Park - Valley Park School - Valley Invicta Academies Trust

Transcription

park
life
m a g a z i n e
Issue Zero
•
Summer 2013
Miss Saigon:
Triumph at The Hazlitt
Outstanding and Upstanding:
The Ofsted effect
The New Build:
Can we do it? Yes, we can!
BBC Radio 1 Roadshow:
Live from Valley Park
In Focus:
A Year of Diversity
Super 8 Superstars:
Success on the track
The rise & rise of
new art riot
From School Band to BBC Radio 1 Superstars • Page 14
Park Life Magazine • Issue Zero • Summer
When BBC Radio 1
came to Valley
Park School
park
life
m a g a z i n e
contents
Issue 0 • Summer 2013
From the Year 13 Art Exhibition, May 2013
Photograph by Edward Wright
2
4
The sight of 360 students flooding into the school
gates buzzing with excitement at 7.15am is not
something you’d expect to see. But Thursday 2nd
May was no ordinary day at Valley Park School.
Outstanding &
upstanding: The
ofsted effect
6
It’s the telephone call every Headteacher dreads, and
it came when our Headteacher was at the departure
gate in Gatwick Airport, on the way to a recruitment
drive in Ireland!
taylor building
the result of
successful bid
8
In what was once a quiet playground in a corner of
our school, now stands the metal skeleton of what
will be the Taylor Building, named after Judi Taylor,
Chair of the Valley Invicta Academies Trust (VIAT).
the oscars
experience
10
The theme to ‘Indiana Jones’ played, the lights
dimmed, and the audience, feeling like Hollywood
stars, held their breath in expectation.
in focus: a year
of diversity
12
On July’s Focus Day, Year 9s learnt how to ‘flashmob’
and Year 10s had to solve a murder in C Block.
The rise & rise
of new art riot
14
Park Life Magazine’s intrepid editor hunted down
the lead singer of New Art Riot, Valley Park School’s
very own Rock band, and asked him some pertinent
questions.
Cover Photograph of New Art Riot © Richard Torble 2013
BBC news
school report
18
Year 9 students took part in the BBC News School
Report day on March 21st this year. They gathered
for breakfast & newspapers at 7.30am, then worked
throughout the day creating news articles and
videos for the website.
Triumph at
the hazlitt
20
This year’s Summer spectacular was Miss Saigon,
and Park Life reporter Jake Fillery donned his Press
badge and went to see it.
Super 8
superstars
23
On 5th June, Year 7 students represented Valley
Park at the Super 8’s Maidstone District Athletics
competition at Sutton Valence School.
Teacher feature:
mr. macari
24
Mr Macari began teaching at Valley Park School
in 2002, and retires at the end of this term. As
the Editor of Communiqué, our previous school
magazine, we thought it a fitting tribute to this
long-serving teacher if we sent our roving Year 9
reporters to interview him.
Fiction section:
‘Floydy McFluffy’
26
Stefan Crowhurst is currently in Year 9 at Valley Park
School & wrote this charming children’s poem about
his pet cat in response to the creative writing task
he was given as part of the ‘Make a Children’s Book’
activity during Focus Day.
acknowledgements:
A big thank-you to all contributors:
In no particular order: S Clarke, T Bond, J Fillery,
R Lee, E Wright, V Turner, A Pinnington, C Moore,
M Lisbon, A Houlihan, S Crowhurst, D Macari,
C Rolison, R Torble, L Jones, E Ryall, M Walton,
C Leal, J Worrall, S Unadkat, J Munson, R Smith.
Apologies to anybody if we’ve left you out.
3
When BBC
Radio 1 came
to Valley Park
School
Reporter: R Lee
The sight of 360 students flooding
into the school gates buzzing
with excitement at 7.15am is not
something you’d expect to see.
But Thursday 2nd May was no
ordinary day at Valley Park School.
These students weren’t arriving
early to get to lessons, but to
enjoy BBC Radio 1’s live broadcast
from their assembly hall.
