2010 - Whitchurch High School

Transcription

YS G O L U WC H RA D D Y R EG LWYS N E WY D D
Newsletter
LINKING THE SCHOOL WITH THE COMMUNITY
"The sky's not the limit"
Good comes to Whitchurch
On Tuesday 29th June 2010 Whitchurch High School was honoured and
delighted to welcome to the School Michael Good, NASA astronaut.
Michael Good was part of the six person NASA team
visiting Cardiff as the first leg of their World Tour having
landed from space some four weeks earlier. Michael had a
distinguished career in the USA air force before becoming
an astronaut, logging over 3000 hours in more than 30
aircraft. His NASA career began in 2000 and, following two
years of experience, he was assigned specialist training roles
within the flight programme.
He has served on two space shuttle missions: (1) STS-125, the
final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope
and (2) STS-132 to the International Space Station. Michael
has logged over 24 days in space as an astronaut and is
one of a very few to have completed four space walks of 30
hours in space.
Years 7, 8 and 9 had individual assemblies in the morning
and watched an inspirational and spellbinding film of the
missions. Afterwards, there was an opportunity to put
some questions to Michael, which he expertly answered.
Unfortunately, NASA’s schedule changed for the afternoon
and it was disappointing that Michael was not able to meet
the primary school pupils and Upper School students.
Michael Good was extremely complimentary
regarding the school both in terms
of interest and the quality of
questions from the students.
He was equally highly
impressed by the respectful
way in which all pupils
greeted him as he did
a room tour between
assemblies listening to
the junior primary
school orchestra
rehearsal and
an English
lesson in
the library.
We very
much
enjoyed
Michael’s time
with us.
Learning for life in an International and Welsh Baccalaureate School / Dysgu gydd oes mewn Ysgol Ryngwladol a Bagloriaeth Gymreig
AUTUMN 2010
W H I TC H U R C H H I G H S C H O O L
2 / Learning for life in an International and Welsh Baccalaureate School / Dysgu gydd oes mewn Ysgol Ryngwladol a Bagloriaeth Gymreig
A message from Huw
Jones-Williams
The past academic year
has been busy and exciting,
and there is so much to
celebrate. One full academic
year on from our inspection
all of the school community
can be very proud of the
progress we have made with
our Post Inspection Action
Plan. The future status of the
school is still to be clarified
and the governors have a
published statement in this newsletter about their application
for Foundation status and Cardiff Council’s plans for the school.
We will continue to prioritise further raising achievement as the
number one priority of the school.
Schools are not just about exam results though and within this
newsletter you will read just a small selection of life in a busy,
successful and inclusive school facilitated by our loyal and
dedicated staff. We thank those students and staff leaving us at
the end of the 2009 to 2010 academic year for their contribution
to school life and wish them well for the future. I would
particularly like to thank, on behalf of the school community,
Mrs Lyn Mills who retired as Deputy Head teacher at the school
in Easter 2010 after twenty years outstanding service to the
school. We welcomed Mrs Gaynor Bell as her successor.
We welcome all those new to the school in September 2010.
Our year ten students entering KS4 will follow either the
intermediate or foundation Welsh Baccalaureate (WBQ) as part
of the school’s commitment to the Welsh Assembly’s flagship
qualification, which very much reinforces the school’s mission
statement of “Learning for Life”. They will follow the lead of our
recent Year 13 leavers the majority of whom passed the advance
WBQ. We will also be implementing our new school day timings
which is focused at providing greater continuity of learning
support from our form tutors to our students. Our International
links continue to widen and strengthen and we are proud to be
chosen as one of the twenty schools in Wales linked to Indonesia
as part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Please continue to look at our website but in the meantime
enjoy the read!
In memory of
Chris Sharp
The death of an individual pupil is always one of the
greatest sadnesses which a school community can
face. Last January 2010 the school mourned the tragic
death of Chris Sharp, a well liked and talented Year 10
student. Staff, pupils, parents, governors and the wider
communities from both Whitchurch High and Chris’
primary school, Eglwys Newydd, continue to pass on their
deepest condolences to Chris’ parents, family and friends.
You remain in our thoughts and prayers. Friends of Chris
over the course of this year will continue to mark in their
own special ways their cherished memories of Chris.
Whitchurch Races the
Dragon For Bobath!
On Sunday the 13th of September 2009 a group of staff,
pupils and parents from Whitchurch High School got
together to compete in a charity dragon boat race for
the Lord Mayor of Cardiff’s charity Bobath.
Bobath's aim is to make a difference to children who
have Cerebral Palsy.
Huw Jones-Williams
Head Teacher
Governors’ Statement:
Foundation Status application
and School Organisation Plans
The Governors are awaiting a response from the Minister
for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills,
Leighton Andrews AM, regarding our request for a change
in the category of the School to Foundation Status. The
Welsh Assembly Government has recently indicated over
the Summer Holidays that the Minister will determine the
proposal during the course of this Autumn 2010 term.
At the end of the 2010 Summer term Cardiff Council had
to withdraw their statutory notice to reduce the size of
Whitchurch High School but will follow an alternative legal
process to continue to seek to reduce the admission numbers
of Whitchurch High School. The governors are opposed to
such proposals. This decision does not affect proposals to
reorganise English and Welsh-medium primary schools in
Whitchurch. Please see the governors section of the school
website for updated details.
The group involved were Mr M Williams (DT), Mr S
Williams (PE), Ms R Attwell (PE), Ms G Francis (PE), Mr C
Harris (DT), Mr M Sweetman, Ms B Boulter (SEN), Mr A
Smith (Science), Aneurin Campbell (Yr 12), Lewis George
(Yr 11) and Lewis’ dad Mr P George.
The event was held over 3 rounds. The teams with the
fastest time would then compete in the final. Whitchurch
had won every single one of their rounds, even beating
one team by 10 seconds! But alas, it was not enough.
They lost out on making it to the final by 0.4 of a second!
Out of 15 teams, Whitchurch had come 5th overall. Every
single one of the group thoroughly enjoyed the day.
£300 was raised for the charity.
Well done to those pupils in Year 7 who have successfully
completed the Book Trek challenge. They have worked
hard throughout the year to read a wide range of books
both in English library lessons and at home. Keep up the
good work!
In addition, a large number of pupils in Years 8 and
9 (too many to name them all) won Bronze, Silver or
Gold certificates for their completion of the Basic Skills
Decathlon Award. Successful pupils completed 5 or more
tasks listed in their planners, asked subject teachers to
sign them off and handed in their Decathlon page to
their English teacher. Anyone can get involved, so next
year, give it a go!
Auntie Hendo visits
Whitchurch High School
Mrs Jackie Allen (Support Centre Manager) has
facilitated a pilot project on behalf of The Substance
Misuse and Education Service entitled “What do you
know about alcohol?”
Together with twelve Year 10 pupils, they spent six PHSE
sessions exploring their understanding of and attitudes
towards alcohol consumption. A particularly enjoyable
session was when Auntie Hendo the Agony Aunt visited
school for a question and answer session. Each pupil
took a turn at being Auntie Hendo and much fun was
had on the day. Initial feedback suggests that much
was learnt from the sessions.
Mrs Allen would like to offer a personal thank you to the
group for the tremendous commitment, enthusiasm and
mutual respect shown by all taking part.
Bust a Rhyme
Praise our Poets
Congratulations to all our budding young poets. 169 of
our lower school pupils had their poems published in the
Young Writers’ poetry anthology ‘Bust a Rhyme’ early
this year. Many pupils bought their own copies of the
anthology to see their work in print, but there is also a
copy in the Lower School Library for all to see. Thanks go
to all members of the English Department, who worked
with the pupils to prepare for the competition.
Every Picture Tells
a Story
The English and the Art Department have also run a
joint project this year as part of the ‘Every Picture Tells
a Story’ theme. After exploring a range of poetry and
poetic devices, Year 7 pupils wrote their own poems
about the sea. The Art Department then worked with
the pupils to illustrate their poems. A selection of these
illustrated poems will soon be published on Moodle. Well
done to all our Year 7 pupils who took part in the project.
Careers Wales Award
Whitchurch High School is delighted that this year Mr
Jonathan Davies (AHT 14 to 19 leader) was awarded the
“Social Inclusion – Young People Award.”
The Award was presented at the gala evening dinner
held at the St David’s Hotel on Thursday 4th March
2010. Headteacher Mr Huw Jones-Williams was amongst
the guests to see Mr Jonathan Davies receive his award,
presented by Finance Minister, Mrs Jane Hutt.
Mr Huw Jones-Williams commented “I know Mr
Jonathan Davies will be the first to claim a ‘team effort’
by all at Whitchurch. However, we congratulate him on
his leadership and the way in which he has engaged with
the Careers Wales Service.”
Things Are Booking
Good For Year 7
Art students make
an exhibition of themselves
In the summer term a group of 65 Year 10 and 12 students
set off, by coach, to visit the exciting art exhibitions on
offer in London.
Students and staff were very impressed by the varied
collection of work in the Royal Academy’s ‘Summer
Exhibition’ with over 1,200 pieces exhibited.
After a quick stop for a packed lunch in Trafalgar Square,
we viewed the ‘BP Portrait Award’ exhibition and the
general collection at the National Gallery. Students and
staff returned to school exhausted, but inspired.
A thoroughly productive and enjoyable day was had by all.
This year has seen the new Upper School Gym Gallery
being used, more than ever before with a wide range of
one- off exhibitions, celebrating the immense talent of
the Whitchurch students.
As well as the GCSE
exhibition in January, we
also held a separate IB
exhibition in May, as well as
the regular AS and A level
Art, Textiles and Applied
exhibitions in June and July.
The creative talent of our
students never ceases to
amaze the many outside
visitors who attend these
enjoyable events each year.
Look out for the dates of
next year’s exhibitions and
come to see for yourself!
Let's Get Digital!
Photography On The Beach
Earlier in the year, a group of Year 10 pupils took part in
a digital photography project as part of their GCSE Art
course. The pupils spent the morning on the beach, where
they were able to take a series of interesting and varied
photos before then visiting the photography exhibition
at the renowned FFotogallery in Penarth. Back in the
classroom, they used Photoshop to manipulate and
enhance their images into exciting, professional, finished
pieces. Their efforts will be entered into a photography
competition later in the year.
The Carnegie Shadowing scheme involves school libraries
across the UK who are challenged to read eight short
listed books in seven weeks. These books were "Fever
Crumb", "Nation", "Revolver", "The Ask and the Answer",
"The Vanishing of Katharina Linden", "Rowan the
Strange", "The Graveyard Book" and "Chains."
The pupils had to read each of the chosen books
and independently write a review of each, then give
a presentation on one of the authors. Lower School
Librarian, Miss Edwards decided a final group of eight
pupils chosen to take part.
The pupils chosen were, Matthew Johnson, Tanmay
Khanna, Cerys Roche, Sophie Kellam, Eleanor Taylor,
Grace Robson, Renad Khundakij and Shambhavi Pranoy.
The pupils chosen went to Howells School, Llandaff on
16th June with neighbouring South Wales schools for a
day of workshops. They were split into groups and had to
perform an extract from one of the chosen books.
These groups then went to 'The Gate' theatre in Roath to
give two performances in front of peers and teachers of
each attending school.
The pupils were lucky enough to have the authors of
‘The Vanishing of Katarina Linden’, Helen Grant and
‘Austlander’, Paul Dowswell at the Carnegie Shadowing to
offer help and support in the acting of the chosen books.
Grace Robson 9R won the best performance in her
group and Matthew Johnson 8C won the 'Best Overall
Performance’ of 2010.
A wonderful experience was had by all and many new
friends made - well done to all participants.
Mock Results Day
Wednesday 10th March saw our Year 11 students eagerly
awaiting their mock exam results. Both the results, and the
experience of collecting them, gave them a good indication of
what to expect in August, and how they are getting on in each
subject. We were very lucky to be able to use the new canteen
facility in Upper School to give out the results and many
students were delighted by how they had fared. Lets hope that
the same level of success is mirrored in August!
“It was wonderful to celebrate and discuss with students the
outstanding personal mock exam results which many received,
as result of their hard work and the support of their teachers
and parents. Each student is now able to set their own personal
targets for summer success. We had high expectations”
Pupils' final results will be celebrated in the next newsletter.
Helping hands...
The members of the Christian Union have been
determined to show that their faith is one of more than
just words. The dynamic group have got together to offer
staff - both teaching and non-teaching, a 'helping hand'
in whatever tasks or toils they need help with. The Lower
School 'Eco Garden' was an opportunity to test out their
green-fingeredness; followed shortly after by an actual
green-fingers day - as they painted the Upper School
fencing for the caretakers! With car washes, cupboards
being emptied, deliveries made and other such tasks,
they have certainly made an impact on the Whitchurch
High community.
The Christian Union is a group of young people - and a
few older staff, who believe that the love of Christ was
always meant to be shown, rather than just talked about.
If you want to come along and get to know a bit more please join us on Thursdays in Upper School at 12.25 in
Room 159.
