b'THE ELLESMERIAN Two of the team who were selected to swim for the European Juniors in Romania - Andrew Bertoli and George Smith, who are both in Year 13, competed in Romania in early July. Isaac Dodds was also revealed to be one of the Academy Swimmers87competing in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at the brand-new Sandwell Aquatics Centre!Key events were also being attended in the British Swimming Championships and Derventio Open meet, the Edinburgh International Open Meet, ESSA National Championships, and the Stockport Metro Spring Meet. These act as pivotal meets as the long-course season is now well under way, making the all-important adjustments after a successful short-course season.A select group of Academy Swimmers were also chosen to take part in the DISE 2 year course, which is tailored to the athletes and their respective disciplines, offering them the key knowledge and skills necessary in order to become a high-performance international athlete combined with their academic journeys.Platinum Jubilee Trees We wish them well with their studies and competing!In June of this year, Ellesmere College marked the Platinum Jubilee with the planting of over 70 trees in the grounds as part of the creation of a canopy of trees all over the UK. The school now boasts an additional 41 different species of trees in their stunning grounds including fruit trees, hedging trees, a Cornus controversa (known as a wedding cake tree), a Giant Redwood, Himalayan Cedar, Monkey Puzzle, Swamp Cyprus, Tulip Tree, and many more. Lewis Reardon, a Year 12 pupil at Ellesmere College, also decided to buy a tree and plant it as part of his Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), an A Level additional project. His evergreen Oak stands between Lower School and the Tennis Academy Centre. Mike McCarthy, Director of Operations at the school, said: This has been a great project for the school. Ever since I have been here we have had an ongoing project to plant new species so this national scheme for the Queens Jubilee was a brilliant occasion to be part of and make the most of the site. There has been educational value to it, environmental benefits, sustainability for future generations to enjoy, and, of course, CO2 benefits of having more trees on site. We have plenty of room on site so we wont stop here. Some trees were from the Woodlands Trust, some donated by Old Ellesmerians and the Ellesmere College Parents Society, but most were provided by the school itself.Rob the ParadogOur Year 6 pupils took a step back in time when they visited Ellesmere Library to hear all about a local war heroRob the Paradog!Rob the Paradog was born and brought up on a farm near Ellesmere and served in WW2saving the lives of soldiers and civilians and undertaking countless parashoot jumps with the SAS regiment. Rob was also one of the few animals who served in the war to receive a Dickin Medalthe animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross - and had a book written about him by local author Dorothy Nicolle. Robs owner, Basil Bayne, chatted to the children about life during the war, how brave Rob was, and the part he played in helping the war effort.The students loved hearing about Robs storyDan said, Its Swimming Global Successinteresting how it is not just humans that can save lives. Eva commented, I love the idea of a dog parachuting out of the plane, and The Ellesmere College Swimming Academy has been making wavesNat agreed, saying, It was very interesting learning about the different around the globe and celebrating some outstanding results for itsanimals that won the Dickin Medal. swimmers, who have been competing in key international events from the beginning of the season.'