Issue 7 - Heaton Manor

HM
The newsletter for Heaton Manor School
Winter Edition
Issue Seven - January 2015
Maths
Students
Go Further
at Heaton
Manor
Inside this issue
14
6
Every Day Counts
Lessons from Auschwitz
Training with British Airways
Commemmorations of WWI at HM
Welcome
everyone
to the
Winter
Edition of
HM
Head’s Intro
Hello everyone and welcome
to the latest edition of Heart
HM. I hope you all had a
great Christmas and we wish
you all happy and fulfilling
2015.
As you’ll read in this issue, we are
a specialist maths and computing
school and we’re very proud of
our students’ achievements. The
very top mathematics students at
Heaton Manor study Further Maths
and, as you’ll read, they are among
the very best in the region and
the country, and go on to the best
universities. It’s proof, if needed,
that we put as much effort into
gifted and talented students as we
do across the whole spectrum of
subjects and abilities at the school.
In this issue you’ll read about
students of all abilities and ages
reaching their potential and
broadening their minds and skills,
academically, culturally and
socially. We are a big school with
a vibrant community that develops
tolerance and understanding while
delivering amazing energy and
opportunities for all.
Our students travel all over the
world in search of learning and
adventure, and they bring it all back
to our community to the benefit of
everyone.
Best regards
Lynne Ackland, Headteacher
HM
contents
2
Headteacher’s Message
2
Every Day Counts
3
Heaton Manor Scores 1/11
4
HM Leaders and Creators of Tomorrow
5
Training with British Airways
13
Baking Code with the Raspberry Pi Club
6
Doping and Plasticised Corpses
14
Baking Cakes for the Anti-Bullying Week
7
HM = Henry Moore
15
Lessons from Auschwitz on HM Field Trip
8
HM Students up to the World Challenge
16
Got Up, Stood Up!
10
Commemmorations of WWI at HM
18
6 of the Best Get Reece Benefits
11
Performing the Past: Oh! What a Lovely War
19
Hogwarts or Heaton Manor
12
Reading for Pleasure Project
20
CentrePoint Sleepover
12
Sports Update
22
Every Day
Counts
attendance | əˈtɛnd(ə)ns |
noun [ mass noun ]
the action or state of going regularly to or being present at
a place or event: my attendance at school was exemplary.
The whole school year is planned, down to the minute (really!), so our students enjoy learning
and make great personal achievements. There is very little room for slack or catch up. It may
sound obvious but being in school, every day, on time is the first part of this.
The school attendance expectation for 2014-2015 is 97%.
This is equivalent to a maximum of five days absence over the year, i.e. if you miss more than five days school over the
course of a year, you drop below the 97% expectation.
97% sounds like a lot? 90% attendance probably sounds like a lot too. BUT school attendance is closely linked to
the number of GCSEs a young person achieves. Research shows that of those young people that have less than 90%
attendance, fewer than 30% of them achieve 5 or more GCSEs at grade C or higher.
A few days can make make an enormous, life changing, difference.
Attendance
Punctuality
Did you know?
Is very important because:
Being on time for school is very
important because it:
Being 15 minutes late each day
during an entire year is the same as
missing two whole weeks of school.
It helps your child make and keep
lasting friendships.
It allows your child to attend
clubs and extra curricular
activities.
It can affect your child’s exam
results and how well they do in
school.
ach day’s learning builds on
E
what has been learnt before, so
losing even one day makes all
future learning more difficult.
Teachers plan lessons by the
minute so all students receive the
core learning and reinforcement.
If you miss that lesson it’s gone
for ever.
Shows a pupil is ready and willing
to work.
Indicates to an employer that a
young person would be able to
arrive on time for work. And yes
we do get asked for reports.
Helps to develop a sense of
responsibility.
Forms good habits for the future.
Being late:
Disrupts lessons, affects other
learning, which is entirely
unacceptable
ay mean your child misses
M
important instructions and work
We are here
to help!
