Brodwell Olympics by Pablo Benito Martin, Y13, Brodwell House Captain

Upon discovering that the boarding community would be spending half term away from their families, I felt it was my duty as House Captain to create an inclusive program of activities.

The main objectives were to give everybody the opportunity to experience a number of different activities we have never done before, to give everyone a purpose, as well as providing all boarders with a memorable experience during this challenging time. This is where I came up with the idea of having a ´Brodwell Olympics´. After careful consideration of the different activities that we could complete with appropriate social distancing, I proposed my idea to Mr S Vernon. Success! He loved the idea and gave me unrestricted access to all school facilities.

To make this event attractive to the community I had to select activities that fitted with the interest of all members of the boarding community, but also ensure that I was utilising the expertise of the members of staff on duty each day. And so, the Olympics began…

Day 1 Head-Handball

This was the most challenging day of the Olympics due to the uncertainty of what the Olympics entailed. I knew this was going to be an issue; therefore, I had prepared a presentation outlining the activities and announcing the teams. Following this there was a sense of excitement to start the first activity.

After a closely fought competition between the Red, Yellow and Blue teams – the Yellow team came out on top, closely followed by the Red team.

Day 2 Sports Festival

The excitement for day 2 was overwhelming, everyone was downstairs on time ready to go to the sports hall to start the competition! The first activity was Dodgeball with a Spanish twist. The Yellow team swept the floor beating both the Red and Blue teams convincingly. Crazy basketball was up next, which provided entertainment for everyone, this saw the Red team take the win. Reluctantly, this was all we had time for which led to disappointment from everyone.

Day 3 Cluedo

A 12-hour event which began with everyone selecting their weapon, location in the school and their victim. There was a real sense of enthusiasm, resulting in Yellow team killing 9 people, Blue team killing 6 people and the Red team killing 5 people… Luckily, no one had to go to hospital, but the House Parent was left to silently suffer in the boot room.

Day 4 MasterChef

A huge thank you to the catering staff for this day, they prepared pizza bases and toppings as well as fresh cookie dough and toppings. After an excellent demonstration from one of the chefs, the 30 minute timer was set. Each team had to hand stretch each pizza, a new skill which was learnt. The engagement for this was excellent, everyone was working together to make the best pizza possible. It was then down to the catering staff to choose the best pizza. Despite a heart shaped pizza created by the Yellow team, the catering staff decided that the Red teams’ pizza was outstanding.

Day 5 Quiz Night

My favourite activity! I felt it showed a real sense of community. It was clear that everyone was enjoying the evening and the work I had put into the Quiz was really paying off. There was constant laughing and joking between the whole boarding hous

e due to personalised categories designed. With an amazing wheel of fortune and an outstanding quiz master, Mr Whitlam.

Day 6 Treasure Hunt

3 groups, 1 school estate and many facts to find. The treasure hunt took the teams around school to take photos and find out interesting facts. Did you know the swimming pool was opened on the 20th September 2003? I was very keen for everyone to get outside and learn new facts about the school, which is what the treasure hunt was designed to do.

Day 7 Decathlon

The event that culminated the whole week involved; egg and spoon race, wheelbarrow, human carry, maths equations, memory test, throw and catch. This took our teams to the next level proving some of the teamwork attributes they have developed throughout the week. The final event gave the win to the Red team.

The inaugural Brodwell Olympics enabled me to reflect on everything Woodhouse Grove School has given me. I will never be able to repay them for this, however the organisation of the Brodwell Olympics was a small gesture to show my appreciation to the school. This memory will stay with me forever, and would like to thank all of Brodwell house and the staff who made it possible for me to run the event.

Pablo Benito Martin