The Trials of the Fifth-Formers Jessie Dunbar
Jessie was born on the 27th of June 1907 and joined the School as a Foundationer in 1916. In her Upper Sixth Year, 1924 – 25, she was Head Girl. She left in July 1925.
Half an hour, half an hour, Half an hour onwards, All in the throes of exams, Plung’d the Fifth-Formers, “Forward you mathematician, Charge for the top position!” Into the throes of exams, Plung’d the Fifth-Formers. Questions to right of them. Questions to left of them. Questions surrounding them, Volley’d and thunder’d: Theirs but to make reply, Theirs to give reasons why, Theirs to answer and sigh. Harrass’d Fifth-Formers. Flashed all their pen-nibs bare, Flashed as they wrote with care, Answering questions there, Silence reigning rare, while All the school wondered, Their hands with ink they soak, Groan over pencils “broke”, Describing historical folk, As they plunge onwards.
Papers to right of them, Papers to left of them, Papers around them, Blotted and scribbled, Writing declensions in Latin, Giving the English for “matin”, What is the French for “sat in”? Trembling Fifth-Formers. When will their memory fade? O the wild guesses they made! All the staff wondered. When will their labours cease? When will they earn some peace? Not till exams are passed! Not till their hopes are dashed! Pity the Fifth-Formers.
Based on “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (1854) (With apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson!)
Photographer’s Credits: Jason Lock - Pages 10, 31, 46-47, 48, 81, 82-83, 116-117, 139. Cover artwork: Christian Matthews, Year 11
IN THE BEGINNING... MANCHESTER DISTRICT SCHOOLS FOR ORPHANS &c. OF WAREHOUSEMEN AND CLERKS To Warehousemen and Clerks, We respectfully call upon all of you to render what aid you can in the founding of schools for orphan and necessitous children of men of your own class; a successful issue to what has been already so well begun will be highly honourable to all engaged in it, and very beneficial to the bereaved and unfortunate; all that is now required to work out such an issue is your hearty co-operation. In this matter you all have a sacred duty to perform; those of you who may be so circumstanced as to render it improbable that your own children may ever need the shelter of the schools, will remember that the strong should help the weak, and that “it is more blessed to give than to receive”... We renew our entreaty for the co-operation of all, so that we may establish an institution worthy of the cause in which we are engaged.
Signed, by order of the Committee, EZEKIEL BROWNE, Chairman. BRITON RICHARDSON, Secretary.
22, ST ANN’S SQUARE, MANCHESTER, October 24th, 1854
04 INTRODUCTION 08 AUTUMN 44 WINTER 82 SPRING 116 SUMMER
THE WACONIAN 2015
FROM THE EDITOR “ Spring, if it lingers more than a week beyond its span, starts to hunger for summer to end the days of perpetual promise. Summer in its turn soon begins to sweat for something to quench its heat, and the mellowest of autumns will tire of gentility at last, and ache for a quick sharp frost to kill its fruitfulness. Even winter - the hardest season, the most implacable dreams, as February creeps on, of the flame that will presently melt it away.” Clive Barker, The Hellbound Heart This year I wanted to make some changes to the structure of The Waconian; rather than having a section for each of the different areas of school life, I thought it would be interesting to follow the school year season by season. I am very pleased with the result; I hope you agree with me. I was keen once again to include work by students who have not written for the magazine before and I am grateful to both students and staff for their contributions. The magazine contains the usual glimpses into our trips, musical and artistic activities, team sports and charity work and I hope that I have given you an idea of what goes on inside the classroom too. You will also find articles on the achievements of individual students in sport, music and charity work and interviews with some new teachers to show you how they tick. For the first time I have included a piece by an old Waconian, Fleur Yearsley, who writes about the influence the School had on her development and what she has achieved since she left. I have been amazed every year by the willingness of all the members of the CHS community to help me out by writing, finding pictures and giving me new ideas for articles and I could not put the magazine together without this support. The most fascinating aspect of being Editor is the opportunity it gives me to work with people I
have little contact with in my normal working day and to see what goes on in parts of the school I rarely ventured into before. I am grateful to Yvonne Lyng, who has worked hard with her Year 5 Team, with the help of four excellent Lower Sixth Formers, to produce some superb Junior School pieces, reflecting the breadth of opportunities and activities enjoyed by our youngest students. This year I left the Junior pages entirely in her hands and I am delighted with the result. This year’s Senior Editorial Team have done me proud once again and not only produced excellent work themselves on a variety of topics but also encouraged younger students to write, pestering them with just the right amount of nagging to get the pieces in on time. Special thanks to Anna Chippendale, who was nominally in charge of Music but who wrote very well about other topics too; to Euan Chew-Graham and Sally MacAlister who came up with lots of great ideas and also appear in several sections; to Harry Firmston and Kate Watson who have made the articles on sport more varied and interesting than ever before; to Komal Amar who wrote very well on a variety of topics; and to Serena Thanigasalam who volunteered to work on the Junior and Senior Teams and did an excellent job on both.
Many thanks to Tim Hudson for finding many of the pictures to brighten up the writing; to Kay Moore for advice on school history and the First World War; to Emily de Vere for collating the magnificent artwork; to Adam Hall for introducing me to QR codes and sorting out the A Level Music compositions; and to Paul Hartley of Ingenious Creative in Macclesfield for his wonderful design ideas; he turns my articles and pictures into such beautiful pages and shows me sometimes how my ideas will not work as well as his with tact and good humour. The most difficult aspect of being Editor is deciding what to leave out and this year I spent a few days in June making some cuts which were even more painful than usual; I am really sorry not to have been able to include everything. I hope that you will enjoy reading the work of the students and staff of Cheadle Hulme School in The Waconian 2015 and that you will catch a glimpse of what makes our school such a special place. Judith Shand, Editor
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THE SENIOR EDITORIAL TEAM ARE...
ANNA CHIPPENDALE
ESME HEDLEY
EUAN CHEW-GRAHAM
EVE YIANNI
HARRY FIRMSTON
HOLLY CARTLEDGE
JOHN HOWARD
KATE SHIELDS
KATE WATSON
KOMAL AMAR
SALLY MACALISTER
THE WACONIAN 2015
THE JUNIOR EDITORIAL TEAM ARE...
HANNAH BARLOW
CAITY LYNG
SERENA THANIGASALAM
OLIVIA WATKINSON
JACOB ATKINSON
GRACE BROWN
ZACH FOSTER
MATTHEW GRIFFIN
NOAH JUPE
ROSIE RICHARDSON
BEN SHARPE
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FROM THE JUNIOR EDITOR From little acorns, mighty oaks grow‌ This phrase often came to mind as material for the Junior section of The Waconian was selected and collated. Indeed, as the writing from each year group was submitted, it became apparent that the meaning behind these words is embodied within every page of this magazine; a publication written almost entirely by the students themselves, celebrating School life from Reception to Year 13. Once again I am extremely proud of the Junior School contribution and it has been a pleasure to have worked with this year’s Editorial Team. Always smiling and enthusiastic, they have volunteered their spare time, juggled extra-curricular commitments and worked on pieces at home in order to manage their workload and meet the deadlines. In the true spirit of The Waconian, the children decided upon many of the areas to be included and were subsequently given responsibility for researching and writing their own pieces. The honesty, simplicity and occasional quirkiness that results
from this autonomy is I believe what makes them so special. Indeed, the sheer variety of themes covered in the magazine not only provides an insight into the busy and vibrant Junior Curriculum and the high standards our children achieve, be it in an academic, sporting or creative sense, but also reveals something extraordinary about the character of the students at CHS: their energy and determination and their sense of adventure and positivity. And perhaps above all their contributions are a powerful reminder of the massive amount of potential and promise that exists within the School. Mighty oaks in the making‌ Yvonne Lyng, Junior Editor
THE WACONIAN 2015
“ I ate breakfast in the kitchen by candle-light, and then drove the five miles to the station through the most glorious October colouring. The sun came up on the way, and the swamp maples and dogwood glowed crimson and orange and the stone walls and cornfields sparkled with hoar frost; the air was keen and clear and full of promise.� Jean Webster, Daddy-Long-Legs (1912)
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THE WACONIAN 2015
BRIDGEWATER HALL Anna Chippendale, Lower Sixth There’s something so unique about performing at Bridgewater Hall. It’s the one opportunity in the academic year to perform in front of the whole school – sure, you can perform in assemblies (or even end of term assemblies), but that’s still only in front of one part of the school. Bridgewater Hall is the solitary event in the year where everyone from the smallest Year Seven to the oldest Upper Sixth plus teachers and parents alike all sit like sardines in that grand auditorium, listening to and watching the speeches and performances that make CHS so special. At Bridgewater Hall, individual successes are highlighted and group achievements celebrated. It’s an event where students can be proud of their school and all the things we’ve achieved over the past academic year, collectively.
Our performance of ‘Consider Yourself’ from Oliver actually went off without a hitch! Everyone sang in tune, everyone bobbed in time (I have to hand it to Mrs Fowler for somehow managing to get forty-odd students to stand in a straight line and bob in time with the music) and the memorable spoon dance (my favourite part) was spot on. We may have received some strange looks from our peers when we started clanging spoons together as we danced across the stage, but it was worth it in the end.
This year was, I have to say, the most flawlessly executed Bridgewater Hall event I’ve been to in my six years at Cheadle. CHS pulled out all the stops with that London Underground theme and I have to applaud the creativity that went into the presentations, the overhead announcements, (“Now arriving at: enabling the future”), and, of course, the abundance of travel metaphors subtly slotted into the Head Girl and Head Boy’s speech - a particular favourite of mine was when they referred to the Upper Sixth as “the future inter-railers”. This year, I spent my whole day off at Bridgewater Hall for the fourth year in a row. Although in Year 10 it seemed like the worst thing EVER to have to sacrifice my lie-in to go and rehearse on that sacred day of rest, it’s now “the norm” for me. And I actually love it. Call me crazy, but there’s nothing quite as liberating as performing - even if you have to wear makeshift costumes that are five sizes too big (I actually had to tie a scarf around my waist this year because the dress had as much shape to it as a bin bag) and dance around in front of your whole school. Performing can be daunting, yes, but it can also leave you feeling on cloud nine when you exit the stage. That’s why I do it.
Bridgewater Hall is one of those evenings when you are able to appreciate fully everything that goes on at our great school, and – hopefully – you are inspired to try something new. I understand singing and dancing (and Musical Theatre in general) aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but what about all the sports teams that do so well? Or Cheadle’s many bands and orchestras that play such phenomenal pieces at every concert throughout the year? The multitude of extracurricular activities on offer is definitely one of the best things about our school, so why not take advantage of it and try something new? You never know, it could be you performing at Bridgewater Hall next year.
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Year 9 Art & Design Trip to Stockley Farm, Cheshire The Art Department The coursework theme for the Art and Design students in Year 9 was ‘Animals’. Stockley Farm specialises in ‘hands-on’ experiences for all the family, ranging from bottle feeding the baby goats and lambs to grooming the ponies, going on wildlife safaris and cuddling the rabbits and guinea pigs in Pets Corner. The two coaches, fully laden with 98 Year 9 students and six members of staff, set off after morning registration to study the animals from primary source. The three groups spent the day observing, drawing and photographing a vast range of domesticated animals in their natural environment. Horses, pigs, cows and goats were drawn in sketchpads in the ‘field’, close-up observation was experienced in the barn enclosures and birds of prey were analytically scrutinised in a natural setting. Lunch was a welcome break and gave students the opportunity to ‘replenish and water’ before tackling another set of lively farm animals. Work back in the studio, incorporating a variety of art references, has been developed into ceramic sculpture, textile designs and abstract painting ideas. Overall, a fantastic day out with a vast amount of research and an eclectic range of final ideas produced by the Art and Design students, over the year, in the studios.
STOCKLEY FARM – THE STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE Nikta Rokni, Year 9 On the 9th October all the students in Year 9 who had opted for Art and Design went on a trip around Stockley Farm. At the farm we went around in groups, sketching and drawing outlines of many of the fascinating animals, such as goats, cows, horses, birds of prey and many more.
We went on the trip to collect primary source photos of the farm animals and also to have the experience of drawing animals from life. We first visited the goats, horses and pigs, then my group and I went to see the hens, rabbits and cows in the barn, where we took many photos and
sketched the animals. Lastly, after we had had our lunch and a chance to have a break, we went to see the birds of prey and the horses. Overall, we all had an excellent day at Stockley Farm and would like to thank all the Art teachers and staff who made it possible for us to go on this trip.
THE WACONIAN 2015
ART TRIP TO LEEDS AND THE TEMPLE MUSEUM Milly Brooks and Mie Pettit, Lower Sixth For our Lower Sixth Art trip we went to see a Grayson Perry exhibition at Temple Newsam House in Leeds, to help us get a greater understanding of the eccentric character that is Grayson Perry. Head of Art Mr Yearsley was very keen for us to see the tapestries as this ties into our coursework, the theme of which is ‘Identity’. The highlight of the trip was the commentary of the tapestries by a man with a very strong Birmingham accent, which was rather funny to say
the least. The exhibition contained six exuberant tapestries, named ‘The Vanity of Small Differences’, which recount the class journey of the fictional character Tim Rakewell. Grayson Perry comments: “ The tapestries tell the story of class mobility, for I think nothing has as strong an influence on our aesthetic taste as the social class in which we grow up.”
These artworks were inspired by the popular Channel 4 documentary ‘All in the Best Possible Taste with Grayson Perry’. As all of the Art set had previously watched the documentary, we found it very interesting to see how the experiences that were shown had translated into a real life tapestry.
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YEAR 11 GCSE ART AND DESIGN TRIP Blue Planet Aquarium – Ellesmere Port The Art Department The theme for this year’s GCSE Art and Design coursework project was ‘Undersea Forms’. Assessment Objective 1 at GCSE Level is gathering information, so the Year 11 students were asked to draw from life, photograph and gather primary source information at Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. The Aquarium is an incredible voyage of discovery through the underwater world. It has everything from freshwater lakes and streams to rocky shores and stunning coral reefs on display. At the heart of the Aquarium is the extraordinary Caribbean Reef, complete with its long underwater tunnel to wow visitors. There is a huge variety of species including stingrays, sharks and a collection of amphibians too. The Painting, Textile and Ceramic groups were asked, initially, to get ‘acquainted’ with the layout of the Aquarium in groups before spending
the morning taking photographs of the colourful, textural and eclectic forms of the underwater creatures. After a welcome lunch break, the afternoon was spent sketching and drawing in sketchpads. Mr Yearsley, Miss Craig and Miss Baker from the Art Department kept a close eye on proceedings and assisted with drawing skills and photographic technicalities. Work has been developed back in the studio and students have gone on to produce work sheets, artist references and final products in the three specialist areas. Canvas paintings in oils, textile designs on the mannequins and large ceramic sculptures are just a few of the many outcomes inspired by the visit to the Blue Planet Aquarium. Overall a great day out and the projects will be viewed at the GCSE, AS and A2 Summer Art and Design Exhibition.
THE WACONIAN 2015
THE CHARITY HIKE Thomas Barber, Lower Sixth As the morning of Sunday 6th October drew on, a growing crowd was gathering in Poynton Train Station’s sleepy car park. There were the sensibly dressed; those with walking boots, a rolled-up waterproof coat and a rucksack with four separate water bottles hanging from the holsters, and a thermos flask for good measure. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Duke of Edinburgh hopefuls were Year 10s decked out in psychedelic pinks and greens and newcomer Year 7s in hoodies and trainers. But we were the ones that stood out. Standing separate from the pack, a cluster of Sixth Formers huddled around the Pope. To his right, an Arab fumbled with a moustache that would have accentuated the fancy dress, had it not kept falling off. To his left, a Cardinal stood tall, reading Holy Scripture from the weather-worn pages of an old tome, as hymns were sung all around. Okay, not really. But a gaggle of sixteen year olds trekking through Higher Poynton listening to an excerpt from a footballer’s autobiography, read off an iPad as rap played through a speaker, made interesting viewing for the resident elderly doddering out of Sunday morning church. And the walk had begun. We started in a tight group. As we wound our way over the railway bridge, spirits were high. I swigged a shot of lemonade from a bottle on my bag, not knowing how precious the sugar would prove later on. We crossed over small roads, waving at a friend of ours who left our year behind. We turned and trekked onwards towards Higher Poynton, past the playing fields of Poynton High and into the woods known by the residents as The Coppice. A picturesque scene lay ahead of us, the dense green woods and the gentle bubbling of a stream, sunlight dappled in the canopy and the small stones beneath our
feet were a perfect grey. But we are teenagers, so this bored us fast. The speaker changed tone, and rap gave way to the classics. I wonder what the birds thought about this train of people entering their woods with their terrible karaoke renditions of Queen and Take That. I knew all the words. Eventually, the forest became the Middlewood Way, a long bike, horse and, as I now christen it, Pope path that reached all through Poynton and beyond. As we strode along it, spirits still soaring and the sweets being passed around, a cameraman was waiting for us to pass by in the old railway station, now part of the picturesque track. If you look on the School’s website, you can see the pictures there. I’m in one, though just my elbow. I reckon they cropped me out. Still, can’t be helped. As we trod the mud into our boots, our first checkpoint came into view. One staircase later, and we were queuing by the entrance to the canal, getting our numbers ticked off on a sheet so they knew that they hadn’t lost anyone. Those that had passed the test took the opportunity for a rest stop, treating us to some more “scripture”, though the speaker had since been given up on. As we walked along the side of the canal, admiring the barges and houseboats that called it home, I drained the last of my lemonade and threw the bottle into a bin we passed. “Hey, I know that shop. They do very good ice cream there,” I said to nobody in particular as we passed a small green hut with a few chairs outside it. The cloudless day had attracted a few patrons to the café, and our Pope nodded his blessings at one as we passed. The entourage, though a few of us had decided to take the longer route at the rest stop rather than walk the fifteen kilometres, kept on going. We talked and joked and meandered our way up along the canal, naming our own fictitious boats and
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chuckling at those we could see. But the canal soon gave way to mud, and a tight track branched off over a slightly age-worn stile and past fields of cows. At this point, I started to wish I had saved some lemonade as it struck me we had covered five of our fifteen, maybe even six, but we weren’t out of the woods yet. Metaphorically speaking. But then the trees fell away, the stinging nettles crawled back and we were rewarded with a view of where we had come from. I spent a minute standing and staring at it, leaning on a stick to complete the image of an intrepid adventurer. My stumbling half-run when I realised the rest of the group hadn’t stopped to admire the scenery, and had picked that moment to go down a mud-bogged and large-rocked hillock, was less intrepid. I even lost my stick.
They spliced themselves into each other, becoming just one long field running parallel to a stream. I emptied the last of my water bottle over my head, thinking mistakenly we had maybe a kilometre to go, that we could be back at school and sipping tea presently. In hindsight, a small amount of practice before we set out on the walk might have helped. But we made it in the end, and as we dragged ourselves into Claremont Road car park and to the steps of Holden Hall, we felt relief. And we knew that the money we raised by doing this, doing the Charity Hike, was for a good cause. And one that hit home stronger than ever this year, the money given to the British Heart Foundation in memory of Harry Dubois.
The rest stop at eight kilometres was a well-deserved break. They had juice, a place to sit and chocolate biscuits; though I think the Cardinal pilfered those. We sat in a circle, sipping our drinks and sharing our snacks and congratulating ourselves on the work done so far. One or two of the group dropped out, saying that they wished they could keep going but the homework mounted up, and they needed to go and finish those questions for such and such, or that Mister Whatsisname from History wanted this essay on that thing by tomorrow morning. I kept on, and only when the rest stop had gone from view did the idea that, had I kept my lemonade bottle, I could have filled it with juice, spring to mind. Too late now, we were moving. At this point, I had no idea where we were. Country lanes and fields all merged into one, and soon we found ourselves walking on main roads again. I took that as a sign we were approaching school. I was wrong. The roads kept coming, and the steps, though each and every one felt rewarding, got harder. The group had members dropping out all the time, and there were only so many funny anecdotes to go around. But we knew why we were doing this, so we persevered. The chocolate had dried up at the rest stop, and I had drained my Starburst rations. By the time we made our next checkpoint, Mrs Hayes and Mrs Leonard standing in a field, we were too tired to throw a Frisbee. Next; fields.
THE CHARITY HIKE – A YEAR 9 PERSPECTIVE! Nina Morton, Phoebe Cooper, Zara Ashraf and Jade Ashraf, Year 9. The Charity Hike is an annual event where hundreds of children across all year groups dress up and walk 15 or 20 kilometres through Poynton and Lyme Park. Every year its aim is to raise money for a different charity; this year the Hike was in aid of the British Heart Foundation in memory of Harry Dubois, a much-loved pupil of Cheadle Hulme School. A group of five of us did 15 kilometres dressed in tutus, tie dye tops and luminous rave paint to raise money and show our support. We all stopped at different places on the way: at check points, toilet stops and to check we were still on the right track! We also stopped at a lady’s house for drinks and biscuits. With the help of a map to direct us we walked through Poynton, Hazel Grove, Cheadle Hulme and Cheadle. Unfortunately our group got lost a few times and even got chased by horses! But it was all part of the adventure. It was great fun and we managed to do it in under five hours, even though we ran the last quarter of a mile! We really enjoyed it and would like to say a big well done to everyone who participated and for all the money raised.
THE WACONIAN 2015
GILL & TIM vs. ENGLAND Tim Hudson (External Relations) and his wife, Gill Sparling In the summer of 2014 my wife and I cycled the length of England for Mind - The Mental Health Charity. Gill bought her first bike in February of the same year, at which point I had only had mine for little over twelve months. Neither of us had done any long-distance cycling before. Neither of us had ever heard of chamois cream (let alone had any idea what we’d be using it for). However, when we were planning our summer holiday that year, we knew we wanted to challenge ourselves, to cultivate our sense of adventure and our love of the outdoors, and raise money for a great cause in the process. 662 miles, 14 days cycling and £1,155 later and we’d done it, cycling from the most southerly point in England (Lizard Point in Cornwall) to the most northerly (Marshall Meadows Bay in Northumberland), raising an unprecedented amount for Mind to support their work in Ecotherapy. CYCLING ENGLAND: THE ROUTE Planning a long-distance cycle route which seemingly isn’t regularly ridden (at least, we failed to find anybody else on Google who’d done the route) is almost as mammoth a task as the route itself. Questions abound when thinking of cycling from Lizard Point to Marshall Meadows Bay; How many days do we have? How many miles a day can we handle? Where shall we stay? How do we avoid going uphill?!! However, we found that planning something bespoke, rather than the usual, well-documented long-distance routes, actually became part of the adventure. Choosing those places in the country which mean something to us, those places we’d never seen before and finding a way to build in some friends along the way made the planning all the more exciting. Here are some glimpses of our journey:
Padstow
BLOG: gandtvsengland.wordpress.com
START
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FINISH
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If you go downhill fast enough then you may even catch a breeze to cool down momentarily. Having said that, coming into Padstow, although downhill, was just too beautiful to go quickly. We’ve never taken longer on a descent!
DURHAM
Selby
Belper
Stow-on-the-Wold
Bath Glastonbury
TRURO TO PADSTOW Gill here, gate-crashing the blog! I think we took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in the south of France by accident. 33 degrees pushing 34 is something we hadn’t incorporated into training. However, with plenty of water and sun cream stops and a shower at the end to scrub off all the sweat and dead flies, it actually made the adventure all the more enjoyable.
BATH TO STOW-ON-THE-WOLD Gill here again… Now then, just so you don’t think this was easy, let me share the fact that I have broken out in spots like a sweaty teenager, my knees are beginning to feel like an 80 year-old’s, I have no clean clothes left and I now understand, albeit too late, why our friend Joe advised us to buy chamois cream! Having said all that, we’ve had a lot to enjoy today too and it has been, thankfully, cooler – even with some welcome drizzle. Leaving Bath after a leisurely breakfast with last night’s warm and friendly hosts, we had some steep climbs to tackle near Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill. According to Google, this isn’t the steepest gradient we’ve done but there must be some sort of equation like gradient over length to mean that it’s the hardest. But, as always, the effort made for stunning views back down into the city and beyond. Eventually we got on to the Fosse Way, an old Roman road that linked Exeter to Lincoln and crosses the River Thames. These days it’s a long track of loose scree that made us feel like Elliot in ET, slaloming around one pothole at speed only to bounce over the next, feeling our bottoms leave the seat and our wheels skid and crunch through the stones. We’re not quite as nifty or brave as Elliot though, plus we didn’t have a dying alien in our basket, so we took it a tad slower and possibly didn’t look quite as cool. So, on we cycled through THREE countiesAvon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. That’s 55 miles of a fair bit of up and down, broken up by Cirencester’s pointy-gabled, stone buildings and several tucked away hamlets consisting of thatched houses where, if you lifted the roof off, I’m sure you’d find cubes of country fudge inside. The landscape is slowly but noticeably changing for us again. We’ve seen hayfields a-plenty before but today they lined either side of our route for miles. They’re the colour of bread dough, some slightly golden like you’ve opened the oven too soon. Some fold into each other as though being kneaded, some stretch out flat like they’re waiting for their pizza topping and some gently rise
and curve away like they’re resting on a work surface in the moist warmth of the day… DURHAM TO ALNWICK A day of variety; cities and coasts, old and new, peaceful lanes and busy roads, beautiful sunshine one minute and lashing down the next. But the rain had gusto which brought with it adrenaline and lots of fun as we “Woo-hooed!” through the puddles. Leaving Durham was a hilly start that our bed heads weren’t quite ready for but the lovely views across fields back to the castle and cathedral soon woke us up. Regardless, we couldn’t have stayed blurry-eyed for long; freewheeling down the hills at full pelt and flying up the other side, until momentum slowly dwindled, was like Blackpool’s The Big One, where you just hope to God the ride doesn’t break down before you reach the top. Very soon we spotted the Angel of the North in the distance as we rode through a few suburbs and, before we knew it, it was right in front of us. Similarly, only a few miles on and we were suddenly riding over the Tyne Bridge in bustling Newcastle. Finally, the sea came into view, slowly rising up from behind sand dunes as we rode uphill along the coast for a well-earned lunch break overlooking the waves, which we hadn’t seen since Padstow. Gill’s knees were getting a bit grumpy for the last few miles but a long stretch of beautiful coastal path took her mind off it and then lovely Warkworth Castle and village eased us along and into the familiar, much-loved Alnwick. Round every corner today we’ve been looking for a rainbow but it proved elusive until we arrived here in Alnwick, where it shone boldly, saying: “One day to go!” THANK YOU. OVER AND OUT Some people cover the miles we’ve done twice as fast, some do it slower. Some do a lot further, some do shorter. Some cycle, some may rather swim or walk or climb or run. Some people camp, some B&B it, like us. Some carry tons, some get sherpas to carry it for them, others just smell…like us! However you do it and whatever personal challenge you do, it’s an adventure that is unquestionably enjoyable. Whether you sweat blood and tears to achieve it or do it more leisurely and luxuriously, the sense of achievement is worth every metre or mile, every pound (£ or lb) and every swear word… Many people have told us that they’re proud of us. That certainly adds to the sensational feeling of achievement and is wonderful to hear. The best thing of all, though, is being proud of yourself.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Volunteer Uganda Leanne Curl, Economics Department
Volunteer Uganda is a simply amazing organisation. Their primary aim is to support schools and communities in the Kanungu District of Uganda. Working alongside CHIFCOD for the past 20 years, they have been successful in helping to found four primary schools, a secondary school and a college. My decision to spend six weeks in Uganda was not easy – I had concerns about the fact that I would be travelling alone, that I’d have no access to hot water, very little access to electricity and such amenities, and would eat not much other than posho and rice for the entire duration. I can honestly say that to go was the best decision I have ever made.
When first arriving in Uganda, we spent a few days in Kampala (the capital) and then travelled to Jinja where I was able to white water raft down the river Nile and bungee jump over the river – two truly terrifying experiences! From our very first outing in Kampala, it became very clear how interesting the local people found us Mzungus (white people). A typical day involved children running down the hill screaming ‘Mzungu! Mzungu!’, and adults coming over in the street to say ‘Agandi’ (hello) and have a chat. No matter where we were or what time of day it was, we were always met with a huge smile and heartfelt welcome.
18-19 I remember being struck by the huge difference between Uganda and the western world. Whilst there, I never heard any locals moan about anything, even when life was at its hardest. Women carry kilos of weight on their heads, whilst also carrying a small baby in a sling on their back. Children make footballs out of sandwich bags filled with dirt or carrier bags tied together. Whether it is hot or cold people dress the same. You are incredibly lucky if you have shoes in Uganda. People walk for miles, regardless of age. Children do chores like collecting water and firewood. People eat to survive, and not for enjoyment. These many differences are what made me fall in love with the country. All of these people have little or nothing but genuinely love their lives and are grateful for whatever they have. Whilst over there I volunteered on the organisation’s core programme. This involved teaching primary school children, working on the community HIV outreach programme and leading a range of extra-curricular activities. I was lucky enough to spend some time teaching in two different schools. The first, Kirima Parents Primary School, is one of the organisation’s flagship schools and is where I taught Maths, English and Science lessons each day to some of the most inspiring young people I have ever met. When I arrived, the Headmaster called an assembly outside the school with all of the classes lined up in front of their teacher. He then asked one of the students to lead a song and the whole school erupted into song and dance. It was amazing! The classrooms in both schools are very different from those here at CHS. I am used to planning my lessons using ICT, having a plethora of resources to hand in my classroom and of course the use of the Internet. Whilst in Uganda, my classroom had benches with up to ten students on each, and only a piece of cloth separated one classroom from another. The roof was made of tin so when it rained it was impossible to hear a word anyone said! My resources were quite simply a blackboard and chalk, and a real challenge was to try and bring the Ugandan curriculum to life using only these two things. I needn’t have worried about this though; the students are so engaged, so enthusiastic and very eager to please. I wouldn’t have even finished getting my question out and the students would literally be hanging off their seats with their hands straight up in the air, shouting ‘Teacher!!’ to try and get me to choose them to answer! The second school I taught in was called Kirima Kindergarten. I didn’t know it at the time, but this school was to become very close to my heart. For three weeks we undertook a Summer School programme, which students from all the schools in the area were invited to come to. I had class P3, with students aged from 7-12 years old in my class of 35 people. Each day we learnt about different countries of the world. We decorated the classroom with face portraits of each of the students and a family tree made up of cut-outs of everybody’s hands. The dull and depressing grey walls soon turned into a place filled with joy and laughter. Every time I think about teaching my class how to sing ‘One Direction’ or doing wake up shake up to ‘Waka Waka’, I can’t help but smile. One of the best things about going to Uganda was meeting Jaron. He is 12 years old, and one of the most inspirational people I have met. Jaron was in my P3 class
at Kirima Kindergarten, and went to a local school which was unfortunately quite corrupt. From day one I was captured by his infectious smile and unwavering positive attitude. I soon learnt that he lived with his mother and sister, and that his two older brothers lived away with his father so that they could earn some money for the family. His house was like nothing I have ever seen before. It was around 4x3 metres, stone cold and had one bedroom for the three of them. Having developed such a strong connection with this little boy, I decided that I would like to sponsor him to go to school. I drew up a contract and went to visit his mother to explain my intentions and I can’t even begin to describe how thankful they were. His mother gave me three pineapples as a gift to say thank you. I know this may seem odd, but they are very expensive for the locals to buy and I was therefore honoured to receive them. I told Jaron that he could go to whichever school he wanted, and I was delighted that he chose Kirima Kindergarten where he had been attending the Summer School. Buying his uniform and seeing his face when he tried it on made me feel proud to be able to make a little bit of difference to this incredible young man. He has settled in better than I could have expected and came first in his class in the end of year examinations! I was very fortunate to be able to take part in lots of excursions whilst I was in Uganda. We visited Lake Bunyoni for a weekend, which was beautiful. We canoed across the lake in a hollowed-out tree trunk whilst others swam across the river. We went on safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park and saw elephants, lions, baboons and hippos. One of the highlights of the trip, though, has to be gorilla trekking. Being one metre from a silverback gorilla was not what I was expecting! Baby gorillas were lying in the trees and swinging around as if showing off to us. It was very surreal! There is so much more to Uganda than this snapshot of my time. I can honestly say that it is one of the most beautiful countries I have had the pleasure of visiting. The experience has made the most incredible memories and I was able to share them with a group of people who have become very good friends. It was truly unforgettable.
THE WACONIAN 2015
. t . . c A g The Jugglin Sarah Jackson, Lower Sixth Between school, hockey and windsurfing, days on the sofa are becoming increasingly scarce, but would I change it? I wouldn’t change it for the world! Yes, my life might be hectic and finding time to fit everything in is a challenge, but I love what I do, so why should I stop? People that know me often ask how my windsurfing is going and, until very recently, this has been a tricky question for me, as after being a part of the British Squad in 2011/2012, I made the decision to give up the Olympic Pathway in favour of my studies. This wasn’t an easy decision by any means as I had just been asked to move onto the Olympic kit and the Youth Development Programme, but it was one thing too many for me to be travelling to the south coast a minimum of two weekends a month in the winter and every weekend in the summer. But as they say, as one door closes another door opens, and for me my hockey took off. I started doing the JRPC programme and was lucky enough to be selected for the U15 High Performance Assessment Camp representing the North. Hockey had never really been my focus so to get this far was a real shock to me but it made me realise that windsurfing wasn’t the be-all and end-all and my decision to quit didn’t mean my life was over. I began to focus properly on my hockey and it perfectly filled
the gap that windsurfing had left. For the next two years my hockey improved no end and recently I found out that I have been selected for the U17 National Age Groups Academy, which involves representing England at the Sainsbury’s School Games next September. This is a huge opportunity for me but with it the juggling act has begun to reappear as I now have to fit in 17 hours of training on top of trying to do my A-Levels. Having an understanding coach is probably the only thing keeping me going right now and I owe a lot to him for helping me to balance my schedule and keep enjoying it. Recently I have also added the further complication of windsurfing back into the mix. After an inspirational summer involving learning to be a race coach with the current Olympic Squad, and a holiday in Vassiliki, Greece (one of the best spots in Europe), where I was sailing with some of GB’s and the world’s best windsurfers, my love for the sport has been rekindled. What many people don’t realise is that there are two different pathways in windsurfing: the Olympics - what I used to aspire towards and the most commonly known - and The Professional Windsurfing Association (PWA), which is what I am now aiming for, and this is very different from the Olympics. The PWA comprises the three main disciplines of freestyle (tricks), wave sailing (jumps and surfing waves) and slalom.
