eclectics: twgsb school magazine 2013-2014

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Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys

ECLECTICS 2013-14

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Year 13 Leavers’ Day

Headteacher’s Foreword 2Head Boy’s Report 3Young Enterprise 4Mathematics 6Media Studies 10Psychology 12Oxbridge 13Philosophy and Ethics 14History 15Design & Technology 16 Electronic Products 18 Resistant Materials 19 Food and Nutrition 20 Graphic Products 21Music 22Drama 24Geography 26Art 28English 32Library 35Physical Education 36Year 12 Activities Week 39Year 7-9 Activities Week 41Year 10 and Year 12 Madrid 46Year 8 Azu’Rivage 48Year 7 Paris 50Sports Day 52

Eclectics 2013-14

Cover Artwork: Doug Wilson, 11C

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Headteacher’s ForewordWelcome to the 2013-14 edition of Eclectics. To new readers, Eclectics is our school magazine published once a year that looks back on the trips, activities, performances and sporting endeavours that filled the previous academic year. It serves as both a reminder of past challenges, triumphs and successes as well as, we hope, ‘whetting the appetite’ for the years ahead.

The nature of Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys is such that each year I am fortunate to enjoy the academic successes of the students and although we are constantly striving to improve these further, it is from the achievements that you will read about in the following pages that I take the greatest satisfaction. Our school is a thriving, happy community full of young people keen to do their best and support their friends. We enjoy the successes of our colleagues and we enjoy their talents whatever they may be. The young men and women who attend the school are very special indeed and the care and compassion that they demonstrate in their charity work, primary outreach projects, student support activities and general demeanour fills me with optimism and reminds me of how fortunate I am to hold the position I do.

In the reports that follow you will read about a wide range of extra-curricular activities through which the boys and girls discover latent talents, develop individual character and gain skills in leadership and teamwork. A number of these are summarised by Tom Milson (Head Boy 2013-14) in his report opposite, however, I would draw your attention to the reports from members of UpRaw (our Young Enterprise team) who won area, county and regional finals before achieving a fantastic top five place in the national final, you can read about their exploits in detail on pages 4 and 5.

Last year we saw a number of staff leave either to begin well deserved retirements or to take up promoted positions. I would like to mention two in particular and put on record my thanks to both.

Firstly, the summer of 2014 saw the retirement of Nick Tull from his position as Head of Technology. Nick taught at the school for 28 years and will be remembered with great fondness by students past and present, not only for his teaching, but also his support for students racing to meet examination board deadlines, his leadership of Year 8 Azu Rivage and Calshot trips and his protective overview of the school minibuses! Nick was a fantastic member of staff and we wish him well in his active retirement.

Last year we also said goodbye to Mr Chris Lawrence, Deputy Headteacher. When I joined the school in 2006, Chris almost apologised to me for saying he had no intentions of leaving and that he intended to stay in post until he retired. I am delighted that he was as good as his word and eight years later he was able to start his retirement. Throughout those years I was able to rely on him totally and his loyalty and commitment to the school and to the students was complete. We wish him (and Mrs Lawrence) a long and happy retirement, I suspect much of it will be spent travelling!

I know you will enjoy reading our magazine, to the students of the school I say embrace the opportunities we offer ‒ there really is something for everyone. We look forward to reading about your triumphs in next year’s edition.

With best wishes to you all.

Mr J G Harrison, Headteacher

Mr Tull hard at work during activities week Azu Rivage Mr Lawrence at the Sixth Form BBQ

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Head Boy’s Report

Most importantly for us, however, this year has been an incredible opportunity to raise the profile of the VSU locally.

Raising money for charity and representing the school as Head Boy whilst completing my A2s has proven to be a challenge, but isn’t an experience I would change. I would like to thank the Headmaster and Deputy Heads, Heads of Years 12 and 13, Senior Prefects and Deputy Head Boys for all of their help with everything we have done and allow-ing 2013-14 to be an incredible year. I wish all the best to next year’s Head Boy and his team and wish the school and all the students every success in the future.

Tom Milson, Head Boy 2013-2014

My time as Head Boy at TWGSB has given me some of my best memories and experiences during my seven years at this school. It was an honour to be chosen as Head Boy and I have taken great pride in being able, with the Deputy Head Boys and Senior Prefects, to represent the school and students. With the help of an incredibly supportive and talented senior prefect team we have been able to enjoy many successes this year.

The school is well known for its sporting prowess but I would like to focus on the successes we have had in other areas during 2013–14. This year’s Young Enterprise Company, following on the achievements of last year, has gone on to achieve even greater success, reaching the National Finals. I also saw first hand the talent the school has when I was privileged to host the TWGSB Media Awards. This proved to be a showcase of incredible talent and ability. The House System has also increased its important role in the school with the continued hard work and dedication of the House Captains and Junior House Captains.

The introduction of the Head Boy’s charity three years ago has allowed the school to raise money for a variety of well-deserved causes. This year I chose the Tunbridge Wells Voluntary Service Unit (VSU). Having volunteered with the charity for over two years I knew of the important role they play in the local community, providing support for disabled and disadvantaged children and their families. Our focus this year was not only to raise money for this brilliant cause but also to raise awareness of a little known local charity. We have been able to host a range of events, from a Christmas party to stalls at the Christmas Fayre and the now infamous Sixth Form Fun Run, which saw a real array of costumes! Including both an Own Clothes day and a Christmas Jumper day for staff and students, we have been able to raise thousands of pounds for this local charity. I would like to thank all the students and Senior Prefects who were involved in our fundraising and gave generously.

Sixth Form Fun Run, March 2014

Head Boy and Deputies Harry Wager and Kiran Ruparelia hand over a cheque to VSU

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Young EnterpriseUpRAW came a long way during Young Enterprise. We performed very well, and this was because we successfully identified and tackled the problems we faced on our journey.

The driving force behind our business was upcycling – recycling wooden pallets and transforming them into furniture. Although as a business model we were a success, we were also morally driven to promote the concept of upcycling; through the use of social media and our own website I believe we have done so.

In addition to winning the West Kent Final, Kent and South East Finals, UpRAW‘s accolades included coming 1st at the West Kent Speaking Competition and 3rd at the Kent Speaking Competition.

However, most importantly, each and every member of the team developed their own personal skills and even discovered some hidden talents; I’m sure that they will use these in any career that they decide to follow. They were able to easily fit into their roles within the company and indeed excelled in them, building on specific skillsets and gaining a general understanding of how business works, the problems businesses face and how to solve these problems efficiently and effectively.

We didn’t let any issue get in our way and we persevered until we found a solution.

Adam Gaston, Managing Director

Our Young Enterprise company had its ‘UpRAW’s’ and ‘DownRAW’s’, however it can be said that the social media and internet presence were a particularly strong aspect - once the Marketing team had seen the wood from the trees.

Unlike a lot of Young Enterprise companies, UpRAW was exceedingly technologically advanced; making use of a website (still live at www.uprawfurniture.com) and multiple social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. We must also mention that our products were listed on upcycling websites such as 1001 Pallets among others.

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After success at local, county and regional finals UpRAW were able to chance their arm at the National Final hosted by the British Film Institute. UpRAW was against 13 other teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar; every single company with impressive business credentials, from companies supplying Virgin Trains to companies forecasting over ten thousand pounds profit. Despite fierce competition, UpRAW did not fail to create an uproar; impressing the judges with our environmentally friendly products, impressive trade stand and professional presentation. UpRAW finished in the top five companies in the United Kingdom, where over two thousand companies had participated in the programme.

Harvey Osbourn, Finance Director George Mullis, Creative Manager

In hindsight, it was brave to have written a speech for the ‘Young Enterprise’ speaking competition which didn’t present a fundamental belief in the market. Yet, I was confident that through an ambitious and witty speech delivered with David Andrews’s confidence, that my answer to the question - ‘Should governments or markets regulate prices?’ - would be irrelevant. On the night, David performed with intelligence and charisma, along with a memorable piece of improvisation! Our success snowballed from that night, and although we did not progress to the next stage, we had learned an invaluable lesson: through being daring and pushing the envelope - UpRAW could really leave its mark.

When Finals season arrived, a knock on the door came again for me to write the company’s presentation. I had learned that the trick in writing a speech was much like making a cocktail: it had to be lean, fruity, contain the right balance of ingredients, leaving a distinct aftertaste which entertained the thirsty audience. Forcing it down the audience’s throats was down to the boys on stage, and they did a fantastic job of it. As we progressed, I adjusted the structure and flow of the presentation; but our story, our success and the strategic use of upcycled environmental puns were served every time.

UpRAW’s run came to an end at the BFI in London on July 1, 2014, but our legacy as an ambitious,

successful and entertaining brand is now etched in the history of TWGSB and Young Enterprise.

Greg Hall, Speech writer and Deputy Marketing Director

Young Enterprise

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Mathematics

We are the 14 members of a Year 13 Maths Mechanics class. Between us we have probably been involved in almost every activity offered by the Maths Department during our seven years at TWGSB, and so we thought we would give a quick summary of what we have been up to.

Y7 Most of us took part in “KS3 Sudoku Competitions” and we entered an inter-

school “Maths in Kent” Competition which was won by a fellow-student now in one of the other Year 13 Maths classes. In the summer, we all took part in the qualifying heat of the “Year 7 Inter-House Maths Challenge”, with the eventual winning team from Hawks including Will, Stuart and Jannic. It is pleasing to see this Challenge has become a permanent fixture on the school calendar and many of us, when in Year 12, helped run the event.

Y8 We all took part in fund-raising for charity via “World Maths Day”, which involved

competing online against pupils from across the world in answering as many arithmetic questions as possible in one minute. We also took part in the “Junior UK Maths Challenge” – Max was “Best in School” and George came second, both achieving Gold. Sam Evemy, Sam Jacquin, Harry, Will and James Palmer were amongst those achieving Silver and, as a year group, we set a new record for the school’s highest proportion of Awards.

At the end of that year, we all set-up our own cars for a “’Maths in Motion’ Inter-House Grand Prix”. Stuart was particularly successful at this and continued to attend ‘MiM’ as a lunchtime extra-curricular activity.

Y9 Stuart went on to win seventeen-race “TWGSB Drivers’ Championship”; in Year

10, he took part in the Jaguar-sponsored national events, coming second in the “Christmas Grand Prix”, and winning the “Summer Grand Prix”; in both Years 10 and 11, he qualified for the National Challenge Final held at the Heritage Motor Museum, Warwickshire.

During Years 8 and 9, a number of us attended the “Maths Enhancement and Puzzle Club”, from

The 2013-2014 Maths Class 13C Mechanics

which teams of four were selected to take part in the “Junior UK Maths Team Challenge” but, sadly, none of us were chosen!

