Brentwood and the Duke of Edinburgh Award

3 November 2026Mr Dan Norman

Recognized internationally and especially in Commonwealth countries, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was founded in 1956 by His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to help young people ranging in age from 14 to 24 develop a sense of responsibility to themselves and to their communities. The current patron of the award is HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.

Brentwood has been offering students the opportunity to pursue the DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD for over 25 years, and is currently an official award centre. There are three levels to the award, with commitments increasing as one moves from bronze to silver and finally to the gold level. The key to the award, and a major strength of it, is the requirement for consistent repetition of program activities over many weeks. Prince Philip seemed to understand that good habits are formed through consistent repetition, and this was designed into the award. Candidates must work on setting goals and working towards them in three areas: physical activity, skill and service. They must devise a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) in each area, find an adult community member to act as an assessor, and then complete and log at least one hour per week working towards their goal. At the BRONZE level, they must complete 13 weeks; at the SILVER level, 26 weeks; and at GOLD, a full 52 weeks.

The Brentwood program overlaps well with this award, as students’ arts can count towards their skill, and their regular sport can count towards their physical activity. Students enrolled in the award program find that this pushes them to find ways to provide service to their community, either at school or in their home community. 

One important additional component of the award is the completion of an adventurous journey. This is a requirement to complete an overnight, human-powered trip in the wilderness. Students in Grade 9 can achieve this during the annual grade-wide trip to Strathcona Park Lodge in the fall. Grade 10 students can find qualifying opportunities during the school’s EXtenDAYS event in early May. Students in other grades can find opportunities outside the school year, or they can make the commitment to the school’s Outdoor Pursuits program to complete their adventurous journey. 

At the present time, there are over 60 Brentwood students actively registered and pursuing their award. 13 students are working on the silver level, and 4 are pursuing the gold level. 

Over the past 12 months, 13 Brentwood students have completed their bronze level, and 3 have completed their silver. These students received their award pins on stage at the weekly assembly on Thursday, October 29. These pins can be worn on their school blazers and are the only non-Brentwood-issued pins that are allowed to be worn. 

BRONZE

Eloise A	grade 11
Tema Blake-Currier	Grad ‘26
Neve D	grade 11
Kayla K	grade 10
Tyler K	grade 12
Leiah L	grade 10
Kate M	Grad ‘26
Gizelle M	grade 11
Alfur M	grade 11
Connor T	grade 11
Elizabeth T	grade 10
Julia T	grade 11

 SILVER

Libby C	grade 11
Gizelle M	grade 11
Bruce T	grade 11

Students who are interested in pursuing this award should contact Mr. Norman.