In November, the annual PE Celebration Trip took place. Across the year students are encouraged to take part in extra-curricular sports clubs and each time they attend they are given a stamp in their PE card. At the end of the year, the 30 students with the most stamps are given the opportunity to attend the celebratory trip. It gives them the chance to try a brand new sport and watch a sport live in action.  This year the students were taken for a curling session at England’s only dedicated ice curling rink in Tunbridge Wells. Having thrown stones, swept ice and skippered their own teams, the students made their way to the Olympic Park. They were able to walk around the Park and view the Olympic Swimming pool as well as the Orbit Observation Tower. They then made their way to the Copper Box Arena where they watched the London Lions take on the Manchester Giants. A victory for London’s only professional basketball team, scoring over 100 points, capped off a fantastic day. Although it was a long day, the behaviour of all those involved was exemplary! An excellent day was had by all and we look forward to next year’s PE Celebration Trip.

Excited Year 7 students at Highsted Grammar School had the opportunity to take part in a series of enrichment and enhancement activities run by STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Ambassadors from Canterbury Christ Church University. The sessions – designed to encourage students in their pursuit of STEM subjects – included a Sherlock Holmes-style murder mystery, an egg drop challenge and a treasure hunt!

Shreya J said, “I enjoyed the Ambassador challenge a lot as it was very realistic. Our group did a Sherlock Holmes activity in which we had to solve a ‘murder’ case of a victim called Victoria. It was very engaging and intriguing. The Ambassadors were dressed as characters from Sherlock Holmes stories.”  She added, “Where the victim had died there was blood spattered across sheets of white fabric. It was gory and gruesome but fun. The angle at which the blood spattered told us how the murder took place. There was a footprint detected and we analysed the soil to see what part of the country the murderer came from.”

Ismay T participated in the egg drop challenge. She said, “My favourite was the ‘new Olympic sport’ – the egg drop. We had to drop an egg from the ceiling and had to slow its progress and prevent it from cracking using only the objects we were given. Our egg – named ‘Eggward’ – survived. We worked well as a team and enjoyed it lots!” Charlotte B, who took part in activities based on a Snow White theme, added, “The tasks were fun and challenging as you had to use your brain a lot. They focused on maths skills, common sense and loads of thinking.”

Assistant Headteacher Sarah Appleton, who organised the event, commented, “It was great to see the students involved in hands-on themed activities, with the Ambassadors dressed as characters!”

It IS Rocket Science!

Highsted to grow seeds from space!

Students at Highsted are preparing to become space biologists and embark on a voyage of discovery by growing seeds that have been into space.

In September, 2kg of rocket seeds were flown to the International Space Station (ISS) on Soyuz 44S where they will spend several months in microgravity before returning to Earth in March. The seeds have been sent as part of Rocket Science, an educational project launched by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and the UK Space Agency.

Highsted Grammar School will be one of up to 10,000 schools to receive a packet of 100 seeds from space, which they will grow alongside seeds that haven’t been to space and measure the differences over seven weeks. The students won’t know which seed packet contains which seeds until all results have been collected by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and analysed by professional biostatisticians.

The out-of-this-world, nationwide science experiment will enable the students to think more about how we could preserve human life on another planet in the future, what astronauts need to survive long-term missions in space and the difficulties surrounding growing fresh food in challenging climates.

Mrs McCormick-Clarke, teacher in charge of A-level Physics at Highsted Grammar School, says, “We are very excited to be taking part in Rocket Science. This experiment is a fantastic way of teaching our students to think more scientifically and share their findings with the whole school community. Once seeds return from the International Space Station back to planet Earth in March, Highsted will receive the seeds and selected students will take part in planting, nurturing and recording data about the development of the seeds into plants. The data collected by our students will then be shared with the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency.”

Rocket Science is just one educational project from a programme developed by the UK Space Agency to celebrate British ESA astronaut Tim Peake’s Principia mission to the ISS and inspire young people to look into careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects, including horticulture.