Our frequent social gatherings during the year have also
been great events. With ten-pin bowling in the autumn,
ice-skating in the winter, and dinner out as well as a visit
to the West Midlands safari park in the spring. As you can
see we also love getting together to have a bit of fun too.
We are also once again looking forward to hosting
another amazing night of excellent musicality next
Spring!! The CU will be hosting the fantastic 'Michael
Card in Concert' in March of 2011 - please keep your eyes
peeled for more information on this in the future. We
would like another full house in the Dutch barn for this
great American Christian author and musician.
Contact Noreen Linforth in the Geography dept for
further details....
Until our next instalment - God Bless x
Carnegie Shadowing
Community Focused
Schools Recognition Day
On Friday, 14 May, Whitchurch High presented at the Cardiff
Community Focused Schools Recognition Day, held at the
Cardiff City Stadium. This involved a display of the multitude
of community related initiatives in which the school is
involved. A display of contemporary dance was given by
the Youth Dance group, who are trained by one of our
most important partners, Rubicon Dance. The dance group
consisted of students ranging from Year 7 to Year 10, namely:
YEAR 7
YEAR 8
Katie Elliot
Stacey Baird
Kayleigh Davies-Lewis
Ezra O’Connor
Kirsten Steere
Morgan Dineen
Aemilia Claydon
Aoife Murphy
Kate Vella
Roshni Akthar
Olivia Regan
Eve Ogden
YEAR 9
YEAR 10
Steph Williams
Erin Harris
Taylar-Jane Crook
Their performance was of an extremely high standard
and appreciated by the large audience. Thanks must also
go to their dance tutor, Sharon Teear, an alumnus of
Whitchurch High.
At the end of the ceremony, the school was presented with a
certificate in recognition of our role in developing community
links via the Community Focused Schools initiative.
Take a look at the Community section of our website for
more information.
Question Time
Election fever hit the sixth form on Wednesday May
5th with the organisation of a pre – election “Question
Time” event. Well over 100 sixth form students poured
into the packed side common room at lunchtime, to
listen to candidates from UKIP (Ashleigh Harper and
Liz Rabone) Conservatives (Melissa Lee), Lib Dem
(Bryn Rogers) and Labour (Marc Tilley) defend their
policies and parties.
Chairperson Harriet Rudden successfully managed
to keep order. After an opening statement by all the
candidates, the questions began with a devastating
attack on proposed Conservative tax cuts by Year 13
Politics student Juliet Eales. Further questions ranged
from topics such as reform of the electoral system,
student loans, devaluing of university degrees, gay
equality, to retaining a nuclear deterrent, resulting
in a lively, but courteous, debate. The sixth formers
conducted themselves with maturity and intelligence
throughout the proceedings, demonstrating an
excellent understanding of some complex political
arguments. It was an absolute pleasure to see our Sixth
Form so engaged in current affairs. They did us proud.
Election Results
A landslide victory for
the Liberal Democrats!
After a fiercely contested battle, Upper School
went to the polls in May and cast their votes in the
Whitchurch High School Mock election. The votes
were counted and the results as follows: Plaid Cymru 28 votes Conservatives (Melissa Lee) – 63, UKIP
(Liz Rabone and Ashleigh Harper) – 108, Labour (Marc
Tilley) – 152, Liberal Democrats (Bryn Rogers) - 376.
Everyone is to be congratulated on such a
democratic event.
Congratulations to all students who took part in the
2010 Design challenge. An exceptional standard this
year, well done. Mindful of the recent tragic events
in Haiti the students were asked to design and build
a temporary shelter to be used in the event of a
national disaster. Eighty five students attended and
sixty five parents came to the presentation. There
were some fabulous structures made from 4 reams
of A3 paper, 22 rolls of masking tape and over
2000 nuts and bolts! There were at least as many
smiles the students obviously thoroughly enjoyed
the event.
The Key stage winners for excellence
in the D & T strands were:D & T Graphic Products
Angharad Jones 9G
D & T Textiles
Shambhavi Pranoy 9M
D & T Systems & Control
Samantha Wainwright 9N
D & T Resistant Materials Technology
Joshua Moore 9W
At the presentation, Tom Salmon was
also complimented on his award from
the student innovation exhibition and
was delighted to be able to exhibit his
work (a talking cricket bat!) to the
attending parents.
Building Bridges
Two lucky groups of Year 9 pupils accompanied Mr Mulford
to the University of Glamorgan to enter the annual
Engineering Team Challenge.
A variety of creative and innovative ideas varied from the
‘spider web design’ and truss inspired ‘cantilever design’
to classic ‘suspension bridge’ designs and congratulations
were extended to all participants.
For the first time ever 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places were
secured on both days. The winners on the first day were;
Feyisara Odumunga, Sarah Blankenship, and Angharad
Jones. The second day winners were
Roy Belcher, Jack Walkey and Sam
Hopkins, and Giacomo Raffaelli.
It was a fun and fantastic experience
for all the pupils who attended, and it
was good to see that we have some
budding engineers in the making. We
would like to personally thank Mr Alan
Perry for co-ordinating the whole
event and wish him the best of luck at
his second attempt at retiring. If you
are interested in Engineering, you can
check out the following link http://www.
engineering-team-challenge.co.uk
A Belter of a Shelter!
D & T Challenge 2010
Whitchurch Wasps are Oar-some!
On the 4th of December 2009, the
Whitchurch Wasps Rowing Club entered
the Welsh Schools Indoor Rowing
Championships. There were a record number
of schools that attended from all over Britain.
This year 69 pupils went to compete from
Whitchurch and were by far the biggest
group there.
The event was split into individual racing in
the morning and team relays in the afternoon.
Overall, Whitchurch took the 3rd place
position for the whole school competition.
Whitchurch beat all the other schools in
Cardiff. 2nd place went to Ysgol Duffryn Taf
and 1st place went to Colmers School and
Sports College from Birmingham.
For a full set of successful Whitchurch pupils,
consult our school website!
Mr Williams has now set up a new indoor
rowing competition called the "Cardiff Schools Indoor
Rowing Derby". This event for all the local schools in
Cardiff to compete against each other.
New Staff
Congratulations and welcome to the following
members of staff who will take up new appointments
this term:
Amanda Brooks
Teacher of Physics
Sarah Passe
LSA
Camille Hamer
Teacher of Biology /
Physics
Sarah Simpson
Librarian
David O’Rourke
Teacher of Drama /
Music / IT
David Union
D&T Technician
Science Technician
Sarah Lewis
Teacher of Home Ec
Caroline Robson Teacher of IT /
Computing
Lynne Jones
Attendance officer
Natalie Gibbs Teacher of D&T Huw Hopkins
ICT Technician
Elliott Donald
Teacher of SEN / SRB
Rachel Preece
LSA
Anthea Punter
Teacher of Chem
David Davies
LSA
Perpetua Rubelo
Teacher of D&T
Sadie Lloyd
LSA
Michaela Dymott
Teacher of Biology
Angela Honey
LSA
Emma-Jayne Lloyd Teacher of Art Sarah Fiddian
LSA
Sarah Simpson Librarian
Welcome also Mrs Gaynor Bell who was appointed as
Deputy Headteacher (Curriculum) in the spring term
and has started her new role in the summer term.
We hope they will all enjoy their time at Whitchurch
High School.
A TOWERING
ACHIEVEMENT!
MARATHON MAN
On Sunday April
11th 2010 Mr Evans
(Welsh Department)
participated in the Paris
Marathon with 31,000
other runners on the
Champs Elysses to take
up the challenge of
running 26 miles 385
yards on the streets of
Paris, a journey which
would culminate in the
beautiful surroundings
of Avenue Foch.
There are many famous landmarks en route which
included the Eiffel Tower, Vincennes, Les Tulieres
and the River Seine which made the long run more
enjoyable.
Mr Evans finished in a very satisfying time of 3 hours
15 minutes which placed him within the top 10% of the
field. The months of hard training during the severe
winter had finally come to fruition in the beautiful Paris
sunshine.
Mr Evans ran the marathon for charity and managed to
raise over £800 for Cancer Research UK.
Our current Year 10 pupils have entered Key Stage 4 at
an exciting time, with Whitchurch High School having
been chosen to run the Key Stage 4 Welsh Baccalaureate
from September 2010 following our success at sixth form
level for the past two years. The Welsh Baccalaureate is
a qualification which provides greater opportunities and
opens more doors to the place of work, universities and the
life beyond. This qualification is truly pupils’ passport to
opportunity.
Backstage Notes
A View from the Bridge
The main school production this year was “ A View
from the Bridge” by Arthur Miller. This tragic play is
itself a classic and a current set text for both English
Literature and Drama GCSE, so therefore students had
the opportunity to see a production of the text they were
studying as an exciting piece of theatre rather than words
on a page.
The Welsh Baccalaureate combines personal development
skills with existing qualifications like A Levels, NVQs and
GCSEs to make one wider award that is valued by employers
and universities.
A Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification is also proof that pupils
have developed the Key Skills considered important by
employers and universities. It shows they have furthered
their personal and social education, undertaken an
individual investigation, gained work experience and actively
participated in a community project.
Pupils will be aiming to achieve either the foundation or
intermediate Welsh Baccalaureate diploma at Key stage 4.
Successful completion of an intermediate diploma will enable
a pupil to pursue the advanced diploma at Key stage 5.
The selection of comments from our current and past
students, universities and employers below should help to
give you a flavour of why we consider this qualification to be
so important and beneficial to our students:
“To study Psychology at Exeter University I was
offered 3 A’s at A-level or 2 A’s and the Welsh
Baccalaureate at Advanced level.”
Megan 2010.
“At my recent interview for college I was asked why
I didn’t have the Welsh Baccalaureate diploma.”
Owen 2010.
“The Welsh Baccalaureate bridges the gap between
education and the world of work; it’s great to see
young people developing more practical skills along
with the theoretical skills. This will enable new
employees to hit the ground running.”
Grant Jones
Head of Human Resources, Perkin Elmer Ltd.
“We welcome this qualification and accept the Core
as having the recognised tariff value of 120 UCAS
points. This applies across ALL of our Degree
programmes, following acceptance by our Quality
Assurance panel. Where individual programmes
require specific course requirements then the
University of Exeter will stipulate this within any
given offer, usually in the form of A Level subjects.”
Dr Pamela Hoad
Head of Admissions, University of Exeter.
The cast were a mix of experienced “old hands” and actors
enjoying their first taste of being in a WHS production.
In the lead roles, Peter Hughes impressed everyone as
Eddie Carbone with his authentic Brooklyn accent and
the sympathetic portrayal of a man unable to come to
terms with his feelings for Catherine, his niece. Melissa
Zanga, new to Year 12 in WHS, was equally at home as
the concerned wife Beatrice and Cathy Coates sparkled
as the naive, love-struck niece Catherine. Thrown into
this domestic scene were Matthew Holmquist and Chris
Williams as Rodolpho and Marco – two illegal immigrants
from Italy. Once again, two credible characters were
created with Matt able to use his increasingly impressive
singing skills to good effect. Finally, the narrator of the
play Alfieri, the choral mouthpiece that Miller uses to
reflect on events and act as Eddie’s lawyer, was played by
Dafydd Gape. He showed a mature stage presence that
reflected his ever widening experience as a performer. All
the supporting actors helped to play their important part in
creating this Brooklyn story.
To conclude, the success was largely due to the efforts
of Zoe Ladd, who kept the production rehearsals moving
forward before Christmas when the whole production
was in danger of folding. We are indebted to her for her
enthusiasm and efficient handling of production issues
during the whole rehearsal process. Well done Zoe, the
cast, crew and all staff who supported this memorable
production.
Learning for Life with the
Welsh Baccalaureate
at Key Stage 4
The Outdoor Life
The A level Geographers also had a taste of the
outdoor life this year – with many day-trips out to
parts of South Wales to cover all the varied and
interesting aspects of the A Level course.
We managed to survive the A Level Hydrology trip
– otherwise known as ‘The day Alec Cole had a run
in with an angry cow!’ – This year the cows were
still in the field, but had decided not to stampede
towards a group of anxious young geographers!!
The AS course also brought the annual urban
studies, which give a small glimpse into areas of
Cardiff most of the students do not usually see.
From the suburban tranquillity of Lisvane to some
rather less salubrious environments in the south
of the city – eyes were opened as to just how lucky
we all are with our beautiful avenues and grassy
knolls. We traversed from Cardiff Bay to Llantwit
Major. With the aid of some dynamic group work,
we were also able to map the entire city of Cardiff
– all carried out with enough time for a classy
Starbucks in the new John Lewis store – extravagant
or what???
The Physical Geography and Human elements of the
course are always supported with fieldwork, and we do
plan to run our very exciting Grand Canyon & Las Vegas
trip again in the next couple of years.
WATER WAY TO GO!
Our GCSE Geographers are always on the
look out for taking their learning outside of
the classroom, and this year we managed to
show them the heights of the wind farm in
Gilfach Goch and the watery depths of the
Nant Clydach river in the area of the Llanwonno
Forestry.