We do realise that sometimes there
are problems that may affect your
child’s school attendance.
If you would like to meet with the
school to discuss any attendance or
lateness difficulties, please contact
your child’s Year Manager.
Together, we can come up with a
solution and offer the right support
from the start.
3
Heaton Manor
Maths Scores 1/11
When people really get to know the school it’s very obvious we’re
a bit different to the other state and private schools in the city and
wider region.
One way of demonstrating this is the school competitions we take part in. We do
very well in sports, and when pitted against local schools in hard-core academic
subjects we usually come home top, or very near it.
We recently made our debut in the Senior Maths Team Challenge at Northumbria
University, contested by 22 schools across Tyne and Wear.
Representing our school was Rafik Ghiti and Jonathan Pease from Year 13 and
Robert Hudson and Alex Ulianov from Year 11.
The team showed real commitment and took part in a series of ‘7’ training
sessions aimed at preparing for these new style of questions and how to work
effectively as a team to tackle more open ended problems.
On the day, the Challenge consisted of 3 rounds designed to stretch some of
the most mathematically able students in the region with topics that go beyond
those taught in lessons.
As a result of our students’ talent and preparation, our team came 2nd out of the
22 teams, a tremendous achievement. Some quick basic maths will tell you that
while we came 2/22 that quickly can be reduced to 1/11 as per the headline. Not
only that, Heaton Manor led the competition after round one and two, losing out
by an extremely small margin in the final round.
Maths is big strength at Heaton Manor. We have a very strong Further Maths
entry that move on to top universities, as you can see on page 5.
4
HM Leaders and
Creators of Tomorrow
We are a specialist maths and computing school and we are also fortunate
in having thriving and vibrant Further Mathematics A-level classes. These
students will become the mathematicians, physicists, engineers, scientists
and perhaps financial experts of tomorrow.
It is also notable that so many from this school have gone forward to study more mathematics
and subjects of which it is a major component.
FURTHER MATHS 2014 LEAVERS
DESTINATION
COURSE
Mathematics
Mathematics
Aeronautical
Engineering
Recent years’ Further Maths successes:
FURTHER MATHS 2013 LEAVERS
DESTINATION
COURSE
FURTHER MATHS 2012 LEAVERS
DESTINATION
Civil Engineering
Mathematics
Mathematics
Computer
Science
Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics
COURSE
Jesus College
Cambridge
Engineering
Mathematics
Acoustics
5
Baking Code with
Raspberry
Pi Club
We’d make a bet that your last week’s activities were made
possible by some computer code. Computer code is the
programming language(s) that run every device with a
microchip in, and that’s everything from your toothbrush
to, well just about everything. Code is everywhere, and
knowing how to code is one of THE skills for future
entrepreneurs, engineers, leaders, scientists, economists
and those that want a hand in making the world work.
Back in the 80s when the first personal computers came out, lots of
people learnt to code. Computer Science was taught in schools and a
lot of that was code. This changed in the 90s when schools were told
to teach how to use software for work, not to make software, but now
(thankfully) coding is back in style, especially at Heaton Manor as our
new ‘7’ Raspberry Pi club shows.
The projects being worked
on at the moment are:
What is
Raspberry Pi?
• Developing a game in Python
(a programming language)
• Programming the Python
Picamera, a camera that
attaches to the basic
Raspberry Pi. Building and
Programming the Initio 4
wheel drive robotics platform.
Students are also learning more about alternative operating systems
which run on the Raspberry Pi. The operating system currently being
used is a Linux derivative and it is a free Unix based operating system
used by Google, Amazon and 9 out of 10 of the world’s top super
computers! In the Raspberry Pi
club students can
choose from a range of
projects available from
www.raspberrypi.org/
resources/learn and
also create their own.
