On Friday 15th March, a group of 12 DCS students attended the Derbyshire Schools Book Award held at the University of Derby to celebrate a shared love of reading. The DSBA is in its ninth year of recognising and promoting the year's most promising teenage fiction titles which are voted for by the young people from schools across Derbyshire.
Eleven schools participated in an afternoon's fun-filled programme of activities around the short-listed titles and the award itself, including quizzes, presentations and a talk from a previous year's winning author. Some schools acted out scenes from the books; Belper School created a short video precis of The Wall Between Us and others gave reviews and ratings with artwork. After a suitable build-up of suspense, the winner was announced as Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak, which was a very popular decision. Seemingly "just about a mouse", this beautifully-written novel explores issues of bravery, friendships and coming to understand who we are in the world. Ms Sorosiak accepted her award by video link as she is the mum of a very new baby - congratulations to Carlie for both achievements!
Our students behaved impeccably (of course!) and were keen to go back next year with our own presentation. Just being at the University was inspiring for those who were there for the first time; lots of questions were asked about University life and appreciation expressed for the warm and welcoming feel of the Kedleston Road campus. A big thank you to all involved for a most rewarding afternoon!
