HALE NEWS - Richard Hale School

HALE NEWS
GET A LOADA THIS – OR ELSE!
For the Richard Hale Community
July 2015
NEED TO BUY SCHOOL UNIFORM?
for great quality used uniform
at fantastic prices
visit the PA uniform stall at school events
or purchase by appointment or post
Contact Louise Ellwood on
louiseellwood@hotmail.com or 07825274146
Blazers ● Ties ● PE/Games Kit’s ● Trousers/Shirts/Jumpers
URGENT REQUEST FOR USED UNIFORM
If you have any unwanted Uniform or Sports Kits
Please leave items in Reception marked USED UNIFORM
Help us raise money for the School
100 CLUB WINNERS - SUMMER TERM 2015
1st Prize (£50) – Mr Andrew Jenkins
2nd Prize (£25) – Mrs Jane Coates
3rd Prize (£25) – Mr Carrick Lambert
For any queries please contact Aissa Blanche, Finance Director.
2
HEADWORDS
This year has certainly been a challenging year in education. The budget reductions,
although predicted, have inevitably meant we have had to tighten our belts. We have
protected our curriculum and will continue to deliver a compacted KS3 curriculum
and an expanded KS4; we are still able to offer exotic subjects at GCSE and AL such as
geology and music. A group of head teachers from Hertfordshire secondary schools
met with their MP’s in Westminster last week to raise funding concerns. The Hertford
and Ware Heads, met with local MP Mark Prisk.
The reduction in university teacher training places instigated by Mr Gove has had a
major effect on numbers joining the profession. The Schools Direct Scheme has not
created the numbers needed and almost all areas of the Country are reporting
difficulty in filling posts. Core subjects in particular are suffering from lack of
specialist teachers. We had a difficult few weeks but I am pleased to report that we
are fully staffed next year. Our aim this year to increase student contact time across
both sixth form year groups and keep sub 30 classes in KS3 and KS4 is still planned for
next year.
Curriculum changes imposed by the last Government mean significant changes to all
key stages, primary and secondary. At Richard Hale we will have students taking
legacy and reformed GCSE’s coupled and uncoupled Advanced Levels. The post-16
menu of subjects is still under review and Ofqual are considering subject content. The
new education minister Nicky Morgan has reconfirmed that the ebacc is the gold
standard schools should aspire to, all students should take and school performance
will be judged by. Only those schools in which all students take the full ebacc can be
judged outstanding. The ebacc subjects are GCSE Mathematics, English, Science,
History or Geography and a Modern Foreign Language. The majority of boys at RHS
take the ebacc combination of subjects but as a comprehensive school with a full
ability range intake it is clearly not suited to all. The personalised curriculum agenda
has effectively been shelved over the last year or so; vocational subjects have been
removed from the KS4 curriculum in many schools. This will further narrow the
pupils’ option choices. As the academic pathway is not for all, will continue to offer
an academic-vocational pathway and provide an alternative curriculum.
The Year 6 Parents Induction Evening was well attended and was held in the school
hall in the highest temperatures recorded, in excess of 37 degrees. The relatively dry
summer term has favoured our sports teams. Year 8 and Year 10 Cricket teams
reached their respective county finals, both losing in close matches against Watford
Grammar School. The athletes performed well at the district finals, winning age
3
groups and becoming overall boys’ champions. The sixth form girls’ athletics team
combined with the senior boys and together they won the mixed event.
This half term is the time in the school calendar when many of our enrichment
activities take place. We have an international flavour with trips to Prague (Business
studies), Ypres (History), Bavaria (German exchange), Snowdonia (DofE), Gower
(Biology), Dorset (Geography), and Cornwall (Year 7 activity week).
At the junior colours assembly the Year 8 Scientists were awarded team of the year.
They were the GSK National champions and Big Bang regional winners, with National
finals to look forward to next year.
Over the summer new boilers will be installed, dovetailing nicely with the work
completed last summer when the windows were replaced with modern double
glazed units. The school will become more energy efficient: we hope to see a
reduction in our energy bills. After a protracted planning period we were granted
planning permission to install a 3G football pitch on the top field. The FA and RFU
have new pitch size guidelines for different age groups. We will take this opportunity
to reconfigure Morgans and the top field to ensure the most efficient use of space.
The 2017 plans continue to develop. The focus of all fundraising is the Sports Hall,
long overdue and like the 3G pitch it will be available for community use. Once
Chauncy School build their sports hall, Ware will have three large indoor spaces to
Hertford’s none. The Olympic legacy has yet to impact on the county town! I will
keep you fully informed of progress with these exciting projects and the event
calendar for 2017.
The following staff will be leaving at the end of this term; we wish them well in their
future careers or leisure activities.
Caroline Bailey – 25 years in biology, latterly Head of Department. The science
department has benefitted from her expertise as a senior AL examiner. A keen
photographer she is looking forward to exploring overseas with her camera in off
peak times.
Brian Winter- Appointed by Ray James to the senior team in 1994 as Assistant Head,
Key Stage Manager. Promoted to Deputy Head in 2005. He achieved national
recognition with his GCSE English results and has worked with the English team to
deliver outstanding results in 2014.
A keen rugby player, he played for Durham University and then Welwyn RFC from
1976. His last game was for a Richard Hale select XV against Hertford RFC where he
4
suffered a severe shoulder injury. This terminated a 43 year play career, prematurely
he said! Brian also coached school teams and supported senior rugby for many years.
It is very difficult in a few lines to capture the major impact he has had at Richard
Hale both as a teacher and colleague. He has always been particularly proud of the
achievement system he was asked to establish and manage as one of his first
responsibilities on joining the school. He has been a lead professional who will be
missed by students, staff, parents and governors.
He retires this year and would like to travel with his wife Judy, who also retires from
teaching this term.
James McAleese- Started here as a MFL student teacher in 2001, stayed here after
completing his training and was appointed Head of Cowper house in 2002. He has led
the Ancient and Modern Foreign Languages department and played a major part in
the musical and extra-curricular life of the school. An extreme sportsman who enjoys
skiing and cycling up mountains! He leaves to take up a senior position at another
local school.
Philip Stock- Joined from HRC in 2012 to teach Business Studies and help develop the
alternative GCSE curriculum. He has led workwise and careers and led Hale house. A
keen sportsman, he has developed a taste for winter sports since accompanying the
junior ski trip. He leaves us to take up a similar post in a Bedfordshire school.
Ben Nicolay - He has been with us in physics for 3 years. He has recently grown a
beard and many staff and pupils have suggested a likeness to Alfred Wallace! He
moves to Latymer School, Edmonton, only a short cycle ride from his house.
George Breese- moves on after 3 years teaching RE/Geography at RHS. He has
supported the DofE programme, accompanying expeditions to the New Forest.
Andrew Gyves- leaves us after two years in Geography and PE. A keen sportsman, he
competes in triathlons in his spare time. He is moving to the south west in the
summer.
Laura Gillespie-Payne- Joined the physics department in 2014. She is relocating to a
school south of the Thames with her children.
Alex Smith-PE Apprentice, he has successfully completed his qualification and has
secured place at Bedfordshire University in September to study Physical education
with a view to becoming a teacher.
Malcolm Ritchie- He is taking a one year secondment at a local school where he has
the opportunity to join their senior team.
Sandie Dyke –Art Technician and HLTA joined us 5 years ago and has this year gained
qualified teacher status In a previous existence she was a professional illustrator;
look for her work in Greys Anatomy. Sandie joins Sele School in September.
Let’s hope this summer weather extends into the School holiday. Wishing you all a
peaceful and relaxing break.
Stephen Neate
5
400th ANNIVERSARY – 1617 - 2017
Richard Hale’s School was founded in 1617 when, as a
wealthy merchant, he was granted a licence from James 1st.
The school became Hertford Grammar School for a long and
illustrious period and adopted the name of its founder when
it became Richard Hale School in 1967. The school was
originally sited just behind All Saints’ Church but, as the
number of students increased, expansion became necessary.
Therefore it moved to its current location in 1930 where it continues to grow, with
the latest addition being the sixth form centre, completed in 2011. Over the course of
history the School has seen some major changes including
its move from grammar school to comprehensive,
maintained school to foundation and finally to an academy
in 2013.
We combine traditional values with a modern curriculum
and resources; this enables our students to learn effectively
and to develop the personal attributes and skills to succeed
in a changing world.
The School will celebrate its 400th Anniversary in 2017, and in
collaboration with the Governors, the Richard Hale Association and
the Parents’ Association, intends to make 2017 an unforgettable
year, a truly momentous milestone in its history.
We are hoping to celebrate this anniversary by raising £1m to
fund a Sports Hall as our existing gym is woefully inadequate for
the number of students and wide variety of sports in which they
participate. We are also actively seeking to increase our Alumni,
Old Hertfordians and Friends of the School, to help us celebrate
the anniversary and to leave an enduring legacy for the School and the community of
Hertford, of which the School is so much a part.
A programme of events will commence with a service at St
Paul’s Cathedral and visit to the grave of Richard Hale in
January 2017 and end with our traditional White Gloves and
Founders Day Service, at All Saints’ Church, in December 2017.
Throughout the year there will be various events including:
Special School Production, Anniversary Dinner and Speeches,
6
Various Family Sporting Events, Anniversary Arts Festival Week at Hertford Theatre
and much more.
During the next two years, in the build up to the anniversary year, we are planning
various events, for all members of the community to participate in, details of which
will be publicised and posted on our website (www.richardhale.herts.sch.uk), twitter
feed (@RichardHale2017) and Facebook page (Richard Hale School) in due course.
As mentioned, we are actively trying to engage the whole
Register your
community in our celebrations and would ask everyone who is
Interest
interested in finding out more information or becoming involved
with the school to register their interest on line at www.richardhale.herts.sch.uk.
Over £100K has already been raised in our
fundraising campaign; this includes
extremely generous donations of £20K
from the Parents’ Association and £10K
from the Richard Hale
Association. We are also
offering all members of the community the
opportunity to leave their own lasting
legacy of their support in the history of
Richard Hale School by “buying a brick” to
build our Sports Hall. Visit our Virgin Money Giving page for more details of how to
secure your place in history.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
7
400th ANNIVERSARY
The Project
Programme of Events
JANUARY
400 Anniversary Book Launch and Historical
Display - School
th
400 Anniversary Service – St. Paul’s Cathedral
Visit to the grave of Richard Hale at St
Dunstan-in-the-East
th
FEBRUARY
Special School Production, 400 year
Celebration – Hertford Theatre
This is an ambitious project and we
sincerely believe it will be an invaluable
asset for the students and staff of Richard
Hale School. Sport will be its primary
focus but it will be designed with multiuse in mind. The existing playing fields
will be upgraded and it is our desire to
create a centre for excellence within our
town, a resource of which we can all be
proud.