6
Academics at
Cambridge University’s
Computer Department became
concerned about the year-onyear decline in the numbers and
skills levels of students applying
to read computer science. So they designed the Raspberry Pi, a
stripped down computer, the size of a
credit card specifically to teach code to
kids. Just like they learned in the 80s.
You can plug it in and switch it on, but
from there you need to crunch code but
you can be really creative.
The Raspberry Pi is sold by Raspberry
Pi Foundation with the intention of
promoting the teaching of basic computer
science in schools and it has now sold
over 1 million units.
Baking Cakes For
Anti-Bullying Week
In November we held a very special competition to raise awareness
for Anti-Bullying Week.
The theme of this year’s national Anti-Bullying week was “Let’s stop bullying for all” and Heaton
Manor supported the campaign with assemblies and Anti-Bullying work in Citizenship lessons.
Alongside this, we also held The Great Heaton Manor Bake Off competition. Students were
encouraged to decorate cakes which promoted anti-bullying and celebrated difference and
diversity. We were overwhelmed by the response to the competition and for one week in
November the school was filled with the most delicious tasting and wonderful looking cakes.
It was very difficult choosing winners, from so many original cakes, but well done to the following
students who were awarded prizes and certificates:
Year 7 winner:
Fiona Davison
Year 8 winner:
Samiyah Khan
Year 9 winner:
Elkie Robson
Year 10 winners: Teodora Afenlieva
& Naairah Rauf
Year 11 winner: Conor Hastilow
Year 12 winner: Nabila Ahmed
Runners up: Amy Frances, Sarah
Year 7 Winner: Fiona Davison
McCrudden, Eloise Hastilow,
Abbiegail Galloway, Monica
Kelesova, Omyma
Musa, Naomi Gilbert, Nahren Sultana,
Rosie Underwood, Sajeeda Elghul,
William Shelley, Wiktoria Kryskiewicz,
Lucy Foy, Amaarah Miah, Felicity
Ho, Haroon Ahmed, Rachel Rooke,
Raisa Kamila, Seba Czapaowska,
Emily Davison, Kirsty Bullen,
Jessy Jones, Dionne Bainbridge,
Kirsty Hall, Salma Akhtar
Year 8 Winner: Samiyan Khan
Year 12 Winner: Nabila Ahmed
Year 10 Winner: T eod
ora
Afenlieva
& Naairah Rauf
Year 9 Winner: Elkie Robson
Year 11 Winner: Conor Hastilow
7
Lessons from
Auschwitz
Special Report by
Mary Davidson and Sarah Charlton
Recently we took part in a project called ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’, a scheme run by
the Holocaust Educational Trust that looks to educate groups of teenagers as to the
events of the Holocaust, namely those surrounding the camps located in the Polish
town of Oswiecim, renamed Auschwitz by the Nazis during the Second World War.
As part of the project, we looked not only into what
happened, but what we can learn from these events.
As well as personally affecting us and teaching us
world shaping history, the Lessons from Auschwitz
project aims to allow the victims of the Holocaust to
be remembered for the people they were, not merely
a statistic, in an attempt to re-humanise the stories of
those involved.
The German philosopher Georg Hegel said ‘we learn
from history that we do not learn from history’, a
message that remains poignant in the world today.
Discrimination continues to be an issue that is
faced on a daily basis in our society and in societies
across the world, therefore by speaking out about
the Lessons of Auschwitz we aim help create an
awareness of discrimination in the world today.
The Holocaust Educational trust helped us prepare
for our visit to Auschwitz, and we heard a survivor
story from Eva Clarke. Eva was born in Mauthausen
Concentration Camp, just days before its liberation.
She told us of how her father was killed, without
even knowing that Eva’s mother was pregnant. Eva’s
mother survived Auschwitz before being transported
to Mauthausen where she gave birth to Eva who
weighed only 3lbs/ 1.5 kg. If the gas chamber had not
been blown up neither would have survived.
