the lastWORDCockermouth School Magazine

Winter 2014

FAREWELL, MR WALKER!After being a Headteacher for 14 years, including five at Cockermouth School, Mr Walker is retiring from his post in December. During his time here he has made a great impact and his enthusiasm for education and commitment to the school have been appreciated by students and staff alike. Mr Walker was Deputy Head Boy during his own time at secondary school so it could be said that he got his first taste of school leadership early on! We interviewed Mr Walker to find out how he feels about retiring.How do you feel to be leaving Cockermouth School? Sad. I can’t imagine not spending full weeks with students, teachers, parents and governors – but having been a Headteacher for 14 years, I feel it’s time to reacquaint myself with friends and family!What has been your most memorable moment? It’s impossible to pick one as there have been so many successes: Rock Challenge, Les Mis, Kids’ Lit Quiz, sporting events...I think the diversity and range of experiences on offer outside lessons is fantastic. And we do so well. It’s fantastic how many things we win – we really punch above our weight.What will you miss the most? Teenagers growing up! I’ll miss being with students during good and bad times, and helping when things go wrong. I’ll also miss the celebration of achievements at all levels – that’s what a good comprehensive school is all about!What challenges have you had to overcome? Large budget cuts in education, as well as all the non-stop external changes related to the curriculum and exams. For a school with a good reputation, there’s also been pressure to evaluate what we do within the school, and improve on it.What are your plans for your retirement? I’ll be working part-time with other schools in Cumbria for the rest of the academic year, and then I’ll do some travelling – perhaps take the gap year I never had! I also plan to do some voluntary work.On behalf of students, staff, parents and governors, we thank Mr Walker for his hard work and contribution to the school, and wish him all the best in his retirement.

Luke Skil beck (Head Boy), Sophie Wilson (Head Girl), Stephen C ole (Deputy Head Boy), Meghan Avery (Deputy Head Girl), Year 13

COCKERMOUTH’S SUPER HEROES COME OUT FIGHTING FOR CHILDREN IN NEED

On Friday 14th November the eagle eyed residents of Cockermouth may well have caught a glimpse of Superman, Catwoman, Captain America, Robin and even a few Batmen walking (really?) up Castlegate Drive, had they twitched their net curtains around 8.30 am.

Yes, of course, it was Children in Need and the super heroes of Cockermouth School Sixth Form were out in force, using their super powers to raise £1422.08 for disadvantaged children in the annual national fundraiser.

The day was fantastic! Along with a whole school non-uniform day, the Sixth Form committee put together a range of fund raising activities such as cake sales, shoot the loop and a penny trail, as well as the usual ‘sponge a teacher’ (thanks to the ‘willing’ volunteers!) and the annual hairy leg waxing in the Common Room which definitely brought in the biggest audience of the day.

Thanks to all the students and staff who got involved, whether they helped out with the activities, took part in them or even just donated some loose change. Every penny makes a difference to charities such as Children in Need.

Keep your eyes open for more fundraising going on in school!

Linsey Wilson, Year 13 Charities’ Officer

Happy Christmas ❆Joyeux Noël ❆ Frohe Weihnachten ❆ Feliz Navidad

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HEAD’S LINESNever has the title of our magazine seemed more apt as I write this, my last Headlines as Headteacher of Cockermouth School, and for once, I’m almost stuck for words. After 35 years of working in schools, I have so many memories of working with thousands of students – in classrooms, on school trips, on the sports field, in school productions, and occasionally, in detention! It was, and continues to be, the students who are the motivators for this job, and it has been a delight.

At Cockermouth, I’ll never forget the Rock Challenge finals, Kids’ Lit events, productions and Blues Night, individual and team sporting prowess, art exhibitions - quite a talented bunch actually. So to all students: thank you, I’ll miss you, and I’ve been proud to be your headteacher.

None of the above would be possible without our excellent staff, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. I wish you all the best for the future and thank you for your individual contributions.

Our school has an excellent level of support - our governors, the CSA, parents and carers, and the wider community. Of all the schools in which I have worked, Cockermouth School’s place at the heart of its community is unique, and I hope this will always be the mainstay of the school’s philosophy.

I’m looking forward to the next phase of my life, confident in the knowledge that Cockermouth School will go from strength to strength and that our pupils will prosper from their education here.

Enjoy this Christmas edition which has been co-ordinated and edited by our 6th Form Team. Well done to these students – as ever, their commitment and effort are to be commended.

With best wishes for a very happy Christmas, and peaceful New Year.

Geoff Walker, Headteacher

EDITORIAL NOTEWe are sad to say that Mrs Ellis, the previous editor of the Last Word, has retired from her post as Development Manager.