How you can you help
MARCH
RHA Anniversary Dinner and Speeches – County
Suite
We need funding, volunteer workers,
publicity, media contacts and a network of
supporters who can raise money.
MAY – JULY
Various Sporting Events including:
Touch Rugby Competition and Family Day –
Hertford Rugby Club Representative Cricket
Match and Family Day – Hertford Cricket Club
JUNE
400 Anniversary Summer Ball and Auction –
Hertford Rugby Club
th
JULY
400 Anniversary Arts Festival Week – Hertford
Theatre
To include: Art and Design Displays, Musical
Ensemble, Junior and Senior Plays, Summer
Concert
th
NOVEMBER
Gala Dinner and Dance
Our target: £1 million
If you can help please contact:
Debbie Cooper, 2017 Co-ordinator
Richard Hale School, Hale Road, Hertford
SG13 8EN
Tel: 01992 583441
Email: 2017@RichardHale.co.uk
DECEMBER
White Gloves and 400th Anniversary Christmas
BUGSY MALONE 2015
Founders Day Service
8
BUGSY MALONE
Brian Winter Deputy Head
Breathless and highly theatrical, Bugsy Malone is
the best known of the very few adult plays
written for a cast of youngsters. It is great fun
because it is a prohibition gangster story re-told
with children and custard instead of bullets. To
communicate that great fun on stage requires
enthusiasm and pace from a lot of children, and
this production was very successful because it
had just that. The programme lists over 110
students and they all played their parts with an infectious enjoyment that spread to
the large and equally enthusiastic audiences who cheered all five performances.
Schools can’t carry understudies so
when there is sufficient talent available
doubling-casting of the main parts is
the solution, and it also provides
experienced actors for the future. Both
Jack Hinckley and Will Edden played the
main character, Bugsy Malone, decent
but penniless boxing promoter. It is no
mean feat to guide the audience
through the whole show as they both
did with such confident, engaging and relaxed
performances. Speakeasy boss Fat Sam was played
by both Sam Moss and Charles Evans. Sam threw
himself into a frantic physical performance which
delighted the audiences, and Charles commanded
the mobster scenes with a real stage presence
(especially for a Year 10). Bryony Kirby, as Blousey,
threaded her way through the show comfortably as
Bugsy’s girlfriend, and wowed the audiences with
her two flawless solos. Finally, Blousey’s rival and Fat
Sam’s moll, Tallulah, was played by Jess Kolthammer
with a mature confidence which showed especially
in her solo.
9
Bugsy is characterized by cameo performances from
many of the company, too many to mention
individually, but one which stood out was Oliver Dixon’s
wannabe cabaret star Fizzy, who sang and danced very
skillfully, and was beautifully supported in one number
by Kate Readings with her elegant solo dance.
Ensemble highlights were the song and dance routines of Fat Sam’s hapless
hoodlums, the rebellion of the down and outs, and the high energy boxing routine,
led by Reuben Omolu’s Cagey Joe and the
unforgettable portrayal by Josh Langley of
self-doubting boxing champion Leroy Smith.
So very well done indeed to Vicki Baldwin, in
her first outing at Richard Hale, for carrying
forward a tradition of high quality whole
school productions and enabling an
impressively
large
proportion
of
the
school population to sing, play, act, dance - and splurge each
other. A little (actually large) bird told me that her calm manner
and invariably positive attitude was the key to getting this level
of performance out of so many students aged 12 to 19. I’d like
to see any of our politicians try that!
We have rightly become very
proud of our self-sufficiency in
these productions so special
mention goes to Jeremy Heath
as co-director, Marianne Laker
for leading the Theatre Band,
Shelagh Maughan as ever for
splendid
costumery,
Lou
Roberts for choreographing
some great routines (with very
little room left on stage), Rick
Clayden for his invaluable work in staging and lighting, and finally Steve Wright for
sound production, inevitably supported by yet more students. A fantastic evening’s
entertainment!
10
INSIDE OUT – Vicki Baldwin
Vicki Baldwin joined the Richard Hale as Head of Drama and Literacy Coordinator in
September 2014, having worked at Friern Barnet School, Barnet and Acland Burghley
School, Camden. A keen musical thespian she has also worked for The National Youth
Music Theatre working on productions that have toured around the UK and abroad.
Bugsy Malone was her first whole school production here at Richard Hale School and
she was really impressed with the talent shown by the boys.
What brought you into teaching – and what keeps you in the profession? It was an
instinct for me to teach and even as a child I enjoyed teaching others. Teaching what
I love every day and being around young people keeps me in the profession. As well
as the holidays!
Why have you specialised in drama? When I was growing up I found drama to be a
medium that helped me to express myself. It helps people explore their thoughts and
emotions and it allows people to communicate and understand themselves and
others. Drama builds confidence, develops interpersonal skills and allows us to learn
from the real life drama that each person experiences. Furthermore, it’s fun!
What has been your most memorable moment in teaching? Organising 150 school
students to perform at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London and seeing how inspired
they were by the experience.
If you hadn’t become a teacher, what would you like to have done? I would have
tried to be a performer. Those who can do. . . . Those who can’t . . . .!
Most overused word or phrase in the Baldwin lexicon? ‘Lovely’
What do you do to relax? After being the kiddy taxi, feeding the kids, putting them to
bed, marking, planning, housework, online shopping etc, etc I may find a minute or
two at the weekend for some gardening! When I have more time I would like to get
back into golf and my kids WILL caddy for me!
Who would you invite to a dinner party – they could be living or dead Sergei
Diaghilev, William Shakespeare, Caryl Churchill, Stephen Sondheim, Isadora Duncan
and Pablo Picasso. I think this could make for some interesting discussion on the arts!
Favourite trip destination? Kerala in South India. Wonderful people, scenery, dance
and food.
11
Previous jobs? 1) Selling sound proof wood flooring! 2) Dancer
Who would play you in the film of your life? Catherine Zeta Jones
Most embarrassing moment in teaching? When taking a group of students skiing I
was eagerly taking a register on board the plane and a few drunks at the back wanted
to join in. A student then shouted out ‘Ms Baldwin, as much as we know your register
is important to you, British Airways would not have taken off without us all on
board’. That told me!
What is your favourite play, and why? A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William
Shakespeare. This play is a masterpiece with befuddling visions and a complex plot. I
love the light-hearted and comic tone as well as the themes of magic and dreams.
With wonderfully contrasting characters, Shakespeare takes tomfoolery to a new
level!
Best piece of advice you have ever received? Think before you speak!
Tell us a joke
Drama teacher
before the school
show
Drama teacher
after the school
show
12
MICHAEL DOBBS’S CHARITY WALK AND THE RHA DINNER
Eric Riddle Richard Hale Association President
I have had a truly fantastic weekend during which I have been so very proud to be a
member, and president, of the RHA. Friday saw the completion of Walk4Jack, the
eight day, 170 mile long walk, undertaken by Lord Michael Dobbs to raise funds to
help support Jack Fishwick (the son of previous Head Boy, John Fishwick) who
seriously injured himself playing rugby.
The walk, the fundraising, the touch rugby, the dinner were an outstanding example
of how the RHA and School can work together to produce a truly memorable
occasion. The planning of the walk started in January with four sixth formers
meeting Lord Dobbs at the House of Lords. They planned the route, including
stopover points, and were obviously very successful as his walk was completed
without any major hitches. On Friday I walked with Michael between Stanstead
Abbotts and Ware, where I was met by Matt Botheras who, together with 15 pupils
of varying ages from the School rugby teams, accompanied Michael on the last three
mile leg of his journey.
The School had organised a nonuniform day, to raise further funds
for the Walk, where all staff and
pupils were encouraged to wear
rugby shirts to greet Michael as he
walked into the School. Around 400
pupils crowded on the drive clapping
and cheering which brought a tear to
a Lord of the Realm’s eye. He was
visibly choked as he reached the
front steps where he was greeted by the Headmaster, Stephen Neate, the Mayor of
Hertford, Chantelle Geal, Peter Ruffles of the Town Council, Peter Baines of the RFU,
Nick Brand of the Herts Rotary Club and John Fishwick. Although very tired, Michael
addressed the School and thanked everyone for their tremendous support, which, he
said, brought a lump to his throat and tears to his eyes. Michael then retired to the
Salisbury for well-earned liquid refreshment.
The evening at Hertford Rugby Club started with the School providing two very
accomplished sides to play touch rugby against teams of Old Boys. Sorry to say that,
on this occasion, experience counted for nothing and the pupils won every single
game. With everyone in a jovial mood and a number of very old friendships
13
rekindled the dinner was a great success and, with 150 in attendance, I am reliably
informed that this was the highest number of Alumni, staff, pupils and guests that
anyone can remember. Once the speeches began the raucous gathering showed
their respect, proving that ex-pupils are still well behaved when in the presence of
their previous teachers.
ALL profits from the various events (RHA dinner, raffle, auction, non-uniform day and
collection at Hertford v Gravesend Rugby match the following day) went to the
Walk4Jack Charities, and I am very pleased to announce that over £3,000 was raised.
“Walk4Jack is all but finished. A little
paperwork to complete, but including Gift
Aid (which always has a measure of
imprecision) I estimate the final total raised
by Walk4Jack is £38,619.74. It has been
divided between Jack's Discretionary Trust
and the RFU's Injured Players Foundation. It
has been an adventure. I am delighted and
humbled with what we have all achieved.
Both the rugby club and the school have been
magnificent in their support. I hope you can find a suitable means of passing on my
thanks to everyone concerned. Our school days are not just memories - our school
taught us lessons that will endure for the rest of our lives. All best, Michael.”
MORE HEADWORDS
Tom Davies and Sally Cowler will serve as Head Boy and Head Girl for the next
academic year. We wanted to know some more about the school’s most senior
students.
What does it mean to you to be Head Boy and Head Girl?
Tom Having been a part of Richard Hale School for 6 years, and worked hard in my
studies and in extra-curricular activities, it was both rewarding and a privilege to have
my efforts recognised by being appointed as Head Boy of the school. It is certainly a
daunting task to follow the Head Boys of recent years, who have typically been
excellent ambassadors for Richard Hale both academically and in their other
achievements, but one I am greatly looking forward to. I went into the interview
believing I was interviewing for ‘senior student positions’, so when Mr Neate
14
informed me I was being considered for Head Boy, I was pleasantly surprised, if not a
little flustered!
