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Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College Summer 16

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Dancers perform at The Lyceum…….. Royal Approval- R o y al A pproval! ……...truly exquisite!

Celebrating The Queen’s 90th Fashion Show Storm Racing Back Page Page 7 Page 16 & 17 In this issue

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS SPANISH EXCHANGE 2016

Spanish exchange 2016 has been an amazing experience; it has had a very positive impact on my Spanish as I feel I have improved a lot. I have also made so many new friends both English and Spanish. When we were waiting for the coach to arrive with our exchange partners the atmosphere was incredible, we were all so excited and ready to meet our new Spanish friends that we had been speaking to over WhatsApp for the past 2 or so months. Throughout the school day, our exchanges visited different cities around the area such as Liverpool and Manchester while we were in lessons. On the Thursday we were allowed to go on a day trip with them to and we had a great time exploring the city and shopping. During the time my exchange partner was here in , we became very close and it was so sad to see her leave. I can’t wait to go to Spain to see her in March and hopefully again in the near future!

Elise Gardner Year 9

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KATIE MAKES HISTORY! ie@sadhigh.heshire.sh.uk Candidates for the world's top diplomatic post, the United Nations secretary general, are, for the first time, openly competing for the job in New York. The current holder, Ban Ki-Moon, will step down at the end of this year.

As part of the selection process, people from all over the world were invited to submit questions for the candidates to answer. No member of the public has been able to question the candidates before and our very own 12-year-old Katie Busby made history to be one of those to be chosen.

Her question, "Even if you're not selected, how would you try to help our world become a safer, happier, healthy place?" was put to Irina Bokova, a Bulgarian candidate who is currently the director general of Unesco.

To see the BBC news report please follow this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36031874 We helped the Interact Club of !

On Monday 9 May, 8D’s Form Tutor, Miss Jenkins, showed us a very heart-warming video of children in countries like Malawi and Liberia opening their backpacks. The video displayed lots of children being delighted by receiving simple things like pens ‘and paper. 8D was very touched by the video and we realised how privileged we all are and how we sometimes take that for granted. We then found out that this is the only gift most of the children will ever receive in their life. However, this small gift enables them to

make the most out of their school and this education allows them the ability to escape poverty. All these children want to grow up to become doctors and teachers and want to go to school so desperately that it makes us feel guilty for those Monday mornings when we don’t want to attend. 8D wanted to make a change in a child’s life. That is why we decided to gather bits and bobs to give to the Interact Club of Sandbach who will send it to a charity called ‘Mary’s Meals’, who then pass it on to where it is really needed. We worked as a team and all brought in educational items, like stationery and books, that all filled our backpack to the brim. We have enjoyed knowing that we have made a difference and put a smile on a child’s face, so much so that we want to make the Backpack Project a yearly occurrence. A special thank you must also go to Sportscoaching Northwest who very kindly donated our backpack. 3 Clever cooking on a budget and learning the basic but essential car maintenance skills skills ontracknews

...and YET MORE SUCCESS WE DAY……………..

We Day is a celebration of youth making a difference in their local and global communities. We Schools is the yearlong program that nurtures compassion in young people and gives them the tools to create transformational social change.

Together they offer young people the tools and the inspiration to take social action, empower others and transform lives—including their own.

Our We day adventure started very early in the morning, but it was definitely worth it!

We all arrived at station for quarter past 4 in the morning to make sure we caught the We day express which would take us to Euston where we would catch a separate train to Wembley. Being at the station so early meant that it was very quiet, except for all of the students attending We day who were very excited. The adrenaline was pumping through our bodies; keeping us wide awake and raring to go!

The first train we caught was a virgin pendolino where we were all given allocated seats together with our friends. Whilst on the train we were given a breakfast roll and a bottle of water/orange juice providing us with energy to keep us going till we next ate. The journey was fairly long but went quite quickly because everyone was talking and chatting about what it was going to be like and we had entertainment through the speaker systems, with We day's got talent and chants which created a real buzz throughout the train.

There were many performances/speeches throughout the celebration ceremony. But, here are some that really stood out to us:

One stand out celebrity appearance was the gorgeous Rita Ora. Not only did she look flawless, she got rather emotional whilst talking about her personal experience as a refugee. She emigrated from Kosovo when she was one and also experienced a very difficult childhood. She bravely put on an inspirational and eye opening speech about her life and shining a light on refugees all across the globe.

Another stand out speech was by the thought-provoking Mark Pollock. Many were in tears due to his heart-breaking stories and his battles against blindness and paralysis. A key quote that he explained was "history is filled with accounts of the impossible made possible through human endeavour." In the face of adversity, he overwhelmed many and shared his passion of overcoming fear and taking on new challenges. Not only did he conquer what many thought he could never, he has inspired thousands of people to do the same.

A very touching story was that of Sohana Collins. She was an inspirational Youth Speaker and the face of the Sohana Research Fund. She has a rare skin condition which means even a simple rubbing of the skin can result in severe blistering which affects the sensitivity of her skin. Yet after all she has gone through, she stands strong and is happy to share her story to many. She explained the importance of family and helping one another through times of need. Something we can all relate to on a personal level.

For us, the stand out musical performance was DNCE singing a mashup of Cake By The Ocean (an original song) and We Are The Champions (Queen). They brought their infectious energy to the stage and got the crowd pumping with their modern 60's vibe.

We were all devastated when we had to leave the arena but unfortunately the time came at 2:30pm. We all walked out of the stadium and back to the London train station. Even though it was pouring down with rain, the bad weather didn't dampen our spirits. We were all still buzzing with excitement from our amazing day. The train back was full of very happy, but very tired people because we had been up since very early and were very excited when we were able to sleep on the train. We had about half an hour of sleep and then the absolutely lovely train staff came round with hot Panini's which were absolutely delicious and just what we all craved. They also gave us some more free water or juice, some fruit and some biscuits. When we arrived at the train station we were given a final gift of some jelly beans and were then waved out of the train.

At the train station, we all said goodbye and thank you to our teachers, went off home and went straight to bed after an incredible day!! By Ana, Chloe, Kirsty and Rowena Year 10

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……… Empowering young people to change the

For us We Day was really inspirational and gave us lots of ideas of what we can do to help, not just in our community but the whole world. We got up at about 3 in the morning, so that we would be ready in time to get to Crewe Station for 4:15am. Our very own Private Charter train left at 4:30am, where we were given wrist bands we had to wear all day. There were 28 of us from Sandbach High School and some people from a Primary School getting on at Crewe. As well as us there were people already on the train from places further north like Glasgow. They would have had to get on at around midnight, so we couldn’t be too loud. We got to Wembley arena after taking a second train from London Euston to Wembley Central. Then there was a 15 minute walk to the Wembley Arena where we went to see the red carpet that a few of the presenters walked down. Afterwards we went past security and inside to find our seats. Then we waited until everyone had gathered into the Arena and taken their seats meanwhile music was playing in the background. There was also this person dressed in a giant red hand shaped in the We day symbol. The show started off with the two brothers who founded We day, Craig and Mark Kielburger as well as Labyrinth. Throughout the day there were lots of speakers and performers including Rita Ora, Professor Brian Cox, Nico & Vinz, Marlee Matlin and more. The speakers weren’t all famous adults there were also some children and teachers, who did a few shout outs and speeches. We had a 40 minute break at lunchtime where they played music to keep the happy and the enjoyable atmosphere going. After lunch more people performed songs, dances and inspirational speeches. Then nearer the end they announced the winders of the backstage passes and who had won the once in a lifetime trip to India to see the impact of the ‘free the children’ charity in real life. However as We day had arranged our return Private Charter train back we needed to be at the train station earlier to get the train on time, we missed the finale of We day! Overall we all felt very inspired by the speeches and are very motivated to get started with new projects to help with local and global issues that affect our society. By Megan Joyce & Courtney Rogers