Follow the project on Twitter: @RHSSchools #RocketScience. To find out more information on the Rocket Science project or RHS Campaign for School Gardening, please follow this link.

Audience enchanted by emotive poetry and medieval music

The national Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, inspired a 200-strong audience of school children and members of the local community at a special event hosted by Highsted Grammar School in November.  Accompanied by the musician and composer John Sampson, who complemented the power of the poetry with musical interludes and underscoring featuring a number of early music instruments, Ms Duffy began with a poem from her popular collection The World’s Wife: Mrs Midas.  She then created an emotionally-charged atmosphere with two poems from Rapture, an autobiographical reflection on the course of a love affair from its beginnings to its end. Powerful and poignant pieces from The Bees – Carol Ann Duffy’s first collection of poems as Poet Laureate – included Last Post and Premonitions.  There was also a reading of Mrs Schofield’s GCSE from this collection: a poem that Duffy had written in response to a complaint about Education for Leisure, which had led to its removal from a GCSE anthology.

Highsted student April J, who has studied Education for Leisure this year, said, “Hearing about what Miss Duffy thought of this accusation really increased my understanding of what Education for Leisure actually meant – and what it was written for.”  Ayo A, added: “I was really excited when Carol Ann Duffy signed my book.  She signed the top of a poem of hers that I was annotating in class, Education for Leisure.  She told me that it was a very good annotation.  This comment made me very happy because I worked really hard on it.”

Sixth former Lara B was captivated by the emotional atmosphere created during the performance.  She said, “I thought the evening was incredible – throughout the presentation I found myself becoming completely enthralled by the words and music, and truly enchanted by the emotional effect they had.”

After the presentation, members of the audience were able to chat to the poet whilst having their books signed.  Year 7 student Emily C, said, “I think everyone enjoyed getting their books signed and speaking to the Poet Laureate herself.  The poems made you feel as if you were actually in the scenes they were written in.  I loved having my picture taken with the poet and it was a very enjoyable night.” Megan Y, added:  “The thing I most enjoyed about the presentation was the spectacular poems and how Carol Ann Duffy read them and how John Sampson’s music represented her poems. It made the poems feel alive. When Carol Ann signed our books and had a chat with us it made the whole experience more memorable.”

Budding journalist April J, who took the opportunity to interview the Poet Laureate so she could write about the event for the school newsletter, enthused, “It felt amazing to meet Carol Ann Duffy and even more amazing to have a book signed by her. She told me that her favourite poem was The Song of Wandering Aengus by W B Yeats. She also told me that she read it when she was twelve and thought that I would like it so recommended it to me as I am the same age now that she was then.”

To read April’s interview, please follow this link.

Inspiring talks encourage music students to aim high

Highsted music students at the Royal Albert Hall with Kanya King, CEO and founder of the MOBO Awards 

Twenty-three music students from Highsted were lucky enough to attend a recent conference at the Royal Albert Hall to listen to talks by inspirational women in the music industry.  The event was hosted by Katie Derham, who hosts the BBC Proms, presents on BBC Radio 3 and has been a contestant in the BBC’s popular TV series ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.  The girls had the opportunity to talk to the speakers – who included editors, radio producers, DJs and entrepreneurs – to ask for their advice about how to get into the competitive industry.

GCSE music student Mai T, who plays flute, piano and electric guitar, said: “I found the trip lived up to its name: it really did inspire me! All the women we spoke to were kind and very passionate about their professions, and it made me think about all the different areas of music that you can go into, not just playing an instrument.”  She added: “I found Sharon Hanley (Head of Communications at BBC Radio 2) very enthusiastic about her job and very supportive of people with disabilities, such as my hearing loss, going into music.”