Grimmy does Chemistry, ably assisted by Year 8 Science students
Amy Marks (left) and Jade Pring (right).
Grimmy
Presenter Nick Grimshaw, also
known as Grimmy, entertained
the lucky audience between 6.30
& 10.00am. During the show, the
presenter took part in a chemistry
lesson with science teacher Miss
Parker and fed a lamb in the
school’s farm.
“The sight of 360
students flooding
into the school
gates buzzing with
excitement at 7.15am
is not something
you’d expect to see.”
Highlights
BBC Radio 1 DJ, Nick Grimshaw, with Quiz winners Olivia Rossiter-Langworthy (left),
Tyler Dewhurst & Cree Rose-Young (right).
4
One of the main highlights was
when Grimmy was joined by The
1975, an indie four-piece band
who performed their two latest
singles.
Show-Stealer
But it was the school band,
New Art Riot, accompanied by
singers Samantha Sharpe and Joe
Anderton, who stole the show
with their cover version of ‘We
Found Love’ by Calvin Harris ft.
Rihanna.
Limelight
The limelight was also shared by
four teachers who performed ‘Pass
Out’ by Tinie Tempah after losing
a common knowledge quiz to a
team of students.
Out of all the schools in
Maidstone, we feel privileged that
Valley Park was part of Grimmy’s
Breakfast Show Tour.
For more New Art Riot, turn to Page 14.
5
Congratulated
Outstanding
& upstanding:
The ofsted
effect
Teachers were congratulated for
knowing ‘their students very well’
and planning ‘carefully to meet
the needs of all abilities.’
Photograph
To celebrate our success in style,
we assembled on our sports field
for a whole school photograph.
“excellent
behaviour and
attitudes are a
key factor”
From the files of our Valley News blog.
It’s the telephone call every
Headteacher dreads, and it came
when our Headteacher was at the
departure gate in Gatwick Airport,
on the way to a recruitment drive
in Ireland! After rushing back, he
gathered the troops for an Ofsted
inspection on the 18th & 19th
April 2013, the result of which is
that Valley Park School was judged
as outstanding for a second time.
range of activities organised
through the expressive arts
specialism’, which ‘contributes
very well to building students’
self-esteem and confidence.’
Impressed
Inspired
The inspectors were especially
impressed with ‘the extensive
They were also inspired by ‘the
rich visual displays, particularly of
6
Above: Floral congratulations from
Invicta Grammar School.
ofsted report
ceramics, around the school.’ They
noted that ‘Students have a thirst
for learning’, indicating that their
‘excellent behaviour and attitudes
are a key factor’ in their success.
Below: Two cakes for two outstanding
Ofsted judgements!
Sixth Form
“Students have
a thirst for
learning”
ofsted report
Valley Park School poses en masse on the
Sports field for a celebratory photograph.
© Tempest Photography 2013
Sixth Form was judged as
outstanding because they have
an ‘exceptionally wide range of
vocational and academic courses’
that ‘equip them extremely well
for their future education and
working lives.’
But, as our numbers have swelled
considerably since our first
outstanding judgement back
in 2010, the stands assembled
by our photographers couldn’t
quite fit us all in, so they had to
photograph Year 11 separately.
However, as you can see from the
proof below, the technical wizardry
of digital post-production has us
all in the frame!
7
Taylor building
the result of
successful bid
Reporter: C Leal
Year 9 & 10 students visit the site as part of their Construction BTEC. From left to right:
Liam Jolley, Bryce Lowless, Finley Sapsford, Josh Newman, Joshua Seton-Clements, William Holt,
Alex Roberts, Owen Larkin, Jamie Clark, George Theobald, Bradley Gambell, Josh Solman, James Hinkley
The Webcam shows updates of the new build every 30 minutes.
In what was once a quiet playground in a corner of our
school, now stands the metal skeleton of what will be
the Taylor Building, to be named after Judi Taylor, Chair
of the Valley Invicta Academies Trust (VIAT).
