Účastníme se Hilderstone 100!

To all our friends at the Duncan Centre! We at Hilderstone would like to thank you for participating in our challenge to get the world to take exercise. Every continent (except Antarctica) participated and we had contributions from well over thirty countries. However, your efforts will be long remembered because of the variety of ways in which you contributed. Thank you very much! We wish you all health and happiness and we look forward to meeting you in Broadstairs soon!

Lee Shutler, Principal and Head of Teaching

Friends from over 30 countries participated. Many people did more than 1km, which helped us to smash our target by completing a global total of 336 kilometres.

 

 

Simona Dejmková and her brother (the Duncan Centre 2018 group hosted in Broadstairs and Erasmus+ prep Hilderstone online 2021), 18th March, 5 kilometres walking around Vestecký rybník

Year 1 (another group of would-be students in Hilderstone College :-)), Improvisation - 18th March, a swift walk with spontanous dance outdoors (6:07 minutes)

Barbora Veselá - 9.61 kilometres, walking and dancing, Brno - Líšeň

Julie Mikešová - 4.2 kilometres, walking and dancing, Horní Bříza

Tereza Halousková - 6 kilometres, the last walk to recharge bateries before quarantine

Mark Šatra - 4.3 kilometres, walking and dancing, Tachov

Eliška Čulíková - 5 kilometres, walking and dancing, Vřesovice

Terézia Hrabánková - walking and dancing in Slovakia

Leontina Foltýnová and her sister Apolena - 6.04 kilometres, walking and dancing, Praha - Karlín

Marie Zmátlíková  - 3.4 kilometres, walking and dancing, Slaný

Ondřej Homolka - 1.47 kilometres, walking and dancing, Praha

Nicol Nováková - 6.8 kilometres, walking and dancing, Příbram

Rozálie Žižková - 2.85 kilometres, walking and dancing, Praha - Letná

Noemi Svobodová - 2.5 kilometres, walking and dancing, Dráchov

Kateřina Michalová, walking and dancing 4.5 kilometres, Mníšek pod Brdy

Anna Kubalíková - 4.9 kilometres walking and dancing, Zábřeh

Tereza Miškaříková - 2.5 kilometres walking and dancing, Praha

Markéta Douděrová - 3.19 kilometres walking criss-cross in her garden due to quaratine, Beroun - Zdejcina

Michaela Lincová - 2.3. kilometres walking and dancing, Uhy

Mariana Kostelacová - 2.5 kilometres walking and dancing, Prague

 

Amálie Cuplová - 4.3 kilometres walking and dancing, Zbraslav

Kamila Růtová & Čiko (the Duncan Centre 2018 and 2019 group hosted in Broadstairs and Erasmus+ prep Hilderstone online 2021), 15th March 2021 - 5 kilometres jogging in Jindřichův Hradec 

"I am sending my warmest regards to my beloved Hilderstone."

Adéla Garabíková, (the Duncan Centre 2018 group hosted in Broadstairs and Erasmus+ prep Hilderstone online 2021), 14th March 2021- 5.1 kilometres walking

Year 2 (would-be students in Hilderstone College :-)), Contemporary dance technique, 11th March 2021 - 15 minutes dancing for Hilderstone

Veronika Šimková, the dance teacher: "I am sending a photo form our "wooden" contemporary dance technique lesson. Looking for movement material inspired by the element of wood. This is our contribution to Hilderstone 100!" 

Andrew Farrow (Duncan Centre's very own native speaker English teacher), 18th March - about 5 kilometres, Vltava valley, Prague West

We caught up with Duncan Centre's very own native speaker English teacher, Andrew Farrow, to ask him about his Hilderstone 100 efforts:

How did you fulfill your Hilderstone 100 commitment? I dance for 15 minutes.
Really? No, not really. I think our students are better at that than me. I walked instead.
How far did you walk? I'm not sure, I didn't measure it.
How far did it feel? A long way.
Who did you go with? Our loyal old dog Matilda and our 3-month-old puppy Kira and my wife.

Your wife? She's not in the photos! No, she is a mystery to me sometimes too!
What was the destination of the trip? There is a huge broadcast mast across the valley from us and the locals call it candy cane tower. I wanted to show everyone why.

Mission accomplished? Well, I took a photo but without a zoom lense I'm not sure if you can see.
Any other highlights on the walk? A lot of nature, very few other people, great weather, a nice feeling and some relaxation.

Any last comments? A big thumbs up to the organizers in Kent and Prague and also to everyone who took part!

 

Dora Sulženko Hoštová (our fabulous true Duncan dancer and teacher), 14th March - 20 kilometres jogging (1 kilometre for each student in the 5th and 6th grade)

Year 4, Improvisation, 11th March - 50 minutes dancing (equivalent to 5 kilometres jogging)

Year 4 of Duncan Centre decided to dedicate their dance online class with Roman Zotov-Mikshin and Anna Štěpánová to Hilderstone 100. Despite being alone in our homes all over the Czech Republic, we are still together - an idea that brightened our students' class. We are sure you can recognize some familiar faces from the Duncan Centre 2019 group Hilderstone hosted in Broadstairs (Vanesa, Anna Marie, Anna and Eliška). Seemingly, their classmates Magdaléna, Jeanne, Adéla and Vlada enjoyed the thus created atmosphere, too.