The Last Word is now being organised and edited by sixth form students Stephen Cole, Sophie Wilson, Maisie Short, Leah Cumiskey and Niamh Dixon, along with Mrs Milledge.

Mrs Ellis will be greatly missed and we wish her the best of luck in her retirement.

News from Cockermouth School Association Well it’s been a rather rocky start to the school year for the CSA this time around. Following the loss of valuable committee members in the summer holidays, we found ourselves with a greatly depleted committee at our first meeting in September. A letter was sent out to parents explaining the problems and that fact that we might have to fold, and thankfully we had an encouraging response. An extra meeting in October was called and the result: a new and revitalised CSA committee, ably backed by a team of parent helpers, stepping forward to provide the refreshments for the parents’ evenings, school performances and other events, and to fundraise for the school through the 100 Club and the selling of raffle tickets and bag packing. Thank you to everyone who responded.

Don’t forget that it is never too late to support us by joining the committee or our parent helpers list, becoming a member of the 100 Club for a mere £1 a month, or donating good quality raffle prizes. Contact Mrs Tiffen-Luff in Reception for more details.

Merry Christmas!

Mel Avery (Chair – CSA)

Visiting Author Takes Students to the Top of the World

On Friday 7th November, school played host to Everest summiteer, documentary filmmaker and young adult fiction author, Matt Dickinson. Over 300 Geography and English students from Year 7 to Year 13 enjoyed Matt’s talks throughout a packed day which culminated in a very well attended talk to parents, teachers, more students and members of our community. Matt had spoken for well over 6 hours by the time he finished at about 8.30pm.

Matt’s literary career started when he published his first book Death Zone, an account of his own ascent of Everest with mountaineer, Alan Hinkes, and actor Brian Blessed’s attempt to summit the world’s highest mountain for the third time. This was an adventure mired with tragedy as the expedition was hit by the worst storms on Everest seen for decades. Matt’s venture into fiction began with his book Mortal Chaos, the first in a trilogy that explores how events and people are connected through ‘chaos theory’.

Matt’s visit to school was part of a book tour to promote his new book The Everest Files, which has just been nominated for the very prestigious Carnegie Medal. Talking about his film career in one of the five sessions he delivered during the school day, he discussed the difficulties of filming a successful attempt to break the world altitude record for hang gliding (about 40000 feet) and how he became the first person to film at the summit of Everest.

Matt also coached pupils in ways to improve their creative writing by looking at stories such as Toy Story and E.T - the former he considers to be the greatest story ever written – and explored the idea of victims in contemporary novels such as The Hunger Games and the Harry Potter novels. As his presentation drew to a close, Matt took questions from the audience, giving advice on how to tackle writer’s block and how to get into filmmaking and journalism.

C onal l McDowel l, Year 12

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On Wednesday September 17th all of the year 12 students enjoyed a team-building day doing problem-solving and outdoor activities in the Borrowdale valley, working in our new forms to help us get to know each other better. The 12 teams were dropped off at different locations and each team had to complete a circuit of different activities to win points.

During the day, we tried out rock climbing and gorge crossing, paddled across Derwent Water and completed various problem-solving activities, which were designed to encourage us to work together to come up with different solutions.

The day was extremely enjoyable and I would definitely do it again given the chance. Congratulations to Mr Ulyatt’s team who were the overall winners.

Leah Cumiskey, Year 12

Year 12 Team Build in the Sun

Cockermouth School Carol Service

Festive fun for everyone!

WEDNESDAY 17TH DECEMBER 2014Christ Church, Cockermouth from 7.00 pm

Music from our Choirs and Orchestra Scripture Readings ❆ Seasonal Poems

Carols For All ❆ Solos And Duets From 6.30pm

Refreshments Afterwards

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The Last PostA piece of creative writing in honour of Remembrance Sunday and of the 100th anniversary of World War One this yearWe all knew we were going to our deaths, as soon as the command was given. The guns started the moment the men began to appear above the top of the trench. The bullet hit me just as I attempted to scramble over the barbed wire. I felt it pierce my skin and puncture my stomach; the pain was agonizing. I had the good fortune to fall forward onto the dried mud and soil of no man’s land without joining the rest of the poor souls whose limp bodies lay snagged on the barbed wire.

I know I’m going to die. I’m not afraid, just sad: sad that I’ll never see my two boys, George and Danny, again; sad that I won’t be able to tell my beautiful wife, Alice, I love her one last time; sad that I’ll never finish that book and get the job and the life I really wanted.

I close my eyes and fill my mind with these thoughts, thoughts that take me away from the cold harsh truth. I feel a tear escape from beneath my closed eyelid, then a beautiful sense of peace as the battlefield falls silent and the light comes to take me away.