Sian L, who plays in the school’s rock group, wind band, orchestra and folk group, was particularly inspired by the words of music producer Rita Ray. She commented: “Through the stories Rita shared, we found out about her journey to success through hard work and motivation.”  Shannon B-S, who plays the flute at school concerts and charity events, added: “I loved meeting some really inspirational women during the day, especially finding out what they love most about their jobs and how they managed to get into the very exciting music industry. I found all of the women there very inspirational as they showed me more opportunities that could be explored through music, some that I hadn’t heard of before.”

Engineering the future!

In June, Year 8 students were given the opportunity to participate in an exciting new STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Energy Challenge! Highsted was specifically approached with the offer of the programme which is supported by Shell, with ‘Tomorrow’s Engineers’ (part of Engineering UK) being the national co-ordinating body. The first stage of the programme was an Energiser Event which was run by Nigel Moore from Young Engineers, a UK Educational charity which promotes participation in practical engineering activities to encourage young people to study STEM subjects and take up careers in engineering. This was our opportunity to practise skills which could enable us to become the new engineers of the world!

The Energiser Event consisted of four 30-35 minute hands-on, practical activities. The first task was to estimate which process used the most energy; this led to further discussion about types of energy, ranging from kinetic to potential. Our leader, Nigel Moore, used a flashing ball to demonstrate the energy transferring. After this we were given a basic windmill, which we then had to upgrade; we were only allowed to use one piece of paper. The aim of this task was to see the highest possible speed at which our new blades could spin. Alexandria P, a Year 8 student who participated in this event, said: “It was great fun trying to beat other groups and see how creative other people were.” Another student, Olivia A, commented: “At first it was hard, then as we started to get the hang of designing and testing out different ideas it became fun and easy to enjoy!”

Our second task was to build a car that we would then race to see whose would reach the finish line first. We all received a basic structure, to which we had to add the axles and wheels. We had to make sure that we positioned them right otherwise it would not work! The capacitor on these lasted for only a few seconds, so we needed to charge them before the race. Unlike the first activity we were allowed as many pieces of paper as we wanted. My group’s car design was angled back at the front so as to minimise air resistance. Nigel said this was important in order to avoid any drag; he also came around and gave us tips on how we could help the cars to go faster. Many groups did a fantastic job with the aesthetics on their cars: Ellie M’s group had a red car with black spots, and although this was very appealing to the eyes one particular car stood out…. a green crocodile! Unlike any other groups, Libby F’s group made their car into an animal: a crocodile with razor sharp teeth and scales down the back. Although it was not first across the finish line, it was first in the competition for most creative design! Well done to all Year 8 students for taking part and thank you to Young Engineers for letting us share the experience!

There will be an opportunity for some of us to complete follow-up activity sessions based around a short Carbon Capture & Storage project (linked to the curriculum) with an expected project completion date of December 2015. Participation in the scheme can lead to a Bronze Crest Award for the winning students, depending on how many modules they complete!

Arts & Culture talk 2: Just scratching the surface…

It is not often that one gets the chance to hear about new discoveries straight from an expert involved in uncovering them, but the most recent Arts and Culture talk at Highsted Grammar School on 25 February provided just such an opportunity.  Students, parents and members of the wider community were able to learn first-hand from Dr Paul Bennett, Director of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, about recent important finds in the Sittingbourne area.

Dr Bennett regaled his audience with anecdotes and information on finds from sites which are now lost under recent developments.  He explained how Sittingbourne was in fact both the centre of a high-status community in the Anglo-Saxon period and a world leader in technological innovation during the nineteenth century.  When building permission was first granted for the Meads area of northern Sittingbourne, it was assumed to be of little archaeological significance since it had been an area of brickearth removal.  However, archaeological investigations financed by a number of the developers have now revealed that the underlying archaeology was still largely intact and included not only a major ‘henge’ structure but also over 200 Anglo-Saxon graves.

The quality of the grave goods (around 2500 different items, including swords, spears, shields, inlaid brooches and glass beakers) indicate that the area was an important ancient settlement with many high-status individuals. Dr Bennett stressed that what has been found so far represents only part of the likely value of the area, and if appropriate investigations can be undertaken on an adjacent site on which there is the possibility of a new community centre being built, these may well reveal even more important finds.