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A CELEBRATION OF……. ….SCIENCE, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY! British Science week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics - featuring fascinating, entertaining and engaging events and activities across the UK for people of all ages which takes place March. Sandbach High School & Sixth Form College celebrated BSW with wide range of events including a Design & Technology Celebration Evening and a Year 8 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Fair.

For the Year 8 Science Fair, the students task was to create a new product that they predicted would be a purposeful gadget in thirty years time, using the 1980’s Film ‘Back to the future’ as their inspiration. They presented their innovative entrepreneurial inventions to the School Community on Friday 18 March. All the projects were of an extremely high calibre. Students demonstrated a wide range of skills producing prototype models, undertaking background research, budgeting and marketing to pitch their ideas to the judges, School Governor Mr Ben Hunt and Senior Science Technician Mrs. Sue Hudson.

The Parent and Friends Association donated over £60 of high street gift vouchers to be shared amongst the selected winners. 1st prize was awarded to Katie Frobisher, Megan Cornes, and Lois Gillespie for extensive research into an improved method of eradicating Bed Bugs. 2nd prize went to Amelia Paton and Melanie Raeburn for their Poli-Bots, a range of drone-robots to help police officers in dangerous situations. Other groups who were commended by the judges were Lois Carrigan, Megan Wilson, and Emily Metcalf for a ‘medical hoover’ able to remove bacteria, identify and sanitise areas. Katie James and Miranda Gresty for wrist watch able to analyse foods and evaluate information about personal food allergies. Ella Condliffe, Phoebe McManus, and Madelaine King for their Dream Catcher to predict and initiate dreams and prevent nightmares. Hannah Surry, Megan Lester, Katie Rockey for a pillow to facilitate sleep. Abby Phillips, Molly Newton, and Katie Owen for their innovative phone case. Congratulations and many thanks to all those involved or who supported the event.

STOP PRESS Our irst hiks deided to ake a appearae durig siee & teholog eek!

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A CELEBRATION OF……. ….SCIENCE, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY! One of the highlights of the week was definitely the Celebration of Design & Technology Evening. High quality pieces of work from students of all ages were on display to be perused before the start of the Fashion Show. The models exhibited all their own work and had an absolute ball ‘strutting their stuff‘ on the catwalk! The quality of work produced was most impressive and a big shout out must go to the D & T teachers for their encouragement and support towards the students.

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What does Religious Studies mean to me?

The university of Gloucester recently published this guest post from Year 10 student Chloe Foden

Of course, answers will always fuel my excitement: The reasoning behind obscure faiths, the origins of sexism and the modern movement of religion. However in reality, it’s the questions that spark my interest. Always the unanswerable ones. Is there really one creator? Can we ever end the war between Israel and Palestine? Which religion is next to develop? With these sparks I can watch the trends of humanity from one single chair, and observe the patterns of our race that have continued for millennia.

Through my lessons I’m discovering the impact of the modern world, and I’m proud to see such diversity coursing through this planet. I believe religion itself to be inevitable- a conscience forever needs somewhere to call home- and I’m fascinated by the truths we can conjure and the rules we can inflict upon ourselves for the good of morality. Religion can never cease to exist, it’s impossible, thus knowledge in this area will never be obsolete. History on a mass scale, in my opinion, is already pre-determined, and from this slant religion prompts me to ask ‘By whom?’ It tells me to examine ideas that could lead me anywhere and feed the love I have for further thinking. Religious education not only teaches me about stories and morals; it allows me to understand and appreciate the concepts that can divide nations and draw together countries.

Currently, there may be a stigma surrounding faith, yet now I am educated and feel qualified to say that religion is open to interpretation, ergo it is the decision of the individual to act a certain way in the belief that they are correct. Everything can be interpreted in some way or another, but with the help of teachers and out of school figures I am learning that there is no black and no white; there is a broad spectrum of communities and allegiances. I am perfectly content to study this spectrum, but through school I’m evaluating and watching it grow with increased trepidation. Personally, I can broaden my understanding of current affairs such as war and terrorism, whilst simultaneously withholding an untainted view of faith due to the books I can study and the figures I can learn about. I’m inspired every lesson to research and explore, and even become swept up in the allure of religion itself. With this passion drawn forth by education, there’s so much to be created. Instead of pushing through assignments like those of other departments, I can linger and indulge my own curiosity, producing work of originality and depth.

Simply, it’s a subject that encourages depth and originality of thought, hence why it gives me a copious amount of happiness merely to be in the research process. I’m pushed to achieve, sometimes further than I think I can, but it only succeeds in bringing me pleasure; challenges are often massively appealing. For me, it’s about being allowed to overthink events and tales, and being asked to analyse and infer. If I’m being honest, there’s something religious education can offer that other subjects cannot. With the likes of mathematics and science there is little left to explore. The experiments have been done, the formulas discovered, and major breakthroughs are rare and difficult to achieve. However, our world and our views will change consistently, and religious education puts me at the forefront of this change. It permits me to explore and even challenge the boundaries of faith and morals, and hopefully witness humanity make strides towards a better future. In short, maths and science help us discover our world; religious education the wonder within it.

Sandbach High School Parent & Friends Association HELP! NEW MEMBERS WELCOME! PLEASE EMAIL junwin@sandhigh..sch.uk

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JODRELL BANK

There were huge numbers of very positive comments about the two trips to Jodrell Bank this year. The girls had an enjoyable day and learnt many new things about the Earth, Space and the Universe. The behaviour of the girls was impeccable and they looked incredibly smart in their blue uniforms. The activities during the day were as follows: 1. Presentation inside the inflatable planetarium. The girls were treated to an excellent presentation of what they can see in the night sky, both with a telescope and without. 2. They had a walk around the Lovell Telescope and appreciated the vast 76m diameter dish up close. They took photos and these were probably posted on to social sites during the evening. There were fun activities around the telescope e.g. whispering dishes and spinning planets. 3. The Planet Pavilion allowed the girls to look at a huge clockwork orrery (model of the Solar System) and to research: pulsars, galaxies, planetary nebulae, supernovae and nebulae. 4. The Mars Rover Challenge activity had a presentation on how we are using the Rover Curiosity probes to find out about the Red Planet. Then the students had a STEM activity where they were required to build a landing craft for an egg from: two balloons, three straws, two sheets of A4 paper and some string. The girls performed exceptionally here which demonstrated the calibre of the students. I also believe that they had an advantage with this task this year due to the new STEM sessions which have been introduced into PSHCE lessons this year. 5. The girls had a brief talk about the Lovell Telescope and then had a session with numerous hands on activities: using an infra-red camera, looking at the forces on planets and stars in a black hole, a simulation of the Big Bang, using a small reflecting telescope and numerous interactive computer simulations. Mr Gregory (Science Teacher)

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GOLD DUKE OF EDINBGeorURgeGH Orw ell

“Political language is designed to make: murder sound respectable, lies truthful, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” – George Orwell.