However, we didn’t let that setback put us off. Will, Peter and Stuart became part of the team of four who took part in the inaugural “Year 10 Further Maths Network Competition” held at Sussex University.

Y10 “Mangahigh” was introduced whilst we were in Year 10, and we all helped

TWGSB become the “Monthly Global Champions” for both May and June, and to start its long unbeaten run of inter-school Fai-To challenges. Harry was a top-five performer in May.

Y11 The GCHQ-sponsored “National Cipher Challenge” takes place each autumn and

involves a series of eight rounds with ciphers of ever-increasing difficulty needing to be cracked. Typically, about 1600 teams enter Round One but only a few reach Round Eight. Stuart and James Pearson were part of Team Awesome Sauce in Year 11; James was also part of A Pi of Raspberries in Year 12, whilst Jannic, Ollie and James Palmer formed The Average Gatsby’s – both teams were amongst the 100 or so that managed to successfully complete the first six rounds with a maximum score.

We all took part in the “Intermediate UK Maths Challenge”, which has about 200,000 entrants, and we collectively achieved the school’s best-ever results. Two students, but not from our class, made it through to the “European Maths Challenge”. But again, we were not deterred, and in the Year 12 “Senior UK Maths Challenge”, David was “Top of Year” with George, James Pearson, James Palmer and Ollie amongst those achieving Silver Awards. In Year 13, Harry and James Pearson were joint “Top of Year”, both achieving Gold Awards, with Jack, Max and Jannic all achieving Silver.

Y12 Harry and James Palmer were the Year 12 pair chosen for the “UK Senior Maths

Team Challenge” and the following year, David and Jack were our Year 13 pair.

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During Year 12, some of us attended the “Maths Inspiration Lectures” in London, hearing about the Maths involved in such things as Google, crowd control, juggling and even ‘The Simpsons’. We celebrated Pi Day in Year 12 (14th March (3.14)), by bringing in some suitably decorated home-baked pies. Sam, Jack and David excelled.

Nowadays, there are other activities that perhaps didn’t exist at the time we were passing through. These include the “West Kent Team Challenge” for Year 7, possibilities for a few students in Year 9 to attend Masterclasses, visits to Lectures in London and elsewhere for Years 10 and 11, and lunchtime Bridge.

Maths Clinic was available, and although we didn’t usu-ally need it for help, it was always a place we could go to do more Maths. Once in the Sixth Form, some of us, especially Jack and David, attended as helpers. We also had opportunities to give something back to the Department, and George was a regular helper at Options Evenings and other events.

Looking back, there was so much going on, it is a wonder how our Maths teachers found the time to teach us, let alone produce amongst the school’s highest GCSE and A-Level results, year after year. It is a very organised and supportive Department, with regular tests and tracking of our progress, extra mocks arranged for GCSE and A-Level, lunchtime and holiday revision classes, drop-in sessions, and support lessons at lunchtime for students taking STEP or, like Jannic, who decided to do all the mod-ules available for Maths and Further Maths for “fun”. The Maths Department’s expectations are always high and we hope that we will have met them when our A-level results come out.

The 2014 Maths Class 13C Mm2: George Butler, Sam Evemy, Jack Gibbs, Ollie Gray, Peter Hart, Will Hinton, David Holland, Stuart Hosiene Jannic Holzer, Sam Jacquin, Max Lamb, Harry O’Connor, James Palmer, James Pearson.

Preparing to help out at Open Evening

Home-baked pie for Pi Day

Mathematics

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to Eagles for winning the TWGSB Maths Challenge 2014!

Jonathan Chick, 7K

Every year the Year 7s take part in the Inter-House Maths Challenge. My maths chal-lenge started off in class where 7K where divided into groups of four. We then took part in three separate challenges. We did really well in the crossword puzzle and in the end we came 1st. We then had to wait a few weeks until we went against the rest of the Year 7s. We had two teams of four from Kestrels. The morning started with the group questions. We couldn’t do some but we thought we did pretty well. It was then break

and we got ready to go back and did the Head-to Head competition followed by the Relay. The ques-tions were a bit harder but we did OK. Once we had finished the questions we got ready to see who won. We came a respectable 2nd. It was a pretty good day.

Toby Jones, 7K

The maths challenge was not what I thought it would be; I thought it would just be a series of maths tests but it turned out to be a lot different. I liked the fact that each challenge was different and brought a new way to complete the challenge i.e. needing an an-swer from your team mates to complete a question. My favourite challenge was the relay as you got a

real rush whenever you got a question right and it was fun to try to get as far as you can through the questions. Overall I really liked the maths challenge as it was challenging and not what I thought it would be in a good way.

George Stokes 7K

I enjoyed the Maths Challenge because it was competitive, and I learnt a lot. I enjoyed the crosswords and online programs. Our team did pretty well, and our house came second. We struggled on the first challenge, but were really good at the co-operative ones. The shape thing (Tangrams) was really difficult, but we did really well and got 13 points. I enjoyed all the

We spent the whole day doing some fun maths chal-lenges and competing against other houses. One of the best moments was when we found out that we had come 2nd in the competition. I was really sur-prised and shocked but really pleased at the same time! One of the activities was really fun. It was when we had to answer a question, give the answer to our leader and (if it was correct) we then had to run to the other two people in our team and give them the next question. When some people got the question right they did some very… awkward cel-ebrations! Some of the questions were really chal-lenging and took a long time to work out but some were completed in very quickly because of amazing and good teamwork!!! Overall the day was really fun and well worth all of the hard work. Congratulations

Mathematics

Year 7 Inter-House Maths Challenge

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challenges, and learnt a lot about palindromes like 121, 3553 and triangular numbers like 1, 3, 6, 10, 15… so I learnt how to do that.

Max Scott, 7K

Maths Master Classes

Anton Farmar and I were chosen for some Maths Master Classes at the University of Kent in Canterbury. The first one was on the 1st March and they continued each Saturday until the 29th of March in which we would learn about degree level maths topics and learn what you can do in maths in further education.

The first session was on Game Show Theory – in which we looked at matrixes and dominances in games such as ‘Goldenballs’. Dominances are where you can logically determine which choice you should go for in comparison to the other players in the game; a Nash equilibrium. This was a brilliant start to the sessions and was really fun as we weren’t sure what to expect.

The second afternoon was on Topology – the study of shapes and we were taught the properties of the shapes by playing noughts and crosses on them. We did this for doughnut shapes (Torus) and one sided shapes. This was one of my favourite sessions because it was enjoyable playing with while learning real maths.

The third class was on Catalan Numbers – a sequence of numbers that appear in nature

and counting problems (Combinatorics). Some of these problems were very easy to decipher, but others – including the Catalan Numbers – were incredibly difficult to get a formula for. This was possibly my least favourite because I didn’t understand it fully, but it was interesting anyway. The fourth session was on Modular

Arithmetic – working in different mods (for example we work in mod 10, you

get to 10 and you go back to 0, or 16 which turns into 6). We also looked at

different patterns for juggling and how you can tell if they work as methods using mods.

This was my favourite class as it was enjoyable, and we even got to have a go at juggling (which I wasn’t very good at!)

The final master class was on more Topology; the Genus of shapes (the amount of holes in a shape) along with Euler’s Theorems. It was the most difficult to explain, but was one of my favourite sessions as it was engaging and puzzling.

Overall, each class was very enjoyable – if a little confusing – and I would recommend them to anyone who has an interest in maths.

George Rutt and Anton Farmar, 9E

Mathematics

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Media StudiesWilderness Woods

In 2013, the AS media class went on a trip to Wilderness Woods, in East Sussex. We went in order to learn how to carry out a reccie, so that we could implement the same technique when we got round to filming our horror opening on location.

When we arrived we were given a very basic map and sent off to explore potential spots, as we had been told to film somebody being followed in a true horror styling, which would fit our vision. We had to consider suitability, risk, composition, light and availability. Having ambled down the paths, many took the opportunity to go off track to find unique, appealing spots; for my group, this included bridges and paths through densely packed foliage, as well as a beautiful natural boulevard of trees. The clear weather and pale natural light peering through the leafy canopy were awfully beneficial and created a sense of epic natural beauty. We headed back to the café area, in order to fill in a risk assessment- teaching us key skills, before heading back to begin shooting.

The shoot was fun and quite spontaneous, as we had very little planning for the film that we might create. We rushed around to our favourite spots, to capture our concept, the trio I was part of elected to film a solitary character, walking through the picturesque forest, before realising that she was being spied upon, and running, despairingly, in an attempt to get away. It was rather tiring! We were grateful for the lunch break, which included a delicious barbeque and chance to catch up with the others, discovering where they had decided to film and discussing ideas. It was also an opportunity to get to know other members of the class a little better.

After an ample lunch, we went back to filming- which, admittedly,

was a little rushed in order to get it all done…. The open area gave us the prospect of making as much noise, including shouts and screams, as we wanted, some took advantage of this and on several occasions high pitched wails could be heard echoing through the woods.

We regrouped, mid-afternoon, all exhausted from a day of creativity. Sitting, spread over several benches, we all chatted about the successes and difficulties of the day, excited for the editing process, and planning which clips to use. Overall, it was a really fun excursion, where we learnt essential skills, including how to fill out necessary bits of paperwork and location analysis, as well as new filming techniques- including (for some groups) how to use a track and dolly, which creates smooth tracking shots that are very useful in horror sequences. Everyone had a really good time, so thank you to the media department for organising it, and, if the opportunity should arise, I would highly recommend taking the chance to go on this trip!

Gwen Withers, 12C

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Media Studies: OSCARS Night

Media Studies


Psychology Trip: Zimbardo Conference

In March, we went to the Emmanuel Centre in London for a conference aimed at A level students with talks on different areas of psychology from five different speakers. As it was for Sixth Form students, there was a nice mix of information that was relevant to our course, and also deviation from the curriculum. One talk was on stress and the speaker’s conclusion was that if you don’t care, then you won’t get stressed – not a great motivational message! The highlight of the day was Philip Zimbardo who designed one of the most ethically controversial and debated studies in psychology, which was a significant part of one of our topics. It was very interesting to hear his point of view on the study and whether he would do it again and what he would change. Zimbardo and his wife, who is also a psychologist, also talked about their current projects. One speaker encouraged us to think outside the box and not answer questions in standard, exam approved sentences when looking at research methods. The other speaker was a criminologist who talked about research done into crime and who criminals are. All in all, it was an enjoyable day and definitely worthwhile as we were reminded of areas of psychology that may not be studied in the A level.

Zoe Boulderstone, 12G

Oxbridge Visits

Applying to a University such as Oxford or Cambridge is initially daunting, however all students in Year 12 were given the opportunity to find out more through the various meetings, presentations and trips organised by Miss LeSeelleur and Mrs Adkin. Students in Year 12 were given the opportunity to attend Oxford and Cambridge University in order to understand the application process, find out about the courses the universities offer and get a feel for the atmosphere in the city.

