Cockermouth School Magazine Winter 2014 the last COCKERMOUTH’S SUPERW ORD FAREWELL, HEROES COME OUT FIGHTING MR WALKER! FOR CHILDREN IN NEED 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, On Friday 14th November the eagle eyed residents of Cockermouth may well have caught a teachers, parents and governors – but having been a glimpse of Superman, Catwoman, Captain America, Robin and even a few Batmen walking Headteacher for 14 years, I feel it’s time to reacquaint myself (really?) up Castlegate Drive, had they twitched their net curtains around 8.30 am. with friends and family! What has been your most memorable moment? Yes, of course, it was Children in Need and the super heroes of Cockermouth School Sixth It’s impossible to pick one as there have been so many Form were out in force, using their super powers to raise £1422.08 for disadvantaged children successes: Rock Challenge, Les Mis, Kids’ Lit Quiz, sporting in the annual national fundraiser. events...I think the diversity and range of experiences on offer The day was fantastic! Along with a whole outside lessons is fantastic. And we do so well. It’s fantastic school non-uniform day, the Sixth Form how many things we win – we really punch above our weight. committee put together a range of fund raising What will you miss the most? activities such as cake sales, shoot the loop Teenagers growing up! I’ll miss being with students during and a penny trail, as well as the usual ‘sponge good and bad times, and helping when things go wrong. I’ll a teacher’ (thanks to the ‘willing’ volunteers!) also miss the celebration of achievements at all levels – that’s and the annual hairy leg waxing in the what a good comprehensive school is all about! Common Room which definitely brought in the What challenges have you had to overcome? biggest audience of the day. Large budget cuts in education, as well as all the non-stop external changes related to the curriculum and exams. For a Thanks to all the students and staff who got school with a good reputation, there’s also been pressure to involved, whether they helped out with the evaluate what we do within the school, and improve on it. activities, took part in them or even just What are your plans for your retirement? donated some loose change. Every penny I’ll be working part-time with other schools in Cumbria for the makes a difference to charities such as rest of the academic year, and then I’ll do some travelling – Children in Need. perhaps take the gap year I never had! I also plan to do some Keep your eyes open for more fundraising voluntary work. going on in school! On behalf of students, staff, parents and governors, we thank Mr Walker for his hard work and contribution to the school, Linsey Wilson, Year 13 and wish him all the best in his retirement. Charities’ Officer Luke Skilbeck (Head Boy), Sophie Wilson (Head Girl), Stephen Cole (Deputy Head Boy), Meghan Avery (Deputy Head Girl), Year 13 Happy Christmas ❆Joyeux Noël ❆ Frohe Weihnachten ❆ Feliz Navidad News from Cockermouth HEAD’S 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 LINES 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, Never has the title of our magazine seemed and thankfully we had an encouraging response. An extra meeting in October was called more apt as I write this, my last Headlines and the result: a new and revitalised CSA committee, ably backed by a team of parent as Headteacher of Cockermouth School, helpers, stepping forward to provide the refreshments for the parents’ evenings, school and for once, I’m almost stuck for words. 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. After 35 years of working in schools, I have so many memories of working with thousands of students – in Don’t forget that it is never too late to support us by joining the committee or our parent classrooms, on school trips, on the sports field, in helpers list, becoming a member of the 100 Club for a mere £1 a month, or donating good school productions, and occasionally, in detention! quality raffle prizes. Contact Mrs Tiffen-Luff in Reception for more details. It was, and continues to be, the students who are the Merry Christmas! motivators for this job, and it has been a delight. At Cockermouth, I’ll never forget the Rock Challenge Mel Avery (Chair – CSA) 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. Visiting Author Takes Students None of the above would be possible without our excellent staff, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. I to the Top of the World 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 On Friday 7th November, school played host to Everest summiteer, documentary co-ordinated and edited by our 6th Form Team. Well filmmaker and young adult fiction author, Matt Dickinson. Over 300 Geography done to these students – as ever, their commitment and and English students from Year 7 to Year 13 enjoyed Matt’s talks throughout a effort are to be commended. 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 With best wishes for a very happy Christmas, and hours by the time he finished at about 8.30pm. peaceful New Year. Matt’s literary career started when he published his first bookDeath Zone, an account of his own ascent of Everest with mountaineer, Alan Hinkes, and actor Geoff Walker, Headteacher 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’. EDITORIAL 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 NOTE school day, he discussed the difficulties of filming a successful attempt to break We are sad to say that Mrs Ellis, the previous the world altitude record for hang gliding (about 40000 feet) and how he became editor of the Last Word, has retired from her post the first person to film at the summit of Everest. as Development Manager. Matt also coached pupils in ways to improve their creative writing by looking at The Last Word is now being organised and edited stories such as Toy Story and E.T - the former he considers to be the greatest by sixth form students Stephen Cole, Sophie story ever written – and explored the idea of victims in contemporary novels such Wilson, Maisie Short, Leah Cumiskey and Niamh as The Hunger Games and the Harry Potter novels. As his presentation drew to Dixon, along with Mrs Milledge. 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. Mrs Ellis will be greatly missed and we wish her the best of luck in her retirement. Conall McDowell, Year 12 2 Year 12 Team Build in the Sun Cockermouth School 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 Carol Service 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.