Eleanor Thompson Year 9

Paddle School and the Sad Tale of Draper SaulIt seems appropriate that I write this piece, because Paddle School has recently celebrated its bicentenary.

Paddle School has an unusual name which seems to derive from its location. As it was subject to typical Cumbrian weather and sits within a natural bowl, it was wet all year round. Even wet enough in places to paddle in! The school opened its doors to students on 7th November 1814. In those days, education came with a price tag and so Paddle started life as a fee paying school – albeit for poor local children.

Paddle’s first teacher was a man called Draper Saul. He took up his position aged 20. He was the only member of staff, teaching a variety of subjects, including “surveying” and “Euclidian mathematics”. He also served as the school dentist, reportedly pulling teeth out deftly with his fingers!

Draper Saul had a tough life. Three of his five children died before they were a month old. His wife also died very young. He dedicated himself to teaching, serving Paddle for 50 years. By all accounts he had become lonely and depressed as his years progressed.

The Carlisle Journal of 23rd December 1864 records a “melancholy death by drowning near Cockermouth”. It reports that a Police-Sergeant Snook found the body of Draper Saul in the river Cocker near Southwaite on 18th December 1864. It is likely that he committed suicide. Possibly he could not face another Christmas alone.

If I was sent to the past and saw Draper Saul about to drown himself, I would shout, “Stop!” I would sit down on the chilly banks of the river Cocker and tell him about his extraordinary legacy, the way he would be respected by future generations of Paddle schoolchildren, that his name wouldn’t be forgotten and that the school he helped to found would continue to thrive. I think he should always be remembered.

Sam Moore, Year 8

WRITING TALENT

Top of the Word

Congratulations to Lucy Dunlop (7MSL) and Lauren Lynch (7DE/KR) who have both read over a million words this term, making them the first members of the Accelerated Reader Millionaire’s Club. A superb effort!

Mrs Wil liams

Year 7 feel the need to readAt the start of this academic year, Cockermouth School launched the Accelerated Reader programme and we are already seeing positive results! Last half term, Year 7 borrowed 270 more books from the library than Year 7 borrowed in the previous year – a massive 870 books in total! Clearly our journey towards creating a culture of reading at Cockermouth School has started.

Students’ reading ages are assessed through an on-line test which gives teachers the information they need to help students select books that are difficult enough to keep them challenged, but not too difficult to cause frustration. Each time a student finishes a book, he or she completes a quiz to check their comprehension. Year 7s are now regularly reading in tutor time, in English lessons, in other lessons when there is time and at home. Reading for just 30 minutes every day, on average boosts a child’s reading age by two years in just one academic year.

Students are receiving regular updates on their progress, are taking part in inter-form competitions and can expect to get continuous recognition of their achievements and endeavour.

Our librarians, Helen Farrah and Frances Webb, have been busy re-organising the library and filling the shelves with hundreds of new and exciting books. The library really does look amazing and there is something for everyone on the shelves.

Students and parents can check to see if a book is on the Accelerated Reader programme by visiting the webpage: http//www.arbookfind.co.uk

Mrs Wil liams, Accelerated Reader C oordinator

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Classics Club Gets Year 7 Reading

Year 7 students are meeting fortnightly as members of the newly founded Classics Club. So far there has been a great turnout at the regular meetings. The students will make their own choices of classic books to read and discuss at meetings and will also complete a number of creative tasks based on the books they read. Their efforts will be rewarded with certificates.

Mrs Thomas, English Department

Battle of Words

Teams from each year 7 form and their supporters gathered in the Eco Centre on the evening of 14th October to do battle to find the most literary form of 2014 – 15. Team members worked together to answer questions about supernatural beings, birds, food (always a popular topic!) and many more in their favourite books, and between rounds members of the very supportive audience were given the chance to win book tokens and £2 coins. Each team won a pile of books and individual team members had the chance to win £2 for answering ‘spot‘ questions.

The Y7 Lit Quiz is an inter-form competition which is great for people who read – A LOT! You need to know all kinds of random facts from books: any books you might have read since you were very little, even ones which were read to you before you could read for yourself.

After 64 team questions, 8 adult audience questions, 8 child audience questions and 8 questions for individual team members, plus refreshments catered for by members of CSA and the chance to buy a great range of books supplied by Hills Books, the scores were totaled and the winners announced. There were some very knowledgeable students present but the team from 7GHU was the decisive winner. Jack Dixon, Jacob Peel, Louise Rodger and William Thompson each took home a book token and more book prizes, plus the silver cup for their form.