On 10th February, 14 Year 12 students departed for Cambridge University, on arrival we were allocated a current undergraduate according to our subject and were shown around Queen’s College (Kent’s link

college) enabling students to ask questions about University life, accommodation and the courses offered by the University. Furthermore students were given the opportunity to learn about the application process for Cambridge University and what the top universities are looking for from a candidate. After lunch students were given time to explore the city of Cambridge and visit the other colleges around the city.

That afternoon we travelled to Oxford where students were given the opportunity to explore the city. The following morning we walked to St Hugh’s college where we were welcomed by our region’s liaison officer. After being shown round the college by some first year undergraduate students our liaison officer filled in our knowledge about the differences between Oxford and Cambridge such as entry requirements and courses.

Overall the trip was highly enjoyable, it provided a great opportunity for aspiring Oxbridge candidates to understand what is required to be successful along with suggestions of extra-curricular activities that would enhance our application. In the coming months further opportunities have been organised for the aspiring candidates such as subject specific debate and discussion sessions as well as a trip to Epson Race Course where general admission and subject specific lectures will be provided to those interested in applying to Oxford and Cambridge.

The Oxbridge universities are enriched with academic excellence, heritage and outstanding career prospects, the TWGSB Oxbridge programme gives all students the opportunity to be a successful Oxbridge candidate and receive the encouragement to achieve their academic potential and this is why I would recommend this opportunity to anyone considering applying to a top University.

Harvey Osbourn, 12I

On Monday 10th February a dozen Year 12 students interested in applying to Oxbridge left Tunbridge Wells on an overnight trip to experience talks and tours at both world-class learning institutions.

Psychology


After a two hour mini-bus journey we arrived at Queens’ College, Kent’s designated Cambridge college for school visits, and we met with our school’s admissions tutor who gave us helpful information about applying to both Oxbridge and any Russell Group University, including the application process and pursuit of “super-curricular activities”.

However, the trip became much more of an experience when we were divided into subject-related groups and given tours around the peaceful College, seeing our student-guides’ surprisingly spacious dorms, the famous Mathematical Bridge – designed by James Essex ‘so that a single timber could be extracted and repaired without disturbing the rest of the bridge’ – and also the College Libraries, which vaunted both a 21 volume dictionary and The Book of the Dead in original hieroglyphs. After lunch at the cafeteria we explored the historical yet diverse city-centre of Cambridge, visiting markets, Bohemian galleries and a delicatessen offering any variety of fudge imaginable! After we visited the grounds of other colleges – where some of us were mistaken for students by a particularly trigger-happy tourist.

We took the minibus to Oxford where we spent the night at YHA Oxford. Following a good night’s sleep and an excellent breakfast we walked up to Kent’s designated Oxford college: St Hugh’s, which is essentially a mansion with various rooms assigned for accommodation, administration and conferences. The conference room we were guided to held a small presentation on applying to Oxbridge, and students there were happy to go into details on specifics; for instance the University’s quirky family-system, designed to help newbies by connecting them with veterans. Our guides were both “college brothers” and “college husbands” – don’t ask.

On Tuesday afternoon we headed back down to the youth hostel, collected our things and returned to Kent. The trip was certainly inspiring in how we could actually visit the universities and colleges we had before only read about, and was definitely helpful in how our questions could be answered by actual students attending them.

Austin Lovell, 12E

University of Oxford, Open Day at the English Faculty

We explored the city for a couple of hours, before joining other visitors drawn from all over the country for coffee and an exploration of the Faculty Library. A series of lectures and seminars filled the day, with extensive opportunities to mix with English students, who conducted tours of their colleges.

In terms of the day it was great to get a sense of the atmosphere of the town and the ‘student’s life’, and be able to visit a few of the colleges. I am still unsure as to whether an English degree is the best route for me to take, but it was nice to see that Oxford has such a friendly setup.

Greg Hall, 12D

Oxbridge


Philosophy and EthicsHeythrop College

On Wednesday 26th February Mr Chisholm's Year 12 Philosophy and Ethics class took the train up to west London to experience a sequence of engaging talks at Heythrop College. The aim was to further our understanding of the topic of utilitarianism, while also learning about the lives of the major thinkers concerning the development of this normative-ethics theory.

This free Sixth Form conference began with an educational talk by none other than Dr Nigel Warburton ‘Philosophy: The Basics’ author. After a slow start questioning what philosophy actually is, he then began asking the room how should we live our lives? What we thought neatly led on to the answer of philosopher Jeremy Bentham: to simply maximize pleasure for the greatest number. Well perhaps not so simply, because we were then asked to think how a single act has an undefinable number of consequences, and how if we were happy to sacrifice a pair of £100 shoes in saving a drowning baby's life, we should consistently be happy to donate £100 for mosquito nets in Nigeria, saving the lives of many.

The day then continued with ‘Kant: Impossible Ethics?’ by Dr Chris Horner, who explored the somewhat anti-utilitarianism thinking of Immanuel Kant. At lunchtime we visited Kensington High Street, and also the house of utilitarian John Stuart Mill near Heythrop.

We then sat down to listen to Dr Stephen Law and his lecture: Is Killing Ever Justified? where he questioned the utilitarian principles behind euthanasia. The day was then concluded with group-seminars, run by current students of Heythrop College, which tested our acquired knowledge in debates and discussions.

After an inspiring and thought-provoking day of listening to accomplished philosophers and taking notes, we then returned home.

Austin Lovell, 12E


Normandy

The anticipation was building up throughout the whole journey. Each mile put us closer to what we hoped would be a wonderful and fun week. Everyone was excited despite the early morning wake up call. As we approached the hotel, silence fell as we all knew that we were finally there.

The first day seemed to pass very quickly; each site we visited was more interesting than the last. The Bayeux Tapestry will particularly stick in my mind due to the shear length of the beautiful artwork. Every scene was perfectly woven into the cloth and showed clearly the story of the ‘Battle of Hastings’. There was also a calming atmosphere that surrounded the tapestry, which seemed to affect everyone. Falaise Castle was the next on the list. It towered above the town of Falaise with a watchful eye on all the happenings. The castle clearly showed how the structure and fortifications had evolved over time with the changing types of warfare. It held a timeline in every brick, a gateway to see the past. I was fascinated by the knowledge that a simple construction could convey.

The second day started off with a light knocking at the door to wake us up. Breakfast was a selection of French cold foods and then it was back to the rooms to grab our things for another day packed with site seeing. We started with the Merville Gun Battery. The site is dedicated to the Paratroopers for their bravery in taking the battery, a vital mission during D-Day. Pegasus Bridge followed which was what I was particularly looking forward to seeing after reading a book about it. The bullet holes from the fight on the bridge brought the bridge to life. The size of the guns at Longues (coastal battery) showed the courage the soldiers must have needed to even step foot on the beach. This gave me great respect

History

for the fighters and what they went through. Juno Beach was next on the list and the German bunkers showed their preparation for any attacks.

Thursday began with Arromanches’ 360 degree cinema. The scenes shown were extremely powerful in explaining the story of D-Day and the days that followed. We all walked around the historical village of Arromanches. Signs of the recent 70th D-Day anniversary celebrations were still present and added to the atmosphere of the town. I spotted the Mulberry Harbours straight away. An unorthodox style of thinking created such a useful piece of equipment. We continued onto the American Cemetery where each gravestone was pristine and had printed on them the names of the victims of the war. The vast size was shocking. Lastly we went to see the German Cemetery which was very different to the American Cemetery. Silence in one and music in the other but both were tranquil and respectful of each and every soldier.

On Friday the last site we visited was the British Cemetery in Ranville. Again there was no sound, just peace and respect towards the soldiers who had fought and died for their country. Every student instinctively knew how to act. The teachers had planned a ceremony to remember the soldiers. The laying of the wreath showed our gratitude for their sacrifice. The cemetery was emotional and reminded me of what is important.

Overall the trip was a fantastic success and very enjoyable. The scenery and history in Normandy is like no other I have experienced. The devastation that occurred there should never be forgotten and one that will hopefully never be repeated.

Cameron Howard, 9K


Student Robotics

TWGSB once again decided to enter the Student Robotics tournament for the 2013-14 season. The team consisted of a team of three Year 12s and three year 13s and was headed by Mr Goddard. On October 12th, the team took a trip to Southampton University for the official ‘Kickstarter’ event. The organisers gave us the electronics for the robot that we were to create and told us about this year’s competition, entitled “slots”. Our robot had to autonomously move a box to a designated zone and then rotate it 180° before placing it. This was no easy feat. Whilst at Southampton, we were also able to grasp the scale of this competition, being in the presence of around 20 of the total 46 teams.At school, in appointed enrichment time (and often outside of school time), we began work on our robot. After a long period of planning and concept testing, we settled on an idea in which the robot would pick up the box with a slice and then use a set of drawer runners to pull the box up, ready to be knocked off and rotated in the process. We then spent weeks on prototyping the robot out of plywood and aluminium and fitted it with a winch system made of cotton reels and dowel. When all the bugs were ironed out and we were happy, a more geometrically accurate version was designed in CAD and then machined from Acrylic on a CNC mill. We then cut and fitted the aluminium as well as 3D printed several parts to give a more professional looking robot.

On the 26th April, we attended the final competition event at Newbury racecourse. We arrived to a hugely busy hub of robots and engineers. All 46 teams and officials had gathered to mark the beginning of the Student Robotics 2014 competition. We were given a table to work on our robot and many last minute adjustments were made. It was incredible to see what other teams had come up with, given the same task as us. One robot was designed to look like R2-D2 and another was made of mahogany and brass. The German team that won last year were there with the same robot as before but updated software.

We competed in a collection of league matches allowing us to properly see how our robot would

compete in competition. Initially, to our dismay, the robot was unable to replicate the success we had had in testing. After lots of minor alterations and testing late into the night, we came back on the Sunday and in our first league matches, the robot was hugely successful, winning several matches. Unfortunately by the fourth match on Sunday, the robot again started to have issues with communication to its motor driver and we were defeated in our first knockout round. We finished overall 35th out of 46, which was somewhat disappointing but was an improvement on the previous year.

Cameron Armstrong-Wilson, 12H

3D Print Show

On the 8th of November the school took Year 10 and Year 11 IT and Electronics students to the 3D print show at the Islington Design Centre in London. The 3D print show was a large open area with different booths run by different companies demonstrating what they are doing with the technology.

We all arrived bleary eyed at school for the 7 o’clock start to our long day in London. After a short delay at the start due to a coach mishap, we were on our way. The coach journey was long and arduous due to the busy London traffic.