After the holocaust Eva and her mother moved to
Prague and then in 1948 moved to the UK. Eva’s
emotional story encouraged us to re-humanise the
victims of the Holocaust and look at each victim as
unique individuals, rather than just a number in a
huge statistic.
The visit itself was emotional
and overwhelming, but deeply
rewarding.
When we arrived in Krakow, the nearest City, we
travelled to the town of Oswiecim/Auschwitz
which before the holocaust had a thriving Jewish
community.
We visited the site of its great synagogue, which used
to be at the heart of the Jewish community and was
demolished by the Nazis. We saw the only synagogue
left in the town, in which unfortunately as no Jewish
8
Lastly we visited the most
infamous of all the camps on the
site, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the
first thing that stuck is was the
rail track leading into the camp.
Before looking around the camp
we climbed up the watchtower at
the entrance, where it was clear to
how large it was.
“We learn from
history that we
do not learn
from history.”
people live in the town is not used for worship. We
learned that the last Jewish person to live in the town
was Szymon Kluger who was the only survivor that
returned. He opened up the synagogue every day until
his death in 2000. The visit to Oswiecim helped us
understand what Jewish life in the town was like before
the holocaust, in which they everybody of different
faiths and cultures live in harmony with each other.
Next we visited Auschwitz One, which was a military
barracks and labour camp. We walked through the
famous gate with the sign ‘Arbeit Mach Frei’ which
means ‘work makes you free’ this lead us up to the
barracks.
In these we saw many of the prisoners possessions,
taken from them by the guards as they arrived. These
included suitcases, pots and pans, shoes and clothes,
one of the most distressing parts of the visit was
seeing tonnes of human hair. But again seeing the
victim’s personal possessions helped us re-humanise
the event. Next we saw some of the barracks in which
the prisoners slept on the floor with only straw and
blankets, there was also photos of the prisoners, after
they had been admitted to the camp. Lastly we went
into the last surviving gas chamber, which was very
poignant moment. Visiting Auschwitz One made us
think about the true horrors that happened there, and
helped us see the victims as real individuals.
Next we looked at a barrack in
which was formally a stable,
which was used to house some
of the prisoners, there were two
rows of two tier beds in which up
to 6 people could possibly share
a bed. We then began to walk up
the rail track until we reached a cattle truck in which
Hungarian Jews had been transported to the camp.
We then viewed the demolished remains of the gas
chambers at and the chamber in which people had
entered the ‘showers’.
At the end of the train track there was a moving
memorial to all of the victims of the Holocaust, where
people had placed candles and flowers in memory of
the victims. During the final part of the visit we went
to the building in which the prisoners were registered,
their photos were taken, their hair was shaved,
washed and they were given identification tattoos and
uniforms. We saw a display of photos of families and
their lives before the camp, these people lived just
like we did and it was awful to think that these happy
individuals had to suffer the fate that they did.
Before leaving a memorial service was held, it helped
us to gather our thoughts and feelings of what we had
experienced. We the all lit a candle and put it along
the train tracks which was a fitting way to end the day,
as we could pay our respects to all of the victims of
the holocaust not only of Auschwitz-Birkenau but of
all the camps.
Overall the experience opened
our eyes to the extreme damage
that prejudice can do, but also
the fact that if we choose to
learn from history, and accept
all people regardless of factors
such as race or religion, we can
help to avoid such atrocities
such as the Holocaust.
9
Got Up,
Stood Up!
At Heaton Manor we like to think we are
helping create the people who will create the
future, some of them even start while they are
still here. Liam Cartwright was recently elected
to stand on the Newcastle Youth Council and he
tells us in his own words why he stood:
Newcastle Youth Council is a youth-led organisation that aims to
make Newcastle a better place to live for all young people, and to
influence those who make decisions that impact on young people’s
lives, especially the City Council, its council members and officers.
The role of Newcastle Youth Councillors is to represent the views of
young people across the city and especially in their district. Nationally
young people are ignoring politics; the Scottish referendum was a
record breaker for how many people turned out to vote at 84.15% of
registered voters. Politics is changing at an alarming rate in current
times with the rise and fall of new parties. Now is the time to get
involved and have your voice heard.
