Posted on: 18/01/2024
November Blog 2016
Posted on: 10/11/2016
It has been a busy and exciting start to the academic year, the new Year 12’s have been settling in very well to their step up to the 6th form and the Year 13’s are working hard through their last year here at WG6…….here is a taste of what has been happening…..
Grace Redmond, 13J, was selected to participate in the Parliamentary Boat Race which took place on Wednesday 14 September. Below is a short piece which Grace has kindly written for the blog:
“My day started when I met with other junior rowers like myself, who were all representing London Youth Rowing at Vauxhall train station. We then all walked down towards the River Thames where we were met by the event organisers for the day. After some safety instructions, we were put into our teams and we were to race in boats similar to those used in the original Oxford and Cambridge boat races. I was put onto team ISIS (otherwise known as Oxford) and I boated onto the river alongside eight other juniors who were in the same boat as me. After a few warm up laps, both my crew and our opposition were lined up ready to race. The race was only around 500m long from Lambeth Bridge to just outside the Houses of Parliament where the finish line was. My crew started strongly and we had a very early lead on the other boat, and by the time the 500m was finished, we were around 50m ahead of the other crew. As we finished, we rowed towards Black Rod’s steps and was cheered by the Lords and MPs who were about to race in the boats we had just raced in. We came out of our boats and walked into the Houses of Parliament where we were greeted by the Ex Archbishop of Canterbury who gave all who competed medals for racing. After some pictures, we were all welcomed into the building where we had the chance to have afternoon tea and to look out onto the river from a terrace with a few recognisable faces, including the British Rowing Chairman and the Olympic rowing silver medallist Victoria Thornley who raced with Katherine Grainger in Rio. The day was such an amazing experience and I am glad that I had the opportunity to take part in the Parliamentary Regatta!
Grace raced in a crew consisting of Lords, Ladies and MP’s from Vauxhall Bridge to Westminster Bridge and won her race! The day ended with tea and cakes on the terrace at the Houses of Parliament.
Grace proudly receives her medal!
This October we celebrated Harvest Festival with an assembly and an impressive collection of donated goods which was then distributed to the local community. Below is a picture of Danni and Yasmine, two of our new Year 12’s who helped on the day.
The Art department accompanied Y12 art students on a visit to Hall Place gardens in Bexley. Students were gathering source material for paintings and drawings based on natural forms – and took some beautiful images.
On Wednesday 12th October some members of the WGSG/6 new founded Psychology Society (psychsociety) went on a trip to a London exhibition.
Photos were not allowed to be taken, but a photo was taken of the students that went inside.
Chi, Alex and Amy enjoying the day!
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
In October a mixture of Year 12 and 13 students performed a Black History Month Assembly. This was an insightful, informative and well thought out production. A mixture of piano playing, poetry reading, singing, slide shows and commentary were performed at both the boys and girls school. A very big thankyou to ALL that took part in this assembly. A special mention to Alex Hayford for her piano playing accompanied by Femi Ogunbayi singing, also David Shodunke for his commentary, Jemima Jacobs for her poetry reading along with her amazing backing singers Tomi Adewusi, Mia Cadette, Wura Dairo and Jennifer Asiegbu. Below is a feature especially written for the WG6 blog from Jemima Jacobs: –
As October quickly approached us, our intention to create a stage to celebrate Black History Month came without question. However this year we wanted to do something less typical and stray away from the popular people like Martin Luther King Jr., but instead bring light to the presence of black history in British culture particularly. Our aim was to educate students and teachers about influential people, movements and customs – but most of all celebrating the unity and cultural appreciation in Britain that has arose from these past trials, events and changes.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Jazz Rendition of ‘Forget You’ by Cee-Lo Green performed by Alex Hayford and Feyi Ogunbayi
SPOKEN WORD PERFORMANCE: Can You Hear Me by Jemima Jacob performed by Tomie Adwusi, Mia Cadette, Jennifer Asiegbu, Wura Dairo and Jemima Jacob
CAN YOU HEAR ME?1, 2, 3, 4 …dead men laying on the floor 1, 2, 3, 4 …dead men laying on the floor 1, 2, 3 –for so long, I wondered if anyone could hear me Hear me whisper with the last few notes of a voice that I had left because I – I couldn’t breathe. I gasped and I choked as they watched me. They watched me hang there like a rag doll; they threw me around like the dirt beneath their feet My dignity. My hope. My life…dripping like the blood from my head. I looked in my daughters eyes, I looked in my daughters eyes and with mine I said , baby don’t cry. With mine I said, baby don’t cry because there is a greater battle that you must fight Not the ones with guns or missiles, you must win the warfare of their minds You must mind your tongue and mind your manners Mind your thoughts, because you’ll find that gun pressed against your head faster than your eyes can see the sun And my child, do not forget to pray – everyday. Pray that you’ll at least see one day, where you don’t have to taste the wrath and the spit of a man to remind you where you came from – exactly where you came from. And my children do not forget peace. Disguised in this battlefield of smog and ammunition, you must not forget your mission. Refuse to subside and lie down with the lies that will tell you otherwise And my dear child, do not forget the love of God. Hold on to it… even when it seems like it’s the furthest thing away Like you’d have to take 