We just made it on time, and as we left the coach we walked into the building to be confronted by a view of the entire show floor. We could see below us many exhibitions of many different varieties, and were soon allowed to look around the booths to see how different companies are using the technology. We saw both practical uses for 3D printing (in medicine and education) and other less practical but equally intriguing exhibits (like clay and chocolate printing, which doesn’t work fully quite yet, but still showed us how this technology is relatively new and is still being developed). The most intriguing thing on show was the large models; the amount of plastic used was simply extraordinary, the technology used to create something that large scale is simply amazing.

Design and Technology


One of the more unique demonstrations at the show was a combination of a 3D scanner and 3D printers. This allows you to be scanned and made into a computer model, and then printed as a miniature figurine of yourself. Throughout the exhibition we were given small samples of 3D printed items, one of which was a small hand that had been printed using this technique.

We learnt that the future uses of 3D printing are amazing while the potential medical uses could possibly save hundreds or even thousands of lives. We learned that there is research taking place that is looking into 3D printing human organs.

After a non-stop day what we really needed was a good nutritious meal, so just around the corner was a McDonald’s which as a group, we packed out. Satisfied and full, we walked back to the coach. Everyone involved had a great day and learnt so much about the processes, possible products and the future uses of 3D printing, and we now know that it is something we should all keep an eye on in the upcoming years.

Matthew Highgate and David Robson, 10O

First Lego League

On the 4th of December 2013, ten chosen members of the Lego Robotics club went to The University of Canterbury, to represent the school in the First Lego League. From the start of the new school year we spent our Wednesday lunchtimes at Lego robotics

club building, programming and preparing for the upcoming day! This annual competition not only teaches us about different structures and designs but it also helps to work on team work and different methods of communications. The challenge this year was called Nature’s Fury and we had to program our robots to do tasks like raising houses, launching a plane, moving people and objects to safety etc. A few members of the team concentrated on the project which required the design of methods to help preserve life and environment in a forest fire.Our performance on the day was great and we got into the semi-finals. Unfortunately we missed getting further by just a few points. This event did not just consist of robot building but we were interviewed about the design of the robot and what we had invented to help victims of forest fires.

After everyone had performed it was time for the award ceremony. There were awards like best team work, best presentation, best technical interview and judges’ favourite. This time we got the award for judges favourite; the best all round robot. Although we did not win overall we will return next year with all guns blazing!

Dominic Heron, 8G




Charlie Ralph, 11C, Scalextric start gate and lap timer

Harvey Tebay, 11B, Mobile cricket scorer

Jacob Burge, 11B, Scalextric start gate and lap timer

Electronic Products GCSE Systems and Control A Level

Ed Carey, 12I, Remote controlled webcam mount

Daniel Martin, 12H, Electronic safe


Matt Jennings, 12I, Ball target game George Dye, 12E, Tennis racquet grip detector

Alfie Talbot, 11B, Memphis style jewellery box

Resistant Materials GCSE

Liam Draper, 11A, ipod docking station

William Downard, 11B, Artist storage unitPhilip Cunnington, 11C, ipod docking Station




Food and Nutrition GCSE

Y7 Easter Cakes


Graphics Products GCSE

Isaac Saunders, 11F, Model podium

William Downard, 11B, take away menu packaging and stand

Libby Osborn, 12I, Fragrance bottle and packaging

Graphics Products A Level

Jack Rodgers, 12F, American diner

Sam Evemy, 13F, Sixth Form blockJack Pocock, 13H, Car show room



MusicKeynote GCSE conference

The Keynote GCSE conference in London was a very enjoyable and informative day out. It was great to experience the buzz of London on our walk from the station to the conference at the Institute of Education.

We were given top tips through demonstrations and talks on how to improve our compositions and how to achieve the best grade possible. We also experienced fun, loud and interactive walkthroughs of how to answer exam questions and the kinds of things we need to revise and look out for.

I found the day extremely helpful and will use the information I learnt to enhance my performance, composition and exam technique in my GCSE music.

Josh Rapley, 10K

Music for Youth Trip/Competition – Soul Band

I didn’t know what to expect from this trip, but feelings of nervousness settled in my stomach before we got on the minibus. I’m sure that a few people in the band felt this way - it’s to be expected before a live show I suppose. Going up to London to play was a big deal, and we knew things should go well because every person in the band is great at what they do. So after travelling up to Shoreditch with Mr Price at the wheel, things were good.

On arrival we sat down on some comfy sofas, got warmed up and waited. The first act was like a Glee club, with good singers and instrumentalists. I knew they were good, but I knew we were as well. Then we walked up onto the stage, I gave an introduction regarding who we were and what we were going to play, and then got to it. I was wearing dark sunglasses which really helped because I couldn’t see anyone in the audience, just the lights beaming down on my face.

It was so much fun, as always with the Soul Band. To be perfectly honest I thought we were the best. Not from an egotistical or arrogant perspective, just

based on the fact that we have such good songs to play, a lot of good players and we were something different.

The judge’s comments included “fabulous lead vocals, great performing and interaction with the ensemble” and “lovely groove from the rhythm section, with great tight sax and trumpet backing”.Let’s hope we get another chance to play at the finals!

Will Smith, 13E

Lodge Hill Music Residential Trip

In March, a group of nearly fifty students went on a Music trip to Lodge Hill Centre, in Pulborough. It was a lovely location, surrounded by thirty-two acres of woodland. There was a big hall where we could do full orchestra rehearsals and a separate building where we all slept and had our meals. We stayed there for three days and all the activities throughout were great fun.

On day one, we arrived in the afternoon and unpacked our coach. As it was the first time we had to set up our orchestra, it took a little while to work everything out! We then did a full orchestra rehearsal, performing the songs ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Band 1000 – Go your own way’. We were then split into groups and had to compose an Olympic opening ceremony anthem. Next followed a music quiz with some very hard questions! The four people who did the best in the quiz got a chance to conduct the orchestra in the final rehearsal. We then had the last orchestra rehearsal of the day and were allocated our rooms. There was a games room we could play in, with things like table football and pool. In the evening we had karaoke, which was great fun, with songs like ‘What does the Fox say!’ Last was hot chocolate and bed.

Day two was even more activity-packed! After breakfast, we had a final chance to practise our Olympic anthems and then perform them to the rest of the groups. The teachers chose the best group. After lunch we were split into two groups. One


group went to play football while the other went to do Musical Features. This was when we were put into groups of four and had to perform a song, for example ‘Next to Me’. We then swapped activities and the other group did the same song so that we could eventually come together as a group of eight. After a quick break, we had a Talent Show. This was even more fun and quite a few acts came forward! There was everything from a solo piano performance to a big group singing ‘Seven Nation Army!’ Eventually, the teachers picked a winner, though it must have been a hard choice! We then had dinner and some more free time in the games room. Afterwards we went back to the hall to watch the film ‘School of Rock’. Everyone enjoyed it and it was a good round up for the evening.

On the last day we had another chance to practise our Musical Features, this time in our full groups. These were then performed in front of everyone, and the two best groups were able to showcase their pieces in the Easter Concert. One final orchestra rehearsal followed and the quiz winners had their conducting competition.

On the way back to school, we had an awards ceremony on the coach! There were various awards, but my favourite was ‘Most likely to melt someone’s face off with a guitar solo’. Altogether, Lodge Hill was a great trip and all the students who took part really enjoyed it.

Thomas Hinchcliffe, 8G

Easter Concert

Music


DramaCreative Arts Choices Day

On the 11th October 2013, Year 10 and Year 11 went to a Creative Arts Careers event at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley. The aim of the event was to provide us with an insight into the other jobs available in theatre besides performing. During the course of the day we had workshops in costume design, stage management, advertising, box office and acting, each with people employed at the theatre or in the profession.

The first workshop of the day was looking at the advertising side of theatre, advertising is actually surprisingly complicated and an important job since it affects how many people buy tickets and therefore how much money the theatre makes (or loses). In our group we looked at leaflets of past plays and decided how best to get people interested, for example for Westside Story we had the entire theatre split between the Jets and Sharks and a magnificent hand coloured poster to match. Once we had done this all of the groups explained their ideas at the front and the other groups and staff asked questions. There were no winners in the activity, but deep down everyone knew we were the best.

Our second workshop of the day was based around costume and quick changes, and looking at the role of the dresser. The role of the dresser in our case was to stand in the wings and ensure that the quick- change went swiftly and smoothly. We were split into two groups, and each given a set of pyjamas and a suit costume. Then we had to decide on a good strategy to change from the pyjamas into the suit quickly, and then we had to race one another to see who could change the fastest. Due to superior brainpower and tactics, my team won. It was tricky because we had the suit under the pyjamas, however we had to keep it concealed from the audience, and so the whole workshop was surprisingly challenging, and thus gave us an insight into the problems that dressers face in real life.

In our third workshop we were introduced to Glenn, who is a freelance theatre practitioner. Our first task with Glenn was to list all the areas of work that are involved with theatre. As well as the obvious

professions, there were many that I had not even thought about before – for example there are people that have to help with fast costume changes. This task was useful, as it enlightened me about professions in theatre that I was not aware existed.

For our second task, we all stood in a circle and Glenn placed a long stick in the middle of it. We were told to pick up the stick one at a time and pretend it is something else, with the others trying to guess what object we are imagining the stick as. This task not only stretched our imaginations, but also our confidence in ourselves – as it was quite a daunting task to perform with the stick in front of others.

Our final task involved the group splitting up into pairs. Glenn told one person in each pair to close their eyes, and the other in the pair led them around the room by the arm – trying to avoid collisions with others. This task tested our faith in both ourselves and our partners, as there is always a distinct feeling of vulnerability when walking around with our eyes closed.

Once we had all reunited, we were taken to the stage. Coincidentally the set design was for their production of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers, which we had recently been studying; this made it exciting as we could see how a set would improve the action. We were then shown how different aspects of the set link up with each other to give an atmosphere to the audience, enhancing their experience. After we were shown different parts of the set, we were shown how the set is moved by the stage manager – by grooves in the stage, I personally found this very interesting as it gave an insight into how difficult it is for scene changes to occur as quickly and smoothly as they do. I feel that this was a great conclusion to a successful day that opened all our eyes to the range of jobs available in a theatre.

Jack Sporle, Daniel Holden, Callum King and James Weatherley Buss (Year 11 Drama GCSE group)


Adam G, 7

In June students in Years 7 and 8 performed “Free” a play by David Grant. “Free” tells the story of a Year 8 class left unsupervised unknowingly for a whole lesson and the antics they get up to in this time. A plot is formed where two unwilling volunteers must steal the Headteacher’s biscuits from right under the nose of the spiteful school secretary.

Drama


GeographyYear 12 Somerset

In March the Geography Department organised a week-long stay in Somerset, where the Year 12s could develop essential field-work skills and gather data that would prove valuable in the skills-exam to be sat in May.