Sally I was extremely nervous when I first found out as I have a lot of respect for
Richard hale school as a whole, so to even be considered for a senior position was an
honour. To be given the role was surprising and quite surreal. It is a huge opportunity
for me to improve myself and to contribute all I can to the life of the school.
How do you think you will cope with the demands of public speaking?
Tom PRACTICE! I love talking, as I’m sure my teachers will tell you, so it is just a
matter of taking my naturally chatty nature to the big stage! I have some experience
of public speaking, through a Youth Speaks competition last year and in assemblies,
but I hope to hone my speaking skills through presentations in lessons and in front of
peers in assemblies. Public speaking is certainly an important part of being Head boy,
but it is one of the aspects I am most looking forward to, and perhaps the most
glamorous element of the job.
Sally I have always been quite worried about public speaking, as it is not something
that I have done often, but is something that I feel is an important skill to have in life
and so is a challenge that I have to overcome. Being a Sports Leader at the school has
already started to help me develop these skills, as leading groups of young children
requires large amounts of communication. My new role as head girl will allow me to
develop these skills further.
What are your plans for next year and beyond in terms of education?
Tom I am currently studying History, Politics, English and Maths and I am interested
in continuing History and Politics to degree level. It is difficult at this age when you
need to make important decisions about your future, especially when you’re trying to
study for your A-levels at the same time. However, recent visits to university open
days have certainly motivated me to continue to work hard for the next year, despite
having vowed I would never revise again following my last AS exam.
Sally Currently I am studying Maths, Biology, Art and PE. I am hoping to go on to
university to do a Biology degree such as Zoology, as this is an area that I am
particularly passionate about.
In what ways do you contribute to the school through extra-curricular activities?
15
Tom My main passion is sport, particularly rugby and
cricket. I captained the 2nd XV rugby side this year, and am
looking forward to the upcoming season. I am one of the
sixth form sports leaders, which involves working with KS3
boys and local primary schools. My other activities include D
of E and formerly the concert band. I remain a proud
member of Croft, despite our recent results, which are, how
can I put it… inconsistent. Over the years I have participated
in house events from creative writing and chess to high
jump, not normally a sport for someone of my limited
height! Outside school I enjoy golf, tennis, skiing and, well, I
think you can see the theme developing here…
Who are your role models?
Tom A personal role model of mine would be my grandfather. He came from a
working class family in Salford and went on to Cambridge University, later receiving a
CBE. For me, this epitomised his determination and positive attitude, but it was his
kindness to others which makes him a role model for me, as he would go out of his
way to help people. A celebrity role model would be James Anderson, the England
cricketer, because of his never-ending enthusiasm for cricket and his extreme ability.
Sally Katarina Johnson-Thompson is one of my role models. She is a young GB athlete
and inspires me as sport is something that I am very much involved in myself. I’ve
been able to watch her develop in her career as an athlete and this has made me
realise how much dedication and hard work is key to reaching what you want to
achieve.
What ideas to you have for the upcoming year?
Tom I would like Richard Hale to further its involvement with local and international
charities. I witnessed the fundraising potential of this school whilst raising money for
a school trip to Tanzania last year and student run charity events can be beneficial for
both the students and the charities. I also aim to increase the involvement of sports
leaders with the lower school and the local community, having been involved in some
great events already this year. Lastly, I want to try and come up with ways to prevent
boys from quitting sport between Year 10 and the sixth form, perhaps even
encouraging people to take up new sports.
16
Sally I hope to carry on the strong ethos that Richard hale has created and the main
reason for me joining this school. I feel that the sport within the school plays a key
role in keeping the community strong, as these clubs provide the competitive yet
team spirit that is necessary to keep the school thriving. I therefore think it is
important for participation in sport to be encouraged even more. I have learned from
my experiences of the girl’s rugby team that these teams provide an amazing way to
build up friendships, teamwork and responsibilities that help pupils both in and out
of school.
+
HALE GOES GREEN!
George Greenfield 8 Wallace
While Year Seven enjoyed their time in Bude, Year Eight got started on a “going
green” sustainability project to transform the area of open land by the tennis courts
into a sensory garden and peaceful place for students and teachers to sit. Students
were given one day to complete their project proposal.
We started the day with an assembly. Expectations for the day were given to us such
as the importance of teamwork, working hard and enjoying ourselves. Our teachers
then told us about the key deliverables for the day. The first lesson was used for
research. Some groups went to research flowers, bushes and vegetables using
various sources that would help the school and its wildlife. We worked out the most
important features of the project. My group's project in Wallace House focused on
making the school economical and healthy by making best use of the land.
Second and third lesson was used for designing and creating the project
presentation. It felt like a business meeting to me as we proposed ideas and we built
the best ones into the project. I felt like a bit of a project manager. Half of period four
was used to prepare who was saying what.
The presentations began in the school gym in front of the year group. Some groups
presented their work through interactive onscreen presentations (even getting over
the technical difficulties); others developed large paper based presentations of their
work. Mr Forster made the final decision about the winning team. In my view it was a
decision very hard to make! All groups demonstrated the great potential for the area.
Congratulations to the group from Hale for their winning project.
17
LIFE AFTER STROKE: SARAH SCOTT
Tom Brownlee Editor
Just over six years ago Biology technician Sarah
Scott was preparing to take her A Levels. She
had joined Richard Hale in 2007 from
Sherardswood School on the back of some
impressive GCSE results and had built on that
with a string of A and B grades at AS Level. As
her media studies teacher I had been
impressed with both her talent and
determination to succeed. She was planning
on studying for a degree in biology at Swansea
after completing her school career. However,
she was never to see her plans come to
fruition as she suffered a stroke during a
lesson in the final week before she was due to
go on exam leave. “I was reading aloud in my
English class when I suddenly couldn’t speak.
Luckily my classmates recognised the signs
from the FAST adverts on television and I got
to the hospital quickly.”
As an immediate result of the stroke she wasn’t
able to walk, talk or even to swallow. It took
months of intensive speech therapy and related
rehabilitation for Sarah to make a significant
recovery from this life changing event. “I had to
learn to swallow, walk, and dress myself.
Unfortunately I have been left with an invisible
disability - aphasia. About one in three people
who have a stroke have this condition and it
affects your speech, reading and writing, I'm still
the same inside, but expressing myself can be
hard.”
This has meant that she had to abandon her place
at university and develop new ambitions such as
working in the School’s Biology department and in raising awareness and fundraising. Four years ago Sarah founded her Stroke and Communication Group which aims to
Sarah and her mum, Joanie Scott
18
provide practical and social support for people in East Herts who suffer from aphasia.
‘”Living with this condition can often result in isolation and loneliness. I have been
lucky to have incredibly supportive parents, but that isn’t the case for everyone.” She
travels the country delivering talks about a condition which can affect anyone, young
and old. Resilient, optimistic and capable, she has a renewed sense of purpose.
Channel
Four
viewers
may
remember her appearance in the
Undateables a couple of years ago
which was not as scary as it sounds:
“My mum mentioned that you can
apply. Well, I was single and had a
disability so I thought, oh, this could
be interesting. I knew that other
people of my age watch the
programme and I wanted people to
understand that stroke doesn’t only affect old people or smokers or the overweight.
And if there was a nice man, well then that would be fine too.”
Last summer she received the Stroke Association’s Stroke Association’s ‘Life after
Stroke Award’ for volunteering at a ceremony in London in recognition of her help to
others in her immediate community and beyond. She is also a leading nominee for
the Welwyn-Hatfield Local Hero Award 2015 which you can support by going on to
this weblink: http://welhat-hero.org/vote-for-your-local-hero/
Buddhists might describe her as having ‘right attitude’. Whatever you call it, she is
Richard Hale’s local hero. See Hertfordshire Mercury for more on her award:
http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/Undateables-star-technician-HertfordsRichard-Hale-School-Sarah-Scott-wins-Stroke-Association-award/story-21981796detail/story.html#ixzz3Pnuiy3oJ
19
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
Macbeth Year 10 Theatre Visit June 2015
At the end of June, the Say Two Production
Company performed Shakespeare’s Macbeth for
the whole Year 10 cohort who are studying the
play for their GCSE Coursework. The school hall
was transformed into an eerie lair where witches,
ruthless deeds and blood
stained hands transfixed the
audience. In the workshop
which followed, students
got the opportunity to act
out scenes (in traditional
dress!), become directors
and try their hand at sword
fighting. The students relished the chance to get involved and
really showed an excellent understanding of the play. Here is
some feedback from our Year 10 critics:
“The performance lifted Shakespeare’s words off the page
transforming them into a visual piece which has helped me appreciate the impact the
characters would have had on a Jacobean audience.” Nathan Silver
“I liked that it was so interactive with the workshop.” Lenny Davies
“Acting out the scene has helped me empathise with the characters, even if I did get
‘murderer’ as played Banquo!” Sam Kleanthous
“It was fun to have the chance to try out a fight scene.” James Thomas
“We now have a much clearer understanding of the play before our Controlled
Assessment.” Will Charles
“It was great to see the play come alive on stage.” Max Kennedy-Failes
“I especially liked the simple staging, and the way only four actors were used to play
several parts.”
Bradley Monroe
“The performance helped me understand the characters thoughts and feelings more
clearly and I was fortunate to have a go at acting myself!” Jack Fairfax-Lucy
20
THE MUSIC BIZ: BUSINESS SKILLS ENRICHMENT DAY
Aaron Waller 9 Page
Our business themed enrichment day was led by the company ‘Enable’. Our task was
to come up with a completely new band and include all our thinking and preparing
behind it including: a song, a poster, a CD cover, merchandise, a power point and a
presentation to show it all.
Firstly, we were put into groups that, reflecting the real business environment that
we would be in, and then got to work on a few icebreaker challenges. We then had a
small personality test which revealed the different strengths and characteristics we
had in our group, to help us when choosing roles in our main task later on in the day.
We had some time to do some planning for our main task and to decide the basics
such as a name, target market and a chance to elect the different roles in our team.
After leaving the Corn Exchange we spent of our time up until lunch on trading our
equipment with other teams and trying to get everything we needed by offering our
starting equipment and our ‘£50’ we had. We then used these to make our poster,
CD cover and merchandise. One member of the group also went back to school to
construct our PowerPoint to be shown in the presentation at the end of the day.
Then after lunch it was presentation time and each group came up and explained
their idea and all the work they had done.