Taking part in the George Orwell workshops has been incredibly interesting and enjoyable. The team who were in charge in directing the events were passionate about English and George Orwell’s work; their enthusiasm was contagious.

In the first workshop, we discussed the meaning behind the short story – The Hanging. Written and based on his own personal experiences, George Orwell causes the reader to question what they think. This not only helped our appreciation of techniques but our own knowledge on how to apply them to pieces. For the next half of the workshop we began to ‘throw’ ideas around based on the competition (The Orwell Youth Prize) title: ‘Liberty is to tell someone what they do not want to hear”. What did this title mean to us? From our initial ideas, one of the team members, Stephen Armstrong, a journalist himself, helped explain where and what these different interpretations could lead to.

In the second workshop, we focused more on developing our own ideas. Pens at the ready, we worked with another school (Ruskin) to debate how Orwell chose a form and ideas to tell people what they do not want to hear. In charge of our own pieces, we began to decide how we3 woulddays convey & 2our nigh ideas int sthe most thoughtful and impacting way. This meant deciding on a topic (hopefully one that we were able to relate to), and the form we were going to present our completed piece in. It was helpful to talk to other students about our ideas, especiallynavig thoseating from ,another walkin schoolg who & have completely new ideas, as they were able to add to and re-direct my initial thoughts. camping in the Peak I left each workshopDist equallyrict full of excitement and eager to begin the competition work itself. Emma Baker 9H

Senior Citizens Coffee Morning

Btec Hospitality and Catering students recently organised a Senior Citizens’ Coffee Morning for free! As part of the Advance Patisserie unit, the students made a range of delicious petit fours and patisseries: Bakewell Tart, Raspberry Friands, Scones with Strawbery Jam and Clotted Cream and Apple Roses. The event was well attended by members of the public as well as extended families of Great weather preparing Sandbach High School students. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the event. them for Sunny Snowdonia next summer!

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Genocide Awareness

Genocide Awareness Club take students’ textbook to Downing Street

Our trip to Downing street was amazing!

We first visited the Houses of Parliament, where we learned about all the famous moments in British history that happened in the building and we got to walk through not only the House of Commons, but also the House of Lords as well.

After lunch, we walked to Downing Street we had to go through security but it was worth it because we were able to get some awesome selfies at Number 10 !

Olivia Wrigley 9B

I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to London. It was really interesting to see the inside of the Houses of Parliament and how everything works. I was really surprised at how much gold was on the walls! After the tour, we met with Fiona Bruce and made our way down to Downing Street, which was really exciting and quite surreal. We took some photos outside the door and we posted our textbook. I loved sharing the experience with my friends, too. Anya Burnand 9B

After waking up on a cold miserable morning at 5am, we dragged ourselves to Crewe train station to start our adventure. When the train arrived at the station, we hopped on for a journey that lasted almost 3 hours and waited for London to come into view. The carriage was empty, to our delight, so we passed the time playing Uno and various card games. Upon arriving in London Euston after the long journey, we began the next part of the trip to Westminster Abbey. After arriving at Westminster Abbey tube station, we began to walk to the Abbey and Houses of Parliament, where we had to go through security. Within the Houses of Parliament we had a guided tour with a tour guide who was obsessed with the architecture and tried to convince us all to become engineers and politicians! During our tour of the Houses of Parliament, he taught us about the importance of our royal heritage and history. At the end of our tour, we met Fiona Bruce - the MP for the Sandbach and constituency. She took us down to 10 Downing Street, where we were able to hand our project in. Beth Howarth 11

My trip to Downing Street was amazing as we all were able to get a tour of Parliament and meet our local MP, Fiona Bruce. We took a picture outside number 10 Downing Street with Fiona Bruce and with the textbook we had wrote together with the other schools. I had a great time and learnt a lot about the history and what the Queen does in the houses of Parliament. Ling Hao 9B

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Gender Equality in the UK: Are we really equal?

I’ve always grown up with strong, female influences in my life, my mother for one. She has always taught me to stand up for what I believe in and that anything is possible if I believe I can do it. Also my dad is a strong male figure in my life, who has supported every decision I have made. So for the early years of my life, I believed that the genders were equal and there was no such thing as gender inequalities, so you can imagine the shock when I grew up.

I’d like to believe that nothing alters the way somebody is treated, but let’s face it, that’s a lie. People seem to be so bothered about a person’s gender, race, religion or sexuality rather than the actual person themselves. Now, we could talk about this for days, so we will focus of gender equality in the UK; are we really equal?

Many people think of a Feminist as a man hating, bra burning woman, and whilst I’m in no position to say that no feminists are like this, I’m certainly not this kind of feminist. Yes, I am a feminist and I believe that men and women should be equal, emphasis on the word equal, but I wanted to know what other people thought. I compiled a survey, and out of 100 people, 70% would consider themselves a feminist and 100% believed in equality for the sexes. What shocked me was that the dictionary definition for feminism is “The advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.” So, why did 30% of people not consider themselves a feminist, if feminism is for ‘equality of the sexes’? I came to the conclusion that it must be the way that people define feminism, some people believe that it is “equal rights for both women and men” whist others believe it to be ‘a movement that promotes equality between the sexes but from a bias feminine viewpoint’. One person even said that a feminist was “someone that believes in equal rights for women but actually wants them to be better than men.” Even as a child people would call me ‘bossy’. But I have always thought, if I were male would I still be ‘bossy’ or would I be ‘confident’ and ‘in control’? Maybe I am overthinking this a bit, but am I really wrong to? It got me thinking, and this does happen quite a lot. In a survey, less than a quarter of male bosses had been described as ‘bossy’ compared to almost 40 per cent of women. This doesn’t seem like the sort of data that promotes equality.

Another thing that really bothered me growing up was the whole girl and boy colours. What makes a colour have a gender? I distinctively remember being pushed towards the dolls and princess dress up at school and wondering why I couldn’t play with the cars and dinosaurs. Who was it that decided that pink was for girls and blue was for boys? How other parents must have been disgusted by the fact my parents let me wear blue and play cars with my brother. It is becoming more and more acceptable to see this now, but why is it not totally acceptable for a boy to wear a pink dress and a girl to want to play football? If we start by killing these gender associations then we are one, small step closer to gender equality.

