Bookbuzz was a joyful event! All of Year 7 came to the New Hall on the afternoon of Friday 7^th December and Mrs Hopkinson introduced our visiting author, Curtis Jobling. Curtis was a really entertaining speaker and had us in stitches! He encouraged us all to keep on practising our hobbies and one day we might be able to do the things we love as a job. He did this with writing and art – not only has he written many books for children, he was the designer of TV shows ‘Bob the Builder’ and ‘Raa Raa the Noisy Lion’. If you would like to see some original artwork he drew while he was here, come to the Library and have a look!

‘Haunt: Dead Scared’ was the novel by Curtis which was on the Bookbuzz shortlist and more than seventy students chose that one. It is a spooky story about a boy who gets killed in an accident and comes back as a ghost but only his best friend can see him. They have to solve a mystery together and there are some very scary bits in the story, as well as some dark humour. There were fifteen books to choose from on the shortlist, and at the beginning of Year 7 the students had all made their choices and soon received their books to read as a gift from the Academy, so they had time to read them before this event. After listening to Curtis speak we all separated into groups of students and English teachers who had chosen the same books to do creative work based on the books we had been reading. You can see a couple of lovely pieces in the picture above!

Bookbuzz is a celebration of reading we do with Year 7 every year and it is a really positive way to get everybody reading and talking to each other about books. It is organised by the Library but couldn’t be accomplished without the hard work of all the English staff and the support of other staff and some older student helpers- a big thank you to everyone involved. We had some visitors from Pembroke Academy this year so it was really nice to meet them and our students made them welcome – well done to Year 7 for showing Curtis and all our visitors how lovely you are. Many thanks also to the Learning Support Department which paid for the books and the Priory Association which paid for the author visit.

Yesterday evening the Years 7-10 Boys', 7/8 Girls' and 9/10 Girls' teams played badminton against QEHS (Gainsborough) at home. All students played a singles match and a doubles match to 21 points. The match results were outstanding. Please see the statistics below;

Games – 36 Total

Priory LSST 32  QEHS 4

Points – 756 Total

Priory LSST 740  QEHS 445

Such an amazing result! Well done to all the students who played

Following Kieran’s continuing success we can now report that on 4^th November 2018 Kieran won the Gold Medal for Tae Kwon Do blue belt for boys at the British Championships held in Birmingham. This makes him the British Champion at blue belt.

Last year he won the same competition but that was at yellow belt.

After months of preparation and rehearsals, the day finally came for both staff and students to represent themselves at the Lincoln Drill Hall for the 25^th Anniversary of the Priory Academy LSST. Staff and students met at the location in the early afternoon of Saturday 20^th October and participated in a demanding session of rehearsals, choosing lighting and organising the formal entrances and exits. Students did an excellent job of representing the Academy and behaved in an exemplary manner throughout the day; they were a credit to themselves and the Academy.

As the concert drew closer, nervous and excited faces could be found across the venue. This concert succeeded in bringing together students, past and present. It succeeded in joining together children with a range of talents, including singing and dancing. It was not only a display of talent, but an exhibition of the Academy’s key values and the great way in which both students and staff can come together to celebrate the LSST family. 

The concert began with Mr Crocker proving to be a fantastic compere who got the audience thoroughly involved in the fundraising evening. The stage was set and a range of acts began to flood on stage. The night saw a diverse range of talent, with solo artists and groups performing on a professional level to the impressed audience. Those in attendance were taken through various genres of musicals, performed by students in previous academic years. As well as this, the onlookers were told Hannah Brown’s compelling story through the dynamic dancing of last year’s Rock Challenge Team. Their captivating movement brought a tear to the eye of many in attendance. Their work, along with the effort made by others participating in the concert, was recognised by Lincoln City Manager, Danny Cowley, who recorded an empowering video on the importance of the arts in education.

As the evening drew to a close, all students returned on stage to sing the final song, Do You Hear the People Sing. It was an excellent way to round up a fantastic night of performance and this was recognised by a standing ovation.

Congratulations to all those who took part in the event. You helped to make it a great success which was enjoyed by staff, students, parents and carers alike. As well as this, a massive thank you must go to the staff involved in making the event possible, as well as the sponsors who supported the concert. We look forward to another 25 prosperous years of the Academy!