Many public buildings and schools were polling stations. In October
the results were announced and I was elected to represent the East of
the city. Approximately 5,000 young people aged 11-18 turned out to
vote for the Youth Council elections in polling stations and online.
I feel very proud to be able to represent the East Ward of the city.
It is my intention to listen to the views of young people and what
they really want to improve about their area. Key issues for us are to
improve transport links and prices and access to sport out of school
hours. Young people are also very concerned about bullying and how
to eradicate this problem on a national scale.
10
“I decided to stand for
election because I was
already interested in
politics and was tired
of young people’s
views being thought
of as inferior and
wanted to help make
a positive change in
Newcastle so I decided
to stand for election
along with over 50
other candidates.”
Best
of the
Get Reece Benefits
Engineers are much sought after
all over the world and six Heaton
Manor students recently won
six out of 25 available Reece
Foundation scholarships.
Based in Wylam, the Reece Foundation aims to
encourage the study of engineering.
Reece Scholarships are awarded to encourage
pupils to enter a career in the areas of Science,
Technology, Maths and especially Engineering
(known as STEM subjects). 25 were available this
year to secondary schools in Newcastle.
Each successful applicant
receives £1,000 throughout
their time in Year 12 and 13,
dependent on the completion
of relevant qualifications.
The competition for places in the Reece
Scholarship this year was very competitive, Heaton
Manor still managed to get 6 students enrolled
which is a tremendous achievement.
The 6 students are Alasdair Bullen, Josh Reid, Ross
Straughan, Nicolas Sparagano, Callum Whitehall
and Tegan Younger who is the first female student
to be enrolled from Heaton Manor School.
Each student will be assigned to a local
engineering company to complete a project based
on an existing problem.
11
Hogwarts
or Heaton
Manor?
Our recent work with our feeder primary schools
meant you would have been excused for
mistaking Heaton Manor’s Science Department
for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry.
To help support the delivery of Cragside Primary School’s
‘Potions’ topic, 60 Year 5 students visited Heaton Manor
to get hands on experience of chemical reactions normally
reserved for their secondary school counterparts.
During the interactive session, the students explored
the differences between dissolving and reacting, before
being treated to reactions that gave a more ‘explosive’
demonstration of the signs of a chemical reaction.
It was a real pleasure to assist one of our feeder schools
and especially rewarding to overhear one student comment
to her teacher, ‘that was even better than Beamish’.
CentrePoint Sleepover
In November 23 Sixth Form students held a
sleepover in the sports hall raising money for
the homeless charity Centrepoint.
Centrepoint is the UK’s leading charity
for youth homelessness, providing a warm
and safe place for over 1,000 homeless young
people every year, along with specialist
support to help them turn their lives around.
This includes individual guidance, learning
teams, health teams and mentors to provide
everything from counselling or workshops
to bursaries. Equipped with only a sleeping
bag and a torch (and no central heating)
the event raised students’ awareness about
homelessness and the difficult situations faced by young people
their age who are at risk of becoming homeless.
After a brief Health and Safety announcement, the excitement
of cardboard took over and some prolific den building ensued.
12
The students spent the
evening playing board games,
a group game of splat (staff
included) and enjoyed watching the
classic sleepover movie ‘Mean Girls’,
which was projected onto the wall.
Lights out arrived at 3.00 am,and some
of the students managed some sleep.
Thank you to all students
and staff who took part
in what was a really
successful event,
raising almost £100
for Centrepoint.
Training with
British Airways
An award to help students learn Spanish is being
launched in partnership with global airline British
Airways. The British Airways Language Flag
Award promotes confidence in speaking and links
languages at school with the world of work. The Spanish department will be launching the Language Flag Award in
January 2015 to our current Year 9 students. The aim of the award is to
increase spontaneous language and develop confidence in spoken Spanish.