3 buses , 2 trains and a carriage ride that you can’t even afford to pay – but at least imagine it, for me. So at least then I’ll know I tried to save you from this reality, this reality that roars with rage and stagnant ideologies. Where the screams of the sad are silenced and there is no such thing as compliance So when you get scared, close your eyes for me and remember the songs I used to sing. When the sirens scream loud outside our window … remember the songs I used to sing When the rocks and the bricks bang hard against our frail window … remember the songs I used to sing and sing them Create a symphony in your beautiful mind; lead the orchestra if you will – but only in your head of course I’d say be brave and pursue your dreams but I can’t even begin to count the number of catastrophes that have occurred in the name of authenticity and bravery Baby believe me, I want you to be free… But I’m scared that within the second you lift your head it’s the same rope that’s wrapped around my neck that they’ll use to wrap around your hands and your arms and your legs – but not your throat. Not your throat, because they’ll want to see you gasp for air as you drown deeper and deeper into the river… So be quiet and be silent for me Our paradise is only but a breath away so you’ll be with me soon, I promise. Lord, why has it come to the point where I can promise the death of my own child, instead of that of an assured future? Why should I fear that my child will leave the house in her beautiful, cocoa butter, caramel skin and come home in colours and bruises that I have never even seen. So Lord let’s start again. Lord I’m begging you, let’s just start again so we can understand what love really is We’ve perverted and abused the most awesome of creation, which is love And now we breathe hate. Hot, fiery venomous hate that burns us from the inside but we’re too blind to see! So Lord lay hands on me, heal me So that I, so that we could understand the world in the way that you intended it to be – Because my vision of hope is getting blurry – every time I see my brothers and my sisters die unjustly, Lord I cry! I cry with a pain that can only be felt from the depths of my womb, because I see the lives formed previously in these bellies These lives killed viciously. These lives killed instantly. These lives killed desperately At the feet of the same people sent to save us but instead enslave us, So Lord I’m begging you let’s start again Please Lord, let us just start again… By Jemima Jacob |
Below is an article from Morgan Fifield, Brecon Hoadley, Sam Webb and Havershlyn Mudaly, Yr 12 students, who visited Austin, Texas representing the school in an F1 competition
Fusion Racing’s November Newsletter
Over the last two weeks we have been competing in the F1 in Schools 2016 World Finals in Austin, Texas. It was a once in a lifetime experience and we can all say that it was definitely a moment to remember in our careers. The whole experience from start to finish has been amazing. We have all learnt a lot along the way and have experienced things that not many people can say they have.
As a result of this, we would like to thank our sponsors and people who made donations and their continued support by providing funds and services to enable us to partake in the competition. It has shown companies and people’s enthusiasm towards engineering and STEM projects in schools.
Over the 12 days that we were away, the first 4 was spent competing in the F1 in Schools 2016 World Finals. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We landed in Texas on Friday 14th October, where we were greeted by our German team mates who had arrived a day before. It was great meeting them in person after working with them for 3 months. F1 in Schools organised a visit to the Austin Texas Capitol building where we learnt about how they pass all the bills of the state. At the end of this amazing visit we were served a Texas style BBQ lunch. This gave us an opportunity to have conversations between teams from all across the world, sharing contact details and discussing the possible outcomes of the competition!
In the afternoon, we began our Pit-Display construction which had a 2 hour time constraint to finish assembling and preparing our displays. During this time we were also assessed by the judges on our teamwork skills, as well as keeping an eye out for the health and safety risks.
On the Sunday, we had critical rule fixing in the morning. On our car, two of the front wheels had to be changed. In the afternoon, after the Opening Ceremony, we competed in our first timed races. These races did not include reaction times and was based purely on the speed of the car.
On Monday, we had Team Pit Interviews with David Croft (Sky Sports TV Commentator), commonly known as Crofty. We explained what we had on our pit display and why we chose to show it. This was broadcast on the F1 in Schools live stream, alongside all the other pit display interviews, so we were very nervous beforehand.
After this, we then had to hurry to the top of the hotel, where we gave our verbal presentation to a panel of judges, this was hosted in one of the Hyatt’s luxury hotel rooms!
For the remainder of the afternoon we competed in the reaction races. The times we achieved during this were used to see us into the knockout races. Unfortunately we raced against a very good car and we were knocked out in the first round.
As the competition went on, our car designers and manufacturers attended the technical engineering talk. We believe that this and the verbal presentation went very well. In the last few hours of the competition, we had completed all that we needed to, and already knocked out from the races, we decided to use our free time to enjoy Texas whilst we were there.
On Wednesday, we had a trip out to the local Jaguar Land Rover garage, organised by Jaguar Land Rover for all the UK teams who were competing this year. The staff there gave us a tour of their dealership as well as their car servicing garage. This was amazing, seeing all the nice cars lined up in rows, it was made extra special as we got to rev the engine of a Jaguar F-Type!