It will cost £3.1 million, and is due to be completed by
March 2014, the result of a successful bid by VIAT.
The Taylor building will have three spacious floors,
including a new library and sixth form centre, as well as
state-of-the-art classrooms and extensive ICT facilities
incorporated throughout.
A constant stream of building supplies has been
arriving over the past few weeks, fuelling the project’s
progress.
A webcam feed, which is updated every 30 minutes,
records the constantly-changing landscape and is
available on the school website.
From these photographs, a time-lapse video has been
created, which will be updated at the end of each term,
until the project is complete.
www.valleypark.kent.sch.uk/webcam/webcam.php
8
The New Build is well underway.
9
Photo: Chris Tinniswood
In May, Media teacher Mr Smith
pulled the proverbial oscar-shaped
rabbit out of his hat with the third
annual Oscars Night at Valley Park
School. Tom Bond & Sophie Clarke,
both Oscar-winners, report.
a view
to an oscar
The theme to ‘Indiana Jones’
played, the lights dimmed,
and the audience, feeling like
Hollywood stars, held their breath
in expectation.
As the awards were given out by
Mr Smith, the best productions
from each year group played on
the big screen. Between awards,
School band New Art Riot played
whilst the audience were served
canapés.
‘The whole event was student
led,’ said Mr Smith, ‘from the
catering to the technical team, to
the presenters and the students
that helped out behind the scenes.’
“I felt like it
was the real
Oscars”
Sixth Form comedy-duo Bradley
Frith and Chomba Taulo gave Mr
Smith a well-deserved rest from
hosting as more winners collected
their Oscars.
‘Some of the acceptance
speeches were better than the
10
sophie’s
succ ess
the oscars
I was quite shocked to hear that I’d
won first prize (£250) in the Kino
Cinema Flix and Pix competition
for my documentary about
Maidstone’s Homeless.
experience
Reporters: T Bond & S Clarke
real ones!’ said the Headteacher,
Mr Ashdown, ‘it was a really great
evening.’
Harry Wheelwright & Joe Cooper
were delighted when they won
the Oscar for Best Newcomer. ‘I
was thrilled,’ said Harry, ‘I didn’t
expect it at all.’
Above: Everyone is dressed to impress.
From left to right: Saskia Speight, Victoria Franklin, James Gladwin & Aamir Rashid.
Massive applause erupted when
Mr Smith thanked everyone at the
close of the ceremony; another
year of huge success for Valley
Park students.
Valley Park students also won
second and third prize, securing
nearly £500 in prize money.
Kino Cinema is a private cinema
in Hawkhurst that holds a film
festival every year for budding
filmmakers. The winners of the
competition are then invited to
experience their productions on
the big screen alongside family
and friends. Also in attendance is
a professional producer/director
who
provides
constructive
feedback about the winning
entries.
Below: Sixth Form comedy duo Bradley Frith &
Chomba Taulo entertain the audience.
‘I felt like it was the real Oscars,’
said nominee Olivia Frith. ‘When
a clip of our Western was shown,
my family & friends saw it and they
cried with laughter!’
When the ‘Secret Awards’ were
announced, the audience gasped
because all three places at the Kino
Cinema Flix and Pix competition
had been won by students from
Valley Park (see ‘Sophie’s Success’
on the next page).
The film explored services for
homeless individuals alongside
the public’s response to this
difficult issue.
Above: Kino Award-winner
Sophie Clarke with her
‘Secret Award’ Oscar.
Having
won
the
Young
Filmmakers award last year, I was
happy to go back to Kino. It’s
a unique experience to watch
your hard work come alive on
the cinema screen, just like a real
première. For anyone interested
in making their own short films I
recommend sending them into
the Flix and Pix festival.
Who knows, maybe we can win
across the board again next year?