The river trip proved to be yet another wet
event – but this year it was more by choice than
accident, as a few daring souls thought they
would measure the depth of the river by human
instinct rather than the usual
‘metre rule ‘method. A few were
‘dumped’ by their so-called
‘friends’, and nearly everyone
had some personal contact with
the Nant Clydach by the end of
the day. Still, it didn’t dampen
their spirits!
You’re Gonna Find Me…
Way Out In The Country!
Our Year 7s travelled north to the fabulous Brecon
Beacons, studying how different land-users have
different impacts on the National Park, and our Year
8 learners travelled south to the coastline between
Ogmore and Southerndown, to look at coastal
features and processes.
If you are looking for a great day out, either in the
mountains or at the seaside, – just ask
our budding Geographers about their
fieldwork this year. You will be told of
many little nooks, crannies and cavities
in which you can really see our beautiful
surroundings in a way that’s up close
and personal.
HISTORY TRIP IS U.S.A-MAZING!
31 students from Year 10 and 12, together
with Mr Wallace, Mrs Smith and Mr Harris,
spent 6 days of the 2010 Easter holiday in
Washington and New York.
Our first stop was the Red Roof Inn,
Washington, a very pleasant hostelry right
in the centre of Chinatown. This was useful
for the local takeaways, which sustained
us for the first part our trip. Washington
provided us with most of our history
experiences. One of the most poignant of
our visits was to the Holocaust Museum,
where some of the horror of this episode
is catalogued in graphic detail. Our time in
Washington saw us visit the memorials to
the Vietnam War, the Korean War and the
Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King
made his 'I have a dream' speech.
New York, New York, it's a wonderful town.
We certainly agreed. Busy, brash, exciting and
full of shopping for our fashionistas. There
was also some history. Our stay included trips
on the subway to see the Statue of Liberty
and Ellis Island, an outstanding feature of a
memorable week.
This year has been yet another busy year for Lower
School Geographers. The department believes in the
‘outdoor classroom’ as one of the best ways to pass
on great learning opportunities, and this year our
trips also coincided with fantastic weather.
!
d
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Fo o
Kane’s Dish of
the Day
The annual Rotary Young Chef competition was held on
Thursday 21st January for our Year 10 pupils. Four pupils
competed, Amy Packham-Smith, Jenny Bearpark, Alexia
Haralambos and Kane Latte.
The pupils had 2 hours to prepare and serve a 3 course
meal for 2 people for under £14. This was the first time
many of them had prepared a 3 course meal and the
results were fantastic. From the table settings to the
actual dishes, this years competition was of a very high
standard. Not one of the meals would have looked out of
place on a restaurant table.
It was a hard decision for the judges, but
there had to be a winner. Jenny Bearpark
was the runner up to a shocked
Kane who won the competition.
Congratulations to everyone who took
part, and particular thanks to all of the
parents who supported and assisted
the pupils in their menu choices and
on the evening itself.
Photos are of Kane
Latte and his
three course
meal.
Super Food
Students involved in Food
Super Learning Week had
a wonderful opportunity to
Work with the Head Chef of
the Jamie Oliver Restaurant
in Cardiff.
Students visited the
restaurant in the morning,
they were given a tour of
the hotel, then made fresh
pasta and sampled dishes
of the menu.
During the afternoon session,
the Head Chef Gary Clarke
came to Whitchurch High
school to give a master
class in Italian cookery. He
demonstrated how to prepare a 2 course Italian meal,
using the pasta which they had prepared in the morning
and students then made their own 2 course meal. Gary then
sampled the dishes and awarded Adam King 9L and Megan
Gibbon 9F the overall winners of the Food Competition.
The two students were presented with a prize for their
outstanding efforts throughout the day. Gary commented to
Mrs Dyson how impressed he was with the students dishes
and overall attitude throughout the day.
The SNAG was set up towards the end of the last
school year, so this year has been a chance for them
to really establish themselves as a group to make
changes within the school. The group has carried out
3 taster sessions this year, making up samples of food
for the pupils to try during breaktimes, to see how they
like the healthier options. The options that have been
trialled are ciabatta slices, chilli tacos and vegetable
wraps. All three were a great success with the pupils
and the group is now looking at how to get them onto
the canteen menu. The group has also established a
healthier tuck shop, which sells items such as cereal
bars, fruit pots and dried fruit, with the intention of
trying to encourage pupils to select healthier options.
Display boards are appearing around the school as
a way of informing the pupils of the importance of
healthy food choices.
SNAG Cardiff
Conference 2010
Eight Year 8
pupils were invited
down to County
Hall to celebrate
their success in
the first year of
their involvement
of SNAG. The
morning consisted
of a demonstration
by a top chef, a
chance to look
at the work done
by other Cardiff
SNAGS and an opportunity to speak to dieticians, County
Catering managers and healthy schools co-ordinators. Just
before lunch, the pupils were presented with a certificate in
recognition of all their hard work at Whitchurch.
The first forum meeting was held in the afternoon, which was
hopefully the start of more work being done in conjunction
with other schools. This will be an ideal opportunity for
schools to share what they have found to work successfully in
their schools. The pupils had an enjoyable and productive day.
A special mention must be made to Tamjid Miah, who spent
time discussing the school menus with the County Catering
managers, who were very impressed with his opinions, and
the way he expressed himself.
One of the activities in which the group have been
most active, are the Primary PESS festivals, where
they have worked in groups to educate Year 4 pupils
about healthy eating. They have shown remarkable
communication skills in getting the message across
to the younger pupils, and have really impressed the
community dieticians that we have had the pleasure to
work with.
Rhys Harris, Emilie Baker and Amy Emberton are
featured in the pictures.
Pupils in picture Left – right
Moli Atkins, Rebecca Martin, George Travers, Luke Edmond,
Matthew Wilson and Lauren Philips
Heads' Feeder Lunch
The Year 10 GCSE Catering group had the tough but
pleasant task of organising the refreshments for the
Heads’ Feeder Lunch on July 11th. All pupils worked well
in making this event a huge success. The pupils behaved
in a professional manner and produced dishes that were
restaurant quality, the chocolate shots being a huge hit. The
staff that attended enjoyed the event so much that they
asked for it to be a weekly occurrence! Well done to all pupils
involved and lets start looking for recipes for next year.
Congratulations to Maxine Fowler and Rachel
Attwell in helping the school to achieve Phase
One of Healthy Schools Status. The plaque for
the school will arrive in September.
School Nutrition
Action Group
Matthewson
Makes Music
The Opening of the Matthewson Music Centre
This was a tremendous occasion and it was
fantastic to see the support of so many as
Gareth Matthewson, accompanied by Anne,
officially opened our new facility. There
were sixty guests altogether, including governors,
Chief School’s Officer, LEA representatives, former
colleagues, colleagues, pupils and contractors.
Guests were greeted on arrival by a string quartet,
followed by an introduction and tour of the building,
led by Mr Eric Phillips, current Head of Music and his
department. Various musical items were performed
and short speeches made by Joyce Slack, Huw
Jones-Williams and Gareth Matthewson, our
former headteacher.
Various musical items were performed
by the choir and towards the end of the
afternoon other colleagues joined in
the celebrations. Everyone agreed it
had been a wonderful opening of the
Matthewson Music Centre and that
it would be an invaluable asset to develop
even further, music at the school.
This year's winner of the Richard Fice Memorial
Award given for "outstanding contribution to music"
was Sarah Gilford.
Awarding ICT
Children at Whitchurch High
School are at the forefront of using
information and communications
technology to enhance their work,
and that’s official!
Following an extensive external assessment, Whitchurch
High School has been awarded the prestigious ICT
Mark by BECTA, the British Education Communications
and Technology Agency, the government funded body
responsible for promoting the use of ICT in Britain’s
schools and colleges.
The award recognises the school’s success in developing
the strategic use of ICT in both administration and
across the curriculum. Parents will have proof that
their children are attending a school at the forefront of
modern technology.
Head teacher, Mr. Huw Jones-Williams commented
❝
Matthew Pasley
Remembered
Another very high standard was showcased by our
musicians, principally from Lower School. Mr and Mrs
Pasley once again came along to present the trophy, won
this year by Rhona Graham. Mr and Mrs Pasley indicated
that they would continue to come along for the next
four years until the Memorial Plaque shields have been
completed.
We are delighted to be awarded the ICT
Mark. It recognises our positive approach to
ICT and the benefits it is bringing to our children.
We believe that ICT can be used in every aspect
of learning and that it is essential our children
are equipped for the modern world.
❞
Neil McLean, Executive Director for Educational
Practice at BECTA said
❝
Whitchurch High School thoroughly
deserve the accolade of an ICT mark. They
clearly demonstrate how important it is to take
a holistic approach to using ICT in schools. Their
investment in new technology has contributed
to substantial improvements in learning.
❞
The ICT Department travelled to Disneyland Paris for
a three day study tour. The students were given the
opportunity to understand how ICT is used in the real
world with a learning experience, interwoven with fun
and practical exploration.
The students enjoyed three sessions whilst on the trip:
Session One – The ICT behind Roller Coasters and
Animatronics
This session gave a brief overview of the Walt Disney
Company, which was then followed by a talk by Senior
Ride Engineer Mike Kent who explained how ICT is
essential for the development, maintenance and operation
of the Resort’s roller coasters. Students heard about the
development of early animatronics, from the use of cogs
to Digital Animation Control Systems. Through historical
video footage from Walt Disney himself, students learned
about the design, construction and maintenance of
animatronics.
2010 South African
Football World Cup defers
annual visit of Macassar
High School
In February this year we enjoyed another outstanding
partnership visit to Macassar High School including a
joint presentation by both head teachers at the 8th
International iNet Conference held in Cape Town.
We were disappointed that Macassar High School
were not able to join us for an exchange visit in June/July
this year as they have done for the past three years. This
was partly due to ending of the British Council facilitating
grant and they were absorbed by the FIFA World Cup. We
hope that they will visit us in the summer of 2011.
Session Two – Information Technology and Hotel
Operations
This session discussed the work of the resort’s Information
Technology Department, investigating the size and
scale of IT operations, bar code systems, back ups, virus
protection and some software programmes designed
specifically for Disneyland Resort.
Session Three – Computer Graphics and
Communication
The final session discussed computer graphics used in the
Resort. The students learned about software packages
and graphic design aids and saw how CAD is used in the
design of the cars used in the thrilling stunt show. The
pupils thoroughly enjoyed this exciting educational and
social experience.
Trevor Sampson and his
nine piece band
We were delighted to welcome once again Trevor
Sampson the founder of The Restoring The Sound Centre
in Macassar, Cape Town, South Africa. Trevor gave an
outstanding workshop on the penultimate day of term to
our GCSE music students. They were bowled over by his
enthusiasm and incisiveness in helping them with their
compositional pieces. In the evening he and his nine piece
band put on a tremendous evening concert. The next
day, the last day of term, Trevor took an inspiring Year 7
assembly thoroughly appreciated by the pupils.
ICT in Eurodisney
Arsenal Double
Club German
Music Video Event
Stadium Arcadium!
On June 22nd 12 excited Year 8 boys together with Frau
Arthur and Frau Carter arrived at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium
to film a music video. We had been invited to take part as long
standing supporters of Arsenal’s Double Club Football and
languages programme. Together with pupils from 12 schools
across England, the aim of the day was to sing an especially
commissioned song, learn some dance moves and have it all
professionally filmed in the Emirates’ stands for broadcasting
on YouTube. The event had been organised as a British youth
handover of the World Cup from Germany, the
hosts in 2006, to South Africa, the 2010 host
country. As the sole Welsh representatives, we
were keen to show the others how things should
be done! The lyrics were about the importance
of learning languages and the joy of football
and were in a mixture of German and English
with words of French, Spanish, Portuguese
and African languages thrown in for spice. A
representative from the South African Embassy
came to meet the pupils and give them tips on
the very tricky pronunciation.
After a stadium and museum tour and
a chance meeting with Arsenal legend
Charlie George, the kids got down to
serious rehearsals.
The filming took half a dozen takes to get all
the best camera angles and was a blast. Our
WHS pupils were superb – great ambassadors
for the school, the MFL department and
language learning. Look out for the link on
YouTube. Alles klar? Wunderbar!
UK-German
Connection Study
Programme
Bethan Candlin in Year 10 has been selected to take part
in the UK-German Connection’s annual study programme
in Germany this summer. Partly funded by the German
Embassy, this is an honour as only 12 pupils from across
the UK are selected on the basis of the quality of their
German, their potential and their letter of application.
Bethan will spend two weeks in Germany, staying with a
German family and attending language classes and going
on a variety of excursions with the rest of the group. Upon
her return, she will give a presentation on her visit to pupils
at her former primary school, Rhiwbeina.
Congratulations Bethan; the fourth WHS pupil to have
been selected for this programme over the years.
In May 2010, 56 KS3 pupils, all
studying German, plus Fraus
Carter, Arthur, Meyrick and
Kellner and Mr Morgan, spent a
fab six days in and around the
beautiful town of Zell am See
in Austria. We had a mixture
of weather – gloriously hot and
sunny some days and a bit too
wet and rainy on others, which
meant that some of the summer
tobogganing had to be cancelled,
but we didn’t let it spoil our fun.