Many congratulations to everyone who took part – keep up the great reading!

Mrs Farrar, Librarian

Year 12 Go Wilde For Oscar On 22nd November, a bus full of loud AS English Literature students travelled to Birmingham with Mrs Milledge and Mr Ellis for the day to watch a production of The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, starring Nigel Havers (that guy who was on Corrie) and Martin Jarvis who both appeared in the production at the National Theatre in 1982.

This version was slightly different from Oscar Wilde’s original because it used a framing device of an amateur dramatic group putting on the play to explain why all the actors were somewhat too ‘old’ for their parts, giving a hilarious twist on the original comedy. After the show (and ice cream!), we were given the opportunity to take part in a question and answer session with a few members of the cast, which was very useful for us English nerds!

Overall, it was a fantastic day out and we would like to thank Mrs Milledge and Mr Ellis for putting up with us and to the bus driver for tolerating our Frozen sing-along!

Cathee Potter, Year 12

ANOTHER WIN MAKES IT 6 FOR LIT QUIZZERS

Our team of four comprising David Rodger (Year 8), Jacob Peel, William Thompson and Louise Rodger (Year 7) took the North West by storm and emerged astonished, but victorious after 10 gruelling rounds comprising 100 questions about Aesop’s Fables, Babies, Doctors, Vegetables, Donkeys and more.

Competing against 30 other teams from 18 schools, our team won the first round, played their Joker for double points on the Middle Earth round when they scored full marks, and even scored better than the Author & Librarians team by 7 points. Their total score was a fantastic 91.5 out of a possible 110 so they will now go to the UK final in Wimbledon on 4th December. They also won book tokens and brought the silver cup back for the 6th year running. Great work, Team Cockermouth!

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“It’s not easy being green” - Kermit the FrogGreen Thought…

REMEMBER REMEMBERRECYCLE - REUSE - REBUY - REDUCE - REFUSE

Eco Schools Energy Month Turns Up the Heat on WasteEco Schools Energy Month is a nationwide annual campaign run by Eco Schools. The idea is to spend November encouraging the whole school community to be more energy aware, and to help everyone in school to identify areas in their lives where they can reduce energy consumption - unplugging mobile phone chargers when not in use and turning appliances off, rather than leaving them on standby, for example.

During November Geowatch patrol the school checking for wasted energy and leaving stickers to remind wasteful staff to switch off lights / computers etc when not in use.

We have been out and about as part of energy month looking at different areas of the school using an Infra-Red Camera. The infra-red camera shows heat being emitted so, by taking images of various parts of the school from the outside, we can see how much heat is being lost. As you can see from the images below, the front of school is emitting quite a lot of energy, whereas our specially designed areas of school emit a lot less heat. What a pity we don’t have any thermal images showing the building before the old windows were replaced, as it would have clearly shown the improvement in energy loss reduction as a result of changing the windows.

The images of the Eco centre and the new East Wing show the benefits of modern design and up to date insulation as they are clearly emitting considerably less heat energy than the front of the main building

Site Manger, Mr Heap, plans to use the camera in selected areas of the school throughout November to identify where we can make further improvements.

Miss Haslam

Staying Green –Geowatch are Eco Winners

We are proud to announce that we have received our new Eco School Award which was up for renewal in October 2014. A lot of preparation went into the assessment morning. Members of Geowatch who gave a presentation about the school’s environmental work and took the Eco School Assessor on a guided tour of the school particularly impressed her. ‘They were exceptionally knowledgeable and also enthusiastic about the ongoing eco work and trying to spread the word with the rest of the school. Very Impressed!’ she commented.

We would like to say a big thank you for all our Geowatch members, as well as all the others involved in our whole school Eco Committee.

AND STILL TO COME…

Coming up in the Spring Term...WASTE WEEK!

We have lots of projects in the pipeline to reduce the waste produced in school and increase the amount of composting across the school. Watch this space for more information!!!!

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Sixth Formers Build

Bridges With Year 6Over the course of five weeks, a group of 6th Form students have worked with groups of Year 6 students from our local primary schools to help them to develop both their Maths and Writing skills. A level Maths students have designed a wide range of activities for the younger pupils which encourage teamwork and problem solving, and have used some questions from the UK Mathematics Trust’s Junior Maths Challenge in order to stretch them academically. Meanwhile A level English students have been working with the year 6s on designing and creating their own newspapers.

The primary pupils have really enjoyed working with us and it will hopefully boost their confidence as they face the transition to secondary school at the start of the next academic year. For the 6th Form students, it has allowed us to develop our communication and leadership skills, as well as creating very positive links with the staff and pupils of the local primary schools.

