In Pursuit Autumn 2009

Also in this Issue:Also in this Issue:Also in this Issue:Also in this Issue:Also in this Issue:Also in this Issue:Also in this Issue:Also in this Issue: Exchange Trip to India ● Meet the new staff ● Year 7s get some ELP Exchange Trip to India ● Meet the new staff ● Year 7s get some ELP

Spotlight on the ICT Department ● Community Cohesion Day Spotlight on the ICT Department ● Community Cohesion Day

In PursuitIn PursuitIn PursuitIn Pursuit Autumn 2009Autumn 2009Autumn 2009Autumn 2009

CWLC 2

EditorEditorEditorEditor Rachael Stevens Deputy EditorsDeputy EditorsDeputy EditorsDeputy Editors Clare Marsh

Liane Webber

With thanks to:With thanks to:With thanks to:With thanks to:

Student Contributors:Student Contributors:Student Contributors:Student Contributors:

And a big thank you to our Reprographics Department. Would YOU like to contribute to the next issue of In Pursuit? If you have an interesting article in mind or if you would like to write about a house or subject event, please let us know! Contact us via email: [email protected]

This issue was brought to you by…This issue was brought to you by…This issue was brought to you by…This issue was brought to you by…

Sticks and Stones There are some stupid “clichés” that permeate the Eng-lish language. “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”, is perhaps the most ri-diculous. Names, name calling and nastiness can clearly hurt and damage people and is bullying. Cyber bullying, as it is perhaps glamorously called, is the domain of faceless cowards. In the last month:

• An eighteen year old Worcestershire student was

jailed for threats made on Facebook,

• A girl was jailed for holding the camera in a “happy

slapping” case, Police forces have online consultants to monitor online be-haviour. Bullying is bullying and doing it via new technology will not be accepted, needs to be challenged and should be monitored.

“Whatever!” Language is important and tells you a lot about a person. “Whatever”, “anyway” and “you know” are three phrases made popular in American teen movies such as “Clueless” and have now been accepted as part of teenage British culture. It is therefore encouraging that, in a major survey of all ages, these phrases have been voted as the most annoying and the most likely to cause offence with the perception of a lack of intelligence. Therefore, “at the end of the day” you “only get one life” and “you need to be on the ball” with your use of lan-guage! But be careful not to mix your metaphors. As Stuart Pearce once wisely said: “I can now see the carrot at the end of the tunnel”.

Neil S MorrisNeil S MorrisNeil S MorrisNeil S Morris

Headteacher

The CWLC party were visiting the Dr Kalmadi Shamarao High School as part of the Dream Teams programme con-ducted by the British Council. They stayed with the families of the students of the school under the cultural exchange programme. Within a week, the students from both countries became good friends and promised to visit each other again. “It was a wonderful experience, which I cannot put in words. I was really touched by the hospitality of the Indians,” said Mrs Evans. Emily Knights said, “I loved the country. The food and the clothes are wonderful.” Rebecca Morris too was enchanted with the warmth, friendly people, the food and the clothes. “I loved the clothes and the jewellery and I’m taking back clothes for my mum and myself and jewellery for my friends.” James ** said, “The classes here are noisy as the students seem vibrant and excited. I would like to come back to India once I am grown up and travel across the country.” However, he was afraid of the traffic. He said, “It’s very scary on the road as the vehicles zoom past you from all angles!”

The seven students were

Read more about their amazing trip to India on page 3, which features excerpts from the students’ blogs, posted during their stay. The full blog entries are on the MFL blog on the school Intranet.

Welcome home... to our seven intrepid Y10 & 11 travellers who, with Mr Inman and Mrs Evans, enjoyed the trip of a lifetime on their exchange visit in November.

New for 2010... Filmclub is coming to CWLC!

Cinema-style film showings in the Performing

Arts Studio...yes that includes popcorn!

Look out for more info in the LRC.