11
in focus
a year of diversity
Reporters: E Ryall, M Walton & A Houlihan
Flash Mob fun
5 suspects: 1 murder
On July’s Focus Day, Year 9s learnt
how to ‘flashmob’ led by Dance
teachers Miss Smith and Miss
Downing.
Year 10 students saw a body
littered with evidence at the top
of C block, and pieced together
the story from an information
pack and a video diary in their July
Focus Day activity.
‘The idea was to challenge them
whilst making them feel part of
something big,’ said Miss Smith. ‘It
was a fun way to end the summer
term.’
Just some of the wide range of activities &
workshops that were put on by teachers &
visitors for Focus Days this year:
Top Left: Cartoonist and Author Mik Brown
inspires students to create their own stories.
Top Right: Ice-Skating in Bruges during the
December 2012 Focus Day.
Middle Left: Year 9 students are taught
dance routines for their surprise ‘Flash Mob’
appearance during Sports Day, led by Dance
Teachers, Miss Smith & Miss Downing.
Middle Right: The unusual suspects point
accusatory fingers at each other during
Murder Mystery Day in July.
Bottom Left: Cultural enrichment provided
by our local Napalese Community.
12
A ‘Flash Mob’ is a large group
of people that spontaneously
perform choreographed routines
in a public area. They rehearsed
to a variety of songs, including
‘Moves like Jagger’ by Maroon 5
and ‘Blame it on the Boogie’ by
Michael Jackson.
Cat Di Stasio, a Year 12 Dance
student who helped the Year 9s
with their choreography said,
‘Today’s been a fantastic chance
to work with the Year 9 students.
It’s allowed me to work on my
leadership skills and develop my
confidence.’
The Year 9s performed their piece
as a surprise to the year 10s during
Sports Day.
Suspects were interrogated.
Students took careful notes. They
discovered some of the evidence
had been tampered with.
They discussed the evidence,
suspects and motives for the
murder. Conspiracy theories
developed, different suspects
became the focus and opinions
changed.
Students were limited to only
a few questions, so they had to
be judicial in their choices and
develop their questioning skills.
In the final hour, they presented
their findings to their colleagues
and the guilty party (Mr Sargent)
was revealed.
And best of all? Year 10 students
achieved speaking and listening
grades for their efforts.
13
The rise &
rise of new
art riot
Park Life Magazine’s intrepid editor
hunted down the lead singer of New
Art Riot, Valley Park School’s very
own Rock band, and asked him some
pertinent questions.
Park Life: How did you come up with
the band’s name?
Louis Jones: We’re named after the
Manic Street Preachers’ 1990 EP. We
thought it sums up our approach to
rock music - in a good way of course!
PL: How did you get together?
LJ: Aiden Wallis (guitarist) and I were
in a band called ‘Haze’. After ‘Haze’
broke up, we decided to start a new
band. We asked Jakob Moore to join
as bassist and he was followed by our
classmate drummer Josh Stillwell.
PL: Who are your musical influences?
LJ: At the moment I’d say our main
influences are Radiohead, Arctic
Monkeys, Pixies, David Bowie, The
Velvet Underground and Bez.
PL: What does music mean to you?
LJ: To us, music means we can create
anything we want. We said from
the beginning we wanted to write
different music to what’s around at
the moment.
PL: What makes a great performance?
© Richard Torble 2013
“As long as what
you’re doing is
coming from the
right place, the
rest takes care of
itself.”
14
Cover Feature
LJ: It’s more about the feeling than
the antics. As long as what you’re
doing is coming from the right
place, the rest takes care of itself and
hopefully the performance should
come across well.
Continued overleaf
15
(Continued from previous page)
PL: Has school helped the growth of
your band?
LJ: Yes, the music department
gave us the opportunity to play
on Radio 1, so they’ve helped us
a lot. It’s really useful to rehearse
here every week and we get the
chance to write our own music for
a few hours.
“try not to
worry about
what people
think about
you. .”
PL: What has been your best
performance to date?
