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Holyrood Academy NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2021 Cambridge Offer! Inside this Issue Headteacher’s message… Competitions… Students’ work work work... Governors’ message... Useful websites... ...and a whole lot more. Caitlin Smith heading to Cambridge University Headteacher‟s Message Mr Dave MacCormick Headteacher What a half term it has been! Our students, staff and their families have been faced with yet more challenges in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic and have come through the other side together. I would like to congratulate our students for their hard work and resilience throughout this challenging half term and would like them all to know that we do hope to see them back at school as soon as it is safe for them to return. A 43 acre site is very empty indeed with just 100 students and 20 (or so) staff working on-site each day. The atmosphere and sense of togetherness in school is great, though, with everybody working together in what we know are tricky times for all. A big 'well done' must go to those students who are in school every day - they are amazing. I am delighted to read this bumper edition of our Newsletter and to see so many lovely opportunities being provided for our students. It really goes to show that although the school is not fully open, the 'Team Holyrood' spirit continues through lockdown, with students and staff working hard, being kind and joining in. It is great to see so many of our students taking advantage of the activities being offered both in lessons and outside of them. Please do encourage your child to enter the year group competitions, listen to the podcast and take regular screen breaks to exercise during their PE lessons and beyond. Finally, I have mentioned this before, but it is such a significant achievement that I will do so again. Congratulations to Caitlin Smith who has become Holyrood Academy's first student to gain a place at Cambridge University. Caitlin will study English at Peterhouse College and everyone at Holyrood is delighted for her. She is such a hard-working, intelligent and curious student who really has blazed a trail for others to follow, just like Lauren Winch did when she gained a place at Oxford University two years ago. It is so inspiring for our students to be able to see these highly motivated and successful students. They really should be thinking 'if those Holyrood students can, why can't I?'. Thank you once again for your support over the course of this half term and I hope that all our students and their families enjoy a restful half term break. 2 DECEMBER 2020 Caitlin Receives Offer from Cambridge University We are incredibly proud to celebrate that Holyrood Sixth Form student, Caitlin Smith, has received an offer to study at Cambridge University from October 2021. Caitlin will read English at Peterhouse College, Cambridge and is the first ever Holyrood Sixth Form student to gain a place at this prestigious institution. Caitlin achieved a fantastic set of GCSE results while studying at Holyrood Academy and is set to achieve an impressive series of A Level results this summer. Her determination has never wavered to study at Cambridge and she has utilised every opportunity presented to her to ensure that this dream would become a reality. Of Caitlin's achievements, Mr Dave MacCormick, Headteacher of Holyrood Academy said, “I am absolutely delighted for Caitlin because she has consistently shown a relentless work ethic and the kind of academic curiosity befitting of an Oxbridge candidate. She has worked so hard to achieve her place, at a time when competition for places becomes more fierce each year. Everyone at Holyrood is so proud of Caitlin, especially her teachers.” During the first lockdown Caitlin competed in the Peterhouse Campion Essay Competition, writing a beautiful piece on Wordsworth's Immortality Ode which allowed her to explore the nature of Wordsworth's relation to the Romantic Movement; combining her current studies with her own wider reading. Caitlin has been able to further her understanding of literature this year with her Extended Project Qualification on William Faulkner and other influential Southern American authors. We have no doubt that her academic ability will continue to flourish at Cambridge University and look forward to reading her own publications. On receiving the offer Caitlin said, “I was shocked and jumping for joy in my room as I read the offer! I texted my parents and friends and emailed Miss [Mrs Challis] and was so happy she rang and I was able to talk to her and share the news, I am still so happy just thinking about it. I know the next few months are going to need me to continue to work hard to ensure I achieve the necessary grades but the goal of being at Cambridge this October has made me more motivated than ever to do this. I am really looking forward to studying at Peterhouse College, I selected this college on my application not just for its professors and current fellows, but because of its history. It is the oldest and one of the smallest colleges at Cambridge, I am excited to explore the development of literature through history and to study where Nigel Balchin, Thomas Campion and Sir Peregrine Worsthorne did. More than anything I am grateful to those who have helped me achieve this offer, my A Level teachers have constantly encouraged me, the time, support and preparation Mrs Challis has given me and my friends and family who believed in me when I was uncertain. Thank you to them all! To all other students considering applying, don‟t be daunted enjoy the interview!” Mrs Challis enthused, “I am thrilled for Caitlin and am extremely proud of her achievement, it is a true testament to her academic capabilities. Caitlin is an exceptional student and has been a delight to both teach and support through the application process. She has secured an offer at Cambridge University at an incredibly difficult time but she has also received offers from Queen‟s University of Belfast, The University of Edinburgh, East Anglia and St. Andrews; a remarkable accomplishment. This success is down to her thirst for knowledge and sheer determination to excel in everything she does – she works hard and has earned this place. We are proud of all our students and I am honoured to be able to support them all in achieving whatever it is that they desire, nothing is unachievable and Caitlin is a wonderful example of this.” Mr MacCormick went on, “Personally, I am also very pleased for the Sixth Form Team at Holyrood who have been working tirelessly to support and guide students like Caitlin who aspire to study at the finest Universities in the country to do so through our OxbridgePrep programmes. We introduced these structured programmes four years ago and they are now allowing students from Chard and the surrounding area to progress to Oxford and Cambridge Universities. We are extremely proud of that and we hope that more of our students will be successful in their applications next year.” He added: “We are very proud of our Sixth Form and all its students and would urge any current year 11s, Holyrood students or students of other schools, to contact us to discuss how we can support their future aspirations. More information about our Sixth Form can be found here: https://www.holyroodacademy.com/academy/sixthform/apply-for-sixth-form/58/ 3 DECEMBER 2020 Holocaust Memorial Event On 29th January 2021 a group of our students across KS4 and KS5 took part in the University of Exeter‟s Holocaust memorial event. Originally we were to participate at Exeter University halls, but current restrictions meant we joined many other schools for a fantastic online experience. The event began with an hour-long talk between two incredible speakers who have joined forces to educate about the Holocaust. They were Dr Noemie Lopian and Derek Niemann. They speak together under the title: Speaking Across the Divide. Dr Noemie Lopian, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, teamed up with Derek Niemann, the grandson of an SS officer. In a highly unusual and indeed, possibly unique partnership, Noemie and Derek share their stories as a warning of the perils of extremism and to inspire greater understanding. Their ongoing speaking tour began in 2019. They have talked at schools, universities, and synagogues, as well as being keynote speakers at a range of public events. Noemie is the daughter of Ernst Bornstein, author of „The Long Night‟, which tells the horrifying story of his concentration and slave labour camp experiences. Noemie has translated the book into English. She is passionate about Holocaust commemoration and education, challenging audiences about why and how the Holocaust is relevant today and must never be forgotten. She was eloquent and inspiring as she told the story of her parents and their incredible resilience in those most difficult of times. Author and writer Derek discovered just a few years ago that the grandfather he never knew had been an SS officer, in charge of slave labourers in the Nazi concentration camps. Derek‟s book „A Nazi in the Family‟ tells the tale of all that he uncovered. He focuses on the ease with which an ordinary person can descend into the service of an evil regime. His brutal honesty about his background and the reasons for the choices his family made, enlightened us all to the perils of tolerating hate and the consequences of powerful movements to support it. Both speakers were inspirational and informative. They spoke openly about the dangers we face now, even in our own country, surrounding antisemitism and the rise of white supremacy.

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