I spoke to a few of my teachers, about why they think they are an influence on pupil’s views on feminism. Here are some of the responses:

“I, myself, am a very vocal and passionate feminist (although in light of recent discussion in the media perhaps I should refer to myself as a 'human-ist' as my true beliefs are that everyone should be equal.) I often deliver lessons and form time sessions on the power of the girl using statements like the Girl Declaration and the Girl Effect to empower and encourage my students. I want all of the girls I work with to realise they are important, and so I try to incorporate this in every lesson/session/discussion.” Sarah Maile, Religious Studies teacher at Sandbach High School.

“I am so glad that students see me as someone who inspires feminism as it is a core value of mine. I think the reason students recognise my feminist passion is because I use it to inform my teaching and students learning. When we discuss social, moral, cultural issues in class, I try to ensure that my students are aware of all relevant viewpoints, theories etc, including feminism. I grew up surrounded by women and my mum was my inspiration as she raised 5 children as a single, working parent. I have always known lots of strong women who succeed.” Anna Rimmer, English teacher at Sandbach High School

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I was interviewed by another school, who asked about my research into this project. I said that I had been in HUMAN RIGHTS contact with my local MP about it, and immediately they Human rights belong to every person asked what he had to say. I found it almost amusing that they jumped to assume that my local MP was male Everyone should deserve them when in fact, she is Fiona Bruce; a female MP. But is it unusual for people to think that an MP must be male? I You shouldn’t have permission mean the majority of government is male so is it really To start a war because of colour, race and religion that bad to assume this? Short answer; yes. As I believe that men and women should have equal opportunities to People are individual and should follow human rights laws go into whatever profession they wish. I value what Fio- Instead of people dying because of their flaws na Bruce said to me, which was “if being a feminist means supporting women to fulfil their potential, then I Equality is in everyone so why start a fight am one.” She also recognised that yes, there are fewer I’m sure no one would want to see such a horrid sight women in parliament than men”, but “every opportunity is offered to women in this country to become an MP” Support each other for generations and generations and that “being a female does affect [her] work because And we might, just might there are different perspectives to Parliamentary work which women can offer”. This proves that women are Bring this deceleration to life given equal opportunities when it comes to Parliament, By Jessica Goodwin Year 8 from an MP’s perspective. In order for us to progress in these gender inequality issues we need to abolish these stereotypes, and not Karate World Championships just the female ones. Many jobs are associated with women, like how some people find it strange to find a We are extremely proud of several of our students who have just returned from male nurse – but with 65,755 nurses being male, why is their adventure at the WUKF Karate World Championships in Dublin. It was a it so strange to society? It was encouraging to see that great experience for them all and out of 2300 competitors from many countries 87% of people, who took my survey, agreed that gender including USA, Brazil and India the girls performed to their best in such an inequalities don’t just affect women. I cannot stress it imposing arena with over 2000 spectators. enough that men are subject to sexism too. There is also the issue of the gender pay gap. The ‘Office of National Statistics’ found that “women are still paid 24.6% less than their male counterparts in skilled Exhibition at St Mary ’s church February—March trades.” However, reports have shown that it could take up to 70 years to close this gap.

My question at the start of my investigation was ‘Are we really equal?’ However much I would like to believe that we are equal, especially after what so many women went through to get women’s votes, in 2016 my opinion stands that no, we are not yet equal. But I do believe that, with some changes, men and women may one day Well done to: Amy Barker, Emily Dodson, Louise Barnett and Thea Lee be considered equals, hopefully sooner than we think. And also to Year 6 students who will be joining us in September! Mollie Burns Year 11 Katie Barker, Megan Long and Alex Talbot

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Eruptions in Year 8!

A couple of weeks ago, our class 8B2 were asked to make a model of a volcano which was to include key features and annotations. Everyone was shocked when we saw all the volcanoes, they were all amazing and detailed, you could tell how much effort had gone in to them. Our volcanoes had to include the magma chamber, main vent, secondary vent, crater, cone, ash, lava, volcanic bombs, tectonic plates and layers of ash and lava from previous eruptions.

For a higher score we could include how our volcano was formed including information about plate boundaries. We also wrote an evaluation of our work. Saskia Barber in our class even brought in an actual piece of volcano to see how dense the rock was and what it looks like inside— so thank you for that Saskia!

We all had a great time looking at all of the volcanoes that our class produced. Well done 8B2 for creating such detailed and outstanding volcanoes.

By Abi Isherwood-Smith and Lydia Dowell Year 8

Sophie Seweryn, Milly Ross, Abi Isherwood-Smith, and Lydia Dowell proudly showing off their volcanoes!

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News From The Music Block

The Spring Term has been relatively quiet for the Music Department but there have been a few stand-out events!

National Youth Choir of Great Britain

Melanie Raeburn 8C auditioned and gained a place in the prestigious National Youth Choir of Great Britain (NYCGB) and the Easter holiday saw her take part in her first course and concert – at the Royal Albert Hall in London! Here’s her story: My experience at NYCGB was amazing, I made so many new friends, learnt loads of new skills, increased my knowledge of sight reading and best of all, had the chance to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London! The week was very busy and our schedule was packed with things to do so if we weren’t sleeping or eating, we would be singing! My favourite part of the course was the performance and it is definitely my best and favourite achievement yet! I cannot wait to go on my next course.

Love Music Trust Schools’ Music Competition 2016

After both winning a place in the final at School on March 1st, Chamber Choir and Concert Band both gave exciting and vibrant performances alongside fantastic performances from , , Eaton Bank and Shavington High School. Concert Band’s performance was praised for its tight ensemble playing and excellent intonation, as well as the high level of showmanship displayed by our pupils. Chamber Choir’s challenging programme was commended, alongside their exceptional performance skills, intonation, diction and capturing the spirit of each song immediately. It must have been good – Chamber Choir won the competition and retained the title for the second year running! They then enjoyed a celebration concert at the Victoria Hall in Hanley on March 23rd.

Love Music Trust Choral Celebration

The last week of term was a busy one for our musicians as members of our Choir took to the stage at the Victoria Hall in Hanley to perform in the Love Music Trust’s Choral Celebration. They performed alongside a large number of other local schools, performing two songs, before joining with all schools for a massed final performance. The performance was hugely enjoyable and gave some of our younger musicians a taste of performing outside of our school.

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STORM

Formula 1 in Schools Technology Challenge is a competition for 11-19 year olds, where teams of 3-6 students race miniature Formula 1 cars of the future that they have designed, developed and manufactured themselves. The main objective of the challenge “is to help change the perceptions of science, technology, engineering and maths by creating a fun and exciting learning environment for young people to develop an informed view about careers in engineering, Formula One, science, marketing and technology.” The competition is the most prestigious global STEM competition in the world. There are so many opportunities associated with Formula 1 in Schools, one of which is the chance to become a student of the Randstad Williams academy, and the World Champions all gaining scholarships to University College London. There are various elements of the project including Design and Engineering, Enterprise, Social Media and Marketing which allows teams to learn a lot throughout the competition.