LJ: When we won the final of The
Rafters: Battle of the Bands, We
had all our fans singing along to
our songs, but performing on
BBC Radio 1 was very special
too, because we had one of our
own songs playing to millions of
people.
“we had one
of our own
songs playing
to millions of
people.”
PL: What skills do you need to be
the front man of a band?
LJ: If you think about it too much,
you’re not really doing it right! It’s
about performing with genuine
emotion, or you could look a bit
false on stage. It’s also good to
communicate with your audience
- let them know about the band
16
and upcoming gigs. Above all,
it helps to gig regularly in order
to maintain your confidence on
stage.
“When we won
the final of The
Rafters: Battle
of the Bands,
We had all our
fans singing
along to our
songs.”
PL: What advice would you give to
others wanting to start a band?
LJ: Do your own thing and try not
to worry about what people think
about you. If it feels right, just do
it. Also, if you want to maintain
a strong fan base, make sure
your audience know everything
that’s happening through social
networking sites like Facebook,
Twitter and YouTube.
PL: What plans do you have for the
next year?
LJ: We’re going to keep gigging
as much as possible and continue
writing great songs. Hopefully,
we can release an EP next year
and we’ll see what happens from
there.
© Richard Torble 2013
Above: from left to right:
Louis Jones (lead singer)
Aiden Wallis (guitar)
Josh Stillwell (Drums)
Jakob Moore (Bass).
PL: Louis Jones, lead singer of New
Art Riot, thank-you for your time.
LJ: You’re very welcome.
For more on the Radio 1 Roadshow, turn to Page 4.
Left: New Art Riot with
BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw
& singers Samantha Sharpe
& Joe Anderton.
17
Year 9 students took part in the BBC
News School Report day on March
21st this year. They gathered for
breakfast & newspapers at 7.30am,
then worked throughout the day
creating news articles and videos
for the website.
Here are excerpts from some of the
articles the students wrote:
YOU DESTROYED
T HE HI G H S T REE T !
The British High Street has taken a
big hit from online shopping. Is it
becoming the number one way to
shop?
HMV is in administration ; iTunes is
currently the most popular way to
get music. It’s easier to download
to your phone than go out and
buy CDs. Illegal downloading is
simple & for many this has become
their first option. Piracy is a huge
factor in the closure of HMV, as it’s
not only music; there are many
websites that offer free movies to
watch.
Jessops, a photographic chainstore, used to have hundreds of
outlets. They couldn’t afford to
keep them open so closed the
shops & became online retailers,
which resulted in large job losses.
And it’s not a recent problem;
Woolworths did the same in
2009...
To read the full article go to:
www.valleypark.kent.sch.uk/view.php?p=1620
18
HOPE FROM
HORSES
BBC news
s c h o o l r e p o rt
© BBC Enterprises 2013
Reporters: The Year 9
BBC News School Report Team
Below: Paralympic gold medallist,
Natasha Baker, whom Charlotte and
Olivia interviewed for BBC News
School Report.
FARMERS FACE
F U T U RE FAI L U RE
We were particularly inspired by
one Great British Paralympic gold
medallist, Natasha Baker. When
she was just 14 months old she got
a very rare virus called Transverse
Myelitis. It caused damage to her
spine and back, leaving her with a
permanent disability.
Tim, who runs Valley Park School
Farm, said “Britain must start
buying meat from local areas
if they want to see a farming
industry in 20 years.”
Tim encourages the younger
generation to participate in
farming.
‘My mum was ‘horsey’ and
passionate,’ said Natasha. ‘I first sat
on a horse when I was six months
old and started competing at age
nine. It’s made me confident, and
it’s a great way of keeping fit.’
“It’s important for them to be
involved, to help create a farming
future and keep the legacy going.
If we still want to live up to the
Great in Britain, we need to buy
our products locally, especially if
we want to know where it comes
from. If you make your own
products, then you know how
the animal has been treated, and
whether or not it was in a good
enough environment for better
growth...