The day ended with each ‘artist’ performing their song. We could all see that
everyone’s idea was well thought out and that all the groups had done worked
throughout the course of the day. Overall it was a great experience that challenged
each group to apply different skills and qualities; was also great insight to the
business world that many of us hope to be entering in the future.
SUMMER SCIENCE EXHIBITION 2015
Laura Gillespie-Payne Chemistry Department
In June 20 Year 12 Science students
accompanied by Ms Gillespie-Payne and Ms
Moseley visited the Royal Society Summer
Science Exhibition.
21
The
annual
exhibition
showcases cutting edge
research from a range of
fields. Universities and
companies
prepare
interactive
displays
to
engage the general public in
the latest developments.
This was an excellent
opportunity to meet the
individuals involved and talk
to them, not only about
their research but life at university and career pathways in a variety of industries.
Subjects ranged from a
cellular approach to beating
cancer and fighting flu, to
materials
that
repair
themselves, to the study of
the vanishing glaciers of
Everest. A large display
covered the discovery of the
remains of Richard III
including a model of the
skeleton recovered from the
car park. Students also had
the opportunity to play an
interactive computer game
by using a calibrated headset rather than a hand held controller.
A highlight of the visit was a lecture given by Dr Robert Pal, a Royal Society
University Research fellow in Chemistry, from Durham University. He treated us to a
fantastic hour of Lights, Colours, Camera and Action! It was an immensely worthwhile
visit and hopefully an annual event for Richard Hale Science students.
22
DESKS UNITED
Ethan Martindale and Oliver Brady 8 Kinman
In March we volunteered to enter the GSK Germ Challenge competition. We had to
investigate how germs are spread in schools, dedicating many hours to thinking of an
idea to investigate and writing up a theory, hypothesis and method. Our investigation
was ‘How many microbes grow on school desks, and how effective are different
cleaners?’, and our team name was Desks United. Our research showed that
microbes can live on desks for up to one hour: as our lessons are one hour long,
microbes can be passed from one student to another in the next lesson. After we
entered our report, we discovered we had been selected for the final 20 teams out of
160, and now had to carry out the investigation. We met in Biology almost every
lunch time and swabbed different areas of our control desk to see what microbes
lived there. We then cleaned each area with a different cleaner within an A4 frame,
to see which killed the most microbes. Debbie Allen and Tess Hadgett from GSK were
our mentors who advised us during the research period. We then had to write up this
as a detailed investigation and send it back to GSK. We found out in early June that
we had been narrowed down to the final six teams, along with schools as far away as
Inverness, Yorkshire and Dorset.
The final was held at the Science Museum in London, and we had to give a ten
minute presentation to the judges from GSK, McLaren, Save the Children and the
Science Museum. We had worked on our presentation with another GSK mentor,
Mona Sheikh, who worked with McLaren, who gave us some great advice. After a VIP
tour of the Science Museum, the Head Judge congratulated us all on our
presentations and it is safe to say we were more than nervous at that point. She said
that the winning team was a unanimous decision and went on to describe the two
best friends who had worked together so well, and we knew we were victorious! We
had won the Biology department £1500, £50 in Science Museum shop vouchers for
us, and a tour of GSK.
A month later, with our investigation already completed, we entered the Eastern
Region Big Bang competition at Newmarket Racecourse. We used our presentation
from the Germ Challenge and printed it out as a poster to stick on a presentation
board. At the end of the day we were awarded with the prize for best Bronze CREST
Award, winning £100 for the School and £100 for us to split evenly! We were also
nominated for the National Big Bang at Birmingham NEC in March so we will develop
our investigation further. Finally, we were named Richard Hale Junior Team of the
Year at the Junior Colours assembly! We would like to thank GSK, Setpoint, Miss Scott
for making all our agar plates, and our teachers Dr Morris and Mrs Bayliss.
23
LEARN TO LIVE
Josh Hansing 12 Page
As part of the school’s enrichment programme year 12 students were lucky enough
to go through a driver’s awareness programme delivered by the charity Learn to Live.
All of its members have been affected by road traffic collisions, either personally or
involving a family member, or having to deal with an accident. They target young
people as statistically they are one of the most at risk groups when it comes to road
traffic collisions, and now over 100,000 students have seen Learn to Live since it first
took place in 2008.
As a young person learning to drive, I can say that Learn To Live has given me an
insight into the true dangers of owning a driving license, as their slogan says: ‘a
moment’s madness really can lead to a lifetime of sadness’. The reason why Learn to
Live made such an impression is because it gives us a unique insight into the
devastating impact of a single road traffic collision and the effect it has on everyone
involved. They call this ‘the ripple effect’ – which is like throwing a pebble into a pond
– the ripples extend far and wide.
As we walked into the theatre hall where it was held, we were greeted by an
entertaining man, who started the presentation by telling jokes and making
everybody laugh. He then later revealed that shocking news he had been affected by
a road traffic accident, from which he lost three of his close friends.
The main presentation is based on a short film, depicting the scene of a group of
friends going out for a night. They have a serious road traffic accident which triggers
a sequence of events. The emergency services arrive, and one critically injured friend
is taken to the hospital, her life in the balance. As the different emergency services
arrive, the film is paused and a member of that specific emergency service comes out
24
on stage and tells a story of a collision they have attended, all of which are real and
told from their personal viewpoint. The last speaker really had an impact on
everyone; he was an ordinary person whose daughter had been mowed down and
killed by a reckless car driving on the pavement. He only revealed his loss at the very
end of the presentation, where it finished. To conclude, I think Learn To Live was a
very powerful, emotive and moving presentation, which I’m sure will have a long
lasting effect on everyone who watched it.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Jacob McKenzie 10 Cowper and Adam Pinto 10 Kinman
Earlier this year, our class
was fortunate to be
visited
during
our
religious education lesson
by Mr Khan, a Muslim, to
speak about Islam and
explain his beliefs in
greater
detail.
We
learned more about the
Five Pillars of Islam and
many aspects of Islamic
culture
that
we
previously knew, and as a
result deepened our
appreciation of one of
the major world religions.
The effect was evident – much of the class had a definite change of thought towards
the religion, and by the end, everyone was more respectful and understanding of it
than they had at the beginning.
We also had a chance to question some aspects of Islam, such as the roles of
different sexes, and were satisfied with the answers we received. We want to thank
Mr Khan for giving up his time to come and talk to us, as the experience has surely
had a positive influence on our attitude towards religion that will benefit our GCSE
studies and beyond, for the rest of our lives.
25
NIGHTMARE!
Adam Rhodes 11 Kinman
Produced during an English Language paper mock, the task was to describe a
nightmare world for 16 marks.
Shaking, my teeth clattered together like the vibrating engine of a starting car. Lifting
my head just high enough to gaze at the monstrosity in front of me, I recoiled as a
lightning bolt of pain shot down my spine with a jolt, cascading into my trembling
foot and escaping into the ground. Perspiration now sprouting from the skin on my
forehead, the deodorant applied what feels like a decade ago this morning futile in
blocking the vulgar smell oozing from every pore in my body.
Slowly and purposely I wiped away the diamond droplets on my forehead, a solemn
sliver of sweat had slipped unknowingly into my eye, excruciating pain erupted from
my tear gland, on a scale I had never felt before. I felt like a soldier who had been
smothered with tear gas, blindly groping around for something to hold onto, an
object to secure my lost mind to and begin the treacherous task. Ha ha ha. I heard
something come from in front of me. Laughter. Growing louder, stronger and longer
the laugh had transformed into a belching holler of pure voluptuous evil, was it at
me?
I tried to strain my eyes past the streaming sweat now and look at the source of this
horrific noise. The clock stared at me, no comfort protruded from those eyes; that I
could detect, only disappointment, pity but most of all condescending hatred. I
ripped away from those gazing hands of terror as bile rushed into my mouth,
erupting from my stomach and rebounding of my oesophagus until it spurted into
the back of my throat and melted away my tongue.
The last remembrance of humanity I heard before being wrenched into a land
mightier than the sword, more powerful than the brightest star was the scraping of
nails on wooden desks. Finally the laughing ceased and the clock returned to its
monotonous click of doom, suddenly a voice shattered through the cloudy silence
“you can start”, with that the ground opened up and ripped me into the core of hell
for 2 hours of the English Language Exam.
26
LA DOLCE VITA – ART TRIP TO ROME
Adam Dudley-Mallick 12 Croft
Early in the morning of Thursday the 23rd October, 40 Art
students along with four teachers set off from Richard Hale;
their destination: Rome. We left at 5:00am in order to
arrive at the airport, and consequently Italy, just after
midday. After briefly stopping by the hotel, we travelled by
foot to our first destination, The National Gallery of Modern
and Contemporary Art, one of the best, yet least known
modern art galleries in Europe. There was an impressive
array of conceptually challenging paintings and sculptures
in the gallery, with one of the highlights being a room with
a floor entirely made of a huge cracked mirror. The group
wandered around this gallery for a few hours, sketching and
soaking up the culture on offer before regrouping for a tour
of some of the highlights in the area, which included the
Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and the Piazza del Popolo.
Our second day was very busy and started with the iconic Coliseum which astounded
us all with its scale and intricacy. The interior was equally as impressive and you
could almost hear the crowd roaring on the gladiators of the past. We then saw the
Roman Forums which are essentially the ruins of the ancient City of Rome, followed
by a short visit to the Capitoline Museum, a highlight of which was the statue of
Marcus Aurelius on horseback.
Saturday began with an early start as
we headed to the Vatican for a lengthy
guided tour through seemingly endless
arched corridors, each adorned with
detailed paintings and frescos. We also
got to see the spectacular Sistine
Chapel in all its (silent!) glory. St Peter’s
Basilica was next on the list - some of
us ventured up the steep dome to gasp
at the breath-taking view over Rome.
We ended the day with a night drawing
session at the Coliseum which challenged us to use different materials such as oil
pastels in order to capture the spectacular lighting of the ruins.
27
On our final day we did another drawing session, this time outside the ornate Santa
Maria degli Angeli church, before heading to the airport for the flight home. Every
day was of course punctuated by delicious Italian cuisine. A huge thank you to
everyone involved in making the trip as successful and enjoyable as it was.
GOING UNDERGROUND: CORNWALL GEOLOGY TRIP
Edward Mills 12 Cowper
Last month the AS Geology students
conducted a successful field trip to
‘Poldark country’ in Cornwall.