Other than shopping until they
dropped in beautiful Salzburg,
known for Mozart and the Sound
of Music, our lively WHS pupils
found boundless reserves of
energy for trampolining, beach
volleyball, summer tobogganing,
swinging and climbing through tree tops, abseiling,
zip-wiring, ascending glaciers in cable cars, snowball
fights, sledging, swimming, football and crazy disco
dancing! Many of these activities were to be found
at our centre, Club Kitzsteinhorn, which we have
been using for 15 years – a fabulous place. A great
trip and a great chance to soak up Austrian culture
and the German language.
Cardiff-Stuttgart
Association German Prize
As a pupil of exceptional ability in German, in February
2010 the MFL department entered Scott Blankenship in
Year 11 for the new Cardiff-Stuttgart Association German
writing prize, aimed at pupils studying German in Cardiff
at secondary school. Scott wrote an excellent piece in
German, fulfilling the brief ‘What learning German means
to me.’ In May, Scott and his parents, together with
Frau Carter, were invited to the Lord Mayor’s residence,
the Mansion House, to await the result. There was
disappointment this time, as Scott was beaten off by stiff
competition from a Sixth Form student at Howells. An
excellent achievement by Scott, still only studying for his
GCSEs. He received a certificate and a book in German
as a runner up prize from the Lord Mayor and the
Honorary German Consul for Wales. Howells had better
watch out next year, when Scott will be studying
IB German in the Sixth Form!
Munich Cheerfest
Enormous fun was had by all when Frau Carter and Mr
Morgan (Tante Susie and Onkel Col) took a bunch of 15
AS, A2 and IB students of German to Munich last October.
We practised our German with the locals, laughed like
drains, and visited many sights in and around the beautiful
Bavarian capital.
Who could ever forget Jonny Giles on the back of a
tandem, or dancing in a lion mask? The guest appearance
of the five Morphs in their fetching boxers? Walking
on the roof of the 1972 Olympic Stadium? Beautiful
Neuschwanstein castle and becoming acquainted with the
German purity laws for brewing beer and tasting the end
product to see if came up to the high expectations?!
A great bunch of young people. A great country. A great
trip. Here’s to Berlin 2010!
Zell am See
Diana Certificate of
Excellence Award
ONLY MEN ALOUD!
The Diana Award recognises young people who are
committed to helping others. A group of Year 8 pupils
from Whitchurch High School were honoured to receive
this award because of their dedication towards charity
work, raising money for the Rwandan Appeal and
sponsoring an orphan girl to receive an education.
The 'Diana Certificate of Excellence Award', is a new
scheme administered by the Diana Award team to
recognise the outstanding contribution of young
people who work together in groups to improve their
communities, organisations or schools, hence 8C
received this exclusive award for their charity work
within school.
Miss Hayley Davies, Miss Julie Edwards (form tutors),
Eleanor Taylor and Ibrahim Afsar (class representatives)
attended the ceremony in London where they were
greeted by Maggie Turner OBE Chief Executive of the
Diana Award, and the Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP, Minister of
State for Schools.
Ex pupil Niall Allen visited a Year 7 assembly in late
April to talk about his life as a member of Britain’s
favourite choir and appeal for support in the Group’s
Classical Brit Award push. The Choir’s efforts were not
to be in vain and they beat off competition from both
The Pope and Rhydian to take home the title of Best
Album. Speaking to Niall after the event, he told us…
“We’re all so honoured to have won this award and even
more proud to be able to bring it back to Wales. It goes
without saying our victory wouldn’t have been possible
without the support of both the pupils and staff of
Whitchurch who took the time to log on and vote. On
behalf of everyone associated with OMA we would like
to say a huge thank you!”
Niall returned in July with other members of Only Men
Aloud. They brought their Classical Brit Award along
with them and some concert tickets for our pupils
to demonstrate their appreciation. Alex Greenaway,
Hattie Williams and Ruth Smith were the winners of
the concert tickets.
Challenging Maths
Everyone loves a challenge and the pupils of Whitchurch
High School are no exception. In December two teams
from Year 11 attended the University of Glamorgan Maths
pop quiz, with ‘Team Zahn’ winning the cup. This was a
tremendous achievement by Tom Zahn 11P, Gareth Zahn
11P, Andrew Amor 11L, Melanie Lewis 11K and Georgia
Lehane 11H. Eager to keep up with them, Year 13 students
also took part in a similar challenge but no cup was won
on this occasion.
In April, four Lower School pupils were invited to
take part in a competition at Cardiff University. The
competition was organised by the UKMT and involved
thirty schools from England and Wales competing
against one another for a place in the national finals.
The problems that our team was set were extremely
challenging but they tackled them with much
enthusiasm. Well done to Ieuan Bancroft 8P, Georgia
Looker 8R, Oliver Eales 9H and Harry Gretton 9H for
their super efforts.
Eleanor and Ibrahim accepted the award on behalf of
their peers .
An excellent day was had by all. This was a proud
moment for not only the form group but all of
Whitchurch High School.
OLYMPIC CHALLENGE 2010
The opening ceremony
involved forty Year
8 students giving a
presentation covering
the history of the
Olympics and the
raising of the flag and
the lighting of the flame. Everyone was entertained by the
guitar playing of Sam Pinches, setting the crowd alight.
The ceremony ended with a video of an inspirational
speech by our very own Sam Warburton.
The day of the Olympic Challenge dawned. Departments
offered a wide range of activities, including deciding on
the site of a future Olympic games, making Olympic food,
presenting a Welsh Olympic rap, sending an Olympic
message in different
languages, making
Olympic medals,
investigating Olympic science, playing an Olympic samba,
the mathematics of the Olympics, considering physical
activity, debating moral issues associated with the
Olympics and sport generally and producing a video of
Olympic Challenge day. A full day, to say the least!
The activity carried out by all pupils was the Rowing
Challenge, pitting themselves against the clock and
recording some amazing times!
The closing ceremony was an opportunity to see
what could be achieved in one day, with outstanding
performances. The handing over of the flag by Tamjid
Miah to Finn Provan (Year 7) set up the Olympic Challenge
for 2011. A gold medal was awarded to the outstanding
learner in each subject, while gold, silver and bronze were
awarded in the four major competitions.
Champion Rower – Boys
Tom Candlin
Toby O’Leary
Champion Rower – Girls
Naomi Davies
Olympic Logo Design
Olympic Poster Design
Izzy Robertson
Mollie Powell
A special day, and one that will be repeated in a year’s
time, when it should be even bigger and better.
An Enlightening Experience
Gelong Thubten is a Tibetan Buddhist monk and he visited
Whitchurch High School in June. He took three lessons
in Years 9 and 10. Thubten spoke about his journey in
becoming a monk and explained some Buddhist teachings
on a number of contemporary moral issues. Thubten also
spoke about the way in which meditation can divert the
troubled mind and how stressful periods in life can be
alleviated by practising this skill.
The pupils asked many searching questions which Thubten
admitted were challenging and thought provoking.
These ranged from:
“How can a monk who goes to a retreat for long
periods of time, benefit society?”
“If there is no God then how did the world
originate?”
“Would a Buddhist ever agree that Abortion is
sometimes acceptable?”
“Would a Buddhist kill someone in order to defend
themselves or others?”
“Have you met any famous Buddhists?!!”
(Thubten informed us that he would be having lunch
with Tina Turner the following week!)
The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and behaved
with respect and consideration. It is a great educational
experience welcoming speakers from world faiths into our
school to talk about their beliefs. It promotes tolerance
and understanding of the diversity of ideas from different
cultures.
Thanks are extended to Thubten for his “enlightening”
contribution to the R.E curriculum at Whitchurch
High School.
Wednesday the 17th
March saw the start of
the second Olympic
Challenge to be held at
Whitchurch, building up
to the London 2012.
Sports News
Awesome Athletes!
NASUWT Cymru Welsh Schools
Cup & Plate Athletics Final
There has been outstanding success this year in the
Girls U14 and U16 Athletic Teams. The U14 Girls qualified
for the National Cup Final in Brecon beating all other
schools in Cardiff and The Vale very convincingly.
There were incredible individual performances by Kate
Seary (1500m and High Jump), Olivia Evans / Chrystal
Philippou (100m) and Evie Penfold Smith (Javelin) to
name a few. However, there was obviously strength
throughout all events, because in order to win this ‘team
event’ competitors have to perform consistently well.
The U16 Girls were runner up in Cardiff and The Vale and
will go on to represent the county in the plate final in
Brecon. Again outstanding performances by Amy Powell
(1500m), Feyi Odunuga (Javelin) and Lucy Davies (Shot)
contributed to the great success of the team. This is a
fantastic achievement by both age groups and shows
great promise for the future. Congratulations on all your
success and let’s hope for more at The National Finals in
Brecon on the 3rd July!
Sporting Heroes
Year 7 Boys Athletics
Following our great sports day in school excellent
performances were produced on a fine sunny day by
the Year 7 athletics team at Jenner Park Barry in
the Cardiff and the Vale Year 7 championships. Many
of the boys made the ‘A’ finals and produced some
excellent track performances special mention must
got to Michael Wallis in the 200m, Jack Skuse, Rees
Goggs, Charlie Heaton and Joe MacPherson in the
distance events and Mark Beedle who was second in
the Javelin. We are waiting for the final results and
positions to come through to the school; however these
performances give great hope for future athletics
tournaments over the coming years.
British Floor and Vault
Championships
After weeks of preparation and fundraising in which
the girls were heavily involved, we set off to Stoke on
Trent for the British finals. The standard of this event is
extremely high and perfect execution is vital. The girls
were nervous to compete as the scale of the competition
is huge with two judging panels and around 500
spectators! The girls certainly stepped up their game for
the day and made Whitchurch extremely proud, finishing
in a respectable 4th place, with Rebecca Moore coming
3rd overall as an
individual. The
team also had the
2nd highest team
score on their
vault rotation. This
goes to show that
Whitchurch are
certainly a team
to be reckoned
with and will
hopefully be back
fighting for a
medal position
in next years
final – well done
girls and all our
gymnasts, what
a successful
year!!
U13 Girls:
Aniela Pawar,
Mary Ware,
Naomi Attfield,
Kayla Attfield, Rebecca Moore
and Rosie-May Thompson
A Wheel Prospect
Moving up to the U14 Girls Category Emily is still achieving
success, winning Welsh Cycling Shirts for Circuit racing and
Cyclo Cross. She continues to fly the flag for Maindy Flyers
Cycling Club, Whitchurch High School and her country,
following closely in the tracks of Geraint Thomas.
Here Emily talks about her training:
"I am a member of Maindy Flyers Cycling Club and train with
them about 4 times a week.
The training consists of sessions on a track and out on the road.
One evening a week I train on my track bike. This bike has no
brakes or gears. A lot of our speed work is behind a motorbike
called a Derny. This builds up your leg speed for time trialling
and pursuiting.
I have now moved up into the under 14 girls category and the
distance has increased massively, so it is important that I train
most evenings.
The gearing on my bikes has also changed, as you have to have
the appropriate chainring for your age group. I will now ride on
this size for the next two years.
My greatest achievement this year was winning my Welsh
Cycling Shirts, one for circuit racing and the other for the
Cyclocross."
Cardiff Schools Presentation Evening
This seasons Cardiff Schools presentation evening was
a great event for the schools with the pupils collecting
several of the top honours that the teams have won this
season.
The Year 7 side represented by Kristian Ions, Owen
Lane, Kiran Carlson and Liam O’Connor won the St
David’s Shield and the John Nelson cup competition.
They were runners up in the Community Shield 2xv
division and in the YC Sports Plate 7s championship.
The Year 8 side represented by Liam Free won the
Under 13 Premier League Western Mail shield, John
Richards Sevens
cup and the Paddy
Power 2xv league.
The Year 9 side
were represented
by Rory Harries and
Ryan Stacey, who
won the Llandaff
Trophy. (See group
photo)
The Upper School boys were also represented by
Jack Rowlands and Glen Evans. Both sides performed
superbly all year and were runners up in their respected
cup competitions and the Year 11 side also came second
in the 7’s tournament.
It was also excellent to see our year 10 boys Ollie Rees,
Huw Brobin and Patrick Ware being recognised for
their contribution to the Cardiff Schools ‘A’ side during
the evening.
Welsh Cycling Success Continues!!!
Sports News
Girls Net
Soccer Success
Under 13s Girls Football Team
After a strong 11 a-side season, with Whitchurch winning
the school league courtesy of some excellent goal
keeping by Jess Lane, they were entered into a 6-a-side
tournament hosted by Cardiff City. The winners of the
Cardiff Schools tournament would represent Cardiff City
in the South West Finals in Bristol. Whitchurch used their
depth of skill to win the local tournament with ease,
scoring 42 goals in the 8 games, 21 by striker Emily
Higgins, and conceding only 2. At Bristol the opposition
was fierce, there were two leagues of 4 teams with the
winners playing in a final and earning themselves a place
in the South Finals at Charlton Athletic. Some excellent
defending by Captain Jess Salter and Megan Phillips
led to two clean sheets, and again clinical finishing by
Emily Higgins meant two wins from two for Whitchurch.