Autumn 2009 In PursuiAutumn 2009 In PursuiAutumn 2009 In PursuiAutumn 2009 In Pursuitttt

3 CWLC

’Plane food really

is as bad as people

make it out to be, espe-

cially the breakfasts: a

strange chickpea and tomato wrap for

breakfast, but the sights of Dubai from

the sky gave me a view I will never for-

get. After landing at a very hot Mumbai

Airport and being screened for swine flu,

we drove to Pune. It took four hours,

with sights of slums, then sights of the

country side and even wild monkeys.

Then I met my host family and had a

much- needed sleep.

On Sunday I had a breakfast of spicy

rice: it tasted strange to say the least! I

Hello from India!Hello from India!Hello from India!Hello from India! Haven't played cricket yet, unfortu-nately, but will soon. Yesterday we went to the mountain that had a massive fort on top, it was very warm and Katie and Becca were very tired by the time we got to the top (lazy!) The moun-tain is important to the people that live by it because the king that lived there hundreds of years back freed the people from the moghuls. When we got to the top there were a lot of police around because the day we went was the day the king freed the people; in fact a couple of

police jumped onto the bus to hitch a ride to the top instead of walking. On the way back we then stopped off at a market town where you could buy things from cricket bats to the national shoe design and all for under 10 pounds. We were all told we had to meet back at 4 but Mrs Evans and the girls got back at 4:15! For afternoon tea we went to the local strawberry farm. Pity I don’t like strawberries. Speak to you soon,

went to the National

Cadet Corps training

ground, then to a local

park where they had an

Italian plane from World

War 2. Then we drove

out to the country, where I saw typical

Indian villages which were very small,

some with straw huts! We drove a little

further to a plot of land that they own

and where they plan to build a house. I

spoke to a local farmer whose dream it

was to speak with an English person.

Then we went pedal-boating and on a

speed boat. I think that's why I have so

many mosquito bites!

Hi Everyone!

DollyDollyDollyDolly

Today we are at school: we have

just had a music lesson where the

students sang some traditional In-

dian classical songs. They were

amazing. Later we are having a tour

of the entire school. Then we are

going back to our hosts until 5pm.

From there we are having dinner

with the daughter-in-law of the

founder of the school we are at.

My host is called Eshan; he’s so

funny, he is always smiling and he

gets on very well with Mr. Inman.

His dad is the Chief Executive Of-

ficer of Hyundai motors and his

mum is a computer ad-

ministrator. The house

is very nice; it has a

fantastic atmosphere.

The food is very spicy

as Dolly found out when he ordered

a chow mein in a restauraunt and it

came with chillies! His face was a

picture as he dived for his water! I

ordered the same and it was so mild

so I couldn’t see what the fuss was

for! We also went shopping and I

bought a pair of sun glasses for 150

rupees which is about £2 in England.

James

Rosie


CWLC 4

Spotlight on… The ICT Support Department

Allan Statham Network manager

What job did you do before you joined CWLC ? I spent 32 years working as a Sen-ior Principal De-sign Engineer for a

multi-national telecommunications company; manag-ing a large department of software developers. How would you describe your average day as net-work manager? Hectic!! My schedule seldom goes to plan, but it makes the job more interesting –I enjoy the variety and the challenges of problem solving. What is your favourite aspect of the job? I like to stay up-to-date when it comes to new technologies – keeping an eye on the market helps me to introduce the right kinds of media and software for the school. Least favourite? Not always being able to maximise the use of these new technologies in working practices –time is always an obstacle. Are there any new developments in ICT com-ing up in 2010? Work has already started on installing a state-of –the-art signage system in the P.E block. Eventually the system will be installed in the reception areas, allowing us to electronically display school information and show satellite broad-casts of events such as the 2012 Olympics. We will also have some useful new additions to the school system – such as Moodle – our new Virtual Learning Environment., and a new more sophisticated staff emailing system.