After a long journey to the South
West our excursion kicked into gear
with a visit to the china-clay pits in
the early morning. Two expert
workers at the pits gave us a tour of
the huge site in their Land Rover Defenders. This was an excellent opportunity to see
a real working quarry on a huge scale and it gave us a great insight into the extraction
processes and how the clay is processed. At lunch-time we had just about seen the
basics of how the clay pit works and we were ready to head off. The sat-nav took us
down a very odd route but in the end we managed to get to our next stop –
Carnglaze slate mine. It was a very hot day in Cornwall so it was very strange to
experience a cool 10°C underground. The mine itself is no longer used but before
World War II it was at the forefront of providing slate to many locations in Cornwall
and beyond. In the mine there was a clear blue natural pool which looked amazing
when lit up. This was a fascinating mine and we all learnt a lot from the guide.
On Wednesday we travelled up to the Eden Project, which is the best possible
example in the UK of how redundant china clay pit mines can be regenerated. Eden
project has different biomes with distinct climates and plants in each. The largest and
the hottest was the tropical biome, which has tall palm trees and other unusual
plants. The Mediterranean biome was much less humid and displayed some of the
hottest chillies in the world. We just about had enough time to explore all the Eden
project had to offer, including its most recent projects which combine physics and
technology with great craftsmanship. In the evening we visited the Minack open
theatre which is positioned right on the coast with lovely views.
28
Thursday was our busiest day and started off with a visit to Poldark mine. As we got
ever deeper, even though we were perhaps one tenth of the way down, we were
fascinated at how much water there was at such depths. The guide told us that if it
wasn’t for the constant pumping
system the water would have
flooded the entire section we were
standing in within 48 hours. We all
became grateful for electricity and
lights as we could only imagine how
poor the conditions must have been
when they chipped away in hope of
finding sellable metals in nothing but candle light. Next we went to Geevor tin mine
and were shown around by a worker at the mine until its closure in 1991. He had
some great stories of what it was truly like working in a busy mine and it amazed me
how everything we saw was all happening less than ten years before I was born.
There was an activity in which we filtered through minerals and the visit was topped
off when Mr Clay tricked us into thinking we could sell the green mineral for 50p at
the shop! We quickly stopped off at a Levante mine, where there was a working
steam-engine which particularly interested Mr Wemyss-Cook. We all went back to
the hostel and spent the evening outside by the fire with a late barbecue.
I’d like to thank Mr Clay and Mr Wemyss-Cook for taking us on an enjoyable and
interesting trip, and to Mr Forster for organising it all.
COMPUTING ENRICHMENT DAY
James Dent Head of Computer Science
Richard Hale in cooperation with Setpoint (STEM Charity), The School of Computer
Science and Education at the University of Hertfordshire recently organised a
computing enrichment day for approximately 195 young people from 17 secondary
schools in the region. We took over the School of Computer Sciences' for the day.
The day included a range of computing related workshops led by industry
professionals, including former Richard Hale teacher, Dr. Dalley. Sessions included
mobile phone application development abd music programming The BBC Click
presenter Kate Russell made a surprise visit and deliverd a presentation titled, Get
Coding'. We had nearly 100 Raspberry Pi's setup to support the workshops. In the
future we are hoping to run a similar event for local primary schools.
29
RECORD BREAKERS!
Derek Clarke Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Coordinator
Looking back over the past year my
first thought rests on the knowledge
that 48 former pupils have gained
their Gold Award in this period. This
is without doubt our best year and
we believe is the highest number
gained
by
any
school
in
Hertfordshire. I had the great
privilege of being the Usher for many
of them at the Palace in February
when they received their Awards
from the Duke himself. That he has
been involved for nearly 60 years yet still visibly enjoys these events is testimony to
his commitment and pride in what has become the most successful award scheme in
the UK.
The expedition season is now drawing to a close. As I write this only the two Gold
Qualifying Expeditions in Snowdonia remain. Despite a rather cold May and early
June all four Bronze Expeditions went extremely well with every one of the 97 boys
completing their two expeditions successfully. It now remains for them to complete
the other three Sections of their Award so we can maintain our record of near 100%
completion (the national average is less than half that).
Already the new intake for Bronze from Year 9 has been enrolled and as ever we
were oversubscribed. It’s a great shame we can’t take everybody but manpower and
resources are inevitably limited and the safety regulations we have to follow are
legion. Gold too looks like having a strong take up from the new Year 12.
One of the great pleasures is to see so many staff, parents and former pupils helping
us out. Without their very professional and enthusiastic support the Award simply
wouldn’t happen at Richard Hale.
We look forward to another year of commitment and enjoyment from all participants
and with the knowledge that they are gaining what has become an incredibly
valuable part of a CV
30
THE CORN EXCHANGE ART EXHIBITION
Emily Guthrie 13 Cowper
This year’s Art exhibition
at the Corn Exchange in
Hertford
was
as
successful as ever. After
a hard day’s work, which
included
carrying
nineteen tree branches
up a tight and narrow
staircase,
the
Corn
Exchange
was
transformed into an
exciting gallery space.
For many of the Year 11s
and 12s this was their
first ever show, and for the Year 13s it was the culmination of their art studies at
Richard Hale.
The room was full of intriguing pieces, including
symbolic paintings, emotive animations and fascinating
sculptures about both personal and historical moments.
On the night of the private view, there was a buzzing
atmosphere within the Corn Exchange; the place was
filled with people who were discussing and admiring the
students’ work, while the students themselves tried to
catch a snippet of what was being said about their
pieces. It was so interesting to hear peoples’ feedback,
and so rewarding to realise that we had achieved what
we had wanted to with our art. The whole event was
made even greater for some students as they were able
to sell their work!
Overall, the exhibition was a brilliant experience for
everyone involved, and we hope everyone who came to
see it enjoyed it as much as we did. The students would particularly like to thank Mr
Todd, Mr Payne and Mrs Dyke for making the exhibition possible, but moreover, for
continuously supporting us throughout the year.
31
RHS CHARITY ROUND-UP
James McAleese Charity Coordinator
We have finished our first year of the form charity representative role which has
been a good step in facilitating the fundraising efforts of each form and year group.
The charity reps. were elected in September and have been working closely with
their form tutors and head of year to put on a successful charity week. This is now a
key role for one member of each form in years 7-11 as they co-ordinate and run the
charity drive from within their own form and work with the other five charity form
reps. The Sixth Form charity committee oversees the work carried out by our senior
students.
I wrote to you all in December with an in-year update about our charity progress this
year. I can now fill in details of all of the activities that have taken place this year.
A myriad of fundraising initiatives has taken place over the year including make and
fly your own paper airplane, beat the keeper, Fifa 2015 tournament, Need for Speed
flying lap, cake sales, basketball challenge, cracker eating challenge, 5 a side football
tournaments, remote controlled car drifting timed lap, soak the teacher, a talent
show, dance off, guess the sweeties in the jar, balance coins on a lemon and many
other simple yet highly lucrative ideas. Well done to all year groups.
Years 12 and 13 combined their charitable efforts and donated £1,700 between
Macmillan Cancer and Save the Children
Year 11 sent a cheque for £650 to Mercy Ships http://www.mercyships.org.uk/
Year 9 are currently in the middle of their charity week and are supporting ?
Year 8 helped Lord Dobbs to raise money during his Walk for Jack campaign. With the
school donating all of the non-uniform money from the collection that week and the
year 8 total, we were able to contribute over £2,000 to this cause.
The Graphics department ran another Christmas campaign based on t-shirt designs
made by our own students. The proceeds went to their chosen charities of Kemi
Malaika (raising money for school resources) and Delete Blood Cancer.
Miss Pretty organised the inaugural Staff and pupil 5K run in support of Prostate
Cancer – Men United. This event raised £2054.
As part of our drive to support local charities and charities chosen by staff, pupils and
parents we have also supported Aspire, Teens Unite and Carers in Hertfordshire, RFU
32
Injured Players and the Jack Fishwick Trust this year. Each charity has received a
cheque for £250.
As a school we support a wide range of smaller, often local charities. In a bid to grow
this list of charities we would welcome pupils, parents and staff to nominate local or
national charities close to their hearts so that we can add these charities to our list
for future donations. Pupils can give the name and details of the charity to their form
charity representative. Parents can e-mail in their chosen charity to
admin@richardhale.co.uk for the attention of Mrs Dart.
Year 7 helped one of our Brazilian charities,
Children’s Aid http://www.ondasolidaria.org/ The
pupils raised £750 to continue the building of the
Richard Hale Eco Classroom. Here are some pictures
of the Kigeme classroom that we are having built on
the site of the Children’s Aid education centre, two
hours outside of Rio. The centre runs education and
sports programmes for orphans and disadvantaged
children from the favelas in the city.
The photos below show what the RHS Classroom will look like when we finish having
it built. To-date we have contributed just under £2,000 towards preparation,
foundations and materials for the build. The final cost will be somewhere between
£4-5,000. I hope that years 7 and 8 will combine next year to complete this fantastic
initiative. I will be flying over to Brazil next Easter to visit the site as well as our other
partner charities in Rio, to bring back pictures and videos of the continuing work that
is going on.
33
ONE IN A TRILLION
Cameron Dixon 9 Cowper
As part of their GCSE Religious Studies course, students were invited to explore the
spiritual connections between mankind and the natural world through poetry and
other forms of expression.
The Earth is one in a trillion,
Probably even more,
It has granted the gift of life,
Which all can adore.
It’s in the goldilocks zone:
Not too hot,
Not too cold,
But perfect for us to roam
There’s little that comes close to it,
In our galaxy:
So if the Earth goes,
We may follow too.
We take it all for granted,
The oxygen and the water,
And other major things,
That’ll all need saving.
And if not protected, then who knows:
We’ll need a new planet.
But that’s another problem,
As the Earth is one in a trillion.
34
MOCK ELECTION 2015
Hector Smith The People’s Republic of Wallace House
Ah, the general election of 2015. Doubtless we were all at some point engaged with
the countless propaganda campaigns, the inconclusive debates and the shepherding
of the easily influenced masses. But whilst Cameron, Miliband and Sturgeon were
clawing desperately at each other’s throats, another smaller election was taking
place right here in Richard Hale. Six candidates from the Sixth Form and Year 11 were
given the opportunity to embark on their own campaigns to promote party support
within the school. The six parties chosen were the Conservatives, the Liberal
Democrats, UKIP, Labour, Green and of course the British Communist Party. Once our
affiliations had been confirmed, we were given just over a week to acquire as much
support for our parties as we possibly could through the means of propaganda,
speeches and debate. Whilst the posters were undoubtedly the most eye-catching
part of the campaigns with slogans such as “Vote Gymer” and “Lenin lived, Lenin
lives, Lenin will live”, I personally feel that without being given the chance to speak
directly to the different year groups, the election would have acquired nowhere near
the same amount of publicity. In fact, the election got so much attention within the
school that the candidates were often approached by younger students praising their
campaigns. I for one received numerous cries of support such as “Vote Communist!”,
“Lenin forever!” and “For the Motherland!” from students in the corridors. And not
only were we able to speak for our parties to an audience, but we also participated in
a debate that focused on our different approaches to numerous issues affecting the
country, such as immigration, the NHS and the minimum wage.