Two years ago Sandbach High School’s Emily Chesters, Emma Davis, Dani Taylor, Sophie Barwick and Emma Jerstice formed a team under the school’s existing Greenpower Complete and Utter Chaos team. This team attended their first regionals in early 2015, and were placed 6th out of 12 teams. During their first regionals the team were able to gain a sense of the level of quality that their other competitors possessed and the team left the regionals with a better understanding of the competition and were ready to begin work for the 2015-16 season. The team began work for the next season in September 2015, initially the team began to draft out a project plan and a list of things that needed improving, these included: sponsorship strategy, team identity and time management. The team decided that the best decision to improve team identity was to reinvent the team – Storm Racing was formed. As mentioned, another priority of the team was sponsorship strategy, this was done by contacting sponsors via letters, emails and phone calls. The team gained sponsorship from Vaughan Collins, a retired engineer who runs a small company called Collins Capital who helps start-up businesses. Vaughan has been a great help to the team both financially and with advice for the team, his sponsorship allowed Storm Racing to buy a uniform and fund some of the subcontracted parts for the pit display.

Storm Racing currently have the 8th fastest car in the country (out of an estimate of 300 – 500 cars) and were awarded the “Women in Motorsport” award for being the best female team in the UK from Dare to Be Different presented by Mercedes AMG Petronas Dr Kathryn Richards. They are so happy with the results, and despite not having gotten through to the World Finals in Texas, the sheer motivation of the team is incredible. Having gathered their bearings at the UK National Finals, the team are well underway in creating a plan to ensure that next year will be the year that they will be crowned UK National Champions.

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RACING

With Collins Capital’s sponsorship behind the team, a new identity and a brand new car the team were ready for the North West Regional Finals on the 24 February 2016. Storm Racing arrived at the regionals and began preparing for the day ahead – no one expected what was to come. Storm Racing gained 3 awards, “Best Use of Research and Development”, “Fastest Car” and “F1 Class 1st Place”! This meant the team were going to the UK National Finals in April 2016 as North West Regional Champions. Motivated, high spirited and raring to go, the team immediately began preparation for the Nationals. Sponsorship was made a priority again as they began contacting more potential sponsors using their recently earned title. Storm Racing were able to gain sponsorship off 4 more companies: Barden – who provided the team with high precision bearings, Bentley Motors – who provided the team with components for the pit display, Siemens – who manufactured the 3D printer components of the car, and Impressions Ltd – who printed the pit display boards at a 40% discount. The team made sure that they highlighted to their sponsors their ROI (Return On Investment) which included the sponsors logo on the pit display, cars, uniform and portfolio pages. During the time between regionals and nationals, the team also greatly improved the car and other elements of the project. Over two days, Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 of April Storm Racing attended the UK National Finals at the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit. On arrival the team were astonished by the amount of excitement in the atmosphere, and the intensity of the competition. With the pit display set up, cars handed into scrutineering and verbal presentations well under way, Storm Racing had two days of relentless competition ahead.

The team would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr Gornall and Mrs Painter for their support in the competition. The teachers, especially Mr Gornall, have played a huge role in supporting the girls, and have provided valuable encouragement for each of the students.

If you would like to help the team, or find out more about the team you can email them at [email protected], or follow them on their social media accounts @stormracing and search stormracing on Facebook.

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Bouncers and Shakers!

On Monday 21 March 2016, a cast of 8 boys and girls performed Bouncers and Shakers by John Godber. Both plays are full of stereotypes, including old women at the hairdressers and chavvy youths in a bar.

At the start of the year, Tamsin Stakes, Tara Moir, Eloise O’Donnell and Grace Elliot worked to put on a comedy performance to truly bring their 5 years of Drama to a memorable end. After auditions three year 12 and one year 11 student from Sandbach School - Joe Harrington, Joel Isherwood, James Ormrod and Kieran Bailey – were cast to play the bouncers. “The rehearsals were so funny, we all really bonded as a group and we have truly made some everlasting memories to remember the drama department” said Tamsin Stakes. “It was a hilarious experience and we really got to know our director, Ms Aldridge; all the time and effort she put into the show was extraordinary and we couldn’t have done it without her”, reported Tara Moir. Eloise O’Donnell said “It was really great to get to work with the boys, and some of the audience were being taken out howling, which was really great to see!” And Grace Elliott said “It was for a very important cause as well and it felt really good not to just have fun putting on the performance but to give something to the mental health system.” We will never forget how much the Drama department has helped our confidence this year especially, and Bouncers and Shakers will always be our favourite memory. The show raised £150 to help young people suffering from mental health issues.

By Grace Elliott, Tara Moir, Eloise O’Donnell & Tamsin Stakes

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Bouncers and Shakers!

As we came to the end of another busy spring term, Bouncers and Shakers was the much-needed injection of comedy for students, staff, parents and friends of the school. The two stylistically-related one-act plays by John Godber and Jane Thornton, concerning the stereotypical ‘clientele’ of a rough northern nightclub, proved a change from the ‘usual’ plays put on by the Drama department. After weeks of rehearsals, always with the continued help and support of Ms Aldridge, Joe Harrington, Kieran Bailey, James Ormrod and Joel Isherwood from Sandbach School donned their suits and bow ties to play the characters of bouncers who work, fight and party hard. It was then over to Grace Elliott, Eloise O’Donnell, Tamsin Stakes and Tara Moir from Sandbach High School to become bartenders and waitresses at the same nightclub. Both plays were fast-paced, hilariously funny and thoroughly entertaining. From start to finish it was clear not only how much hard work had gone into the performances but also how much the eight students enjoyed what they were doing; they worked seamlessly together and had fun with what they were doing. Bouncers and Shakers might have been a change from other school productions, but it’s safe to say that this buck in the trend was undoubtedly a resounding success, with a full house and some excellent feedback. Miss R Howlett

Tara, Tamsin, Grace and Eloise asked if they could put on Shakers, and of course the answer was ‘yes’, but it seemed daft not to do Bouncers, too, Shakers’ partner play. John Godber’s take on working class life in the 1980s is a superb example of multi-rolling and minimalism, and the very talented cast of eight actors rose to the challenge brilliantly. It was a pleasure to direct both plays, and we all had a great time in rehearsals. Playing to a full house increased the flow of adrenaline, and we had some wonderful comments from the audience. My thanks go to Tara, Tamsin, Grace, Eloise, Joe, Kieran, Joel and James for their commitment and humour – you are all very talented actors and I wish you all the very best for your results in August. Ms Ruth Aldridge (Curriculum Leader Performing Arts)

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Success on so many levels!

Amnesty Youth Awards 2016 Top 10 A Sandbach High School student has been shortlisted for the prestigious Amnesty International Youth Awards. Jessica Goodwin entered the human rights competition in the poetry category (see Page 13) and will now advance to the final round of judging. The Amnesty Youth Awards challenge young people aged 7 to 19 to explore human rights issues and achievements by creatively engaging with various topics through Reporting, Photography, Poetry, Performing and Campaigning and Fundraising strands. There are six categories in the Amnesty Youth Awards: Reporting, Performing, Photography, Campaigning, Fundraising and Poetry.

