Courier Summer 2021

Kennicott News We were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate the end of Sixth Form with our wonderful Year 13 students in a final assembly. It has been something of a rollercoaster ride for these young people and their cohort have been characterised by their fortitude, resilience and incredible ability to adapt. They have done themselves, their teachers and their families proud and the Kennicott team wish them every success in the future. Fond Farewell by Amy Withers Fundraising Marathon A big thank you to the KEVICC community for supporting my fundraising for Blood Cancer UK, inspired by our colleague and friend of KEVICC, Emma Sim. We raised £1,361, which certainly made the 26.2miles worthwhile! Special thanks to James Hartridge for joining us for 13 miles and keeping us going. Amy Withers Cystic Fibrosis Week As some of you know, 14-20th June was Cystic Fibrosis Week. So, with the help of my friend, Livvy, I raised awareness on the mental and physical aspects of having cystic fibrosis through creating 17 digital posters that outlined and explained all kinds of topics, all with illustrations drawn by me. The posters vary from having cystic fibrosis and clinical depression, late diagnoses and what it’s like to have a sister with cystic fibrosis. I was able to make posters surrounding the attitudes of siblings and parents of people with cystic fibrosis as Livvy herself has a sister, Annie, who suffers from a very harsh variation of cystic fibrosis. I interviewed Annie on the daily medication she takes, procedures she goes through and the negative mental challenges she faces - Annie was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, which is a common mental illness within people with cystic fibrosis. Annie also experiences a massive amount of guilt, which is something that everyone in the family had seemed to report. Livvy and Annie’s parents both said they felt guilty that they had given birth to a child with cystic fibrosis as it is such a difficult disease to live with - despite no genetic screening available when Annie was born, meaning it was completely out of their hands. As well as the mental and physical aspects posters, I made a poster outlining what you can do to support friends and family in the cystic fibrosis community. This includes checking in, asking how they are and offering help or support when they need it. You can take part in a fundraiser - a sponsored run, wearing yellow in support of cystic fibrosis and even a bake sale. People with cystic fibrosis are not supported enough by our government so it’s up to us to raise awareness and support them in any way we can, starting with a conversation. Words by Honey Sharp Page 31