After starting learning to do freestyle in the summer and seeing how much fun it was, I approached a few companies at the National Watersports Festival in September, two of which agreed to sponsor me! For me this was the start of my journey and later that day I went on to come second in the U17 National Championships! Another new opportunity came in October when I decided to try wave sailing. I went down to my “home break” at Rhosneigr with some friends and took part in a coaching clinic where I was taught the basics – I loved it! I may have been absolutely pummelled but I knew that this was for me! Two weeks later it was the finals of the British Tour in Cornwall and after speaking to some of the other girls on the tour and hours of begging my mum, we decided to go. I was competing in the ladies’ category but within that there were a few U17s. My results in the full ladies weren’t the best but when I came off the water I found out I had come first in the U17s. Not bad for my first competition! The biggest problem I face now is once again trying to balance my love for windsurfing with the reality of the lack of time I actually have to go, whilst still playing hockey to the best of my ability and reaching my goals in that too. Oh and there’s also the element of doing my A-Levels……
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Year 2 Dinosaur Poems Do you know your Brachiosaurus from your Stegosaurus? Your Minmi from your MaiasAura? Year Two do. Read their fabulous Dinosaur similes.
Swoop like a Pterodactyl
Sprint like a Maiasaura
Stretch out like a Brachiosaurus
Defend like a Brachiosaurus
Roar like a Tyrannosaurus
Squash like a Triceratops
Protect like a Maiasaura
Destroy like 2 dinosaurs
Bite like a Triceratops.
Crash like a Triceratops.
Sophia Bandeva
Isobel Davis
Eat like a Brachiosaurus
As small as a Minmi
Destroy like a Tyrannosaurus
As spiky as a Stegosaurus
Defend like a Maiasaura
As fast as a predator
Charge like a Triceratops.
As flappy as a Microraptor.
Martha Walker
Tiago Pullen
As long as a diplodocus
As scary as a T-Rex
As dangerous as a Stegosaurus
As small as a Minmi
As creepy as an Allosaurus
As fierce as an Allosaurus
As small as a Minmi.
As long as a Brachiosaurus.
Ismaeel Latif
Claudia Snell
THE WACONIAN 2015
The Boys Harry Marchington, Max Haughton, Harry Morgan, Year 7 FRIDAY - HARRY On Friday night after a long day at school, I was ready to meet the two Irish boys I was going to be hosting for the weekend. I was excited that I was going to represent my school in a tournament that had been played between our two schools for many years. I felt proud and privileged that I had been given this opportunity to look after my guests and enjoy sharing a fun weekend of rugby. After the boys had settled in a bit at home, we all went out to a local pizza restaurant to get to know each other. Everyone was tired, so an early night was needed. A big breakfast the next morning set us all up for the day ahead. We won all our games that weekend. It was a very enjoyable experience and I feel we all learned a lot about each other. It was good to learn how their school is different from CHS. I enjoyed taking my guests to a firework display on the Saturday evening and was sorry to see them go after the match on Sunday. I really hope we will meet again one day. SATURDAY - MAX I hosted Conor over the weekend. At first he was shy but after we talked and got to know each other better we became good friends. On Saturday we both had matches; we managed to win ours and St.Gerard’s managed to beat Birkenhead. After a long day of tiring rugby, we went home and watched England versus New Zealand. We then watched a firework display because it was Bonfire Night and we also had pizza. I think that it was a great weekend and a tradition that should be kept the same. I really enjoyed hosting Conor and St. Gerard’s, and I hope they keep coming. I hope I have the opportunity to go and visit him in Ireland when we are older. SUNDAY - HARRY I hosted Tom over the weekend. My first impressions of him were that he was tall and looked sporty. My sister thought he looked a bit like Harry Potter. On Sunday it was the big match. Kick-off was 10am. It was an exciting and evenly matched game but Cheadle managed to overpower the opposition and we eventually won with an impressive score of 33-17. This meant that Cheadle retained the title and the Cup from St Gerard’s. After the match, the School hosted refreshments for both teams before the coaches left at 12 noon to take them back to the ferry port to sail to Ireland. Overall, it was a good day and a very memorable weekend.
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The Girls Ellie Seddon, Emily Stonier, Sophie Jones, Year 7 FRIDAY - ELLIE I was desperate to know which of the girls sitting there were coming home with us that evening. St Gerard’s were coming to Cheadle Hulme School for a Cup hockey match. We were both in newly formed hockey teams and couldn’t wait to get on the pitch. I was very nervous that the visitors would be completely different from me and we would have absolutely nothing in common; in fact we had almost everything in common with each other! We had the same number of sisters, were the same age, both loved hockey. It was a very fun and unforgettable weekend! After we got our guests, we went home and we watched a film and I’m sure they enjoyed it! After dinner, we played a fun game of snooker and table tennis in our games room. When it was getting late we headed off to bed, soon dreaming about what we were doing next! SATURDAY - EMILY On the second day of the trip we went to hockey training in the morning. We played some fun games where we mixed with other girls; they were all very friendly. Some of the Cheadle people had a netball match; this was the first time they had ever seen netball. They enjoyed supporting us after they had finished hockey. After this we went home to relax and get changed for going out tenpin bowling. We were in different mixed teams each having three rounds. We had some money so we decided to go to the arcade and have some games there. After bowling we went to the Pointing Dog for a nice meal out. Some other girls joined us with their Irish girls. We dressed up nicely and the girls all sat at one table whilst the mums were at another. Finally this very good day finished! We went home and watched a film but got so tired that we had to turn it off half-way through! We went upstairs and flopped onto the bed and went straight off to sleep. Ready for the next exciting day! SUNDAY - SOPHIE Despite being exhausted after the other busy, exciting days we managed to find enough energy for the last day, when CHS was going to play a hockey match against St Gerard’s in order to try and win the Cup. We already knew that St Gerard’s was a strong team because we had had a training session with them and therefore realized it was going to be a tough match. When we arrived at the astro for the match, each team was very eager to win. After warming up, both of the school’s A and B teams went onto separate pitches and got ready; when the whistle blew, immediately everybody gave it their all and both the matches were packed full of amazing defending and attacking. The A team match ended 2-2 and we had to play extra time! This part was the hardest because we were all so tired and worn out. In the end the A team drew 2-2 and the B team uncannily did too! It was really nice afterwards because both schools went up to the dining room where we were given a delicious plate of sausage and chips followed by a chocolate brownie! Because it was St Gerard’s last day they gave a speech thanking us for having them to stay and then the Captains made speeches. Because the A teams drew in the match, Cheadle and St Gerard’s decided to share the Cup; St Gerard’s got to take it home first. It was really sad when we had to say goodbye because the weekend had been so amazing and everyone was going to really miss each other. Everybody had enjoyed the weekend so much and it was an amazing experience!
THE WACONIAN 2015
THE VOICE WINNING ENTRY IN THE SCHOOL’S FIRST WORLD WAR WRITING COMPETITION Mansi Dhokia, Year 10 He wakes not to an alarm clock but to his name echoing in the screams of a distant memory. His nightmares have been particularly bad, and he’s sweating through his shirt, his breathing ragged and the air uncomfortably warm. His brother’s face is imprinted on his eyelids, and he squeezes them shut, looking for inner calm in order to wash the memories away. “It was your fault, Kai.” The voice is sharp, full of mockery and teasing. It’s genderless and shapeless, and it fills every crevice of his brain, as loud as a thunderstorm, yet it is as quiet as a whisper. Voices had no sense of volume when they were not actually spoken out loud. Perhaps turning inwards wasn’t the best of ideas. Since the accident, he’s been unable to shake off the voice, the constant, persistent little voice. He had been given medication after medication, therapy session after therapy session, and the voice still would not stop. It was like some sort of parasite living inside of him, feeding off his guilt and pain, revelling in the fact that it was gradually destroying his mental health. One doctor had called him ‘psychologically scarred’. Another, less kind, had called him ‘mentally disturbed’. He’d gotten tired of the endless hospitals, the infinite mind games, the constant questioning. The voice wasn’t going away. He’d accepted that. He was seriously messed up. He’d accepted that too. Nothing was ever going to be like before the accident, and he was going to forever have to live with the scars it had given him, but he didn’t want a life confined to some sort of mental patient in a freaking asylum. He could still think. He was still intact, still functioning. So he’d convinced the doctors the voice had gone away, much to its amusement. “You’re as sick as me”,
it had said with glee. “A rotten liar and a crazy one at that. Do you still think you’re sane? What the hell do you think I am if you’re sane?” But he is here now, in a flat that he owns with a job and a life. Hell, he even has a boyfriend, though that is a fairly new development and is unlikely to end well, but he can’t help but be selfish and take a chance on Jian. No one knows the extent of his messed up head, or about the hallucinations or the pain, or the way the voice laughs and jeers and shouts and sings and is always just there. Some days he takes to merely ignoring it. He tries to forget it’s there, and tries to carry on. This almost always results in all the pent-up anger and frustration being released in some violent way by the end of it. Other days, he listens and responds because he’s just not in the mood even to try to ignore it. And there are days like today, where the voice, even just the presence of it, annoys the hell out of him. These are the days when things often went horribly wrong. “Just shut up, okay? I’m not in the mood for this today.” It is odd; he can hear his own voice responding inside his head, so different from the chilling one that haunts him. His voice has emotion, has life. The other is cold and inhuman, like a cruel god who has decided to amuse himself by antagonizing a lowly human. “Well, I personally don’t give a damn about your mood. I’m in the mood for a chat.” There is an imprint of a smile lingering somewhere inside him, but it’s not his smile; instead, some sort of dirty grin. It makes him feel wrong and uncomfortable and he just wants to run away from this unnatural feeling. It makes his skin crawl and his insides itch.
There’s laughing; it’s the maniacal sort, the kind of mad laugh that would chill you to the bone, if you could hear it. But he’s the only one who can, and he’s flustered and irritated, and the laughing seems so loud that his ear drums might burst, even though his ears aren’t hearing anything. He staggers into the bathroom, and it’s so cold; he hadn’t realised how stuffy his bedroom was. His reflection stares at him through the mirror, his dark eyes dull and sunken in, with bags under them. His blue hair is less vibrant than usual; it looks like a sea that’s brewing up a storm rather than a calm ocean. There are spots on his pale face, and scars mangling his skinny arms. He looks down, shivering. “You’re pathetic, you can’t even face your reflection. This is you, in all your glory. This is you, the real you, the one who’s so crazy the shrink couldn’t help you, the one who has a voice in his head that he actually listens to and talks to, the one who was so weak he couldn’t even save……….” “SHUT UP! OKAY? JUST SHUT THE HELL UP! You think I don’t know how ridiculously messed up I am? That I’m a failure and a poor excuse for a human being? That I don’t really deserve to live?” His scream startles him, the words ripped from his throat and into the air. He’d barely been aware he was speaking out loud, but his throat is raw and the air around him is heavy, laden with the dark word of self-hate. “So don’t.” The words are like ice, and they cut through the darkness that is clouding his mind. He wants to live, even if this is the miserable existence that has been given to him. Sure, most of his days are ten times worse than everybody else’s bad days. But that makes him appreciate the good moments so much more. Like the sun rising on a clear morning, or
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the feeling he gets when he makes someone genuinely laugh, or how Jian smiles right before he kisses him. He may not have much to live for.
It sounds shocked, and stung, and he feels a tiny bit triumphant. Because even though it’s still here, he knows that he just needs to keep living, and rattling its cage.
It’s a sadistic little game they play, but he’s just taken his first leap into the air, his angel wings beating at his back, and for the first time, he’s flying away from the devil.
But he has enough. He was once asked to describe what the voice felt like, back when he was fifteen and terrified of it. His words had been: “It’s like those cartoons, where there’s a devil and an angel sitting on your shoulder, one telling you good and one telling you bad, and you have to decide who to listen to and pick the right thing to do. Except there’s no angel. There’s no good. There’s no one there to balance out the bad. It’s just the devil constantly taunting me.” The doctor, who was a kind woman with a gentle smile, had looked at him and said, “Then be your own angel. You’re good enough on your own, Kai.” He’d almost forgotten her advice, but it came flooding back now, her words strangely resonant, striking a chord somewhere within him, and giving him strength that he never knew he had. “You think I would give you that satisfaction? That you can win that easily? I’ll never give up my life like that. I’ll live, for my brother and my mum, and one day I’ll beat you. One day I’ll figure it out. But until then I won’t stop clawing and fighting and screaming until you’re gone forever.” Being your own angel was hard, it took a lot to stand up to the voice like that. He had always been so scared of it, of the power it held over him. And maybe he always would be. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t fight. There is a silence, glorious, blissful silence, and hope surges from somewhere within him. Maybe that’s it. Maybe he’s beaten it. Maybe… “Good luck with that. I’m not going anywhere.”
CONSCRIPTION Sally MacAlister, Lower Sixth The dust clouds vision before the news even arrives; That’s it, you’re done. Black ink stamped on the page, Like a pertinent child. No use in reading, the words are shrapnel, Shrapnel of other men’s mistakes, Men who are bigger in their own small ways, Men who don’t march or stamp themselves. The words on the page do that for them. And then, One last checkup, Just to make sure you’re alive enough To be sent to your death. One last sticky, cinnamon peck on the cheek From daughter or son, One last call to arms around her waist. And then, That old horn sounds, Once a victory cry, now a funeral march. Optimistic tunes and trills used To shroud the sound of grown men crying. True men, real men, Who grew up around the corner from you And fell finally in foreign lands With explosions in their ears And tear tracks on their cheeks. For King and Country, lads.
THE WACONIAN 2015
ROYAL RUSSELL SCHOOL (CROYDON) MUN CONFERENCE Stuart Taylor, Chemistry Department It was a dark cold Saturday morning as we gathered on the car park for our annual trip to the Royal Russell School International Model United Nations Conference. All 22 students turned up promptly, scared by the (genuine?) threats of Mr T to leave at 7:30am with or without everyone! The journey went well, and the students were in good spirits, many working hard on their resolutions all the way to Croydon. Greeted by the friendly Admin Team, the students were whisked off to registration and taken to their rooms before the Advisors had even collected their cases from our regular driver Steve – an honorary member of the MUN Advisor Team. AS RRS debutantes, both Mrs Shand and Mr Taylor found their first experiences rather hectic and confusing! However, with many experienced delegates amongst the students who all seemed to work out faster than the teachers where to go and what to do, they were soon changed into committee clothes and off into Lobbying. Many alliances were formed in this first part of the conference as our delegates looked to gain support for their own resolutions, merge with friendly countries with similar resolutions or sign in support of other countries’ resolutions. After the first of many delicious meals we convened for the Opening Ceremony in the Great Hall. Adam S, Ali A and Aisha K gave great performances in their Policy Statements as the Ambassadors of the USA, Vietnam
and Ecuador respectively in front of the members of GA, which was live-streamed to another hall for the benefit of the remaining delegates who could not squeeze into the Great Hall. And so to the first social event…….with no theme, students were encouraged to “be themselves” and the boys certainly showed their vocal abilities on the walk down! More alliances were formed before we retired to bed in high spirits ready for the next day’s debating. Sunday dawned bright and sunny, and Mr T and Mrs Shand attended the Morning Service which was inspirational and served as a quiet moment of reflection on the theme of creation, followed by chaos, death and re-birth. Committees then started in earnest and our delegates soon started to show their prowess. Harry G’s Policy Statement was hilarious and set the tone for some great debating in DISEC2, which resulted in awards for two of our delegates. All other delegates seemed to be enjoying themselves and were recognised and made numerous points of information all day. Sunday’s disco theme was the ‘90s which saw the production of some inventive costumes from CHS students – including Mario and Luigi, Britney Spears and some monks and bishops – they were not from the 1990s, more like the 1190s! Once again a good time was had by all and many new liaisons were established.
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ROYAL RUSSELL SCHOOL MODEL UNITED NATIONS: THE STUDENT VIEW-POINT! Euan Chew-Graham, Lower Sixth On a bleak, grey Saturday morning, at hours only dreaded by teenagers, a group of 22 Lower and Upper Sixth students, along with Mr Taylor and Mrs Shand, departed to Croydon for another exciting MUN adventure. This four day trip was to the Royal Russell School International Model United Nations Conference. Quickly, a sense of excitement and anticipation spread among the students as memories of a much-loved conference were exchanged. Many finished and scrupulously edited their resolutions, which were plentiful in number. We arrived to a warm welcome from the Boarding School’s students, were quickly escorted to our dormitories and soon found ourselves in the thick of lobbying our ideas among students from different schools and from other countries. The famous
Royal Russell social events did not disappoint. Some boys from the Lower Sixth showed that their talents in debating could be matched by their talents on the dance-floor. The themes ranged from the 90s to tropical, with CHS students certainly dressing the part. But it was not all socialising. Committees began the following day in earnest and our delegates soon started to show their prowess. Cheadle Hulme School students delegated and chaired for hours on end over the weekend, forming international friendships and (however theoretically!) solving the most pressing world issues. As usual, we brought home with us a sense of achievement, pride and, most importantly to the students, plenty of awards. It was a fun conference for all those involved.
On our last evening, post-disco, numerous CHS students gathered for a card game which caused much hilarity and resulted in Fatima being given our award of best player for the “True Spirit of Christmas” reference – you had to be there!
The Closing Ceremony finally arrived and CHS students received a clutch of awards, whilst James S was recognised for his work as President of the ICJ. This group is a working model of the International Court of Justice with twelve judges, a Registrar and a President presiding over a real case being brought before the real ICJ – the case of Bolivia and Chile’s dispute over Bolivia’s rights to use a corridor of land to access the Pacific Ocean which passes through Chile. Advocates from the two countries present real evidence over two days and then the judges spend a day and a half researching the evidence and debating their decision before voting, whilst the President oversees the whole process and then writes up the judgement and presents it to an assembled audience. Both James and Fatima must be praised for the high standard of work they achieved. The level of concentration required over an extended period cannot be underestimated and the final judgement was a master class of professional presentation.
The final day dawned brightly but with the threat of hurricane-based winds later. Nothing could blow away our delegates though and Peter continued to enjoy GA – I don’t think a placard has ever been raised higher or with more enthusiasm. There was a brief panic as the delegates from Ecuador were conspicuous by their absence, but this was soon righted and normality was resumed for the remaining time in GA.
Once again all the CHS students conducted themselves impeccably and can be rightly proud of their achievements whether or not they received an award. The work they put in to research beforehand and during the very long committee sessions is testament to their dedication to the MUN programme here at school and Mrs Shand and Mr T were both proud to be associated with them and to hear the praise they received.
Monday morning saw the beginning of the Crisis and both Ben G and Patrick were voted onto the Crisis Committee by their respective rooms. They started to tackle the problem of an uprising in The Balkans apparently perpetrated by the Russian Federation. The remaining delegates continued debating their topics in their committees, and General Assembly started in the afternoon to debate resolutions passed by each committee. Delegates now had to attend GA whilst resolutions from their committees were debated and could rotate in and out at other times to support their country. Peter certainly threw himself wholeheartedly into the GA spirit!
THE WACONIAN 2015
MUNCH 2014 Aisha Kherallah, Lower Sixth As we entered the school gates, it was clear that Cheadle Hulme School had undergone its signature MUN makeover. Flags of both known and obscure countries were proudly hoisted as the delegates, in full formal attire of suits and dresses, filed in. Stress levels rose amongst the
technicians as the opening assembly approached, and it was clear that infinite hours of work and detail had gone into coordinating the event. There were the odd few hiccups as the final touches were made, though luckily for me the only frustrating issue I faced during the weekend was when the miniature table flags wouldn’t fit onto their stands! I believe the preconceptions of MUN are that it is an intense and aggressive debate full of boys in ties, who are condescending and egotistical. The reality couldn’t be any more different! Everyone has a mix of delegating abilities and a diversity of interests, which allows every debate to be unique. The atmosphere in the rooms is relaxed and friendly. For instance, one moment we were discussing cyber warfare, then the next, we heard a rap cover of ‘Ice Ice Baby’ about Isis! Even more amusing, we had a gladiator fight in order to see which resolution would go into General Assembly. Furthermore, I recognized a sharp contrast as I took the position of Chair this year from my previous experiences delegating at MUNCH 13. When chairing it is easy to differentiate the newcomers from the experienced delegates. Some were clearly intimidated and overwhelmed by the initial formal
introductions to the resolutions and countries. However, with the right encouragement, everyone was quick to speak confidently and contribute. As the weekend got into full swing, various countries began to debate clauses – with the hilarious exception of the South American Committee, which seemed to have trouble finding a resolution on any topic, thence spent the best part of a day creating one. In Disarmament we witnessed a variety of analogies ranging from ‘this resolution is like cheese, it has many holes’ to ‘this resolution is like a mini skirt; long enough to cover everything important, but short enough to keep things exciting’, illustrating the casual demeanour and humour of many MUN attendees. James Stott, the Secretary General for 2014, gave a refreshing speech as he began to describe MUN, showing how we are affected by the real world and how we, in turn, will affect it. His standing ovation was completely deserved. Efforts put in by Mr Taylor, Mrs Evans, and of course the students year upon year, have allowed my interest in debating and knowledge of politics to surge. I am inspired to continue the legacy of MUN further and I hope many others will follow me in doing so next year.
Think Tank - Sarah Phillips Grace Lambert, Lower Sixth Sarah Phillips is the Policy Advisor in the Ministry of Justice and gave an engaging and insightful talk on the politics of prisons, focusing on the local women’s prison at Styal but also mentioning the contrast between this and more intense and extreme prisons worldwide. This gave an inside understanding of the cells, the gangs and attempts to get banned items into the country, including using eight hollowed out Weetabixes to conceal a mobile phone. She also explained the challenges involved with releasing prisoners who have been inside for more than 50 years: “I know prisoners who don’t know what the Internet is; how do we help these people back into today’s society?” Sarah as an Old Waconian was inspiring to the students in Think Tank as she gave us aspirations to consider doing a job which really helps people.
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The North West Schools Science Competition The North West Schools Science Competition is open to all students in North West England (Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside) in Years 7 and 8. The winner receives an iPad mini and cash for their school. This year’s winner was Alice Brown in Year 7 at Cheadle Hulme School with the following entry.
Why I want to be a Scientist Alice Brown, Year 7
I want to be a Nanoscientist who works with to explain nanotechnology. Before saying why, I would like is. logy what nanotechno and to Nanotechnology uses the ability to see atoms can start you means This d. aroun be able to move them and ways nt differe and new in er togeth sticking atoms thin build amazing new things , such as new medicines, So, chips. uter comp and strong materials and ultra-fast very very, very, very, a on things making incredible new ’ I know small scale is called nanotechnology. Lots of ‘verys tiny world! but nanotechnology works in an exceptionally rement Nano means “billionth” and a nanometre is a measu hair human a le examp For . metre a of th of one billion e is around 75,00 0 nanometres wide and the averag s) tall. metre (1.7 etres person is about 1,700 million nanom how g lookin and atoms and ules Zooming in to see molec , cience Nanos do us lets it se becau good is they work in the which helps us understand why things happen smallest scale possible. change I want to work in Nanoscience because this could a made y alread the world we live in. Nanotechnology has ene Graph as such ials Mater big impact on our life today. have (an ultra-strong, light, thin sheet one atom thick) me into pulls that thing the But d. create been y alread the Nanoscience the most is that I could be part of ing reaten life-th for cure research team that creates a es. diabet and AIDS r, diseases like cance
r using Nanoscientists have nearly found a cure for cance for yet s human on it tried ’t haven but logy nanotechno g fear of the technology killing brain cells and causin like to find critical damage to the patient’s health . I would just have I ng knowi proud feel the cure because I would . future the in and now both lives, many helped save to If I was a Nanoscientist I would also like to be able antimake to logy echno nanot using manipulate the atoms pets/ have I and older am I when so sofas, r leathe scratch the sofa. children I won’t be paranoid about them ruining water that kit m ing/gy Also, I would like to invent a swimm can I so roof waterp totally is and off and sweat bounce ite put it straight into my gym bag. However, my favour they that so s idea would be to improve brussel sprout y. taste like Ferrero Rocher but are just as health logy Although being a Nanoscientist using nanotechno be could ules could be fun, changing atoms and molec mess n’t should we that say dangerous, as some people have to with things that we don’t understand. But they certain have didn’t we ago years ed hundr one that realise tion educa ced medicines like penicillin and insulin , advan d grante for take we that ort and the many types of transp and ment experi study, didn’t we if today. Therefore progress, we would still be living in the Dark Ages. dAs such, I would love to be a part of this groun that and ch resear ific breaking and inspirational scient t. cientis Nanos a be is why I want to
THE WACONIAN 2015
Remembrance Day, 11th November 2014 STAY SAFE JOHN SINCLAIR John Sinclair, 32, is a Warrant Officer in the 7 Scots Unit of the Territorial Army. He volunteered for a tour of Afghanistan and is less than two weeks from returning.
I stand there looking at my child He says to me that I am his hero And that he loves me very much I am rooted to the spot I cannot move for I am close to tears My child reaches out and holds onto my hand As I have held his so many times over the years And he says to me I love you Dad Stay safe
IN FLANDERS FIELDS Flanders Poppy on the First World War battlefields. John McCrae, May 1915.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
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Heritage Day: The Presentation Rebecca Pope, Year 10 THE BEGINNING Every year, CHS holds a Heritage Day for past and present staff and pupils, people living locally and anyone else interested in the School. Usually, it is all about CHS in the Victorian Era, but this year, it was time to do something different. A World War One Focus Group was formed so that Heritage Day could focus on the Centenary of the Great War. This was something that I had known about from the beginning as my mum, Alison Pope, who works in Learning Support, along with Mrs. Moore from the Library, volunteered to write the presentation. Members of a range of years in the school were asked to be involved and
SUNDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 2014 The cast waited anxiously for the bell to be rung by Mrs. Melanie Richardson (the narrator), and for Mrs. Kay Moore (Senior Mistress, Miss Florence Caldecote) to introduce everything.
portray characters who actually came to the school during the war or did something notable to help the war effort.
Miss Allen finds them outside and they begin to ask questions eagerly about what it was like to be at the school during the war. Miss Allen agrees to let them know about what the war was like, and to give them each a Garibaldi biscuit too!
Soon after the end of exams last year, the cast was assembled to have a full read through of the script. Some of the cast members were Mrs. Pope (my mum, who played Miss Allen, the matron in 1920), Ben Pilling (now Year 9, who played the lead role in Millions in 2013) and myself. I played a young girl called Elsie Ashton, who had been a pupil at school, and who volunteered to do clerical work at Manchester Town Hall for three evenings a week during the First World War. After a summer holiday of intense linelearning (especially in our household!), the cast were called together for the first run through on the Holden Hall stage with props and a quick view of our costumes. These had been modelled on the uniforms of the day. Soon enough, we were in our costumes and doing full dress rehearsals. Everything was coming together perfectly.
The presentation started with two modern pupils talking about the sundial war memorial which stands proudly in our school grounds. The story then moved on to two pupils from 1920 discussing the same thing and saying that it was to be dedicated that very afternoon. Both these children, Leslie and Dorothy, had lost their fathers during the war.
The two learnt about my character, Elsie Ashton, who was a secretary, and her sister, Kate, who was a nurse during the war. Also, brothers Leo and Edgar Almond; Edgar could not join the army because of lung problems he may have had since he was a child. Leo, however, did join up and sadly was killed in July 1917. Next, we met Reginald George Thompson, who served with the Royal Army Medical Corps until the end of hostilities in 1918. Finally, we learned about James Albert Grimshaw, a soldier with Trench Fever who came to stay at the school when it was a hospital. We learnt about all of these characters, more about the farms the school owned and what life was like with rations and blackouts in
place too, especially when Leslie, Dorothy and Miss Allen were joined by another young girl, Edith, who was at Warehouseman and Clerks during the war itself. The whole presentation was rounded off with a wreath-laying ceremony; a laurel wreath from Miss Allen and the children and red poppy wreaths from the rest of the characters - but we were one man down by the end as poor Leo Almond could not join us from the Henin Cemetery, France. Although we were re-enacting this ceremony, and Ben who had been playing Leo was safely in the wings of the stage, it was still strange that
he was not with us and it gave us a powerful insight into how the real pupils and staff at the time must have felt when absences were obvious. We were accompanied in our moment of reflection by the speech of Mr. Buckley from 1920, read by Mr. MacAllister. The presentation was performed twice throughout the day with tours for the visitors, if they so desired. They also got to see the World War One Commemorative Exhibition in the History Department which houses artefacts loaned to the school by Old Waconians or by World War One enthusiasts. Overall, the day was a resounding success.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Cheadle Hulme School visits Berlin
Lottie Needham, Year 11 We arrived, sleepy eyed and yawning, at Manchester airport in the early hours of the morning of Monday 3rd November, Mr Thorn already bouncing off the walls at the thought of his beloved and infamous “Currywurst”. But after lengthy naps on the plane, followed by a coach journey to the hostel, which was perfectly located in the centre of the city, we were all almost as excited as the teachers were. We chucked our bags into our rooms and headed straight off to the ‘Story of Berlin’ Museum, which gave us a guided tour through the eventful history of this iconic city. We were then ushered down a flight of grey steps into one of the atomic bunkers which was built in case of emergency during the Cold War. Built in the 1970s on behalf of the German government, the shelter is still active today and could provide almost 3,600 people with food,
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air and water in the event of a nuclear disaster. However, our tour guide aptly pointed out many of the fundamental flaws of the bunker, the main one being that the air filter could only function for two weeks, after which all survivors would have to leave anyway. Our two tour guides met us after lunch for a walking tour of Berlin, and then stayed with for almost the entire trip, we were all completely in awe; these two guys knew every single detail there was to know about Berlin, and they expertly guided us through the city, pointing out monuments, sharing anecdotes and spurting obscure facts about everything we saw, which included the former site of Hitler’s bunker, the Jewish Memorial, ghost stations, Checkpoint Charlie (or Disney Land Berlin as the Germans call it) and so many other historic landmarks. In the evening we walked through a bustling Berlin to the Reichstag. When we arrived, wrapped up in coats and hats and scarves, after many, many photos of a freezing group of kids on the Reichstag steps, we squeezed into the massive lift, which took us right into the great glass dome of the Reichstag. From this incredible vantage point, we had a 360 degree view of the entire Berlin cityscape, illuminated with the bright lights of buildings and humming traffic. Absolutely shattered, we all slept like logs that night, after an eventful 19 hour day. Nevertheless, by seven thirty the next morning we piled into the breakfast room, in varying degrees of consciousness. Many of us took advantage of the following coach journey and had a power nap on the way to Sachsenhausen, a former Nazi labour camp, where we were met once again by our fantastic tour guides. They showed us round the camp, and shared harrowing stories about the many atrocities that occurred there, and we were all shocked to learn that Sachsenhausen was considered to be one of the “kinder” and less strict labour camps. I think this particular site gave us all a sense of perspective and made us realise that, even though we continually grumble and complain, there are far worse things we could be doing than writing essays or sitting Common Tests. Next was the Stasi prison, in former East Berlin. We split into two groups and received a guided tour of the whole prison, which highlighted the atrocities committed by the Stasi, arguably the biggest, most ruthless secret police force in history. By the fall of the Berlin Wall, two thirds of the population of East Berlin either worked for the Stasi, or acted as secret informers. No one in East Berlin could escape them. After lunch, we met up with our two tour guides again, and they took us to see the only remaining part of the Berlin Wall’s ‘Death Strip’, and told incredible stories about the numerous refugees who managed to escape over, under or through the Wall into the West. That night, the teachers took us to an extremely suave bowling alley, for a couple of games of bowling after two mad days of rushing round Berlin; a great end to a truly fantastic trip. It was genuinely educational and we all learnt so much about the history of Berlin, as well as having a great time exploring the city.
THE WACONIAN 2015
CONDOVER HALL
Matthew Woodhouse and Sophie Jones, Year 7
DAY ONE - MATTHEW The buses began to arrive and everybody was excited. Chatter filled the air as our bags were packed away and we were allowed to board the coach. We sat down in our seats and everybody paired with a friend, which was just as well as the journey was two hours long.
However, after what only seemed like a couple of minutes, the coach squeezed through the gates of Condover Hall and we were greeted by a long, elegant drive with welltended bushes on either side. Our mentors were waiting for us as we got off the coach. After being given our bags we sat down and Mr Upton gave us a talk about what to expect over the next few days. We then put our bags in our rooms and had a quick lunch. Each class was split into two groups and our first activities were team building exercises. I can’t remember what the exercises were, but I remember they were good fun! A quick tea of chicken nuggets and then it was the Runaround Quiz, which lived up to its name. Our group came third despite losing two members for a while! The next activity was Sniper, which involved hiding from snipers after being given a four second start. If you were spotted, you had to start again but if you reached the sniper’s end, you won. This was a panicked and pressurized game but it was great fun! Before we knew it, the day was over and it was time for bed. I was sharing a room with five other boys and this experience really brought home the fact that different people need different amounts of sleep!
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DAY TWO - SOPHIE
DAY THREE - MATTHEW
After a busy night packed with great activities (and not so much sleep!) we were all ready for a fantastic day of adventure and excitement! To start off the fun we went down to the canteen for a tasty breakfast (or that’s what we’d hoped...let’s just say that the food didn’t compare to the lunch hall at school!). Then, after a few emergency sweets and snacks, we got into our groups to find out what amazing activities we were going to be doing. For my group, first up was the Gladiator Wall...
After a breakfast of waffles and syrup, we packed our bags and took them out to the coach. We were hurried along to our next activity, which was abseiling.