Now in their sixth year, the Youth Awards continue to see thousands of entries from across the UK passionately expressing youth perspectives on current human rights issues and achievements. Jessica is excited to have reached the final ten. She says, “I was inspired to enter because I couldn't believe people are still being discriminated because of their race, gender, origin, age or colour. For example, in some societies people are persecuted because they are gay. We need to change this for the better and the amnesty awards is a good way to start. I'm excited for the final and hope the poem can help change people's views about human rights.”

Sarah Maile, Religious Studies Teacher at Sandbach High and Jessica’s teacher, says, “We are unbelievably proud of Jessica. She is such a wonderful representative of our school, she is a wonderfully thoughtful and quietly passionate student, and she really deserves this recognition. She has tackled some extremely important issues in her poem, and shown the wonderful voice and message young people can have.”

Following the success of the awards ceremony in The Houses of Parliament for the Discovering Democracy Award, Sandbach High School attended the Children's Society, Council and Youth Parliament elections and awards ceremony! And what an utterly amazing evening for Sandbach High! Although none of our three (amazing) candidates were elected as MYP on this evening (they will all continue to serve on the leadership council, ably supported by many of our other students.) we were awarded some truly incredible and humbling awards:

The Gold Award for Democracy 2016 School of the Year 2016 Active Youth Group Award (for our Amnesty International Youth Group)

Teacher of the Year!

Cheshire East Council Council recently awarded our very own Sarah Maile, Teacher of the Year together with the Paul Boskett Memorial Award. We are incredibly proud of Sarah and all her achievements.

Paul Boskett passed away in 2014. He was an outstanding, inspirational person who touched many lives. He worked tirelessly for the benefit of young people, through his profession as a youth worker, his involvement with the Scout movement and the Church, and he was also involved with the Trade Union Movement at Na- tional Level. He was from Cheshire East and spent many years here with young people. He went on to work for the British Youth Council as their National Democra- cy Manager. Paul is remembered fondly, and with a smile by hundreds of young people and adults alike. This SPECIAL AWARD will be given to the person who has made a significant difference to young people in Cheshire East. It can be given to a young person, an adult, or even an organisation, but just like Paul Boskett, it will be someone who goes above and beyond what could be expected.

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Artists inspired at Conway

In March, 20 of our gifted Art students attended a weekend residential at the Conway Centre. As some of you may be aware, this is an annual visit which sees students from all over Cheshire come together to share their love and passion for all things 'Art'. This year did not disappoint and the work produced was truly inspiring. Taking reference from the beautiful Welsh surroundings, current affairs and identity all the way through to Italian Renaissance, the young artists were challenged and inspired. As always the girls from Sandbach High School stood out as being hardworking, passionate and dedicated to the subject and as teachers we felt extremely proud go their amazing achievements. Roll on Conway 2017! Congratulations and well done to Georgie! Georgina Chenery has been offered places at 4 of the 5 auditions she recently attended being: Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London, Bird Theatre College in Sidcup & Tiffany Theatre College in Leigh on Sea. We look forward to seeing your name in lights in the future!

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Lets Dance………. ……….. Dance, Dance

'016 Sport in the City' Youth Dance Festival’ In March the Upper School Performance Group took part in the Regent Theatre's annual Youth Dance Festival. The students represented the school in a 9 minute performance piece choreographed by myself and the dancers. This years focus was 'Sport in the City'. We based our dance on the mental and physical preparation to compete in sport and the dedication it takes to be at the top of your game. The students demonstrated excellent creativity and high levels of technical competence. It was great for all involved to perform in such a professional setting. Mrs K Heywood (Dance Teacher)

'MMU Horizon project' Horizon is a platform for new dance artists at MMU Cheshire. Our school was invited to show- case our students Dance creative work. We took three of our GCSE Dance choreography pieces that were re-worked and danced by students from year 8, 9 and 10. We also had the opportunity to take part in an Outreach workshop with other Youth Dance groups. This focused on improving technique and creative skills. In the afternoon we performed our dances and enjoyed the chance to watch the MMU students perform in their 'Horizon platform'. The students involved had an insight into life at university and they worked alongside the technical team to organise the lights and sound for our performance. I great day was had by all.

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Lets Dance………. ……….. Dance, Dance

'Cheshire Schools Dance Show' This year we were given the opportunity to perform at the Crewe Lyceum in a new event 'The Cheshire Schools Dance Show'. Students from year 7, 8 and 9 had the chance to perform their creative work and for some this was their first appearance on the stage. Three year 11 dancers wowed the audience with their performance of their GCSE group dance. The students were fantastic and a real credit to the school.

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Can you help?

Plans for our new Sixth Form block are already underway but it is vital for us to raise additional monies in order to cover the costs of furnishings and equipment. That’s why we are asking for your help. Every brick you buy, will take us closer to our goal of opening Sandbach High School’s new Sixth Form Build to our students in the autumn of 2016. How? All you need to do is ‘Buy a Brick’ It will only cost you a small donation of £5. Or, if you can buy a number of bricks, so much the better. Why not buy a brick for a friend? The more you buy, the more our students will benefit. Making a donation is really easy to do. Simply go to our school ParentPay website, where an option to purchase is easily accessible. Alternatively cash or cheque payments, can be sent into school via the Finance Office. www.justgiving.com/charity/sandbach-college/newbuild In order to show how generous our school community is, we will ask all students who have donated to sign our ‘we helped build’ plaque, which will be displayed in the foyer of the new build.

For more information please contact Mrs Helen Hulse, Finance Manager [email protected] Thank You!

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Thank you!

On behalf of all the staff, students and governors of Sandbach High School, thank you to everyone who has ‘bought a brick’ or even a wall! Your help and support is much appreciated. Building work is progressing but we would like to ensure that the hub of the new block is state of the art and has the feel that some have compared to that found when you enter an ‘Apple shop’ - a “buzz” of modern technology and activity with students accessing the latest technology. To ensure that this happens we need to raise additional monies which is why we are seeking your help with our Buy a Brick campaign.

The number of bricks you are able to ‘donate’ is clearly a matter for you but the more you sponsor the more our students will benefit. For larger donations there is an opportunity to have a plaque placed within the new Sixth Form block—a lasting legacy of our partnership and your generosity for generations to come. In addition, there is the opportunity to advertise your company in our ‘On Track’ publications. Cutlers Cleaning Supplies generously donating £5000

APPLICATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2016 NOW WELCOME!

Apply online at: www.sandbachsixthform.co.uk

Or pick up an application form from main reception

T: 01270 765031 .