After a four hour coach journey to Nettlecombe Court – a 16th Century Manor casting disdainful umbrage over a neighbouring gothic chapel – it was the concern of many of us that the building we would be staying in would be haunted. While it had no phone signal, contained unsettlingly dark paintings of former owners, and an East Wing out of bounds to all students, the kind staff and other resident school groups helped generate a very lively atmosphere.

On the first evening of our stay we were divided into groups. Some of us were taken under the wing of an enthusiastic Miss Cuthbert, and introduced to the science of river analysis along Monksilver Stream, studying the meanders with the aid of chains, impellers and plastic oranges – an excellent opportunity to get our boots muddy.

Throughout the following days we performed similar studies across the picturesque landscapes of West Somerset: measuring many characteristics of the River Holford and comparing the properties of the tranquil coastal sites of Porlock Bay and Minehead beach.

On the fourth day – still no sightings of any ghost – we practised our skills in human geography, comparing the settlements of Taunton and Bishops Lydeard, and for our final lesson at the Court we put together presentations on our findings, and were shown a sentimental video of our many escapades from the week before. On the fifth day we returned to school.

To conclude, the field-trip to Nettlecombe Court was quite an experience. Not only did it equip us with the skills needed to answer questions in an exam to come, but gave us valuable experience of what geography is really about outside of the classroom. What’s more, I have personally never been to a youth hostel which could boast both a rota of such delicious cakes and a well-tuned piano.

Austin Lovell, 12E

Year 11 Docklands

On Tuesday 3rd December, Year 11 geographers went on a field trip up to the London Docklands to investigate urban regeneration, which linked to our GCSE study of Changing Urban Environments.

We started our walk at Canary Wharf and One Canada Square, which was really impressive. We continued south walking through the Docklands redevelopment area seeing great examples of urban rejuvenation in the form of houses dating from the Victorian terraces through the 1980s redevelopments and up to building work going on as we went by. We also saw evidence of housing that had taken the place of the original function of the area in the form of converted warehouses for goods that would have been transported down the Thames. We stopped off at ASDA for lunch and then assembled outside in the car park to continue our journey. We walked through the city farm which is home to donkeys,

horses, chickens, turkeys and other small animals for primary school children to see and look after. We completed our walk at Island Gardens on the Thames opposite Greenwich Park and the Maritime Museum with the Cutty Sark. It was a very enjoyable day and we saw a great deal that was relevant to our course.

Oliver Hurditch, 11D


Year 10 and Year 11 Iceland

As the plane lifted off our hearts were in our mouths, fearing for our lives, as we flew over the sea on one of the dodgiest sounding airlines (WOW Air) we had ever heard of. However, all was well and we landed safely in Keflavik.

Iceland is a fantastic example of a geographic location for many topics we study at GCSE and A Level. It lies at a tectonic plate boundary where the Eurasion plate meets the North American plate. This has resulted in many volcanoes some still active as well as the occasional earthquake.

After a long drive through the Icelandic countryside which appeared to consist of little life apart from the odd horse, we all noticed a smell: rotten egg – now we understood why there were no people about.

Our first stop was the Blue Lagoon. The communal showers daunted everyone slightly but once we had negotiated this, the doors opened up to this amazing blue lagoon (literally). The water was milky blue and very hot – it was very relaxing and we all enjoyed it.

After the Blue Lagoon, we arrived at our home for the week the ‘Skallin Centre’. First impressions were mixed (it was not the Ritz) but after meeting the owner who was very kind and having our first taste of Icelandic food, everyone settled in well.

The next day was a full day, and one full of surprises: we saw for ourselves how dramatic the landscape in Iceland is and how it has been affected by the tectonic plates. In the Pingvellir National Park we walked along the rift valley which marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Then we moved on to the geysirs. This was a test of patience as the geysirs took their time erupting but when they did, we were all taken aback by the sheer force. The Gullfoss waterfall was a sight I will never forget. The

volume of water flowing over the top of the ridge was astonishing.

The third day we went to Heimaey Island by boat – it was a bit choppy, however, the highlight of our trip was yet to come. The captain slowed right down and pointed out two pods of killer wales about 100 metres in front of us. This is a very rare sight and had never been seen before by our teachers. Once on the island we climbed up the Eldfell volcano – 650 feet hard climb – this is where Mr Ash’s geological instinct went into overdrive. The rock was a crisp red and we found many areas which were still hot from volcanic activity.

Breaksfast room on Thurdsay morning was fairly empty as many were unable to get up because they were so tired. We left the Skallin Centre to view another mesmirising waterfall most notably the Seljalandsfoss. The spray from the waterfall woke everyone up! After this we arrived at the glacier where we prepared ourselves for what we thought would be a lengthy trek. However, our climb was cut short – we asked our guide why – at this point we were only 50 meters from the start. We were told that the volcano under the glacier was showing signs of activity and if we went further up and the volcano erupted, the glacier would melt and we would all die! This made us slightly uncomfortable but our guides were very informative and knowledgeable and reassured us.

As we returned to the car park we stopped off in the café and stocked up on Maryland cookies for the very early morning flight the following day. After our experience of the Icelandic delicacy (horse), we were looking forward to home cooking!

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip – it was a great experience and confirmed my choice of A level Geography. Also, It was a good way to relax at the end of a quite frankly stressful Year 11!

James Gray, 11D

Geography


KS3 Art

Max Jae, 7M

Thomas Bell, 9E

Elliot Hicks, 10H

Peter Young, 7K

Michael Nazim, 9F

Ben Stringer, 7K


KS4 and KS5 Art

Doug Wilson, 11C

Amelia Ryan, 12BBahar Kaplan, 12J

Max Benham, 13G

Charlie Coombs, 13B

Corin McCarthy, 12E

Andrew Jackson, 11D


GCSE Art Trip to Tate Britain

This trip was organised for both Year 10 and 11 students to experience the gallery space and its artworks first hand. The Y11 students used the time to gather resources and research for their final exam work, having received the paper not long before the visit took place. The Year 10 students explored a theme relating to their coursework and also had the opportunity to take part in workshops run by the Tate Education Team. The report below was written by a Year 10 student.

When the two Year 10 art classes arrived at Tate Britain, we were kindly greeted by the staff there, and guided to the exhibition area. We were tasked to complete three detailed copies of three paintings or drawings on display in the Tate, and they all had to relate to the theme of ‘Inside’ - the topic being studied in our Art lessons at that time. These copies had to include black & white and colour studies.

After a little more than an hour of drawing out these pieces, the group then moved on to attend a workshop set up by the Tate. The theme of this workshop was that art can be an ‘experience’, and can offer the viewer a unique experience of not only sight, but even smell and touch too. Another major idea of this was that each time you would view the piece it could be different to when it was last viewed, which could give art installations much more appeal.

Primarily, we toured around art installations which showed the idea of art experiences, to get some inspiration from other artists. First, we looked at Martin Creed’s ‘Work no, 227: The lights going on and off’, which is what you might think it would be - lights in the room turning on and off! This plain white room was in bright light then darkness every five seconds or so, at an alternating rate, which provided a constant experience of the artwork and due to this unique idea, the piece won various artistic awards from the Tate.

Art


We also saw multiple other art pieces, such as a large cinema-like room with three screens displaying related images with one audio backing, which highlighted the art of videos and provided a long-lasting experience of the art form.

It was now time to put into practice the knowledge of art experiences we had learned, and we assembled into small groups of three or four, and quickly made our own art installation. The finished products included: a student being wrapped up in bubble wrap, which was secured down with ‘warning’ masking tape and another whole roll of bubble

wrap, and it was a very unique art experience, as the art itself could interact with passersby, which proved to be a success! Another example was a 3D experience with multiple coloured squares of card on top of a white sheet, with a projector angled at an array of mirrors, to create a ‘somewhat’ disco scene, which changed from whatever angle you were viewing it from.

Overall, this was a very fun and educational day out for the GCSE art students. Thank you to everyone who made it possible.

Elliot Hicks, 10H

Sixth Form Art & Design Coursework Trip

Our Art trip to London was designed with the intention of providing first-hand resources so that we could further develop the ideas we had begun to create in our coursework. Our first visit was to the Natural History Museum. Because everybody had different topics to research, we dispersed to take pictures of various exhibits and draw some of the statues, stuffed animals and dinosaur fossils. We were then ushered into the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition gallery – a rather large, dark and ominous room filled with bright screens showing incredible photos from photographers worldwide; these photos branched from tree seeds, to elephants walking underwater. My favourite piece was the ‘Mother’s Little Headful’ which won the young photographer’s prize, showing an adult crocodile with just her eye above the surface of the water with little baby crocodiles piled on top of her head. The last part of our trip was to the Victoria and Albert museum. Due to the sheer size of the museum we had about two hours to wander around and to sit in front of some of the artwork to take sketches. I had one particular favourite piece and that was Fredric Leighton’s ‘Rise of Persephone,’ a drawing so detailed that by looking straight at it one could think that it was actually three dimensional. I was able to use this work in my project to expand upon the concept of contrast. Other people found very different exhibitions more appropriate to their coursework, such as the series of story-telling

photographs. This was a very useful trip, and our attitude was only dampened ever so slightly by the long walk to the train station in the pouring rain!

Adrian Barker, 13G.

Art


English

Blind

My heart is beating,Like gunshots that deafen my ears,

My voice is blinded by the excruciating pain that surrounds me,My legs seem motionless,

Yet still trekking on through the mud,To my right and left,

Men collapse to the ground like a tree in a forest,The next thing I know,

My deafened face is against the dark sludge that pulls me in,My leg has been bitten by a huge gash,

Crawling up my leg to stab my heart,And I hope it does,

So I lie there,Waiting for everything to halt,

Waiting for our father to bring me home,Where I can be happy,

With my loved ones that have left me,My eyes are starting to blur,

And my body is frozen in the wretched mud that engulfs me,I am looking for a light,

I am searching for something to bring me out of my suffering,Death seems tempting.

Freddie Lewis, 9O

Y9 War Poems Off to war

“Salute all those brave men, off to fight the Hun!”“Half’ll be dead before the war’s done.”

“Such gallant young lads, the ladies are swooning!”“So gallant, so young, so unassuming.”

“Why the long face, sir? Are you not proud? Why don’t you cheer like the rest of the crowd?”

“My son went to war, thinking it would be fun, ‘til he was shot by some fool who’d been handed a gun.”

“Whilst I grieve for you sir, I must confess.I wish I was old enough to go fight for success”“I’m sure you would, boy, but make no mistake.The reports from the Front are pretty opaque.”

“The men are well-fed, and have cheerful morale!” “The veterans say that conditions are foul.”

“And what would you know? Old crippled man?Did you fight in this war, then panicked and ran?”

