BUDEHAVEN Community School have been busy over the last few weeks, with food, music and trips abroad all on the agenda.

The school held its Spring Concert, displaying the range of talents across the school as students took to the stage to perform. The night kickstarted with the samba band, a version of the traditional Brazilian drumming. The band showed off their skilful rhythms and complex call-and-response verses.

With several other performers, the real stars of the night were the variety of rock bands. From the junior rock school’s rendition of ‘Seven Nation Army’, which had the crowd clapping along, to the beautiful harmonic version of Radiohead’s ‘No Surprises’ by the senior rock school. The talent shown by all age groups was impressive, and truly demonstrated the school’s ability. And of course, it would be a tragedy not to mention the showstopper of a final band - Jewell – containing a range of ages, all extremely talented. Their rendition of ‘Stand by Me’ was truly the perfect way to end the evening.

Music isn’t all that has been happening though, Year 11 students in the Food Departments have been working to plan and cook restaurant-quality dishes as part of their final exam. Mrs Edwards, Head of Food said: “The dishes showcase their amazing talents and the huge care and attention to detail that goes into the designing, preparation and creation of their individual dishes. Congratulations to them all and good luck to this years students. We think you’ll be brilliant.”

Finally, students have been globetrotting, taking a trip to Northern France, along the Opal Coast. Madame Berionni said: “The first adventure was in the French school on the Monday morning, who welcomed us warmly, provided breakfast and planned a great range of activities to support communication between the students. Then we moved on to the war museum located inside a WW2 bunker and stopped at a hypermarket on our way back to the hotel. The next day was spent in Boulogne sur Mer which hosts a renowned sealife centre, followed by a visit inside the old city walls, without forgetting an impromptu sunset stop on the Stella Maris beach near the hotel.”

Students also got to try new foods, from cheeses, to crepes and doughnuts to rather mixed reviews. Madame Berionni added: “It is clear that beyond language acquisition, our teenagers took every opportunity to develop their cultural understanding, personal and social skills in this post-Covid era; their great manners and attitudes, thirst for adventure, risk- taking and positivity were a source of pride. Indeed, we all acquired some ‘savoir faire’ and developed ‘savoir vivre’ in the four days’ adventure, with just a little hint of ‘je ne sais quoi’.”