If you’re wondering what a Gladiator Wall is, imagine a vertical trim-trail about ten times the size of you, swinging from a huge bar of wood, and a lot of nervous people stood below. Then, hopefully, you’ll know how we all felt before it was our turn! But, despite the nerve-wracking wait, as soon as you put your first foot on the Gladiator Wall and began climbing, all that fear washed away and it was great! We had numerous more amazing experiences such as kayaking (where most people’s favourite bit was accidentally on purpose trying to capsize!) and the Low Ropes - a really cool trim-trail where you and your partner took it in turns to make sure you didn’t fall! - really tested our trust and teamwork! Not forgetting climbing and abseiling, which were also heart-thumpingly thrilling! Most groups went on the Trapeze, which was a toweringly high (and extremely wobbly) platform which you had to climb up and jump off, trying to grab hold of the trapeze bar (which, of course, also swung back and forth!). It was really funny watching the teachers having a go! Everybody also loved the archery and orienteering, which included loads of fun games! There were also team building challenges galore where we met a handful of great new friends and got to know everybody really well. All of our team leaders were great and really friendly and we also got to know the teachers much better. After surviving lunch and tea, half of Year 7 went to do their different evening activities. Some did the Runaround Quiz and the rest went to the woods for a campfire. The Runaround Quiz was exactly as it sounds, apart from the fact that we were told we weren’t allowed to run - which was a bit odd! It was really fun ‘walking’ around the site trying to find answers to the questions we had been given! Everybody also really enjoyed the campfire where we sang and laughed, but all through the evening activities, everyone was mostly looking forward to the discos, both the silent, and the normal. After everybody had changed into their disco clothes, we split into two parts to go to each of the discos. The normal disco was really good fun but the very best was the silent disco where we each wore a set of headphones and tuned in to one of the available channels. It was really funny if you took your headphones off because everyone was singing - sometimes to different songs! Sadly we then had to go to bed so that we could make the most of the last action-packed day that followed.
Abseiling took place in the same structure as the Climbing Wall. I was put into a harness, handed another one and sent up the steep, zig-zagging, wooden staircase. The stairs were firm but there were a lot of them. Eventually, I made it to the top and was welcomed by a magnificent view of Condover Hall and its grounds. I didn’t have much time to enjoy this as I was quickly attached to a series of ropes - lots of sounds of snapping and clicking around me - and I was told to stand on the edge. I felt I was standing on nothingness, with only my tiptoes touching the platform. I was told to push off and everything slowed down as I glided through the air. Hitting the side was a shock as the impact jarred my legs. I only touched the side twice and then I was on the ground; this was an even bigger shock as I hit the ground quite hard. I felt like a professional; it was good fun. Next, it was the Trapeze. It looked like something from a circus! It seemed small as we walked towards it, but the bar looked a long way from the platform. Again, I was put into a harness but this time the instructor had to play out slack as I climbed and jumped. Climbing up the ladder was OK but the nearer I got to the top the more it wobbled. It felt very uncertain, getting onto the platform at the top as I felt my feet dangling over nothing. The extra slack given to let me make the jump actually made me feel that if I didn’t reach the Trapeze, this wasn’t going to end well! However, it looked a lot closer at the top than it had at the bottom. So I leapt, with a yell, and to my great relief felt both my hands firmly grab the metal bar. It felt like flying! Having dangled on the bar for some seconds, I was lowered down and I felt the slack being taken back. Safely back on the ground, I could watch everyone else and listen to their screaming too! The last activity of the morning was the Gladiator Wall. I raced James up to the top, over the different obstacles such as wooden poles and spider’s rope webs. Again, we were supported by harnesses, thank goodness, but getting to the top meant having to stand on the wobbling, wooden log and my heart was racing. Then all I had to do to get down was to step into the air and keep my fingers crossed. After a quick lunch of chicken nuggets (again!) we finished with more team building tasks - moving a ball around an obstacle course and playing the Mine Game without blowing ourselves up. I felt that, as a team, we were listening to each other more on the last day than we had on the first day. After thanks and goodbyes, we boarded our coaches for the trip home. Everyone was relatively quiet as people were tired but relaxed. We shared any remaining sweets and chatted amongst ourselves. The first trip of our CHS journey was over. It was great fun. Thank you to all who made it such a great experience.
THE WACONIAN 2015
MADRID OCTOBER 2014 Rachel Flynn, Year 11 We arrived in Madrid on what seemed very late on a Sunday night, but it was far from the usual evening of Downton Abbey that we were oh too familiar with. Stepping out of the metro station of Gran Via, 19 students suddenly forgot how heavy their suitcases were and how much their eyes wanted to close from sleep deprivation; the beauty of Spain’s capital had hit us. For the next four days, I was now Raquel, and James became a very Spanish Jámes. Here, the people were immersed in their own busy lives as the warm but clear evening sun fell onto their olive skins. A rich, sweet scent hung in the thin evening breeze, the sound of street artists’ blissful, if a little dissonant, timbre surrounded me. Whilst on the way to our hostel, I immediately felt a strong affection for this lazily chaotic city as the happy Spaniards clinked glasses, carelessly talking about everything and nothing all at once. Miss Martínez informed us in previous meetings that our time spent in Madrid would be fully packed, and she certainly stuck to her word. We moved around the city like clockwork, admiring the incredible attractions that Madrid has to offer. I cannot
deny the fascination of the incredible history behind El Guernica, or the weird and wonderful Estación de Atocha, but the thing that made us all most content was easily the wonderful Spanish cuisine. To re-fuel, Miss Martínez led us to many traditional tapas cafés, offering la comida, with which we soon became obsessed and if that wasn’t the case, Mr Wilson was sure to finish it for us. Chocolate con churros was an obvious favourite, which is essentially what I’d imagine heaven to taste like. Saying this, I feel that Robyn, Max and I will undoubtedly regret a certain culinary choice for the rest of our lives. However, Madrileños certainly knew how to feed their city, particularly in the luminous region of El Mercado de San Miguel. Pans bigger than paintings hung in El Museo del Prado offering mouth-watering paella, an array of fresh fish and colourful vegetables. You could also find Lily and I ordering somewhat unconventional ice creams; dos bolas of course. Five minutes away from the hum of the city there lay a garden of tranquillity, commonly known as El Parque del Retiro. We strolled in awe of our contrasting surroundings;
impressive architecture had become an assemblage of blossoming rose bushes, vast walkways and fountains. For five euros, James, Amelia and I rented a modest rowing boat on the charming lake at the end of the park. At times, the lives of expensive cameras were at risk and my fear of drowning heightened, but we soon swiftly fell into the park’s magnificently drowsy atmosphere. Sunbeams escaped through the trees and rested on our pale British skin, and in the near distance I caught the sound of Miss Martínez’s sighs, in response to complaints of it being too hot. After retiring back to El Hostal Castilla Dos, we soon dozed to the lulling sound of steady music and chatter from outside. Each morning, we would trail through La Plaza Mayor just as the city was waking up and encountering a Spanish sunrise. Shopkeepers began to set out tables and chairs ready for the busy day ahead, studying the gaggle of students walking by, with a slight sense of irritation that we were intruding into their charming city. We were all extremely heavy-hearted to be reaching the end of what had been four amazing days in a truly special city; nevertheless incredibly grateful to Miss Martínez, Mr Wilson and Miss Godfrey for making it such an unforgettable experience. ¡Hasta luego, Madrid!
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RUGBY TOUR TO ITALY Joe Morum, Year 11 27/10/14 - DAY 1 To get a large group of teenage boys to Manchester airport in the early hours of the morning is no mean feat. However, for the CHS 1st and 2nd XV rugby squads, it wasn’t too hard on this occasion - for we were going to Italy! After the flight and coach journey to our hotel right by the waterfront of Lake Garda, it was around 11 o’clock. So we had a quick tour of the ‘frog hotel’, and then had some free time to unpack, have a look around Garda and have some lunch. For most this was pizza and ice cream - fresh Italian style. After that we found a local astro-turf for us to get some handling practice done before our first match the next day. It’s surprising how competitive a small game of touch rugby can get, especially with teachers involved. With some exploration of the town done, and some ever important rugby being played, it wasn’t long until the sun was setting, but we had just enough time to get back to the hotel and watch the sun set over the lake. At this point we headed back to our rooms for some wellearned rest in preparation for our opening match. 28/10/14 - DAY 2 The next day we were up bright and early to go to Verona, the city very close by. One of the first things that we saw, whether we wanted to or not given it was so obvious, was the Coliseum. For a very minor fee we got to go inside and have a tiny image of what it would have been like to be a gladiator, spectator and judge. Moreover, we managed to see the balcony of Romeo and Juliet, and read all the messages left behind on the wall of the tunnel into the courtyard. Not only that, but to most people’s delight we were able to sample some more authentic Italian ice cream. After our morning out we returned to the hotel to have lunch; there was some fear in a few minds that the twice-delayed arrival of the kit had experienced “another problem”. The staff decided to get a few of the guys to wear the U16 girl’s netball kit to lunch as the company had “sent the wrong kit”. However, after lunch we finally got our infamous tour kit - and it looked amazing. It wasn’t long before we were off to start our campaign against a local club. And what a start we had. With a strong team talk by the captain, all members of the squad getting game time, and all putting in their best hits, we were able to get a firm hold on the match to kick start the tour and spur us on for the next two matches with a win. Moreover, it was incredibly satisfying for the whole team as we were able to give a priceless birthday present to Will Hirstwood, and we sang Happy Birthday to him on the coach back, accompanied by some of Mr Robertson’s more colourful choices of chants.
29/10/14 - DAY 3 With everyone ecstatic from the night before, we woke up yet again to the sound of Mr Matthews and Mr Robertson banging on our doors to wake us up. After a continental breakfast we were off sightseeing once more; but this time we were travelling to Venice. It was an incredible experience to be in such a beautiful city, bustling with energy and architecture. Not to mention the water running through wherever you went. To be able to go to such a place with friends and just get lost in the mystery, wondering what will be down every street, is simply amazing. Yet, from one type of fun to another, it was time to play rugby. Despite having a professional introduction with national anthems, and the Cheadle squad playing hard, throwing ourselves into the tackles, victory slipped through our fingers to a very talented side. Yes, we were disheartened, but nevertheless, we now knew what mistakes we had made and how to rectify them ready for our final match. 30/10/14 - DAY 4 With the sudden feeling of our campaign drawing to a close, the atmosphere was bitter-sweet; it was our last full day in Italy, our last match tonight and yet we had had so much fun and gained so many memories. During the day we headed out to the harbour in the morning and took a boat trip to the island on the lake, Malcesine. It is a very small town with a castle at the heart of it, the streets are lined with ice cream shops and the shore is literally a few steps from the main attractions. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay long as we had a long bus journey to our next match, so after lunch, with all of our luggage packed, we said farewell to Lake Garda and headed off to make our last match count - and we did. It was a well-earned win, and again both sides were battling hard. It seems international play steps up a notch and we all seemed to hit that extra bit harder, run that extra bit faster and score the extra spectacular. With a presentation after the match, amazing spirit despite the hosts losing, and excessive amounts of food to the point one had to politely refuse, the night was one I shall never forget. But as the evening drew to a close we knew we had to get on the coach and head to Milan for our last night in Italy. 31/10/14 - DAY 5 We had a fairly short last day, with time to squeeze in a trip to the San Siro and what was an emphatic game of one bounce in the empty car park, trying to make every second we had last longer. But we knew all good things come to an end. So at lunch time we were heading off to the airport and on our way back home reminiscing about all the good times we had crammed into the past few days.
THE WACONIAN 2015
WASHINGTON DC Jack Boyd, Lower Sixth Anticipation for the trip had been high to say the least. Who wouldn’t be excited to go to America during Midterms and Halloween? The excitement culminated in us chanting “WA-SHING-TON” in someone’s garden the weekend before, ignoring all strange looks and exchanging what we thought our highlights would be. However, our expectations didn’t come close to how brilliant and enlightening our trip turned out to be. Despite the early start at the airport at 6 o’clock, our enthusiasm wasn’t reined in in the slightest. Thinking that we would soon be strutting along in the National Mall kept
us positively chirpy. The long plane journey saw some people conserving their energy by sleeping or watching a film, with one couple who shall remain nameless trying to watch Les Miserables together, though love’s great foe, armrests, got in the way slightly. The rest of us competed in the in-flight trivia game, with Mr Jones, Mr Axon, Mrs Cleary and Mrs Norton all pitted against each other in a deadly (trivial) pursuit. It was a close competition, and in the end, all that could be said was that trivia was the true winner. Upon touching down at Washington Dulles, we bundled ourselves into a coach to our hotel, admiring both the lack of seat-belts in said coach, and also the beautiful American autumn, or fall as they call it. After quickly dropping our bags at the hotel, we set out to get food and see the sights. Most of us went to a gourmet establishment known only as “Fuddruckers”, and after having burgers that were gloriously greasy, we arrived at the National Mall; home of the Washington and Lincoln Monuments, among others. The Mall was near enough empty, and all the monuments cut through the darkness, with light reflecting off the marble monoliths. We gathered at Lincoln’s feet, and read his speeches on the wall.
It was getting rather late by the time we started walking back to the metro station, but it was later still when we actually arrived there. We were all exhausted, and were trapped in the station for some time, during which the more lyrically gifted members of our group started making songs about a random station on our line. To this day the words “Shady Grove” evoke feelings of tiredness and of being vaguely bemused by Harry’s seemingly boundless energy. We did finally get home, with the almost 24 hours that some of us had stayed up taking its toll the next morning.
The itinerary was packed, and after a hearty breakfast our first stop was at the White House. Half of the group, myself included, have the dubious honour of having been detained by the Secret Service because of errors with our passports, which was still quite funny despite all the men with guns around us. Said men with guns showed themselves to be rather paranoid, almost sending a woman to Guantanamo Bay for touching a wall, though to be fair she did have quite sharp nails. After we left the White House, enjoying some free cookies that were apparently cooked by Michelle herself, we went around the National Mall in the daylight, noting the contrast between the memorials of World War Two, which evoked feelings of unity, and the far more sombre Vietnam and Korean War Memorials. We eventually arrived at the Newseum, the well-named Museum of News. It was massive, with all the walls adorned with news-related trivia, and despite having two hours there, it was hard to see everything. A highlight was the well-made, but poorly-acted, 4D film about the history of journalism, which combined unintentional comedy, jets of water hitting the front row and learning, which is no mean feat. The evening’s entertainment was a basketball
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game, the Washington Wizards versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite many of us flagging after two days with little sleep, Emma having to power-nap at quarter-time, we tried to watch the basketball, as Dan Walton and I reassured ourselves that buying basketball jerseys was a great idea. After the game Patrick Brako met a famous rapper who had performed before the game, who wasn’t to everybody’s taste, Mr Axon in particular favouring hardcore German Techno above Rap. But it was those of us who saw the brass band, featuring pyrotechnics and drunk people dancing, who really got the most out of that night. The next day featured a boat trip to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. Despite the guides brushing over the fact that the “Father of All Freedoms” kept slaves, the area was very informative about the American War of Independence, a topic that many of us only had a cursory knowledge of due to Assassin’s Creed. The view that Washington had over the Potomac River and the surrounding countryside was enviable, and to this day unblemished by construction or polluted water. We took the boat back to Alexandria, and rounded off the day by having dinner with Steven Redhead, an old Waconian who along with Mr Axon had put huge amounts of effort into organising our trip, and I speak for all of us when I say how grateful we are. The Pentagon was the centrepiece for the next day’s itinerary, and after we were all terrified by a scary man in uniform yelling at us to get off the grass, we maintained a similar level of fear whenever we saw anybody else in uniform. The Pentagon was surreal to say the least. The building was strangely autonomous, with far more than just a canteen; there was an electronic store, a chocolatier’s, and an optician’s to name but a few. After spending some time at the 9/11 memorial, and learning about the public mood during and immediately after the event, we went to the mall. While shopping for a new blouse, Matt Devitt saw a girl from across the womenswear section by the name of Isabella; it was only after working up the courage to talk to her that he realised their love was not to be, as he has a girlfriend he is very, very afraid of. We went to the hotel early to watch the Democrats get a whipping in the Midterms, and to get a good night’s sleep before our last day.
The main event on our last day, other than Mr Jones, Angus and Dan Walton going to Gold’s Gym to get their gains for the week, was the Holocaust Museum. Each of us who went were handed an identity card of someone who died in the Holocaust, and as we went through, we read about their particular stories, and how their lives were cut short. The most evocative part was a corridor that was filled with the shoes of victims, and the stench of leather filled the room. It is easy to hear that millions died in this horrific event, but actually putting faces and emotions to those victims makes the figure far harder to swallow. At the end of the museum there was a Holocaust survivor called Nesse Godin. She spoke of a woman who told her when she was at her lowest point that God didn’t want her to die, giving her the inner drive to stay alive, surviving one of the death marches at the end of the war, all at the age of 17. The Holocaust Museum was a harrowing experience, but an important one. The plane journey back was filled with far less trivia than the one before, with some people realising that they had work due the next day and trying to write an essay on the tray tables, but most, myself included, resigning themselves to their fate of having no chance to do any homework to a decent standard. Washington was an amazing trip, with not a single dull moment. All of us had a brilliant time, learning how a country that speaks our language can be so foreign to us, and finding out about the intricacies of how the most powerful country in the world is run. Hopefully the Lower Sixth students will be able to remember something of what they learnt for next year.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Autumn Poetry Year 3 The wood was quiet and calm. Acorns were falling from trees and the wind was blowing my hat off. The sunlight broke through the leaves and shone down on me. The tree bark felt really rough and rocky. I walked along the path and felt crunchy leaves under my feet. I heard woodpeckers in the trees and I smelt autumn flowers ahead of me. On the ground lay big, sparkly conkers, their spiky shells wide open. The leaves on the trees were falling down onto the soggy ground; they were all sorts of different colours: pink, purple, red, brown, gold and yellow.
Jemima Jupe One day I went to a forest in autumn. It was cold and damp and I could hear little noises. It was so windy that I needed to push the wind away the way I was going.
The park was cold and damp. The wind blew quickly in my face as I ran along. Leaves crunched and crackled along the path. Rain drip-dropped on the grass. The trees swished to the wind as if they were whispering to each other, ‘shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh.’ Bicycles whizzed past ringing their bells. Burning bonfires and log fires flowed through the wind. Ripe blackberries on prickly bushes. Cherries scattered all over the floor.
Freya Crossley I can see multi-coloured leaves; bright minty green, plummy purple, burnt orange and raspberry red. Squirrels are scuttling around in the big, bushy trees. I can feel a breeze going inbetween each strand of my hair as I ride my bicycle along the path. I can smell the food from the café; sausages, coffee and ice cream. I hear birds tweeting and the rustling of leaves.
Grace Bourne
I heard crackling from the leaves as I walked. The leaves were lots of different colours but mainly orange, red, yellow and brown. I saw acorns and conkers falling and squirrels stealing nuts from the trees. One saw me and stopped eating and then ran quickly away.
Autumn can be hot or it can be cold. Some children make a pile of crunchy leaves and jump into them in autumn. Squirrels get nuts and food for winter. Some people go outside to explore but some people sit next to the fire and have crunchy biscuits and warm, smooth hot chocolate… Yum! Yum! I love autumn.
Raphael Bouille
Lillian Peat
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It was a cold and windy day as Oliver walked down the bumpy path. He was walking home from school but he was so cold he zipped up his coat and hurried on. He saw some conkers on the floor, smooth and shiny. He picked them up for his younger brother who was collecting them. He always made his younger brother happy. Just then a squirrel snatched the conker out of the teenager’s hand. ‘Hey! Come back!’ Immediately the grey creature stopped, dropped it and ran off. Oliver grabbed the conker and started to walk again.
I walked along the bumpy path to the park. The dancing leaves were falling all over me. I can smell the smoke from the bonfires. Squirrels are hopping playfully, looking for acorns. The gentle breeze is calm and quiet. Trees are making a rustling sound. The sky is a light blue like a diamond. Conkers sparkle in the sun.
Martha Thompson
Benjamin Lowe
The leaves drop down on the floor. They look like a rainbow that’s fallen down. The trees sway in the autumn breeze. In autumn deer fight; it’s called rutting.
Year 1
Fleur Cleary Red leaves, gold and yellow leaves. They swish in the breeze. Amber and burnt umber are the colours we see.
Jamie Hornby
Conkers are falling off the trees. A beautiful, colourful carpet filling the floor, They are russet brown, burnt umber, yellow ochre and amber. The sun is peaking through the leaves. The leaves fall down slowly and quietly.
Oliver Norbury Lots of lovely conkers! Rainbow leaves on the ground. They are like a shower of fire. The autumn sun peeps through the golden tree. The sun goes between the trees to make the leaves glow.
Rainbow leaves like a mat, Snapping twigs. The autumn sun bursting through the trees. Yellow ochre.
Max Misra
Nicole Praveen
THE WACONIAN 2015
Noah Jupe, Year 5 1. 2. 3. 4.
A lways make new friends. Never be negative. Work hard. T ry to get on your teachers’ good side, ‘special mention’ for you. 5. T ry to do 100% in everything. 6. JUST BE HAPPY!
I also spoke to some Reception children about their first days at CHS. This is what they said:
WERE YOU HAPPY OR SAD ON YOUR FIRST DAY? Connie Bradley:
Here at Cheadle Hulme School everybody is really friendly and nobody gets left out. When you’re new we have even more respect for you. We talk to you if you’re lonely, we show you around the school and most of all we make you feel welcome. When I look back on my memories of CHS the best times were when I was new! I spoke to some CHS pupils who had recently joined the School. Here’s what they said.
“ I was both happy and sad on my first day. Sad becaus e I missed my old friends but happy becaus e straigh t away I made new ones. Suddenly I started makin g lots of friends and because of that I am much happier now.”
Caitlin Mcinerney Year 3
I felt shy because I was scared. ARE YOU SCARED NOW? Connor: No, because I’m a big boy now. I have made friends at school. Gen Flanagan: Happy because I thought it would be really good fun. I was happy on my first day because it was fun in class. I drew some pictures. DID YOU MAKE FRIENDS ON YOUR FIRST DAY OR DID IT TAKE QUITE A WHILE? Connie: I made one hundred!
“ Th is school is wa y better than m y las t.” Joe Wong Year 5
Isobelle Ansley Year 3
“ It is really eas y to make friends at CHS.”
Connor Brako:
I made loads of friends on my first day –
Daisy Olivia Year 3
“ I love the swimming at this school.”
Happy, because I felt like a big girl.
WERE YOU CONFIDE NT ON YOUR FIRST DAY? Connie: I was confident because I’d seen my brothers come to school. Connor:
“ It is the best school for sport.” Freya Crossley Year 3
I was confident because I had already made a friend at ‘Head Over Heels’ who was in my Reception class. Gen:
I did want to come to school because my big brother goes to school.
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Young Mathematicians’ Award 2014 Rosie Richardson, Year 5
In September 2014 four pupils in Year 6 from CHS competed in the Young Mathematicians’ Award. This is a competition run every year by the University of Cambridge which tests children’s mathematical thinking and teamwork and it is also great fun! The CHS entries were all from Year 6. They were Esme Brown, Elizabeth Pollitt, Luke Ismay and Sam Murphy. These children were carefully selected by their teachers because of their incredible Maths skills and their enthusiasm for the subject. They fought off competition from 1,300 teams across the UK to make it to the grand final and to be named amongst some of the best young Maths minds in the country.
The competition was divided up into three rounds. Throughout, the children had to work as a team. Round one involved problem-solving with shapes; round two was all about dice and patterns and round three, the final, was a problem using six numbered cubes. The team from Cheadle Hulme did amazingly well and overall came the runners-up. The prize was a trophy and each child got a special medal. I asked these amazing Maths wizards about their day in Cambridge. Here are some of the things they said:
Esme: eficial It was good fun and very ben s. skill to me and my Mat hs Sam: experience. The whole thing was a great Elizabeth: was great to I had a wonderful day and it work as part of a team. Luke: et! It was fun and I loved the buff our young We are all immensely proud of you don’t er emb rem but , ians atic Mathem fun in have have to enter a competition to rent diffe on g goin try Maths. Why don’t you hs Mat t grea the for out websites and look g is to have apps on iPads. The main thin fun!
Back Row: Lizzie Pollitt, Sam Murphy Front row: Esme Brown, Luke Ismay
THE WACONIAN 2015
“ It snowed all week. Wheels and footsteps moved soundlessly on the street, as if the business of living continued secretly behind a pale but impenetrable curtain. In the falling quiet there was no sky or earth, only snow lifting in the wind, frosting the window glass, chilling the rooms, deadening and hushing the city.� Truman Capote, American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940s Until Now (2009)
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THE WACONIAN 2015
My
OLIV ER Eve Baddeley, Year 8
ENTRY 1 Today was the very first time we got to hear one of our Oliver songs – ‘Food, Glorious Food’. It’s really exciting seeing what it’s like now in the very early days of the show and trying to imagine what it’ll be like in just a short period of time. People are already trying to guess who’ll be getting what part and we haven’t even started auditioning yet! ENTRY 2 This week we had the auditions! All the boys who wanted a chance at being one of the main parts had to sing to groups of girls the song, ‘I’d do anything’. It’s going to be a very hard decision for Mrs Drennan and Mrs Fowler to make. Next the girls did their auditions. We had to sing individually a few lines from the song, ‘Who will buy’, which was really scary in front of everyone else. Now the auditions are over, we can’t wait to see who is playing which part. ENTRY 3 What a week! This week the cast list was put up and we all found out who was given the part of Oliver. The part went to Michael Gaughan! Now that everyone knows what part in the play they have, we can start to practise and learn individual or group songs and numbers as well as the numbers that everyone is included in. ENTRY 4 Now that the show is only a few weeks away, the set has been put up in Holden Hall and it looks amazing! It is basically a tall bridge with two big doors underneath it. We can even start practising on it, which makes it so much easier to see how it will actually be on the night.
Diary
We have so much more room now in Holden Hall; it makes it feel like a real show. ENTRY 5 The show is now not very far away and this week we were given our costumes! Most people only have two costumes but some people with more important roles have three or even four. We can start practising in our costumes now which makes the show feel even more real. Everyone is getting very excited. ENTRY 6 Finally! The very first performance! Today was the first time we got to perform in front of a full audience and it went really well! We have had some notes on how to make the performance even better, but other than that, the show was a complete success. Today we performed to several Junior Schools from the area and every single seat was filled with eager faces. I really hope that we have inspired some of the children who saw the show to get involved in the Drama and have a go themselves. ENTRY 7 What a great night! Tonight was our last night performing the show. Everyone was running on the adrenaline of performing to such a big crowd on a Saturday night. The show went amazingly and it was a complete success. Emotions ran high at the very end of the play as we were being rewarded for all our hard work and commitment to the show. It was an incredible experience and I am sure the whole Oliver crew thoroughly enjoyed it. I cannot wait until next year’s whole school production!
46-47 Michael Gaughan in Year 9 made an endearing Oliver, who was befriended by a cheeky and characterful Dodger, played by Miles Pooler in Year 8. They, together with a great number of students from Years 7, 8 and 9, enjoyed scenes such as ‘Food Glorious Food!’ and ‘You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two’. Holly Willock in Lower Sixth really shone in the role of Nancy, giving an emotional and gritty performance with her rendition of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ and moving the audience. The menacing Bill Sikes was played superbly by Harry Grimshaw in Lower Sixth, who terrified the front row with his performance of ‘My Name’ . The role of Fagin was brought to life brilliantly by Euan Chew-Graham, who captivated the audience with both his voice and mannerisms. It is impossible to mention all the individuals who gave show-stopping performances, but every member of the cast was valuable and the stars could not have done it without such a committed ensemble behind them. The show was brought to life with an impressive set, including a bridge, and an amazing array of costumes. The stage crew, led by Mr Parkin, played a vital role in ensuring that the props were in the correct places. Mr Jones, Mr Chambers and a group of students worked hard to perfect the sound and lighting for each scene. The whole team was brought together by our fabulous directors Mrs Fowler and Mrs Drennan, who spent hours planning, preparing, rehearsing us and of course doing hair buns! Everyone in the cast and crew had a great time and we can’t wait for next year’s production of Beauty and the Beast.
OLIVER Genevieve Jeffcoate, Year 10 I always enjoy taking part in productions at school, but was particularly excited when we were told about this year’s, as it was the musical Oliver. This show is very close to my heart, as in 2008 my brother Laurence starred in the BBC show I’d Do Anything and was selected to play the part of Oliver in the West End. It was such an exciting experience, seeing my own brother’s name on the theatre cast board, seeing his face on posters around London (most notably on a huge poster at the Tottenham Court Road tube station), and seeing him perform on the enormous stage at Theatre Royal alongside none other than Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean), who played the part of Fagin. One of the most memorable times was when Michael Jackson (shortly before he died) came to see the show with Mark Lester (who played Oliver in the 1968 film version of the show), on a night when Laurence was performing. After the show he got autographs and a picture backstage. My absolute favourite thing is that my brother is on the CD recording of the show, so the memories of him singing will always be there. After going to see the show at Theatre Royal Drury Lane about fifteen times, I barely needed to learn any lyrics for our production. We started rehearsing for the show at the very start of the school year, ready to perform ‘Consider Yourself’ at the Bridgewater Hall ceremony. Then the real work began, with hours of rehearsals for the real performances in February. The show had a huge cast with pupils from Year 7 to Upper Sixth all working together.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Brief Encounter - A Storm in a Teacup Caity Lyng, Lower Sixth The last night of the show was a dazzling occasion where the audience dressed up in clothes from that era and stepped back in time to the late 1930s. Women arrived in vintage 40s clothing while the men dressed in smart suits and uniforms. It was the first time that I have been involved in a school production and it made me realise how much effort is put into these school performances, down to the smallest detail. It wasn’t easy putting together a production like this because of the technical demands of making sure the lighting, dramatic music and films of moving trains came on at the correct time. As well as this, for the first time in a CHS production, flying gear was used to suspend the main characters (Laura and Alec) above the stage. This dramatic moment was used to illustrate that they were literally being lifted up by their love for each other. It took hours of rehearsals over weekends and weekdays, where the cast turned up in comfy clothes and slippers with a variety of snacks to keep them going. Filming outside school was done to create locations such as when Laura and Alec were rowing on the lake and then fell in. At the start of rehearsals, some of us had to be reminded to speak with the clipped, middle-class accent, and while the kissing scenes may have been a little bit awkward when first practised, (Olly was yelled at by Ms Harms and the rest of the watching cast to close his eyes whilst kissing, as his wide-eyed stare was a bit unnerving), they went smoothly during the actual performances.
This classic British film, adapted by Kneehigh into a wonderfully theatrical performance and then again by Ms Harms and the Drama Department, is a heart-wrenching story of unfulfilled true love, set during the winter of 1938-1939 in England. Laura and Alec, two terribly polite middle-class people, who are already married, meet at a train station (which is where most of the action takes place) and have a whirlwind secret romance, made more tense and exciting by the unexpected appearances of people they know, and this results in a few close calls. Laura in particular finds herself thrust out of her middle class comfort zone and suddenly realises she has become ‘the other woman’, which is the complete antithesis to her usual suburban housewife role. Though Brief Encounter has gentle comedy in some places, it packs a powerful punch at the end, when a distraught Laura almost throws herself in front of a train because she knows she will never be with Alec again, as he goes off to South Africa. Ms Harms and the Drama Department did a brilliant job of creating this magical piece with a musical twist, and a lot of effort was put into making Holden Hall look like an oldfashioned cinema, which successfully drew the audience into the world of Brief Encounter.
The first time we did a full run-through in our costumes was great because it made our characters seem more real and we really believed in them. Having our makeup done was fun too, and we all thought Omar’s skin looked flawless with a bit of stage foundation. He really made it work. We were all exhausted when the show was over, and a little bit sad to say good-bye to the world of Brief Encounter; however, a lot of the cast are already looking forward to next year’s show, even though we will lose a lot of talent from the current Upper Sixth when they leave in the summer of 2015, and we hope next year’s show will be as good as this year’s.
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THE APPLE Matthew Jackson, Year 6 It all started when I was playing hide and seek. It was George’s idea that we should play in the trees behind my house. Brambles stuck out like needles and bushes blocked the way as I tried to find the best place to hide. Thorns grabbed me and hung on to my clothes. I disentangled myself and, as I pulled out the last thorn, I saw what looked like a ruby red apple suspended from an odd looking tree, taller than every other in the wood. I just had to taste this ‘blood apple,’ so I climbed the twisting bark until I reached its branch. The apple had a sweet sugary scent. I took a huge bite. The whole earth seemed to stop spinning and a myriad of rainbows appeared from the blackened sky. Colours boomed out at me and slid down my throat to my stomach. It was as if a kaleidoscope had exploded inside me. I brushed a green shoot from under my nail, thinking nothing of it, then hid in a narrow cave, waiting for George. There was a tiny puddle in the cave, which looked like a pool of darkness. I stared into it. ‘That’s funny’, I thought to myself. I saw green hair in the puddle but had brown hair in real life. I pulled out one of my hairs and looked at it. Reflections never lie. Green!
It began to rain. Thick, heavy drops crashed down from the cloudy sky outside the cave. I wondered what time it was, so started to head back past the strange apple tree and over a ditch, which was turning into a little stream. Two butterflies flew around each other trying to escape the rain; rabbits ran for cover down their burrows and birds hid in their nests. I was alone in the forest and scared. What if George didn’t find me and I was stuck here forever? My tongue felt around my mouth and my teeth felt thinner than usual. When I touched them they could bend! One of them came out easily and it was a light pink, just like petals! Suddenly everything went quiet and I thought I had something stuck in my ears so I touched them and felt there were no ears. Instead were two identical leaves sticking out like oars on a boat. My legs stuck together and became one trunk. Grey roots curled out from my toes and my arms stretched out and stayed there. So here I am now, waiting for George to find me, waiting, just waiting… and wondering: how many of these other trees around me were once children who got hungry in the woods?