Barbora Benetková, Renata's AG Group 2006 (FCE) and 2007 (CAE), 4.92 km, Prague - Ořechovka, 14th March - an evening after work stroll

Bára completed her PhD at University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague with her dissertation written in English - as she put it: "You, Prof. Potthast and Hilderstone are to blame."

Bára wrote: "During my PhD studies, I went to Austria for a scholarship where I remembered the Hilderstone course very intensely - other lab workers and I tried to communicate and describe laboratory equipment and procedures without knowing the correct nomenclature :). This would not have been possible without specific exercise from the Hilderstone college I remember really fondly. It helped me many, many times in seemingly helpless situations.

I chose Ořechovka (part of Prague) as a destination for my walk since it holds the highest resemblance to an English town. Every time I am there, I remember Broadstairs with its romantic houses and hope to return there again."

Kristina Hlaváčková, 12th March 2021 - 5.3 kilometres walking 

Some of you will remember Kristina as part of Renata Johnová's family when sharing their African experience with Duncan Centre students in 2018. 

Kristina wrote about her walk: "I work as an editor and am a fantasy and humor writer. All that means sitting at a computer most of the day. Should I dance in public, people would most likely pay me to stop. And I’m not a runner either. So I walk. Throughout all the lockdowns it’s become a habit to find open space, nature, parks where I can walk, clear my head from my fulltime job and think about the book I’m writing at the moment. Fresh air and free movement make me happy. And inspire my writing.

On Friday March 12^th, I walked 5.3km in Divoká Šárka, a natural reserve within the boundaries of Prague. I love the views of the city and of the rocky valley, forests and meadows. I enjoy the open space in which you can avoid strangers and feel free without a facemask. As usual, I climbed all the rocks to get more exercise, enjoy the views, looked for new trails and had fun taking pictures. The sun was shining and dramatic dark clouds were sailing the bright blue sky. Best inspiration ever. And total chill. Besides, I encountered a friend who started running because of the lockdowns. I haven’t seen her for a while and was glad to chat a little.

Pavlína Faltusová, née Stoklasová (Renata's AG Group 2006) - 7th March 2021, 1 kilometre walking in Prague - Jinonice 

Our little girl Eleonora has just walked her first kilometer!

When asked to write a couple of words to be communicated to Hilderstone, Pavlína wrote:

"I remember Broadstairs as a beautiful seaside town with lots of restaurants, bookshops (where I bought my first Harry Potter book), and I was fascinated by its peaceful life. Studying at Hilderstone College was very intensive, hard, but beneficial, not only in language skills but also in social level, discovering British history and meeting a different culture. All these skills I used in my next studies at Prague University of Economics and Business and at work where I had to communicate with foreign partners very frequently."

Fay Frydrýnová & her sons Tom and Vašík, 6th March 2021 - 3.5 kilometres walking (participated in Day of Africa workshop in Duncan in 2018)

Fay Frydrýnová is from AG Group 2006 in Broadstairs (Akademické gymnázium Štěpánská)

Fay wrote about her stay in Broadstairs: It was fabulous, I keep remembering the welcoming town of Broadstairs and our pleasant language course so very often. And the wonderful host family. We have been in contact ever since. I wish to return there one day.

Fay joined Renata's family when sharing their African experience with Duncan Centre students in 2018, speaking about her work in the slums in Kenya.

Her contribution to Hildestone 100! is approx. 3.5 kms in Senohraby, Central Bohemia, walking to the Sázava river with her two wonderful sons, Vašík enjoying muddy puddles along the way and Tomino, both future Hilderstone students.

 

Hana Moraová & beagle Meggie, 10th March 2021 - 5.34 kilometres walking and sniffing

A view of Prague:

The map:

Anna Kroupová, 6th March 2021 - 3 kilometres jogging

Renata Johnová, 6th March 2021, 1+ kilometre

I have done my 1+ kilometre on Saturday 6th March 2021, Prague, Czech Rep. at 6°C, glorious weather.

I walked to the Balance Club at Brumlovka. There is a new stainless steel pool waiting for all its members behind the glazed wall on the 2nd floor. Hopefully to reopen soon so that I can get rid of my spring covid kilos:

Then I turned right and walked to see what our old school looks like. Bought by a tycoon, it got renovated and serves as an exquisite education establishment for future elites, now aged 6 to 20 years:

And then right again and completed my round through the lockdown deserted area with us avoiding each other walking back home. What a good idea! Your 100 kms! It makes me feel, there are others somewhere too, to meet one day.

Renata