If you are successful, you will be awarded a badge in the language in which you have
passed your test and a certificate. There are other prizes and other incentives available
to you, even a trophy for our school.
Not all schools offer this award and it is something of value that you can put in your
Record of Achievement and on your CV. Remember the world is getting smaller and
you will need to make yourself stand out from everyone else. This is a great
qualification that could set you apart from the rest.
The scheme is based on the British Airways Language Flag Test that all British Airways
Cabin Crew Staff had to pass (this was A level standard) – you can even see which
languages they are proficient in as they have a small flag of the language(s) they speak
on their name badges; have a look the next time you fly.
Initially the award will be launched with 20 Year 9 students as the teaching and support
will take place
after school in a ‘7’
activity, but if you are
interested, please see
Miss Reay in L3.
13
Doping and
Plasticised
Corpses
All in a Day’s PE
A group of HM PE students (A-level and GCSE)
recently enjoyed the opportunity to further develop
their biochemistry and anatomy knowledge during
a visit to the Centre for Life in Newcastle. Students
took part in a Drugs in Sport workshop where they gained
hands on experience in procedures laboratories would use
to test for nandrolone, a banned anabolic steroid.
Students also visited the world-famous Body Worlds exhibition that was on show at Life.
This is an exhibition of real human bodies preserved through a process called Plastination, developed by Dr. Gunther
von Hagens. The exhibition has been seen by
40 million people worldwide in over 85 cities.
The exhibition contained real
human specimens, including
whole body plastinates as well as
individual organs, configurations
and transparent body slices.
Mr Underhay said “The exhibition helped
our students to gain a rare insight into the
anatomy and physiology of the human body.
The bodies were displayed in a way that clearly
showed the complexity of the muscles and skeletal
system in action, which helped our students
understand the sporting movements we study
in GCSE and A-Level.”
14
HM =
Henry
Moore
Year 12 Art Trip to the
Yorkshire Sculpture Park,
West Bretton, Wakefield
The only one of its kind, Yorkshire
Sculpture Park is an international centre
for modern and contemporary art,
experienced and enjoyed by thousands
of visitors every year.
The Art Department organised a Year 12 trip and the students explored open-air
displays by some of the world’s finest artists and enjoyed fascinating exhibitions
throughout four stunning galleries. They were also inspired by the natural beauty
of an historic estate on what was luckily a beautiful warm autumn day.
Work by leading artists both past and present were spread across acres of beautiful
scenery. The most eminent international sculptors such as, Barbara Hepworth,
Henry Moore, Elizabeth Frink and Antony Gormely have permanent work on display
as well as contemporary artists not necessarily known for sculpture were exhibiting
temporary projects.
‘Inspiring!’
Andrew Fong
‘Unexpected and unique. A great
opportunity to get really close to
famous sculptures.’
Aftab Ahmed
15
HM
Students
up to
the
World
Challenge
During the first two weeks of July
students from Year 12 embarked
on a World Challenge expedition
around Thailand with Mr Attrill
and Miss Jensen.
16
With fears of leaches, mosquitos and
poisonous snakes heavy on their minds
the youngsters took to the skies and 18
hours later arrived in bustling Bangkok.
The challengers had to work as a team
to navigate through the busy streets of
Bangkok, negotiating with locals to find
transport, food and accommodation for
their team.
After travelling by TukTuk, visiting the
Grand Palace and sampling the culinary
delights of Bangkok morale was high
and jobs were delegated as the
challengers embarked on their project
and trek phases. World challenger
Oscar Clarke recalls:
“During the project phase we helped a local orphanage and church to create an organic garden
for the children to plant vegetables in. We also played football and sports with the local children
and we were introduced to the Thai national sport of Taka which was great fun!