THE PLACE OF THE GODS Charlie Romer, Year 6 “Why do I have to go?” I shouted for the third time today. “Why do I have to go on another boring walk?” It was the fourth day of our holiday in Australia and we had already gone on two walks. “Because it’s good for you to get some fresh air,” my mum said, sounding a little irritated. Reluctantly I grabbed my water bottle and jammed my soaked boots on. As we strode through the metal barred gates leading into the National Park, beyond me were weird and wondrous plants in rows like the red carpet of the rain forest. As I trudged through the sodden soil that was made into a pathway, in the blink of an eye my surroundings turned from a crammed and rusty entrance to a jungle. Above me, tropical tree-top terraces housed a flock of fabulous coloured birds big and small with light filtering through the canopy layer. As we descended down a small mossy staircase the earthy smell enveloped my nostrils. “I’m bored! Can we go home! I’m hungry!” I shouted in my most annoying voice. My parents were hiding their annoyance extremely well as I strode along sparking my
boots up. Like a bullet an unseen leech launched itself off a nearby tree and landed with a splat on my leg and I screamed in alarm as I heard leeches suck my blood. It looked like it had a black shining armour coating on. I tried to kick the creature off my leg by shaking it in the air, making myself look like a complete idiot! “Catch up,” my mum said trying not to shout and glancing over her shoulder at me and I quickened my pace but was not paying attention. Suddenly I was sent flying through the air as I tripped over a spindly root that was like a witch’s fingers and tumbled around the next corner. I gazed in awe as above me loomed a waterfall with crystal clear water, glistening in the scorching sunlight pouring out. The refreshing spray splashed the width of my face and beneath the glorious creation was a brimming pool of frothy foam made by the impact of the water crashing into the small lake. The water was as blue as a heavenly cloudless sky on a summer’s day. It was a piece of artwork that had taken years to create, my eyes were transfixed by the artwork and it changed my view of the world. I didn’t want to ever leave this place of the Gods. I cherished the moment for the rest of my life.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Lou-Anne Binns, Young Musician of the Year Anna Chippendale, Lower Sixth Upper Sixth student Lou-Anne Binns has been singing since she can remember, and her extraordinary talent certainly impressed the judges when she competed for the title of 2014 CHS Young Musician of the Year. After fighting off tough competition, (it would seem that our school is chock-full of gifted musicians), LouAnne reached the final and went on to win the prestigious award with her stunning rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again”. Throughout her time at Cheadle, Lou-Anne has contributed to many music groups and has performed in countless concerts and school productions, most recently Brief Encounter and Annie. I chatted to Lou-Anne about her achievement and the way in which music influences her life. FIRSTLY, LOU-ANNE, CONGRATULATIONS! HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THIS YEAR’S YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR? Thank you! It feels like such an accomplishment, especially considering that there was some stiff competition. WHEN DID YOU START SINGING? I’ve been singing as long as I can remember, but I only really started taking it seriously when I started here in Year 7.
DO YOU PLAY ANY OTHER INSTRUMENTS? I play saxophone, and have done for about four years now. DO YOU HAVE ANY ROLE MODELS IN THE MUSIC WORLD? Yes! My role models have to be from the musical theatre side of things, most notably Sierra Boggess and Julie Andrews. Both of them inspire me because they’ve undertaken such diverse roles – for example, Sierra played Christine in Phantom of the Opera. They also have similar singing styles to me. HOW HAS CHEADLE HELPED YOU TO GROW AS A YOUNG MUSICIAN AND PERFORMER? CHS has helped me to grow through offering such a vast array of music groups and great performance opportunities; over the years, I’ve been a part of Cantorum, Sixth Form Singers, Chorus, A Cappella and Encore, as well as Big Band and Concert Band. Also, I have to thank my excellent instrumental teachers.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED IN MUSIC OR PERFORMING ARTS AT CHEADLE? My one piece of advice for younger students would be to try everything at least once if they’re truly interested. The school choirs and music groups are a great way to expand your knowledge of music and they give you multiple opportunities to perform. DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE PRODUCTION AMONGST THOSE YOU’VE BEEN A PART OF AT SCHOOL? Both Annie and Brief Encounter were extremely enjoyable! AND FINALLY, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEMORY FROM A PAST SCHOOL PRODUCTION YOU WERE A PART OF? I would say that the sense of community you get from being part of a show is really special. After all, you do spend a lot of time together in rehearsals!
ARE YOU PLANNING TO CONTINUE WITH YOUR MUSICAL ENDEAVOURS ONCE YOU LEAVE CHS? Yes, when I leave school I’m planning on taking a musical theatre course and hopefully doing something along those lines.
CHS Men’s Choir Oscar Cooper, Year 8 Overall, I would say that Men’s Choir is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to get involved in a choir. However, you do have to be a boy. It’s great for people who are keen singers and those who aren’t so confident, as there is no pressure to be good. The choir also does concerts throughout the year at various amazing venues, such as The Royal Northern College of Music.
term we talk to Mr Hall who runs the club about what we would like to sing. Since Men’s Choir started we have sung a few different pieces such as “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables, “Stille Nacht, Silent Night” in English and German, “Skyfall” by Adele and “Maria” from West Side Story. We like to sing lots of different genres of music and we are always trying to find a new style.
We are always trying to find new music to sing. At the start of each
I like going to Men’s Choir because it is very social as we sit down to
discuss what to sing, we sing and then we comment on the piece, mentioning what we liked and how we could improve it. The choir is very well organised by Mr Hall who writes out all the arrangements of the pieces and tells us the best way to perform them. I also love music so it is a great way to learn about it in more depth by reading the music and playing it. I feel that I have benefited massively in understanding how song music is written and how to go about writing it and in singing too.
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Natasha Walker, Upper Sixth On 6th January Cheadle’s Drama Department took its students to see The National Theatre’s highly acclaimed adaptation of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Performed at the Lowry’s Lyric Theatre, we expected to witness a visual wonder as the actors began portraying young Christopher Boone’s story. Intent on solving the mystery surrounding the death of a neighbour’s dog, Christopher, who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, embarks upon a journey that will alter the way in which he perceives the world around him. Haddon’s original novel is poignant yet remarkably comic and the most important thing Simon Stephens’ dramatic adaptation achieves is securing this same reaction from his audience. The performance we saw that evening successfully entertained the array of year groups that went to see it: from Year 10 through to Upper Sixth. This was largely due to the highly technical displays included by the director, all as a means to gain insight into Christopher’s extraordinary world which the audience is forced to see through his desperately order-seeking eyes. Ultimately, Curious Incident is a tragedy about a family torn apart by the pressures of looking after their son and there are certainly moments that are unbearably emotional for the audience - with many of its younger members struggling to hold back their tears. However, the sadness that the performance features is captured amongst so much charm, quirkiness and genius that we occasionally felt just as confused as Christopher and as
Image courtesy of: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
an audience we embarked on his ill-advised crusade to London alongside him. Several moments stood out to the audience, including a particular scene where Christopher becomes overwhelmed with distress. Here, the actor knelt with his face on the ground and cried in what was a truthful portrayal of the difficulties often faced by those with autism, and whilst the actor did this convincingly, he also succeeded in capturing his character’s courage, the unique brilliance of his mind and his startling perspectives on the world with sensitivity and credibility. Whilst Haddon’s novel, now a text on many KS3 syllabuses, puts you inside Christopher’s head, the stage version takes this even further; it gives an external manifestation to Christopher’s internal response to the world. After the show was over and we were all on the coach home, many debated the production’s successes. Perhaps it was the weight of expectation, but I personally felt that the show was an excellent but conventional adaptation of Haddon’s unconventional bestseller, in many ways reliant on Bunny Christie’s witty and eccentric stage design, an opinion that was supported by several. Admittedly, there were times when the show came worryingly close to sentimentality and the inclusion of a puppy on stage only served as a cheap, quick way to win over an audience. However, it is also true to argue that the play’s virtuoso lighting and stage design was surprising at the very least and the clarity with which Christopher’s character was presented was proud and unflinching. The show is equally headstrong in approaching the difficulties of parenting and the torment of a child who cannot help but view the world in a methodical, mathematical way. It is rare to witness a performance that attempts to balance so many theatrical realms. One could not help but leave the theatre satisfied that they had seen a story through to its full potential as the compelling characters led us through their story. Overall, the production gave many who saw it inspiration for their work in Drama lessons. Our A2 Drama set, for example, left the auditorium with several more ideas to put towards our upcoming A-Level Devised Performance.
THE WACONIAN 2015
The Séance Sally MacAlister, Lower Sixth
It takes a lot of time, dedication and passion to put on a production, at any level you do it. Fortunately, with the Sixth Form play, we had so much dedication and passion that the lack of time wasn’t really an issue.
evening- enter Polly Hedley as the level-headed Natasha, who not only had to deal with her feelings for Ryan, but also had to try her hardest to deflect the unrequited love of Andy, a role played extremely well by our own Jack Boyd.
With Alex Burns and Anna Walters at the helm of this eight-man ship, the audition process went by relatively smoothly. “Do you want to be in the play? OK, we start next week”. And intensive rehearsals began with a bang.
Also thrown into the mix was Sophie, a ditzy blonde aptly portrayed by Holly Willock (who, for the first time in a Cheadle Hulme School production, did not have any form of dance routine). A clear it-girl, Sophie showed disgust
The idea behind the play was simple but effective; a girl that a group of friends hardly know dies, so, in what is completely and utterly not an excuse to get drunk and flirt with whoever is sitting next to them, the group decides to hold a séance. I know, I’m shocked that this treasure of a plot isn’t better known too.
at the actions and lifestyle of Mark, a ‘stoner’ who was probably already very well acquainted with all of the herbs used in a séance. Omar Pridham breathed life into this role.
Through their acting, a stellar cast truly showed the ins and outs of the friendship group, as well as the personalities of their individual characters; Mike Alexander played Ryan, whose house it was that the group decided to adopt for the night. However, touching the ‘other side’ was clearly not the only thing he was looking to gain that
Then, like every group, the gang had to have its...individuals. This is where Jar Jar, the delightful Star Wars fanatic with the amazing ability to quote Lord Of the Rings, make inappropriate innuendos and successfully annoy every other member of the group all at the same time, enters the frame. Harry Grimshaw had the privilege of playing himself in this role, as well as adapting the script whenever he spotted a misquote from Lord Of the Rings, corrections which I am assured were vital to the end product of the piece.
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Then, naturally, this group of misfits needed something, or someone, to tie them all together. The ‘glue’ of the group if you will, the character to force the others to take the séance seriously. But who, might you ask, did the duo of directors, Walter and Burns, choose to portray this pivotal character? They cried out for an angel, and none other than Sally MacAlister (that’s myself, for those of you who don’t bother to read the name at the top of the article) answered. The role was that of Phoebe, a character who was clearly the outsider of the group; specially ‘gifted’ in her knowledge of spirits and séances alike, Phoebe was evidently the only one who took the séance completely seriously. With underlying family issues in abundance and an ignorance of the norm, Phoebe was an extremely detailed and interesting character to play. The rehearsals were a highly amusing process and, like any journey, involved high points and low points; a high point, for instance, would be when we first ran through the entire one-act play without scripts. A low point was the number of attempts it took for us to rehearse any romantic connection between Ryan (Mike) and Natasha (Polly), who I am almost certain were even less attracted to one another after the fourteenth time we tried to force them to kiss in Drama Studio One. Another particularly low point would be the multiple times when someone (me) was late to a rehearsal or two (all of them). Still, despite the lack of yours truly in many of the early morning rehearsals, Burns and Walters powered through, slowly picking up the pieces of my poor time management and someone’s (Harry’s) creative ad-libbing. And when I say ad-libbing, I’m referring to the fact that he didn’t know his lines. At all. The directing duo’s phenomenal skills were clear right until show time, as they battled through all elements, including the fact that a huge portion of the cast had been on the school trip to Washington the day before and had what can only be described as a hellish case of jetlag on the opening night. This also says something extremely complimentary about the actors; I think I speak for all of us who were involved in both the Washington trip and The Séance that jumping straight from the political backbone of the world to a play that was less and less related to its title the longer you watched it was tough, but someone had to do it. Opening night came around the corner faster than we had expected, or hoped. Still, it went off relatively smoothly with plenty of laughter from the audience - and only about a third of them pity laughs from parents of cast members! The final product had everything that every hit blockbuster contains; budding romance, young heartbreak, an exhilarating and terrifying fight scene (at least Jack and Harry tried, that’s all I can say) and of course, someone easy on the eyes to draw in a massive audience; “you’re more than welcome, guys”. All jokes aside, it does invite the question, what exact point of the Sixth Form production is it which is so very appealing? Is it the taboo subject matter? The massive
amounts of swearing? The curiosity about how good Drama students actually are at organising something by themselves? Whatever it was, Alex Burns and Anna Walters managed to tick all of these boxes as well as choosing a play that would be offensive and crude enough to attract an audience yet tame enough for Ms Pearson to allow them to remain at the school for the year. A huge congratulations and thank you go from me to them for giving me some of the funniest weeks of the school year. And of course, special mention goes to Ms Harms, for rearing such talented actors and directors.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Cheadle Hulme School in The Gambia Euan Chew-Graham, Lower Sixth
On the 14th December 2014, a group of 14 students and 4 teachers assembled at Manchester Airport to embark on our adventure to The Gambia. The journey was easy, and once we had landed in the country’s capital, Banjul, we were immediately hit with a forceful wave of African heat. It was sweltering but very dry, and we queued to enter the airport terminal building – we were only permitted to enter upon passing a forehead temperature scan, the first sign of the Ebola crisis plaguing West African countries. The airport building was simple and its interior was not aesthetically pleasing, but there was a sense that it wished to look grand, with smooth marble floors and tinted windows covering the entrance of the building. The airport workers were quick to attempt to take our bags to ease our trip, which was a nice sign, but it was our first clear indication of the desperation felt by the Gambian people, and of their increasing reliance on tourist custom for their livelihood, as they were determined to earn that one extra Great British pound for their work. The coach trip from Banjul International Airport to our hotel on the Atlantic coast of The Gambia was fascinating; we saw the economic inequality of The Gambia and how fundamentally different it was from the country we live in. We saw how the people were attempting to make money by setting up watermelon or pawpaw markets on the side of the main road,
in a seemingly fruitless attempt to generate income. We also saw many advertisement boards sporting government messages about their President of 21 years, Yahya Jammeh, but we found quickly that politics was not a topic up for discussion with the local people, learning that stability in The Gambia has yet to translate into prosperity. Our arrival at the popular tourist destination of Kotu Beach did not go unnoticed by the locals, who swarmed us and began introducing themselves, adding that “the blue shop in the square will give you the best exchange for your money”. We spent the remainder of the day getting used to the climatic and cultural differences by sunbathing and fending off over-enthusiastic “bumsters”. The following day, we visited the markets of Banjul along with a group of students from the SBEC International School. The markets were for trading of food goods for the citizens of Banjul, and were far from the tourist items we had been expecting. The most potent of the foods on sale were the sun-dried fish, which were sold at every other market, causing us to consider the competition for custom. On Tuesday, we travelled inland toward Tendaba, stopping off at Dumbotu Lower Basic School to donate some of the equipment we had brought - generous donations
of stationery from members of the Cheadle Hulme School community - which they so vitally needed. We were welcomed by the entire school, and were invited to join their parade from the main road to the school. Upon reaching the school, we were (somewhat forcibly) encouraged to partake in the dance circle with them before we toured the school and saw how inadequate it was to teach the children; a storm in July 2014 caused the roof of a building to be blown away and so those classes had to be relocated to another building, resulting in each class size increasing to 80 pupils. There was an extensive ceremony where they thanked us for the gifts, grateful that they were one of the few schools to prosper from foreign aid, and they urged us to take part in an unconventional game of school versus village football. We stayed the night in an eco-lodge located on the River Gambia and visited Tendaba Nursery, where we donated further supplies. The nursery had one room, and over 200 students were taught there every day, but days had to be split into morning and afternoon sessions to accommodate all of the children. We spent two hours playing with the young children, and to see the sincere joy on their faces, showing us that they truly valued our help, was very moving. Later that day, we began the journey back to our hotel, during which we drove two out of three hours on one
54-55 single road, showing us how underdeveloped the infrastructure of the country is. We made our first stop at Badru-Deen Islamic School and at a Women’s Institute. We spent several hours touring both of these locations. I found the work of the Women’s Institute especially remarkable. About 80% of the population of The Gambia is comprised of subsistence farmers and the majority of these farmers are women, so I found giving them opportunities to learn more valued skills and basic education excellent - something that other developing countries should take note of. We spent the last day investigating coastal erosion and how tourism has impacted the area. From what I saw, The Gambia is trying to change. The education system is trying to improve, but there is a lack
of state funding, so they have to rely on donations to keep the schools open. The inequality is obvious; the area within a mile radius of Banjul Airport has grand mansion buildings, where the rich live. Outside that radius, people live in tightly packed, poorly built buildings. Although there are some cases of women being encouraged to learn more skills, in an attempt to give them more specialized work rather than simply having children, not enough is being done internally, which is why foreign aid is appreciated so much. The trip was eye-opening, and all of us left feeling as if our help had been appreciated, but we knew that still more is needed. The whole experience made an impression on the group and made us feel so lucky that we have the opportunity to visit
these places, but it also made us feel awkward, knowing that we have so much, and they have so little.
THE WACONIAN 2015
THEY CALL ME DEATH Parisa Tavakoli, Year 9 The hut is small; it looks lonely on its own in the clearing that it inhabits. The walls have animal hide strung across them and lanterns are dotted around it leaving an orange glow. A strong smell of spice engulfs me and I inhale deeply. It smells like home. Beautiful warmth surrounds this home - but not physical warmth. I almost cannot describe it, it is just there. You feel it on the inside. I walk silently to the door and let myself in. I can hear a soft lullaby coming from the room at the end of the hallway, the peaceful melody sometimes broken by muffled sobs. I go and stand in the doorway and see a beautiful young mother holding her child. She is sitting on an old wooden chair beside a small cot. Tears trickle down her soft, olive cheeks as she sings sweetly. Her child is sick. His laboured breathing and blue tinted lips show he has not much time left in The Above. The mother looks up and stares so intently, I almost think she is looking at me but my calm is restored when a small child walks in beside me and continues towards her.
Opening them, all my senses rush back to me. Her voice pierces through my tranquillity as she asks, “Why are you here?”
She is carrying a pail of warm milk, no doubt for her brother. She hands it to her mother, receives a kiss, then walks towards me and exits the room. She cannot be more than eight years of age. I look down at my watch – not long now. I sigh and walk toward the kitchen, only to see the young girl looking right at me. I examine her black curls and olive green eyes – eyes that seem so innocent but at the same time contain wisdom that is well beyond her age. “Hello,” she says. I turn expecting to find someone standing behind me, but there was no one. “Hello,” she repeats. She is looking directly at me. Panic begins to set in – no one in The Above has ever seen me before. All of a sudden I’m feeling lightheaded, queasy.
“No! No – I do not kill. I collect. He is close to death and my presence helps him move on to his next life.”
“M-me?” I stutter.
“I must, I’m sorry.”
“Yes, you.” she confirms. I leap back, my body tremoring profusely, I’m startled beyond measure. How is this possible? A child? No one has ever seen me. How can a child see me? I am shaking my head, staring at her with wide eyes.
“You will not.” She clenches her small fist and I don’t know what comes over me but my ice-cold façade shatters. I nod. Surprise replaces the hate in her features. I can’t go back now. I’ve done it. There will be serious consequences. I will suffer Eternal Suffering. The pain I thought I was free of will return. And I will not be permitted to enter The Above for another thousand years. I will go back to the beginning, to The Weak.
“You okay, sir?” She jumps off the chair and begins to walk over to me; her brow furrowed in concern, her tiny hands outstretched towards me. “S-stay away from me! Do not touch me!” “Please, calm down, sir.” My mind is in chaos, questions are flooding my conscience, my eyes searching the room frantically but somehow I cannot avoid her. I stare straight at her and my heart feels like it’s hammering, even though it no longer exists. But then I lock onto her. Curiosity and innocence fill her eyes. She speaks but I cannot hear her. I am mesmerized. I am calm. I close my eyes.
I see no point in lying to her, “I’m here to collect your brother.” “Does Ma know you’re here?” “No.” She takes a step back. “Who are you?” “My name is 0321. I have the honour of being a soul collector of Adonai. They call me Death.” She gasps and stumbles backwards, her eyelids fluttering. She scrambles into the corner of the kitchen. There is a moment of silence broken when she whispers; “Are you going to kill Kaylub?”
“So, he would survive if you weren’t here?” “I suppose.” I had never thought of it like that but I guess it is logical. There is another pause, this time clouded with sorrow, as she composes herself, wiping away stray tears that have escaped her. Until now she has kept from looking into my eyes, but now she looks straight at me with such pure determination that I almost look away. “You will not take him.” Simple as that. I cough awkwardly.
But I nod again. Stronger this time, a confirmation. And then I leave. I walk straight out and towards the forest, then stand still. I’m using every ounce of my power to absorb the essence of The Above, hoping to contain it to help me through my inevitable pain. I spend my last few minutes in The Above weeping silent tears and taking in the sights and smells of my surroundings on this sombre night. In the distance I can hear the mother’s lullaby and I listen until the darkness consumes me. Now I must face Adonai. And no longer can I be Death. But I do not regret it.
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A LIFETIME’S COMMITMENT TO THE GAMBIA Sue Matthews, Geography Department Today’s Sixth Formers were but babes-in-arms when Cheadle Hulme School first visited The Gambia. The connection developed after Mr Ian Ray (former teacher of Geography and Head of Geology) met Mr Thomas Kalokoh (teacher of Geography at The Gambia High School) through the Manchester branch of the Geographical Association. This led to a small group of Sixth Form Geographers visiting the country in 1998 as guests of the Geography Department at The Gambia High School. Moved by the experience of visiting such a different culture, Mr Ray and the Sixth Formers started to raise money to support the school. So life-changing was the encounter for the students that the Geography Department wanted to repeat the opportunity for subsequent Sixth Form students. And so a biennial visit to The Gambia began, with me establishing the current format of the trip in 2002. Nearly 200 Geographers have experienced the trip; some have chosen to return to Africa to undertake voluntary work of their own. Although rooted in Geography, the trip has always had a dual purpose. In addition to enhancing the students’ understanding of the physical and human geography of a developing West African country, together with the tropical wet and dry climate conditions, there is a significant focus on charitable works. These take the form of both visiting and supporting various schools, which have been recipients to gifts of stationery, equipment and financial support. The latter is sourced from individual fund raising and a portion of each year’s Charity Hike sponsorship.
Cheadle Hulme School should be proud of the enormous difference this committed relationship has made to several communities. For instance: • at the Badrudeen Islamic School, Soma (essentially a primary school), CHS has funded the construction of two classrooms, the library, the kitchen, the well, the toilet block (a new long-drop is better than none) and the staff room, and provided furniture and text-books. We have also provided mosquito nets to reduce the instance of malaria amongst the children. • the Soma Women’s Group has received capital funding to set up a self-help scheme whereby women can borrow money to make a product (typically tie-dyeing cloth or making soap), selling this at the local market, and using the profit both to pay back the loan and to send their daughters to school - in poor families, boys are funded in preference to girls in education. CHS has now committed to support the construction of the Cheadle Hulme Skills Centre with continued funding needed to complete the project; CHS staff laid the four foundation stones during the 2014 visit. This group is also the location of the infamous Sue Matthews HandPump - a seemingly small initiative which has had a profound effect on the women; it reduces the distance/ time spent each day in collecting water, enabling more time to be spent on tie-dyeing, meaning more chance of their daughters being educated. • Dumbuto Primary School and the associated village have received financial support since 2000. CHS has enabled repairs to classrooms, built a perimeter wall to keep out goats and set up an agricultural training scheme. Within the village community, CHS is supporting a scheme to assist older students who have dropped out of education in providing them with life skills. To help with this, we have purchased equipment such as a donkey, a plough, seeds, fertiliser and treadle-operated sewing machines. We were given a demonstration of the sewing machines under a mango tree during the 2014 visit. It is hard to comprehend the differences between life at CHS in Cheshire and at the schools we visit in The Gambia. Whilst a game of football between students on a sun-dried pitch, with the occasional donkey and cart wandering across, provides a point of connection and shared humanity, the respective lifestyles, cultures, political freedoms and expectations are far apart. This gulf is where our students learn so much. The connections that have become established between our communities over the lifetime of our current Sixth-Formers are highly valued by the Gambians. The experience works both for our students and for the Gambians. Whilst students themselves move on, the commitment between our communities persists; long may it continue to the benefit of both.
THE WACONIAN 2015
THE YEAR 11
CHARITY
FASHION SHOW Hans Smith-Wrinch, Year 11 My colleague Patrick Robbins and I had the privilege of presenting the Year 11 Charity Fashion Show 2014. The show brought a whole host of talent including two dances, a live band and obviously a wide array of fashion. The themed night began with a short introductory passage by the presenters followed by the start of the modelling. The models, including Dylan Evans and Francesca Scott, professionally embarked onto the catwalk, accompanied by their corresponding partner showing off the first of a selection of themes: Spring. Albeit nervous at first, the carefully selected pairs managed to quickly stifle their smiles and retain a sense of calmness, allowing them to grow into their roles. The upbeat tunes alongside flowery garments really gave a feeling that spring had arrived prematurely. As the last models left the stage and the music began to die down, the spotlight returned to Pat and myself as we prepared the audience for the cheesiest jokes in our possession. After those few muted laughs we presented an extravagant acrobatic-inspired dance by Francesca Wrigley and Amy Clayton. The dancing duo kept to the beat with flawless precision, filling the spectators with awe. The well-deserved deafening applause quickly faded as Pat and I clambered back onto the stage, knowing all too well the torrent of cringe that was about to ensue. We praised the performance before, once again, treating the crowd to a display of our terrible jokes and introducing the next theme: Around the World. The models, James Marsland and Beth McDermott (to name just two!) entered the catwalk exhibiting clothes from a wide variety of nationalities – from the oriental shores of China to the beaches of Jamaica. They beautifully demonstrated the diversity of fashion from all around the globe
accompanied by culturally themed music, making us feel as though we were being immersed into the fashion of each country. Next up we had the pleasure of the live band, Matter of Mind, performing. Matter of Mind managed to get the whole audience onto their feet – by no means an easy task! – blasting the Holden Hall with their original tunes. Subsequently Pat and I thanked the band for their truly fantastic performance and announced the interlude. This allowed the audience to purchase raffle tickets or an assortment of drinks. All of said money as well as the money made through the ticket and clothing purchases went to the two charities: Retrak and Mind. Retrak inspires street children to help them find a viable alternative to life on the street, and Mind helps anyone with any kind of mental health problem. Once the audience had found their way back to their seats the show continued with the theme of Summer. As before each pair of models strutted up and down the cat walk showcasing a variety of shorts and dresses, emitting that feel-good summertime vibe. A particularly special dance followed the Summer section with a handful of Year 11 dancers including Tabitha Vernon and Amelia Begg. Perfectly synchronised and choreographed, the passionate dancers grasped the attention of the audience from the first note until the last. Pat and I then entered the stage once again supplying our cringe-worthy gags to the masses as well as introducing the next and final theme, Prom. One by one each pair - including Duncan Ray and Lottie Needham - walked along the stage, although this time at a slower pace; boys donning sharp suits and the girls wearing elaborate and beautiful dresses. The prom dates were met with cheers from the mesmerised audience as they disembarked from the cat walk. Pat and I clambered back onto the stage for the final time to announce the raffle winners. The winning audience members were treated to an array of donated gifts, such as signed Everton memorabilia. The 2014 Charity Fashion Show was a huge success and managed to help both of the charities involved. I, as a member of the show, feel a great sense of pride in what we accomplished for the charities and the audience. Well done to everyone involved!
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CHS SHOE BOX APPEAL FOR WATAMU Caroline Dunn, Head of Lower School
In December 2014 the Lower School Student Voice inspired their peers to contribute to our very own CHS Christmas Shoe Box Appeal. Individuals and groups of students collected gifts for children less fortunate than themselves and put them in shoe boxes ready to send to Kenya, Rwanda and The Gambia. We were overwhelmed with the kindness and support of the students in Years 7 and 8. Sixth Form students took some of the boxes with them to The Gambia and Mr Paul Naden, a parent and the Director of ‘Project Legacy’, kindly organised the delivery of the rest of our shoe boxes to Africa. Indeed, he personally delivered many of the shoe boxes to disadvantaged families that he met on the streets of Rwanda. He also organised for 109 of the shoe boxes to be delivered to Happy House, a home for vulnerable, orphaned and abused children in Watamu, a small coastal village in Kenya, East Africa. Each of the children received their very own Christmas shoe box from CHS. Sue Hayward, or Mama Sue as she is known to her ‘children’, founder of the charity Happy House, visited Cheadle Hulme School last week to express her sincere gratitude to our students and parents for their kindness. Since January 2000 Sue and her husband Dave have worked tirelessly and they have built schools to educate the young people in their care at Happy House and in the local community, believing passionately that education is the only road out of
poverty for her children. She is incredibly proud of her library which contains over 50,000 books and is currently educating over 700 students between the ages of two and twenty. It was an honour and a privilege to meet Sue and we have decided to continue to support Happy House and to repeat our Shoe Box Appeal this Christmas. Students in Years 7 and 8 are going to write to the young people that live at Happy House this term and will endeavour to raise £1000 at a Beach Party which will be held on Friday 19th June at CHS to help Sue achieve her dream of completing the building of the Secondary School by the end of 2015.
James Johnson, Year 7, pictured with Sue Hayward and Elizabeth Gomm. James based his Outstanding Individual Thinking Skills Project on Sue after reading her story earlier this year.
THE WACONIAN 2015
RUGBY Harry Firmston, Lower Sixth
Why do you play rugby? What first attracted you to the game? I started playing because of my family connection to the game. Both my dad and brother played at this club. This therefore was my first memory of the game. I watched numerous games of rugby there along with helping out. Tell me about your rugby career so far? I am currently playing fullback for the First Team at school which is my favourite position. Throughout my years at school I have played numerous positions. In Year 7 I played scrum half, in Year 8 I played fly half, and then in Years 9 -10 I played inside centre. I have played numerous positions for my club Macclesfield; I started playing for them when I was seven years old. I have only trained with Sale, and in Cheshire I played one game at fullback. What have your personal achievements been? A highlight of my rugby career was playing a cup final at Twickenham, where I scored a try. My best season in school rugby was in Year 10 where I was playing inside centre and I scored around 30 tries. I have also been fortunate enough to play for a very strong club team; we have won six Cheshire cups in seven seasons. In Years 7 -11 I would say I have roughly scored just over 100 tries, which I am keen to build on. Also in Year 10 I was named Player of the Season for my school team. What have your low points been? Certainly a major low point in my rugby career came a few years ago, when we lost in the semi-final of the Cheshire cup for my first time in this competition. We lost by three points against Cauldy after numerous bad refereeing decisions and disallowed tries that we felt were incorrect decisions. In Year 8 I suffered with a knee injury that kept me out for half the season. What next? My next move in rugby is hopefully to continue to play school rugby and keep my fullback position for the next two years, and at the same time I would really like to captain the first team. Who is your favourite professional? I feel I have similarities to Jarrad Hayne, the Australian rugby league full back. I feel my traits such as my kicking and ability to score tries make me similar to him. Who inspired you as a youngster and why? As a youngster I watched a lot of Scottish rugby and a key player of this team was Chris Patterson, a legend in Scottish rugby. He scored numerous tries from fullback and also kicked plenty of points. Therefore this is why he has inspired me.
AN INTERVIEW WITH... JAMES SCOTT
Triumph Over Adversity Kate Watson, Lower Sixth Have you ever come up with an excuse to get out of doing something? Let’s be honest, whether it be because of bad weather, you’re ‘too tired’ or you simply ‘can’t be bothered’, we all come up with an excuse at one time or another. I say ‘we’ because, yes, I have been guilty of this in the past. I also say ‘past’ because it is something I have learnt not to do again. I won’t bore you with my whole story, but in February 2014 I tore my ACL in my right knee. A serious ligament, I soon learnt, resulting in surgery after my GCSEs. Sure enough, as soon as summer began, I was in a hospital room under anaesthetic with a pair of crutches and a cast - a repeat of what I had already been through once in February.
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Why do you play rugby? What first attracted you to the game? My main reason for playing rugby is because I enjoy it. I believe it is important to play sport and rugby is very like my favourite sport, football. The speed of the game suits me. I was first attracted to the game when I was young. My dad used to take me to the Castleford games and this was where my love for the sport first started. Tell me about your rugby career so far. I started playing rugby when I was seven years old; my first club was Manchester Rugby Club. Due to my football commitments I stopped playing rugby for a few years until I came to this school where in Year 7 I found an interest in the game again. I played a variety of positions in Year 7; I started out as a centre but as I have got older I have turned into a scrum half. For both Cheshire and Sale I have played both wing and fullback.
...AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL ELSTONE
Recovery, in total, has taken over a year and has been far from easy. However, the worst part was having the sports that I’ve always loved taken away from me, wishing I could be out there with my friends and teammates; but having to sit back and watch people take these sports for granted. Reflecting back now, this setback has made me appreciate and look at good things in a whole new light. I can honestly say that this injury doesn’t hold me back any more and has made me stronger, more committed, and even more determined to share the message that comes with it - to play in every practice or game like it’s your last because it very well could be. When you finally reach the day that you can’t play, and you can only watch, then you will know how much you love something that you once took for granted.