[email protected]

Sandbach Sixth Form College Details about the 40 plus level 3 courses on offer as well the other opportunities available through the Sixth Form can be accessed on the schools website or for more personal enquiries please contact Mrs Hughes at [email protected] We are currently holding the latest round of Guidance Meetings for entry to our Sixth Form – applications from male and female students can be made online via link to be found on the school’s website or by completing the hard copy application form available from school. Offering over 40 level 3 courses we are expecting to be able to ensure that all requests for courses/particular combination of subjects will be able to be accommodated within our own Sixth Form. Applications from internal and external students are welcomed with successful applicants joining a vibrant Sixth Form community with strong links to future employers, apprenticeships and access to higher education. We are a Sixth Form college with a strong tradition of students taking up places at the Russell Group of Universities. In addition, whilst studying here our Sixth Form students have access to a rich programme of extra-curricular opportunities and leadership opportunities including contributing to the work of the school’s Governing body. 25 3 3 ontracknews

SIXTH FORM LEAVER’S CELEBRATION

What a stunning event to celebrate the achievements and successes of Year 13 and Year 14 Sandbach College students; a beautifully dressed main hall played host to over 90 students and their parents and staff. The evening began with a superbly motivating talk from our guest speaker Rachel Leigh, her experience as a Sandbach High School Student and successful career in Law showed us how life can move quickly and successes are individual; some easily won and some more challenging. She wowed the audience and it was a great start to what was to be a bright and fun evening.

And while Rachel’s nerves were nowhere to be seen by the time she had finished the other speakers needed some deep breaths, had crossed their fingers and some even held (tightly) onto the lectern when it was their opportunity to speak!

Each form tutor was set a tough challenge for the night; who did they feel deserved their form tutor recognition award - selecting a student from their form who had shown resilience and real determination to achieve their best. There were so many to choose from in such a strong year group! The form tutors speeches were fun, enlightening and showed just how much they had come to know and care for those students in their form group.

Miss Moore and Mr Maunder were delighted to present the subject awards for who had shone in their specific academic areas, recognising those individuals who had exceeded their teacher’s expectations for academic achievement, unwavering attendance or sheer determination to achieve.

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SIXTH FORM LEAVER’S CELEBRATION

There are many exceptional students at our college and some who continue to go above and beyond our expectations and enrich the lives of the community around them as well the college and themselves. For this reason there were 4 special awards at the celebration evening to recognise such passionate individual's. The winners of those awards were:

Ken Beresford Prize for Art-Fine Art - Casey Brereton Dr John Mercer Prize for Biology - Mia Cheshire Karen Leigh Award for Design & Technology – Niamh Broad Ann Gallé Award - Grace Milner

Canapés and drinks were a wonderful closure to the night, catching up with students, parents and staff alike, allowing them time to celebrate their individual achievements and reflect on a fulfilling career at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College, before they move onto their next steps. Staff, parents and carers showed immense pride in what Year 13 & 14 had achieved, and most importantly who they have become.

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Shooting Successes!

Over the Bank Holiday weekend GBTS Rifle shooters Abby and Kim attended the English Small-bore Shooting Union Championships (ESSU). Kim took Silver in the Junior Ladies Air Rifle and Abby took the Sporter Rifle Championship to become the English Sporter Champion 2016 SPORTS EQUIPMENT SHOP NOW OPEN!

Megan’s squad shoots to retain Scouts Intercounty Championships! Megan Joyce (8C) was a member of the 8 strong SWC Scout SPECIALISING IN: CRICKET & HOCKEY Squad that took first place in both Pistol and Rifle at the recent Scout Intercounty Championships retaining the overall title again in 2016. BUT ALSO STOCK: FOOTBALL, RUGBY,

BADMINTON, TENNIS, , CYCLING & SQUASH

Sports Equipment North West, Cockayne House, Love Lane, Betchton, Sandbach, Cheshire CW11 2TS 07786 156755

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Cheshire cup Champions!

On Monday 14 March the Under 13 Football Girls travelled to to compete in the Cheshire Cup Final against . In the previous stages we had beaten Alsager 2-0, St Nicholas 3-2 and Christleton 2-1. The girls started very strong showing a great attitude and desire to win. We soon scored to make it 1-0. Eleanor Heeps made a fantastic save from a penalty and this drove the girls forwards as a team. By half time the score was 2-0 and we were looking very comfortable. In the second half Helsby fought back and put us under pressure soon scoring to make it 2-1. It was end to end football and our defence and midfielders worked hard to keep the ball out of our half. It was the most exciting half of football of the season. Towards the end of the game we stole another goal relieving the pressure and this was the final result., 3-1 to Sandbach High School. Goals were from Hannah Whitfield-Green who scored 2 and Jess Smith. It was an amazing team effort from all girls involved! The girls should be exceptionally proud of their determination to succeed this season and how well they have developed and bonded as a team. This is a huge achievement for the school and the girls have been a pleasure to work with. Thanks to the girls for their hard work and commitment and also the girls who came along and supported the team. Bring on next season where we will try to retain our title as CHESHIRE CUP CHAMPIONS!!

Eleanor Heeps Alex Ciesielska Jessica Smith Hannah Whitfield-Green Saskia Barber Ami Evans Amelia Paton Katie Hockenhull Casey Beamon Robyn Arrowsmith Jennifer Oakes Hannah Wright Eloise Goodwin

PROUD TO BE SPONSORING

SANDBACH HIGH SCHOOL’S

SPORTS PRESENTATION EVENING 29 3 3 ontracksportnews

SPORTING ROUND UP

YEAR 10 AND YEAR 11 NETBALL TEAMS CROWNED SOUTH CHESHIRE CHAMPIONS!

Back in March our Year 10 and Year 11 netball teams played Netball against the other schools in South Cheshire, both teams worked hard and showed off their netball skills which resulted in both teams winning their tournaments! Being Y11’s last tournament the girls were ecstatic and I was extremely proud. The Y10’s were equally as pleased as they went through their tournament also undefeated. Great results for both teams! Well done!!

PRIMARY SCHOOL TRI GOLF FESTIVAL AT MALKINS BANK GOLF COURSE

Our Sports Leaders travelled to Malkins Bank Golf Club to deliver the Level 2 School Games Tri Golf Festival for the Primary schools in the Sandbach School Sports Partnership. The girls were enthusiastic, encouraging and displayed high quality leadership skills, both teachers and parents commented on how delightful and great the students were. They worked alongside Ed Parker from the club who also helped to deliver this successful event. The maturity and willingness of the students ensured the event ran smoothly and all involved had a lot of fun. A massive thank you to the girls from both myself and Ed as well as to the Golf Club for closing their driving range for us!

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Year 8 storm through the Level 3 Athletics!

Earlier this year the year 8 Athletics team showed what they were made of by producing stunning performances across the board. The team included Molly Newton, Lois Gillespie, Jessica Nelson, Faith Hough, Hannah Whitfield-Green, Megan Ellison and Holly Boyd Leech. Dominating in both track and field events all girls achieved 1st and 2nd places in all events. The girls dominated the games and showed real talent, sportsmanship and team spirit. Molly Newton explains that “It was a great experience and we made lots of new friends”. Jessica Nelson said “I loved the whole experience and our team smashed it!” The girls should be extremely proud of themselves and as a PE department we are extremely proud of them.