The ICT support department has existed for approximately 10 years. In the early days it con-sisted of one part time technician directly report-ing to the head of ICT. It now has three full time staff: Allan Statham as Systems Manager and two technicians, Lee Statham and Jon Shaw. When Allan joined in 2001, there were only two computer rooms and a small number of com-puters spread around the school. Today we have 6 fully equipped computer rooms, an LRC computer facility and many other satellite rooms. Not only do we have a huge amount of computers, we also have an ever increasing number of sophisticated ICT sup-port equipment. We are in an era of huge technological en-hancements which has been reflected in the range and complexity of both hardware and software intro-duced into the school, over the past few years. One consequence of this was the need for highly skilled support staff with the knowledge of a whole range of

technical disciplines. Allan has a HND in Electronics and is a fully qualified electrician. Lee Statham has a AVCE in ICT, and Jon.Shaw has a degree in Computer Science. As you can imagine, the demand for their services has increased dramatically, which was one of the reasons the de-partment developed and introduced an electronic work request database which replaced an antiquated paper method. This was closely followed by an electronic computer room booking system. Rather than list all the activities that the department is responsible for, if it’s ICT or computer technology related, they will be involved! There is no doubt that the future will result in many more technical developments and as a department, ICT will help to introduce and support such developments for the bene-fit of all. For more information, visit the ICT Support website from the link on the main school website. The ICT support department is intending to develop their website to provide as much information as possible to all their users.

Lee Statham ICT technician Describe your job... I’m part of the team responsible for maintaining the school net-work, making sure that students and staff have a fully functioning ICT environment. How long have you been an ICT technician at CWLC? Has your job changed since you started? I’ve been at the school for five years and in that time have seen how IT requirements have increased as ICT has developed into a core subject. As a department we are now a lot busier! What do you like most about working at CWLC? It’s a very varied job and no two days are ever the same. I like the lively school environment and the idea that what we do as techni-cians makes a difference to the smooth running of the school system and IT facilities.

What would you change? I’d like to have more hours in the day!!

Jon Shaw ICT technician What job did you do before this one? I was at University in Wolverhampton, studying Computer Science. What are the key aspects of your job? A range of different things; from fixing com-puter equipment to installing software and operating systems. I also help to keep a record of the ICT equipment and help staff with laptop installations and repairs.

What would make your job easier? More space in our office would be great! It’s never an easy job maintaining a school network and all the equipment we have here, but we do get there! What do you like the most about working at CWLC? Working as part of a team and staff at the school are friendly and

supportive.


5 CWLC

How much does your chain weigh and how much is it worth? I don’t know its real value. It weighs a little over a kilogram – so in old measures that is more than 2 pounds and gold is about £800 an ounce. Then there are the seven diamonds. Of course the raw cost is only a fraction of its value which in-cludes its history. What are the best bit of being the Mayor of Worcester? I love it when Worcester people visit me at the Guildhall and find out new things about Worcester. Few local people know about the 4,900 names on our role of honour from WW1, or that Charles Stewart was first recognised as King Charles II by the mayor of Worcester on the steps of the Guildhall, or that the last cavalry charge in England was along our High Street etc. etc. Are there any worst bits? Sometimes protocol means that I have to meet someone ‘important’ rather than take part in something I would really enjoy. What other jobs have you had? I was a firefighter. I ended up as the Assistant Chief of Here-ford and Worcester Fire Brigade What do you think of CWLC nowadays? I love the atmosphere particularly the urgency and eagerness. Have you met any celebrities? If so, who? I have met members of Royalty, a president of an interna-tional company and all sorts of other visitors. Among my favourites have been local people such as pottery expert Henry Sandon and his wife Barbara. I also met some of the stars of “Hollyoaks”. I’ve never seen it actually, but they were all very nice! What did you first study for at school? To be honest I didn’t ‘study’ anything - that came later. I just liked being there and played a lot of rugby. After I had left I buckled down and got the essential O levels (maths, English, English Lit. etc) and I did an A level in psychology then professional exams. Who was your childhood role model? I had older brothers and suppose I was influenced by enter-tainers – the Beatles etc. Do you follow a sports team, if so which sport and which team? I love the home rugby internationals. I have to support Eng-land but the Welsh team and its supporters are wonderful. What was your favourite subject when you were at school? Other than sport and art I liked English literature. I remember enjoying (not studying) Julius Caesar and bits still come to mind when I get involved in local politics: “Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look…”

(Does this win the prize for cheesiest headline ever?!)