During the summer of 2012, the
Paralympic Games showed that
people with disabilities can push
their boundaries. One of the
most breathtaking events of the
games was the equine dressage.
It is amazing how someone with
severe impediment such as the
loss of both legs can control an
unpredictable creature with little
more than their hips; this shows
trust in both the horse and rider.
In the UK there are also a small
handful of Equestrian centres
devoted to riding for the disabled.
We went along to Laybourne
Grange Riding Centre for the
disabled to watch a lesson and
interviewed parents of a child who
is physically disabled and rides...
Above: A curious calf in Valley
Park’s Farm, from ‘Farmers
Face Future Failure’.
Mr Pestell, who co-ordinated the
day, received a glowing report from
BBC Broadcast Assistant Sarika
Unadkat, who wrote:
‘I was very impressed by the
reports produced by Valley Park
School – I thought they were
fantastic to read. I was particularly
impressed by the variety of
content covered and produced by
your School Reporters.
“they should
be very proud
of their
achievements”
There were some fantastic
interviews in there, and the
reporters had also chosen some
very unique topics. I particularly
liked the headlines on all of the
articles, I thought they were full of
wit.
The reports were all wellresearched and nicely written.
Even the videos in the sports
report were very confidently
delivered.
It is clear your School Reporters
have worked very hard on their
content, and they should be very
proud of their achievements.’
To read more articles from the BBC
News School Report Day, go to:
www.valleypark.kent.sch.uk/school-report.php
19
a lifetime.
Mr Gleadall, who directed the
show, said, ‘The cast & crew were
a fantastic group of people to
work with. Talented, focused and
totally committed to the success
of the show. I am sure that our
production of ‘Miss Saigon’ will be
remembered by all involved in it
and all who saw it, for a very long
time.’
Above:
A dramatic scene in Miss Saigon unfolds.
Below:
Samantha Sharpe as Kim.
Every year, Valley Park Productions
puts on two amazing shows: one
during Spring term at the School,
and one in the Summer at the
Hazlitt Theatre. This year’s Summer
spectacular was ‘Miss Saigon’,
and Park Life reporter Jake Fillery
donned his press badge and went
to see it.
Heart-Stopping
‘Miss Saigon’ was an excellent
show; professionally produced by
the students and staff involved.
The singing was amazing and I
was impressed by the large scale
of this heart-stopping production.
Triumph
at the hazlitt
Reporters: J Fillery, J Munson & C Moore
20
The costumes were cleverly
designed and the lighting
enhanced the dramatic tension
throughout. The audience cheered
and gasped as a helicopter
appeared on the stage - I was
stunned by how well built it was.
The acting was superb; everyone
remembered their lines and the
cast pulled off the performance of
Jake wasn’t the only reporter to
enjoy the show; John Munson
wrote a review for the Downs
Mail, but was so impressed by the
show he considered their 200 word
limit not enough to expound his
appreciation, so he sent us a letter.
He wrote:
‘From the energetic, raunchy
realism of the first scene in the
bar, we knew that we were in for
a very high quality show. The
chorus were almost unbelievably
brilliant... It was so easy to believe
the love between Kim and Chris...
I almost felt like an intruder. From
Kim’s first song in her white dress,
she really did tug at the heartstrings... Chomba Taulo was also
memorable... the scene where he
sang about the children left behind
was most moving... Choreography
was terrific... Orchestra & musical
direction, difficult to fault... That
helicopter! Excellent... What more
can I say?’
Continued overleaf
21
(Continued from previous page)
Super 8
Miss Saigon stars
h old ma stercl asse s
Two Miss Saigon masterclasses were
held by cast members of the original
West End production, leading up to
our Hazlitt Theatre run of the show.
Claire Moore, who played Ellen, and
Peter Polycarpou, who played John,
came in to inspire and encourage
our hard working students.
Afterwards, Claire Moore sent us
these fabulous words of thanks:
Having created the role of Ellen
in the original production at Drury
Lane, this show is one very close to
my heart.
s u p e r s ta r s
Reporter: M Lisbon
Above: Claire Moore directs the cast
during her workshop visit to Valley Park
School.
