From Art to ‘Trashion’ at St Benet Biscop
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
There was a creative end to the school year, when students in Bedlington enjoyed a week of diverse activities, from dance and fashion design, to murals, engineering, story telling, sport, competitions, and even a mock trial.
All year groups at St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy, from Year 7 to 10, took part in Quest Week, which was overseen by Deputy Headteacher Louise Wrigley.
“This year’s Quest Week theme, ‘Reading the World: Meaning, Measure, and Moral Response’, invited students to look more closely at the world around them, and consider how they might use their gifts and talents to make a positive difference,” she explained.
“Inspired by our Catholic mission, students stepped beyond their usual curriculum to explore real-world challenges through creativity, collaboration, and service.
“Across the week, students designed greener and more inclusive spaces for our school through ‘Reimagining Our Quad’, and created large-scale murals exploring identity, belonging, and community.
“Year 7 and 8 students brought energy and creativity to STOMP, using rhythm, movement, and everyday objects to create powerful percussion performances, while others developed storytelling, literacy, and teamwork skills, by writing and illustrating their own children’s books.”
She continued: “Sustainability featured strongly throughout the week. Over several months, students collected more than 7,000 plastic bottles and pieces of plastic waste, transforming them into artwork, including a striking bottle-top mural.
“Students also explored sustainability through ‘Trashion’, transforming discarded materials into imaginative, wearable creations for the catwalk, and demonstrating that creativity and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.”
Other activities taking place included making a wind turbine; car maintenance; building ‘recycled racers’ for ‘Trash to Track’; Danish Longball; and a mock courtroom experience, where students took on the roles of defence and prosecution lawyers, as well as judges, ushers, and witnesses.
Miss Wrigley added: “Events like Quest Week matter, because education is about more than examination results. They give students opportunities to discover new interests, develop confidence, and demonstrate talents that are not always visible in a traditional classroom setting.
“Students learn to solve problems, work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and think creatively, while building resilience and independence. Most importantly, these experiences allow many young people to shine in ways that conventional measures of success do not always recognise.
“The impact of weeks like this cannot always be measured on a spreadsheet, but it can be seen in the confidence, character, and sense of purpose that students take away with them.”
