Year 8 student’s dream comes true

He worked really hard in his lessons to make sure he didn’t miss his chance and he, along with seven other students were given the unique opportunity of a week-long visit to The La Saule Paquol, Hellz L ‘ eveque, Vitry-Le, Francois. They had use of a private lake and facilities to guarantee them one of the best fishing experiences there is.

Alfie takes up the story: “Finally the day came for us to set off. I could not sleep the night before as I was so excited, I had never been away from my family before. As we drove away from school I got a little worried but the staff and students were so kind and were always asking how I was.”

“When we arrived at the lake I was shocked at how big it was and calm with no traffic, just us with our very own lake, it was my dream come true.”

Alfie was teamed up with Mason (Year 9) who had been on the trip before and was able to help him a lot and it wasn’t long before they had a big catch and even went on to set a school record.

Alfie continues: “It was on our third day at about 6am when we caught our first fish, a 45 pound Carp! We decided to work together and share every fish we caught and this worked on great. On our fifth day we could not believe our eyes, it was 6.30am and we caught the biggest fish ever caught by our school, a 55 pound Carp! It took Mason a long time to bring it in but the staff on the lake helped him.”

The group also had some cultural visits to war memorials, local churches and museums, not to mention experiencing the local cuisine in the village of Vitryle.

Assistant Head of Year 9 Mrs Diable has taken students on the trip for the last 8 years, she said: “The trip has always been a great success and has lots of educational value for the students who are always really engaged. The experience results in visible personal development for many of the students who gain valuable life skills such as teamwork, communication and doing things for themselves. It also teaches them about the environment and gives them the chance to experience a different culture.”

For Alfie this trip was certainly something he will always remember. He said: “It was the best trip I have ever been on in my life. I will never forget the feeling I got when I caught a fish, I got butterflies in my stomach and was jumping up and down. I ran so fast to tell Mrs Diable I could not speak!”

The group left school on Friday 8 July and returned on Saturday 16^th July.