School to hold virtual Eisteddfod ceremony to mark St David’s Day

A comprehensive school is not letting the coronavirus pandemic get in the way of its annual St David’s Day Eisteddfod.

On Monday (March 1), Bedwas High School will be holding a virtual Eisteddfod ceremony – celebrating Welsh culture and showcasing pupils’ work and talents.

Typically, the event would be held in the school hall, with pupils with divided into three houses; which compete to win points and to be crowned the best house.

While this isn’t possible this year with comprehensive schools closed due to the pandemic, the Eisteddfod spirit will be alive and well in Bedwas.

The competition is being organised by teachers Siân Davy, Jen Bowen, Lynzi Evans and Sarah Jane Heath, who are all part of the school’s languages department.

In the lead up to the event, onstage and offstage competitions are held in each subject area.

Some of the competitions taking place this year include Welsh poem writing, shield making, cooking, photography and science experiments, while onstage competitions such as musical performances, Welsh recitals and drama monologues will be held virtually.

Performances and competition entries will be posted throughout the day on the school’s Twitter accounts, with the competition winners also being announced on social media.

French teacher Jen Bowen, who has helped organise the event, said: “We had to do an Eisteddfod after missing out last year.

“We hope pupils’ work can be seen by more people this year and the community can see our work.”

Mrs Bowen added: “We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of entries. We’ve had TikToks, monologues, fantastic poems and a bake-off.

“We’re excited to do something different. We haven’t been able to do anything to get pupils together, such as school trips and sports days, for more than 12 months. It’ll be good to get community spirit back up.”

Eisteddfod updates will be shared on the @bedwashighsch and @BedwasLanguages Twitter accounts.

Will your school be holding a virtual Eisteddfod this year? Get in touch with us at rhys@caerphilly.observer to let us know.