STUDENTS have been given fresh focus with a day designed to put them on the right track in life.
About 500 students at Risedale Sports and Community College, from Years 7 to 11, took part in an annual Focus Day.
A host of external agencies, including prison inmates and officers, helped give students and insight into their futures and the possible consequences of taking a wrong turn in life.
Magistrates, police, firefighters and media experts joined the pupils in a host of workshops and life scenarios.
The charity Prison Me No Way organised a street scene showing how situations can turn violent because of alcohol.
Students were also given a taste of the court process with a mock trial, life behind bars from prison staff and inmates and the consequences of arson and hoax calls.
On a positive front Year 10s were helped with interview techniques and advised on careers.
Young entrepreneurs from Year 8 also worked on a chocolate box project ranging from designing and making the packaging to creating tasty confectionary itself.
Budding bookworms from Year 7 were set a host of literary challenges designed to boost reading skills including exploring anagrams, playing Scrabble and reviewing literature.
Year 7 student Jack Healy, 12, of Catterick, said: “It was really fun, playing the literacy games and completing a book review.”
Hayley Morgan, 12, of Hipswell, added: “I have really enjoyed it and feel I have learned a lot.”
Michael-Paul Storr, 12, of Catterick, said: “Focus day has been amazing. It has been a break from normal school.”
The day involved the full curriculum of subjects including English, art, design and food technology, drama, maths and geography. It also centred on IT skills, business and enterprise.
Head of PSHE and organiser Joy Fraser said: “The variety of activities involved learning in a slightly different way. It was great walking around hearing how much the students were enjoying themselves. It’s stressful organising the day because there are so many different elements but it was well worth it.”
The whole day was captured in words and pictures by a special reporting team comprising Joe Weaver, 11, Tommy Roberts, 12, Cerys Cox, 12, Darcy Swainston, 11 and Rhys Williams, 11.
By the end of the session they had designed a Focus Day newsletter for the college website.
Cerys, who was appointed editor, said: “It was amazing working with my team who all did a great job under stressful conditions.
“It felt a bit strange walking into the various sessions to watch what was happening and I was glad to be wearing my Press badge.”
Tommy, chief reporter, added: “It has been much more enjoyable being a journalist than I thought but it was also hard work as there was so much to cover in such a short space of time.”