Joseph Richardson, Year 13

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Year 9 students, who are raising funds for the Connecting Classrooms project with Taiwan, organised a Pampered Chef cookery demonstration in the main hall in October for fellow students, parents and staff.

Using a range of fantastic Pampered Chef equipment, the students worked with representative, Joanne Harrison, to create ‘Cool Athenian Wedges’ which we all sampled – delicious!

Ticket sales, a cut from the sales of equipment and a raffle all helped to raise £400.00 towards the cost of the visit to Taiwan.

Miss Bowe

Maths Challenge Success Continues

Victory for Annie Paine and Alistair Martin

Following our victory in the Senior Team Maths Challenge, a team of sixth form students will be heading off to London on February 3rd to represent the North-west in the National Final.

Annie Paine, Alistair Martin, Alistair Simpson and I came first in the Senior Team Maths Challenge at Caldew School, Dalston on Friday 14th November

The competition was great fun: first we had a group round, with ten challenging puzzles to solve between the four of us; followed by a ‘crossnumber’, similar to a crossword but with numerical answers; finally, in the Shuttle round, we had to answer questions in pairs and pass our answers to the other pair, who needed them in order to complete the task.

This marked the fourth consecutive victory for Cockermouth School in the Team Maths Challenge competitions. Both the Senior and Junior teams won their respective regional finals in 2013, and the Junior team also won the 2014 regional final in March, qualifying for the national final in June. Cockermouth School have definitely earned a reputation as “the ones to beat” and we are hoping we can continue this winning streak in future years!

Stephen C ole, Year 13

Maths winners Stephen Cole and Alistair Simpson

The Last Word is the Cockermouth School magazine compiled by students and staff.

Tel: 01900 898888 · Fax: 01900 8988889 www.cockermouthschool.org See us on Twitter: twitter.com/cockermouthsch

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Spanish Grammar and Donuts in Sunny Salamanca

As part of our A-level Spanish studies, five sixth form students travelled to Salamanca with Mrs Millne earlier this term.

Salamanca is a beautiful old city in north-western Spain, famous for its world-renowned university, stunning cathedrals and ‘La Plaza Mayor’, a square surrounded on each side by cafes, shops and breathtaking architecture.

We stayed with host families who spoke little or no English which was brilliant for immersing ourselves in the language and culture, but sometimes a bit of a problem logistically! We spent our mornings at ‘Dice Salamanca’ a

teaching centre, doing grammar work in the morning and, after a short break each day to explore the centre, shop and try some of the local cuisine (including some delicious donuts), spent the afternoon enjoying conversation lessons. We learnt about Spanish history; took a tour of the city; navigated a typical Spanish market and used our language skills to complete a questionnaire; took part in a photo competition and even joined a traditional Spanish dancing class. We also had lots of time to shop; drink ‘cola-cao’, a Spanish hot chocolate drink; enjoy the last night of the local fiesta; make the most of the sun (although it did

rain) and eat tapas and churros with chocolate (a fried-dough pastry snack) which we were given on the last morning of lessons.

We were all sad to leave and wished we could have stayed a bit longer. It was a fantastic week which helped us to improve our understanding of Spanish culture and grasp of the language hugely, and we would highly recommend it to any students thinking of doing Spanish at A-level

Maisie Short and Cathee Potter, Year 12

DRAMA STUDENTS GET TO THEIR FEET FOR BLOOD BROTHERS 100 students were lucky enough to attend the critically acclaimed show Blood Brothers at the Kings Theatre,Glasgow, staring Marti Pellow and Maureen Nolan, in November, on a trip organized by Miss Mossop and Mr Durkan.

The show explores the fates of twins separated at birth and the two young actors who played the brothers gave outstanding performances.

The students, ranging from Year 8 to Year 13, thoroughly enjoyed the experience, despite the three-hour bus journey in torrential rain, giving the show a standing ovation to show their appreciation.

Nine other staff members joined the students and they really enjoyed the theatrical experience too. ‘Live theatre doesn’t get any better than this’, said accompanying member of staff, Mrs Broad. ‘There is lots of

scouse humour (and bad language!) but the end delivers a shattering blow and only the hardest of hearts could avoid shedding a tear or two.’

Overall it was a great night out and a real musical success.

Miss Mossop and Mrs Broad

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Many happy returns to Cockermouth SchoolCockermouth School turns 30 this year and is enjoying a prolonged celebration of this milestone in the school’s history. Over the course of this academic year, we are putting together a variety of events for the school and community to share. We have opened with a 30th anniversary exhibition, show casing photos and artefacts from the last 30 year and a ‘Big Draw’ event, to be followed by several more events throughout the year. Further details can be found on the school website.

