Ontrackth Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College Spring 16 6 The Wind in The Willows …….. RoyalRoyal Approval!Approval- ……...quite simply fantastic! AN AUDIENCE WITH ORDER IN COURT! YOUNG ARTISTS IN Page 9 BAN KI-MOON Page 23 TUSCANY Page 12 In this issue ontracknews ...and YET MORE SUCCESS YES IT WAS LADIES NIGHT & THE FEELING WAS RIGHT! On the 27 November 2015 the Year 13 A Level Business Class - The room quickly filled with guests as the night commenced and Emma Bell, Olivia Siwiec, Karley Mulliner, Megan Taylor and Ella entertainment began with an outstanding performance from the Lycett - held a Ladies Beauty Night in aid of Jo’s Cervical Cancer School’s Jazz Band, shortly followed by soloist Chloe Trust. As women, the girls decided to raise money for this charity Ravenscroft, a Year 13 student as it is a cause which is very close to the group’s hearts. On the night the girls welcomed the help of the Head Boy Team Throughout the last 6 months the 5 have been raising money and from Sandbach School. The boys were a fantastic help, awareness for the charity and are excited to have made the completing a range of activities for the girls, such as selling raffle astonishing sum of £950 for this worthy cause. tickets, to the point where queues were building and the books Every day in the UK 8 women are diagnosed with cervical had sold out! The 7 boys also served their stunning canapes, cancer and 3 women will, sadly, lose their lives. Jo’s Cervical courtesy of Mark Harding and Joan Sullivan, which went down a Cancer Trust works with patients in an attempt to make their treat with the guests. experiences as positive as possible, reassuring them that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. They have been running since 1999 and are the only cervical cancer charity in the UK. The trust offers 24 hour support online and face-to-face and as well as this, they are continuously researching into new methods of treatment and prevention. The Cervical Cancer Prevention Week took place on the 24 to the 30 January 2016. The organisation for the event was a challenge, however the resilience of the team aided them through the process. This was seen when the girls had to go into the local community, in all weathers, to ask for their generosity by donating raffle prizes in the hope of making as much money as possible on the night. Requesting for donations of food and ingredients to reduce the catering costs was another difficult task the 5 had to encounter. After searching for local ‘beauty’ businesses to join the group on their successful night, they eventually had 13 different stall holders selling a variety of things from all aspects of ‘beauty’. Each of the girls had a goal of 20 tickets to sell, however they exceeded their targets and sold over 100. This was a great achievement for the girls and they were overwhelmed by the demand for the tickets. When the day finally arrived, (with the help of the School’s caretakers, the Sixth Form Common Room was converted into a ‘Beauty Parlour’). It bloomed with all shades of pink to represent their chosen charity. 2 ontracknews TURKEY & TINSEL (& A SERIOUS AMOUNT OF RED WINE!) . Once again we welcomed over 200 special guests into our college and into our hearts for our annual Senior Citizens’ Christmas Lunch and Concert. Our Student Leadership Group once again did an amazing job organising the event and special thank yous [email protected] go to Niamh Broad and Eleanor Dixon-Miller who dedicated a huge amount of time to make sure the event ran smoothly. The food was amazing and as usual our catering team led by Jayne Mayer [thank you] and our Year 12 waiters and waitresses did us proud – serving 250 portions of delicious, piping hot Christmas dinner to our excitable guests who enjoyed the wine, the music and dance entertainment, Mr Shaw’s witty compering and of course the most exciting raffle of the year! A great afternoon was had by all and the raffle raised an amazing £453.60 in aid of Cancer Research UK. Thank you once again to the Rotary Club of Sandbach who financially supported this event. Year 9 Christmas Fair Busking! Another year– and the Year 9’s take over the sports hall during a Our singers invested considerable time and energy during some lunch time in December! There were a record number of stalls this very unfavourable weather conditions “busking”. On one occasion year where students displayed their home made produce, gifts they were performing in St Anne’s square in Manchester and and games to raise money for charity. This year they raised £810 needless to say it was raining but as I stood in