BTEC Sponsored Journey
A group of creative-thinking students at St Paul’s Sixth Form decided to take the
initiative and responsibility of raising £300 to pay for the repair of an expensive
camera they accidentally damaged. The BTEC Media Studies group came up with the
idea of a sponsored journey from the College in Burgess Hill to BBC Radio Sussex
in Brighton. As they are nearing the end of their time at St Paul's, they wanted
to make sure that the next generations of media students were afforded the chance
to use the HD camera.
The students have divided the 21 kilometre journey into 11 cycling legs. All this
hard work is to fund the repair of an expensive and fragile High Definition camera
which is with Park Cameras in Burgess Hill awaiting repair. Park Cameras have kindly
waived their handling fee as a gesture of support to the students.
The HD camera was bought to improve the quality of practical work in this high achieving
department to make sure that all students had access to professional equipment.
The BTEC is a vocational course aimed at those wanting to enter the media professions
in technical roles including camera operator or sound designer.
Joe Guez, who is hoping to study at one of the most prestigious institutions for
media study, Sussex University, needs the camera to give his practical work a professional
edge. Already the winner of local media awards, he has been particularly dynamic
in finding a solution and will skate the final leg in Brighton. Another student
who will be going the ‘extra mile’ is Ollie Baxter-Smith who will power walk the
final leg. Ollie was born with a rare medical condition (Barth syndrome) which meant
he had to have a heart transplant as a baby. Ollie has thrived on the course and
has just completed a music video to a song by Radiohead.
The BTEC students have come a long way in their course from their first sketchy
forays into media production as their teacher Keith Perera remembers with a wry
smile. However, as the course has progressed, the class has developed a whole range
of technical, practical, organisational and interpersonal skills. They have been
commissioned to create real artifacts including making a 4 minute promotional film
for Chestnut Tree House, a local hospice for terminally ill children.
The students hope to make their £300 target in time for their next practical assignment.
Follow their progress on Thursday 11th March via our website.
Mr K. Perera