“Aye, I fought, but not in this war.Before my legs broke, I fought in the Boer.Now tell me, young lad, will you be up to it?

To look a man in the eye, and then fire the bullet?Sweet, stupid child, do not wish to sign up.

Or sooner than you think, you’ll drink from death’s cup.”

Angus Warrender, 9K


revolution. The photographs catalogued life in the mills, where an army of workers, including women

and very young children, tended rows and rows of giant industrial looms. From looking closely at the photographs, the people portrayed did not appear to me to be contented, for their facial expressions were set and their postures appeared deflated.

I feel that this type of in class presentation is invaluable to students for it gives a real-time context to historical subjects we cover in our studies. It also allows us to visualise and touch objects which we have created in our imaginations through reading literature. Not all boys seemed to appreciate the value of the talk

but it certainly helped everyone understand what weaving was all about. ‘Living History’ is much more engaging to the imagination than ‘Dead History’.

Tom Nichol, 10E

Silas Marner ‘Weaving Talk’

On the 4th of February, a weaving specialist came into school to talk to our year group about the pre-industrialisation of weaving linen cloth which then was a cottage industry. This talk was of relevance to our English studies of ‘Silas Marner’ by George Eliot, where the Author describes the monotonous and exhausting nature of cottage weaving. I gained insight into this labour-intensive craft that the author describes as being carried out in a cold, damp, poorly lit stone cottage, through my study of the text.

Observing and listening to the specialist weaver’s demonstration brought together my patchy knowledge of this subject, to physically touch the raw natural fibres and see the fabrics they had produced, was fascinating.

Also, the speaker presented us with historical black and white photographs of cotton-mills in the late 18th century in the boom of the British industrial

Review of King Richard II

As a class we were given the opportunity to go and watch King Richard II and, being the keen Shakespearean enthusiasts we are, we leapt upon it and signed up wholeheartedly. We were accompanied by a reasonably-sized group of Year 12 students who more than compensated for our small Year 13 class. We were accompanied by Ms Lovera, Mr Eaves and our coach driver. Between the three they directed our trip excellently and maintained a wonderful level of jest throughout whilst maintaining a strict level of control – particularly over those mischievous Year 12s!

So that’s the scene that was set and the location could not have been more fantastic. Stratford-upon-Avon squeezes every last drop of Shakespeare they

can out of the town and it is all the better for it. It was a thrill to go and watch one of his most enduring tragedies performed by exquisite actors within the walls of the home of modern Shakespeare.

That is not to say however that the interpretation was particularly modern. Director Greg Doran stuck devotedly to Shakespeare’s dazzling language and the actors performed it without fault. David Tennant, playing Richard II, was obviously going to be the star of the show. With such a tour-de-force as the titular role there were slight concerns amongst us that he may “stick-out” or overwhelm the other performers. Our concerns were entirely unfounded, and I felt personally that after half an hour of the show I had completely forgotten about Doctor Who and was

English


instead engrossed by his ostentatious but altogether pitiful Richard II. Tennant said before the play was performed in interview that he felt that Richard was a very complex character, and that was certainly how he played him. The change in his personality was dramatic, but not so blatant and blunt that you lost track, he wisely weaved in notes of his older personality even when faced with impending doom. Whilst they are Shakespeare’s words, how the actor performs each word is vital to how the play is received.

Doran’s direction was impressive too, with the sound being perfect for the atmosphere of the play and the stage being put to great use in its positioning and format.

We had a fantastic time going to see Richard II and I would thoroughly recommend it

Charlie Crossley, 13I

through music, the feelings of the characters. The audience responded to this by singing along, easily breaking down the fourth wall barrier.

The central theme here is love and hatred. Love, because throughout the play, the main characters kept meeting up, but pretending they didn’t like each other, talking about how they hated each other. In another storyline, two characters are split apart by others who don’t want them to be together, making the boy think the girl was cheating on him. Yet, I think the moral of the story was that in order for there to be love, you have to go through many obstacles. Because, in the end, the two pairs of lovers were able to be together, and able to forgive each other – especially when they knew that pranks had been played on them by someone else.

Overall, the performance was a great recreation of this play. The costumes and set were so beautifully crafted and designed, that it made you feel a part of it all: the interpretation of the script made by the characters was so good that they seemed to become them and the lighting used to such an effect that it could give the idea of time passing and the emotions felt for the characters. It was perfect.

Tom Barker, 9H and Harry Pun, 9F

‘Much Ado About Nothing’

Tonbridge School, on 26th November 2013, gave a modern take on the famous play by William Shakespeare: all of Year 9 went to see it. Performed by students of the school, this was a ‘modern’ version, with parties, loud guitars and soldiers, hippie rock concerts and police interrogations, whilst all the while following the storyline to the core, along with Shakespeare’s English and characters, with titles from out of a history book. And how did this production differ from any others, I hear you ask? By using portaloo toilets, that’s how!

Included in this, the effort put into the actual play was extraordinary. The costumes, décor and characters’ efforts gave both the appearance of a more modern, colourful time and the world of the Renaissance. This was shown as a band played modern music while the scenes changed – giving,

English


LibraryAndy Mulligan visits Y8

On Wednesday 9th July, author Andy Mulligan came to visit TWGSB. Andy Mulligan has written the ‘Ribblestrop Series’, ‘Trash’, and ‘The Boy With Two Heads’. These books were all well received and Andy won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize for ‘Return to Ribblestrop’, and ‘Ribblestrop’ was runner up for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize.

Andy came and made a speech to Year 8 and spoke about his new book ‘Trash’ and his time living in The Philippines. He also spoke briefly about his other books and how writing has helped him throughout his life. Andy was a teacher in Manila for a few years and he spoke about the events that unfolded whilst he was there. He told us how he found inspiration for his book ‘Trash’ from which he gave us a few extracts and points.

Some of us were lucky enough to stay on for a workshop. He told us more about how he found inspiration and how he used his writing techniques to create a successful book. We were told to think about someone we knew who fascinated us, and Andy led us through a series of scenarios using this character. We then wrote an opening to a story using the first line of his book ‘Trash’. This was a very effective way to start our stories and showed us how we could write our own books in the future.

Structured on Tennyson’s ‘The Eagle’

Cheeseburger The Cheeseburger clasps the heart with crooked claws;Close to the chips in lonely lands,Ring’d with the mustardy world, he tastes the wrinkled sea beneath him sourly;He watches from his cardboard plate, and like a KFC he makes you obese. Henry Tuppen, 8D

Altogether, this was a very good day for Y8 and Andy Mulligan was a very inspirational visitor to the school.

Thomas Hinchliffe, 8G

Carnegie Shadowing

Carnegie Shadowing is an event where students participate in a Library run social club where eight short listed books are read over 12 weeks. We can post reviews of each book on the Carnegie website and use that information in the meetings, where books are discussed and biscuits are eaten!

At the end of the allotted time, there is a Balloon Debate. The four groups, each from the schools TWGSB, TWGGS, Skinners and Skinners Kent Academy met, this year at TWGGS.

The Balloon Debate’s purpose is to imagine that your hot air balloon is going down and you must throw out seven books to survive. The one that remains wins the debate. This year my group won, pitching ‘All the truth that’s in me’ and we received certificates and book vouchers. The book that won the national Carnegie prize was the ‘Bunker Diary’ by Kevin Brooks.

This year, I also won an award for participation in Carnegie shadowing. I received a £10 book voucher and the new Carnegie Cup with my name engraved on it. This is a prize only presented at TWGSB and it was my first trophy so I am thrilled with it.Quite simply, Carnegie Shadowing is a great experience for anyone who enjoys reading.

Charlie Hyde, 8E

English


Football

Y9: Congratulations to the Year 9 Football squad who reached the last 16 of England in the National Cup, defeating some strong London teams in their run. Unfortunately, they lost 2-0 to a very talented Bishop Chaloner school team from Hackney. The attendance to training sessions has been superb.

Y11: The Year 11 squad continue to develop and played some good football, as they demonstrated with comfortable wins against Ardingly College and St Bedes. However, we were unfortunate in being drawn against strong teams in Hayes and Howard, who beat us in the Kent and National Cup respectively.

2nd XI: The Senior 2nd XI squad remained unbeaten in term 1, having won in friendlies against Ardingly College and St Bedes and league games against Marsh Academy and Oakwood Park. Draws against Maidstone GS and Norton Knatchbull School and a 4-2 loss to league winners Simon Langton meant that we finished 3rd in the league.

1st XI: In the Kent League the team won 9 matches, drew 2 and lost only 1, finishing the season as Runners-up. 64 teams entered the Kent Cup and the team reached the Semi-Final before losing to the eventual winners. One of the highlights was a fine 4-1 victory away at Ardingly College which included

a Michael Waller hat-trick. Several of the squad won the Kent League and Cup double the year before and have also represented the school with distinction over a seven year period. Christian Lawal and Jamie Weller played for Kent U18 winning the National Cup with the final being played at Coventry City F.C. Christian Lawal (13B) headed to the USA in October 2014 to take up a prestigious football scholarship through the PASS4Soccer Network program.

Basketball

Y9: Our Y9 basketball squad were runners up in the West Kent Basketball League, losing to Judd in the final. Comfortable wins were achieved against Sackville, Bennett (twice) Cranbrook and Beacon.

Y10: Congratulations to the Y10 squad who beat Beacon School in the West Kent Basketball Final. This is the 2nd time in three years that the squad have won the league. They remained unbeaten and had wins against Judd, Bennett, Hayesbrook, Cranbrook, Mascalls and Sackville in earlier games.

Y11: Congratulations also to the Y11 squad who were runners up in the West Kent Basketball League, losing to Judd in the final. They have had good wins against Beacon, St Gregorys and Cranbrook.

Physical Education


Rugby

TWGSB enjoyed many successes on the rugby field. Years 7, 8, 9 beat Bennett on the 3G as did the 2nd XV in a very exciting game, which finished 24-19. We had mixed results against Beth Grammar School; the Year 7A lost 15-5, the Year 7B drew 5-5 and the Year 8 won 10-5. The Year 9 team lost 26-0. The Year 7 & 8 teams both beat Borden Grammar School.

The U15 Rugby team made it to Round 5 of the Natwest Vase – an excellent effort from all the players! They were knocked out after conceding a last minute try against Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar School.

Cross Country

Chris Cohen was once again the pick of the TWGSB cross country runners, with an excellent 9th place in the English Schools’ Championships at Nottingham in March, as the highlight of a consistently good season. Cohen had come a close second place in the Kent Schools’ Championships at Wilmington, in January, to earn his selection for the Kent team but had improved markedly to come within one place of earning an England vest. Felix Brooks and Ewan Livingston also took part in the Kent Championships, finishing 24th and 36th respectively in the Y7 age group. Other notable performances came with a solid team performance by the Y7 and Y8 runners

for 3rd place in the FH Taylor Relay held at Judd School and Hamish Wyatt gaining an excellent 40th place out of 350 finishers in the Knole Senior Run at Sevenoaks.