CWLC 6

What school did you work at

before CWLC?

I was at Cleeve school just outside Cheltenham, and also Tewkesbury school

Tell us something about yourself

that we wouldn’t know just by

looking?

That I leapt off a cliff top and paraglided over Lake Bohinj in Slovenia.

Where is your favourite holiday destination?

The most interesting place I have been (so far) is the floating reed islands of Lake

Titicaca in Peru. Who is your hero/heroine?

Pinky and the Brain What is your favourite film?

The Green Mile What is your favourite biscuit?

A milk chocolate biscuits…mmm Do you have any pets? What are their names?

Mr. Sid the hamster What has been your proudest moment?

Surviving the Inca trail and reaching 4700m at Dead Woman’s Pass

What was your favourite book when you were little?

The Depford Mice


before CWLC?

I was training last year, therefore I was placed in a variety of school in Birmingham.

Have you had any jobs before teaching? What were they?

Teaching fencing to student from the age of 7 to 16 in Spain; Working as a sales assistant at the Bear Factory (now called Build a Bear); Cashier at Lloyds TSB; Cash-ier at Masters Pharmacy…..there are sooo many part-time jobs!! All the money was spent on my first car! Vauxhall Corsa…..I miss it! What is your dream job (not teaching)?

To be a film director!! Tell us something about yourself that we wouldn’t know just

by looking?

I am currently training to become a professional para-glider in Turkey. Where is your favourite holiday destination?

India Who is your hero?

My dad!! What is your favourite film?

My cousin Vinny! What is your favourite biscuit?

Chocolate digestives…YUMMY!!!!

Miss Duda ICT


before CWLC? Hall Green secondary school in Birmingham for 11 years Have you had any jobs before

teaching? What were they? I worked as a nanny in Switzerland for 4 months; and as a pastry chef for 4 years after completing my catering course.

What is your dream job (not

teaching)?

A vet maybe! Tell us something about yourself


looking? I have done two parachute jumps; I

have walked to the top of Ayres Rock in Australia and climbed glaciers in New Zealand Where is your favourite holiday destination? I took my children to Disney Land, Florida and it was such a lovely place and I enjoyed seeing them so happy Who is your hero/heroine? My dad was my hero – he died when I was quite young but he was always kind, happy and gave me great advice What is your favourite film? Disney films – Toy Story, Shrek, Lion King What is your favourite biscuit? Chocolate always – you can’t have enough!

Miss Southall D&T Food

Miss Houldey MFL

Mrs Morris D&T Food

What school did you work at before

CWLC?

NQT- Trained at Blessed Edward Oldcorne in Worcestesr and Dene Magna school (Gloucestershire)

Have you had any jobs before teaching? What were they?

I used to work at Morgan Motor company in Malvern What is your dream job (not teaching)?

I would love to be Fernando Torres’ (or Rafael Nadal!!) personal Spanish / English Interpreter. Can you guess which team I support?! Tell us something about yourself that we wouldn’t know just by

looking? I can say the phonetic alphabet really quickly and I play the piano Where is your favourite holiday

destination?

I would love to travel to South America Who is your hero/heroine?

My best friend who just gave birth to a beautiful little girl and did not scream the house down! What is your favourite film?

Anything with Leonardo Di Caprio What is your favourite biscuit?

I’m quite partial to a custard cream (or 2,3,4 …) Willkommen!

Willkommen!

Willkommen!

Willkommen! Velkommen! Shalom! Bienvenue! Coeso! Welkom! Benvenuti! Witajcie! Bemvindo!


7 CWLC

Have you had any jobs before

teaching? What were they?

