83 November 2004 - The Best Yet!! - Greenhead College

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Dear Parents and Students Fantastic results: well done to last year’s second years who did themselves proud in the summer. They did make life easier for us: we are still striving to achieve the perfect 100%, but we had relatively few problems with students missing out on a first or second choice university place or the qualifications necessary for their chosen job. Thanks to all – exams officers, invigilators, support staff, teachers, parents etc – who help with this massive enterprise every year. All fears about the disruption caused by being inspected mid-year have been trumped! What about the future? Last year’s leavers set our current second years a challenge. I believe they will meet it with flying colours – the AS results last summer were outstanding with A and B grades up by 4% from 53 to 57%. Since most students have dropped their fourth – and often weakest – subject this will go up noticeably when A-level results come out next summer. The pass rate increased from 94% to 95% as well, so even by ‘standing still’ they should do even better! The new first years are settling very well: teachers are reporting excellent commitment, and you have been using the extended library and new ‘reading room’ very sensibly. For all students we are getting into the hardest part of the year: short days, dark nights and (for second years) the prospect of A-level units and AS resits after Christmas. Get some relaxation: parents can help by offering encouragement and the best possible study conditions at home. Don’t miss out on the laughter and exercise – these things will keep you in balance and help you get most out of study – and life! Also on a second year’s mind will be job and university applications: UCAS forms are now urgent – if there are problems or worries, the Personal Tutor is the one to contact. All the best to everyone, looking forward to another year of exceptional successes, Yours sincerely Dates for your diary NOVEMBER Mon 1 College opens Half Term 2 Enrichment courses begin Wed 3 BMAT, LNAT and HAT exams (am) Thu 4 Student Council Meeting, Adult Carol Rehearsal 7.00pm Fri 5 Final day for Subject Monitoring and entering Progress Grades. Haydn Wood Music Competition Sat 6 Haydn Wood Music Competition Tue 9 Oxbridge Mock Interviews 6.00pm-10.00pm Wed 17 PAWS applications returned Thu 18 AS/A2 Parents Evening A - G, from 6.00pm Fri 19 Charity Day Sun 21 A2 Geology Field Course in Lake District (until 24 th ) Tue 23 AS/A2 Parents Evening H - O, from 6.00pm Sun 28 Rehearsal – ‘Grease’ Mon 29 AS/A2 Parents Evening P - Z, from 6.00 pm Collection of items for hampers begins DECEMBER Fri 3 Technical Adjustments for ‘Grease’ (Evening) Adult Carol Rehearsal 7.00pm Sat 4 Final Technical Adjustments for ‘Grease’ Sun 5 Dress Rehearsal – ‘Grease’ Mon 6 Governors Meeting 4.30pm Tue 7 College Production: ‘Grease’ Wed 8 College Production: ‘Grease’ Thu 9 College Production: ‘Grease’, Student Council Meeting Fri 10 College Production: ‘Grease’ Tue 14 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Holy Trinity Church Thu 16 Student Council Day Old Students’ Reunion and Prize Giving Carol Singing for Charity in town at lunchtime Tues 21 College closes The Good Person of Szechwan They don’t do things by halves in the Drama Department! Barely a couple of weeks into a new academic year and what did they manage this time? Well, they not only edited and adapted the complexities of Brecht’s script themselves, condensing and reducing it to focus sharply on the profound question of whether goodness can survive the imperatives of existence on earth, but they did so with characteristic brio and verve. The world of the play extended beyond the auditorium itself, spilling over into corridors, welcoming and leading the audience into an imaginatively-used space where visual theatricality was balanced by verbal intensity and narrative pace. Alison Moore’s wonderfully resonant voice lent gravitas to her twin characters; the Gods had great presence and were surrounded by a versatile cast who took on multiple roles effortlessly. Let it be hastily added that none of these performances would be possible without the efforts of the whole ensemble, the team, living out of the Brechtian notion that “everyone needs help from everyone” - and possibly answering the very question posed by the play in the process of dramatising it. Thanks to Liz Bowen and the whole group!! AO The Gods deliberate about the ‘goodness’ within Szechwan. Left to right: Liz Orr, Scarlett Maguire, Natalie Heppenstall.