We arrived back at the Hyatt, as it was the final day of the competition, we had to attend the Awards Ceremony and Dinner. The Ceremony took place in the evening, where we all sat and had dinner before the awards were given out and broadcast to the internet. During the ceremony we were nominated runners up for the Best Team Sportsmanship Award, but furthermore, we received the award for Best International Collaboration, sponsored by Shell.
As part of our trip, organised by F1 in Schools, we were also given a tour round the Track at the Circuit Of The Americas, with a stop at the top of the famously known Turn 1 for group photos! This was truly a spectacular moment. It was also here where we took the iconic group photo of Turn 1 with the start grid and pit lane in the background. After the photos and the tour round the track, we then pulled into the Pits for our Pit lane walk. This is where we got to see the teams setting up their race cars ready for the weekend. We also witnessed them doing some practice pit-stops, with sneak peeks of the drivers!
To conclude our F1 in Schools trip to Austin Texas, we received tickets to experience the Grand Prix Live for whole of the race weekend. The atmosphere at the track during the race weekend was unforgettable and so was the race itself!
As all good things, our trip had to come to an end, as we headed back home last week and landed at London Heathrow on Tuesday to be met by the refreshingly cold English weather.
Now that we are back from Texas, we would like to host an event for our sponsors to thank them for their help and show them our display as well as celebrate the successes of our team over the past four years of competing in the F1 in Schools competitions. A following newsletter will be posted at a later date with the details for the event.
Thank you again for supporting our team and making this trip possible for us. We are all extremely grateful.
A special mention in this term’s blog to Faith Oloniyan, 12A. Faith has been a superb addition to the cooking club: she has attended at lunchtimes and after school to help staff prepare resources for the students and she is a great support to the younger students.
Staff have said that Faith’s help has been invaluable. She was also a great support on Open evening in the Food room, where it was very full on. Well done Faith!
YR 12 SUBJECT FAIR
Last month’s Year 12 subject fair was held in the hall at WGSG. This was an incredibly busy event for our current Year 11’s, numerous stalls were on display showing off subjects. It was an extremely useful tool in helping the Year 11’s decide which A-levels to take in Year 12. WG6 ambassadors were on hand to offer valuable insight and information to aid students with their A Level choices. Many thanks to all our subject ambassadors for making this event such a success.
Product Design students displaying their designs!
The Art stall was very popular!
Jemima offering Textiles advice
Alex and Amy on the popular Psychology stall!
Emily and Natasha, two keen Yr 11’s at the subject fair !
Arkwright Scholarship Trust Awards Ceremony
On the 28th October, Brecon Hoadley 12D and Morgan Fifield 12E, 2 year 12 students from WG6 visited the London IET (Institute of Engineering and Technology) to attend the Arkwright Scholarship Trust Awards Ceremony. Before the start of the Ceremony, students were able to meet their Sponsor’s representatives and other students who had been awarded an Arkwright scholarship.
In the lecture theatre, students were sat in rows next to their Sponsor representatives. This was to enable small groups to go up and receive their Awards. Before the Awards were given out, we had a warm welcome from Pauline Cox, Chairman of Trustees, Arkwright Scholarships Trust. She explained what the Scholarship was about and that they were celebrating their 25th Anniversary and during this time only 5,000 Scholarships had been awarded.
Following this, there were two guest speakers. The first was Mr Robert Hannigan, Director of GCHQ, who spoke to the students about cyber security, and how it’s a growing threat to the Nation. Additionally, we were informed about the Smallpeice Trust, an organisation that arranges courses for students to apply for. This was mentioned as GCHQ provide some of the courses to teach students about cyber security.
The next guest speaker was Andrew Shedden, Composite Design Engineer, Renault Sport Racing, who spoke to the students about the F1 industry, and some of the best ways in which students could have a career in F1, for example F1 in Schools.
Once the guest speakers had finished, the Arkwright Engineering Scholarships were presented. Each Sponsor’s name was called out followed by each of the candidate’s name. Whilst we were walking along the podium our resume was read out, it was very interesting to hear what other students from across the Country had achieved. The images below, are the official photos of Brecon and myself receiving out Scholarships from our Sponsors.
The ceremony was closed by Dr Martin Thomas , Chief Executive, Arkwright Scholarships who praised all this year’s candidates on their achievement. He hopes that companies and people continue to support the great work that the Arkwright Scholarships has done in the past and that it continues for another 25 years.
WG6 EXTERNAL OPEN EVENING
On Wednesday 9th November we saw the Open evening for external students wishing to join WG6 next year. This proved to be a very popular evening with almost 400 external Yr11’s signing in! The evening started with an amazing performance by our Gospel Choir as people were filing into the hall, once all seated Mrs Lodge introduced the evening and gave a talk, this was followed by Mrs Jackman, Head at the boys site. Madi and Jake, Head Boy and Girl at the Girls site gave an amazing joint speech and really sold WG6 to the audience! Finally Mrs Tiddy, Head of WG6, extold the virtues of our wonderful sixth form!
If you have any photos, videos or blogs that you would like to share with the WG6 community, please share them with us by emailing to sahalstead@wgsg.co.uk
