The Leader 2016
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Issue 12 • Summer 2016 e h T Leader Learning to Lead our Lives The Leader cellebrates the achiievements and experiiences of our students and chroniiclles the lliife of the schooll The Leader Issue 12 - Summer 2016 Student Art Holly Sproul Andrew Cole Nicole Bradshaw Chloe Dunmore Cassie De St Croix Bradley Smith Ellen Wise Cyd Rawlins Ellen Wise Abby Carrington Chloe Rushe Jade Corrin Abigail Birchall Lauren Terrell Kelly McGurk Millie Sutton 2 The Leader Issue 12 - Summer 2016 Back to the Future Contents This academic year, saw the actual day when the film ‘Back to the 2 Student Art 3 Back to the Future Future’ was set, 21st October 2015. Around the world, there was much 3 Editorial celebration and comparison to what had been predicted in the film. The 4 A Year in the Life... 6 Head Girl and Boy hope for the future, and predicting what might be, is a constant theme 7 Student Art 8 Sporting Round-up of school and educators. 15 Head in the Clouds 16 Designing J.I.M. fond memories left behind. But I 17 Downhill all the way! believe that it was a great step towards 18 Krakow - Easter 2016 modern education in Monmouth.” 20 Renishaw Engineering Trip 20 CERN 2016 Our school magazine, which records 21 Maddie and Millie the lives of our students, will sometime 22 Interview with Non Evans in the future be read by people who 23 Student Art have not yet been born. The future, 24 Let the Sun Shine….. 25 Going Beyond The Book whilst different, will also be familiar. 26 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards One thing, though, that will not change 26 Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is that Monmouth Comprehensive will 27 Stables to Studios be a comprehensive school that will 28 Rowing Update 2016 33 Determination aim to inspire, enthuse, motivate and 34 Japan’s World Scout Jamboree 2015 nurture for generations to come. 36 Ski 2016 37 My Vocational Years The reflections from students in 1977 38 Cricket Without Boundaries are testament to the message of ‘Back 40 Battlefields Trip to the Future’. 41 Maths at MCS 44 Student Art In 1977, our school opened as a Vaughan Davies 45 Youth Speaks Comprehensive School. A new building Headteacher 2016 46 Summer Learning 2015 48 ‘Monmouth’s Got Talent’ opened and the school changed to 49 Student Design & Technology Work meet the needs of an ever-growing 50 MCS Eisteddfod community. I have found the School 51 Student Design & Technology Work Magazine from 1977 and within the 52 Forensic Toxicology Editorial 52 Faulty Communications statements from former students of 53 Components of an excellent lesson their predictions, I discovered this 54 Monmouthshire Business Awards statement of hope. 54 Student Art 55 Trip to Cadbury World “Reflecting now, I realise that we could 56 Literacy in Sport not achieve what we wanted if we 57 Premier League Reading Stars have remained in the old buildings. 58 Art Update 59 Emphasis on health and wellbeing With the comparatively roomier buildings 59 Academies Update of the new school the teachers were 60 Domino Effect also given more scope; classes could 60 Cambrian Patrol be split to do different subjects, if they 61 Workshop Drama so choose. 62 Spain Sports Tour 64 Quoi de Neuf? - Was Gibt’s? When I think of the hundreds of pupils 68 Music at MCS that have passed through the 70 A Musical Interlude 71 Monmouth Women’s Festival Secondary School in years gone by, 72 Blood Brothers’ Review I wonder if they have ever thought 74 Charity Matters of what they might have achieved 76 Student Design & Technology Work had they been given the same Just room for me to squeeze in 77 BBC Deadline Dilemma 78 MCS Alumni opportunities, conditions and facilities. grateful thanks to our wonderful 79 Learning with Friends I am perfectly sure that for both group of sponsors who remain with 80 Out of School Achievements teachers and pupils there could only us, through thick and thin. 86 School and Year Council Update 87 Student Design & Technology Work have been advantages in the move, I hope you enjoy this year’s edition, we 88 As I start... As I finish... and that no-one regretted it, although have lots to tell you about. I suspect there were probably some School Photography by Des Pugh, Wendy Baker, Editor Official School Photographer 3 The Leader Issue 12 - Summer 2016 A Year in the Life... Before we relate the high points of the year, and totally out of In October, the Drama Department ventured out to the time sync, a picture paints a thousand words.... theatre to see Blood Brothers (see page 72) and the