We will be taking a number of trips back to 1984 – The Mouth FM will run a series of programmes on the music and events of 1984 and a 1980s non-uniform day (easy for some staff) will help students to appreciate the styles and fashions of 1984.

We hope existing parents, students and staff, as well as former students (many of whom are now parents themselves); members of the community, governors and staff, will take this opportunity to join us in our trips down memory lane.

Peter French, Assistant Headteacher

IT’S ALL IN A DAY’S WORK FOR YEAR 11

On 23rd September, all Year 11 students took part in a careers day to find out more about the world of work. Local employers gave advice about routes into a range of careers and information about life beyond school. Students took part in activities designed to help prepare them for interviews and budget at university. Throughout the day, a number of guest speakers from prominent local companies, such as Sellafield, and local Law and Engineering firms gave advice to the students about the labour market and how to look for work.

Activities included a speed-dating task which encouraged students to talk to professionals from different careers about their day-to-day jobs and a quiz to help them to discover the future career that would best suit them. They were also set a ‘Mad Men’ activity which challenged groups of students to improve, develop and market an everyday item to their peers.

Overall, response to this new initiative was very positive. Students found the careers day enjoyable, and gained valuable ideas and information about what to do when they leave school. ‘The day was a lot of fun, and I got a good insight into Cumbria’s job market,’ said Imogen Cowper, year 11.

Maisie Short, 12

Learning Support Take a Bite at the Golden ApplesCockermouth School’s Learning Support Department was shortlisted earlier this term for the Golden Apple Awards, an annual event instigated by Cumbrian Newspapers to recognise achievements in education, training and learning across Cumbria.

The Golden Apple Awards are sponsored by local companies including Inspira and BNFL, and include categories for learner of the year, community involvement, the use of technology in learning and special needs education.

Mrs Tiffin, Special Education Needs Coordinator, and Mrs Walker, Higher Level Teaching Assistant, in the department, attended the awards ceremony at Carlisle racecourse on October 3rd. The department was nominated for its excellent work across school and strategic resource provision for autism.

“The Learning Support Department supports children who would otherwise struggle in mainstream education,” said Mrs Tiffin, lead SENCO. “We provide a lot of support for a lot of children throughout the school who are struggling with reading, writing, numeracy and more.”

With nearly 30 members of staff, Learning Support is the largest department in the school. We are proud that the achievements of students and the dedication of the staff have been recognised within the local community.

Stephen C ole, Year 13

Staff and Students Welcome the New IntakeOn Thursday 25th September, Cockermouth School held a successful open evening for prospective new pupils for the 2015/2016 academic year. Year 6 pupils and their parents were first welcomed to the school in an introductory talk in the Eco Centre, and were then given the choice whether to join a tour of the school led by teaching staff and a number of willing volunteers from the sixth form, or to take a map and explore for themselves. The pupils and their parents enjoyed free time looking around every subject area, where students and teachers gave demonstrations, such as science practicals, and delivered sample activities from lessons. There were also a variety of musical performances, including numbers from the school choirs and instrumental solos to show Year 6 pupils the variety of opportunities on offer at Cockermouth School. ‘I was delighted with the evening. It was great to see Cockermouth School in action and the feedback that I received from Year 6 parents and students was really positive,’ said Mr Routledge, Head of Year 7, who organised the open evening. ‘I am particularly grateful to all of our students for the fantastic way they represented the school on the night and to all of my colleagues for their hard work and dedication.’

Stephen C ole, Year 13

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Music Notes OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS OUR SOCKS OFF!Each year Mr Ulyatt, head of the music department, runs a school talent show named after the popular former television show Opportunity Knocks. This year’s show, which took place on Tuesday 21st October at 7pm, comprised 24 acts which included singers and dancers, as well as students playing recorders, guitars, flutes – and even bagpipes!

Year 12 student James Costin, of Dearham, blew the audience and judges away with his bagpiping performance of ‘Duncan Johnstone’ by Angus Macdonald. After much encouragement from family and friends, James took the plunge this year and entered Opportunity Knocks and, in his debut performance in the school talent show, James not only won, but achieved a perfect score from the judging panel. Following the show, James said that he really enjoyed it, and is planning to take part again next year.

James took up the bagpipes 7 years ago. Having Scottish grandparents clearly influenced his decision to take up the unusual, yet highly complex, instrument. These days, James is no stranger to performing on the stage, making regular appearances at weddings, competitions and Burns’ night events.

The audience also voted for their favourite act. The winners, Rhianna Myerscough, Laura Cousins, Eloise Holliday, Anna & Isobel Moody and Emily Wilson, performed a superb dance routine to Chandelier by Sia.

