12 Dec Lots of fun at the Whitley Academy Christmas Fayre
Written by Keira and Hanna – Year 7 student reporters
The evening of Tuesday 4th December was our very own Christmas Fayre at Whitley Academy. Our excitement started kicking in as soon as the first colourful posters were put up around the school some weeks ago. After all, it’s that time of year!
Before the event, at 4:00pm, a number of us were invited to a reading session with Mrs Nguyen in the Learning Resource Centre. Outside it got dark very quickly. Inside the LRC, we sat comfortably on our green chairs talking about books and reading. It was intriguing to listen to each other how we started with reading and how much reading has helped us over the years.
At 5pm, we excitedly scurried to the Christmas Fayre which was set in our school Canteen. The scrumptiously green Canteen was bustling with students, parents and friends amidst the sound of Christmas songs. There was a variety of stalls selling different Christmas presents. Everybody was trying to persuade customers to come to their brightly coloured stalls. Many parents had turned up to see their children’s creations on display, and the amazing smell of hot chocolate filled the air. Year 11 student leaders were selling hand-made Christmas cards and inviting customers to create their own Christmas cookies. The students were raising money for their once in a life-time trip to Kenya in 2020.
Later on in the evening, Santa walked into the Canteen and was constantly kept busy by greeting and talking to the young pupils around the Canteen. Santa also asked one of our lucky students to help give out sweets, made especially from the North Pole! Not long after, Santa had to go to see more lucky children, but the festivities continued.
At 5:30 pm it was busier than everybody had expected, and most of the stalls were selling out of their amazing Christmas presents. The long queue in front of the hot chocolate stall got longer. However, everyone was eager to find out how much money we had raised by the end of the evening. The raffle for the Christmas Fayre was one of the most exhilarating events. Every 10 minutes 3 lucky numbers were called out and the winners hurried to receive their prizes.
There was an amazing buffet provided by the fabulous Canteen staff. Soft drinks and tea was made available for everybody to appreciate. Many teachers also gave up their evening time to help their students set up and sell their goods. Members of the student council walked back and forth throughout the evening, making sure everything was in order.
At 6pm, it was time to go home.
Miss Reynolds; our Year 7 Lead Tutor, reflected:
“The Fayre was full of Christmas atmosphere and it was an amazing opportunity for parents, carers and students to mix together.”
Soon everybody left and the excitement was over. It was time to clean up! Very quickly the Canteen was back to its normal form.
Thank you for reading our first ever blog!
