Rehearsals for our whole school production of CHICAGO are in full swing!
Students are working extremely hard to put on another outstanding performance which will be held at The Albany Theatre on Thursday 11th July @ 7pm.
Tickets are still available - click on the link below!
https://www.albanytheatre.co.uk/shows/pks-chicago-teen/
Mrs Arnett was delighted when The Bridge students received The Gold Award from The Shakespeare Schools Festival. This is in recognition of the number of years President Kennedy School has taken part in the Festival over eight years!
It is an annual celebration of Shakespeare's plays and students from across the city perform his plays at The Belgrade Theatre.
Over the years, The Bridge has performed Macbeth, The Tempest, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet.
Mrs Arnett said, "To receive this award is a fantastic achievement! We will participate in the November festival with our new Year 7 cohort- Romeo and Juliet! Watch this space!"
On 6th June Peter Lantos visited President Kennedy School. Peter is a Holocaust survivor of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp.
President Kennedy School has been fortunate enough to receive regular visits from Peter. On this visit, marked by the historical significance of the D-Day, Peter met with several students from Years 8, 9, 10, and 12. He spent the morning unveiling the new signs in the Holocaust memorial garden and speaking to students about what happened to him during the Holocaust.
Some of our Year 8 students then read poems written for Peter to mark the importance of remembrance. Year 10 students then visited the garden and asked Peter some moving questions.
Peter spent the next part of the day working with students involved in an 'Echo Eternal' performance last year. The performance was an artistic retelling of Peter’s testimony through shadow work and puppeteering.
The students showed Peter their film and then presented him with their experiences of working on the project.
For the final part of the day, Peter met with some students for a discussion on his books. Year 8 students asked Peter about his book ‘The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die’ and Year 12 students asked him about ‘Parallel Lines.’
The questions students asked were deeply thought-provoking and they learned a lot about the importance of peace and reconciliation from Peter’s responses.
Students gifted Peter a book of the poems and speeches they had read through on the day as a thank you for all of the time he has devoted to President Kennedy School.
It was a fantastic day for everyone involved, and we look forward to welcoming Peter back in July when he speaks at our Post-16 Ethics Conference.
Mrs Rejali, Teacher of Religious Education and Leader of Personal Development in Post-16
I was given the honour on Friday 10th May to attend a Buckingham Palace Garden Party for a Gold Duke Edinburgh Award celebration.
The sun was bright and after entering the gates, I was able to walk around the lovely gardens and listen to inspirational speeches on the satellite stages.
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, gave a speech from the balcony alongside two gold award winners.
Their speeches were incredibly inspiring, talking not only about their journey through the different awards, but what they had gained from it which inspired them in their careers and future ambitions.
We have had seven students receive their D of E Gold Award going through the school awards system and have a further six working towards it this year.
Miss Kirkham,Teacher of Design and Technology
Centre Manager of Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Future Grads programme at Coventry University is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of different industries and professions.
Through a series of workshops,seminars, and hands-on experiences, participants will have the opportunity to develop
their skills, expand their knowledge, and make informed
decisions about their future career paths.
This programme offers a unique chance for students to explore various career paths and gain valuable insights into their future endeavours.
The President Kennedy School team performed at the National Final of the 'Youth Speaks' debating competition on Sunday 21st April. Alisha, Mason and Isla made it through the district, regional and cluster final at previous stages of the competition.
They went on to represent the Midlands at the national competition. Here, they competed against schools from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland with their debate on Cancel Culture. The team won second place with their outstanding teamwork and high-quality debate.
Isla also won best chairperson out of all the contestants due to her excellent control of the debate and warm and engaging talk.
It was a fantastic day, with members of the Coventry Rotary Club and Ms Rooke and Mr Lane going along to support the team.
The team are now looking forward to using their debate experience for school projects in future.
Ms Rejali, Teacher of Religious Education and Leader of Personal Development in Post-16
Recycling Initiative Kickstarted by Post 16 Student
Post 16 student, Harman approached Ms Rooke wanting to introduce a more robust recycling process into the school.
Ms Rooke supported the idea and located £300 for Harman to spend on new recycling waste bins.