Congratulations to all who took part!

By Sophie Wilson, Year 13

Senior members of the local community were entertained by Y10 GCSE Music students and some of Mrs Weakley’s singing students (Louisa Bragg, Alannah Hambley, Laura Cousins, Alex McKinney, Tom Slack, Nathan Brannon, Reece Moore, Hannah Lewis, Miriam Ulyatt and Kate Moody) at the Kirkgate Centre’s ‘Arts and Allsorts’ concert on November 13th. Their singing and performances on flute, recorder, piano, guitar and drums were very well received by an enthusiastic audience.

Our Staff Choir competed at the Workington Music Festival and won their class with performances of ‘There is no rose of such virtue’ (Anonymous, 1420] and ‘I love my love’ [Trad. arr. Gustav Holst].

Our choirs and ensembles have performed in assemblies for several year groups this term, giving other students the chance to appreciate the work they have been doing.

There will be more performances from players and singers at ‘Cockermouth by Candlelight’ on Monday 8 December, and at our Street Sing in town on Thursday 11 December.

Finally, please join us for our annual Carol Service – a great way to finish the term and put you in the mood for Christmas.

Mr Ulyatt

Jazz Band Hits All the Right NotesOn Friday 3rd October, musical students from all year groups were given the opportunity to participate in a jazz workshop with saxophonist Brian Molley and drummer Stuart Brown, who are members of the renowned Scottish Brian Molley Quartet.

Around 30 students took part and were split into two groups. A ‘melody’ group worked on an improvisation of the tunes of Brian Molley’s jazz music with saxophones and keyboards, whilst a ‘rhythm’ group of singers, guitarists and drummers created a tight backbone to the piece of music.

Students who took part really enjoyed the experience. ‘The improvisation was scary at first, but once you got into it, it was really good fun,’ said Meghan Avery, year 13. ‘For me it was a completely new way of playing music.’

The band, who are well-known for their jazz tunes and improvisation talents, are currently touring the UK and performed later that evening at the Kirkgate Centre. All the participants of the workshop were invited to attend the performance and some even had the chance to perform with the quartet.

Sophie Wilson Year 13

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Hockey Update

The U16 girls hockey team played some superb hockey to qualify for the second round of the North West County Hockey Tournament at Casterton.

Christmas Jammie DodgersThese tasty and very pretty biscuits will be an instant hit with a cuppa at Christmas.

• 125g butter, softened • 70g icing sugar • ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional) • 1 egg yolk • 190g flour • 25g sugar, for sprinkling

Method1. Put the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl and

beat together with an electric whisk until very pale and fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla extract and half of the egg yolk and beat well with a wooden spoon.

3. Sift in the flour and mix into a firm dough. Work the dough into a smooth ball with your hands then put in the fridge while you prepare your tray.

4. Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5 and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out until about 3mm thick. Using a round 4cm biscuit cutter, or a slightly larger one, if that’s too fiddly, cut out an even number of circles, then use a Christmas cutter to make little star, tree, heart or even reindeer shape in the centre of half of your biscuits.

5. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes or until they are a pale golden colour. Don’t be tempted to overcook them or they will be too hard.

6. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool. While they are still warm, sprinkle with the caster sugar.

7. Once the biscuits are completely cool, sandwich them together with a teaspoon of jam, making sure the biscuits with a hole cut in them are placed on top of those without. Store in an airtight container.

You can even make your own jam too….

Quick Raspberry Jam• 200g raspberries (fresh or frozen – frozen are

just as good and much cheaper!)• 200g granulated sugar • 1 or 2 clean, empty jam jars

Method1. Put the raspberries into a heavy-based saucepan.

Bring to the boil (but be careful not to let them burn), then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

2. Tip in the sugar, stir over a very low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Raise the heat, bring to a full rolling boil, then boil rapidly for 5 minutes - don’t stir though – until the setting point of 105°C is reached.

3. Remove from the heat. Leave for about 15 minutes so the fruit can settle. Pour into sterilised jars, label and seal.

4. Use the jam to stick your jammie dodgers together.

Recipes supplied by Mrs Sale, Food Technology

Individual and Team Champions at the British Schools’ Orienteering Championships

Cockermouth were once again well represented at the national schools’ championships at Temple Newsam, Leeds in November. With over a thousand pupils from all over the country competing round the myriad of paths in the woods surrounding Temple Newsam house, the competition was intense.

There were excellent individual performances, notably Alastair Thomas (10SHR) who won his race to take first prize in the Year 10 competition and Daniel Spencer (10AQ) and Rosie Spencer (8FM) who both just missed the podium in fourth position. The Year 8 and Year 12 Girls had fantastic races, with both teams taking gold position, and the Year 10 Boys were rewarded with silver. The rest of the team had solid performances, resulting in Cockermouth finishing fourth overall. Congratulations to all those who competed.