Dr Bennett went on to outline how, after a period of decline, the area’s importance was reinstated in the Victorian era with the extensive development of Sittingbourne Paper Mill.  This was not only a state-of-the-art building, but an innovative manufacturing facility which drew visitors from all over the world who wanted to learn from the engineers involved.  Archaeological investigations of the foundations of the now sadly flattened structures have  shown just how well thought out and carefully constructed they were, representing the kind of building heritage which, elsewhere, has been retained and carefully converted into high-quality apartments in prime locations.  Dr Bennett stressed the value of thoughtful approaches by enlightened and responsible developers and of the unstinting work carried out by volunteers in helping to glean information about our rich heritage before it is lost.

The presentation prompted much interest from the audience.  Enya Williams (18) said: “I found the talk’s focus on Anglo-Saxon and Neolithic archaeology in Sittingbourne intriguing, since I had previously known little about this period of the town’s history. Dr Bennett suggested that this area had been unusually wealthy during the period following the Saxon occupation, and showcased the drinking glasses and beads which had been found in Anglo-Saxon graves which supported his conclusion.  These graves had been situated near previous Neolithic and Iron Age burial mounds, suggesting that the Anglo-Saxons felt a link with their past as people continue to feel today.”  She added: “Since I intend to complete a history degree once I leave school, I found this talk not only personally interesting but a useful introduction to further research on this subject.”

Shauna McLachlan (15) was one of several audience members inspired to take up opportunities offered by the Trust to get involved in archaeology courses and community projects.  She commented: “I really enjoyed the ‘Secrets Beneath the Ground’ talk by Dr Paul Bennett. I learnt about the history of Sittingbourne and its surrounding areas. He told us about the groups working in Sittingbourne and the role of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, as well as how anyone can get involved in archaeology.  I am hoping I will be able to take one of their archaeology courses soon.”

Dr Bennett oversees archaeological work right across the county and was able to explain how recent discoveries in Canterbury are resulting in a review of many of the ideas on the Roman period of the city. He also reported on how exploratory work ahead of improving disabled access to the cathedral cloister has revealed some of the fourteenth-century tiled floor which has been covered for centuries but which hints at the aspirations of England’s medieval monarchy to rule France: it features the French royal fleur-de-lis, incorporated into the arms of England by Edward III in 1340 after he assumed the title of King of France as nephew of the last direct Capetian, Charles IV.

Anyone who has an interest in archaeology can find out more, both about the recent discoveries and how they can assist, by visiting the Canterbury Archaeological Trust website: http://www.canterburytrust.co.uk/

Arts & Culture talk 1: All you wanted to know about film…

Students and members of the wider community who attended the first talk at Highsted on Wednesday 28 January were able to hear first-hand from film and scriptwriting expert Chris Knowles, who gave a fascinating insight into the many aspects of the Hollywood and UK film industries in which he has been involved.  Among numerous exciting anecdotes, Chris talked about his experience as Assistant Director, Visual Effects on James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’, which was probably the last feature film to rely almost completely on real in-camera effects rather than CGI.  He also explained why, having reached his goal of working with the top Hollywood directors, he later opted to return to a more European style of film-making.

Many of the students attending the talk were keen to hear how Chris became involved in the industry, as they too had aspirations to follow a career path in film.  Emily C said, “Chris Knowles really opened my eyes about the film industry and how much I would love to be a part of it. My ambition is to be a film director at Hollywood and produce films that win many awards. His experiences intrigued me and made me want to know more about the business. He explained how you should always chase your dream until you have achieved it, and this has really inspired me!”

Megan B, who aspires to a career in either acting or directing in film, added, “If there is one thing I have learnt from this wonderful experience it is that Hollywood isn’t for everyone, but if you don’t try then you will never know if it’s for you.”