12 October 2022
Mr Adrian Ross, Sacred Heart Co-ordinator, Head of Theology and Director of Leadership
On Wednesday 28 September, 12 students from Years 7 and 8, Mrs Whittington and I attended Heartfest, a biennial gathering of students from the English Network of Sacred Heart Schools to collaborate and reflect on activities connected to the goals of the Sacred Heart.
We were joined on the train to Newcastle by students and staff from Roehampton Sacred Heart Primary School and Hammersmith Sacred Heart School Secondary. On arrival, we all visited the famous Angel of the North, where we also met students from the Sacred Heart Primary, Fenham and Sacred Heart Secondary, Fenham. With all students from the five Sacred Heart schools together, we travelled to the Youth Village, our home for the next two nights.
The first afternoon’s activities involved working in mixed school groups to complete challenges, including a ‘get to know each other’ bingo, where we discovered the many similarities between our schools, as well as some key differences.
The next day was action-packed, with lots of activities based on this year’s Sacred Heart goal, ‘Community’. The students enjoyed outdoor group games, coming together to create an art piece that would be part of the final liturgy on our last day, and learning songs and prayers together. A particular highlight was the escape room and code breaking activity, which certainly brought out everyone’s competitive side. Dinner was followed by time around the firepit with marshmallows and hot chocolate before bed.
On the final day, we visited both the primary and secondary Sacred Heart schools in Newcastle and Heartfest concluded with a Liturgy at the secondary school. After lots of farewells to new friends, we made our way back to Woldingham. Special thanks to Mrs Whittington, who so willingly gave up her time to accompany the trip.