Left: Holly Keane
running the 110m
Hurdles.
Below: Peter Polycarpou inspires
Valley Park students to improve their
performances at his workshop.
Below: Jamie
Taylor doing the
High Jump
I can honestly say that I was truly
impressed and inspired by these
young students; principals and
ensemble alike (not to mention
their amazing teachers!), who are
performing with such maturity.
“I was truly
impressed and
inspired by
these young
students.”
It is a really hard show – a
demanding ‘sing’ from everyone,
and a real emotional journey – and
I hope they have the huge success
they deserve. I feel very privileged
to have had the opportunity to
work with them.
Many students won gold:
James Brown (Shot Putt, Relay),
Josh Rogers (200m & Long
Jump), Jamie Taylor (Hurdles,
Relay), Josh Stirman (800m), Joe
Cooper (100m, Relay) and Charlie
Whittingham (Relay).
Overall, the girls finished in 6th
place, whilst the boys finished in
1st position. This was the first time
in the school’s history that Valley
Park has won this event.
Right: Students rehearse
the opening number at
Claire Moore’s Monday
Masterclass.
Above: The Year Seven Super 8’s Maidstone District Athletic Squad.
Boys: Joe Cooper, William Day, James Brown, Charlie Whittingham, Josh Stirman, Harry Tritton, Josh Rogers,
Jamie Taylor & Georgie Mason.
Girls: Katie Beck, Carla Critall, Louisa Thompson, Holly Keene, Georgia Wallace, Billie Attwood, Libby Smith &
Fenella Miln.
22
On the 5th June, Year 7 students
represented Valley Park at the
Super 8’s Maidstone District
Athletics competition at Sutton
Valence School. The students were
a credit to themselves and the
school, with some outstanding
performances across the events.
The boys went on to represent
Maidstone at the Kent Super 8’s
Championships, finishing in 4th
position out of 14 districts. This is
an amazing achievement for the
school and all the athletes that
took part.
23
Mr Macari began teaching at Valley
Park School in 2002, and retires at
the end of this term. As the Editor of
Communiqué, our previous school
magazine, we thought it a fitting
tribute to this long-serving teacher
if we sent our roving Year 9 reporters
to interview him.
PL: What made you want to be a
teacher?
DM: I went to university late in
life & thought that once I got my
degree life would open up and
I’d know where I was going, but
I didn’t. I got on well with my
friends’ children, though, and
realised I could relate to them, so
I considered working with young
people.
“I liken
teaching to
surfing; once
you get up on
that wave, you
just ride it.”
PL: What is the best thing about
teaching?
DM: Every day brings its own
challenges. Sometimes you go
home thinking, ‘that was a good
day’, but can’t quite put your finger
on why. I liken teaching to surfing;
once you get up on that wave,
you just ride it. It’s about energy.
Teaching works best when your
own energy levels match those of
the students.
24
have increased enormously. These
days, students leave here and plan
to go to University. The school’s
reputation is a lot better than it
was. I was amazed at the volume
of parents at opening evening; Mr
Ashdown had to do his speech
four times this year, which is
impressive.
Teacher
f e a t u r e :
mr. macari
An issue of Communiqué from June 2007
Interview by The Editorial Team
Mr Macari playing the Darabouka
Photo: Chris Tinniswood
One real highlight was when I
was starting out. It was a lesson on
the Trenches. I read a poem called
‘Five Minutes to Go’ from the First
World War. It was written from the
perspective of a soldier about to
go ‘over the top’. I sat the students
under their desks, gave them
pencils and paper whilst a video
played in darkness. They had five
minutes to write a last letter to
their loved ones, then I blew a
whistle and they had to go. It was
a really moving lesson for me.
PL: What things have changed in
your time here?
DM: The school’s gone through
many physical changes, like the
Gallery and our new building.