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SPORTSCockermouth Girls Enjoy Sporting SuccessThe girls have enjoyed plenty of success this term, a result of great attendance to practices after school in all sports, dedication to training and real engagement in all sessions. Our teams have proved themselves to be very strong and have provided good competition for our competitors.

We have been lucky with the weather, which was very kind to us at the start of the term, allowing the majority of fixtures to go ahead. The results below show that we have had numerous successes in hockey, netball and football fixtures against schools to the West of the county.

Netball

Schools Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Sixth Form

Netherhall A: 2-0 (w) B: 3-0 (w)

A: 9-3 (w) B: 4-2 (w) A: 6-1 (w) A: 8-3 (w) A: 17-1 (w) A: 12-2 (w)

Southfield A: 4-2 (w) A: 26-0 (w) A: 2-1 (w) Win A: 14-4 (w) No Game

St Benedicts A: 3-1 (l) A: 8-4 (w) A: 5-1 (w) A: 5-1 (w) A: 9-5 (w) No Game

Stainburn A: 3-3 (w) A: 10-1 (w) B: 3-2 (l) A: 7-1 (w) A: 17-3 (w) A: 9-5 (w) No Game

St Josephs A: 2-0 (w) A: 8-1 (w) A: Won A: 10-4 (w) A: 9-5 (w) No Game

Tournament 4th Place 2nd Place 3rd Place

In addition to the Allerdale and Copeland League, the Year 8 girls played in the U13 National Cup against Ulveston, where they narrowly lost by three goals. This was a great experience for our players and it was great to see such a high standard of netball among the younger age groups.

Hockey We have made great use of our new astro-turf, playing and hosting a number of the local hockey tournaments. Cockermouth has competed in the U16 North Round Tournament where the girls played some superb hockey, captained by Jane Avery and vice-captain Eloise Lawler. The girls won their first section with a strong performance against St Bees, to go through to the second round at Casterton, where they finished fourth. The U14s came fourth in the first round of their tournament, but showed great potential for their up and coming games. The girls have had regular fixtures against St Bees and Keswick; the U13 squad has been successful against both and will hopefully shine in their tournament in the Spring Term.

Football

This year we have seen a fantastic attendance at the girl’s football practice. The U16s were entered in the County Cup, but were unfortunately knocked out by Stainburn in the semi-finals. The U14s played in the National Cup, where they played well throughout the competition but were knocked out by Ulveston in round 3. Finally, the U13s qualified for the semi-finals and, as we go to press, we are waiting to see who they draw. We wish them luck!

Miss Laws

The under 14 girls football team at the Ulverston match

Rugby Report This has been one of the best terms for rugby that I can remember. The weather was fantastic and this allowed ALL the fixtures and practices to take place. We regularly had over 100 boys involved each week and, as can be seen from the results below, they have had plenty of success.

Opponents Year 8 (U13) Year 9 (U14) Year 10 (U15)Keswick (H) W L W (CC)

Keswick (A) W L W

Nelson Thom (H) W W W

Nelson Thom (A) W W

Ullswater (H) W L W

Ullswater (A) D L

Trinity W W W (NC)

QUEGS W W W

Sedbergh L L

Stainburn W W (CC) W (NC)

St Bees W W

NC – NATIONAL CUP CC – COUNTY CUP

In addition to these matches, we also had fixtures and practices for Year 7, Year 11 and Years 12 and 13. These boys also showed great enthusiasm and put lots of effort into their rugby.

The inter form rugby competition for Years 7, 8 and 9 was once again a great success and these matches were extremely well contested and well supported, with over 75% of the boys in each year group taking part.

At the time of going to press, the year 10 team is still in the National Cup and is preparing for a top fixture against a Lancashire team. Likewise, the Year 13 1st XV team is still in the National Cup and will play Rossall School very shortly. The U13, U14 and U15 teams are all still in the County Cup, with the Y10s hoping to be crowned as champions for the third year in a row.

Over the dark winter months our rugby players take a well earned break, but we will be back in action in the late spring for the 7’s season. Well done to all the boys involved and hope you have enjoyed a great season.

Captains:Y8 – Tom Wilson, Jack Lewis Y9 – Grant Seward, Seamus Hutton Y10 – Ryan Scott, John Irving Y11 – Josh Watson, Kieran Wilson Y12/13 – Mckenzie Jenkin

Mr Hayes

The Year 8 rugby team prior to their match against QUEGS, Wakefield in the National Cup