Loads of jobs! As a sixth former I worked in McDon-ald’s, then Argos, then I moved to Spain to teach English, then I was a restaurant manager! What is your dream job (not

teaching)?

Commander of a space shuttle! Who is your hero/heroine?

My mum! What is your favourite film?

Finding Nemo What type of music do you like?

I’m like a magpie – if the tune is good, I’ll bop along to anything. Have you ever met anyone important or famous?

The Queen walked past my house the other week, does that count? Do you have any hobbies or interests?

I enjoy going to the gym for stress-release, travelling, socialising What has been your proudest moment?

Finally becoming a teacher – many years, of blood, sweat and tears to get where I am today. What was your favourite book when you were

little?

Fantastic Mr Fox and I’m sooo pleased they’ve made it into a film!


before CWLC?

Nunnery Wood High School, and prior to that Tenbury High School

What is your dream job (not teaching)?

Anything glamorous! I would love to be “Trinny and Susannah” or “Gok Wan”… Tell us something about yourself that we

wouldn’t know just by looking?

I was born and grew up in Durban, South Africa, but moved to England at the end of 1992. Where is your favourite holiday destination?

As I have small children…anywhere that is child friendly! As long as my chil-dren are happy, then I know we will all have a good holiday! Who is your hero/heroine?

I am much more touched by small acts of “heroism”, i.e. when people help each other in small but signifi-cant ways…so I can’t think of one hero, sorry! What is your favourite film?

I love “Out of Africa”, not just because I was born there, but because I think it is such a beautiful film, made even more special by the fact that it is based on someone’s life story. What is your favourite biscuit?

Custard Creams! I avoid buying them as I struggle to stop at one…(or two, or three…)

What school did you work at before

CWLC?

I taught performing arts in a college for visually impaired young adults in Harrogate, Yorkshire. I then went

on to do my teacher training in Liverpool so I was based in two schools in the city centre of Liverpool. Have you had any jobs before teaching? What were they?

I did some part time bar work and I worked in a ladies clothes shop during the holidays whilst at University. What is your dream job (not teaching)?

I would like to be a travel writer and get paid for traveling the world or a food connoisseur. Tell us something about yourself that we wouldn’t know just by

looking?

I am only 26, despite Mr Ricketts saying that I look sig-nificantly older!! Where is your favourite holiday desti-

nation?

A Greek island called Skiathos. Who is your hero/heroine?

It sounds cheesy but probably my mum! What is your favourite biscuit?

Mrs Thomas Maths

Mr Darnell MFL

Miss Fordham Dance


before CWLC?

Haygrove school in Bridgwater, Somerset Have you had any jobs before

teaching? What were they?

Admin assistant & Waitress What is your dream job (not teaching)?

A hotel critic where I get to spend time in luxury hotels & get paid for it & travel Tell us something about yourself


looking?

I secretly watch Top Gear! Where is your favourite holiday

destination?

Croatia & Bosnia Who are your heroes/heroines?

My grandfather, father & Mum What is your favourite film?

Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Period dramas What is your favourite biscuit?

Chocolate hob nobs

Miss Monger History

Willk

ommen!

Willk

ommen!

Willk

ommen!

Willk

ommen! Velkom

men! S

halom! B

ienvenue! C

oeso! W

elkom! B

envenuti! W

itajcie! Bemvindo!


CWLC 8

Community cohesion day The day started off with a talk from the West Worcester live at home scheme manager. We were told about the work that this charity does within our community; offering exercise classes that seem very simple and basic to us, yet challenge the elderly, and help to keep them active and healthy. Then members of the house were set with challenges that old people face on a day to day basis, from filling out a form with your eye sight implemented, to just reach some thing off a high shelf in the supermarket from a wheelchair. We finished off by presenting them with a selection of food gifts that we had collected over the past few weeks. We all then made our way over to the sports centre, where we all took part in an aerobic class led by Mrs Glass. Some of the house really got into it, others found it a bit more of a struggle to start with, but by the end of the session everybody was taking part.

