Head of Year 9, Mr Asare, took a group of students to an asset management company for a work experience day, where they were acted as CEOs, marketing executives and media relations professionals for the day.
At the beginning of the Summer term, a few lucky Year 9s went on an Into University trip to Alliance Bernstein. The whole trip was an enjoyable and rewarding experience. The students were split into two teams where they set an Apprentice-style challenge and had to organise a charity concert. It involved them setting themselves company positions such as CEOs, marketing executives, media relations, etc. The kids stepped up and took on the challenge straight away. They had to pitch to trustees and create the event during the process. It was endearing to see Year 9 in such a positive light. Many of them were able to speak publicly and perform with confidence. During the day, many of the volunteers from the company came up to me one by one to tell me how amazing our students were and that they were a credit to our school. The compliments were overflowing.
All the students were awarded silver merits for their excellent work, and the following three received gold merits. Maryam Bulhan was CEO of the winning team. She was a force to be reckoned with. She was organised and commanding. Definitely a leader of the future. Olubasayo Moronfolu won a star contributor award for her understated exceptional talent. The volunteers chose her from the company. She wrote two poems for the ‘concert’ performance and led the marketing for her team. Omari Abodoh also won a star contributor award for his calm yet dependable work ethic towards his team. He was also able to pitch to the ‘trustees’ successfully why they should pay money for his team’s event.
Overall, the students showed the best of Ark Academy and were great representatives of our school. It was a proud moment for me to see as their Head of Year.