But the mock election would not have been complete without the political
broadcasts. From a determined UKIP candidate giving a rousing speech outside the
main steps to a Communist leader greenscreened over a 1982 Soviet propaganda
video, the broadcasts were doubtless a key part of securing party support in
individual form groups. These broadcasts highlighted the serious side of party beliefs
whilst also remaining engaging and even amusing for the audience. Finally, there was
the Election Day itself. A makeshift Polling Station was set up outside the drama
studio where the students could cast their vote under the watchful eyes of the party
leaders. (I’m not sure whether you’re actually allowed to campaign outside a polling
station, but I’m fairly certain nobody would have noticed a red flag or two). The
results were quickly calculated overnight and broadcast around the school. Of
course, I myself was unhappy with the landslide Conservative victory (frankly, I blame
the party plane that flew over the school), but I’m sure that perhaps one day there
will be a radical left victory in Richard Hale and I remain certain that the Mock
Elections should take place again soon.
35
MOCK ELECTION 2015 CAMPAIGN POSTERS
36
For the mock election debates and election broadcasts, click this link:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23HaleElectio
37
CALLING DR ABC: FIRST AID ENRICHMENT DAY
Sam Woodley 10 Cowper
Year 10 took part in a well-planned and informative day all about first aid. There
were 5 different classes throughout the day:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Choking, poisons, allergic reactions and Asthma
Recovery position
Situation assessing and check for breath
Bleeds
CPR
For each one the instructor would tell us what possible problems you could come
across and how to deal with it, the process that you need to go through, I know that I
will never be able to forget DRSABC, D-for Dangers (is the environment you are in
safe), R- for Response (is the person able to recognise you are there), S- for Shout
(get someone to call an ambulance if necessary), A- for Airways (Tilt the persons head
back and check if nothing is blocking the airway), B- for breathing (ear to mouth, look
down chest to see if it goes up and down regularly), C-for CPR (if that person is not
breathing, or there is an irregular breathing pattern CPR will be required). The gory
stories told throughout the day I think will be something that I will never be able to
remove from my brain, but that is probably a good thing.
I was shocked to hear a fact about this first aid course at the beginning of the day,
that the UK out of all the European countries has the lowest survival rate for
incidents that could be resolved through recovery position and CPR, and the UK is the
only country in Europe where the schools do not incorporate First Aid into the
curriculum, so I was very grateful to have the instructors to come in and give us that
vital knowledge that one day someone’s life may depend upon. Along with many
other boys in year 10 I am confident that be able to deal with an emergency calmly
and competently.
My only criticism of the day was the dominance of theory and the restricted
opportunities for practising procedures such as the recovery position or CPR a
sufficient amount. But I do understand that we had to know the theory behind what
we were doing, and in the end we found out what we needed to know. Overall I
regard this enrichment day as one of the most valuable; you never know one day it
may prove to be very valuable to somebody else.
38
WHAT IS HEROISM?
Yusuf Ben-Tarifite 10 Kinman
For many people, the act of public speaking can be a terrifying thought whether it’s
doing a presentation in assembly or presenting to colleagues. However, it’s still a very
useful and necessary life skill. Inspired by this challenge or wanting to take the
spotlight, Josh Dean, Cameron Hodge and I participated in a Rotary Speaking
Competition. We were free to talk about any theme we wanted (as long as it was not
offensive). Because of our age, we were seen as senior contestants which meant that
we were up against seasoned sixth formers. (So are we heroes?)
After a philosophical debate with Mr.
Brownlee (something that you should
never dare attempt) and with a bit of
practice courtesy of two Sixth form
classes, we were ready to perform our
speech at the Rotary Club’s Youth Speaks
public speaking competition. We decided
that it would be best for each of our
heroes - Margaret Thatcher, The
Godfather and Steve Jobs - to represent
an element of heroism. We decided that the first aspect to heroism would be effort;
having the willpower do something brilliant and also thinking about the
consequences of not acting instead of the rewards. Otherwise, you’re just a gloryhunter, an attention seeker.
The second part of being a hero, is achievement; it’s not necessarily about saving a
life but just rising above expectations, overcoming your struggle. The last part of
heroism is the most important, having a legacy. It’s about how other people can
benefit from what you do. For example it’s all well and good, getting an A* in your
exams, after all it’s a mixture of both achievement and effort. Unless you use this
talent to help develop a cure for an Ebola, you’re not a hero just a scholar.
The night went well. Unfortunately we did not win and hopefully, we will make a
return next year with a brand new topic; the mass media. Having reflected upon
heroism, we have become more aware of everyday heroism. In this world that we
live in, it could involve minor challenges such as be speaking in front of your peers or
major ones such as risking your life to protect others in the face of danger.
39
MUSIC EXAMINATION RESULTS
For Spring Term 2015
ABRSM Practical
Name
Matthew Varco
Mitchell Bowell
Edward Francis
Louis Jordan
Oliver Barrie
Max Guthrie
Jack Johnson
Elliott Jordan
Nicholas Hosier
Form
13 Ba
12 RJo
8 Wa
10 Wa
11 Co
9 Cr
8 Cr
8 Wa
7 Wa
Grade
8
7
1
5
3
6
2
3
2
Instrument
Flute
Violin
Violin
Trumpet
Piano
Piano
Piano
Piano
Piano
Result
Distinction
Distinction
Distinction
Pass
Merit
Pass
Distinction
Pass
Merit
ABRSM Theory
Name
Louis Mayes
Max Guthrie
Form
12 Ma
9 Cr
Grade Result
5
Merit
5
Merit
TRINTY SCHOOL of MUSIC
Name
Hamish Brown
Ed Hogan
Edward Pratt
Adam Snowden
Chris Wilson
Joshua Mills
Adam Snowden
Form
13 Bma
13 Hg
11Co
8 Ha
12 Hr
8 Pa
8 Ha
Grade
8
7
4
4
5
1
3
Instrument
Guitar
Jazz Flute
Saxophone
Timpani
Drumkit
Drumkit
Drumkit
Result
Merit
Distinction
Merit
Merit
Pass
Pass
Merit
ROCKSCHOOL
Name
Louie Ness
Frederico Cozzi
From
9 Ha
9 Pa
Grade
4
2
Instrument
Guitar
Guitar
Result
Merit
Distinction
40
ARBORETUM TEDIUM
Alexander Elliott 9 Kinman
Trees, what are they all about?
Doing nothing, supremely boring,
Standing there, day in, day out,
Barely moving, perpetually snoring.
Their leaves rustle in an annoying drone,
They get in the way. Cut them down.
So what if they can’t protect their own?
We’ll have more space for a bigger town.
Trees – they’re only useful for firewood.
Better not to be heard or seen.
If the world works out the way it should,
The horizon is better grey than green.
*****
So say the people who poisons wield,
And cause the disaster that we’re facing,
And suffocate their children’s yield,
Burying the world under concrete casing.
41
REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST
Jamie Arinzie 9 Cowper
Holocaust survivor George Vulkan spoke to our Year 9s as part of Holocaust Memorial
Day events earlier this year. During the course of the day the boys participated in
workshops and listened to reports from two sixth formers, Aneurin Greenfield and
Zeta Pabhakar-Brown about their visit to Auschwitz extermination camp.
In the morning, all of the students gathered in the main
hall listening to the introduction by Mr Breese. We
learned the basic history of the Holocaust and how
Hitler wanted to exterminate the Jews by sending them
to concentration camps. After the introduction, Nye and
Zeta talked about their trip to Auschwitz. They showed
us pictures of the remains of the camp and the beautiful
memorial, which can be seen today. However they also
explained their feelings when they entered building
block 5. Inside this building the shocking and moving
scene of various shoes of different colours and sizes are
stacked on a pile. These are some of the only remains of
the Jewish victims who died on the camp. I was struck
by feelings and emotion that the sixth formers felt
whilst on their trip.
After the discussion each of our forms were placed into different rooms and were
assigned to create a Star of David. Under the Nazis Jews were forced to wear the star
as a mark that they were Jews, separate from the rest of society. The star is also
associated with Jewish identity and religious beliefs. As a class we were all given
various profiles and stories about young Jews or Christians who rebelled against the
Germans, escaped or protected the Jews during the Second World War. The story I
was given was about a 12 year old Christian girl called Stephanie, who lived in
Nuremberg. In 1941 she managed to hide all six of her Jewish friends in a small flat,
all on her own. However in 1942 Stephanie was caught by the Gestapo and without a
fair trial she was executed for treason. All of her friends managed to survive. Even
though she wasn’t Jewish Stephanie still risked her life for her friends. This shows
bravery and courage. She stood up for what she believed in, even died trying. Most of
our Stars of David can be seen today on display outside the History Department
room.
42
After lunch, we were all going to have the last and most
exciting part of the day. As we all gathered back into the
Main Hall, we were all eager to see and listen to our new
visitor. George Vulkan was born in 1929, in Vienna,
Austria. Born into a Jewish family, he was taught the
values and beliefs of his community. He had a normal
and happy childhood; he enjoyed school; music and
sport were his hobbies; he would go to the local fair with
his friends and have fun.
George enjoyed school but after the Anschluss on 12th
March 1938, this changed as did many things in Austria. At school, George was
forced to sit with the other Jewish boy at the back of the classroom. During break
time and lessons, George was forbidden from mixing with the non-Jewish children.
Eventually he was expelled from school and sent to a Jewish school. The school was
in a very poor building but the teachers, who had also been thrown out of state
schools, were good. George was happy whilst at school, but the journey to and from
school became dangerous. George and his friends were regularly attacked by
members of the Hitler Youth, on several occasions in front of the Austrian police,
who ignored this. The Jewish school was closed in mid 1938.
George’s fathers business was aryanised which meant he could no longer work. The
whole family was now at home due to the various anti-Jewish restrictions enacted by
the Nazis in Austria. All parks, playgrounds, cinemas etc were banned to Jews.