The textile department has a super new piece of equipment thanks to FLOSS Fund-ing. Last summer 3 Y11 students were involved in bidding for money to buy a ther-mofax machine which produces screens for printing. Sammi Robbins, Evie Poole and Ruby Reynolds were interviewed by a panel from the FLOSS team and in July we found out that they had been successful in getting £1606.69 to buy the machine and textiles

“As one of the younger students I found this a bit tricky as I had never done anything like this before. The senior girls helped us a lot and we were really happy with the results. After we had done the sewing we each chose a letter from the words ‘St John’s Li-brary’ and a photo of St Johns, printed each on fabric paper and ironed them on a new piece of cotton. This was then sewn on the quilt. Lots of people came to see us at work and took photographs: Neal from the library, Natalie from the County Council and Mrs Bunn. We were so proud of what we had achieved in just 6 hours.”

Jordan Webb 8PLJH

materials. With the help of Karen Arnott in the finance office the thermofax machine got here from Germany (thanks Guenther Panther)! Just in time for students to use it for the St. John’s Li-brary project on Community Cohesion Day. 15 Pankhurst students spent the day creating amazing textile panels for the new library which opens in May 2010. Sammi Robbins, Kayte McLeod and Sophie Machin were involved in planning the work with Neil Alder-son from the library and Mrs Hawker. The girls took photographs of St. John’s which were transferred on to individual patchworked, quilted, printed and embroidered panels. As a result of that day, the students were also asked to choose furniture and paint colours for the young peoples’ area in the new library. The FLOSS project ‘Altered Images’ will carry on in the new year.

Mrs J Hawker

AlterEd Images

Our next ses-sion, was a talk from the animal rescue cen-tre based on the road out to Malvern. He brought in two of his own dogs, who we all got to stroke and some even got to scan the dogs for their micro chips, which is a legal requirement for a dog to have. At the end we presented a selection of dog foods and treats from money that we had raised through our penny pot collections. In the afternoon we all went out to the front Astroturf to use the Oakerwood inflatables. For many people this was the best part of the day, as not only was it fun, it helped us all recognise the funda-mental point of the day; community. Everybody was supporting each other in their teams, cheering each other on and the commu-nity spirit really shone through.

We had a great day with something to challenge our

minds as well as our bodies. We worked as a community and

would like to thank all the people that worked hard to make the

day such a success.

Mrs Jeynes


9 CWLC

The day started off well with all students (though not all staff) coming prepared for October weather conditions. The staff were also overjoyed to don their fluo-rescent jackets and whistles in case of emergency. Everyone boarded the coaches and made the short journey to Malvern. The adventure started on North Hill with all students making the arduous trip up the hill face. Once at the top a chance was given to catch a breath before scaling the Worcestershire Beacon, a hill whose sum-mit at 425 m (1,395 ft) is the highest point of the range of Malvern Hills. On the walk to the peak we passed through clouds and were bathed in sunshine when we stopped at the crest.

The Giving Nation ChallengeThe Giving Nation Challenge

Brunel student leaders are responsible (amongst other things) for charitable giving and raising awareness of charity. Over the coming year they will be filling in an online diary of all the charitable giving that is going on in our school. The eventual outcome is a whole school Giving Nation Award and the chance to win visit to countries and people in the developing world to see what our charity work has achieved. BGM started the ball rolling with the Christmas shoe box appeal (see photo), followed by the other learning mentor groups. We have also collected money for local charities by walking the Malvern hills and completing a litter pick for the local community raising an impressive £490 so far.