The final two games proved more of a challenge for
Whitchurch, but due to some excellent individual skill
by Carys Hill and thunderous strikes at goal by Bridie
O’Connor the girls found themselves in the final against
Cardiff City rivals Swansea. An early goal by Emily
Higgins and a handful of match winning saves by on
form goal keeper Alisha Ions gave the victory to Cardiff,
along with a new kit for the school and trophy. The set
up at Charlton Athletic was different, the pitches bigger
and the games longer.
The two winners of the 5 team league would play each
other in a playoff final and earn themselves a place at
Wembley in the schools final. Again excellent defending
by Maya Jones and Phoebe Young saw Whitchurch win
their first game and draw their second. The games were
all nail bitingly close, but Whitchurch came out on top,
and played Crystal Palace in the final. Fatigue had set in
and despite Emily Higgins putting Whitchurch in front
the girls could not stop the onslaught of attacks by an
exceptional Crystal Palace striker. The game ended 2-1
to Crystal Palace, but Whitchurch made themselves
and the school very proud. They have exceeded all
previous achievements for girls football in the history
of Whitchurch, so watch out for the names mentioned
here as we are sure they will play a part in the future
of ladies football.
Boys Cross Country
This Season Whitchurch Cross Country ‘A’
Squad Team for Year 7 have worked very hard
race after race and scoring lots of points. So
a big thank you goes to Charlie Heaton, Joe
Macpherson, Rhys Goggs and Jac Skuse.
Thanks also to all the other boys who have
competed in the Year 7 Cross-Country Squad
and won points for the school team.
Report by
Joe MacPherson Year 7
This year the Year 7 cross country squad won the
County League Cross-Country Championships which
were held over a three race running programme beating
the current champions Llanishen into second place. As
well as the team event winners special mention must
go to Charlie Heaton for winning the individual CrossCountry Championship award for Year 7.
In addition to the Year 7 team the other teams
also did very well with Jamie Perrington
gaining 3rd in the county championship and
with fellow runners Adam King, Luke Richards
and Tristan Ward they gained 2nd place in
the Year 8/9 championships. In the senior
age group special mention must go to Ashley
Harper, Josh Jones and Sam MacPherson and
Adam King on an excellent season and gaining
their District Cross-Country colours. Sir Dave Owen is
thanked for his help with the teams.
Sarah Thomas
(Year 12) has
been selected to
compete in the
Commonwealth
Games for Wales
in Delhi in October.
Congratulations
Sarah!
Welsh Badminton
Our under 16s girls badminton team won the Welsh
Championship again this year in March. We saw
oustanding performances by all concerned only
dropping one game throughout the whole tournament.
Pictured with Sarah Thomas (with Shield), a
Commonwealth Games representative, are Rachel
Harrold (far left), Louise Breen (far right), Elena
Richards, Bethany Richards, and Charlotte Platt also
pictured Year 12.
Girls Cross Country
Congratulations to our successful girls Cross Country
team who performed consistently over 5 events to
become Cardiff County Winners.
Bowled Over by
Whitchurch Wickets
Girls Under 14s Cricket Team
After a nail biting 1 run win in the final of the 6-a-side
indoor Cardiff Schools tournament against Cathedral
School, Whitchurch were invited to play in the Welsh
Regional tournament. A win here would take them to
Lord’s to play in the UK School finals. Whitchurch made a
strong start with some excellent bowling from Kate Seary,
equalled by the batting maturity of captain Naomi Davies,
and won their first game by 15 runs. The second game
was similar to the first, with Whitchurch showcasing some
excellent fielding, especially by wicket keeper Eleri Hodge
and Georgia ‘Safe Hands’ Looker, and won comfortably
against their west Wales
opponents. Whitchurch needed
one more win to take them
to the final. This was by
far their hardest game
of the tournament, but
some excellent batting
by Katherine Harrhy
and Lena Meister set
a high target for the
opposition to achieve.
However, despite their
best efforts, Whitchurch
could not find the ball to bowl
out the County ranked batters
and ended up losing with only one
ball to spare. Whitchurch ended up achieving 3rd place
in the tournament and played with enthusiasm and skill
throughout the day.
Year 7 Cricket
The Year 7 cricket team is probably one of the
strongest the school has seen for a number of years.
They were unbeaten this year, including scoring a
massive 191 runs off 20 overs against Llanishen.
Particular mention should be made of the skills shown
from Kieron Carlson, Jamie Mills, Chris Vanos, Ben
O’Neil and Alex Boorman this year.
SENIOR HOCKEY TEAM
The Senior Hockey Team has developed throughout the
season, achieving much success in games played. Losing
so many players last year made the season a time for
rebuilding, and quite a challenge. They convincingly beat
Howells, Glantaf, Radyr and Plasmawr this season, but
narrowly missed out on qualification for the Welsh Schools
Finals after being beaten by Llanishen in the County Final.
Rhiannon Lavin (Yr 13) captained the team with passion
and pride this season, leading by example from the front.
She also represented the U18 South Wales Regional
Team and U18 Welsh Team. Ella Jackson (Yr 10) also had
an outstanding season in goal and has been selected to
represent the U16 Welsh team. Thank you to all players for
your contributions and good luck for the future.
Congratulations Sarah
Sports News
Year 7 Football
The Year 7 football squad has had a very successful and
enjoyable season in which they were defeated only twice.
Whilst also competing in the North Cardiff League, they
reached the quarter final of the Welsh Cup, and the Final
of the Cardiff Cup, where they were beaten both times by
a very good Bro Morgannwg side.
The final of the Cardiff Schools Cup was extremely close,
with the Whitchurch team 2-0 up with 25 minutes to
go, but fatigue took over, due to the interform house
matches that had been played throughout the day, and
Whitchurch lost 3-2. It was an excellent performance of
which the squad should be very proud.
There have been some outstanding performances this
year, with the squad showing hard work, commitment
and perseverance throughout the season, but a special
well done must be given to the leadership qualities of
Chris Vanos and Mark Beedle, who have been selected
to represent the Cardiff and Vale Schools football team
next year.
Year 9 Football
The Year 9 football squad has worked hard to
develop their team play and individual skills, with
the boys attending training regularly in all weathers.
Unfortunately, any cup hopes were dashed fairly early
in the third round when the squad lost on the dreaded
penalties to a Cowbridge side whom they should
have beaten. League fixtures
were hard to come by, as schools
concentrated on cup games, so the
team resorted to playing friendlies,
all of which they won convincingly.
There have been some outstanding
performances this year, with
the squad showing hard work,
commitment and perseverance
through out the season, but a
special well done must be given
to the leadership qualities of Josh
Moore and Osama Omrani.
Year 8 Football
The Year 8 football squad has had a fairly successful
season, but any early hopes of a repeat of last years
success, when they won the Cardiff Schools Cup were
dashed in the first round, when they were beaten by a
strong St Cyres team, who had won the Welsh Cup the
previous year. League fixtures were hard to come by,
as schools concentrated on cup games, so the team
resorted to playing friendlies, all of which they won
convincingly.
There have been some outstanding performances this
year, with the squad showing hard work, commitment
and perseverance through out the season, but a special
nod must be given to the leadership qualities of Tom Fry
and a well done to Matthew Owen who has been selected
to represent the Cardiff and Vale Schools football team
next year.
Year 11 Football
The Year 11 football team were very unlucky this year not
to proceed through to the Cardiff and the Vale cup final,
and not to progress further in the Welsh Cup. Under the
captaincy of Gareth Woodman and with the silky skills of
Jordan Kewn and hard work of Tamhid Miah at the back
the boys played some excellent football. However losing
in the semi final to Llantwit Major on penalties was a cruel
way to go out of the cup. The performances however will
stand the school in good stead for the seniors next year.
Year 8 Hockey Team
LET’S STICK TOGETHER!
SNOW JOKE FOR HOCKEY GIRLS
The Year 7 Hockey Team has developed throughout the
season, achieving much success in games played. They
also reached the U12s County Final, due to the success of
preliminary rounds. In the final this year, the girls missed
out in an exciting game to Glantaf. This large squad shows
much potential, with committed players and strength/
depth for the future. No matter what the weather, the girls
were always keen to play. Their team spirit has been superb
and every individual works hard for the team. Well done
to all players involved and keep up the hard work, which
should bring further success next season.
Squad: Ella Travers, Lucy Shariff, Lucy Pearce, Lauren
Beynon, Sian Davies, Lauren Davies, Ella Powell, Julie
Ostermeyer, Rhian Ellis, Grace Aston, Georgia Downes,
Connie Nicholls, Maddie Davies, Emily Bright, Zoe Green,
Evie Penfold-Smith, Rhiannon James, Rhianydd Moores,
Morgan Muir, Siyanda Mngaza, and Grace Palladino.
The squad this season was made up of 17 players, who
worked very hard to improve their individual and team
skills. The girls attended training regularly and were always
enthusiastic about playing, even in the snow!
Due to the extreme weather conditions the girls played
fewer fixtures than in previous years. Ten games were
played in total. In the County tournament, they needed to
beat Howells in the last game in order to progress to the
next round. Despite playing some outstanding hockey, the
match ended in a draw, which meant they were eliminated
from the competition.
Well done to all pupils involved in the squad this season; we
look forward to seeing the team improve further next year.
Congratulations also go to Eleri Hodge, who has been chosen
to represent Cardiff and the Vale at U14 level next season.
Gemma Greenslade, Steph Lowe, Sophie Tipping, Abi
Frayling, Eleri Hodge, Vicky Smith, Naomi Davies, Olivia
Evans, Georgia Ludvigsen, Anna Hope, Caitlin Hawkins, Izzie
Roberts, Alice King, Alice O’Keefe, Grace Pesticcio, Emily
Haycox, and Amy Griffiths.
U16 County Netball
Pictured is Jasmine Carlson with her County Colours (medal and
certificate) and "Special Recognition Award" from coaches for her
commitment, quality of play and support throughout the season.
Also present is Stacey Batchelor with her county colours and
"Players Player Award" for quality of play and commitment
throughout the season, and Sarah Bishop with her County Colours.
Sporting Heroes
Kate sets a Sear-ing Pace!
Kate Seary of 8J smashed three
school records on Sports Day.
These were:
1500m old record - 5minutes
36seconds
New record - 5minutes
30seconds
300m old record - 48seconds
New record 47seconds
High Jump old record 1.40m
New record 1.41m
Well done Kate!
YEAR 11 HOCKEY
This year’s squad have shown great enthusiasm for playing
hockey and always worked to the best of their ability in
matches. Unfortunately, due to academic commitments,
only a small number of fixtures was played this season.
Congratulations to Rachel Horwood, who represented
Cardiff and the Vale and U16 level this season.
Well done to all involved. We hope that the girls who stay at
Whitchurch in Year 12 will continue to play hockey next year.
Squad: Mel Thomas, Grace Shacknell, Louise Breen, Rachel
Horwood, Alys Chapman, Holly Fry, Laura Bale, Lauren
Butler, Lauren Burley, Katie Swanson, Steph Harris, Liz
Tomkinson, and Rachel Harrold.
Year 7 Hockey
Sports News
Year 7 Rugby
In a League of their Own
The Year 7 rugby team has enjoyed an extremely
successful season with just one defeat very early in the
year. Some outstanding talent has been on display and
although it is very hard to pick out individual players, a
special mention must go to the leadership, determination
and commitment shown by Owen Lane, Kiran Carlson,
Liam O’Connor, Kristion Ions and the Newton Twins! The
whole Year 7 squad are a superb group of players’ and
they fully deserve the titles of Cardiff Schools U12 Cup
and League winners.
A special thanks to Mr Adam Collier for all the time,
effort and help he has given this season. Well done
to everyone!
Year 8 Rugby
on the Brink
The Year 8 rugby team have enjoyed another
extremely successful season under the leadership of
Sam Brinkworth and the coaching of Mr Paul Hughes.
Unbeaten once again in the Cardiff Schools League,
this title can also be added to the Cardiff Schools
7’s championship after a superb
tournament where the team just got
better and better in every game.
The Year 8 team is built around
the physicality of Sam Brinkworth,
Dan Traynor, Miles Pearson and Tom
Candlin and the speed and
agility of Liam Free, Harri
Lang and Toby O’Leary
behind. Mr Hughes and
Mr Henson have been
extremely proud of the
commitment of both
"A" and "B" squad
members this year
and look forward
to a successful
run in the
Welsh Cup
next year.
PESS Festival
On the 27th May 2010 WHS held a P.E. and School Sports
Festival based around out-door learning and healthy
active lifestyles.
180 feeder primary school pupils took part in the festival
working with our own Year 10 voluntary sport crew.
Pupils took part in orienteering, bouldering, problem
solving and healthy eating activities throughout the day.
All pupils commented what an enjoyable day the festival
was and our sports crew were outstanding in their
contributions to the day.
Many thanks to all involved.