Curious good old Mildred! Incident of the Dog in the Night and the MCS Friends welcomed old and new to their very successful Quiz Night. Excitement fizzled as Interserve started on the Temporary Block that would house the residents of the Admin Corridor, Drama and Geography and we all watched with great interest as foundations were laid and the classrooms/offices were lowered into place. Y7 decked the halls for the Christmas Fair and Mr Michael almost found himself a fiancée at the Y7 Pantomime, much to everyone’s amusement! Wonderful Twitter photo op, Mr Michael but how did you explain that lipstick?! Christmas saw MCS The Leader 2016 folder opened, send a call out to ready to receive articles for this issue of the magazine as the former students, via old year ended and the new year unfolded. The Beacon, to join Summer Learning Week weather kept fine and students Future First, a enjoyed themselves at various activities including a visit to Tipi charity that builds Adventures for the first time (see page 46) which was highly a network of recommended. former students to come back The Annual Summer Showcase saw a stunning array of talent to work with from the Faculty of Performing and Expressive Arts followed current students by the second Monmouth Literary Festival… (see page 25) at MCS. Details The Telegraph even wondered if we were the next Hay of this exciting Festival!. venture may Year 6 students joined us for their MCS Welcome days, be found on followed by the Friday Night Disco (or red faced sweatathon!) page 78. to end their week. Students visited France (see page 42) and the Battlefields (see page 40) to round off the Summer Term. We were delighted to welcome Welsh athlete Non Evans to the school for Awards Evening on 10 September. Prior to the Awards presentation, Sixth Form students Meg and Katie took the opportunity to interview Non about her life in sport - I think we can safely say she wowed them - an interview you will find on page 22. A new Award took pride of place this year - The Bryony Hammersley Award, in memory of our late colleague. The Award, for work/contribution in the community, was presented by Mr & Mrs Hammersley. Work started on the Y11 Yearbook and throughout the next six months photographs first trickled, then flooded, in. Thank you to all the parents who sent baby photos - not sure how we will top this next year! We welcomed hundreds of students and their parents to Open Evening at the end of September, giving them all a taste of life at MCS. 4 The Leader Issue 12 - Summer 2016 January disappeared in a flurry of Parents’ Evenings and the Charity Committee found themselves busy taking orders for News from the MCS Valentine delivery - love was definitely in the air. Miles Morgan Travel… We took on a new Receptionist but, after a very poor Miles Morgan Travel are delighted to support performance, we had to let him go! Mrs Jones breathed a sigh of relief as she reclaimed her seat. Monmouth Comprehensive School. Our shop on Monnow Street continues to go from strength March saw Geography move into the new T Block and - to strength; our Foreign Exchange Bureau has also had a drumroll here - Music set up home in the old Geography record year due to our great rates. We have also been joined Rooms. Then the moment finally arrived on 24 March, as by Sarah Jones, the ex-Manager at Thomas Cook in Reception and the Admin Corridor packed their boxes, wiped Monmouth. We would like to thank all of our loyal away a tear and Mr Davies raised his (construction) hat to the customers for their support and look forward to being of old building as we left for the final time. service again in the future. Eight days later Reception was unpacked and ready to roll (or limp) into action for the Summer term when Mrs Jones greeted everyone with a smile and a slightly bemused air as she searched for her wrongly placed belongings! Easter trips included the Sports Tour to Spain (pages 62), the Humanities Krakow trip (page 18) and the annual Ski/Snowboarding trip (page 36). The new Rugby Sevens Tournaments for Years 7, 8 and 9 launched and were very well received by local schools and will now become an annual event. Just in time for this year’s issue, four of our students - Hannah Pope, Annicca Prince, Jess Netherway and Natasha Chandra - were part of the Greater Gwent Youth Brass Band, winners of the Youth Band Cymru 2016, shown on S4C. Well done ladies! Our footballers did us proud with Senior and Y7 teams bringing home the Newport Cup after two thrilling Finals. Our Y7 Rugby Sevens team also ended the year on a high as Y7 Newbridge Sevens Champions.