Athletics

After numerous excellent multi-events performance, Lewis Church gained his first England vest in the Schools Indoor Combined Events International in Glasgow in December where he was part of the winning England team. Lewis subsequently followed this up with an equally impressive summer season, representing Kent at the English Schools Track and Field Championships over the 400m hurdles and a second place (Decathlon) in the English Schools Combined Events Championships. Not to be outdone, Chris Cohen was also a silver medallist in the English Schools Championships in the Intermediate Boys 1500m. Chris recorded a superb 3:56.31 to gain selection for the England Team in the SIAB Schools U17 Track and Field International in Cardiff where he finished in 3rd place.

Physical Education


Year 7 Super 8SCongratulations to the Year 7 athletics team who came 4th in The Kent School Games in the regional Super 8s competition.

Year 7-10 West Kent Athletics LeagueCongratulations to our athletics squads in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 who achieved a clean sweep of trophies in the West Kent Athletics League, also winning the overall trophy for the 3rd year running. The boys have dominated the League this year with impressive performances at meets at Mascalls, Bennett, TWGSB, Hayesbrook and Hugh Christie.

Tennis

Congratulations to the Year 10 A Tennis team who won the district league and qualified to play in the finals of the Kent School Games. On Monday 7th July the team travelled to Canterbury. The boys played well finishing as Runners-up, being narrowly beaten by Simon Langton GS in the final.

Kent Schools Table Tennis

Tim Walters (7H) and Matt Hooper (8C) won all the games in their groups and got through to the semi final where they both lost then faced each other for third place play off. Tim won coming third overall in Boys U13 and Matt came fourth. Thomas Arnott (7M) got through to the consolation round and came third in that. All three boys have England rankings and play in National Cadet competitions regularly against the best in the country.

Sixth Form Girls: Netball

History was made in late November when TWGSB embarked on its debut 1st VII netball match against Hugh Christie school. The girls’ lack of training and

match experience certainly didn’t stand in their way and they arrived at the fixture full of enthusiasm and eager to win. On arrival at Hugh Christie the opposition were clearly well drilled with sharp shooters. The final score was 24-5 in Hugh Christie’s favour but this did not reflect the overall quality of the TWGSB girls’ performance. We held more than 50% possession in the middle two quarters with some brilliant interceptions and defensive play. Extra training paid dividends with victory for the first time against Sackville School. The TWGSB shooters were in fine form and it was clear that the girls had been working on their passing skills during enrichment sessions. The teams were evenly matched and the game hard-fought. The score was 12-10 to TWGSB at the final whistle.

Physical Education


This trip was for Year 12 Philosophy and Ethics Students to complement our studies. We arrived in Athens late on Monday 30th June and had a quiet and relaxed evening settling in. On the Tuesday we went to visit the Acropolis which is the holy rock of Athens. After trekking up the hill from Monastiraki we reached the top and were able to experience the most spectacular view of Athens as well as being surrounded by ancient ruins of the temple of Augustus and Rome! After that we then went to visit the Acropolis museum. It was great to see and walk the same streets as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. It was extremely informative and we were surrounded in an incredible 39 degrees heat! Later in the day, we persuaded Mr Chisholm to let us go to the beach (although it didn’t take much persuasion as I think the teachers were just as excited as we were!).

The next day we went to visit the ancient ruins in Delphi, which was just the most beautiful place and despite the three hour coach journey there and back, it was in our opinion the best day. We visited the temple of Apollo. In ancient times, Delphi was thought to be the centre of the world. There was also the remains of a stadium where one of the forerun-ners to the modern Olympic games took place. Fascinating! The views there were amazing and to top it off, we spent a few hours in the evening, out in the city of Athens site-seeing.

On the Thursday Mr Chisholm had to improvise which he did a good job of. We were meant to be going on a tour of the Plaka but our tour guide had to cancel last minute. So after breakfast we had to wait for Mr Chisholm and Mr Downing to find something new for us to do. In the end we went to Cape Sounion; the ancient Greek temple of Poseidon (the God of the sea). We had some lunch, with the view of the sea and the ruins and then went to walk up to see them, this was also very interesting. The temple bears the deeply engraved name of English romantic poet; Lord Byron. This was of great interest to the English students amongst us! After that we had a little time on a nearby beach where we just relaxed, sunbathed and went in the sea, before making our way back to the hotel by coach.

Then Friday came when we had to leave, we packed up our stuff, grabbed some lunch in the restaurants around us and waited for the coach. We both had an amazing time in Athens, it was one of the best trips we have ever been on and we would highly recommend it. Mr Chisholm and Mr Downing made it really enjoyable and we loved every minute of it.

Ellen Gearing, 12G and Gracie Hughes, 12G

ATHENS 2014: Walking in the footsteps of the world’s greatest philosophical thinkers

Y12 Activities Week


University of Surrey Visit

Y12 Students (not on a residential trip) spent two days either doing work experience, volunteering or attending any university open days which were taking place. On Wednesday, they visited the University of Surrey for a tour of the University, talks on life at uni, job skills and more.

Careers Day

Thursday was ‘Careers Day’. Students attended both subject and careers talks which took place during the morning. They were also given the opportunity to sign up for a practice interview and spend time working on their UCAS personal statement.

The sixth formers set a very good impression of the school. In particular the one-on-one interviews that took place on Thursday were a real success and were of enormous benefit to the students. Many students have even managed to make great contacts for work experience opportunities. Furthermore, the interviewers who very kindly offered their time to come in and conduct the interviews were extremely complimentary about our students and left singing their praises.

Army Teambuilding and Science Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Tasks

On Friday we held an Army teambuilding activity on the fields and a STEM Activity in the Drama Studio. Both activities gave the students much to think about with regards to their ability to work as part of a team, meet deadlines, follow instructions and prioritise tasks. Once again, the students engaged well with these tasks and should have taken much from them that will be of benefit to them later in life.

Y12 Activities Week


Y12 Activities Week Y7–Y9 Activities WeekYear 7 Clay Workshop

Ms Kublik and Ms Zachery ran a clay workshop for Year 7 Students.The theme of the day was ‘How to Build a Dragon’. We started by looking at some existing clay dragons and dragon imagery for inspiration. Then students undertook independent research to help them to come up with their own designs which they drew out in colour. Next came practising with clay and working through the problems associated with making 2-D imagery into a 3-D object! Once some trials had taken place the students set about making their dragons; there were some great designs and every dragon was individual – well done to the boys for a successful and creative day. The students were able to decorate their pieces with specialist glazes when they returned in September.

The Classic Königsberg Bridges Problem

The city of Königsberg was set on both sides of the Pregel River and included two large islands which were connected to each other and the mainland by seven bridges. The problem: to find a walk through the city that would cross each bridge once and only once. The islands could not be reached by any route other than the bridges, and every bridge must have been crossed completely every time; one could not walk halfway onto the bridge and then turn around and later cross the other half from the other side. The walk should start and end at the same spot. Did Mrs Johnston’s students reach the same conclusion as the famous mathematician Euler?


Science 2Life

On Monday 15th May, Sue McGrath of Science2Life came to the school to run the ‘Supermarket Science’ show for Years 7, 8 and 9. Over the course of three one hour shows, Sue enthralled staff and students alike with her noisy, messy, explosive demonstrations, which many of the boys were involved in. Using common household items, such as cabbage, Sue illustrated important science principles and knowledge. Comments by staff and students indicated that it was enjoyed by all!

Mrs Tull’s Bake Off

Students made a plaited fruit loaf which involved the challenge of plaiting five strands of dough together, then baking and icing it. They also made a savoury tray bread with different toppings on e.g. olives, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, basil etc.

Y7–Y9 Activities Week



Wakehurst Place, Ardingly

The day at Wakehurst was made up of two science focused activities for Y9s.The workshops were led by specialist teachers from Kew Gardens and linked directly to the GCSE Science syllabus.

All students spent half a day taking part in The Wild Weald. They learnt about the plants and animals of the woodland or meadow habitat through sampling and observation. Students also had the chance to learn about the important conservation work done by Kew, including the Millennium Seed Bank.

The other half of the day was spent doing a lab-based activity: either Green DNA (Customs officials have stopped a timber consignment at Southampton Docks which they suspect has been cut from protected rainforest. Use DNA gel electrophoresis to decide whether the wood has been illegally imported or not.) or Feeding on Light (Life on this planet depends on photosynthesis. Find out more about it by suspending microscopic algae in spheres. Investigate the effect of light intensity on photosynthesis.)

The Big Bang Fair South East

The Big Bang Fair aims to inspire11-18 year olds to study science, technology, engineering and maths. There were over 100 interactive activities, shows and workshops, all relating to STEM.

Rocket Launchers by the Maths Dept


Bedgebury Pinetum, Goudhurst

Boys took part in a range of activities including team building challenges, orienteering and shelter building.

What’s My Line?

STEM Ambassadors from a variety of backgrounds brought three props or pieces of equipment from their workplace to prompt discussions with students. The pupils quizzed each ambassador for 7 minutes in an attempt to guess their job role, using the props as clues. While some STEM Ambassadors came with telling props others were harder to solve. The groups rotated until they had met each STEM Ambassador and made a guess. At the end the best group (the ones with the best guesses) won.


Mr Jorris’ Music Composition


British Museum

On 30th June a group of Year 7 and 8 students visited The British Museum as part of Activities Week. We arrived promptly at the museum; it was a busy Monday morning. Whilst there, as well as choosing galleries that we wanted to see, we took part in workshop activities with the museum’s resident artists; the theme of these was ‘Power & Status’.

We were first told to draw what we thought of when someone says “the British Museum”, most people drew Rosetta Stones! Next we were taken around and shown a throne made of guns, we were told to think deeply about this and decided it was to show a sign of authority. It was to scare people in bad and dark ways. We then moved onto a tree sprinkled with animals of the same nature, it was all made of guns, this was once again a sign of power and evil. We completed a few drawings before moving on to carvings of Syrian kings that showed stories of, once again, strength and power. Finally we moved into a room of statues, we discussed what made a statue look great and powerful. We all had the opportunity of drawing a powerful person from the room and we then realised that even the way you hold your neck gives you more or less power.

In the afternoon we went to the Americas where we looked at many different masks and statues, we eventually moved onto the Ancient Aztecs and their various selection of masks and statues. We learnt all sorts of traditions and different cultures whilst there. We finally went through a section of the history of clocks, there were thousands of clocks with different cogs and works. Before we knew it was the end of the day, we had a great time and learnt a lot!