Project & Workshadowing g c 21-25 June 2004 Projects Update: This year there were 343 students involved in projects running in PaWs week, continuing to increase the number of projects on offer. The choice of project also continued to vary. New project choices included Leadership & Management Skills led by Lt Steve Conneely from the Royal Navy, and DNA Techniques organised in conjunction with Bradford University. Work Shadowing Placement Update: A grand total of 556 student placements operated this year which was an upward trend from the previous year when 476 students were placed. A new development involved 18 students being placed in London: ten ‘capital’ student placements were arranged directly by the college. Carol Hibbert (London Placement Supervisor) accompanied the student party down for the week. Accommodation was provided for the group in the University College London (UCL) Halls of Residence. An international dimension to work shadowing reached Besançon in France. Seven students were accompanied by Avril Looseley and Professor David Looseley from the Leeds University French Department. Elaine Maynard organised placements in Unna, Germany. The items below are a snapshot of the positive staff and student experiences encountered across the week. PaWS Bretton Sculpture Park by Anne Credland (Project Supervisor) The park plays host to people who have a diverse range of interests and ages from career minded to casual aesthetics, from primary to retired; they all work under the guidance of three professional artists. In June this year a group of 19 Greenhead College students completed their projects and work shadowing experiences there. Many of them were extending their art studies from college and enjoyed the tour of art work on display in the grounds of the old mansion. The artists Gary, Jayne and Linda gave them insights into the lives of the artists whose work is on display, the times they lived and worked in (1960 – 2004), and how their sculpture was influenced by their environment. A favourite was the Barbara Hepworth Family of Man; a series of nine pieces that is displayed on a gently sloping hillside where they stand among beech and fir from another age. Hepworth was the subject of Jayne’s thesis for her Art degree and she spoke particularly knowledgably about the work. Back in the studio our young artists were encouraged to create their own sculptures to reflect their feelings and understanding of the world around them. In small groups they collaborated to design, produce maquettes and create their final pieces, which were entitled: Monkey Man, Rose and Barbs (pictured) and Reaching Hands. Student views of the week included: “I gained a new aspect to my work,” “The teaching was topnotch,” “I enjoyed the freedom and relaxed approach of the course” and “It should be longer, more hours in the day.” If you would like to see their works they are displayed in the grounds of the education centre and will be there throughout the summer and autumn. Guardian Angels by Cory Hazelhurst In June 2004, Matt Keighley, Laura Summers and I spent two days of our Work Shadowing week with Martin Wainwright, the Northern Editor for The Guardian. In those two days we travelled the North in search of news. The stories ranged from nationally significant issues, such as the suspension of Humberside’s chief constable, David Westmoor; to local events like the Pontefract Liquorice Festival. Our article about the festival appeared on the newspaper’s website. Martin was supportive, generous and helpful, and ensured that the trip was an invaluable insight into the life of a journalist. Work Shadowing Week by Sophie Parker During Work Shadowing week I visited Mytholmroyd, near Hebden Bridge, and spent my time with the Reverend James Allison. Although primarily a vicar, Mr Allison fills various other positions including that of the Mayor of Hebden Royd, a youth and community worker, the president of a local charity organisation and of a children’s storyteller. I don’t think I could possibly have asked for a better placement. My most challenging day was Wednesday, a day mainly fuelled by an Arts Festival event. After conducting a short storytelling assembly at a local school, we travelled back to Mytholmroyd to prepare for the Arts Festival event, a visit from a small group of Tibetan Monks who were due to take part in a schools workshop in the afternoon, and a performance in the evening. Fortunately, everything was done in time, all ran smoothly, and the Monks were intriguing to watch and to listen to both for the children in the workshop and the adults in the evening. A thoroughly worthwhile and satisfying week! Stop Press: The Huddersfield Examiner by Mark Hollingworth As an aspiring journalist I was delighted to be informed that I’d be shadowing print journalists for a week at The Huddersfield Examiner. A large section of my week was spent shadowing reporters, inside the newsroom and out on various jobs. I was lucky enough to observe the full reporting process. The placement served as a brilliant overview of working life within the field I wish to pursue, confirming my ambition to be a reporter. Mark working on a press release at The Huddersfield Examiner PaWS week 2005 will be held between 20th-24th June 2005. Please contact Claire Barnes on 01484 422032 ext 281 or cbarnes@greenhead.ac.uk if you can offer a placement.
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Page 5 and 6: London Law Trip by Katherine Dukes

83 November 2004 - The Best Yet!! - Greenhead College

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