After a successful season last year, there were big hopes
for a good run in the U14 Welsh Cup. After winning their
regional league the side came up against the eventual
winners of the trophy, Cymer from Rhondda. The boys put
up a courageous display but unfortunately lost out to the
size and physicality of the Rhondda side.
There have been excellent individual performances this
season from a number of players under the leadership of
Rory Harries and a large number of the boys embarked on
a trip of a lifetime on their summer tour to South Africa.
We will be hearing about their adventures in the next issue.
Congratulations to Richard Singer, Rory Harris, Sam
Brinckworth, Jack Marshall on their selection for the Cardiff
schools under 15 squad. This maintains the schools proud
tradition of representative honours at this age group.
Year 11 Rugby
IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED,
TRY, TRY AGAIN!
It’s been a season of mixed emotions for our Year 11
rugby side, but one which has seen us produce some
of our best performances to date. The season started
with the Cardiff Schools Sevens tournament, which saw
us play some great rugby, helping us to reach the final.
Unfortunately, we lost the enthralling final to Glantaf
with the last move of the game.
Year 10 Rugby
YEAR TENS SCRUM CLOSE
TO CARDIFF CUP GLORY
This proved to be a successful year for our Year 10 Rugby team.
Although getting off to a slow start, through commitment and
hard work, they improved as the season progressed. Training,
sometimes up to five times a week, paid dividends and the
team’s improvement was evident in their performances on the
field. We had four Cardiff Schools’ representatives by the end of
the year, but could easily have had many more.
The players demonstrated their talent in defeating the Cathedral
School in their first Cardiff Cup game of the season. They then
maintained the cup run through to the final, knocking out a very
good Corpus Christi side and comfortably beating Michaelston
College by a 50-0 scoreline in the semi-final.
The final saw us up against a very strong Llanishen High School,
a team who had beaten us comfortably earlier in the season.
The Whitchurch boys showed just how far they had progressed,
with some aggressive play by the forwards and some fierce
tackling behind. Unfortunately, they couldn’t bring the trophy
home, but the commitment and determination showed by the
team, ably captained by Jack Rowlands, was something to
be proud of. Every single player played an important role in
reaching the Cup Final - and next year we hope the success will
be extended and we bring home the cup!
As captain of the Year 9 and 10 school side going to South Africa
this summer I would like to wish all the boys the best of luck and
hope we have a successful tour.
Patrick Ware
The rugby we were able to produce in this tournament
was replicated in a great win over Plasmawr and we
were able to edge past Llanishen High, giving us two
vital wins in the group stages of the Welsh Cup. Our first
knockout game was to be played away against Corpus
Christi. Contrasting tactics were applied by both sides,
but it was the brute force of Corpus which, in the end,
overpowered the skills of our Whitchurch side.
The Rosslyn Park Sevens allowed us to show those
skills against teams from both England and Wales.
We won our three group games against Pocklington,
Dulwich and Preseli, which set up a knock out game
against the prestigious Millfield side. Unfortunately
we lost this game to a side who went on to win the
tournament.
After convincing wins against both Llanishen and
Bishop of Llandaff, we were through to the Cardiff
Schools Cup Final against Glantaf. The final was a
great spectacle for the tournament and after constant
switching of the lead, it was Glantaf who managed to
finish the stronger. However, anyone who watched the
match would agree that the result could have gone
either way and we happened to be the unfortunate ones
on the day. It was one of the greatest performances
we, as a team, have put together during our time in
Whitchurch High.
The side would like to thank Mr Morris and all of the
other coaches who have helped us during our time
in Whitchurch High School. It has been thoroughly
enjoyable.
Glen Evans
Year 9 Rugby
Sports News
Senior Football
We started the season confident, with lots of trophies up
for grabs, such as the Senior Welsh Cup, with Aaron Elliot
as Captain.
After early successes against Llanishen, last year's Welsh
Schools Senior Cup winners and other local schools we
had plenty to look forward to as the season progressed.
We participated in the semi final of the Cardiff and Vale
cup at Cogan Leisure Centre against St Cyres High
School, from Penarth. We went 1-0 up early with a superb
strike from Dan O’Connor, until in the dying moments,
with seconds left, they scored a scrappy goal, which
sent us into extra time, playing 15 minutes each half.
It stayed 1-1 through the first half of extra time, when
they scored yet another goal to clinch their place in the
final. However, despite our loss, it produced one of the
greatest goal keeping performances our school has ever
seen, by Michael Ley.
However, we finished the season on a high, beating
the prestigious Atlantic College, 5-0 with magnificent
performances by the whole squad.
Jack Shields
Senior Rugby
The school Senior Rugby team enjoyed another very
successful season adding two further trophies to the
cabinet. It all started back in early September with the
first trophy being the ‘ South Coast King’s Tournament’
in Southampton. This is a tournament with Schools
and Colleges from the South of England and Wales
competing, including the likes of Millfield. We won all four
of our group games and a semi-final against local rivals
Glan Taf before a comfortable final win against Prior
Park College.
The league season was one of mixed fortunes with
roughly the same number of victories as defeats leading
to a mid table finish in the very competitive Saturday
Premier League. The second 15 won all their games in
the midweek league to clinch the title. We also enjoyed a
very enjoyable trip up to the Blackpool area in March for
the Fylde 7 a-side tournament in which the boys won all
group games before losing a very exciting quarter final
against the eventual runners up.
The season ended on a high with an excellent win in the
Welsh Schools RU Plate Cup against St David's College.
This game was played in front of a large crowd, including
recently capped Sam Warburton, at UWIC and we won
the game 23-22 to secure the cup.
Steph & Spike’s Swiss Story
Both Nathan 'Spike' Williams from Year 11 and sister
Stephanie Williams from Year 9 were fortunate enough to
be selected to represent Great Britain in the 2010 World
Kyokushin Kata Tournament, in April which was held in
Lucerne, Switzerland. They had both trained extremely
hard in the months leading up to the tournament and this
showed when they competed against a very strong field of
competitors.
Once again the Russian competitors proved to be the ones
to beat and despite the Icelandic Volcano threatening to
mar the proceedings, with many European judges unable
to make the tournament, resulting in an abundance of
Eastern European judges, both Nathan and Stephanie did
enough to make their way through to the finals.
Nathan performed really well and managed to secure 3rd
place, behind 2 Russian competitors. Stephanie, being
the youngest member of the GB Squad, surprised many
people on the day, including
herself, and just missed out on
a podium place by 0.1 to come
a very credible 4th place. The
event was a fantastic spectacle
and the excitement did not end
there. A coach had to be sent
across from Britain to rescue
the Squad when they were
unable to make their return
flight, due to the volcanic ash.
This experience resulted in
a great team spirit and saw
Nathan celebrate his 16th
Birthday aboard a 52 seater
coach, certainly a birthday he
will never forget!
This year was another fantastic success for our
senior sports men and women winning National
titles and it culminated in our annual Senior Sports
Dinner. A large number of pupils attended and
it was excellent to be able to welcome Mr Huw
Jones-Williams our headteacher, members of the
senior management team and the staff who helped
throughout the year.
The guest speaker this year had special
significance for the school. It was Sam Warburton
a Whitchurch High School "old boy" who only a few
years earlier had attended the dinner as a pupil and
is now a current Welsh international and a Cardiff
Blues player who has his sights on the Welsh tour
of New Zealand and the World Cup next year.
Sam decided to do a question and answer session
with the pupils and the questions came thick
and fast from both students and staff about the
pressure of playing for Wales and the sacrifices he
has to make to maintain the standard.
Excellent speeches were made by all our senior
captains again showing the great relationship
between the staff and the pupils. I would like
to take this opportunity on behalf of the staff
to say thank you for all the kind
gifts presented by the teams on
the night.
The main prizes for 'Players' Player
of the Year' for 2010 were awarded
to the following students:
Netball – Clarice Watkinson
Hockey – Rhiannon Lavin
Rugby – Dean Reynolds
Football – Dean Reynolds
This was the first time that one
pupil has ever won both awards.
Congratulations to Dean on this
richly deserved achievement.
International Honours were awarded
to the following sportsmen and
women:
Girls' Cricket – Ella Jackson
Under 16 Hockey – Ella Jackson
U 18 Girls Hockey – Rhiannon Lavin
Boys Hockey – Patrick Mc Dowell and
Alun Welsh
At the end of the evening it was with great pleasure that
the school accepted Sam’s 3rd International shirt that he
wanted to donate to the school. The shirt has been framed
and will take pride of place in the Upper School Sports Hall.
Many thanks for your kind gesture Sam!
The P.E. department would like to thank all the pupils and
staff who help and take teams throughout the year. Their
hard work is appreciated.
The department would also like to take the opportunity to
thank the Senior Management for their continued support
for the department and the pupils. This enables the school
to further develop its sporting reputation.
Senior Sports Dinner
Sports News
Whitchurch World Cup
This was another year where the pupils of Whitchurch
High school showed their love of sport. The participation
in this years Mini World Cup inter house tournament
was the best ever with almost 800 pupils taking part in
sporting events over a week in glorious sunshine.
The tournament is set up so that all the pupils are able
to play in a competition that suits their standards and
with team captains and avid support by team mates the
competition is of a high standard and thoroughly enjoyed
by the pupils. The boys participate in football and rugby
and the girls tournament consists of netball and hockey.
The football was based on the same principles as the
world cup with pool stages and then moving onto the
finals, a few even went into penalty shoot out!!! But the
Germans did not win (Whites were USA!!!).
This year was the first year that we decided that the
pupils would have the option to pay to play and that the
money would go to Sport Relief and it gives me great
pleasure to announce that the pupils raised almost
£450 for this great charity.
I already know that the pupils are planning their tactics
for next year’s tournament and it would be remiss of
me not to thank the staff and the BTEC and GCSE
students who helped run the event and officiate.
Now go to the school website to see the photos!!!!!
Tennis
The sunny weather this year has ensured a great season
of tennis with the boys playing on a weekly basis against
other schools in the British Lawn Tennis AEGON League.
The Year 7’s "A" and "B" teams under the excellent
captaincy of Charlie Heaton have done superbly all playing
a year young in the 7/8 league. Charlie commented
"they have put in a spirited performance".
We think Charlie is going to be a politician!
They only lost one match narrowly to Cowbridge but they
beat Radyr, Gartholwg and St Cyres in the other matches.
The Year 10’s also put in a great effort and both Joe
Ahmed Year 10 and Josh Moore Year 9 deserve thanks
for all their work letting the players know about fixtures.
Although they did not have the same success as the
younger age group they still tried their best and certainly
improved as the season progressed.
PE Staff Sporting Success
Congratulations to Rachel Attwell and Jane Humpage
on representing Wales in their respective age groups at
International Hockey.
Mrs Humpage took part in the Home Nation Masters Hockey
Championships in Swansea, scoring her first international goal.
Miss Attwell took part in the European Championships held in
Bratislava, where she helped the team to a credible third place.
Well done to you both!
This year has been an excellent one for the school’s
gymnastics club, going from strength to strength with
increased numbers of participants ranging from Year 7
to 12 and championship titles. We now have 3 gymnastics
clubs running weekly for girls and boys; beginners and
advanced.
Cardiff and the Vale Novice Tumble & Vault
Championships
Sports Day
This was one of the best Sports Days held at
Whitchurch. We had great weather, excellent
organisation by Tim Henson and Neil Potter and
a fantastic competitive tournament between the
form classes.
After three days of fierce competition the winning
forms were as follows;
Year 7 - H
Year 8 - M
Year 9 - G
Year 10 - Y
There were some outstanding individual performances
with many school records being broken. The following
pupils now hold new records in school;
Anilea Power – Triple jump
Lewis Aylett – Javelin
Richard Singer – Triple Jump
James McGuire – Long Jump and 200m
Rebecca Foley – Hurdles
Rhian Ellis – 300M
Madijdah Harb – 800M
Well done to all the above athletes, however special
mention must go to James McGuire, who broke two
Year 10 records in the Long Jump and 200m, and
Kate Seary, who broke three Year 8 records in the
High Jump, 1500m and 300m. This is a fantastic
achievement for one athlete. We have high hopes for
both of these pupils as they were also selected to
represent Wales this year.
Many thanks must also go to the staff for all their hard
work in making Sports Day such an important event.
The tumble and vault competitions require pupils to
perform 2 vaults and 2 tumble routines; one of which
being a set exercise. The boys kick started our winning
streak bringing home the medals, with the under 15 boys
winning a team bronze and the under 13 boys a team
gold. The under 13 boys team then went on to win the
Welsh Schools Novice Tumble and Vault Championship.
U13 Boys: Charlie James, Dylan Ward, Alasdair MacleanSmith and Thomas Gibbs.
U15 Boys: Matthew Felkin, Tyrone Stewart, Luke Kirczey,
Max Baker and James Drury.
Cardiff and the Vale Tumble & Vault Championships
After fantastic performances our under 13 girls came
home with a silver medal, whilst the under 19 girls
brought back a bronze. The under 13 boys finished with
a silver medal and Charlie James brought home an
individual bronze. Whitchurch also had the honour of 5
of our pupils qualifying to represent Cardiff in the Welsh
Schools Tumble and Vault Championships. They were
Rachel Yates, Aniela Pawar, Tristan Ward, Dylan Ward
and Charlie James.
