After a busy start to the year in our newly expanded seven house system, we have concluded the search for our new team of House Captains with the appointment of 22 fantastic new leaders.
The process saw applications carefully written, references sought and the challenge of a face to face interview.
Our new young leaders were informed of their success on Monday and will get to work soon with updating the House boards, selecting their House charities, organising charity events, delivering assemblies and engaging with the wider house community.
Miss Cunningham said, "I was very impressed with the maturity and creativity on display during the application and interview process and I am very excited about working with the new team".
Our Captains are:-
Attenborough: Tom de Wilde, Otto Malm
Fleming: Sam Dykes, Rocky Travers, Sam Pearson
Johnson: Daisy Harris, Cameron Peryer, Melody Valentine
Leslie: Jonah Crawford, Esme Dunne, Fabian Manea, Maahil Munawwer
Scott: Ella Donnington, Eric Wang, Seb Brook, Reehana Ghale
Turing: Bailey Fry, Darcy O'Connor
Windsor: Giles Pahdi, Lydia Stone, Alex Oshinyemi, Billy Dent
We are also in the process of appointing our brand new team of Communications Captains. It's an exciting time in the DHSB Houses!

The Houses website has also been updated with information about all our new House figureheads and includes all our student leadership team, from School Captain all the way through to our tutor reps. You can see the commendation profile of each house and also see which charities our
houses follow.

Rail Safe Award
We are proud to receive the Rail Safe Friendly bronze award, following a dedicated focus on rail safety as part of our PSHE curriculum, writes Mr Scott.
Throughout the year, teachers have delivered engaging workshops across all year groups, raising awareness of key safety messages. The sessions covered topics such as understanding the dangers near railway tracks, the importance of staying alert at crossings, and safe behaviour when travelling by train.
These workshops emphasised the vital role students play in their own safety, both when commuting and when in proximity to railway infrastructure.
Receiving the bronze award reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring our students are well informed and responsible. This achievement is a testament to the hard work of staff and students alike in building a safer school community.
We look forward to continuing this important work as we aim for further recognition in rail safety and we would like to invite parents, students and all members of our community to watch the video that will be shared across our year groups in the coming weeks. It takes just a minute to register, and about 13 minutes to watch.

Abbot’s Way Walk
On Sunday 6 October, six teams of DHSB students embarked on the 23 mile Abbot’s Way Walk, a traverse of Dartmoor from Buckfast Abbey in the east to Tavistock in the west.
All 31 students demonstrated a blend of stamina, determination, navigational skills, teamwork and resilience to complete the distance, contending with heavy rain and foggy conditions.
Congratulations to all finishers, with a special mention to the team of Year 13 students Tom, Euan and Henry, who completed the distance in 5h33m, an improvement on the previous year’s school record of 6h.

All finishing teams received a certificate, a badge and a sausage roll upon completion.
For many students, this walk forms the first stage of training for Ten Tors 2025, with further night navigation, day walks and weekend camps to follow.
At least four further teams included DHSB students past and present, walking independently or with other organisations. Our thanks are extended to DHSB staff and volunteers: Mrs Tyack, Mr Veale and Mrs Yeates, as well as the three Dartmoor Search and Rescue Teams who provided checkpoint staff along the route.
Dr Colvile and Mr Guy-Fierens





Student Activities

Congratulations to James Hulbert 11A who has completed the Level 1 Umpiring Course for Hockey.
This allows James to umpire low level senior games and all junior level Hockey matches - brilliant, well done.
We have two triathlon results to share with you this week.
Well done to Charlie Cleland who came overall first place in the Into TRI 2024 series in the 11-12 age category. Charlie competed in three triathlons throughout the year, with the final event in Falmouth last weekend.

Congratulations also to Zac Adams 8S who achieved second place in the boys 13-14 age category at the Falmouth junior triathlon.

Well done to Arley Walker 10F for gaining an A grade in A level Statistics while he in was in Year 9.
A brilliant achievement.

Congratulations to Miles Beech 9T who completed the Abbot's Way Walk last weekend with Explorer Scouts. It's an amazing achievement to complete the 24 mile walk across Dartmoor. Well done!

And finally this week, congratulations to Maxim Smith 11T who competed at the Dunkeswell Kart Club Championship (round six) and did amazing in extremely wet conditions.
Maxim came fourth in one of his heats and first in both the other two heats with the fastest lap. He then went into the final starting the grid on pole position; it was a very wet and long 14 minutes driving but he won the final, this result now puts him third in the overall championship with one round to go.
Maxim is also he’s also currently third in the Clay Pigeon Championship and first in the IKR Clay Championship.
Well done!

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Sparx Maths and Sparx Reader
Each week we celebrate our highest performers in both Sparx Maths and Sparx Reader, two of our core homework platforms. We are proud of all of our students who complete their homework each week to such a high standard but these students deserve a special mention.
Congratulations!

Alumni Newsletter
Thank you to Mrs Kinsella who has published a very interesting Alumni newsletter.
Grab yourself a cup of tea, sit down and enjoy all the anecdotes and memories she has shared.
Sports Update

Sports Leaders
Last Friday students led workshops at Plymouth Life Centre for primary school students after completing a leadership session the week before.
Mr Callicott said, “DHSB students helped to engage young people in different activities throughout the day, encouraging them to be more active”.
Students are also supporting a Hockey tournament today.
Well done!

Rugby
In an exhilarating Monday afternoon showdown, the Year 7 rugby squad faced off against Plymouth College in a hard fought contest. 22 DHSB pupils took to the field, many experiencing competitive rugby for the first time. The game was split into three intense 15 minute thirds, ensuring that every player had a chance to shine.
Mr Strang said, “The match was a thrilling back-and-forth experience, with both teams displaying impressive skill and determination. Despite a strong performance from DHSB, Plymouth College edged ahead in the final stages, securing a narrow 25 - 20 victory”.
The Year 7 squad played against Eggbuckland and Plympton later in the week, winning both games.
Well done to everyone involved!

Congratulations to the Year 9 Rugby team which took two wins against Hele's and Plympton Academy in this week’s central venue competition.

Football
The Year 7 football team got their season off to a great start with a win against St Boniface in the National Cup round two this week.
Mr Bunney said it was their first game playing together and the team was excellent.
Also this week we saw another excellent win for our first XI in the Wednesday League with a victory over the University of Plymouth team.
