a very early 2.30am start the girls eventually arrived at their hotel at 5pm local time. After unloading the coach and having dinner, the girls enjoyed a wonderful trip to a local pancake house before turning in ahead of an early morning training session and a busy week to come.

Day one consisted of a hockey coaching masterclass followed by an incredibly competitive game of laser tag in the caves of Valkenburg! That evening the girls played their first competitive fixture at the incredible facilities of the Horst Hockey club, where they took on a very strong local side. Despite losing, our WGS girls gave their best and were rewarded with some wonderful post-match hospitality.

Wednesday proved another actionpacked day with a trip to the Netball facility for a bumper 5 hours of training and coaching in preparation for the end-of-tour tournament. Evening hockey fixtures were played against Peel en Maas Hockey Club and Sjinborn Hockey Club. Once again, the opposition proved difficult to beat but Zara Patel sparked wild celebrations amongst the A team with 2 fantastic goals.

Congratulations also go to the A team who finished second in the end-of-tour Netball tournament. Gabbi and Rebecca were voted players of the tournament in their respective pools and teams and were each awarded a trophy.

DofE Expedition

Back in the UK, 13 Sixth Formers were also embarking on their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award practice expedition in Snowdonia. At Gold level, students have to complete a four-day expedition in an area of 'wild country' and must camp for three nights. They must also be completely self-sufficient, which means they need to carry large amounts of kit!

At this time of year, the weather and lack of daylight is always a challenge, and the students occasionally experienced some rather wet and windy conditions. However, they all coped admirably and proved that they are ready for the qualifying expedition which will take place in the Lake District in July.

What can

Wgs

students look forward to in 2023?

minds

With extra-curricular trips firmly back in the calendar there is plenty to tempt those seeking adventure! Perhaps a sports and cultural tour to South Africa? A French trip to Château du Broutel in Northern France, a visit to the First World War battlefield sites at Ypres and the Somme, or even a chance to volunteer at a school in Morocco? We look forward to hearing about these exciting trips in the New Year.