Curie and Brunel Trip to Malvern Hills

The walk took us through the Wyche Cutting, where thankfully there was a toilet, and beyond. A moment was taken to enjoy the surroundings and have a light lunch before press-ing on with our journey. The rolling hills were passing us by as we continued to chew up hills and valleys on our quest. Eventually we arrived at British Camp, an Iron Age Hill fort dating from circa 200 BC. It covers 32 acres of the Here-fordshire beacon. Popular legend has it that the British chiefton Caractacus was captured by the Romans at British camp. The Herefordshire Beacon is 338 metres high. Running along the ridge from British Camp is the 13th century Red Earl's Dyke, which was a shire ditch built by the Earl of Gloucester. This was a steep walk but the views were worth it. Eve-ryone made the journey back down to the coaches and a chance to rest their weary legs. All students behaved excep-tionally well and were a credit to themselves, the houses and to Christopher Whitehead.

Mr Hunt

Brunel goes Brunel goes greengreen While one half of Brunel were galloping over the Malverns, the other half had the dubious honour of improving our local environment by taking part in a sustainable education day and litter pick. The day started with two workshops based on environmental issues, and how our actions locally can have an impact on a global scale. Later in the day students had the chance to explore the university, just before donning high-vis jackets, collecting a Mr Morris-style litter picker and cleaning up Pitchcroft and the surrounding area. Improving the image of Brunel and CWLC students in the local community, proving that you are not all hoody-wearing thugs was one of our main aims. The positive press coverage we received helped us promote CWLC students as community-minded, thoughtful individuals. Well done to all involved: at the first count the amount of money raised for local charities is £490, another excellent achievement.


CWLC 10

Success for Shakespeare’s community day From mud to water to a fabulous day, Shake-speare had the best day. Team = Together, Every-one Achieves More. We all had a brilliant day, skills & teamwork were required in order to suc-ceed. The people that came said they enjoyed every minute of it. Puzzles & knowledge were required if we wanted to achieve higher. We made thank you cards to top barn farm, everyone be-haved and made new friends, with hope & charm, thanks to all who took part & we wish you a merry Christmas!

Noah’s Ark Run 2009 Earlier this year around 10 students and 5 teachers at-tended the Noah’s Ark Run at Worcester Countryside Centre. There was a choice of 1km, 5km and the massive 10km. Strong-willed and brave Mr. Farmer, Mr. Bridon and Mr.Harling took the most diffi-cult and chose to do the whop-ping 10km round the woods

and fields. Also Miss. Cherry was up to a challenge with the 5km run which was very hard. The Noah’s ark charity supports families who have suffered bereavement somewhere along the line. They help those people through hard times and how to cope. At the end of the run I had a splitting migraine and my lungs were on fire, but it feels good to be able to know that we helped someone. The total money we raised was close to 200 pounds. I felt good about it and I’m sure other people did too. It was a fun, phenomenal day and I’m glad the sun was there with us. They also had bouncy castles, painting pottery and the eco-café. Also you can’t forget the many stalls.

Carrie Facer-Reeves

Gymnastics Success Georgia Roberts Year 7 DCE has been crowned County Gymnas-tics Champion in the recent levels competition. Georgia trains at Worcester Gymnastics Club. As well as getting the gold medal in the overall competition she achieved a gold medal in vault and

bars, a silver on floor and a bronze on beam.

Community Cohesion Day Our aim on this day was to find activities that would promote work-ing together as a House community. 125 students went to the Herefordshire countryside to take part in a range of chal-lenging outdoor activities, team building and problem solving. (We ticked all the PLTS boxes in one day!!!). We visited 2 centres; Taste for Adventure, with a high ropes course, a bungy trampoline, archery, climbing wall, zip wire and obstacle course and Court Farm Leisure where students learnt to grass board. A number of students stayed in school and worked with Mr Henderson, moving top soil into the gardening boxes outside the LSC. They were then planted with a number of flowers and vegetables. A small group worked with Mrs Darwent making salt dough deco-rations to paint and sell to raise money for our House charity;

Noahs Ark Trust. Some students started to make a papier mache Noah’s Ark!! Everybody had a great day, meeting and working with different members of our House.