What have your personal achievements been? I have been lucky enough to play for a very strong school team which has meant a strong record over the five years of school rugby. For Cheshire I was top try scorer with six tries in three games played against Lancashire, Kent and Yorkshire. Another proud moment was then being selected to play for Sale Sharks for my age group at an even more competitive level, where I scored a try in my first game. For school I have been top try scorer in a very strong team in Years 10 and 11 with around 25-30 tries in each season. In Year 10 I was selected as player of the season. What have your low points been? A major low point in my school rugby career came against close rivals Stockport Grammar. In the Year 9 season we beat them 36-0 away from home. Then when we came to play them in Year 10 we were full of confidence but unfortunately got beaten 56-7 at home. I also suffered mainly in Year 8 with an injury problem with my knees where I was unable to play in a whole season. Also I think it is a shame that I can’t play as much school rugby anymore due to the fact I now play for Crewe Football academy, so my priorities lie with them. What next? I am going to keep trying to find a balance between my commitments in rugby and football and I certainly hope to make some First Team appearances with the school team when I am able to play. Who are your favourite professional players? My favourite professional is Australian Rugby League star Billy Slater. His try scoring records are incredible and he is well regarded in the rugby world. I believe I am most like him in some ways due to my pace and ability to score tries.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Zoe Mallinder and Lily Muir, Year 10
On Saturday 22nd November, the Under 15s Netball Squad played in a popular tournament that in previous years this team had not been successful in winning. We started off the tournament by winning our first three games; this was a good start as every team playing in the tournament was of a very high standard. We knew that throughout the game there was no room for errors! Everybody’s game was strong; Roma who was GS and Imogen who was playing GA barely missed a shot, and the ball managed to get up and down the court with the minimum number of errors possible. We all made sure that we kept our heads up and were confident on court. We had Miss Sharp and Mrs Patrick coaching us from the sideline and throughout the tournament we believe that they were impressed with our play! In this tournament it was only six minutes each way, which meant that we had to play at a consistently high level throughout, especially in our most challenging games. We played against Manchester High School, and we managed to win the first half, although it was very close. MHS picked up their game in the second half, leading
to us only being one goal ahead. This could easily be brought back. It came to the last minute and it was MHS’s centre; we managed to win back the ball and get it to the shooter’s third. At this point we knew it was the last 15 seconds and there was one goal between us. Imogen took a long shot and it went in. the whistle blew and we all were very relieved as we knew that this was going to be one of our toughest games of the tournament! Our last game was against Withington; we had lost against this team in previous tournaments and Withington were last year’s champions. Cheadle knew that we all had to try our hardest and put as much pressure on the ball as we could, so that we could force them to make mistakes. Defence, midcourt players and the shooters all rose to the challenge, and worked together as a team to give our best shot at giving Withington a challenging game. It came to the second half and Withington were two goals up from us. Each CHS player showed great determination and we all managed to pick up our games and fight for a win, with the end result being Cheadle three goals up! This meant that we had won the tournament as we were unbeaten. We were all so happy and Miss Sharp said that it was the best she has ever seen us play as a team!
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MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEBATES 2014 James Turnbull, Upper Sixth If you were to round up a group of A-Level Spanish students (the collective noun escapes me – a gaggle?) and ask them to name the one part of the entire course they feared the most, the obvious answer seems to be the Speaking Exam. Written exams offer hiding places, as you can just about write yourself out of a tight corner in two hours or so; such hiding places are nowhere to be found during Speaking Exam Season. Your only friends are a list of idiomatic phrases you nervously glanced at the night before and whatever knowledge you possess of the works of Gaudí. Naturally, my joyous memories of Speaking Examinations throughout the years led to me becoming part of the school’s Spanish Debating Squad for the Northern Schools’ Modern Foreign Language Debating Competition. Each year, this veritable linguistic battle royale plays host to three separate competitions in French, Spanish and German, with students across the North of England venomously discussing (in their chosen language, of course) topics such as “University education is a waste of money” and “Sorry immigrants but the border is closed”. Brief introductions on each side lead to open debate between both teams, culminating with what will hopefully turn out to be a game-clinching final argument. A simple 5-point system determines the final position of the team in the group. The two Spanish teams were in separate groups, and the illustrious dream of an All-Cheadle Final was on the cards. Alas, the cruel mistress that is Fate intervened, and nuestros compañeros (both named Josh, as it
happens) were beaten to the line in the first round, leaving just one team in the semi-finals to take on Stockport Grammar. Small margins made a big difference in the other languages too, with the French team losing out on a coveted Last Four spot by just one point. As we dusted ourselves off following a particularly fiery “discussion” regarding immigration, Joe (mi cómplice, if you will) and I looked at the board to find our next topic of debate: “Give me a pen, not a gun!” Having lost the coin toss, we’d have to take on the terrifying prospect of arguing for the gun, which we hardly relished. Hastily shaking off our reservations about passionately arguing against the written word, we threw ourselves into it, which later made us question our own opinions on the subject matter. Regardless, a few well-placed points regarding religious extremism and Neville Chamberlain’s Policy of Appeasement (el apaciguamiento, for those brave enough to try themselves) dragged us over the line, as we saw off our challengers in black and yellow. I won’t say it wasn’t violent, but everyone else in the room will. Maybe a small part of me wanted a Spanishlanguage brawl to break out. The Final beckoned, and we were left with our opponents for ten minutes with a Spanish-to-English dictionary (Nectar of the Gods) and our final debate title: “Travelling is the best way to learn”, or “Viajar es la mejor forma de aprender”. We scoured the hefty tome that lay before us for all sorts of useful phrases and vocabulary, and attempted to psyche out our Altrincham Grammar opponents – a gambit that was
destined to fail. Our time was up; the Grand Final was here. After again losing the coin toss, we were ready to have the inarguably short straw of arguing against this motion thrust in our faces, but inexplicably, the opposing team snatched said straw and declared that they would be arguing against instead. A stunned (or at least they should have been) C1.4 looked on as we reached open debate, and one moment certainly stayed with me long after the event. An Altrincham Grammar team member boldly stated, “I’ve never been to Spain, but I can speak Spanish well, or I hope I can speak Spanish well”. Polite laughter met his playful aside. Having thrown caution (and, unfortunately, general decorum) to the wind, I then interjected with “Espero que no”, (I hope not) – surely a line that will go down in history. The tide seemed to have turned in our favour, and we had a certain confidence that made waiting for the final results somewhat easier. The final score – 5 points to 4 – crowned us the winners of the competition and, as we accepted the winners’ plaque (and the coveted £10 book voucher), we reflected on what had been a brilliant advertisement for learning languages. Communication that night hadn’t been hindered by foreign languages, but enhanced, and even though a lot of audience members didn’t quite understand every aspect of the language they were listening to, they could still appreciate the power of the words being spoken. Modern languages open doors we’d be foolish to close, so why do we insist on nervously slamming them shut?
THE WACONIAN 2015
Eleanor McCabe, Lower Sixth
L S C R A B U L A R U M D U S
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Oliver Orwin, Lower Sixth
Once again the now annual Latin Scrabble competition went down a storm with around twenty competitors taking their places in the school’s very own amphitheatre (aka the Library Resource Centre) to battle heroically for their Houses. Although cold and wintery outside, the whirring cogs of young minds worked diligently to do their utmost in order to win, with gladiatorial rivalries instantly developing.
As with many board games, most competitors start tentatively before opening up the board; our students employed the same methods and then, after a couple of rounds, the tactical game developed, with teams trying to block other teams’ route to a higher score. On the more ‘mature’ Sixth Form team there was arguably some cheating mixed with some creative and difficult Latin words. The younger table showed their keen attitude towards the games and were able to come up with and find more Latin words than they had previously thought possible. The general concept of Latin Scrabble is the same as English Scrabble (not surprisingly), but there are a
couple of differences from the traditional version of the game.
Firstly because of the difference in language, certain letters are not there at all: those being J, W & Z so you would have a task on your hands trying to find a word in the Latin dictionary containing these letters.
Secondly if you are an experienced Scrabble player and love working out the number values in order to obtain the highest score, well, Latin Scrabble changes that as well, as several of the letters have different values. An example is the letter G which is normally worth only two points in traditional Scrabble, yet in Latin Scrabble its value is tripled. Latin Scrabble is an amusing way for students to pit their wits against their peers and to expand their vocabulary at the same time in a fun environment.
PSYCHOLOGY HAPPY DAY Charlotte Hunter, Lower Sixth On the 26th of November, the Upper Sixth Psychology students ventured to Lancashire Cricket Club for a Psychology Conference. Along with many other Sixth Forms and Colleges from the North West, we were lucky enough to listen to some top professionals in their field speak to us. There were around six different talks, followed by practical demonstrations in the afternoon. During the day we found out about the science of laughter, pseudoscience and how it has been scientifically tested and proven that cows like the song ‘Happy Day’ - I’m not joking. We were also treated to Dr Dance explaining the correlations between how someone dances and the type of person they are; he even taught us a few moves! The practical demonstrations in the afternoon showed us a live hypnotism resulting in hugs and smelling shoes, while the hypnotist was explaining to the audience how he was doing it. Thankfully, no one from Cheadle was susceptible to the hypnotism! We were also challenged to see if our nerve cells could outrun Usain Bolt and were shown that an upside down image can fool you more than you expect. It was certainly an interesting trip and I’m sure we all came away with a further interest in Psychology after a very informative day.
THE WACONIAN 2015
YEAR 7 THINKING SKILLS PROJECT
Dynamic Decades Komal Amar, Lower Sixth In celebration of the launch of the Year 7 Project, all the students involved in creating an innovative historical video were invited to present the results of their hard work and collaboration to their parents. Skills such as communication, creativity and altruism are well esteemed by admission officers for universities as well as employers for high ranked professional careers, and therefore establishing and embedding these skills into the students of Cheadle Hulme School at an early age has been recognised as a necessity. In addition to this, being able to reflect effectively on learning and to integrate new-found skills will construct bridges between academic subjects and understanding their application outside school life.
WHAT WERE SOME CHALLENGES YOU FACED? Some challenges we faced were writing up a script, working with a mixture of people in the team and individual work, such as posters. We were quite camerashy and were nervous about working with new people in a team initially. Eleanor Kearney WHAT ASPECTS DID YOU FIND MOST REWARDING? I have made a lot of new friends! Though the most rewarding aspect was finishing a piece of work under a certain amount of time, for example, we had to finish some research by the end of lunch and we were sceptical that we would finish on time, but since we did complete it and at a high standard, it was very satisfying. Amelie Vernon
Alongside manifesting key awareness of the importance of teamwork and cooperation, the projects have been formulated to give the students tenaciousness and independence in order to ensure that when the pupils come to study for their GCSEs and A Levels, they have the capacity to research, organise and support their learning for themselves.
EXPLAIN TO ME THE PROCESS. To begin with we had to collaborate well and quickly give specific jobs, such as finding images, appointing leaders and directors, organising writers for the script and artists for the posters. We needed to give an equal amount to say to each member of the group and divide up the workload. Haadiya Hussain
The introduction to the evening demonstrated these ideas well and a video from the Head further expanded on the points, highlighting modern thinking and debate. With two days off timetable and multiple lunch times working on their projects, the Year 7s designed A3 posters about their event, a short film and a digital diary reflecting their work; the results were impressive.
WHAT SKILLS HAVE YOU ACQUIRED? We did a lot of investigation to find facts and have developed our skills in public speaking. In spite of being rushed, we worked well and we soon stopped procrastinating! Natasha Sander
To grasp an insight into the arduous yet rewarding experience, I interviewed some of the students before the event:
ARE YOU NERVOUS ABOUT THE PRESENTATION EVENING? I am not particularly nervous, I feel as though our presentation went well. We have used our imaginations and learnt a lot of intriguing history. Finley Rhodes
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Some remarks post the event: WHAT IS YOUR VERDICT ON THE EVENING? I most enjoyed watching the video that we had made. All the work we had put into it had finally paid off. My dad and other parents that came were very impressed with what we had achieved. Amelie Vernon I enjoyed making the movie the most because it was fun making it look like we were on the news! I think this will help me feel more confident researching in the future and we managed to do all the thinking skills! Natasha Sander IF YOU WERE TO REDO THE PRESENTATION, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? If we did it again I think we should get the parents to come in earlier so that we could remember a bit more. It was hard to remember what we did exactly because the parents came in a long time after we had done it. Amelie Vernon
THE WACONIAN 2015
Genomic Medicine Komal Amar, Lower Sixth In close relation to the A Level Biology course I, along with fellow aspiring-medics and Biology enthusiasts, attended the annual Christmas Lecture held at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and presented by the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine. The talk sought to provide an insight into their professional sector, whether that be from within their labs or interestingly besides a super computer, as well as to introduce us to genetic variance and the lengthy process of genetic diagnosis and prognosis. Broaching the anatomical side first, as humans we are made out of trillions of cells, constantly dying and duplicating via the process of mitosis, or cell division. This is regulated by a command centre within our cells, called the nucleus, which holds all our genetic information in the form of DNA. The speakers were all dressed colour co-ordinately and presented their roles within the Genome Department in pairs, to reflect the DNA pairs constructed from 4 bases, hence adenine pairing with thymine and guanine with cytosine. Of course in order to exhibit ones genomics, DNA needs to be extracted first. A group of volunteers took to the floor for an experiment to extract their DNA by the homogenisation (bursting) of cheek epithelial cells, resulting in a cloudy, string-like substance floating on the surface of the solution - this is DNA extracted to be visible to the naked eye. Even more fascinating, squeezed into each nucleus, DNA is two meters long when stretched end to end! Within every human, cells are categorized by the many specific functions they hold in the body, such as contracting cardiac muscle cells or photo receptors in our eyes, as coded by our DNA, so what makes us uniquely different from each other? The answer is variations in our DNA sequence and DNA mutations. This sounds rather daunting when the biology behind it is not explained, thus to understand the significance of mutations, another test was run by the genome team. This time I volunteered myself. Each volunteer was given a strip of paper coated with a specific chemical and told to hold it on the tongue for a few seconds. Some had no reaction, whereas myself and a few others cringed at the bitter taste; this is due to a specific mutation found in 50% of the population, that results in an inability to experience this taste which is present from birth. Funnily enough this chemical is very similar to that found in brussel sprouts, which could explain the common distaste for them. However, some mutations from birth and during your lifetime can be harmful.
In order to diagnose patients with these harmful mutations or rather genetic conditions, the genomic researchers work hard to find variations in the DNA sequences of their patients to pinpoint which genetic condition they may be carrying and therefore how to treat them. To explain the process very simply, the DNA is extracted from the cell and cut into short sections to extrapolate the exact gene they want to sequence. In order to analyse these strands they need to be organised into the DNA sequence they are found in naturally. Hence the technicians, educated to use the super computers, analyse the DNA and in light of the Christmas spirit at the time, tinsel was used to display this. Our tickets for the talk which had been collected earlier were now used to represent an unorganized sequence; they were then placed into a box representing a ‘super computer’, which began shaking to form a sequence. This would usually take a few days since the computer has to organise between 3 billion pairs of letters in the human genome and 20,000 genes; however, we were swiftly given a result as a long chain of tinsel was pulled from the computer, whereas in reality the computer draws a graph of each base in the sequence it has recorded and organised. Now with the full DNA sequence, the bases in the sequence can be compared to other sequences to determine the patient’s conditions. Hence if they have a rare genetic disorder, their sequence will be compared to their parents’ or healthy human DNA. If the patient has a cancer caused by DNA mutation, the tumour DNA will be compared to the patient’s normal DNA. This extravagantly long process is second nature to the scientists in the lab as a video clip later exhibited, showing the types of patients they help and their ongoing research about which they spoke with zeal. After the talk we were given a bag of sweets, including jelly beans and strawberry lace, to make our own DNA molecule alongside instructions on how to extract our DNA at home! After being dumbfounded by the careful analysis and specific specialties required to test a single patient, never mind an entire family, the talk left me truly appreciative of how essential these seemingly quiet ‘behind-the-scenes’ roles are in contributing to daily medical treatment and modern research.
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THE BOOK THIEF BY MARKUS ZUSAK
Reading Challenge 4
Emilio Ripolles, Year 7 The students were asked to write one of the chapters from another character’s perspective. Emilio chose Ilsa Hermann, the Mayor’s wife from the chapter “The Attributes of Summer.” I sit and watch the girl, Liesel, sitting on the floor reading the books from my library. I can never express to her how much her visits mean to me. I look forward to the days when she collects my washing, as I enjoy having a young person in the house who is full of excitement and vitality and who is so willing to read. It reminds me of my son, Johann, who died on the frontline in 1918, after getting caught up in barbed wire. He was too young to die. Even though he was old enough to go and fight, he was still a boy to me. Johann also used to sit on the floor and read for long periods of time, just like Liesel. It would make me too sad to tell her about Johann though, and I can never bring myself to do it. Today she was reading a picture book of Johann’s; she pointed to his clumsily written name and asked who he was. It was Christmas 1906 when Johann received that book. I still remember the look on his face as he tore open the wrapping and clumsily wrote his name on the front with a short,
stubby pencil that he’d taken from the top drawer in the kitchen. At that moment I’m sure he was the happiest boy alive. He filled the house with laughter and noise, but now there is only silence. It follows me like an ominous black cloud everywhere I go; it is hiding in the darkness ready to reach out and grab me. I can’t talk about it with anyone, not even my husband, because it hurts me too much to even say his name. I have embraced suffering and have succumbed to it when it refuses to go away. I could have ended my own life, but that would have been too easy. I have chosen to suffer instead. It gnaws away at my insides like a rusty chainsaw cutting through a mangled tree. When Liesel left today, she stood at my front door and uttered the words; ‘I’m sorry.’ I had no idea what she was talking about until I remembered the book, but by the time I had remembered, Liesel had gone. I don’t know how to react when people mention my boy. I have suffered so much pain and grief I can’t react to anything anymore. I watch her run down the stone steps and along the road to join in a game of football with the other children. It has been twenty-four years since I last went outside and enjoyed the fresh air. I used to take Johann to the park, where I would push him on the swings and he would squeal in delight, his face lit up with joy. I look out of the library window as Liesel scores a goal and the team goes wild. She smiles and I’m already looking forward to the next time my ironing will be collected.
THE WACONIAN 2015
PHYSICS AT CERN GENEVA Nicky Screawn, Lower Sixth
So, where do you go for a Physics trip abroad? The best answer is to visit the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Geneva, and that’s exactly where we went. It was a Friday morning in December and, instead of being at school, around 30 Lower Sixth Physics students were at Manchester Airport, excitedly waiting to catch their flight. Everything had gone smoothly; we had all turned up on time, made it through security, and our plane wasn’t delayed. We were at the gate, laughing at each other’s passport pictures, while we were getting ready to board the plane. It was then that one student came to the realisation that she didn’t have her passport...she had her mum’s instead! This dragged out the boarding procedure a little and we were relieved when everyone managed to make it onto the plane.
After we arrived in Geneva we visited the Red Cross Museum. The main exhibition at the Museum was The Humanitarian Adventure, which allowed us to see lots of interesting past, and also current, humanitarian operations by the Red Cross and Red Crescent. At the Museum, we found an interactive game about natural risks that really brought out the competitive side in a few of us. Later that day, we had dinner at a Swiss restaurant where we chose between a cheese, beef, or chicken fondue. As we ate we had the entertainment of a traditional Swiss folk band. Some of us even had a go at playing the Alphorn - basically an extremely long horn – which proved to be a lot harder than it looked. The next day was the “main event”, the day we went to CERN.
In the morning we visited the CERN Museum, where there was a voiceover that told us all about the universe of particles. However, we were all a bit worried when it first started playing as it was all in French. As another girl and I were the only two people on the trip who study French, we were constantly being questioned about what it was saying. Luckily enough, we only had to wait ten minutes until the English version played. Next on the agenda was the visit to CERN itself (including the gift shop and the canteen, of course). First up: SCIENCE THINGS! Lots of people were still there working, which showed just how much effort the workers put in to find out more about how the universe works. We had the opportunity to visit the data centre
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where we could see many servers of the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, which is a global collaboration of computer centres. Next up: the canteen. As I walked in I scoured the room and was disappointed not to see Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter and the rest of the crew from the Big Bang Theory. However, the food made up for it; it was so delicious that it alone would make me want to work there - it almost challenged Strollers. The evening was spent in the town where a local event was in full flow. It was the Course de l’Escalade, celebrating the defeat of the surprise attack by troops in 1602. We walked round the old city walls and were met by soldiers bearing weapons; luckily, none of us were shot. Sunday was our final day in Geneva and we spent it ice skating, where we saw a real mixture of abilities from Bambi on ice to Torvill and Dean! Then it was back to the airport and home for the fun of the last few days of school before Christmas.
PHYSICS AT MOSI Anna Russell, Lower Sixth As part of our AS Level Physics course, thirty Lower Sixth Form Physics students went on a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester which was hosting the Collider Exhibition, a journey into the greatest science experiment on earth, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Geneva. After arriving and finding somewhere to park the minibuses (which took longer than expected) we got the chance to explore the exhibition. Despite not yet having started the course fully, the Collider was very visual and interactive and helped us understand the topic. The tour started with an introductory video of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN and a re-enactment of the discovery of the Higgs-Boson. CERN itself has played a very important role in our lives today from the invention of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners Lee there in 1989 before the first website went live in 1991 to the discovery of the Higgs Boson: an elementary particle which lies at the heart of Physics. The Large Hadron Collider is the biggest in the world and is currently used by over 10,000 physicists from 113 different countries, who are trying to uncover the fundamental building blocks of our universe. The accelerator ring itself is 27km wide but investigates minute particles which are accelerated and smashed into each other at forces we can’t begin to comprehend. This colossal scale was brought to life in the Museum with extraordinary videos and there were even parts of the collider on show taken from CERN. Each room was set up like a laboratory in CERN with video clips of each scientist talking through their day to day jobs on the largest science experiment on earth. It really felt like we were there too. The exhibition was brought to the UK as they thought that, as not everyone can go to CERN, they’d bring CERN to the UK. However, we are fortunate enough to be going on the Physics enrichment trip to CERN this December to see the Large Hadron Collider for ourselves.
THE WACONIAN 2015
YearS 8 and 9 German trip to Munich Chika Sharples and Jack Nolan, Year 8
FRIDAY During period 4 all of the students left their lessons and gathered outside Staff House. From here we collected our suitcases and got on the coach, were registered and departed for the airport. As always, something had to happen and so the plane was delayed for a very tedious amount of time, but we settled down to wait with the comfort of Burger King and Starbucks Coffee. Finally, we were on the plane and setting off for Munich. After another boring wait we arrived and were driven to our Youth Hostel. By this time we were all very tired and hungry, so we feasted on the dinner on offer at the Youth Hostel before going to sleep. SATURDAY We all got up annoyingly early for a Saturday morning breakfast and left for our bus tour of Munich shortly after. We learnt all about the architecture of Munich and its fascinating history. The tour ended at the Olympic tower – the tallest building in Munich – and we travelled to the top to witness a breath-taking view of the city. Downstairs, there was a very nice café serving delicious German food, and this was our first chance to order something in German. From the tower, we could see the famous BMW Museum, which is exactly where we visited next. Inside the building it was very modern and beautiful, showing off its wonderful cars and motorbikes. We learnt all about how the automobiles worked and were made and all about the different engines that have been in them. After that we went to the massive Christmas market and bought several crêpes, Christmas decorations and last minute presents. When we got back to the Youth Hostel we filled in the day’s discoveries in our Wir fahren nach München handbooks. We were then told that we were to get up even earlier in the morning the next day and so we all went to bed after the scheduled dinner. SUNDAY After a very tiring start and an energising dose of breakfast we set off for the day. First we went to the Munich palace (a.k.a. the Nymphenburg Schloss). This is the palace of the Bavarian royal family and it was
MASSIVE, with walls that seemed to stretch around forever. After that we visited the mediaeval markets in the centre of Munich and bought even more pancakes, but some of us were more adventurous and tried an enormous pancake wrapped in doughnut dough. Later on we visited the fantastic film studio where we saw a live television programme (a cooking show) and were waved at by the presenter. Also, we saw the set of a new film coming out called The Big Game starring Samuel L Jackson. After the tour we went to the gift shop and many of us bought imitation Oscar award trophies.
MONDAY On our last day in Munich we visited the famous Allianz arena (home of Bayern Munich FC). We had a tour of the stadium and most of us spent the rest of our money on footballs, shirts and sweets. The last activity we did was to get lunch in the main Munich market, where we feasted on sausages and crêpes once again. We also went into the famous café and ordered cake. We arrived at the airport in the late afternoon, had dinner and boarded our plane to go home. The airplane journey unfortunately was very traumatic and involved nosebleeds, asthma attacks, sickness, and loss of passports, and so we were very tired when we finally arrived. To our disappointment, we were all to be in school for the penultimate day of the Christmas term. Oh.
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Joe Murphy, Upper Sixth Huddled together in a minibus in the very early hours of a freezing November morning, trundling towards Liverpool, the excitement and enthusiasm among the sleepy group of teenagers was palpable. The ‘golden rule’ of the trip (that Spanish must be spoken at all times) had already fallen apart, with certain individuals forgetting to translate, “Oh my God, where’s my passport?!” However, we were confident that a weekend in Barcelona, the capital of the region of Catalonia in north eastern Spain, would have us all fluent in no time. Despite the early start, we managed to pass through security with little drama and were in Barcelona before you could say ‘tequila’. We were ready to immerse ourselves in the vibrant city of Barcelona and, specifically, to learn more about the legendary and worldfamous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, whom we had been studying for our Spanish A Level. The following three days passed by in a heady blur of culture, architecture, great food and scintillating Spanish conversation. At the Park Guell we experienced first-hand Gaudi’s passion for nature and the natural world, with the undulating, almost life-like curves of his constructions and the giant sculpture of the salamander. This naturalistic style was continued also at the Casa Batllo, a house made by Gaudi in the centre of the city. Known locally
as La Casa de los Bostezos (or ‘the House of Yawns’), the curving nature of its walls and windows, as well as the roof decorated like the arching back of a dragon, really did give the illusion of the building being alive. In addition to this we were made aware of Gaudi’s intense dedication to his religion (Catholicism) with the enormous Cruz Gaudiniana (Gaudi Cross) protruding from the top of the building. However, the most obvious example of the influence of religion in Gaudi’s work (and probably the most well-known of all his buildings) is the Sagrada Familia. This incredible construction was definitely a highlight of the trip. Towering at over 170 meters tall and chock-full of aweinspiring detail, it truly is an incredible thing to behold, and one of the most amazing buildings in the world. Our first-hand experience of the works of Gaudi not only thrilled and inspired us all, but undoubtedly has helped us to understand him better as a person
and as an architect, and will definitely help us when it comes to our A2 exam. As well as developing our knowledge of the course, the trip also helped us develop our Spanish speaking skills, with a highlight being a certain member of the group conversing fluently with a group of teens in a shopping mall cafeteria. We also gained a greater appreciation of Spanish culture, in particular the cuisine. Tapas proved to be a group favourite; however, the adventurous members branched out into more extravagant dishes - rabbit proved to be a particularly ballsy choice. After an exhaustive and exhausting whistle stop tour of one of the most exciting and soulful cities in Europe, we were tired, but culturally and academically enriched and ready to take on our Spanish A2 exams. ¡Viva España!
THE WACONIAN 2015
MACCLESFIELD HERITAGE CENTRE & THE SILK MUSEUM Elizabeth Pollitt, Year 6
Amy Upton and Allison Grottolo, Year 6
We all had to get to school quickly so we didn’t miss the trip. When we got to school we checked all our belongings to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything. When we got on the bus, we were counted to check that everyone was there.
I had to get to school quickly today because I was going on a school trip. When I got to the classroom I had to check I hadn’t left anything behind. When I got onto the bus Mr Mason and Mr Morris did a head count to make sure all of us were on, and nobody was missing.
C L E S FIE
We also made silk buttons. We made these by drawing around a circle of card and did the same as the silk painting. We then attached this onto the piece of card so that it would keep its shape. Then we had lunch and went to the shop and I bought a ball and some spy pens. We went into the school room after our delicious lunch and learned about the poor and rich people’s Christmas and what they got. We also learned about the Asian elephant and we had to do a drawing of one. After that we learnt our A, B, Cs and how to write the letters. The school teacher was very strict. We had to call her ‘Ma’am’. Next we went to the shop and bought some souvenirs and shortly afterwards we went on the bus ride home. What an interesting trip!
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When we were at the centre, we split into two groups. My class, 6C, went to the Silk Museum. We went in and sat down. On the table there was a piece of silk framed with cardboard. There was a box in the middle of the table with: pencils, rubbers, fabric pens and lots more equipment. The lady told us about the properties of silk, and she showed us some designs and passed them around. The designs were abstract and full of colour. Then we drew our own design. My design looked like a tropical bird in a rainforest. We had to make sure that there were no gaps in our design. We used a special pen to stop the ink from running all around the page. After we had made sure there were no gaps, we painted the silk.
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When I got to the Heritage Centre all of us went into a room where we split up. 6H stayed in the building and 6C went to the Silk Museum. I was in 6H so I stayed in the building, then our class split up. Half of the class went to the school and the other half went to the rich house. My half went to the rich house first.
The rich house was ready for Christmas. There were Christmas decorations everywhere. The staff at the Heritage Centre told us about the differences between the Christmas of the poor and the Christmas of the rich. They asked two people to come up and wear some costumes. The rich people got better presents than the poor. Then we went to the school. We were made to wear clothes that they wore in the olden days. In the school room the teacher was a male and we always had to put our hands behind our back if we weren’t writing or drawing. Whenever we said something we had to say ‘Sir’ at the end. When we went out of the school room we had our lunch. After lunch we swapped over so my class went to the Silk Museum and the other class stayed here. We had to walk to the Silk Museum. When we got there we went into a different room. The person told us where silk comes from and she showed us different patterns. All the patterns were very bright and colourful. Then we were told to make a pattern using the ideas of the other patterns. We used special paint to paint it, which was a mix of paint and water. Then we painted the buttons; we did the same but with a different pattern and smaller material. Then we turned it pattern-side down and put a piece of cardboard on top. We put the corners in the middle and tied it up with a band. We went back and collected our bags. It was a long journey back to school, but when we finally got back, our parents were waiting.
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Luke Ismay 6C
Theo Kypriadis 6C
THE WACONIAN 2015
COMES TO CHEADLE! Jacob Atkinson, Year 5 If you can’t dance, think you have two left feet and think samba is a type of dip then read on. Dance has come to Cheadle Hulme and the sky is the limit. At CHS we all have dance lessons, some of us look forward to it but some don’t. However, when the music starts and the lesson begins everybody loves it. We have danced to music from Diversity, Thriller and Saturday Night Fever. It’s great fun for all. First of all Miss Chatwin writes the moves on the whiteboard then she demonstrates the routine. Next we go into small groups to rehearse, adding our own ideas to make it original. Finally, we perform it in front of other groups who give us feedback. They give us suggestions to work on and are never negative. It’s a bit like Strictly Come Dancing without Craig! Some children from CHS like dance so much that they continue their dancing outside school. I have interviewed two keen dancers, both of whom dance in very different styles: Orla Fox-Partridge and Zayaan Khalid, both from Year 5. ORLA, WHAT TYPES OF DANCING DO YOU DO OUT OF SCHOOL? I do ballet and tap dancing and they are very different. WHAT ARE BALLET AND TAP DANCING LIKE? Tap dancing is when you are very lively and stomp a lot and ballet is when you have to be very graceful and strong, you also have to cover all your hair in hair spray and put it into a French plait. WHICH DO YOU LIKE MORE? I enjoy tap more than ballet because you feel like you have done more exercise afterwards. WHAT GOT YOU INTO DANCING? I was very lively around the house and my parents spotted that I needed to do something to get rid of the energy. HOW OFTEN DO YOU DANCE? I go every Friday to Rawle School of Dance and I do both tap and ballet.
ZAYAAN, WHY DO YOU LIKE DANCE? I like dance because it is a fun way to work with your friends and you can express your feelings and you can show that you’re not just good at work WHO TEACHES YOU DANCE AT SCHOOL? Miss Chatwin, Mr Burnage and Mrs Fisher teach us dance and they help us improve our skills. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TYPE OF DANCE? My favourite type of dance is break-dance because the beat is cool and fun to dance to. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE DANCE ROUTINE THAT WE HAVE DONE IN SCHOOL? I like creating my own dance routines because it can be unique and fun. You can also use props like hats and canes. As you can see there’s a style of dance for everyone from ballet to break-dance and anyone can enjoy dance. So what are you all waiting for? There’s something for everyone and remember…
Keep Dancing!
76-77 Zoe Seddon, Year 2 In December I was in the Infant Christmas Nativity. It was an extremely fun show because everyone took part. The Year 2s were all given the main parts and were worried in case they messed it up! I was one of the children in The School and I had to learn lots of lines. They were really tricky to learn, however I was very excited. Luke Bradley was the caretaker called Mr Potts who saw the Christmas tree in the school hall. Mr Potts thought it needed a touch of Christmas magic so he made four colourful and beautiful baubles that told the story of Jesus being born. The baubles used to mysteriously appear on the tree each morning. Matilda played Annie, who rushed to school very early to see who was decorating the Christmas tree. One morning she saw Mr Potts was hanging the fourth bauble on the Christmas tree. When Annie saw that all the time it had been Mr Potts she was shocked. Then the children had a brilliant idea to help out Mr Potts because he was so exhausted from making the new baubles. So as a gift they created the final bauble for him to complete the story of Jesus being born. My favourite song in the production was about Mr Potts making the baubles. I liked watching the Year 1 children who were townspeople, guards and star dancers. The Reception classes were wonderful Christmas tree dancers.
James Double, Year 2 The story of Baubles was about a caretaker and a school at Christmas. The caretaker wanted to decorate the school’s Christmas tree to make it tell the story of Christmas. We started in class with rehearsals and we learned the songs with Mrs Drennan. My favourite songs were Christmas Time is Here, The Caretaker Song, This Place is Jumping and I’d Rather Have a Bale of Hay. When we had done a lot of rehearsals in class we practised in the hall. My costume was a white shirt and a red tie, a Baubles badge and some black trousers. My character was Thomas, a school child. When I came on stage I felt a bit nervous but I soon got used to acting. In the end it was lots of fun!