After careful consideration, Harman has started her recycling initiative with five bins; three for paper and two for mixed recycling (plastic, aluminium, and card).
Harman is now considering where the best location within the school will be for the bins.
As a school we already recycle, with about a third of our waste processed by Tom White wastes recycling plant.
Harman’s initiative will contribute to the overall ratio of recycling. As a school we plan to increase our recycling year on year. The site services team will monitor the use of Harman’s new bins, and if successful we will introduce more special recycling waste outlets within the school.
Well done to Harman, you are a credit to President Kennedy School and to the school environment!
Smart Learner Driving School continue to support the development of the Echo Eternal Curriculum Garden at President Kennedy School with more planting work completed recently.
Following on from the fifty flowering cherry trees that are establishing themselves in the garden, the fruit tree orchard comprising of ten apple trees is starting to show plenty of new spring growth. We now also have twenty blackcurrant
bushes which have been planted in the garden.
Smart Learner Driving School have a commitment to offset their carbon footprint by way of providing trees and bushes to local organisations.
All of these trees and fruit bushes that have been planted will assist with this commitment. These trees and bushes will provide a lasting legacy for future generations to both enjoy and provide a healthier environment.
We are thrilled to share that the first-ever two-day 'President Kennedy Literature Festival' took place on Thursday, March 7th (World Book Day) and Friday, March 8th. The festival was a huge success, with our students experiencing an enriching literary event.
We were honoured to have special guests Coventry Poet Laureate John Bernard and international author Bali Rai visit our school to inspire our students.
Every child in Key Stage 3 had the opportunity to attend a talk or workshop with one of these renowned speakers. A copy of Bali Rai's book was given as a memento to every student in Year 7, and they all had the opportunity to have their copy personally signed by Bali himself.
John Bernard hosted a lunchtime open mic session on World Book Day, showcasing the talent and creativity of our students - the atmosphere was electric! Festival stalls were set up for students to explore, featuring quizzes, competitions, and valuable career advice from a visiting lecturer from Coventry University.
The festival was filled with celebrations as our students showed remarkable engagement, creativity, passion, and PRIDE throughout the event.
We are incredibly proud of their hard work and enthusiasm.
Mrs Jones,
Assistant Headteacher and Subject Leader of English
On the 20th February, students from Post-16 took part in a workshop run by Barclay's Life Skills.
In the Post 16 tutor curriculum we have been focussing on how to successfully prepare for job applications.
We have spent time this week looking at how to write a cover letter, and the workshop supported this by unpicking how to write an effective CV.
Students saw examples of CVs (good and no so good!) and have now been given the tools to write their own CV.
Mrs Mitchard, College Director of P16
RE Youth Speaks - Regional Senior Competition
After winning the Youth Speaks District debating competition, the President Kennedy School team moved on to compete in the Regional Senior Competition, held at Campion School on Sunday 11th February.
Isla, Mason and Alisha debated on the topic of ‘Cancel Culture.’ They competed against five schools from around Warwickshire.
It was a fantastic event with each team putting forward convincing debates. President Kennedy School once again secured first place at the competition. Judges remarked that the team impressed them with their memorisation of the debate, their definitions of ‘cancel culture terminology’ and the statistics and examples they use to support each side of the discussion.
The team will be now moving on to compete in the next round of the competition
On Friday 2nd February, Mason, Isla and Alisha represented President Kennedy School in the Youth Speaks debating competition, hosted by the Rotary Club.
The team competed against seven other secondary schools in Coventry and Warwickshire with a debate on the topic of ‘Cancel Culture.’
The team discussed whether cancel culture provides a service in ensuring accountability in society, or if it is a detriment to mental health.
Isla was the chairperson who introduced and summarised the debate, whilst Alisha proposed that cancel culture was helpful and Mason the team with the opposing argument.
The President Kennedy School team won first place, with judges commenting that students performed an engaging debate with a sophisticated line of argument. The judges were impressed by each student’s confidence and their ability to captivate the audience with their enthusiasm and big smiles.
The team will go onto compete in the district finals on Sunday 11th February.
Ms Rejali, Teacher of Religious Education and Leader of Personal Development in Post-16