A New Start: A Year 7 Termly Club Review
Last term, the school welcomed the new Year 7 students to the school. As a year group, we have come a very long way in sport, starting with our first rugby session in our new school. It was enjoyed by all of the enthusiastic students raring to give the sport a go. We all transformed from amateurs that did not know how to apply spin to a pass, to players that were well-equipped in knowing how to tackle. Let’s explore some of the school’s extra-curricular activities available.
This term, we had the choice to choose our own paths by picking whether we wanted to do rugby or choir after school on Mondays. Personally, I prefer rugby, as I enjoy the thrill of having the opportunity to score a try one second and being on the floor, jack-knifing with the ball. The first session of the new term began after school today and ran until 5pm. This resulted in a jam-packed session that allowed me to score two tries in our matches. Here’s a quick summary of what the school offers in their extensive extra-curricular programme.
The School offers a wide range of exciting extra-curricular activities that support the school’s flagship Middle Years’ Programme and Diploma Programme, both from by the International Baccalaureate which encourages participation in clubs and societies. Some of the school’s leading societies range from the DGS Biomedical Society, DGS Law Society, and the student-led DGS Journalism Society which produces DGSChapter.
With the school’s sporting life encouraging students from all year groups to participate in a school sport, in Year 7 you are offered the chance to choose between joining one of the school’s rugby squads or singing with the DGS Junior Choir. The school’s partnership with the Becket Sports’ Centre allows the school to host a grand number of sports matches in netball and badminton with a range of other competitive schools. With the school notable for its successes in national and county-wide sports, after-school rugby training is delivered by the school’s rugby coaches, also welcoming the expert guidance of guest professionals such as the 2014 Rugby World Cup player Vicky Fleetwood who recently worked with the Girls’ Rugby teams.
Alternatively, students also get to sing with the DGS Junior Choir, directed by Mr Hughes. The most recent Dartford Grammar School Christmas Concert welcomed a performance of the Beach Boys’ Barbara Ann and the Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way, at the Mick Jagger Centre. The school is renowned for its impressive music department, with the school’s flagship ensembles such as the DGS Symphony Orchestra and GCSE Vocal Group having seen performances for the Mayor of Dartford’s Charity Ball, with their senior choir performing at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the Scratch Youth Messiah. The school also exclusively offers a joint scholarship programme providing the opportunity for musicians to join Junior Trinity, the junior music department of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
No matter what path you take, I can guarantee that you will have a great time in Year 7! But what can I say, I am not a choir participant, so who am I to judge?