THE WACONIAN 2015
Mary Poppins In December the Junior School put on a perfectly perfect performance of Mary Poppins. Holly Seddon, Year 5, who played the lead role and Keira Owen, Year 5, who played the part of Jane Banks, spoke to Mrs Lyng about their experiences and their hopes for the future.
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DID BOTH OF YOU HAVE TO AUDITION FOR THE PART? Holly: Yes. It was nerve-wracking because there were lots of amazing people who wanted the part. So I was overjoyed to get it. First all the girls had to sing together and then sing alone whilst Mr Turner and Mrs Drennan listened. I didn’t need to act because Mr Turner already knew what I could do from my drama lessons. I really wanted a main part but if I couldn’t get the role of Mary I asked Mrs Drennan if I could be considered for the part of Jane, the daughter. Keira: I wanted to be Mrs Banks because she sings the first song in the play and I wanted to perform the opening number. WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED? Keira: Not really and now I really like being Jane because I’m in quite a lot of the scenes. And it’s easier of course because I am a child! HOW DID BOTH OF YOU FIND OUT YOU HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL? Holly: It was the next lunchtime that we found out. I was overjoyed. Mrs Drennan gave out all the parts – leaving the part of Mary until last. I was so excited when I was told. I was clasping my hands with excitement as I waited to hear. Keira: Holly and I were the last to find out our parts – we were wondering who would get what. Then Mr Turner announced I would be Jane and I was like, ‘Wow!’ WHAT WERE REHEARSALS LIKE? Holly: We practised after school every Monday and Tuesday lunchtime. Sometimes the main cast had to practise during the day. Sometimes we had to practise dancing with other children. HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR CHARACTERS? Holly: I watched the film several times. I tried to copy how Mary Poppins stood and held her hands. I had to appear in charge and practically perfect! Keira: I watched the movie loads of times and I tried to copy the voice and the expressions she makes. DO YOU BOTH HAVE A LOT OF LINES? Holly, Keira: Yes!
HOW DID YOU LEARN THEM? Keira: I read the script every night to my mum. She said the lines before and after. After a couple of weeks mum took the script off me but by then I had read it so much I knew it. HOLLY, ARE YOU ENJOYING THE PART OF MARY POPPINS? Holly: I’ve wanted to be in the Christmas play for a long time. When I heard it was going to be Mary Poppins I was buzzing at the thought that I might get the part. KEIRA, WHAT’S IT LIKE PLAYING THE PART OF JANE? Keira: It’s quite hard because you have to learn your lines off by heart. And you have to remember when to come on and off. ARE YOU BOTH HAPPY WITH YOUR PERFORMANCES? Holly: Yes, but this afternoon because I have quite a lot of people watching me I want to show people what I can do. Keira: Yes I am. I’m quite happy with everything. DO YOU EVER GET NERVOUS? Holly: I get nervous at the thought of doing something wrong and not getting the chance to get another part ever again. Keira: In the dress rehearsal I forgot a line and that made me nervous as it’s a line I always get wrong! WOULD BOTH OF YOU LIKE TO ACT AGAIN? Holly, Keira: Yes, we would like to be in Miss Chak’s play next summer. DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BOTH ENJOY DOING DRAMA IN THE SENIOR SCHOOL? Holly, Keira: Yes, definitely! HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO ACT, HOLLY? Holly: I’ve always wanted to be an actor or singer or both. WHAT DO YOUR FAMILY THINK OF THIS, HOLLY? Holly: Mum thinks I should go on X-Factor when I’m older. ARE YOU GOING TO DO MORE PLAYS? Holly: I would love to do more but at the moment I’m just concentrating on the Christmas play because I don’t want to let anyone down.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Shoaib Ahmad, Year 8
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Carol Service
CHSPA Christmas Fayre
Christmas Concert
THE WACONIAN 2015
“ It was a perfect spring day. The air was sweet and gentle and the sky stretched high, an intense blue...There were startling yellow clouds of forsythia, trails of purple aubrietia; a young willow shook in a fountain of silver… The abundance of new life was enough to make him giddy.” Rachel Joyce, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2012)
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THE WACONIAN 2015
A VISIT FROM GAYLE FORMAN Anna Chippendale, Lower Sixth
On Monday, 9 March 2015, Cheadle Hulme School was graced by the presence of an internationally renowned author. American Young Adult literary mastermind, Gayle Forman – she has penned modern day teenage classics such as If I Stay, which is now a major Hollywood film. She gave two workshops that Monday morning to both Year 10 and Sixth Form English students. As an AS English Language student and an avid fan of Gayle’s work myself, I was eager to attend her workshop and learn a bit more about her life as a highly successful author. Gayle didn’t disappoint. Her hour-long talk was fascinating. She told us about how she fell into the industry, how failure promotes success, how it feels to watch your story come to life on the big screen. She told us that she travelled the world before University as a form of procrastination, took a Journalism class at University because she liked a guy in the class (but ended up falling harder for Journalism than she did for him) and that after Graduation, she worked in New York City as a columnist at the highly regarded Seventeen
magazine. It was only after working in the magazine industry, she told us, that she really started writing fiction. I read If I Stay a couple of years ago, and would definitely recommend it. Gayle told us that when she’s writing, she can feel the characters “in her bones” and this closeness and understanding of the characters is certainly reflected in her storylines. If I Stay is written from the viewpoint of Mia, a seventeen year old girl who has been involved in a tragic car accident that has left her in a coma. As the plot unwinds, more characters are introduced and the interweaving of these characters in Mia’s narrative through flashbacks and reflections definitely gives the novel a unique edge. As a fan of the book, I was worried about how it would translate onto the big screen (the classic fear for all bookworms), but I needn’t have been. Starring Chloe Grace Moretz as Mia, the film version of If I Stay is heart-wrenching, beautiful, moving and insightful, all at the same time. I can honestly say that the movie is true to the book, and – like all products of Gayle Forman – flawlessly executed. Please, read the book, then watch the film.
If you enjoy the book, I can highly recommend Gayle’s other fiction endeavours; Where She Went is the follow up to If I Stay, and Just One Day and I was here are her newer novels. Yes, they are definitely targeted at the teenage girl market with their female protagonists, but they’re not your classic soppy teenage girl love stories. They explore ideas of love, but also of loss, guilt and coping with pain. And unlike with some teenage novels, the characters have their own personalities, their own idiolects, their own stories, which is all down to the author. Gayle Forman isn’t just a writer, but a storyteller. So please, do yourself a favour and go and buy her books!
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The Living Edge Schools Art Competition - 2015 Art Department The Living Edge Magazine Schools Art Competition provides an annual opportunity to witness some of the best young creative talent in Cheshire. Pupils are able to enter three age categories - Under 14, 16 and 18 and the magazine recognises artistic talent with Highly Commended, Runners Up and Category Winner Prizes. Cheadle Hulme School enters a piece of Art & Design work each year in all age categories. All work is exhibited for one day in the Hexagon Room at the Lowry Arts Centre at Salford Quays.
Mie Pettit
This year the exhibition took place on March 7th. A distinguished panel of judges including Geoffrey Key, one of the North West’s leading artists, Martin Heaps from Collect Art in Lymm, competition sponsors and Fred Aldous Art Material Suppliers are invited to scrutinize the works of art. Last year, Rosie Wood won in the Under 18 category and this year, following a reputable tradition, Polly Feather also won in this category. Elliot Simon, Year 8, represented the Under 14’s and Mie Pettit represented the Under 16’s. Many congratulations to all who entered and a particular mention must go to Rosie Wood and Polly Feather, Under 18 category winners, 2014 & 2015 respectively.
Polly Feather
Rosie Wood
Elliot Simon
THE WACONIAN 2015
Springboard Future Chef Roma Sharma and Eleanor Robinson, Year 10 We were both selected from all the entries from school to take part in the Springboard Future Chef competition. The idea of the competition was to cook two courses, a main and a dessert, for two people, in 1½ hours, and we had up to £7 to buy all the ingredients with.
The competition was very stressful as now there were eight of the winners from local finals in the North West. Unfortunately, Eleanor didn’t get through to the National Final, but on the plus side, she did receive a personalised chef jacket, apron and a little hat, and another badge.
When we arrived at Manchester College Fielden Campus, we were taken up to the top floor, where the catering kitchen is, and we met with Mrs Dalton Woods and the other two competitors. We were taken into the kitchen and we set up at our work stations, after having a tour around all the high-tech-industrial-looking equipment, which was pretty cool.
In preparation for the Regional Final, Eleanor had a chef mentor, called Darryl, who works at the Marriott Hotel near Manchester Airport, and she went to spend an afternoon in the kitchen there with her to practise.
Roma’s menu consisted of turkey meatballs with green couscous, served with hot tomato chutney, and for dessert a Manuka honey cheesecake with raspberries. Eleanor made sundried tomato and coriander stuffed mushrooms, with brussel sprouts, potatoes, pomegranate, chilli and maple syrup, and for dessert a peach and amaretti crunch. Whilst we were cooking, one of the judges walked round and asked us all about our dishes, and he seemed intrigued with both of ours. As time went by quickly, Eleanor came across a problem with her dessert - it wouldn’t fit under the grill - resulting in her having to resort to plan B ....... using a blowtorch! Roma also had a fun time using a blowtorch, because she set her cheesecake base on fire, but luckily for her, when she quickly turned it off, everything was alright and no one noticed. At 11:45am, an hour after we started, our main courses had to be served so that the judges could judge them. Both were on time, which meant we had enough time to complete our dessert. Once everything was served, we had only ten minutes to clear our stations and put our equipment away. Waiting for the results was very tense and nerve-wracking, but at the same time exciting, because the stress was now over. Mrs Dalton Woods was very pleased with what we had both done, although we think she was more nervous than we were for the results. Eventually the judges made up their minds, and explained that all the dishes were very good, and it was a very close competition, so it was hard to choose a winner. We all received a certificate and a badge for getting this far. It was announced who had got through to the next round, and to our delight, it was Eleanor! It was very close and all the dishes looked great. She received a recipe book and another certificate for getting through. In February, Eleanor took part in the next round of the competition, with the same main course, but a different dessert of avocado and banana chocolate mousse with candied pistachio, raspberry coulis and spun sugar.
After the local final, both of us received a kind letter from Miss Pearson, congratulating us for our successes in cooking. Mrs Dalton Woods and Miss Pearson were both proud of us for having the courage to take part and do so well. We were both very proud of ourselves and learnt a lot from the experience, and we hope to continue with our cooking in the future.
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CHS VISITS THE HALLE ORCHESTRA Romessa Hussain, Year 7 Before we went to the orchestra, our music teacher showed us videos of some of the pieces of music we were going to be listening to. Two of the amazing pieces we listened to were from Carmen and The Firebird. I think it was a brilliant idea to listen to some of the music beforehand since I could recognise some of the music when I heard the orchestra. After watching the videos we discussed all the different types of instruments used to create the fantastic sounds. A week after, with the music still in our heads, we travelled to the Bridgewater Hall to actually see the orchestra playing. I have to say it was a lot different from what I was expecting……………it was better! When we first walked into the grand concert hall the first thing I noticed was that we were the only students there that were in High School. When we took our seats, a presenter called Tom Redmond went on stage and told us a bit about the orchestra. I didn’t really notice as I was gazing in awe at the instruments. There was everything from the smallest triangle to the biggest tuba. We were then given scratch cards which had different scents on that were something to do with the music. I couldn’t really believe it but they worked! I think my absolute favourite piece had to be from Carmen as I loved the tune of the “Toreador’s March”. The only real problem I had with the orchestra was that it was a bit too long but otherwise I think it was a magical musical experience I will remember for the rest of my life.
THE HALLE ORCHESTRA TRIP Rebecca Nixon, Year 7 On Wednesday 4th February, half of year 7 took a trip to the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. In our music lessons, we had been listening to various pieces that were played when we got there. It was a one hour journey there in a coach, so when we stepped outside into the fresh air it was a magnificent feeling getting off the stuffy coach. Right in front of the coach was the Bridgewater Hall. It was a glorious sight, seeing it for the first time in a while! The whole place was huge and had lots of detail in the walls with sculptures all around and inside. Although it is quite modern, it is a very beautiful building! The inside was beautiful too. There was a large set of glass doors that you go through to get into the café area, although we weren’t allowed to get drinks!. Then we went up the stairs to the very top of the Bridgewater Hall and had some of the best seats in my opinion! The entire building isn’t built on the ground; oh no! It is built on huge springs! This is to make the building sound-proof from the cars and buses going past on the outside and to make the concert hall’s acoustics sound very good! This wasn’t my first time going to the Bridgewater Hall but it was my first time seeing an orchestra there playing on the stage. Inside the concert hall it was huge! It looked much bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. It had hundreds of rows of seats that were all filled up with another excited child or teacher. The lights began to dim and a man came on and told us about what sort of music we were going to be listening to. Just before that some cards were handed out to everyone in the hall. As they were handed out, people started to notice something quite unique about them... they were scented! A video was played to tell us about the music and the pieces. The man that had come onto the stage earlier told us to scratch the scratch and sniff cards and because the first piece was called The Sea by Peter Grimes, it smelled just the same as the sea and shore. The Halle then played that piece and it was amazing! Then the other pieces were played - “The Segudilla” from Carmen by Bizet, Night Ride and Sunrise by Sibelius and finally Firebird by Stravinsky. As these pieces were being played, we felt like the pieces were coming to life because they had so much detail in them and the scratch and sniff cards made the pieces even better. Overall, the concert got a big ‘thumbs up’ from me and I would most certainly go again.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Sam Sayle, Upper Sixth
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THE MANCHESTER PINK RIBBON BALL Max Dickov, Year 8 Breast Cancer Campaign is a charity which raises money for research into breast cancer and for treatment and one day soon hopefully we will find a cure for breast cancer. 50,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed each year with this disease and 12,000 lives are lost. Breast Cancer Campaign has hosted an annual ball in London every October for 20 years to raise money and awareness; they decided last year that they should host bi-annually and chose Manchester for the second ball, as a lot of research takes place here in Manchester.
To create an event such as this requires the voluntary help of a committee. The campaign approached various people in the Manchester area and my mum was asked to help as she had previously helped on the fundraising committee for the Christie Hospital. Once the committee was in place they had monthly meetings and a list of things they had to do. First they had to find a venue and they chose Manchester Cathedral as it is an amazing venue with a fantastic atmosphere which a hotel couldn’t possibly match.
Second they needed to sort out catering; Harvey Nichols were approached to do this and they sponsored the Champagne Reception. Once this was in place they had to find sponsorship, a host, acts for the evening, DJ and auction prizes. Some of the prizes were amazing; the chance to meet One Direction, a day at Sky Sports, fabulous holidays and a dinner cooked by a Masterchef champion were just a few. It was a lot of work but it all came together and the ball was a huge success; they raised £111,000!!!! They start work on the next one in June and are hoping that next year’s will raise even more!
THE WACONIAN 2015
Aisha Kherallah, Lower Sixth I was somewhat uncertain how the show would turn out because we had had one or two fairly major hiccups earlier in the week. However, I was not at all disappointed on the night. The evening started with a classic Ben and Harry cameo. Then began our own CHS ‘Take me Out’ featuring a handsome Euan Chew-Graham who came from ‘just outside the school gates’. Luckily for him he snapped up the young and beautiful Abbi Farley. Unfortunately, the date didn’t go to plan so he had to make a quick exit through the window to return for the next act. Euan and Kat Rawling did two duets, both amazing and harmonic; I was impressed to say the least. However, they were not the only musical acts. We had Mr Taylor who roused the crowd with an Oasis number. The a cappella performance by Georgia Widdowson, Anna Chippendale and Holly Willock was a musical masterpiece. Oh, and of course, Liam Doherty’s expert drumming accompanied by a skillful stick spinning which made everyone smile. Mr Cawtherley and Mr Hamlet showed they were a match made in heaven with their ‘Mr and Mrs’, or should I say “Mr and Mr”, but hopes of their love lasting were dashed by Cuddles Cawtherley’s inability to share a red pen. Next, to what will have been Mr Brackenbury’s sheer embarrassment, he was completely outdone by Miriam Abbas during ‘Countdown’, which was genuinely not planned. Finally the raffle prizes were given out; Dan Walton won two out of the six bottles of champagne…but he swore it was all above board. Although the night was very entertaining there was a serious message to the evening, with talks on our two chosen charities, and all the money raised through ticket sales and the raffle went towards the Cancer Trust and the School’s Bursary Fund.
90-91 cycling or rowing quickly and combining gymnastic conditioning (think pull-ups, ring work, handstands) with heavy lifting or body weight movements. A workout can last two and a half minutes or one and a half hours. A number of years ago, a series of Hero WODs were created, in memory of soldiers who had fallen in war. In order to honour some pretty heroic men and women, they were made to be pretty horrific, either because of the huge length of time they took to complete, or the weight they required you to lift or the number of movements involved. So, I thought, in order to remind us of the tender age at which Harry passed away, I would try and complete 17 of these monsters, with the final workout being created in memory of Harry, one of our own CHS heroes. What had I done?
17 HEROES FOR HARRY IN MEMORY OF A SPECIAL YOUNG MAN
The workouts in themselves were both nasty and exhilarating. The latter because I was going through pain for a great cause, with the support of my gym mates, who shouted for me in the background, or even joined in with me. Filming them as proof of my efforts was a bit tricky but we succeeded and managed to get them all posted on YouTube to encourage more people to support. The worst had to be The Lumberjack 20 (created in memory of 12 soldiers and a civilian killed in Texas Fort Hood). It consists of 20 repetitions of a series of exercises, including deadlifts, overhead squats, chest to bar pull ups and box jumps, to name a few, with 400m runs interspersed between exercises. It was all going OK until the final exercise: dumbbell squat cleans. All you need to know is that they are the devil’s invention despite their seemingly harmless appearance.
Ruth Huish, English Department I cried. And I’m not even ashamed. Harry was one of those students you can never forget, partly because he never forgot you. This has been mentioned time and time again, by students and teachers alike. I only taught Harry for part of his AS Literature year, but knew him from the time he spent in my classroom, which served as his form room, for two years while he was doing his GCSEs. He would sit around gossiping with a small group of close friends, and I would get all the latest CHS “news”, which they didn’t seem to mind me overhearing! He was always a genuine gentleman, asking if he could enter the classroom and wishing me a lovely evening or weekend as he left. The world needs more traditionally considerate people like him. How can you forget him? Harry would never fail to say hello, with the most authentic smile, every time he passed, even if you were on the other side of the walkway or grass or whatever. And so, for some time following his passing, I wanted to help raise money for one of the charities his parents were supporting - the British Heart Foundation. What else could I do to honour and remember such a lovely young man, and help to show his parents, Mario and Debbie, what a lovely job they had done in raising him? As a keen CrossFitter, I decided I would challenge myself to the most gruelling month I could, whilst fitting in my work commitments and my two year old son. I won’t bore you too much with what exactly CrossFit is, but it hurts. A lot. It involves timed workouts that might include running,
In fact, that was the workout that made me feel I was really doing something worth supporting and hopefully got me, or rather the British Heart Foundation, a few more quid. The final workout, named Dubby, specifically for Harry, was equally monstrous, but what a great day that was. Qdos, my affiliate, was kind enough to host the workout, inviting other local affiliates to come and join us and other clubs across the country to take part in their own gyms. The support was incredible and we were able to raise awareness of cardiac deaths in the young in the process. Qdos was buzzing with activity and sweat and grunting, all of which Debbie, Mario and Emily were kind enough to come and witness! The workout had a cut-off time of 45 minutes, to allow plenty to take part, but if completed would take strong athletes well over an hour. People who didn’t even know Harry were emotional at the end, not because I had just put them through one of the worst hours of their lives, but because they were moved by the presence of Harry’s family, who, like their son, were kind enough to take the time to show they cared. And because they were moved by the tragic passing of such a young person. And I cried because it was all over, and because I would strangely miss the crucifying workouts in honour of a special young man. Harry would have labelled me absolutely mad for raising money in such a way, but I bet he’d still have made a donation.
THE WACONIAN 2015
MY BENFICA DIARY Luca Pogson, Year 8
HOW EARLY?! D THURSDAY APRIL 2N dark! Airpor t. Freezing! Pitch 5am Leeds- Bradford ked real smart. loo s boy 33 All kit. r Dressed in CHS Tou y to Lisbon. Good laugh Hot! 2-hour coach journe 10am Arrived at Faro… DOS CAPUCHOS ived at HOTEL ALDEIA on the coach. Boiling! Arr . ice cho h Archie. Good checked in. Rooming wit coach !! WOW! Pedro was our A’S -TR AINING GROU ND and ng wro it 3pm I-AM-AT-B EN FIC get but , y were tough. Smiling plus 2 other coaches. The sh). (Thought it was a bit har ! ups ssyou had to do pre er who is constantly ow nm There’s a guy on a law Pitches were amazing. k in Cheshire. hes were the same bac cutting it. Wish our pitc a m was big and even had food was tasty. Hotel roo . 0pm 6-9 pm So tired. Hotel 9:3 at out ts d of slept after ligh balcony! Archie and I kin IN TROUBLE! FRIDAY APRIL 3RD ast by 7:30? Uh- oh. set for 6:30 (AM !) Breakf 6.30am What?! Alarm r…fell back to sleep. to have a shower and…er Archie and I decided not hour late for an f hal are Higgins “You Knock on the door by Mr. carry loads to had We ? alty card. Pen training – Get up! ” Yellow for feit. and loads of water as a . England. Training with S.L it is so hot compared to ly ear this l n coo Eve a of m bit 10a so a training was near the sea ch Benfica . Didn’t realize the tou 1 like fica Ben training from England. ☺ breeze. Dif ferent style of rning back to Cheadle! lea this e tak I’ll nk Thi . passing which suits me lly hard game – a team from Por tugal. Rea 6pm MATCH ! Played ne is taller than me... and strong. Well, everyo everyone was really tall y were freezing. We were boiling and the to ed atiz Not yet acclim sunny Por tugal! We drew 1:1. r four 9pm BED! Tired afte ll. tba foo hours of
SATURDAY APRIL 4TH AWESOME!! 8.30am Breakfast was like being on holiday. Ham , hug e melon, OJ, Toast. Off to training. 12pm Coach trip is only 15 mins to training. Stayed all day at S.L. Benfica training. WOW! Met Eliseu, he’s on Benfica’s First Tea m. Recognised him from FIFA15 (!). Had a pict ure taken with him , (if you don ’t ask ….!). Had to be quick as Eliseu is a real quick left-back. I ask ed Eliseu for his shir t but he didn’t speak gre at English (or so he said). 2pm Watched the U21 s for a bit. All massive, real ly fast and zip the ball around . 3pm We went to the Est adio Da Luz. Wore our Che adle kits . Felt a bit special The Por tuguese call it the . Cathedral...I guess that’s whe re the fans go to idolize Benfica .
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4pm Before the game an eagle (a real one) flies rou nd the stadium because there is an eagle on the Ben fica badge. Think it’s called Vitoria. The tradition has it that if Vitoria lands exactly on its per ch it’s good news for Benfica . It was! 4.30pm Benfica v Naciona l. Gaitan is an awesome play er (Chelsea should buy him). Loads of tricks and flick s. 6.30pm Benfica wins 3-1. Jonas scored 2 and Lima. Both from Brazil. I guess Por tuguese is also spoken in Brazil; that’s why they com e to Lisbon.
SUNDAY APRIL 5TH 7:30am It’s Sunday and breakfast is even earlier . Did some early mornin g training from 9am bef ore visiting Estadio Da Luz which means the Stadiu m of Light. 1pm Lunch at Estadio Da Luz . Another buf fet of chi cke n and rice. MONDAY APRIL 6TH 10am Trained loads.
After all the training we have a real match aga Portuguese team from inst a Trafaria. We played the next game somewher else in a mini-stadium e . Pretty cool. We won it. 12pm Lunch! 1pm We had a full tour of the Stadium and as part of the tour we in the Exec. Box and even looked had an hour to buy som ething from the Team shop. I bought a supercool Benfica shirt wit h my initials “LP ” on it. Eusebio is a legend at Benfica. He was a str iker and there’s a statue of him outside the sta dium (where we all had a picture taken with the team and Eusebio). He played for Benfica and scored 473 goals in 44 matches (that’s more 0 than me) . His best gam e was when he scored goals in one game ver four sus North Korea . Sad ly he died last Januar He’s a bit of hero in Be y 2014. nfica. 3pm Got on the Co ach to Porto Airport which was forever! Ac tually it was about three hours and we nearly missed the Ryanair flight! 9pm So foggy. Re ally bumpy coming do wn . Aarrrgh! Came thr clouds into Liverpool ough the Airport, thought we we re going to hit the run (But we didn’t). xxx x way. next to me was shakin g. Then we got on the and drove to Manchest bus er. 1am We arrived at 1 in the morning. All our parents were there. It was freezing! Fogg y! Thank you to Mr Cooke , Mr Allen and Mr xxx x for looking after us and making it a great trip. We all really enjoye d it! MY BEST BITS! Great coaching, Loved the stadium, the Portu guese are really hospit Loved the games and able. learned a lot from S.L . Benfica. Hope we can go again sometime.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Raphael McMahon, Year 10 On the 29th of March we gathered next to the check-in at Manchester airport, an army of pink hoodies (pink got the most votes) with bags under their eyes. We had little or no sleep the night before because of our excitement. 24 hours, two planes and a bus journey later we arrived at our resort and quickly went off to sleep, despite being full of excitement for the next day’s skiing at Loon Mountain. We were split into three groups; the beginners. the intermediate group and the advanced skiers. Everybody quickly got the hang of skiing after a few falls and a couple of people going off-piste; the intermediate were shooting down green runs while the advanced were already taking on black runs. Swimming outside in the freezing cold and cookies with hot chocolate awaited us when we finished for the morning. After lunch the weather improved and so did the skiing, as our technique quickly improved and the slopes got steeper! We came back to a very healthy American meal of chips, pizza and brownies. The next day we set off again fuelled by pancakes and waffles; the intermediate group tested blue runs for the first time after lunch, while the advanced group continued racing down one star black runs and the beginners began
experimenting with steeper runs accompanied by Mrs Patrick and Ms Harms. Mr Cooke was skiing with the advanced group. We all had friendly and funny ski instructors who helped; for example, the intermediate had a particularly funny coach going by the name of Macklemore (Zac).
By the end of the day the groups had all tested trickier runs than at Loon. That evening, we began a famous Karaoke night where Brodie Dunn came out as star singer and Amaan Munir came a close second; to our disappointment Mr Cooke refused to sing any of the songs available.
We came back from the second day feeling like professional skiers. We then went bowling and went to an arcade where we ended up winning three pots of sweets which were shared between everybody. On the third and last day of Loon we all knew what we were doing so we went on steeper and more fun slopes with barely any input from the instructors. More swimming and American food along with table tennis awaited us on the third night and we went to bed after midnight.
Our last day of skiing was a careful one as nobody wanted to go home with a broken leg or arm and the warm weather meant that the snow had begun to turn to slush. We came back to Awards Night where everyone won something. The prizes ranged from the Teacher’s Pet Award to the Welcome to CHS Award. We swam one last time outside after preparing our bags for home. A long coach journey followed, with a stop at a huge mall where people got their presents for family and friends.
The next day we said hello to a new mountain called Canon Mountain where US Olympian skier Bode Miller was trained. We began the day on gentle runs to give us a feel for the new mountain as it was larger than Loon and the weather was slightly worse. However, we got friendly coaches who focused more on the technique aspects of skiing, which greatly improved our ability. The snow was beginning to melt as this was early April, which meant that the skiing slowed down a little.
Finally we had a stop over in New York, going to the Hard Rock Café and visiting Times Square, where we saw ourselves on a huge screen, with movie characters everywhere from Batman to Darth Vader. On the last day we visited the Twin Tower Memorial and took a ferry ride past the Statue of Liberty and the world famous New York skyline. Finally the army of pink got back on our amazing Wi-Fi-coach and took a plane back home. The ski trip was over.
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THE WACONIAN 2015
CHS ering Bould etition Comp
Nathan Fields and Thomas Bradbury, Year 9 On Wednesday, 25th of March, students from Years 7, 8 and 9 and Sixth Form took part in a bouldering competition. The competitors were aged between 7 and 18 years and were from 19 different schools. To start the day, we had to drive to the event in the school minibus after school had finished. Once we had arrived, we got ready by putting on all the needed equipment and then listening to the Rock Over Climbing instructors on how to stay safe and what to do over the next few hours. We then went round in small groups, with the older students making their way around on their own and the younger students staying with Mr Smallwood. During the climbing period, we also had time to have a break and our lunch. When going round to look at the bouldering problems, we would help out our friends as well as people from other schools. After our time to climb was up and we were tired, the scores from our bouldering were counted up. Points were awarded for the number of attempts needed to complete a bouldering problem; the fewer attempts we made the more points we scored. The prize giving ceremony then took place with the three highest scoring boys and girls from each age category getting prizes. The best male from the Sixth Form category was even decided by a climb-off! Once all the prizes had been awarded and everybody had been thanked for their participation, we headed back to school and home for a wellearned rest. When Tom and I got our prizes, we were both happy that we had done well and surprised that we had won something, given the ability of the other climbers. We both hope this raises the awareness of climbing in our school so more people can participate in events like this.
g n i b m i l C S! at CH
John Smallwood, Physics Department This year for the first time, Cheadle Hulme School took part in the Manchester Schools Climbing competition at Rock Over. We entered ten pupils with a real mix of climbing abilities; we chose the best of the 20 who had attended training sessions at Rock Over earlier in the term. They were scored on how many problems they could complete over three hours and how many attempts it took them. Nathan Fields won a bronze medal in the KS4 Category (we put him into a higher category to enable us to enter a team) and Tom Bradbury won a silver medal in the KS3 Category. These were both outstanding achievements given the difficulty of some of the climbs and calibre of many of the climbers taking part. We also had a promising group of Year 7s who I am sure will go from strength to strength; one or two of them would have completed the problems more easily had they been an inch or two taller! All the participants enjoyed the day and what stood out in particular was some excellent sportsmanshiip and camaraderie with pupils giving advice to each other and to those in other schools on how to complete the hardest problems. Many of the kids taking part have been attending weekly climbing sessions at Rope Race with Columbus Fellowship.
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YEAR 8 POETRY The Light
Dampness in a New Life
It is darkness Behind lock and key Behind your locked front door Behind the curtains you close every night There is something that makes you … you It is there but you cannot see it.
My blurred, teary vision adjusts to the dim light Darkness like a black inkpot bleeds onto the paper of the sky which towers over me My blood rushes through me like the busy cars in the distance The street lights wake the city up into life yet I still feel dead inside.
Sumptuously spicy foods BOOM and POP An indescribable intensity of heat and flavour A flame that is not so easily quenched It is performing a fierce dance inside my mouth. The darkness is fading. A flash of fabric Women dressed as the rainbow Ruby reds and gorgeous golds Beautiful blues and sassy silvers The saris have the power to make anyone look stunning. I see a light. A wave of traditional music Enchanting the old Inspiring the young The sound is as pure as fine silk A song which makes everyone unite A dance unravels.
Colours fill my heart as I open my eyes but my miserable face doesn’t smile The loud noises play with my imagination for a while but my eyes are as dull as a mine I want to go home play with my friends and talk to my family in the warm sunlight But my new life is here now in the dampness and the stomach of the night. The filthy clouds fill around like smeared chalk dust on a concrete path Soon the dampness wraps around my lungs like a cold hand The foreign faces start to rush inside leaving the city, the colours in the depth of the night The rain starts to drizzle down like thousands of tiny, cheerful dancing men.
The light is now clear I see what has made me a person.
As I rush inside the colours, music and the city die down While the darkness of the night starts waking into life.
Maya Dhokia
Flora Forgacs
The World’s Day Rajesh wakes up to the smell of Jeera Aloo Noodles in the bowl for young Kim Foo Oliver pours his tea, butters toast with marmalade, Bushman Kai heads off for the morning hunt Tribesmen toil in the midday sun Oliver takes lunch, his maths test done Rajesh works hard for his father’s trade Kim keeps coding getting software made On his winding way home Oliver’s wet winter rain Fire crackles tonight, Kai back from the kill X-box live action conquers “Kim501” Rajesh relaxes in the shade, the World’s Day is done.
Matthew Jones
THE WACONIAN 2015
An Interview with Holly Willock Holly Cartledge, Lower Sixth
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DANCING? I started ballet when I was four, the year after I started tap and modern dance, then when I was about seven I began jazz. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST SHOW? Sleeping Beauty, when I was about six. I was only one of the little girls that made up the ensemble, but still I really enjoyed it. HOW MANY SHOWS HAVE YOU BEEN IN? CAN YOU REMEMBER? Oh wow, I’ve been in loads...[counts on fingers]... it must be... 26, 27? 27 I think. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE KIND OF DANCING? Hmm, that’s a difficult question. Each form of dance requires a different skill set. I’ve been doing ballet the longest, because you do the fundamental technique and gain strength, which is what helps you to do the rest of them. It’s difficult; I love challenges. No, I can’t decide.
YOU’VE ACTED A LOT IN SHOWS TOO, YOUR MOST RECENT ROLE BEING NANCY IN THE SCHOOL PRODUCTION. DO YOU PREFER DANCING TO ACTING, OR DO YOU LOVE THEM BOTH EQUALLY? I think I love the combination of musical theatre. My role as Nancy was this combination and I loved it. DO YOU WANT TO FOLLOW THIS LINE OF WORK IN THE FUTURE? Yes, I want to pursue a career in performing but I don’t know exactly what yet. Hopefully, once I’ve been trained professionally, I will be directed into the line I want, but right now, I’m not sure.
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A BALANCING ACT: KEEP CALM AND FLIP!!