In September 1938, he woke up one morning to find his family had packed their
belongings. He was told that his family were going on holiday to France. He wasn’t
allowed to take any toys with the exception of his teddy bear. They were unable to
say goodbye to their relations, all of whom were later murdered by the Nazis. On the
train and at the border the family’s luggage was searched by the police and some
possessions were confiscated. The family then
travelled on to Paris. When they arrived they had
no money and had to rely on the refugee
committees in Paris to support them.
Eventually the reached England where life was very
different. His mom had suffered from depression
after the loss of her mother and his father
struggled to find a job. But they did establish a new
life for themselves. Throughout it all George kept
43
his faith in God and in his religion. At the age of 86, he has lived in England for 77
years, only visiting Austria twice. After we listened to his story we started to ask
questions. One of the questions that were asked was this “Were you ever made to
feel ashamed of who you were?”, to which he answered: “No. I can never change my
ethnicity or who I am, I will always be a Jew, and as I started to be proud of whom I
was, I accepted it”. This answer shows how we can never change who we are we
must accept it we must never feel ashamed of ourselves. The day was closing to an
end. I recommend this enrichment day as it’s interesting and engaging. On that day I
had made memories that will last for a lifetime.
HERD INSTINCT
Yusuf Ben-Tarifite 10 Kinman
In December, 20 Year 10 express-set students had the opportunity to attend a full
day of Maths lectures at London University. With presentations packed full of fun
and interest, the audience was able to better appreciate the impact of human 'herdlike' behaviour, securing an understanding of how our own individual behaviour is
strongly influenced by those around us and where we all (sometimes unwittingly)
cooperate for the greater good. We learnt about how flocks of birds do not have a
leader and instead follow the birds next to them in terms of their speed and
direction; this can then be mimicked via computer simulations.
From boomerangs to gyroscopes, practical demonstrations thrilled the audience as
we learnt how space telescopes are able to point their cameras in the right direction.
We then saw a real-life example of this when one of the presenters balanced
themselves upon a loose metal platform and then utilised a gyroscope (bicycle wheel
with string) to move him in different directions and different speeds depending on
where he held the spinning wheel.
Later on, we discovered how useful prime numbers were to animals especially in the
lifecycles of predator and prey. One such example was of a locust which emerged
from their underground homes to mate every 13 or 17 years; both of these numbers
are prime and can only be divided by one. The idea behind is that if they had 12-year
cycles, the predators with two, three, four and six-year cycles will eat them. Through
evolution, they were able to (unknowingly) hit prime numbers that would then
guarantee their safety as a species. All in all, the day was particularly enriching in
finding out just how versatile and applicable maths is. Many thanks to Dr. Coote and
Mr. Gibbard for accompanying us throughout the trip.
44
45
GLORIOUS GOWER
Ella Sirkett 12 Kinman
This term large group of year 12 AS Biology students travelled to the Gower
Peninsula in Wales. The students were accompanied by Ms Moseley, Mrs Farr, Mr
Neate, Mrs Neate, Dr Morris and Mr Neate’s dog Diesel.
The trip took place in order for the students to get a kick start into the first unit of
their
A2
Biology
course
–
in
which
they
study
Ecology.
The Gower Peninsula was voted the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
back in 1956 – and is an area of interest for ecologists, with some beaches being
rough and rocky, and others being covered in golden sands – in which both have a
huge variation of natural elements and organisms to study.
Upon our arrival we headed straight to the beach in order to learn about the
Capture-Mark-Release method, where students marked limpets and periwinkles –
then moved them and returned the next day to measure the distribution of these
organisms.
The week consisted of numerous beach trips
each day, including travelling to Oxwich Bay to
study sand dune succession, and Three Cliffs
Bay to study salt marshes and the halophile
organisms
that
survive
there.
The students also had several opportunities for
leisure: on the Wednesday afternoon the
biologists went to Caswell Bay and were
allowed to swim in the extremely cold Welsh
sea! Also, on Wednesday evening, the group
travelled to Swansea for a game of bowling –
followed
by
an
exciting
trip
to
the
large
Tesco!
Mr Neate produced one of his famous biology trip barbeques one warm evening,
serving the sixth formers with more burgers and sausages than they could manage!
We worked off the food by playing a game of kick around rugby in the garden.
Overall the trip was a success, with the weather staying sunny and dry all week. The
students all commented when they went home saying how much they had enjoyed
the trip and being with their friends whilst studying for the start of their A2 Course.
46
BACK OF THE NET!
Kevin Patterson Football Correspondent
Another football season has
passed and a story of so many
IF’s and BUT’s has drifted by!!!
The
school
entered
15
competitions
this
season,
played 73 fixtures including
Saturdays, District, County and
National games. So here is how
it all happened…………with an
incredible 229 goals!!!
The Year 7 team had terrific numbers to training and showed glimpses of a promising
squad. They unfortunately succumbed to an early exit in the County Cup by virtue of
The Bushey Academy and were unlucky to be eliminated in the group stages in the
District Cup. Over the course of the season 50 different boys represented the school
which must be applauded. Next season will hopefully turn that enthusiasm into
trophies.
The Year 8 team had some bad luck and some unfortunate decisions in both cups and
failed to make the latter stages. The team is capable of playing an impressive brand
of football and will no doubt be back with a bang next year. The recent football tour
to Disney saw the best of the team where they were credit to the school. (see picture
above).
The Year 9 team were the pick of the bunch this year and had a fantastic run in both
the County and District competitions. They reached both finals without conceding a
goal, but alas the finals brought heartache for all concerned. They lost to a talented
Goffs team 5-2 (County) and were disappointed to follow that up with a 4-2 loss
against John Warner in the District. They followed this up by losing to Kent County in
the U14 final at the football tour in Paris. Disappointing, but a great achievement
nonetheless – hopefully next year they can go one better and bring home some
silverware.
Year 10 and 11 teams struggled to reach the heights of last year and both were
eliminated at early stages in the County Cups. They also had the misfortune of
playing Goffs in the semi-final stages of the District Cup, Year 10 losing 2-0 and Year
47
11 losing 2-1 respectively. I must take this opportunity to Best wishes to the Year 11
boys for the last 5 years.
Senior football has set high standards over the past few years and this year the team
unfortunately has fallen a little short at crucial times. The National Cup saw the best
of the team where they reached the last 64 out of an original entry of over 700
schools. The highlight was a great game against The Highfield Academy (feeder
school to Watford FC). The boys pressed exceptionally well and were unlucky to lose
4-2 on penalties. The District Cup final gave the chance for the team to achieve the
silverware and give John Warner some payback. Despite being the better team they
failed to take their chances and lost 2-0. Individual awards were given to Captain
Conor Kilgallon (Manager’s Player) and Dan Hill (Players’ Player).
So there we have it…….another pleasing run in the National Cup, County
disappointment, four finals, heartache, hard work, fun, attractive football, and a few
tears! There was also a fantastic trip to Paris with some great memories for all boys
concerned. Other big news was planning permission has been granted for the new 3G
pitch which will only increase the provision to play football at the school and
heighten the overall standard. Must finish with a big thank to all staff that have
either coached or supported in some way this year, and to the parents who time and
time again give their undoubted support in so many ways.
2014/15 Stats (including all weekend and Cup Games)
Team
Won
Yr 7
Playe
d
13
Drew Lost
For
Against
District
2 (13%) 3
Yr 8
13
Yr 9
8
35
39
5 (38%) 1
7
46
20
14
9 (64%) 1
4
49
13
Group 1st Rd
Stages
Group 3rd Rd
Stages
Finalists Finalists
Yr 10
11
5 (45%) 0
6
39
30
Yr 11
7
4(57%)
0
3
23
9
Yr
12/13
15
10
(67%)
2
3
37
20
Overall
73
35
(48%)
7
31
229
131
48
Semi
Final
Semi
Final
Finalist
County
2nd Rd
3rd Rd
2nd Rd
JUMP SHOT: Basketball Report
Mr Marsh Sporting Psychologist
Basketball has continued to be a widely-enjoyed and successful sport at Richard Hale
this year.
Coach Patterson was charged with inspiring the next generation of basketball talent
at the school, and the number of Year 7 boys who regularly attended practice this
year was impressive. The boys made excellent progress throughout the season,
learning a range of fundamental skills that will be the foundation for their future
success. The early returns have been good; the team won 6, lost 1 and drew 1 in the
district league with standout performances from Toby Goddard, Mace Bothroyd and
Charlie Costigan-Johnson.
The Year 8 team enjoyed another very strong season. They were dominant in the
district competition the year before, so it was decided that this year the boys would
compete at county level. Ably led by Coach Williams, the boys have continued to
progress nicely as individuals and are starting to show signs of being able to play wellstructured and effective team basketball. They won 5 and lost 3, guaranteeing
themselves a semi-final berth. There they met a very strong Queens’s side who
dispatched them from the competition in what was a tightly fought contest. Fin
Mitham, Matt Mitham and Dom Negri deserve a special mention for their impressive
and committed play, as does Mace Bothroyd who played up a year and did not look
out of place.
The Year 9 team features a small, but dedicated squad of players, and was jointly
managed by Coaches Martin and McNamee. The team was entered for the district
competition and played extremely well, very nearly producing a ‘clean sweep’ of
results. In their 4 wins they defeated the opposition by an average margin of 18.5
points, aided by excellent individual performances from Rowan Hamilton Lee and
Opeoluwa Afolabi (or ‘Ope’ as he is known to his teammates). Their singular loss was
to local rivals Simon Balle and it was by a mere point following a dramatic 4th quarter
comeback that, unfortunately, was not to be.
Given that basketball is some way behind rugby and football in terms of popularity at
Richard Hale, squad sizes generally tend to dwindle the further up the school you go.
Coach Ritchie has managed to buck this trend quite dramatically with his large squad
of highly enthusiastic and committed players. The team made the leap up to county
level this year and they acquitted themselves well. The team took huge strides in
their tactical awareness and played extremely well against Watford Grammar and
49
last year’s county league finalists Chauncy School, losing to the latter by only 1 point
in an overtime thriller. Harry Holman and Opeoluwa Afolabi deserve special credit for
their performances. Harry reads the game extremely well and has excellent
peripheral vision, whilst Ope has shown fantastic skill and co-ordination, mesmerising
opposition players despite playing up a year.
The current Year 10 players will now graduate to the senior squad and as such, will
no longer be led by Coach Ritchie. He remarked that they were ‘a great group of
players who worked hard for each other and were a pleasure to manage’.