We’ve changed the way we teach,
which has kept us on our toes. The
school’s achievement level has
changed; GCSE & ‘A’ Level grades
“It was a really
moving lesson
for me.”
PL: Where else have you taught?
DM: My first school was Thomas
Aveling in Rochester, then I moved
to Gillingham College where I was
Head of Key Stages 4 & 5, and
History. I then went to Senacre for
a few terms and finally came here.
In hindsight, teaching here has
been the best, as I’ve seen it go
through the most changes.
PL: What is your favourite subject?
DM: I enjoy teaching Ethics the
most. I didn’t set out to teach it
but anything that comes up in
that area I enjoy.
PL: Do you enjoy being a form tutor?
DM: It’s a very different job from
teaching. The most important
thing is being somebody students
can rely on if they have a problem,
and to be there if they want to ask
a question or if they’re not happy.
PL: Do you have any hobbies or
interests?
DM: I’ve always been very
interested in music, as I was a
musician in the army. I formed a
band four years ago and that’s
a big part of my life. It’s called
Raqsonic and we play Arabic
music. We have a Bass, Double
keyboard, Drums, Darabouka and
a Dancer.
PL: What was the Army like?
DM: I joined the army at 15, which
was a mistake. The army was like
prison for a 15-year-old boy; we
lived in large huts and had to
scrub the floors weekly and then
have inspections.
PL: Are you a strict teacher?
DM: I think I’ll leave that for others
to make up their minds. From
my point of view the best thing
that a teacher can bring to the
classroom is something of their
real self; something of their own
personality.
PL: Finally, what are your plans after
retirement?
DM: I honestly don’t know. I have
no plans at the moment, which
is odd, as teaching is all about
planning. I take life as it comes.
PL: Mr Macari, thank-you for your
time, and we all hope you enjoy
your retirement... whatever you do!
DM: Thank-you.
25
Untitled Oil on Canvas
By Amy Pinnington
Floydy McFluffy:
A Cat About Town!
By S Crowhurst
Floydy then stopped to eat all his
food, and made his way home in a
happier mood.
Floydy was bored so he ran out
the door, jumped a tall fence and
meowed as he soared.
Then Mrs. Moor’s dog in the
garden next door, ran clattering
across the oak-decking floor.
He ran through the gardens
and scared all the owners, the
gardeners, the dogs, and old
Mr. Mowner.
Floydy jumped up, and over the
fence, then leapt once again over
young Mrs. Spence.
He ran to the butchers
and crept in the back. He
squeezed through a gap,
and then through a crack.
Cheeky old Floydy stole all the
sausages from Billy the Butcher,
who was checking his messages !
“Hey, Floydy!” said the butcher,
“That’s not your meat!”
But Floydy just scampered straight
through his feet!
He squeezed through a gap, and
then through a crack and ran
through the gardens that lay out
the back!
He ran through the high street in
the middle of town, jumping past
people and making them frown.
26
But still the dog chased
him
through
the
middle
of
town,
jumping past people
and making them frown.
He ran through the butcher’s,
who looked over his back, and
still the dog chased him as he
squeezed through a crack.
Said the Butcher, “Hey, Floydy! You
cheeky little cat!”
Then the dog knocked the butcher
flat on his back!
But Floydy kept running all the
way to his house, where he lived
quite happily, chasing the mouse.
A collected anthology of the
best of the stories will be
published next academic year
and students will be given the
opportunity to go to Primary
Schools and read their stories.
For more about Focus Days
turn to Page 12.
Fiction section
Floydy McFluffy, the cheeky old
cat, stole sausages, string and
even a hat!
Stefan Crowhurst is currently in
Year 9 at Valley Park School &
wrote this charming children’s
poem about his pet cat in
response to the creative writing
task he was given as part of
the ‘Make a Children’s Book’
activity during Focus Day.
27
park
life
m
28
a g a z i n e
Photograph by Victoria Turner

Park - Valley Park School - Valley Invicta Academies Trust

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