During our trekking phase we hiked and camped across the first ever National
Park in Thailand called Khao Yai. This was a fantastic experience because we saw species we had never
before encountered in England. The highlights included Hornbill’s swooping between the trees above our
heads, gibbon monkeys, spiders as large as your hand and bloodsucking leeches!”
With blistered feet, leech and mosquito bites (for some!) and a sense of accomplishment for all, the challengers made their way
to the idyllic shores of Thailand for the rest and relaxation section of their expedition. One group headed for the isolated
shores of Ko Samed Island whilst the other group headed down the coast to trek with elephants in Hua Hin.
The trip ended on a high note with all challengers making it safely back to the airport with enough time to share stories and
experiences gained before the long journey back home. Oscar comments on the skills he developed during the expedition;
“The biggest lessons I have learned from my
experience are how to work as a team under
stressful conditions as well as overcoming
problems collectively so that everyone
could have an amazing time.”
All about
World Challenge is the leading provider of life-changing
school expeditions.World Challenge expeditions are designed
to develop important life skills, helping students to:
• Hone teamwork and leadership skills • Gain confidence and self-esteem • Become more globally aware • Enhance employment prospects
17
Commemorations
of WWI at HM
Nothing brings history to life than
experiencing it first hand. In this
centenary year, HM students visited
the WWI battlefields in France and
Belgium and made ‘Oh! What a lovely
war’ our school production.
A Trip to Remember
by Robert Hudson.
Before the October holidays, some Year 10 and 11 students
visited the WW1 battlefields of Belgium and France.
During the trip, we visited many memorials, museums and
cemeteries to gather a balanced view of the war.
One site which particularly sticks in my memory is the
Menin Gate. The gate itself is a huge structure containing
the names of 54,896 soldiers whose bodies were never
found, but more interestingly is the Last Post ceremony
which takes place there. Every night at 8 o’ clock, the
traffic going through the gate is stopped and the Last
Post is played by a bugler. This ceremony has been going
on every night since 1927, only stopped during the Nazi
occupation of Belgium. I think this is an excellent idea for
memorial, and the fact it draws such large crowds each
night show how much remembrance means for the people
of Ypres.
The first cemetery we visited was the British cemetery
called Tyne Cot. None of us quite expected the huge
scale of the cemetery, and the sheer number of graves
which were there. It had a sombre atmosphere and it was
harrowing knowing that all these men had given their lives
in service of their country.
The final cemetery we visited was the German Neuville
St Vaast. This cemetery was even larger than Tyne Cot
and Notre Dame De Lorette, and seeing it highlighted to
us the immense numbers of men who went through
so much pain and suffering to save their country. The
cemeteries were really reflective places, making you
think about the horrors of war, and what you could
do to stop it.
The trip as a whole opened our eyes to the shocking
scale of WW1, which we could never imagine beforehand. It has given me a whole new perspective on the
war, showing me the outstanding courage and sacrifice
those men, and all soldiers, make and the importance
of remembrance and prevention of wars.
18
Performing the Past.
Oh!
What a
Lovely
War
In November, the centenary of the Great War, the Performing Arts
Faculty staged an exceptional performance Theatre Workshop’s
‘Oh! What A Lovely War’. It is a piece of theatre that summarises
and comments on the events of World War One using popular songs
of the time, to criticise the manner in which the eventual victory
was won and the department felt it the perfect piece of theatre to
commemorate the soldiers and civilians that died for our freedom.
Open auditions for the show were held in September and the cast was
chosen from all year groups. The production was a truly ensemble piece
of theatre with no student taking a lead role but all sharing the limelight
equally. The students delivered this challenging text with professionalism,
flair and understanding. It’s nuances were conveyed to the audience and
the cast did a stunning job.
The production was exceptionally well directed and choreographed, with a live
band accompanying the dancers and the best lighting an technical support
available. Audience members commented on how the piece reminded them
of how horrific the war was and brought back emotions of sadness.
Involvement and commitment came from across the school community to
make it one of our most successful performances to date. We hope you can
attend the next one.