U13 Girls: Rebecca Moore, Kayla Attfield, Rosie-May
Thompson, Chloe Stephens and Madison Sheppard.
U19 Girls: Rachel Yates, Megan Cook, Lori Facey, Paris
Latte, Katie Pemberton, Gemma Brewer, Bryony Harper,
Mary Ware and Aniela Pawar.
Welsh Schools Floor and Vault Championships
The Welsh Schools Floor and Vault Championship require
pupils to perform 2 vaults and a floor routine; the girls
being set to music. Our under 13 girl’s team took the gold
medal giving Whitchurch our second Welsh Championship
title of the year; the girls then qualified to represent the
school at the British Finals in Stoke on Trent.
U13 Mixed: Charlie James, Dylan Ward, Alasdair
Maclean-Smith, Madison Sheppard, Chloe Stephens
and Morgan Dineen.
U13 Girls: Aniela Pawar, Mary Ware, Naomi Attfield, Kayla
Attfield, Rebecca Moore and Rosie-May Thompson.
Gymnastics Glory!
Life Outside the School Gates
Lyn Mills
Lyn Mills retired at Easter after 20 years service at
Whitchurch High School. She joined the school in 1990
as Head of Lower School based in the Tower Block.
During her time with us she has been Head of Upper
School, was seconded to the LEA as a Special Adviser
for a few years and for the past 7 years has been Deputy
Head Curriculum with responsibility for staffing and all
aspects of the school curriculum.
During her time at Whitchurch, Lyn has proved to
be a highly innovative senior manager, successfully
introducing many new initiatives to the school on both
the curriculum and pastoral side and she has played
a leading role in all the 14 – 19 developments from the
Wales Assembly Government and LEA.
Lyn has been well respected by staff, parents and
especially pupils and has been an extremely caring and
fair manager to both pupils and teachers.
At present she is on her retirement "gap year", enjoying
travel and the sun. We wish her a long and happy
retirement with her family and hope she keeps in touch
with us at the school.
Mrs Carolyn Stephens
It’s very sad to be saying goodbye to Carolyn Stephens. All
of us at Whitchurch High have known Carolyn as a colleague
and friend, for many years.
For 10 years Carolyn has been Upper School Librarian and
during this period she has overseen the expansion of services
to staff and pupils, including the establishment of journals
and academic texts for all departments. Under her guidance
and with her vision the Upper School Library has developed
into an outstanding service for pupils and staff alike.
We will miss her support, her excellent organisational skills
and her sincere and candid input into the running of Upper
School Library in particular. We have enjoyed, and very much
benefited from, working with her and the Library’s function
as a core academic support service within the school, has
been greatly strengthened by her role. The school would like
to wish Carolyn a happy, varied and interesting retirement.
Lynne Valentine
It was with sadness that we said goodbye to Lynne
who had given 21 years service to Whitchurch High.
She came to the school as a First Aider and also
worked in the Lower School Office but it was in her
role as Teaching Assistant in the SEN Dept. for eleven
years, that she will be remembered and missed by lots
of staff and students.
A retirement tea was held in the new canteen in Upper
School and staff from past and present passed on their
good wishes with a presentation of cards and gifts.
We all wish Lynne a long and happy retirement.
Ged Patterson
After 20 years of loyal service to Whitchurch High
School, the time has come to say farewell to a
cornerstone of the Geography and Geology department.
During his time at Whitchurch, Ged has offered a great
deal at department and the school as a whole and will be
missed massively by staff and pupils alike.
Ged has been a form teacher, football coach, Head of
Key Stage 5 Geography and Geology, classroom teacher,
mentor and friend. He has given a great deal of energy,
enthusiasm and diligence to all these roles. Ged has the
ability to get the best out of pupils, motivating all to
reach their full potential through his
unique teaching style. His use of
humour and his positive attitude
has affected all those who have
come into contact with him
over the years.
Whitchurch’s loss is St.Albans'
gain – Ged will be taking up
a new teaching role within
St. Albans High School in
Pontypool. This will bring fresh
challenges within a faculty
structure, all of which Ged will
relish. We have no doubt that
he will excel in his new role
and provide much to
the school and
community. We all
wish Ged well in his
new job.
Staff Leaving Whitchurch
State of
Emergency
Declared!
Alex and Vicki Collins
It is with great sadness that the science
department staff, pupils and all Whitchurch
colleagues say farewell to two of our great
teaching characters at the end of this academic
year. Alex Collins (Physics), Vikki Collins
(Biology) and their daughter have decided to
fulfil their dreams of living and working abroad.
Alex has been appointed to “lecture” physics in
an international school in Bangkok. He assures
us that it was a coincidence the day after he
accepted the job that a state of emergency was
declared in Thailand! Vikki will be busy being a
mum and looking after Alex, which is more than
a full time job in itself. A really big thank from all
the pupils and staff for everything you both have
contributed to Science, PSE and whole school
activities. We wish the Collins family a safe and
enjoyable time and look forward to adding them
as one of our international links in the future.
Tony John
DT Technician
Keith Allen
Mr Keith Allen has been appointed Head of ICT at
Radyr High School. Our pupils will miss his lively
presence in lessons and the valuable help given to
them. We wish him well in his new job.
Tony John has been our DT technician at Whitchurch
High School for 12 years. He is a valued member of the
department and will be missed. We will miss his sense of
humour, his stories and his jokes. The department could
not run without him as he has made our lives easier. Tony
is a trooper who soldiers on and has made it to 65 and is
now finally free! I'm sure he is looking forward to saying
“Goodbye tension, hello pension”.
Good luck Tony and God Bless.
Jim Kalocsai
Farewell and thank you to Jim Kalocsai, our Upper School caretaker who has given years
of dedication to keeping our premises in pristine condition. Jim spent three years in Lower
School before moving to the Upper School site where he has spent 14 years overseeing
the condition of the buildings. His smiling, friendly face will be missed. No job has been
too much trouble for Jim and he will be returning to work as a cleaner alongside his wife
Doreen who will now be his boss!
We extend our thanks for all the hard work Jim has put in over the years as caretaker and
wish him well in his retirement.
-
Social Science Awards 2010
Each year the Social Sciences department rewards exceptional students with a "Student of the
Year" award. This award is given to students who have demonstrated commitment, a willingness
to debate social issues and providing work of a consistently high standard. Each student receives
a detailed letter of commendation, a framed certificate and a gift voucher for their tremendous
efforts. The students are pictured receiving their awards.
e4
l – Key Stag
Olivia Howel
ar
Ye
e
th
udent of
Sociology St
Kirsty Hatcher –
Key Stage 5
Sociology Studen
t of the Year
Isabelle Pet
terson – Key
Stage 5
Psychology
Student of
the Year
h
Key Stage 5 Healt
Rachel Nealon –
ar
Ye
e
th
of
t
uden
and Social Care St
Dr Brian Lovell,
President of the
Geological Socie
the Schools Ge
ty, presents
ology Challenge
Trophy to the Wh
team, from left
itchurch
to right, Olivia Ha
ml
ett, Will McMaho
Alex Cole and Te
n,
ssa Davies
Whitchurch
Teams Rock!
On the 23 March Whitchurch was the venue for the inaugural
‘Schools Geology Challenge’. The Whitchurch team were
competing against Cowbridge, Monmouth, Barry, Amman
Valley and Coleg Sir Gar to win this prestigious event. The
prospect became very daunting with the thought of the
eminent geologists on the panel of judges, including the
President of the Geological Society.
In the first round each team gave a presentation on the topic
‘What can geologists do to save the planet?’. Many schools
focused on geology and climate change, but our own Tess
Davies (Year 12) gave an excellent solo performance,
considering earthquake prediction.
The latter part of the evening involved the teams in a geology
quiz. In addition to Tess, our team consisted of Will McMahon,
Liv Hamlett and Alex Cole (Year 13). Their performance was
outstanding, displaying their knowledge of all things geological
to win the superb trophy. The judges commented on how
impressed they were by their knowledge.
So the first name on the trophy was Whitchurch and, with
increasing numbers doing GCSE and A-level Geology, the quality
of future teams from Whitchurch is most certainly assured.
s
ugh their answer
team think thro
The Whitchurch
Every picture tells a story
Our detectives have spent hours sifting through the witness
statements and studying CCTV images. Our forensic scientists
have analysed fingerprints, blood types, stomach contents
and have conducted a thorough post mortem. After much
deliberation, they
concluded that Simon
Major had been
poisoned by the evil
Matthew Wiebe. (Not
quite Mrs Peacock in
the library with a candle
stick!)
We then brought our
evidence into court
where Judge Siyanda
Mngaza tried the case.
The clerk to the court was Jack Wiggins and the usher Carys
Richards. Many talented barristers and expert witnesses
presented the evidence which allowed us to reach a fair
and just verdict. We had great fun and managed to learn
something on the way!
Watch out!
Some members from our Astronomy club are taking
part in a project that is linked to NASA and the
Faulkes telescope. Astronomical images are sent
both to us and our partner school in Belmont, USA
to process. We have to analysis the images really
carefully to find any unusual or unidentified objects.
We are on the hunt for Near Earth Objects (NEOs)
that could be on a collision course with Earth. If one
of these stray large lumps of material hit the Earth
it will be very serious and our survival will be in the
balance. It is suggested an impact from an NEO
caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. So if you see
any of the processing team running for cover then
we will have discovered something worrying!
Mr Eric Coombes
Head of Science
Whitchurch’s
Magnif-Eco Club!
Observing pulsars
from Australia
At the beginning of the year the Physics
department was invited to take part in a unique
and exciting project with Cardiff University. Sian
Crowley, Alice Burnett, Rebecca Thomas, Laura
Phelan and Mr Coombes were allowed access
to a 64m diameter Radio telescope based in
Australia. Via the internet we controlled the
telescope and obtained real live data from
pulsars. This was a truly enjoyable, educational
day. It started with a live BBC Radio interview
for Sian followed by us all having observing time
on the telescope. We discovered a pulsar that
had turned itself back on. The data we obtained
was then used by NASA scientists.
Now you may have heard of global warming and
environmentally friendly stuff. Well. it’s important that we
try to slow it down, as 96% of it is caused by humans. If
we don’t stop, by 2050, your home could be flooded. In
Eco-Club, we are doing our bit by encouraging people to
make sure computers, lights and projectors are switched
off. We are growing organic vegetables and trying to
increase the schools biodiversity. Get involved in Eco-Club
and do your bit. We meet every Thursday after school for
an hour. Join us – we’re not just friendly, we’re eco-friendly!
Tom McCann 7F
The Whitchurch High School CSI department’s scientists, have
been investigating the brutal murder of Mr Simon Major.
Whitchurch
Special Branch
Message from Cris Evans SRB Lead Teacher
In September 2008 the SEN unit changed into a County
funded Specialist Resource Base (SRB). The amount of
change required within the department from curriculum,
staffing and introduction of new initiatives has been vast.
Over the past two years we have been able to give
our pupils a variety of experiences promoting positive
behaviour and a strong work ethic within the school,
raising self esteem, independence and their full potential
as individuals. It is down to the huge efforts of SRB staff
both teaching and non teaching that our pupils have
made so much progress since being with us.
Camping Trip
her success, they had walks
The annual camping trip was anot
countryside of Gower.
stic
fanta
and activities around the
ur’s Stone.
Arth
King
at
red
pictu
are
Here they
I would like to thank all other employees of WHS and
outside agencies for their assistance and help so freely
given. Also, to parents/guardians of our pupils whose
support of the SRB has been outstanding.
Cardiff Museum
As part of the National Curriculum
7E, 8E, and 9E, visited
Cardiff Museum.
The Museum gave a very interestin
g talk on relics of the Iron
Age with artefacts we could see and
touch.
Farewell to Miss
Bethan Boulter
Teachers and the pupils have said:
"You will be missed so much, Thank you for being a
wonderful teacher and friend."
"Good luck in your new job from all pupils in the SRB."
"We would like to take the opportunity to wish you good
luck in your new job. You have been an excellent teacher
it is clear to see how much all the pupils have gained
from your efforts over the past two years."
Staff and students would like to thank Matthew
Grimstead, Ruth Smith and Rebecca Lane for the hard
work and dedicated support they have given in their roles
as mainstream Teaching Assistants this year.
We wish them every success as they embark on their
chosen PGCE courses in September, to become teachers.
!
