82 PILGRIM AWARD “Nothing Ventured – Nothing Gained”. The Pilgrim Award is a programme unique to the Grade 9 boys at the College and is always approached with much enthusiasm from the boys wanting to participate. However, Grade 9 is a challenging year, and from the 70 boys who initially signed up this year, the numbers soon dwindled to 22 committed boys. These determined young men can be commended for their tenacity, perseverance and determination to complete what they started. They can be proud of themselves! In this report, I would like to pay tribute to their achievements through the completion of the Pilgrim journey. This award is a steppingstone to the President’s Award which is akin to The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh which has since expanded to 144 countries. There are four compulsory foundational areas in the programme, which must all be passed with 70% or more. Boys participating in the award should display characteristics of determination and good planning as well as exceptional time management skills. The four foundational pillars are as follows: Spiritual: Boys study the Gospel of Mark focusing on the incidents in Jesus’ life, people associated with Jesus and finally his teaching. The significance in this is that the Gospel of Mark presents many important facts and significant lessons. It clearly establishes that Jesus Christ is the Messiah that was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. It proves that Jesus was the Son of God, whom He claimed to be by living a sinless and perfect life. Third, the Gospel records Jesus’ miracles over nature (calming the storms; Mark 4:37-41; walking on water; Mark 6:48-51; and withering the fig tree, Mark 11:12-14). Finally, Jesus gives people perfect instructions for how God desires them to live, respond through challenging circumstances, and make choices regarding their future for eternity. Eight boys achieved above 90%, with some boys then succeeding on their second and third attempts. I would like to thank Rev Kym Bishop for availing herself to mark these tests. Community Service: 24 hours is required and divided equally into the categories of environmental, underprivileged and handicapped. Boys did exceptionally well in this category and used their hours constructively to teach computers, mathematics and even to play games with children in orphanages. They also worked in Cultural activities and clubs
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