Lauren Jones, Year 8 I started training in gymnastics when I was eight, almost nine, years old, which is actually very late for a gymnast. I had taken part in a competition for my Junior School and a coach advised me to join a club and train more seriously, so I trialled for and joined Vernon Park Gymnastics Club in Stockport. At the beginning I trained for two hours every week. Soon I started training for six hours a week and very quickly my hours increased. I now train between 20 and 25 hours every week, which is quite difficult especially when I have to keep on top of my schoolwork as well. I am following a path in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics which means I have to compete on all four pieces: the beam, bars, vault and floor. My favourite piece is the beam. Since starting gymnastics I have been a Greater Manchester champion and a North West champion and have represented both region and county at national level. I have competed twice in the English Championships and would love to compete in the British Championships next year as well. Training is very tough and sometimes quite scary, particularly when learning a new move. Every element of the move has to be learnt exactly so that you don’t fall or hurt yourself.
Conditioning is a very important part of training. Every muscle is trained to develop in a certain way and I probably spend about eight hours a week conditioning. A new move can take weeks to learn. My main inspirations have been the Olympians Hannah Whelan and Rebecca Tunney, both of whom trained at my club for a few years before moving to Liverpool.
My ultimate goal is to represent England in a major European or world event and I would love to be part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
THE WACONIAN 2015
What is a Digital Leader? Adam Cunnane, Upper Sixth Before meeting Ben Forgacs, I already had two thoughts forming in my head about Digital Leaders. The first was that they could get a free ipad for helping out (where do I sign up?) and the second was that they were notoriously difficult to find around school! So, after finally finding one of the Digital Leaders, I knew that the interview had to be a good one. A Digital Leader is someone, such as Ben, who is in charge of the computers in C2.1 over lunch-time, so the teachers can have a bit of a break! However, they can also get some useful work done when in the computer room. For example, Ben described how he uses the opportunity to do some homework, and it also allows him to study for the ECDL and do some computer coding. If you’re one of the uninitiated, words such as the ECDL and coding may indeed be lost on you, as they were on me. Yet Ben helpfully explained that the ECDL
stands for the “European Computer Driving Licence,” which signals to employers that a candidate has computer skills, and ticks more boxes on application forms. Ben also told me that he hopes the ECDL could be a means to an end - namely the help it would provide to an ICT GCSE. Coding is also really important, as everything on the computer is made up of code. Thus, this useful tool can allow people to create websites and databases, which Ben admits is an area in which he would like to explore a career path. It does seem very enjoyable to be a Digital Leader! Ben described how he recently participated in something called “ICTEA,” where a number of students helped the grandparents of Waconians, over some tea and biscuits, to learn some tips and tricks to help with using the ipad. Moreover, at Open Morning, Ben helped create the coding for a programme which allowed a robot plugged into the
computer to move, according to instructions that Ben gave it. However, it’s not all fun and games. Digital Leaders have to be ever vigilant of those ignorant enough to neglect the rules of the Computer Lab, such as no eating and drinking. When I was asking Ben some questions, he noticed that someone had brought a half-eaten sandwich into the lab, without thinking. I looked around suspiciously; who in the lab was going to face Ben’s wrath? Can some people not follow simple instructions? Who had made such a fool of themselves...suffice to say... it was me that looked pretty foolish. That’s where my lunch had got to! Yet, anecdotes aside, the work done by Digital Leaders as well as that done by other helpers is very important. It helps to reclaim the love of the subject and to ensure that coding and other important computer skills never go out of fashion.
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BT Telephone Exchange Trip Francesca Sumpter, Year 10 On the 29th April, the Year 10 Computer Science class visited the Telephone Exchange in Cheetham Hill to be an “Engineer for the Day”. The Openreach facility was secluded from the rest of the streets, at first seeming rather topsecret as we were escorted by two security men down a narrow, winding road and then through a maze of corridors inside the building until we reached the meeting room. To begin our day, we were given a short talk on who Openreach are and we were introduced to the staff. We then worked in pairs, each taking part in demonstrations, and we were shown how the engineer uses a harness and tools and climbs the distribution points - poles to me and you - and taught about the ’green boxes’, what they are used for and how they work. We were also shown around the holy place for computers in the Manchester area, the actual exchange room. Giant black boxes were bleeping with red and green lights and at the opposite side of the room was the giant display cabinet of green wires I had originally thought was a wall of grass. The room actually served as the point where all of the network cables in the area met, but the size of the room and the incredible number of wires for one area surprised me. Apprentices later helped us to connect a telephone and fix a cable in a cab’s ‘green box’ - the cabinets that we see on the street each day, passing without even thinking about what is inside. To finish the day, we were given a quiz on the various facts we had heard throughout the experience and said goodbye to the Openreach staff. Overall, it was a fascinating day and we found out about who Openreach are and what the engineers do on their average working day. After the trip, Tiana Hussain said: “In lessons we look at Fibre Optic Cables and Broadband and we were really lucky to be able to see them being used for real and not just read about them in a textbook or watch a video”. As Mrs Hayes summed up: “Not many people know how the Internet actually works and the physical parts that make it possible to send an email or message across a network, so the day has been a great way to show the students how the types of Broadband offered by Openreach impact on the speed that messages are sent around the world”.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Nigel Westbrook, English Department One of the highlights of this year’s World Book Day celebrations was meant to be the Balloon Debate held at lunchtime in the Library Learning Zone, and indeed it shaped up to be just that, until the dratted fire alarm sounded out and cut us off just as we were about to start the final round. At least before then a packed audience had the chance to enjoy the efforts of no fewer than ten contestants to argue our case for why we should stay in the balloon when others should be voted out. Probing questions were fired at us, ranging from what was our proudest achievement to which biscuit we most resembled. Under Fatima Haroon’s magisterial chairpersonship, the line-up featured Veruca Salt (Genevieve Jeffcoate), Lyra Belacqua (Lucy Rigg), Little Miss Sunshine (Rachael Milner), Dorothy Gale (Isabelle Greensmith), Sherlock Holmes (Amy Dunning), Raskolnikov, the anti-hero of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, (Tom Barber), Jordan Belfort (Euan Chew-Graham) and Donnie Azoff (Ali Ahmed) from The Wolf of Wall Street, Bilbo Baggins (Mrs Moore) and Thomas Cromwell from Wolf Hall (Mr Westbrook). Round by round the merciless votes of the audience determined who took an early exit and who survived, until just three remained: Veruca, Jordan and Raskolnikov. Who knows whether the final vote would have gone with sweet innocence, brazen corruption or tortured self-doubt? The fire bell tolled for them all… I want to thank everyone who participated in a brilliant fun event, coming along in some splendid costumes, and all who came to watch and cheer and boo. Let’s hope next time we get to the final show-down uninterrupted.
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YEAR 7 THINKING SKILLS
EMMA WATSON Sophie Jones, Year 7 My chosen outstanding individual is Emma Watson. If she is not classed as inspirational and phenomenal, then I am completely clueless as to who is! She is extremely highachieving and definitely my inspiration in everything I do. She has encouraged me to attempt lots of different things and give everything my all.
OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUALS PROJECT The following are extracts from some of the winning entries.
MALALA YOUSAFZAI Hannah Brooks, Year 7 Malala was born on July 12th 1997 in Pakistan. She is a black, Muslim girl who stood up for the rights of young girls to have an education; however, the members of the Taliban were not happy about what she was doing. She began campaigning when she was just eleven years old in 2008 by writing an anonymous blog about life under the control of the Taliban and she also wrote for the BBC. After she had been tracked down as the person writing these blogs, she was shot in the head three times by a Taliban gunman in 2012. The reason was that she had protested about the rights of young girls in education. The Taliban is a religious group of people who target people who are at war against their religion and also people who they think are doing something wrong. Pakistani doctors sent Malala over to England. She there recovered in a hospital in Birmingham. This makes her really outstanding because she is now walking around with friends and family even though there is a risk of her being shot again. The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the greatest achievements in the world. Malala, at only seventeen years old, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. She won it because, even though she knew her life was in danger, she thought about those girls who longed for an education but couldn’t have one; she put other girls before herself even if that meant being killed for it. After she had been awarded with this amazing prize and she had become famous, her name is known for resistance by all girls around the world. At only 17 Malala has become a worldwide symbol of bravery; consequently she has travelled all around the world, spreading the good news that she will try to give to every girl the education she deserves. This, in my eyes, makes her outstanding.
Ever since the age of nine, Emma’s life has been extremely busy and she has had barely a second out of the spotlight because of her role as Hermione Granger in the films of the extremely popular Harry Potter series, written by JK Rowling. Every single thing about her is amazing and she has already achieved so much at the young age of 24! You would expect that all of this fame would have had an effect on Emma’s education; however it didn’t! She chose to continue with her academic work after the Harry Potter series ended and attended University. All of Emma’s hard work meant that by 22nd September 2014 she was able to fulfil one of her life’s ambitions and she earned a place at UNICEF where she is currently involved in a campaign for women’s rights. Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born on 15th April 1990 in Paris; however, she moved to England at the age of five with her mother (Jacqueline Luesby) and brother (Alex Watson) when her parents divorced in 1990. This was a very hard experience for Emma, especially at such a young age, and this would have affected any other child’s achievements; however, not Emma’s, because she continued trying really hard at everything she did. Emma attended the prestigious Dragon School where she began to excel at her school work and decided to take up acting. The acting school that she attended was called Stagecoach and by the age of six this had had such an inspirational impact on her that she decided she wanted to become an actress. Emma decided that she wanted to make her dream of becoming an actress come true and had already starred in many plays with her Theatre School when an even bigger opportunity appeared that was going to change her life. All of Emma’s talent and hard work led to her getting the amazing role of Hermione Granger! This immediately put Emma right under the spotlight; on the first day it was released it broke records for opening day sales when it came out in 2001. Emma was also a model for Burberry in 2009 and 2010 and was named Elle’s Style Icon of the Year in 2010. I find it truly fascinating and unbelievably inspiring that one single person can be so ambitious and hardworking. I admire greatly the amount of effort that Emma puts into everything. She has done so much to make the world a better place just at the young age of 24 and has already acted and fought for women’s rights! She has currently joined the UNICEF team and has helped to start a campaign called ‘He for She’ which has the aim of making the world a better place where women and men are treated equally.
THE WACONIAN 2015
THE BATTLEFIELDS 2015 Adam Wolowczyk, Year 9 At around 5:00am we students steadily woke up, tired yet somewhat excited, ready to be driven to school by our parents. We all met up and had left CHS by 5:30, making our way to the Channel crossing. After a few hours sleep everyone was making light conversation. There were three main groups; the large group of students at the back that were quite loud and loved singing, then a few pairs dotted around and the teachers at the front. And of course my friend, Tom and I, eager on the front seat watching documentaries on a portable DVD player. And there was Nigel our bus driver who remained with us the entire holiday. The first activity on our first morning was to walk together along a path that the brave soldiers would have taken to a park in honour of the Sheffield men. There we saw the first cemeteries of the trip with their iconic white slab gravestones which indicate British graves. We also saw a wall in memory of the “Accrington Pals” who died on the first day of the battle of the Somme. This was a good start to our emotional journey and was aided by Mr Axon’s description and explanation of our surroundings. The next thing we saw was a memorial for the Newfoundland
forces, who voluntarily joined up at the start of WW1. All around us was a rough trench-like landscape, which really helped to put into perspective the damage that warfare causes and how permanent it is. We also saw the last tree surviving at the time in No Man’s Land, which looked isolated and frail, again reminding us of the trauma of the time. Then we went to see reconstructed trenches in a place called Thiepval Wood, which I really enjoyed. We had a very informative tour guide who told us where the front lines were and how they accurately reconstructed these trenches. The tour guide also told us an interesting fact about a spoon they had found in a communications trench with the initials of a soldier that they searched for and found. He had had a leg injury and this matched the bullet hole in the spoon. And so they concluded that they were probably carrying him on a stretcher at the time. Next we made a quick visit to a massive crater, Lochnagar Crater, which had been made when the British dug tunnels to the enemy lines on the first day of the Somme, and placed explosives inside to be blown up for strategic purposes. After that we went to Thiepval memorial, one of the most famous features of our trip. Then we stopped off at Pozières memorial, where my friend Tom’s relative named George Bulling was buried. Tom read out an emotive speech telling us who he was and how he came to die. On the next day we drove to Ypres and firstly we went to a German reconstructed trench, which initially appeared to be closed, but luckily our tickets still worked so we were able to get in. It was a nice well-made reconstruction that we could walk through and really helped us understand differences between British and German trenches. And we saw a short stanza reading: “It is time not to look back in anger but to look forward with hope”. After that we went to Essex farm, where we saw the graveyard, and Max read out the famous poem, “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae in front of a grave belonging to a fifteen year old who was the youngest ever recorded death in WW1. We went to see Langemarck German cemetery, which
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was quite different in that the gravestones were flat slabs on the ground, some of them with at least 20 different names. We were told that after WW1 because the Germans lost the French decided that their gravestones should not point up to heaven. And we thought that this must have been awful for the country and led to it being easy to manipulate in the future. Then we went to a museum that had a lot of displays with soldiers’ equipment and other weapons and a really cool, realistic underground bunker with beds and fake soldiers that added to the realism. And I really liked the interactive element of trying on armour or typing Morse code. After walking through a reconstructed trench at the museum we drove to Tyne Cot cemetery, which was the biggest graveyard we had seen, and no wonder because of how awful the conditions were with soldiers being more scared of drowning in mud than being shot. And then we stood in front of a grave belonging to an old Waconian, Private Alf Chorlton, which was very emotional. After this we went Belgian chocolate shopping and all of us bought a deal from this one shop that was evidently very good at their sales techniques. Before we went to our new accommodation we went to the Menin Gate; this was a massive part of our holiday as we listened to the famous Last Post, a moment that still stays in my mind even now. To see all the names and poppies on walls and everywhere was quite moving too. On the way home we went to a mine that we had a tour around and were told how the soldiers had prepared under there for a big push. Then we went to see Vimy Ridge memorial, which was the biggest and best sculpted on the trip. It was the last thing we saw and was quite magnificent. Throughout the trip I learned a lot about WW1 and saw a lot of things that I never thought I’d see. This was accompanied with a great group of students and teachers and good food as well as nice accommodation; and who could forget our excellent bus driver Nigel?!
THE WACONIAN 2015
Pompeii
In Search of Caecilius Mansi Dhokia, Anna Slaven, Laura Schwarzmayr, Genevieve Jeffcoate, Year 10 (with a little bit of help from Miss Owens!) Nox erat..…it was night and the travelling students convened at Manchester Airport, ready for the adventure ahead. After an arduous early-morning flight, we arrived at our first stop of the Classics trip: the magnificent Colosseum in Rome. Our local tour guide, Angela, explained how this magnificent building (originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre) could host crowds of 60,000 spectators to watch the brutal gladiator fights and beast hunts which entertained the Roman people. On one occasion, the Colosseum had apparently even been flooded in order to re-enact a famous naval battle! It was easy to imagine the awesome spectacles and electric atmosphere which must have been present here some 2,000 years ago. Despite the torrential rain, we then soldiered along the Via Sacra towards the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum – the centre of Roman daily public life. After examining the incredibly preserved artwork on the enormous Arch of Titus (constructed c. 82AD by his brother Domitian in order to commemorate Titus’ victories), we were shown numerous other buildings and ruins, including the famous Temple of Vesta, where the Vestal Virgins tended the city’s eternally burning flame. Originally, the Forum would have hosted triumphal processions, criminal trials and city elections. It was fascinating to think that we were standing on the site of the ancient centre of Roman culture! It was now time for the long coach journey to our hotel in the Bay of Naples; by the time we arrived, most people were too tired to eat and simply fell straight to sleep!
It was therefore a wonderful surprise to wake up to glorious sunshine the next morning and a beautiful view over the bay towards Mount Vesuvius. Our destination for today was the much-anticipated and famous town of Pompeii. We were lucky yet again to have an expert tour guide – our very own Mrs Barfoot! Beginning at the Pompeian Amphitheatre, we walked along the Via dell’Abbondanza, exploring the Baths, Theatre and Forum en route. However, we were all waiting to see the main feature (for us at least!) – the house of Lucius Caecilius Iucundus, the hero and main character of our first Cambridge Latin Course textbook. We decided to have a group photograph outside his house in order to immortalise our visit! Several of us then had a break for a refreshing ice cream, whilst the more adventurous members of the group walked to the North West corner of Pompeii in order to explore the Villa of the Mysteries, famous for its beautifully preserved wall paintings and moving casts of Pompeian inhabitants as they tried, unsuccessfully, to escape their fate. We then returned to our hotel for the evening, where we divided into teams for a hotly-contested quiz of Latin phrases and spells, including several Harry Potter-based questions! Sunday morning saw us on a coach drive to Mount Vesuvius, which we had all decided to climb in order to appreciate the awesome views from the summit – even Miss Owens overcame her fear of heights in order to make it to the top! This was well worth the effort and we
106-107 took several photographs of the beautiful surrounding landscape. Only one student (mentioning no names) was sabotaged in his efforts to reach the top, due to sickness brought on by an excess of pizza and ice cream! We also decided to purchase some souvenirs from the top of the volcano which can now be seen in the Classics display cupboard. Our final site visit was to Herculaneum, a town which was also damaged by the pyroclastic flow of Mount Vesuvius’ eruption. However, we were pleasantly surprised by how much of this town could be seen in its original splendour. We learned that Herculaneum was a much wealthier city than Pompeii and our tour guide showed us various parts of the surviving buildings: shops, private houses, wall paintings and even the sewers! However, there was once again a tragic edge to our visit, as we ended our tour at the sea shore, where archaeologists had discovered skeletons of the town’s inhabitants as they tried to escape the power of the volcanic eruption. Despite all our activities, we still had plenty of energy on the final night to host a Talent Show in the hotel. This was introduced by our compères Hans and Jack and judged by the teachers. The acts included some skilful juggling, unfathomable card tricks (where Mr Barnett kindly stepped in as the glamorous assistant!) and an impressive play delivered in Latin entitled ‘Quintus et Amici’ (‘Quintus and his Friends’), comprising scenes from Book 2 of the Cambridge Latin Course. However, the overall winner was judged to be Ellia Webb with her outstanding performance on the piano. We were awake bright and early again the next morning for our journey home, arriving back in Manchester at lunchtime with lots of wonderful memories and experiences to share with our families. It was certainly a rewarding trip and one which we shall never forget!
THE WACONIAN 2015
Notre Visite à Caen Charlotte Watts, Year 9 LE VOYAGE Nous sommes partis de Cheadle Hulme jeudi 25 mars à 23 heures et nous sommes arrivés à Portsmouth à 4h30. Nous avons pris le bateau à 6 heures. Ensuite nous avons pris le bus à Caen et nous avons fait les magasins. J’ai acheté une crêpe au sucre et j’ai adoré ça. Le voyage était intéressant, cependant j’étais fatiguée.
SAMEDI 28 MARS Samedi matin nous sommes allés aux Rives de L’Orne et j’ai acheté une jupe rose et une tablette de Chocolat Crunch. Après nous sommes rentrées déjeuner. Nous avons mangé du poulet et des pommes de terre. C’était très bon. Nous avons fait deux parties. Puis le soir nous sommes allés dans la Sarthe pour un anniversaire et nous avons dormi là-bas. LUNDI 30 Au petit déjeuner j’ai mangé un pain au chocolat et j’ai bu un verre d’eau. A 10h30 nous sommes allés à la cuisine. Nous avons cuisiné un chou à la Chantilly. Après nous sommes allés à la cantine. J’ai mangé du pain, des gaufres, des pommes de terre et de la viande. Ensuite nous sommes allés à 2 heures de français et 1 heure d’espagnol. C’était fatigant. Après nous sommes allés au restaurant Courtenaille. MERCREDI 1 Au petit déjeuner j’ai mangé un pain au chocolat avec un verre de jus d’orange. Nous sommes allés à l’Accrobranche avec les Britanniques. Ça faisait très peur, c’était amusant. Après nous sommes allés manger un kebab avec mes amis. Le kebab était très bon. Mmm…Ensuite nous sommes allés faire les magasins. J’ai acheté deux T-shirts et du maquillage. Ensuite nous sommes allés chez Constance pour prendre un goûter. Après Inès, Sarah, Rachel, Margaux et moi nous sommes allés aux plages du débarquement. C’était intéressant. Plus tard je suis allée prendre une douche.
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BEAUTIFUL Emilia Muirhead, Year 8 It may be a thigh gap, a flat-toned stomach, a 6-pack or a masculine build. This is the world’s narrow-minded idea of beauty and fitting into these categories for some is literally impossible to achieve! However, some people will do anything to achieve it – sometimes going as far as to harm themselves. But why bother? The beautiful, the celebrities and actors that now seem to be permanently projected into our minds, make up less than 5% of the population. What the media won’t tell you is that these people look good for a living. Their days consist of crazy diets and intense training, which could damage you if you attempted to do the same. The average model is 38% thinner than the average woman. Even if you still desire the fake, airbrushed, ‘size 0’ body of the media, would you be prepared to risk your health, or even your life? A quick google online for ’lose weight’ shows a staggering 112 million results gathered in less than a third of a second. It shows millions of fad diets, celebrity theories and even medication that boast sponsored fake 5-star reviews.
With so many smiley gorgeous models that claim to have tried them, how can you resist? It is estimated that 1.5 million people in the UK suffer from eating disorders. The majority are young women aged between 12 and 24 years although women of any age can develop a problem. The main cause? The media. Seeing the same stick-thin models every day may not hit you hard while you see them, but the long-lasting effects on your physical and mental health can be devastating. It is practically the equivalent of punching yourself in the face every day! Dissatisfaction is becoming more and more of a problem in young girls as they go through puberty. This is mainly due to the fact that during puberty, girls gain a few pounds or even more of a certain type of fat which is vital for your health as you grow up. After a while, the fat stretches out as you grow taller. However, now with everyone telling you to lose weight; get the ‘bikini-body of your dreams’ young girls are desperately trying to lose these extra pounds. Believe me, being the first one to gain this ‘good’ fat can be awkward, but the best way to keep the ‘bad’ fat away is to maintain a healthy diet (that isn’t a diet on the internet, believe it or not) and exercise regularly. So with all this negative body image slapping us in the face constantly, how do we learn to love ourselves - and our bodies? The trick is acceptance. 91% of women see their bodies as being up to 25% larger than they actually appear to others. Scientific studies have shown this to be true, stating that the cause of this is women feeling so bad about themselves that their brain sees their own body as bigger and others as smaller. If we simply learn to understand that our expectations of ourselves are not only unhealthy, but practically impossible to achieve, we can take the first step towards being happier all round! So….. beautiful……what does it mean? Not that you are physically attractive. It is personality, what makes you you. So don’t define yourself by what you see in front of the mirror. Be your own beautiful. Don’t listen to what the world thinks.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Science Week 26 March 2015 Background: Infant children were asked what they enjoyed about Science Week. RECEPTION “ I liked the elephant’s toothpaste because it exploded. It surprised me.” “I liked the rocket launch. It went really high.” “The toilet roll going everywhere!” “ We saw all of the planets inside a big ball. I liked the first man on the moon.” “I made a fish constellation.”
Ice Cream Making Noah Jupe, Year 5 Ice cream making ... ICE CREAM MAKING! Can you believe it? A Science Boffin Assembly, a huge rocket launch and NOW ice cream making. Could it have got any better?
“I made a flower constellation. Each dot is a star.” “I’ve learned that science can be fun.” YEAR 2 “ I enjoyed when the rocket went up and then it went down. The first one didn’t go very high and the second one went really high.” “ I liked eating the ice cream.” “ I liked the planetarium yesterday because I got one of the answers right. (Amy knew that Pluto was a dwarf planet).” “ I liked it when the boffins made the elephant’s toothpaste. It made us laugh.” “ I liked it when the salt came out of the bottle.” “ I didn’t know that an ice cube could make dry ice go everywhere!” “ I didn’t know that Uranus is made of ice.” I wish it could be Science Week every week!
We gathered with our class in the Science room and everyone gasped as the experiments began. The Boffin showed us how dry ice is used as a special effect on stage. It was awesome to see the white mist cover the classroom floor. After a while we made the ice cream. We were given a special vanilla liquid that you poured into the dry ice to make the ice cream. Then you mushed the dry ice up with a spoon and after that, wait for it………….we got to EAT IT. It was really nice and tasty apart from for the few people who got dry ice stuck to their tongues!
Dr. Carlin’s Science Labs
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Jacob Atkinson, Year 5 During Science Week we became Senior School students for a day in the science labs. We all had Year 8 students helping us as we blew up jelly babies, looked at bacteria, made gorilla hands, looked at holograms and finally carry jelly blocks with chop sticks. Lots of students thought it was really interesting and were amazed at all the Science we saw. Grace Brown in Year 5 said; “My favourite part was when the balloon popped because it made a very loud noise!” Dr Carlin told us how all the experiments work, which surprised us all, such as how the hologram was formed because of light and mirrors. The science labs were really informative but best of all great fun!
Rocket Launch
As it happened the rain did stay away and we were able to see the fabulous LAUNCH. They set off two rockets in all; it was fun seeing which rocket would go the highest.
Matthew Griffin, Year 5 At the end of the first thrilling day of the spectacular Science Week the whole Junior School was treated to its own private rocket launch. At 3pm everyone went on to the field to watch the ROCKET LAUNCH! Initially the Boffins were worried that the weather might not hold together. They needed the rain to stay away they didn’t want a soggy rocket!
After a tense count down from 10, the first rocket was launched. It got up to 400 feet which is nearly 122 metres before going into reverse thrust!!! The second rocket went even higher than the first one did. It soared for seconds into the blue sky before coming to land near the changing rooms. Both rockets had a parachute attached which opened successfully, allowing them to glide safely back to Earth.
Planetarium Grace Brown, Year 5 During our spectacular and brilliant Science Week a massive planetarium was brought to the school. However, not everybody knew what a planetarium was. Was it a room full of planets or was it one enormous planet? We soon found out. A gigantic inflatable dome was put up in the secondary music room and a very knowledgeable man called Richard gave a magnificent presentation all about space. When it was my class’s turn to go into the dome we had to take off our socks and shoes so we didn’t
tear the inside. The entrance was a small opening in one side of the dome. At first we felt worried and tense because we didn’t know what was going to happen. As we walked through the pitch black hole in groups we started to feel more relaxed because it actually wasn’t as scary as we all first thought, although when it went pitch black we all shivered.
an old footprint of an astronaut.
When the presentation started, Richard showed us different slide shows of space. He showed us what the different planets look like and we saw a close up of the moon and also
As we walked out of the tiny hole at the end of the amazing presentation we were all relieved to see daylight but we had enjoyed it very much.
My favourite part was looking at the constellations, which are stars next to each other to make shapes. Also I enjoyed the close up of the rocks in Saturn because when I was little I thought it was gas rotating round the planet. I now know the rings consist of many different sizes of rocks.
THE WACONIAN 2015
YEAR 4
Science Week POETRY Science
Balloons Martha Jones
Tariq Dayen Science Science Science Such a matter! Such a complicated matter To learn. Chemistry Hydrogen and oxygen make A big boom! Oxygen – the most common Gas also known as O2.
Bang goes the rocket from up in the sky! All eyes watch as it floats down from up high! Lovely fresh ice cream for everyone. Lightly it bubbled on my tongue. On Thursday Judge Nassar came in, On Wednesday we learnt about how the sun doesn’t spin and Neptune is a planet in the solar system.
Science Week Science Week Layla Jones Science Week oh Science Week, Screaming balloons and Loud noises, Fizzy ice creams and rocket launches Making you go EEK! Hot dry ice Burning your fingers, Big bangs hurting your ears. The heat of the sun scorching your skin, But the cold winds Cooling you off, While gravity keeps us down, and All the things around us. The oxygen in the air Helping us breathe, But The Carbon Dioxide isn’t.
Edward Jackson Along came some Boffins, Who taught us things, Like how to make dry ice, Into nice ice cream. They told aeroplanes not to fly And a rocket high in the sky, It went far up and came back down. I laughed when it let the parachute off. It was neon orange and out of place. We made balloon experiments, Mine was rather cool. I made a balloon stick on a very smooth wall. Science Week, Oh Science Week, It has been so much fun. Liked the Planetarium, It showed pictures of the sun.
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Charity Day Zach Foster and Grace Brown, Year 5 On Thursday 12th February 2015 Cheadle Hulme School held the yearly Charity Day. Everyone took part, from dressing up as Disney characters to playing on the stalls. The three charities that School Council selected to support were: • E bola Crisis Appeals - as the recent mass breakout in Africa was terrible and we felt that we wanted to help relieve the suffering. • D estination Florida - as we thought this was a really worthwhile and unusual charity allowing children with disabilities to have fun in Disney World.
• Seashell Trust which is a school for children with disabilities. We raised money by doing a variety of sponsored events. One of them was running for twelve minutes and the other was swimming for ten minutes - we were so tired after! At break, Year 3 baked cakes and sold them to the rest of the school (they were delicious)! Year 4 set up some exciting games involving water. It was a bit too cold to get wet though! Year 5 and 6 did a variety of games in the hall such as: Lucky Dip, Guess the Teddy Bear’s Name, Knock the Can Down, Racing Cars and Beat the Sumo. All of the ideas were extremely exciting and there was something for all ages. We found that most children got sponsored between £20 - £100 for charity which was a pretty awesome effort! One family even raised £200 altogether! How generous and for such great causes. In total as a school we raised £7716.79 which was EPIC! But on top of all that the CHS Juniors had a great deal of fun – and so did all the teachers!.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Jersey Sports Tour 2015 Sam Murphy, Year 6 At the start of the Easter holidays a group of Year 5 and 6 pupils went off to Jersey to play football, hockey and netball. We woke up early and went to the airport. We were all tired but excited to be off. After a 45 minute plane journey filled with chatting and Top Trumps we arrived at Jersey. From the airport, we took a bus to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which is a zoo (but they don’t like calling it a zoo). We split up into two groups.
hockey kit and some extra layers because it is quite cold. By the way when we get back you will need your swimming stuff because we are going to the water park.” We got to the hockey astro at about 8:45am; I was so excited. Although hockey isn’t my favourite sport I just wanted to do well. Anyway, we got split into three teams; a Year 6 A team, a Year 5 A team and a mixed team. We were in a tournament consisting of our three teams and two
lunch. I had a Margherita pizza, it was delicious. I was so happy at lunch because I had scored a goal in hockey. In the afternoon we went to the water park Aqua Splash. This was one of the best parts of the trip. There were two slides, a wave pool, a whirlpool and a normal swimming pool. My favourite part was one of the slides which had a massive drop. It was nerve-racking but exciting all at the same time. After a couple of hours there we went back
As I was walking around looking at animals I said to myself, “This will be an incredible trip,” and I wasn’t wrong. We saw some interesting animals such as; the silver-back gorilla, the amazing meercats, the capuchin monkeys, the dazzling otters and much, much more… Afterwards we swapped round and the other group looked at the animals. The bear food was made of porridge and raisins. It did not look that tasty! Finally we went to the hotel called the Pomme D’or (Golden Apple in French). It was a really neat and tidy hotel. That night we had a seafood buffet (which was delicious) before going to the disco. The disco was really fun. I had a great laugh with all my friends and we danced until about 9:30pm before going to bed; we were exhausted! The next morning we woke up at 7:30am and went down to breakfast. At breakfast I had full English and a croissant, a good Jersey breakfast. We were all finishing off as Miss Chatwin announced, “We are playing hockey today so all put on your
of Jersey’s teams. We played a roundrobin style tournament. The Year 6 team got off to a flying start beating the Year 5 team, then Jersey A team and finally the Mixed team. The Year 5 team beat Jersey B team and the mixed team. After all the games had been played and all the scores had been totted up the winners were…the CHS Year 6 A team! We got back to the hotel, got changed and went to Pizza Hut for
to the hotel to have supper and then go to sleep. The next morning we woke up to the usual routine, get dressed, have a shower, go down to breakfast; then we got changed into our football kit and went off to the football match. We were put into teams and the A team went to one pitch and the B went to another. The weather wasn’t great and neither was the pitch;
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however, we just got on with it. The match was an hour long (four 15 minute quarters). We didn’t get off to a great start and by the first break we were 2-0 down. We had an inspiring team talk from Mr Morris and got back out there. The next quarter wasn’t as bad and we managed to defend tightly and press them. However, one mistake led to a goal. So by the next break we were 3-0 down. The rain started to lash down now and we were playing in difficult conditions. We managed to squeeze out a draw in the next quarter keeping it 3-0. All hope seemed to be lost when they scored again to make it 4-0 but we managed to pull a couple back. One from me, a volley going past the keeper’s outstretched right hand. Another coming from a Jack Bourne shot from the edge of the box, catching the keeper out. The final score was 4-2. Finally we went to the beach and had a mess around on the sand and had fish and chips by the sea. This was a great moment. The fish and chips were the best ever and it was a brilliant way to say goodbye to Jersey. It was a truly fab trip! Thankyou!
Keira Owen, Year 5 On 27th March 2015 half of Year 5 and Year 6 went to Jersey. We had to be at the airport by 7.30am and then at 9.30am we got the Flybe plane for the 1 hour and 20 minute flight to Jersey. When we all got off the plane we collected our bags and hopped on the coach to go to the Durrell Wild Life Conservation. We saw lots of animals including the orangutans and gorillas.
After that we went to have a talk about who started the Wildlife Conservation and why they did it. Next we got back on the coach and went to our hotel which was called the Pomme d’Or. It was beautiful. The next day we had our netball match and we played against girls from all over the island. I was marking a girl who was 15cm taller than me! The next day we had our hockey match and it was a tournament with six teams including the CHS teams. The Year 6 team came first and the Year 5 team came 3rd! My favourite part of the whole trip was when we went to the water park called Aqua Splash. The water slides were great; one was slow and the other one was really fast but they both had lots of bends in them. On 29th March we all went to the airport to fly home. It had been a great trip!
