Last Thursday saw the return of World Book Day, and Shiplake College celebrated in style!
For starters, Digital Learning Facilitator Mrs Bayley spent the days running up to World Book Day asking pupils and staff what their favourite book is, along with their favourite character and quote.
She discovered that Mr Alcock’s favourite book is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and his favourite quote is
“I don't want to die now!" he yelled. "I've still got a headache! I don't want to go to heaven with a headache, I'd be all cross and wouldn't enjoy it!”.
Mrs Thomas’ favourite quote comes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Dumbledore says
“But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
In addition, Mr Cooper’s favourite book is J R R Tolkien’s The Hobbit. His favourite character is Gandalf, who said,
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.”
Mrs Bayley also made a World Book Day Quiz, which tested staff members’ knowledge of famous books, characters and quotes. The winner of the quiz was Mr Armstrong, who scored 12/16. Mrs Bayley said ‘the purpose of the quiz was to have a bit of fun! Knowing that most would use the internet for the really tricky and obscure quotes, it would result in a few new books being discovered (like Lemony Snickett by the staff, or The Art of War by the pupils). I was very pleased to see Mr Armstrong scored a strong 12!’ Well done also to pupils Brandon Bland, Fred Fox and Viktor Lazar who all scored highly without using the internet.
Mrs Bayley also explained the importance of picking up a book every day, not just on World Book Day, ‘Reading is so important because it is how we share stories. It's how we lose ourselves in someone's experiences or how we travel to new lands without leaving the sofa! Reading for leisure reduces stress by 68% (more than listening to music or going for a run). Research has also shown that for every 1000 words we read, we gain one new vocabulary word. This results in better understanding of key words, better writing quality in exam questions and coursework. Ultimately, reading results in better grades! And beautifully, whether we listen to books (audio books) or read books, the result is the same!” Mrs Bayley also highlighted the importance of reading through the successful Accelerated Reading programme, in which Shiplake pupils improved their reading age by two and a half years in just four months.
A very special mention must go to Mrs Suzanne Hemchaoui and Mrs Candi Tegg of Thomas Franks Catering. Between themselves and the chefs, they prepared a fantastic Harry Potter themed lunch, including pumpkin pasties, Horntail spiced chicken and Harry’s 11th Birthday cake.