12 K have it all locked up
pleted a project to manufacture
Members of 12K have recently com
sm to open it. Sam Sainty who
hani
mec
t
secre
a money box with a
the project was excellent,
said
made his box look like the Bible
y member of the class
Ever
nt.
brillia
was
it
ght
thou
Jack Love
new, including using
thing
some
ed
thought that they had learn
s and a secret screw
joint
tail
dove
ng
cutti
e,
gaug
ing
mark
a
e their boxes of a good enough
mechanism as a lock. They all mad
n designed some graphics
Mulli
Tom
quality to be sold in a shop.
it look like a book. Ieuan
make
to
box
his
of
ide
outs
the
on
to go
Christmas present.
early
an
as
Mum
his
to
Sadler gave his box,
dad, they thought it
and
mum
Bradley Lewis gave his box to his
as a present for Clara.
box
his
ned
desig
Ward
Mark
ct.
was perfe
his sister and she was so
Jack Love made his money box for
a thank you. The class have
delighted she gave him a big hug as
for their next project.
rs
playe
Ipod
make
to
just ordered kits
Good luck and best wishes from WHS staff and students.
Irene Djordjevitch
Teaching Assistant SRB
The SEN Dept. said goodbye to Irene who also retired this
term. She will be missed by staff and students alike. We
marked the occasion with a farewell tea and Irene was
presented with cards and a gift. We all wish her a long
and happy retirement.
Bobath Cymru
12K met Julie Morgan for a coffee
and a chat at Bobath Cymru
coffee morning.
les in DT. These made
7E worked hard at their Copper bang
ds.
frien
excellent presents for family and
Year 7E and 8E had a fantastic time
in the heats for sports day.
Well done Joshua Thomas for gett
ing through to the 100m final.
Strawberry Picking
Hospitality and Catering co
urse
On a hot summers day year 9E, 10E,
strawberry picking.
11E and 12K went
Flora Vine 10E is working towards
a qualification in Hospitality
and Catering. Here are some cook
ies she made earlier.
Delicious! With thanks to all her supp
ort staff for their
encouragement and assistance.
Welsh Breakfast Morning
A great way to start the day! 10E,
11E, and 12K organised a
fabulous morning cooking their Wels
h breakfast. Hopefully they
shared some with the staff?
Sandcastle Champions!
9E to Barry Island for the day,
The Variety Club invited 7E, 8E, and
n. WE WON THE CUP!! Hurray!!
for a Sandcastle building competitio
earned rest with a bag of chips.
They are pictured here having a well
We can't keep him away!
ing of Year 11 for his 100%
A huge congratulations to Ryan Gosl
in September 2005.
ch
chur
attendance since starting Whit
!
Ryan
,
done
Well
ent!
evem
What an achi
Cosmeston Lakes
The weather almost held off for 9E
to enjoy their walk at
Cosmeston Lakes. They discovere
d some interesting facts.
Work experience
work experience at the
Well done to 11E for completing their
Cancer Research Wales shop.
Darren Manfield
Anneliese Edwards
Nathan Murrell
Laura Plenty
Thomas Haycox
Matthew Tarr
Daniel Lindhardsen
Anthony O’Connor
Geraint Stewart-Davies
Reading, Spelling and Nume
racy
Catch up Interventions
Grateful thanks are extended to the
Teaching Assistants who
run the intervention programmes
for students requiring extra
practice with literacy and numerac
y skills. A considerable number
of students have taken advantage
of the programmes and are to
be congratulated for improving their
skills over the last year.
Photos show some of our students
and volunteers from the
community who assist with the VRP
scheme, at the end of year
tea party, where students received
their certificates.
DT Project
Sports Day
We'll Aber Great Time!
Aberystwyth 2010
Over 200 pupils in Year 8 descended on Aberystwyth University
in June for the annual residential trip. The three days involved
visits which help to develop a wider knowledge of environmental
issues such as the Ynyslas Nature Reserve and the beach at Borth
where the pupils were told about the development
of the sand dunes, conservation projects and coastal
erosion. Our students also enjoyed “piggy back” races
on the beach and leaping in the sand dunes under
the watchful eyes of their dedicated teachers (some
of whom joined in as well!) The Centre for Alternative
Technology and the Rheidol Hydro Electric Centre
encouraged discussion concerning ways in which
alternative sources of energy can be utilised. The
pupils also visited a Butterfly Centre and some of the
boys held one of the biggest beetles in the world!
The mixture of educational and social activities is
an excellent blend over the three days with a walk
to the beach at Aberystwyth on the first night and
an opportunity to play games and paddle in the sea
being one of the trip’s highlights. The final night disco
revealed dancing styles ranging from the sublime to
the ridiculous! Mr Cahill’s body popping and spinning
rituals were certainly entertaining! Mr James and Miss
Francis completed a spectacular lift based on the “Dirty
Dancing” film, to the amazement of all the pupils. The
sporting activities also on offer ranged from badminton,
running, rock climbing, football, swimming and cricket to
pilates! The pupils entered into the spirit of things with
enthusiasm and before their return, awards were given
to commemorate the special moments. Some of these
included the “Intrepid Explorer” award, the “Sporting Hero”
the “Joker” and the “Mr Bump” category for the person
falling over most often (Oh dear! Mr Cahill again!)
Thanks must be extended to Mr Colin Workman for his
hard work in organising the trip and to all the teachers
who travelled to Aberystwyth to help with this worthwhile
educational experience.
Eisteddfod 2010
A highly successful and enjoyable day was held on Friday
12th March in the Dutch Barn. Mr Huw Jones-Williams
opened the Year 7 Eisteddfod and we were treated to
skilful and delightful performances by harpists Noa
Gabai and Liberty Welch. The standard of all competitors
performing on and off stage was a testament to the
wealth of talent of our Year 7 pupils in Whitchurch High
School. Competitions varied from Welsh, English, French
and German recitations, solo instrumentals, Welsh
comedy sketches, and drama groups to disco dancing. It
was evident that all pupils and teachers had a thoroughly
enjoyable day. Well done to all who competed and
congratulations to the winning "Green House.”
Bu Eisteddfod Llwyddiannus eleni eto yn y "Dutch Barn"
ar ddydd Gwener, 12fed o Fawrth. Agorwyd y seremoni
gan y Prifathro Mr Huw Jones Williams ac fe'n syfrdanwyd
gan berfformiadau anhygoel Noa Gabai a Liberty Welch
telynoresau talentog tu hwnt ym mlwyddyn 7. Roedd
safon uchel iawn gan ein cystadleuwyr eleni, ar y llwyfan
ac oddi ar y llwyfan yn brawf o dalent anhygoel disgyblion
blwyddyn saith Ysgol Uwchradd Yr Eglwys Newydd. Roedd
ystod eang o gystadleuthau yn amrywio o adrodd
Cymraeg,Saesneg, Ffrangeg ac Almaeneg yn ogystal
ag unawdwyr offerynnol, sgets gomedi Gymraeg, grwpiau
drama a dawnsio disgo. Roedd yn amlwg bod y disgyblion
a'r athrawon i gyd wedi mwynhau mas draw. Da iawn a
llongyfarchiadau calonnog i'r Ty Gwyrdd am ddod
yn fuddugol.
Once again all forty Year 7 pupils had a wonderful
time at the Urdd Youth Camp at Llangrannog. The
weather was very kind and we enjoyed several walks
to the beautiful beach in the warm sunshine. Pupils
were able to practise their Welsh language skills by
conversing with the helpful staff and everybody took
part in activities that they had never tried before.
A week of non-stop activities, adventure and
enjoyment ensured that all pupils left with precious
memories of their visit.
Cafwyd amser bendigedig unwaith eto ar ein taith
flynyddol i Langrannog. Roedd y tywydd yn garedig
iawn ac felly aethom i'r traeth godidog a gwres yr
haul ar ein cefnau. Bu'r disgyblion yn medru ymarfer
eu sgiliau iaith wrth gyfathrebu a'r staff hyfryd. Roedd
digon o gyfle i bawb gael blas ar wahanol weithgareddau
newydd a diddororol. Yn sicr, roedd pawb wedi blino'n lan
ar ol mwynhau wythnos llawn o weithgareddau anturus a
fyddai'n aros yn eu cof am byth.
Taith Yr Adran Gymraeg
i Wyl Dewi Sant ym
Mharis 2010
Unwaith eto cawsom hwyl a sbri ym Mharis ar daith i
ddathlu’r Wyl Gymreig ym mharc Euro Disney. Aeth 41 o
ddisgyblion blwyddyn 9 a 4 o athrawon o’r adran Gymraeg.
Am y tro cyntaf erioed, gyda noddiad mudiad yr Urdd, bu
cyfle i weld buddugwyr yr Eisteddfod yn perfformio ar
y llwyfan yn Euro Disney. Roedd cyfle i brynu nwyddau
Cymreig ymhlith y nifer o stondinau yn y parc ac roedd
Mickey a Minnie yn edrych yn odidog yn eu gwisg
draddodiadol Gymreig. Roeddwn yn ffodus i weld golygfeydd
ysblennydd Paris gyda’r nos cyn cael swper Eidalaidd gwych.
Bu pawb yn mwynhau ar y reidiau ac yn mynd adref ag
atgofion bythgofiadwy o’u taith i Baris.
Eurodisney
For the last four years Eurodisney have celebrated St David's
Day by hosting a Welsh themed weekend. It’s a fantastic
opportunity to visit Paris, hear Welsh being spoken and
practise speaking it ourselves. It was so much fun! The Welsh
Festival at Paris celebrated St David’s Day in style this year,
with winners of the Urdd Eisteddfod performing on stage for
the first time and even Mickey and Minnie were dressed in
Welsh traditional costume. We were able to browse around
Welsh stalls and buy Welsh goods.
We then went straight to the Disneyland Park and there was
so much to do there; rides for all your tastes, like the Rocking
Rollercoaster and Space Mountain for those daredevils who
enjoy thrilling rides. Mr. Evans and Mrs. Williams dragged Mrs
Batten on the Tower of Terror and she was terrified!!
We then went for a ride round Paris at night and for a lovely
meal. This was an added treat as the owner played Welsh
music as we walked into the restaurant and had decorated
the place with Welsh flags!
The weekend celebrating Welsh Culture will be repeated next
year. Letters will be going out to Year 9s in the Autumn term.
Gemma
Martin
Year 7 in
Llangrannog
ROBIN HOOD
It is with sadness that we report
the death of Robin Hood our ex
headteacher from 1984 - 1994.
Peter Edward, his deputy, pays
tribute to him.
Robin was appointed as headteacher
of Whitchurch High School in January
1984, having previously spent 15 years
as the Headteacher of Westwood St Thomas School in
Salisbury. Prior to his time in Salisbury he had spent three
years as Head of English at Great Bar in Birmingham and
12 years working at a Secondary School in Kenya, teaching
English, French and P.E.
Wedding
Celebrations
Congratulations to Mr Barry Slack (Head of
Drama) and Mrs Joyce Crandon (Chair of
Governors) who were recently married at
Ararat Baptist Church. We wish them good
health and happiness in the future.
Congratulations also to Dean Powell
(ICT Technician) and his new wife Meriel
on their recent wedding.
Robin was delighted to be appointed as the headteacher
at Whitchurch and relished the challenge of leading the
largest comprehensive school in Wales, if not the UK. He
was always proud of the achievements of his pupils, being
very ambitious for them and keen to follow their progress.
He worked hard in order to improve the facilities within the
school and was particularly pleased with the developments
made within the Music, Information Technology and
Special Needs departments. Robin was an active member
of the South Glamorgan Headteachers Association, the
Wales Secondary Heads Association and was very proud
to be awarded the OBE in 1994 for Outstanding Services
to Education.
Following his retirement in 1994, Robin remained very
active, becoming a part time lecturer at UWIC, a Registered
Inspector for Estyn and pursued his lifelong ambition to
learn Welsh, following an intensive course of study at the
University of Glamorgan.
After spending a period of time revisiting Kenya, Robin
was taken ill in 2002, an illness from which he never fully
recovered and he died on 27 December 2009.
Finally our congratulations to Mr John Cahill
(DT Department) and Miss Amanda Brierley
(Home Economics) who celebrated their wedding
in July. They are pictured with their two daughters.
Key Diary Dates
A Thanksgiving Service for Robin was held at the United
Reformed Church in Cowbridge in January 2010.
Inset Day
Robin is survived by his wife Chloe, who supported him
steadfastly throughout his career and his five children,
Rhiannon, Tamsin, Ben, Daniel and Dominic.
Monday 25th – Friday 29th October
P L Edwards
Ex Deputy Headteacher
Wednesday 8th – Thursday 9th December 7.30pm
Friday 1st October 2010
Half Term
Young Playwrights Festival
Llandaff Cathedral Carol Service
Friday 10th December 7.30pm
Where are they now?
Congratulations
to ex-pupil
Geraint Thomas
on his fantastic
achievements in
the Tour de France.
End of Term
Friday 17th December 2010
Don't forget in the Spring Term the Drama and Music
Department proudly present "Fiddler on the Roof" from
Monday 21st March – Saturday 26th March 2011
DON’T FORGET TO SEND ARTICLES TO:
Mrs Anthea Parker
Whitchurch High School, Penlline Road,
Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 2XJ
Email: [email protected]
Editors: Anthea Parker and Kevin Brown
Designed and produced by
www.theinfogroup.co.uk
This newsletter is printed on paper manufactured
from 100% recycled content and using a chlorine free
bleaching process.

2010 - Whitchurch High School

Transcription

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