Mrs Burgess


11 CWLC

Considering the alternatives Year 10 students debate the Big Questions

In each issue of “In Pursuit”, our intrepid reporter , Mr Oak, will write

about an issue close to us, in matters historical or sentimental. This time, he looks into the traditions

that surround the Festive Season

Every year in December we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. That’s why this time of year is called Christmas – it’s when the Mass, or church service, for Christ is celebrated. Some Christmas traditions go back almost to the time of Jesus and some have been around even longer than Christianity. Holly was originally put up by people to protect their homes from evil spirits and to keep witches away. Mistletoe was first used by the Druids, the pre-Christian priests of Ancient Britain, who consid-ered it to be a sacred plant with special, magical properties. Mis-tletoe was dedicated to Branwen, the Goddess of Love, hence the tradition of kissing under it. Christmas trees are a more recent idea. They were intro-duced into Britain from Germany by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, in 1841 when he had one put in Windsor Castle. Two years later the first Christmas card was sent. It was printed for a wealthy businessman, Sir Henry Cole, who wanted to im-

press his friends with special cards wishing them “Merry Christmas”. A thousand were produced, costing one shil-ling (5p) each. Mince pies go back to Tudor times or earlier. Origi-nally made with real minced meat, they symbolise Jesus’ crib and were flavoured with three spices (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) for the Three Wise Men who visited Jesus in Bethlehem. Mince pies were banned in England between 1649 and 1660, as were Christmas pudding and Christmas decorations. Oliver Cromwell, who ruled England at the time, thought Christmas should be a fast day rather than a feast day. Christmas carols are an even older tradition, dating back to the Middle Ages. The first carols were introduced to England from France and were accompanied by dancing. The most frequently sung carol in the world, however, was actually written centuries later in German – ‘Stille Nacht’, or ‘Silent Night’. And what about Father Christmas himself? I hear you ask. He was based on a Fifth Century Turkish bishop called St Nicholas, otherwise known as Santa Claus. He was a generous man who liked giving money to the poor without them knowing about it. According to one legend St Nicholas climbed onto a poor man’s roof and dropped some gold coins down the chimney. The man’s daughter had hung her stockings up to dry by the fire and the coins landed in them, which is why Father Christmas is believed to climb down chimneys and leave presents in stockings. The earliest pictures of Father Christmas show him dressed in a fur-lined green robe. An advert for Coca-Cola in 1931 put him in a red robe, however, and that’s what he’s worn ever since. Goes nicely with Rudolph’s nose!

On Tuesday 6th October top set year 1O students visited Worces-ter Cathedral on a Religion and Science Conference. During the Conference we learnt about the Scientific, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist viewpoints that were expressed. They all explained their theories and beliefs about how the world began and developed. They were all very interesting; however I, and most other people, found the Buddhist belief most interesting, as it was very open to other people’s opinions, and I found that their beliefs were easier to understand. The panel answered all our questions well; however we did notice that none of them could fully explain how the world was created! Overall, the students found the day very interesting and highly informative

Beth Armitage

Year 7 ELPs

The CWLC Quest

The CWLC Quest was the most challenging but interesting project in

the ELP. You had to sometimes work together to find out answers

and ask around too!

There are lots of different parts of the Quest about the teachers and

about the school to find out and get you used to your surroundings.

There are also translations to do in the different languages we learn at

CWLC.

I really enjoyed all the tasks in the Quest and it helped me get used to

the school and everything that is done at CWLC. It made me feel

more confident about starting high school. I would definitely recom-

mend this ELP to all new Year 7s that start at Christopher Whitehead

next year and years to come.

Abbie Nightingale BGL

The Creative Challenge

The Creative Challenge is what it says in the name! You get to plan

and carry out your own project and you can do anything creative

from painting a picture or collage to writing a poem or story.

For my Creative Challenge I did a painting of one of the photos I

took on the walk I did for my Physical Challenge. I found it good to

have to plan it myself and not to follow set rules. I would definitely

recommend this challenge to next year’s Year 7 students.

Freya Delingpole BPG

The Physical Challenge

One of the tasks for the ELP was to complete a physical task. For this


CWLC 12

In Pursuit Autumn 2009

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