“When you go Home,
tell them of us and say,
For your Tomorrow, we
gave our Today”
John Maxwell Edmunds, 1916
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Sports Update
Trampoline
Year 8 pupil Ellie Clark has again been
very successful in the Sainsbury’s
School Games Trampoline series.
From October to December
Ellie won the Level 2 (city level)
intermediate U14 competition and
finished 3rd in both the County
and Regional level competitions.
Ellie will now have an amazing
trip to Belfast to represent the
North East of England at the
British Schools Championships.
Biathlon
In September Ailish Gregory (Year 9) travelled to
Barnard Castle to compete in the Teesside Biathlon
Time Trial. The time trial was made up of a 200m
swim and a 1500m run, times from these two
disciplines were converted into points and added
together to give an overall score for the event. Ailish
performed exceptionally well in what was her first
ever Biathlon, finishing in 2nd place in her category
(U15 girls). Ailish’s score has been put together with
girls from time trials from all across the UK. Ailish
ranked 21st and as a result will now compete at the
British Schools Biathlon finals at the Olympic park
in London in March.
Squash Champion and Award Winner
Dan Wareing scooped the coveted John
Dale Trophy at the Northumberland
County Junior Squash Championships,
where he was also won the Boys U19
County title.
Dan was a hugely popular choice to follow
in the footsteps of the most celebrated
junior players in the North East. In only its
fifth year, the John Dale Trophy has become
a cherished tradition at this annual junior
showpiece tournament, named after, and in
honour of, the late John Dale, professional
squash player from Tynemouth.
Selected by the top junior coaches in the
region, the award is made in recognition of
an outstanding contribution to the sport,
both in terms of playing ability, and to reflect
how players conduct themselves on and off
the court.
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County chairman Dave Barnett, who
presented the trophy, confirmed why Wareing
had been the stand-out choice this year.
“Dan is the perfect example to those juniors
who will follow him,” said Barnett. “When
he plays he is a pleasure to watch, smooth
swing and movement, which for me is the
way squash is supposed to be.
longside his playing skills he carries
A
himself superbly, never argues, never
shows anger or misbehaves even when
things are not going his way.
e just has a quiet but passionate
H
determination that has pushed him. He
has represented the county at all junior
ages and this being his last year as a
junior it was fitting he won the Under 19
title and of course the well deserved John
Dale award – well done Dan.”
Indoor Athletics
This half term the girls have had success at the Newcastle City
Indoor Athletics Competitions. Our Intermediate girls (Year
9/10) won their competition, the Year 7 girls came 2nd and the
Year 8’s came 3rd. The Inters and Year 7’s will now represent
Newcastle at the county level competition in early 2015.
As a result of the team’s success, Abigail Robertson, Amy Smith
(both Year 8), Beth Leckie, Holly Matheson (both Year 10) and
Lori Lant (Year 9) have been selected to represent Newcastle in
the ‘All Star’ style competition. This competition has the same
format, individual track and field event which go towards the
team total, County, Regional and then National rounds.
Cross Country
In early December we had a number of
pupils representing Heaton Manor at
the Newcastle Schools Cross Country
Championships. Against some high
quality competitions we had some
good individual success. Most notably
was Holly Matheson (Year 10) who
won her 3.5km race by almost 1
minute. Holly gave arguably the best
performance of the day with her run
and will have lots of confidence when
she represents Newcastle at the
county competition in January 2015.
Lewis Kelly (Year 8) and Ailish Gregory
(Year 9) will also be at the county
championships while Ellen Matheson
and Maya Lant (both Year 7) have
to wait to see if they have made the
team after finishing finishing 13th
and 14th respectively.
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Heaton Manor School
Jesmond Park West,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE7 7DP
Tel: +44 (0)191 281 8486
Fax: +44 (0)191 281 0381
[email protected]
www.heatonmanor.net
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N e v e r
S t o p
L e a r n i n g