This year the senior team enjoyed their most technically polished season in recent
memory. Their understanding of basketball strategy and tactics underwent an
enormous expansion, to the point where they were switching offensive and
defensive schemes mid-game in response to the opposition, without any direction
from me as their coach. Unfortunately, this growth did not carry over into the win
column and we lost all but one game. The gap between RHS and the rest of the
county has grown enormously at this level in recent years. Academies that specialise
in basketball such as Oaklands (St Albans), Queens (Watford) and St Mary’s
(Cheshunt) actively recruit basketball talent from around Hertfordshire and the
surrounding areas, train daily and compete nationally. Facing them in the county
league has proven extremely tough. Nevertheless, watching the boys develop and
enjoy the game as much as they have this year has been a pleasure. It has been my
most enjoyable season as a coach.
The School has once again worked closely with external agency Russell Hoops this
year to offer the boys opportunities to develop their skills and further their talents. In
October students received expert coaching and played basketball as part of a major
European event called MOVE Week. In November the Satellite Basketball Club moved
to RHS, making our school the focal point for basketball locally. Finally, in May the 15
best ‘non-club’ players in Years 7-9 were invited to the ‘Future Stars Project’ where
they received the training, support and advice to hopefully enable them to move up
to club or county level in the sport.
A final word of thanks must go to Jordan Wasylyczyn and Adrian Ulatowski, two very
talented players in Year 11. During their time at the School they have been an
absolute pleasure to work with; not just as players, but also as assistant coaches.
They have worked tirelessly with students in the years below them, this year assisting
with both the Year 9 and Year 10 squads. They have been an inspirational example to
those players who were lucky enough to be trained by them.
50
RICHARD HALE RUGBY REPORT
Mr Saunders Head of PE
The Year 7 season was again affected by the poor weather in the second term with
games V Berkhampsted, St Columba’s College and St Albans falling foul of frozen
ground. Some really good rugby however was still played. A good start with a 62-5
win V Simon Balle was followed by a hard game V Verulam which was narrowly lost
12-7
Good wins V Barnet, Watford, Hitchin, St Georges and Enfield followed before the
Annual Broxbourne tournament saw a fourth place finish with a narrow loss to
Watford in the semi-finals by one. At the end of the season we played some excellent
rugby in the County 15s and 10s tournaments and whilst placed 6th in the 15 a side
tournament, we went to Berkhampsted in the Tens tournament and played some
exhilarating rugby to finish worthy runners up.
In the county Tens at the end of the season the team came 4th losing narrowly to
Verulam in the semi 3rd / 4th playoff.
Year 8 Rugby
A good and bad year for Year 8 who had some hard earned and impressive wins
against good opposition such as Watford, St Georges and Brentwood but then
seemed to lack the will to defend and get stuck in when faced with harder more
physical opposition. Solid performances from experienced players helped develop
and set good examples to new recruit Tribute in particular to the forwards who
showed effort and courage throughout the season even though some of the
possession could not be transferred into points. Still 50 % wins shows positive signs
for next year which includes the County Cup for the first time for the squad
Year 9 Rugby
It has been an excellent season with unavailability, and injury playing a part but
despite this the Yr9 squad managed to play 11 A team and 5 B team fixtures over the
first term. Narrow losses against Northampton St George's and St Columba’s College
were the only losses inflicted in the season and reflected the massive effort the
51
players put in week in week out. The B team were competitive throughout and
managed to beat a good St Columba’s side, Brentwood and Hitchin by large margins
Over the season 45 players were used and I hope that we retain those numbers as
the school has worked hard yet again to secure regular games at A and B team level
for the all the junior teams. Special mention must go to the forwards who improved
immensely over the course of the season.
Year 10 Rugby
The boys had another good season with the results not reflecting the efforts of the
players on the pitch during match days It is clear that long term injuries to key players
played a huge part in the games lost and a lot of players who were new to the game
were expected to come in and replace them, often out of position. The resolve the
players showed when things were against them was a credit to them and I hope they
continue this into the senior rugby for next year. Notable victories were Brentwood
and St Georges where a mixture of both backs and forwards showed great lines of
running, support play and offloading skills.
WHOLE SCHOOL RUGBY STATISTICS FOR 2014
TEAM
PLAYED
WON
DREW
LOST
PTS FOR
1ST XV
2ND XV
U16 XV
U15AXV
U15BXV
U14AXV
U14BXV
U13AXV
U13BXV
U12AXV
U12BXV
TOTALS
13
9
1
11
3
11
5
10
6
3
10
7
0
3
0
8
3
5
2
2
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
0
8
3
3
2
5
4
1
414
282
21
204
10
378
143
212
138
91
PTS
AGAINST
116
55
21
350
100
209
51
283
183
17
72
40
1
31
1893
1385
52
CROSS COUNTRY
Normal service resumed with all four age groups fielding large teams in the first of
3District league races at Minors Juniors Inters and Seniors but the withdrawal of
some runners at last minute for the inters and the runners making themselves
unavailable for races in the senior age group meant that we were unable to field 4
athletes in these age groups for all the races and therefore we were unable to retain
the inter and senior league trophies. This all comes down to the commitment of the
runners and the willingness to run and compete for the school teams. Without this
commitment then we will not be able to retain the silverware that we hold most
years.
We did however have team and individual success and congratulations to all those
mentioned below and the runners who competed on a regular basis that led to the
Junior and minor team’s success
Results of LVSSA District League meets
Minor Boys – Yr 7
1st
2nd
3rd
Teams
Junior Boys Yr 8/9
Place
1st
2nd
3rd
Year 8’s
1st
2nd
3rd
Teams
William Atkins &
L Shearer
Neil Boles
Jamie Bright
1st Richard Hale
2nd Broxbourne
3rd Chauncy
Broxbourne
Richard Hale
Simon Balle
Chauncy
Name
Giles West
Ope
James Davis
School
Richard Hale
Richard Hale
Richard Hale
Kane Garwood
George Jones
Luke Johnson
1st Richard Hale
2nd John Warner
Sheredes
Simon Balle
John Warner
53
Intermediate Boys Yr 10/11
1st
2nd
3rd
Beck Grover
Oscar Bell
Jacob Fenwick
Chauncy
Richard Hale
Simon Balle
Year 10’s
1st
2nd
3rd
Teams
Josh Longman
Sam Maloney
N/A
1st John Warner
John Warner school
Richard Hale
Senior boys Yr 12/13
3rd Place-- Peter Hale -- Richard Hale
In the Herts Schools Cross Country Championships in January we had 10 athletes
represent the school and had two top ten finishes in the Inter boys race with Elliot
Dee and Oscar Bell and Jamie Dee won the senior boys title. Special mention to Jamie
Dee who went on to represent Hertfordshire in the English Cross country
Championships
ATHLETICS
As ever our County athletics campaign got off to an early start with the first of our 6
league meets being in the last week of April. A mixture of injuries, athletes having to
cover unfamiliar events and unavailability of a lot of athletes led to an average
campaign.
The county league meets are dependent on athletes being fit and available for all 6
outings and yet again Yr 10 were decimated by D of E , Geography/ History field trips
and clashes with our successful cricket programme which meant that some athletes
were often double booked for sporting fixtures. There are literally not enough hours
in then term to run the sporting programme Hale delivers without some casualties!
The Yr 9 athletes however stepped up admirably a year young and were an absolute
credit to the school
54
Congratulations to those athletes who were committed enough to compete in all 6
county meets and were willing to cover events in the absence of other athletes (You
know who you are!)
Earlier in the term we had a strong representation in the Hertfordshire County
individual Championships with Yr 11 Athlete Rob Green winning gold in the 400m
hurdles, Yr 10 Elliot Dee winning in the inter 1500m and Ben Winter YR 7 Freddie
Hunter Yr 7 and Harry Hunter Yr 9 all being finalists in the 100m . As a consequence
of these wins and the fact that they reached the National Qualifying Standards in
their events Rob Green 400M Hurdles, Harry Hunter Long Jump and Jamie Dee
3000m will be representing Hertfordshire in the all England Championships in July.
The main event of the term is the District Championships and with over 1000 athletes
from all the schools in the district we dominated the boy’s events winning 5 of the
possible 6 age groups titles for the boys and girls In the process we had 29 District
Champions, and 52 athletes over the age groups achieved podium places!
All the boys and girls who represented the school were a credit to the school both in
performance and attitude on the day. Congratulations to all who contributed to the
schools success.
District Championships Results
Minor Boys 1st place
Junior Boys 1st place
Inter boys 1st place
Senior boys 1st place
Senior girls 4th place
Combined seniors 1st place …………………………………… OVERALL BOYS 1st place
A special mention must go to past pupil Liam Dee who has been selected to
represent GB in the World Junior Championships in the 1500m later this summer.
He is now ranked No 1 in his age group for 1500m.
55
District Combined Events Championships
Minor Boys and Junior Boys were District Champions.
Individual honours went to Freddie Hunter placed 1st in the minor boys and Olly
Skipp and Ope Afolabi placing 3rd and 2nd respectively in the Junior boys competition.
Minor Boys team
• Ben Winter
• Rhys Griffiths
• Brandon Reid
• Freddie Hunter
Junior Boys team
• Harry Hunter
• Olly Skipp
• Ope Afolabi
• Lewis Matthews
Congratulations to all athletes on another successful season
SCHOOL SWIMMING
Steve Coote Aquatic Mathematician
Another successful year for all three of our swimming teams who performed well at
all four District Swimming League galas this year. Our strength once again shone
through with some excellent swims from both new and established swimmers alike.
For the ‘school with no pool’ our swimmers can continue to take pride in their
collective achievements.
Special mention must go to two of our top swimmers:Ben Ransome (yr12) represented Hertfordshire at the British Inter-counties division 1
at Sheffield international pool. In the 100m backstroke he placed 15th out of 20 and
swam 50m backstroke in the medley relay, placing 14th out of 20. He was the Herts
county champion at 1500m freestyle and was 6th in 50m breastroke at the East
Regional championships. At Herts counties he swam against Yr12 students and
secured 1 gold, 2 silvers and 4 bronze. He currently holds British ranks of 23rd at
100m backstroke (year 11) and 20th at 50m backstroke (year 11).
Ben Purcell (yr13) has had an equally successful year : he took part in the Junior
Olympic qualifiers, he made the semi-final of the 200m breastroke in the nationals),
he holds the regional record at 200m breastroke and is the county champion at 200m
breastroke (mens) and 100m breastroke (juniors). More recently he participated in a
British International meet in Manchester.
56
LEAVERS’ BALL, JUNE 2015
Photographs
courtesy of Will
Ferguson:
https://www.flickr.
com/photos/willfer
guson19/sets/7215
7655592499835/
57