Will Shoosmith and Sam Barker, 8D


Mr Stevens’ Ice-Cream Vans (Graphic Products)


Y10 and Y12 Madrid

The five day long trip to Madrid started with a refreshing 2:30am wake up time for me and the many others, before travelling to school to pick up the coach. Fast forward three and a half hours and we were on flight BA458 out of Heathrow and heading towards Madrid Barajas. First we dropped our bags off and went to Atocha, a famous rail station across the street from our hotel, Hotel Mediodía. We had free time for lunch before visiting the Reina Sofia gallery next to the hotel, home to paintings from the likes of Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. Back at the hotel, we unpacked our bags, before heading to Retiro Park to play football at La Chopera. We then walked to a local restaurant before settling down for another long day that was ahead of us.

Tuesday started with breakfast before we headed to the Madrid Zoo, home to all the animals you’d expect to see and more. We spent the whole morning there before heading to Fuenlabrada, the town where Fernando Torres grew up, for lunch, flamenco dancing and Spanish lessons. After having done that, we went for Tapas in the evening followed by a gig, before calling it a day. Wednesday started with the visit to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, home to Real Madrid. The tour was filled with trophies and memorabilia to look at which was very interesting. After that, we split up as some of us went for a cooking lesson; the others had a chance to shop. This was prior to another visit to La

Chopera and dinner in a local restaurant.

Thursday promised to be a great day, and it lived up to expectations. It all started with a walk to Plaza Mayor, the main square in Madrid. It rained like none of us had ever seen before! Next was to the theme park, El Parque Warner, home to the tallest attraction in Europe as well as other great rides. We spent the afternoon there before going onto the Hard Rock café, which was full of great


food and music. Friday started with the taking of churros in a nearby café. Churros are a deep fried treat served with hot chocolate and are taken for breakfast as a special treat in Spain. We finished the packing of our bags which was followed by a room inspection, before leaving the hotel for the last time and heading to Las Ventas bullring. Las Ventas is the biggest bullring in the world; it has a capacity of 23,000 spectators. Our tour guide had a vast knowledge on bull fighting and we heard some very interesting stories and points of view. Shopping was next on the agenda, to a place where there were discounts everywhere! Before finally heading back to Madrid Barajas, and after a long check in process we finally boarded flight IB3180 to London Heathrow. Overall the trip was great and I would certainly do it again!

Matthew Bacon, 10M

Y10 and Y12 Madrid


We knew the trip had started well when we received the news that the double decker coach was to arrive two hours late due to the fact it had missed its original ferry crossing. As you could probably tell nobody was too happy about this. Thankfully we were allowed to go into the music and drama block to watch a film. When the coach finally arrived we loaded our bags onto the coach and prepared for our 18-20 hour coach trip. We arrived at the ferry and rather excitedly left the coach to grab our first hot meal of the day and wander around aimlessly while the ferry company tried to make us spend as much money as possible in the shops.

As the ferry began to dock we raced back to the coach to sleep for the night, (kind of). We woke up in the morning as we arrived at a services for breakfast. After half an hour of hot chocolate and regretting the extensive eating of chocolate on the ferry, we made our way to Azu Rivage.

We arrived at Rockley (Azu Rivage) to a warm welcome from the staff. We were shown to our tents and were given a couple of minutes to settle in before we made our way to the main marquee for our introduction. Here we were introduced to the staff properly and were told the site rules. Having been briefed we had our lunch and got into our water gear.

Our activities consisted of: SUP (Stand Up Paddle Boarding), Kayaking, Pico Sailing, Dart Sailing, Mountain Biking, and Wind Surfing.

Once we had completed this we made our way back to our tent to get changed before our dinner and our evening was to begin. In the evening we began activities such as beach games or an ‘Egg Drop’.

We also had time at lunch and dinner when we had the chance to relax and get ready for the next activity.

On Tuesday the staff entertained us as they put on a special show. This included some terrible tractor jokes and a lot of water. Tuesday evening we made our way to one of the highest sand dunes in Europe. Here we were allowed to run to the top of one of the dunes and had a group photo. After this we had the

Year 8 Azu’Rivageopportunity to run down the side of the dune and race each other down. I think the majority of the group still has sand in their shoes from that day.

The next day we had an early rise in order to get on the coach and ready to go surfing. We had brilliant tuition and were split into two groups. After the surfing the other half of the group had a go while the previous group went shopping. In the afternoon we went back onto the coach and made our way to Aqualand where we had lunch and were then allowed to go around the park in groups. There were all sorts of rides such as Wave.

Finally on our last night at the site we were told rather than to get into dry clothes that we needed to get back into our wetsuits. Puzzled we got changed and travelled to the meeting point. We were taken down to the side of the lake and were ‘ambushed’ by a group of ‘French’ soldiers that desperately needed our help. We therefore needed to perform a physically and mentally challenging task, everyone seemed to enjoy it and was exhausted by the end of the evening and the thought that we only had one more night left began to set in and as we walked back we slowly sped up until we began to race towards the showers to avoid having to wait.

The last day went by as normal although rather than relaxing we had to pack. As you can probably guess some were better than others at this but we all got it done. Our next task was to clean out our tent. The only way to finish was to have your tent completely immaculate and ready to go. We then made our way to dinner for the last time and again placed our bags onto the coach. Once we were all gathered under the main marquee again we were then de-briefed. We said our goodbyes and got on the coach.

The journey back was the same as the way there. However, the ferry trip didn’t seem as exiting and we managed to get an earlier crossing. Once back at school, we filtered out of the coach to the sound of hellos and excited conversations with parents.

And that was the end of our trip. Ed Shamwana, 8B


Year 8 Azu’Rivage


Year 7 ParisI had to wake up at 3:30am on the day of the trip which was June 30th 2014. I ran downstairs and got dressed and left home at 4:30am to go to the school, where we were getting picked up by our coaches. My mum dropped my dad and I off at school (my dad was coming on the trip as well). We left at about half five and eventually got to Dover at around 7:30am. We boarded our ferry and had an hour and a half journey to Calais. We drove to a service station in France and stopped for lunch. We soon set off on the road again and finally got to Paris at 4:30pm.

We stopped at the Bateaux Mouches port and got on a boat. The trip was divided into 4 groups and we were in group 4. I sat on the top floor of the boat. One of the best parts were the bridges, which have padlocks on them, because they shone in the sun. We got to see an old prison and the Eiffel Tower from the Seine. Paris has two islands which were originally settled on which we got to see. We went to Flunch which is a restaurant where you choose what drink you want, whether you want a starter, dessert or both. After we had eaten we left to go to our hotel.

It was tiny compared to what I expected because I had seen massive tower block hotels before. I unpacked and had a bath. When I got into bed I fell asleep instantly.

The next day I had my first breakfast in the hotel. It was a bowl of cereal, a croissant, 2 crêpes, yogurt and coffee. We then left for Disneyland Paris. I got to use my electric wheelchair as we went through the gates. We got our ticket and went to the main park. We went on Big Thunder Mountain which is so scary. You have to hold on and move with the turns, or it can hurt! It was hard to hold on in the dark, but it was awesome! Next we went on the Buzz Lightyear ride where you have to shoot these targets to score points. We had this special carriage, which let me use my wheelchair. My dad had completely thrashed me by the end of it! I bought a t-shirt and a cap later on in the day. We had gone on the Star Tours ride which is a Star Wars-themed simulator ride. I had a chicken burger and chips for lunch. Later we got to see the parade which was really great.


Year 7 ParisThe next day we had the same morning routine. We were going to Sacré-Coeur, the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre Museum. I was so tired in the bus so I had a nap (while listening to music on my head-phones to block out all of the noise!). We drove into the district of Montmartre and parked outside a steep cobbled road which would take you to the stairs leading to Sacré-Coeur. Because it was impossible to take a wheelchair up hundreds of stairs we took the funicular up the hill and beat the others! We saw how amazing it was from the outside. We had split up from our group so we went to eat our baguettes in a nearby park. We went through the square with all the artists and then made our way back down to the bottom of the hill. We went to Costa and we both had an ice drink. Mine was mango and peach and my dad’s was coffee (of course!).

We went to Versailles after and we saw the shin-ing golden gates as we walked in. We got to

take a creaky lift upstairs (creepy stuff!) and went into this massive room with a massive

painting on the ceiling. We saw some beautiful marble figures with swords

and really detailed faces. As we went through the rooms we noticed they all had amazing ceilings like the first. The best part was the hall of

mirrors which let you see everywhere in the room

without moving. They used to make mirrors with silver which is very expensive! The King of France must of been very rich! Later that day we went to the art museum. We got to see the Mona Lisa. It had bulletproof glass and two guards but I got an amazing picture. We saw where the original castle foundations were and it was very interesting. Then we left for Flunch.

The next day was the best. It was my twelfth birth-day!! My mum had packed me a card, which she wrote in French! It had this badge, which I wore for the whole day. We drove all the way to the Arc de Triomphe, which we could not find the disabled entrance for. So instead we walked all the way to the Eiffel Tower. It was a long walk but it was mag-nificent when we saw it round a corner. The tower had armed soldiers guarding it in case of a repeat of 9/11.Scary! All of the boys had to go up the stairs except me! I was scared at the beginning but was fine on the 2nd floor. That was as far as I went!! I got a mini Eiffel Tower and a mini Arc de Triomphe. You could see the whole city! Last was Notre Dame which was frustrating because we didn’t have long at all. About 45 minutes in fact. The stained glass was the only bit I liked but the building was okay. We went to Flunch where I had a proper steak for my birthday.

The next morning. We packed very fast and were on the bus really quickly. When we arrived in Calais we went to a shopping centre called Cité Europe. I only bought stuff for the journey. We went on the Eurotunnel home. It was so quick and seamless.

Amazing engineering from both countries there! We got back to TWGSB at 6:30pm and I parked

my wheelchair in the normal place. When I got in the car I gave my mum a big hug

because I missed her. Then we went home (Anticlimax :{ )

Matthew Elliot, 7H


Sports DaySports Day 2014 was as ever, another memorable event, with the weather perfect on the reserve day! It was fantastic again to see the colourful array of House T-shirts on show and also the general relaxed atmosphere and excellent behaviour shown by the pupils. There were some outstanding performances, with seven new Sports Day records broken, which is a record in itself!

Tristan Stocker: Year 7 100m – 13.03Will Baigent: Year 8 100m – 12.18Daniel Flint: Year 9 Triple Jump – 10.50mMax Leeson: Year 10 Javelin – 37.30m Year 10 Shot Putt – 12.10mHamish Wyatt: Year 12 800m – 2.18.56Lewis Church: Year 12 Long Jump – 6m 24cm


Sixth Form (anon)

Sports Day

4 Eclectics 2013-14

TWGSB Open Evening

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eclectics: twgsb school magazine 2013-2014

Documents

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11c2 eclectics

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