LET’S PLAY VOLLEYBALL FESTIVAL

With our volleyball club growing by the day the girls had the opportunity to compete in the annual Volleyball tournament in Manchester, they competed against schools from all over the Northwest. The competition was fierce, our girls settled in to it after their first games. We took 2 x U13 teams and 3 x U15 teams, all of which did us proud and had a great day out. One of the U13 teams had a fantastic day by getting through to the plate finals and winning Bronze medals, not bad for their first competition. Watch this space!! Thank you to the Year 11 students who came to support as team managers, it was a great competition and we have already signed up for next year!

VOLLEYBALL LEVEL 3 SCHOOL GAMES

Our U15 volleyball team represented Sandbach Schools Sport Partnership in the Level 3 School Games County finals back in March at the new Ellesmere Port Sports Village. The girls worked so hard and played some fantastic volleyball, the organiser commented on how skilful our girls were when playing ‘3 touch’ in comparison to ‘getting it over the net’. They kept their cool and achieved bronze medals as well as receiving a special mention during the presentations for having great sportsmanship, working hard and respecting others.

Inclusive PE Week

On the week beginning Monday 20 March, the PE department held a “Inclusive PE week” aimed to increase the awareness of disability sport. Students in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11 experienced a number of activities in their lessons including Wheelchair Basketball, Blind Football, Goalball, Trail-O Orienteering and Sitting Volleyball. Sports Leaders were trained over a 4 week period to lead the activities within their lessons and all did a fantastic job to assist their peers and raise awareness of each sport. All students also had the opportunity to refine their skills in the sports during lunchtime clubs over the week, with over 150 students taking part in a disability lunchtime club over the course of the week.

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Rugby girls tackle their way to victory!

This year our girls have had a fantastic opportunity to develop their rugby skills. They have benefitted from brilliant coaching from Crewe and Nantwich Rugby club learning how to pass, tackle, ruck and tactics and strategies. The girls have turned into very competent players and a wonderful team with our Under 13 girls qualifying to compete in the Level 3 Games. Their first game was against Beaumont where the girls played very well, showing great team work and had a clear victory. The girls passed the ball well and kept their strong line. When a gap became clear the ball was given to Jessica Smith on the wing who stretched her legs and paced past the opposition. Our second game was against Fallibroome. Again the girls worked hard and showed off the skills they had learnt. They were patient and didn’t force the ball and again showed good tactics and understanding of the game. Again the girls took the opportunities and had a convincing win over the opposition with Jessica Smith scoring a number of tries. Our last game was against an Academy in Ellesmere Port. This proved to be a much harder game. However, the girls pulled together as a team and wanted to maintain their unbeaten run. Amelia worked tirelessly on the left wing putting in strong tackles and runs and Faith Hough and Alex Ciesielska also tackled hard. The score was fairly even however with a few minutes remaining Amelia Paton broke through the line and scored a fantastic try. The girls won their group meaning they came first in the tournament. They should be extremely proud of their performance on what was probably one of the wettest and coldest days this year. It showed great determination to keep working so hard.

Haah Beet

Jess Sith

Eleaor Heeps

Ale Ciesielska

Aelia Pato

April Rooe

Faith Hough

Millie Culle

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HIGH TEAM MORALE AT FOOTY FINAL

Ae Heood, Tai Carso, Roea Joes, Kiera Skerrat, Ye Maddok, Courta Cuerath, Aa Betele, Dai Talor

After competing in the local schools league, Sandbach qualified to represent the area in the level 3 games in football. We arrived with high team morale and started strong. Our first game was against High School in Chester. The game was very even throughout and end to end football. Towards the end of the game Blacon saw a lapse in our defence and broke through stealing the points- end score 1-0. Our second game was against Great Sankey. The Sandbach forwards kept breaking past the defenders but were struggling to find the back of the net. Finally, one shot took the goalkeeper by surprise and made the score 1-0 with a great shot. With only seconds to go, again our concentration lapsed and Great Sankey made it 1-1. Our final game was against Helsby. We dominated from the whistle putting pressure on Helsby. We had countless opportunities but couldn’t finish. Helsby only had one opportunity in the game but used it to make the score 1-0. Our girls fought to equalise to the final minute but the whistle went making the final score 1-0 to Helsby.

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ENGLISH SCHOOLS ATHLETICS

Our first athletics competition of the year was just a few weeks ago, we took 2 x teams of 12 to the English Schools Track and Field Cup Round 1 event at Macclesfield track. Most athletes competed in 2 events and scored points depending on their distance/time. Our junior team which was made up of Year 7 and Year 8 students won a lot of their events and won the competition overall securing them a place in the Regional A finals, a huge success and great start to the season. The Inters which was made up of Year 9 and Year 10 students competed in all the events they could, having a disadvantage going in to the competition with fewer athletes due to illness, they persevered and achieved 5th place, the girls stepped up and competed in events which they didn’t specialise in – a true team effort!

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Under 15 Cricket

The under 15 cricketers qualified to compete in the Level 3 games for indoor cricket. The girls travelled with excitement and eagerness to get started. They have been receiving excellent coaching from Ben who has worked on the skills and tactics of the game, making the girls into an excellent, cohesive team. In our first game the girls dominated with Maddie, Anya and Hannah batting very skilfully. We had strong bowlers who put the girls under pressure and fielded excellently as a team. When the game ended we had convincingly beat the opposition and hopes were high. The second game proved to be very tough. The girls worked hard both batting and fielding but the opposition hit some great shots and bowled accurately. Unfortunately, the opposition stole the lead. Finally, in our last game the girls worked very hard. It was a Betha Willias Grae Dso very close game and great shots were played by Maddie and Hollie Rihardso A Cruto excellent bowling from Megan. At the end of the game both teams were unsure of the outcome but unfortunately we lost Maddie Gooda Haah Willias by 2 runs. Aja Poell Iss Wilto It was a great day for the girls developing competition experience and working on their skills as a team. Well done Mega Baret Ale Miles girls!

CHARITY FUNDRAISING Follow us Our total so far THIS YEAR!

Over £11,000 @SandHighPE

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16 The Queen’s 90th Birthday celebrations started here at Sandbach High School with style thanks to the energy, creativity and enthusiasm of Mrs Jackson and her team, notably her form, 9B, and her Year 10 Travel and Tourism class when the whole school came together in the Sports Hall over lunch time. Amber Parry, Emma Welch and Stephanie Stubbs decorated a 4 foot by 5 foot cake in red, white and blue icing. The Concert Band provided some rousing music on arrival and the Chamber Choir proceeded to lead us all in singing Happy Birthday to Her Majesty before we all stood to sing the National Anthem. Seeing the school coming together in such a positive and enjoyable manner was quite special. Well done to everyone. John Leigh Headteacher

If you wish to place an advertisement or contribute to an article for OnTrack, please contact:

Gill Kesteven at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College

www.sandbachhigh.co.uk www.sandbachsixthform.co.uk

[email protected] 01270 765031