the wet, listening for Cancer Research UK—Well done Year 9! to the comments as people passed by; “so lovely”, “so brave of them”, several whistling along with the choir, others singing along (not quite so well), a few standing listening and foot tapping - it was impossible for anyone not to get into the spirit of Christmas such was their infectious enthusiasm. Our Chamber Choir brought so many smiles to the intrepid shoppers who braved the weather, they were quite inspiring. Well done and thanks are due to Miss Lawrence and Miss Cooper and our singers. In total they have raised over £900! Mr Leigh 3 Clever cooking on a budget and learning the basic but essential car maintenance skills skills ontracknews ...and YET MORE SUCCESS The Wind in The Willows A Review On a rainy Tuesday evening I had the delight of watching the exceptional lower school performance of The Wind in the Willows. The Hall was transformed into a tranquil river bank and woodland where countryside creatures were brought to life. The play was atmospheric, heart-warming and humorous for both adults and children alike. There were extraordinary performances from all involved; in particular Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad, played by Sallie Belcher, Emma Baker, Anna Woods and Molly Jenkins, captivated the audience were their enthusiasm, wit and excellent characterisation. The music provided by Miss Cooper added a touch of class and enriched the set design and pupils’ performances. Finally, the imaginative set designs created a rich atmosphere, and the outstanding feature- Toad’s car added an extra layer of realism, exhilaration and hilarity to the play. I am eagerly anticipating the next production from the Drama Department! Miss Jagger A Student Reflects If I had to sum up the whole production of The Wind in the Willows, I would quite simply say: “a fantastic experience”. From the first audition, to learning the lines, applying the makeup and performing the play, every aspect of the production was incredibly enjoyable! Before The Wind in the Willows I’d never really taken part in a drama performance other than primary school plays – I didn’t know what to expect. Then to my surprise, after auditioning, I was cast as Ratty. That was when the hard work started. Over the weeks I became so used to performing as a pompous, stuck-up Rat, that on the night it came naturally. I enjoyed every minute I was on the stage: it wasn’t stressful, just fun. The hardest part wasn’t remembering all my lines; it was staying in and moving the wooden boat across the stage without ending up on the floor! I’d definitely recommend taking part in the next production to anyone – it’s a blast! It’s a great opportunity to make or strengthen friendships and the experience definitely makes you more confident as a person. I’m going to miss Rat and Wind In The Willows! Emma Baker (9H) 4 A Leading Edge School ontracknews The Wind in The Willows The Director’s Note The cast of 70 pupils who ranged from Years 6 to 9 did sterling work producing a 90 minute performance of Kenneth Graham’s classic, The Wind in the Willows. Adapted by Alan Bennet for the National Theatre, the production was, in the words of Mr Leigh, “charmingly innocent”. Rat (Emma Baker 9H) and Mole (Sallie Belcher 8D) led us expertly through the countryside from the Riverbank to Toad Hall and out into the wide world following Toad’s (Molly Jenkins 8N) chaotic crazes. The commanding Badger (Anna Woods 9B) was a calming influence over the overly enthusiastic Toad. With the support of Ms Aldridge, along with Emily Bennet and Natalie Stevenson from Year 10, a new technical team was formed for the production and they did a brilliant job. It’s no mean feat mastering the idiosyncrasies of the lighting desk and then running a whole show! Rat’s rowing boat (expertly built by Mr Gornall) drifted down river to be swiftly replaced by Toad’s caravan (another Gornall creation!) and then Motor car (constructed by our Maintenance team around Mr Leese’s mobility scooter). These larger props created challenges of their own but were vital to the production. The cast and crew are hugely grateful to those skilled staff and individuals who made these elements possible, either building them or loaning us the necessary equipment. Mrs C Bennion 5 ontracknews A CELEBRATION OF PROGRESS…. ….AND ACHIEVEMENT! The re-styled GCSE presentation was most enjoyable, offering the opportunity to celebrate with students, their parents and friends and colleagues last year’s successes. One of our former students, Natasha Tipping (Simpson) who is the Deputy Mayor for Sandbach was the Guest Speaker.