THE WACONIAN 2015
“ Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” John Lubbock, The Use of Life (1894)
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THE WACONIAN 2015
Max Dickov, Year 8
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MY WORK IN ART Fleur Yearsley, Class of 2009 I attended Cheadle Hulme School from 2002 until 2009 and I look back on those years with great fondness; I enjoyed my time immensely, enriched by the experiences, which have left me with many happy memories. I believe that Cheadle Hulme School is where my artistic values were formed and shaped. The school helped me to realise my creative path and how to fulfil my potential by making the right university choice. Art was always an integral part of my school life, with learning invariably devoted to it. In 2009 I was offered a place at Manchester School of Art to study for a Foundation Diploma in Art & Design; I also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours Degree in Fine Art from Manchester in 2013. The summer after graduation was spent in the freedom of backpacking around Central and North America, which greatly influenced my painting and philosophy. During my first year after university I became a member of Shudehill Studios in Manchester and curated many shows in this space and in other venues around the UK. I was an invited artist for WE CREATE LIVE by Subism Collective and published in Vision, Urban Outfitter’s magazine SHEET and the paperback Polonium No2 NonObject written by David Downs. In addition I have been made a featured artist twice on Saatchi Art by Chief Curator and Director of Artist Development, Rebecca Wilson and invited to Soup For 100 at the Foundling Museum, London in November last year. I worked at Cheadle Hulme School this academic year as Artist-in-Residence in December 2014 and April 2015. During this residency I lectured and advised GCSE and A-Level students. We discussed university applications and further creative careers and I also assisted and tried to inspire students from Years 7 – 10. I supported all areas of the Department in drawing & painting, textiles and ceramics. I furthermore set up a Studio within the classroom and produced work during the residency to demonstrate artistic practice and process. These two works have been donated to the school. I visited Cheadle Hulme School back in 2012 as a Foundation Course Introductory Speaker, when I presented to young
students my experiences of studying Art from GCSE to A-Level through to Foundation Art & Design. I enjoyed engaging with the students and assisting the Head of Art during class time with one to one tutoring and advice to the pupils about their work. I joined Malvern St James in September 2014 as the school’s very first Artist-in-Residence. The time and space given to intensify and develop work is every artist’s dream and I have found the whole process an incredibly enriching experience. Throughout my residency I have tried to impart knowledge, inform skills and advise the aspiring students on their future artistic careers. Working alongside the students for the past six months in the studios led me to create a collection of works entitled ‘Ambiguity’ which went into my Solo Show at Malvern St James in March. After my residency at MSJ I will be travelling around South East Asia for two months in the summer. My paintings are ultimately a celebration of process, through exploration of materials, mark making and colour interaction. The expressive creativity now forms a visual experience that is unrestrained and unencumbered by the weight of objects. The titles of the paintings are intended to provide clues and associative possibilities. They are ambiguous, allowing the viewers to create their own interpretations and make the painting personal. Viewing the painting reflects how people see themselves as much as what they see on the surface of the canvas. It’s a spiritual experience which may lead the viewers into making their own discoveries. The paintings examine the contradictions within the painting process, setting up ‘barriers’ to question strategies so that nothing is left predictable. In the action of painting, everything is undetermined until the final marks propose an end point. I have now been offered a place to study for my Masters of Fine Arts in Fine Art Painting from UCL’s Slade School of Fine Art this September and I have also been awarded the Gwen John Scholarship, which is a full Scholarship for the entirety of the two year program. I have been nominated by The Slade to attend an interview in May for the Sarabande Scholarship funded by The Lee Alexander McQueen Foundation. I feel ready now more than ever to embark upon the next stage; further deepening my knowledge, broadening my practice and defining my understanding. I think that I am an ambitious British female artist with a clear vision and purpose who wants to make an impact on the contemporary art world.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Amaretti Chamber Orchestra - Ten Years On - takes the Biscuit! Brigid Rawling, Mathematics Department Ten years ago in an Indian restaurant, CHS Maths teacher and violinist Brigid Rawling and a group of friends struggled with a problem. The friends were all musicians, and the occasion was her birthday, but the problem had nothing to with the meal or the birthday. The friends had recently decided to start a small string orchestra. Almost everything was in place: players invited, venue arranged, rehearsals scheduled, programme decided, music hired, and charity to support chosen. That just left publicity. Posters were required to advertise the concert, but the orchestra still didn’t have a name. Everyone had ideas, and alternatives were suggested amongst poppadums and onion bhajis. On the table were several small gifts and cards, including a pack of Amaretti biscuits. Someone suggested this as a name for the orchestra. After the initial jibes, they thought, “Why not?” and the Amaretti Chamber Orchestra was born.
Simon Parkin, and Harry’s parents Mario and Debbie Dubois were present. Simon gave a moving tribute to Harry. Amaretti gave a wonderful concert, the highlight being the Strauss Horn and Bassoon Concerto for which our professional soloists donated their fee to the BHF. £500 was raised for the BHF and Amaretti Chamber Orchestra were subsequently awarded “Best Music Event” at the Fringe. At our January 2015 concert, which played to a packed house of over 250, we raised our greatest ever total of almost £1600 for the Boaz Trust. This charity is a support service for destitute asylum seekers and refugees in Greater Manchester.
In September, 2004, the Amaretti Chamber Orchestra gave their first concert to a packed house, and an idea conceived by Leader Brigid Rawling and Principal Bass Peter Aggett was realised. Over the next ten years, the orchestra has gone from strength to strength, performing in over 40 concerts, and has raised £30,000 for local charities, including St Ann’s Hospice, Christie Hospital, Amnesty International, Alzheimer’s Society and NSPCC: a tribute to the determination and enthusiasm of its founders. Most concerts are held at St. Andrew’s church in Cheadle Hulme, although the orchestra performs regularly in the Buxton Fringe Festival. The orchestra is supported by Cheadle Hulme School. Several staff and parents are now regular members of the audience and solo opportunities have been given to some of the CHS musicians, including former pupil Charlie Troup who is now studying the flute at the RNCM. Last July, Amaretti played at the Buxton Fringe Festival and all proceeds went to the British Heart Foundation in memory of Harry Dubois. Former Head of Upper Sixth,
In May 2015 we performed in another most successful concert in which over £1100 was raised for Amnesty International. After the July Buxton Fringe Festival (which at the time of writing has not yet taken place), the next Cheadle Hulme based concert is on September 26th at St Andrew’s Church, in Cheadle Hulme.
THE PROGRAMME INCLUDES • The well-known Pachelbel: Canon and Gigue • V ivaldi: Guitar Concerto D major RV 93 with solo guitarist Chris Hemingway (Mrs Rawling’s husband!) • Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge.
OUR WEBSITE IS www.amaretti.org.uk
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AS COMPOSERS Lower Sixth Music Students, with a little bit of help from Adam Hall, Music Department!
Lauren Blakey
Anna Callow
WHAT WERE THE MAIN INFLUENCES ON YOUR AS COMPOSITION? I enjoy playing jazz particularly on piano so I chose to write a jazz composition. My composition is a jazz quintet so I listened to lots of different jazz artists and famous jazz pieces such as Blue Bossa and Take the A Train to get a better idea of the style and the way the instruments are used, because I don’t play the saxophone, which I include as the main instrument of my quintet.
WHAT WERE THE MAIN INFLUENCES ON YOUR AS COMPOSITION? In order to gather ideas for my composition initially, I listened to numerous brass quintets and a variety of other instrumental works from which I could use ideas. I found it difficult to find one genre of music in which to write so I focused my listening on a conventional tonal idiom, with which I felt most comfortable. As a result of my wider listening, I decided on writing an ‘Intrada’ with a fanfare-like opening.
WHAT PROCESS DID YOU USE TO COMPOSE THE PIECE? I wrote the majority of my piece at the piano, coming up with the chords being played throughout and the main head tune of the piece, which would eventually be played on an alto saxophone. Then, using Sibelius, I added the other instruments such as the drum kit and bass to complete the piece and bring it all together.
WHICH INSTRUMENTS DO YOU LIKE WRITING FOR? Being a trumpet player, I enjoy writing for brass instruments, hence my choice of writing for a brass quintet. I wanted to feature particular qualities of the brass section such as the stunning tone and the diverse timbre. This features the French horn, trombone and tuba, not as accompanying instruments as is standard practice, but as solo instruments.
WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO COMPOSE IN THE FUTURE? My next composition will be for A2, and while I enjoyed writing a jazz piece, next year I will be writing a composition based on a poem and writing music for the words to go with. I’ll most likely write it on piano like my previous composition but I’m not sure yet what kind of ensemble I will use.
WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO COMPOSE IN THE FUTURE? I am still unsure at this stage as to what I will be writing for my A2 composition but it will either be a simple song for piano and voice or music for a film clip of my choice.
Catherine Rawling WHAT WERE THE MAIN INFLUENCES ON YOUR AS COMPOSITION? I had heard someone else singing What ever happened to my part? from Monty Python and I started to see if I could play it and improvise around the tune. I liked the chord pattern and this was the start of my composition. Additionally, I had been learning Schönberg’s I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Misérables. I found great pleasure in the downwards bass pattern and so this also features in my composition. WHAT PROCESS DO YOU USE TO COMPOSE? I like to start by improvising at the piano, as the piano is my first instrument and I prefer to play by ear rather than with music. When I have a chord pattern and a simple melody, I write it into Sibelius and add other instruments. WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO COMPOSE IN THE FUTURE? For my A2 composition I am planning to write a piece for a film clip. The film clip I have decided to use is Mufasa’s Death from The Lion King.
YOUR CHANCE TO LISTEN! LOWER SIXTH Lauren Blakey
UPPER SIXTH
Catherine Rawling
Cian O’Herlihy
Anna Callow
Paige Hughes
If you wish to listen to the A Level compositions from this year, scan the QR codes. You will need to download a QR Reader onto your smart device. For those of you who do not know what a QR code is, it is simply a website given as a barcode.
THE WACONIAN 2015
First in the Alderley Edge Music Festival! Daniel Gascoyne, Year 8 The Cheadle Hulme String Quartet was chosen to represent the school in the Alderley Edge Music Festival in May. I play in the quartet with Callum O’Shea and Zoe Li on violin and Adam Wolowczyk on cello; I play the viola myself. We had chosen to play Concerning Hobbits by Howard Shore from The Lord of the Rings and I was nervous but really excited on the day of the Festival.
We arrived at about 11:30 and waited through a few of the other performances. It was very tense, but we weren’t worried; we were just looking forward to performing and hoping to do well. When we got up we just set up the seats and played without thinking about anything else. Almost as soon as we had started, it seemed, I could hear some applause and I realised we had finished. The rest of the performances in our class
My Music
Kirsty Dickson, Year 8
What I like about music isn’t just the physical sound. Even though it’s possible to create beautiful chords and notes, there’s something great about all the theory and reasoning behind it. Also, I like the way that everything links up and seamlessly produces the lovely music we hear. I play the piano and love it because it’s easy to play one note, and it’s easy to play many notes together to form a full, exciting piece. CHS has given me the opportunity to play the bassoon too, and I’ve realised that the sound is much harder to produce on a bassoon than on a piano. However, I love that all instruments are so different to play and produce sound in such different ways, yet they still all create pure, beautiful notes.
In June, I competed in the Alderley Edge Music Festival; I competed in two classes - Year 8 Piano Solo and Grade 5 Piano Solo - and I won both! This year I have had my Grade 3 Music Theory, which I passed with distinction and I did my Grade 5 Theory on June 21st. I am going to carry on with my Theory hopefully, right through to Grade 8 and I want to continue with my Grade 6 piano and Grades 3-4 bassoon. In the CHS Young Musician of the Year I won the Year 8 category. Overall I really enjoy all aspects of music and I hope it is a skill that will remain part of my life forever.
were done so it was time for the adjudication and the adjudicator gave us all some feedback. Then it was time for the results and she announced that we had won! We were all quite happy and a little surprised, but after all we had all worked really hard at the piece. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and definitely worth it.
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BODY IMAGE Georgia Lea, Year 8 In a world where the ‘perfect’ body is a curvy, stick thin model or a muscular, macho man with washboard abs, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to feel like you fit in. But those aren’t real people - they’re airbrushed Barbie dolls who, underneath all the Photoshop, are human beings. They have blemishes, scars, wrinkles, stretch marks; so many imperfections that are wiped away with the click of a button.
don’t have a jawline so sharp you could cut paper with it, or arms the equivalent of superman’s, doesn’t mean you aren’t perfectly attractive. Never feel like you need female, or male, attention to validate yourself, just believe you’re good enough. I promise you, no matter how muscly you are or how much you weigh, you are worth it. There are a million things about you, from little habits you don’t know you have, to the way you write certain letters, that make you unique. After all, no one knows you better than you do.
“To be beautiful does not mean to be perfect.” Okay, girls, so you have rolls when you sit down, or your thighs jiggle when you run; you’re human. You aren’t expected to have a thigh gap or protruding hip bones or ribs that jut out when you breathe in. You’re expected to be kind to others, to be yourself but, most of all, you’re expected to be healthy. Whether that means having a flat stomach or a little bit of chub - Just. Be. Healthy. If you know that you are fit and well, whatever shape you’re in, that’s enough. After all, only 5% of women naturally have the body shape portrayed by the media as ideal, meaning you are not alone if you feel inadequate. Whatever you look like - weight, height, skin colour, hair colour, zits or clear skin- you’re beautiful. No matter how much pressure is put on you to look a certain way or eat a certain way, you don’t have to change a thing. It’s hard to believe in yourself and your body when all around you size 0s flaunt their flat tummies and non-existent thighs - trust me, I know. But the only person who can truly validate you is you. You don’t need a boyfriend or girlfriend, a best friend or an enemy, to tell you you’re beautiful; just tell yourself! You are the only person who can break the chain of thought that you aren’t good enough, and you should treat your body with respect. Embrace it, flaunt it, get out there and show the world you aren’t afraid to be exactly who you are. “Being different isn’t a bad thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself.” Boys, I understand that often all the attention is placed on girls and their problems, and that sometimes it feels difficult to speak out about how you feel. This is mainly because females are more self-conscious than you are, or show that you are, and are slandered more for their bodies than you. In no way does that mean you don’t have the right to ask for help if you need it. In no way does that mean you don’t feel the pressure to be perfect just as much as they do. While girls feel they need to lose weight, you generally feel like you need to gain weight and muscle. There are hundreds of thousands of protein shakes and pills and diets that advertise their slimming and muscle growing ability, but it’s all down to puberty and how fast your body develops whether you end up with rippling pectorals and biceps bigger than your head. At the end of the day, only 1 or 2% of all men actually have the body type displayed by the media, making them the minority. Just because you
“People say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say the most liberating thing about beauty is realising you are the beholder.” Unfortunately, we live in a society where we are taught to hate ourselves for not looking like the preppy plastic dolls that dance across our screens every day. We aren’t really told that we are beautiful just the way we are and, even from a very young age, constantly have unachievable body goals shoved down our throats. But the most important thing is to realise that you don’t have to look like that. You don’t have to be that thin, or that muscly, or play that sport or read that book. However, you are - likes, dislikes, what you eat and what you don’t - you are an absolute miracle. There is a tiny little universe sparkling inside of each of us, and it takes a special kind of person to recognise that. If you are brave enough to stand up to the world and say, “Yeah, I’m proud of my body!” then you can conquer anything. Be daring enough to take on the world’s challenges headfirst, and don’t ever feel like you have to change to fit in. At the end of the day, the only opinion of your physical appearance that matters is your own. It’s hard to feel that way sometimes, but if you find confidence within yourself, other people will see that and respect you for it. If you can show that you believe in yourself and are proud of the way you look, others will feel inspired to love not only you but themselves as well. So get out there, and show ‘em what you’re made of!
THE WACONIAN 2015
Amnesty International at CHS John Howard, Lower Sixth Amnesty International is a non-governmental organisation focused on human rights with over seven million members and supporters around the world. Founded in 1961, the group has fought countless human rights abuses, winning a Nobel Peace Prize for its campaign against torture in 1997 and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1978. CHS staff and students have played an active role in supporting the society for a number of years with previous events including Think Tank talks and fundraisers. This academic year Sixth Form students have been campaigning on women’s rights issues and have been doing their bit by fundraising through holding lunch-time cake sales. When speaking to these students I was astounded to find that all the organisation had been done by themselves, and that they had also not received any outside help or funding to launch the sale. Their efforts are highly commendable. I asked them if they had a particular target of money that they would like to raise and they responded that they would like to make about £150. This shows how willing these students are to raise awareness and play a big role in the advancement of women’s rights across the globe. Further fundraising was carried out by students during Valentine’s Day. The aim of the event was to highlight that love can exist between people of any sex and helped to promote
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the LGBT rights work of the charity. As part of the work for LGBT - lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender - Sixth Formers from the School’s Amnesty International Society held a lunchtime cake sale and asked fellow students to write their definition of love on a white board. Alongside campaigns regarding women’s rights and equality for love, Amnesty International has also been campaigning recently for an International Arms Trade Treaty designed to secure an effective, peaceful agreement over arms. They have also turned great attention to the problems facing Syrians, Libyans and Egyptians due to the threats posed by ISIS in the region of North Africa. Hopefully, CHS can continue to play its role in the coming years to help people be better educated and have a better understanding of the issues.
les w o L en K om r f it s i V
The school’s Amnesty International group welcomed Ken Lowles to deliver a presentation about his work. Ken has been a member of Amnesty International for 38 years. When he was younger, Ken worked as a volunteer at Oxfam. During this time he spoke to local MPs and parliament about the best ways to help those in society who are less fortunate than others. Ken told us that he often found it surprising how little people knew about human rights, so his talk promised to be informative as well as interesting. He told us that many people around the world are excluded by poverty and deemed not “worthy” of an education. This is particularly important as Article 26 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to education.”
He also talked about the fact that many women are subjected to trafficking around the world. Many end up in the UK only to be held against their will and in many cases, raped and sexually exploited. This is in direct contravention of Article 4 of the Declaration, which states: “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude.” This really brought home that human rights issues are not just an issue for other countries. Ken spoke of some of the contraventions to the Declaration of Human Rights by the USA, such as Article 12, which states: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with their privacy, family, home or correspondence…”. He pointed out that the USA electronically spies on many countries of the world including their supposed European allies. This led us to ask: “Why can’t we have trust?” Continuing with the USA, we learned that President Obama’s initial pledge to close down the Guantanamo Bay
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detention centre was still unfulfilled. As part of the “war on terror”, many people including Muslims are held without knowing why, without access to legal representation or a hearing in court. This contravenes several articles including, crucially, Article 9, which states, “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.” Ken was very passionate about these issues, and stated that he found them to be appalling.
promises to address many of the human rights issues that were of concern to other countries – although much of this still remains unresolved. As an example, there is no freedom to express diverse opinions (Article 19) and there is no equality before the law (Article 7).
However, Ken’s criticisms were not only for the western world, and his talk turned to The People’s Republic of China, which is supposedly a Communist State – although Ken made the point that it is actually a dictatorship, with a totalitarian regime. A feature of these regimes is the harsh way that protests are dealt with. Article 21 is clearly at odds with this, as it states “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of their country. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government.”
China is also typical of totalitarian regimes in its management of the media. For example, it has erased all records of the demonstrations of 1989 in Tiananmen Square. This was really interesting to hear, as the image of a student standing in front of a tank, barring its progress, is one of the most iconic moments seen on televisions around the world, and one that I can picture in my mind – and yet Chinese students will have no knowledge of this image.
When winning its bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, China made
These breaches of human rights around the world include issues such
as arbitrary imprisonment, torture and restriction of free expression. Ken’s talk gave us all food for thought and his passion for human rights came across very strongly. Many of his messages, I am sure, will stay with us for some time. Above all, the message many of us took away was from Article 1, which states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
THE WACONIAN 2015
Why I Love Sailing Siân Talbot, Year 7
I’ve been passionate about sailing since I was eight. I belong to a friendly sailing club with an inspiring junior section of Optimist, Topper, Laser and Feva sailors. We have our own club night and events, and really enjoy beating the adults in club racing! My Optimist is a single-handed dinghy for young sailors. Almost unsinkable, with one sail, it’s simple to put together, but technical to fine tune with controls for adjusting various parts of the sail and the position of the mast, all of which influence the power of the sail. Everything needs adjusting to suit my weight and the conditions. I’ve done two winters of RYA regional Zone Squad training. Twelve of us train together, learning about weather, rigging, how to sit and move efficiently, getting good positions at the start and much more. RYA coaches (in rescue ribs) take us out in all weathers. It’s fun and challenging and it involves a lot of travelling. Before winning a Zone Squad place, I competed in a national event to see what I was letting myself in for. There were 104 Optimists on the start line, compared to about 15 at my club. Scared by blustery winds, soaked by rain squalls, intimidated by older sailors shouting, my stomach churned. For ages I sailed along the start line not knowing which end to start on. With one minute to go I synchronised
my watch, chose the starboard (right) end, and manoeuvred into a space, letting my sail flap. Bang! Sail filling, I accelerated forward, quickly tacking to find clear wind. Spray momentarily obscured my sight. I tacked again on reaching the ley line to the windward mark. On rounding it I bore away on a reach, the fastest point of sailing. Passing the next mark I was delighted to be mid fleet. Tugging up my centre board I focused on keeping upright on the ‘run’. Suddenly, overpowered by a gust, the boom swung across my boat hitting my head, pitching me into the water. My boat capsized on top of me, cold seeping into my drysuit. I scrambled rat-like on to my upturned boat. I pulled on the centre board bringing my boat upright only to have it capsize on top of me again and again. Eventually, the rescue boat told me to retire and towed me to shore. Utterly demoralising, but it didn’t put me off! Eighteen months on, I find sailing in national events much less intimidating. My friends and I help each other tune our sailing before the start, and our Zone Coach gives us advice and encouragement between races. My ranking on the UK National Squad selection series has leapt from 223rd to 77th overall, and from 68th to 6th junior girl. This has secured me a place on two RYA Junior Girl Invitational training weekends with the Welsh National Coach.
Last October I competed in my first Feva team racing event with five other Optimist sailors. We had little experience in racing two-handed Fevas, but were not daunted. In team racing, tactics and starting skills are very important over a large number of short races against each of the other teams. Two teams race against each other at any one time with the finishing position of every boat on the team counting towards the team’s points total. Our team did well, qualifying for ‘Gold A’ group alongside the National Feva Squad before strong winds curtailed the event. I loved working together as a team, and it’s much better capsizing with a friend than on my own! This year I competed in my first international regatta on Lake Garda, Italy and I am going to transition to sailing a Feva with a friend from my squad. I am really excited about this change to a two-handed sailing dinghy. Why do I love sailing? Well, Oppis are too small for adults, so once afloat I am in charge! I choose my own path, making my own decisions. It’s made me self-reliant and resilient. Whenever I’m competing I have no-one to blame but myself if it all goes wrong. It can be exciting, challenging, scary, and the best experience in the world all in one day. Sailing with a friend in a Feva is going to be even better!
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Sailing: What it means to me James Clemetson, Lower Sixth Sailing isn’t a particularly wellrecognized sport; you don’t hear the latest results in the news every day like you do with football. Although the Americas Cup, the F1 of sailing, did do a good job of bringing sailing some publicity. I think sailing’s great because I’ve done it ever since I can remember; it’s second nature to me in some ways. My dad got me into it, thought it was a good thing to be able to do, maybe it could open doors for me in later life, but I didn’t really see the point unless I was racing. It started then for me and I’ve sailed virtually every weekend ever since, even in the freezing cold winters. I’ll admit, it means you miss a lot of things at home, such as parties and rugby matches, but in turn I get to travel all over the world sailing with friends. You get to sail in some really cool places such as New York, the Caribbean and Japan, which is the venue for the Worlds this year. I guess a dream would be to go to the Olympics, just as any rugby player wants to play for England, but it takes
a lot of effort. I sail in a boat that needs two men, which makes it a bit more fun. Since I teamed up with my last partner, we managed to get into the Youth (U18) Great Britain Team and we came seventh at the European Championships, making history as the youngest ever British pairing to get selected for the Euros. And the following year we won the EUROsafs in Poland – another European Competition. Before we teamed up I was in a smaller boat on my own. I was in the Junior (U15) Great Britain Team then. Some people ask me why I sail, and it’s understandable because to a lot of people you just sit there and pull some ropes, but for me it’s technical, mentally challenging, physical and, when it’s windy, pretty scary. It’s always different, being weather-dependent, unlike a lot of sports, so it’s never dull. It does have its problems though; firstly, it’s very expensive, but I’m lucky because I have the sponsors to support my campaign. Secondly, it takes a lot of time to go for a sail; you can’t just go for an hour, because it
takes the whole day. Another great thing about the sport is that when you go to competitions abroad, you get to meet people the same age from all over the world, for example from countries such as Malaysia, New Zealand and Thailand. Not many people realise this, but sailing is one of Britain’s most successful sports. For example, Ben Ainslie won his fourth gold medal in London 2012, impressive considering there’s one gold per Games, meaning it took him 16 years to acquire so many. Thus you can’t win 20 plus medals like you can in other sports such as swimming. Mostly though, sailing is just a really enjoyable thing to do with friends. I think most people that have done it would agree and I urge anyone that hasn’t yet to give it a go, it’s a great thing to do on holiday somewhere hot. It would mean a lot to me to represent Britain in future Olympic Games; whether it will happen we will have to wait and see.
THE WACONIAN 2015
Barclays Ball Kid! The Chance of a Lifetime for a CHS Sports Scholar Hannah McColgan, Year 10 Being a Barclays Ball Kid was one of the best experiences of my life. I had an absolutely amazing time with 29 other kids who will be friends for life. The journey began in May when I signed up and had to write a 50 word statement on why I wanted to be a Barclays Ball Kid. Over 4,000 other kids completed this form and sent it off. After the selectors had read through the forms they chose 1,000 kids to attend regional trials which were held all over the country. In July the trial day finally arrived. I travelled down to West Bromwich Albion where my trial was being held. The two-hour training session consisted of movement drills, ball skills and teamwork exercises. At the end of the intense trial I was chosen to have an interview about the day. Leaving the trial I was confident about how it had gone and was hopeful that I would get one of the 100 places at the national trial. In late July I received an email confirming my place for the national trial; I was extremely happy as the chance to be a ball girl for the world’s top places was almost mine. First I had to fill in a form saying why I wanted to be a ball kid. I filled my form in and sent it off. The trial was in early October at St. George’s Park, home to England Football. The trial came round fast and before I knew it I was standing in the hall with the 99 other kids waiting for the trial to begin. The morning session of the trial was filled with agility and hand-eye coordination drills along with fun teamwork games. The two hours flew by and before I knew it, it was time for lunch with the other kids. After lunch the session was based on ball kids’ skills; we did lots of rolling, bouncing and throwing with each drill lasting 30 minutes without stopping, as you would have to be on court for between 45 minutes to one hour without a break. As the day was nearly finished, the coaches and judges went off to a separate room to decide which kids would be the 2014 Barclays Ball Kids. All the parents were sent across to the hotel to wait whilst we were made to line up in number order corresponding to our bib number.
The judges had finally made their decision and were ready to let us know. In no particular order the numbers of the bibs of those who had made it were read out. Each one would go up and shake hands before standing next to the trophy. I began to count the kids who were up there; 27, 3 more would get picked, only 3. “54”, that was me, I checked my bib to avoid embarrassing myself before I went up to shake hands and meet the other ball kids. I had made it. The other 60 kids who hadn’t made it left the hall and walked over to meet their parents in the hotel. Our parents were then sent over to meet us and we had our first official photo. We were given letters and information, everything was a bit of a blur. In the October holidays I had a week’s training camp down in Southampton. With two other ball kids from up north we got the five hour train down and then a taxi across to the hotel where we would be staying. After we had met the other ball kids and had got the rooms sorted, the week began. We had 30 hours training; at Wimbledon they get ten months! The training was intense; we started at nine every morning and finished at 5 at night. We then did team activities in the evening. By the end of the week everyone had got to know each other and our teams for the event had been decided. Leaving Southampton in high spirits, we travelled home for a week’s rest before the real event. The 8th November arrived, the day I would travel to the O2 for the real ATP Tour World Finals. After everyone arrived at the hotel, we all got a mini-bus across to the O2 to have a look around and do a practice, before we went out to dinner. The first day began with an early start to get everything ready. With our kit on, we left the hotel and headed for the O2. We had a special tent for the ball kids and that was where our rota was for each day. Team 1 was first on, that was my team; at 11:50, we lined up in the tunnel ready to run out. The music blared out, the lights went down and the ball kids’ introduction began; we all sprinted out onto court, the adrenaline rushed through me. 18,000 eyes were staring down onto the court. We stood still for ten minutes before the players came in.
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Kate Watson, Lower Sixth WHEN AND WHY DID YOU START SWIMMING? I started swimming when I was two because my parents, just like most parents, wanted me to be able to swim - a valuable life skill. Firstly, I just took part in lessons at Bollington until I was eight, when a friend encouraged me to join a club called Satellites. As a result, I have been swimming there for nine years and counting, and am currently the longest standing member. WHAT LEVEL DO YOU SWIM TO AND HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY COMPETITIONS? In the past I have swum for county, starting from the age of ten. However, since I was thirteen, I have qualified for regionals by achieving the required race times. Now I take part in galas for Satellites. This is an arena league competition across the season against the rest of the country and Wales. The best thing about these galas is that it is about the whole team and not just about individuals, proving that swimming can be a collective sport encouraging the team spirit that you get from playing rugby, netball and other sports. DO YOU DO ANY COACHING? Yes, every week I coach younger swimmers at either club or school. At Satellites and Macclesfield Leisure Centre I teach children aged four to ten. It is a great achievement to know that I am helping the next generation learn a skill for life, whether it be for leisure or future competitions. I feel like I have made a difference, which shows in their progress from not being able to swim at all to being pretty good! Furthermore, on Thursdays after school I actually involve myself in coaching with the school team from Years 7 to 11.
The atmosphere was electric as the doors opened and the players walked out. The roar of the crowd gave me goosebumps. It was incredible. I had to concentrate on court for around an hour; if I switched off the whole team would mess up. It only took one person in a team of six to forget the ball change and the rhythm would be lost. When I came off court I was shattered. We always ate before going and helping out in the fan zone, then helping out in clinics with Pat Cash and Andrew Castle, and then before we knew it we would be back on court for the evening session. This happened every day for the next eight days. We were so close to the players. I was a centre so I gave the players drinks, got their rackets restrung and got them anything else they asked for during a match. Being so close to them and watching them play as I was crouched at the net was inspirational. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and I will never forget it.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO PROMOTE OR CHANGE ABOUT SWIMMING IN GENERAL? Definitely. Something I feel strongly about is the massive shame that people lose enthusiasm over the season, especially at school when other commitments increase and exams begin to loom. Also, at a certain age if someone doesn’t think that they are good enough at any sport they feel like they have to give it up because they fall behind others, even if they really enjoy it. Swimming, in particular, is something that is not necessarily seen as socially acceptable, especially for girls, getting their hair wet and having to get changed into costume. Young people become embarrassed and self-conscious about their body image, which means as they become older they become less committed and eventually stop. At school this means that there is a struggle to scrape together a team, especially in the Senior School, despite there being several year groups to pick from and despite the great success and numbers of enthusiastic swimmers lower down the school.
THE WACONIAN 2015
ROOD: An Interview with Patrick Brako and Benj amin Gleave Harry Firmston, Lower Sixth ROOD is the leading Young Enterprise group in the competition so far, with no other group making such a statement in the business world of the CHS community. They have fought off fierce rivals, with their key success coming from the greatly awaited FIFA tournament held last December. Despite complaints from the librarians about the noise, they battled on. They have a keen eye for the current market, arguably the factor that puts them head and shoulders above the others. Today we shall be talking to the creative mastermind behind the project, Patrick Brako, alongside the marketsavvy economist of the team, Benjamin Gleave. WHAT DOES ROOD STAND FOR? Patrick: ‘Rewriting Our Own Destiny’; the basis of the ROOD concept is materialising our ideas. WHAT WERE YOUR ORIGINAL THOUGHTS ON HOW FAR ROOD COULD GO WHEN YOU FORMED YOUR ORIGINAL TEAM? Patrick: Obviously, ROOD started out as a Young Enterprise group; however, I believe we can go further than that. I can turn this school project into a multi-millionaire business. For us as a team, the sky is the limit.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE FIFA TOURNAMENT; HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? Ben: When we first started having regular meetings, many ideas were thrown around the room, some good and some not so good. The FIFA tournament pushed these bad ideas aside as it became apparent that this was a fun, entertaining, yet profitable, venture. AT ITS PEAK, WITH 80 STUDENTS IN THREE ROOMS, HOW DID YOU MANAGE THE CROWDS AND ATMOSPHERE TO KEEP THE TOURNAMENT ALIVE? Ben: It can only be described as an ‘all hands on deck’ operation. There were two members designated to each room; two floating members to monitor progress and two on the tuck-shop. After several complaints from the library we put maximum capacities in the rooms to keep all happy. RUMOURS ARE CIRCULATING THAT YOU MAY BE VENTURING INTO THE FASHION INDUSTRY; HAVE YOU ANY CONFIRMATION OF THIS? Patrick: Am I venturing into the fashion industry? Have you seen my coat? (He is wearing a rare North Face apex jacket) HOW FAR HAVE YOU GOT WITH DESIGNING? Patrick: We have developed over 50 different ideas for clothing items. And we have met with a clothing manufacturer to discuss the production of our product.
THE STANLEY FAMILY: FOUR BROTHERS AT CHS! Adam Stanley, Upper Sixth Adam asked his brothers what it was like to be one of four brothers all at CHS at the same time; this is what they said! Luke - Year 7: “I enjoy going to school with my brothers because there is some good competition between us. I also like that the teachers know me because my brothers have been here. I have been picking my brothers up with my mum since I was five and I am glad to finally be here myself.” Jake - Year 9: “I’m glad to be at CHS with my brothers, I am naturally competitive and so I always strive to be the best!! Obviously my brothers will have different ideas!!” Kane - Year 11: “I enjoy that we get the train to school together. It’s great to know that you always have someone to chat to about homework if necessary, I like the fact that we sometimes bump into each other at school.” Adam - Upper Sixth: “It is typical that as the eldest I get blamed for everything but I enjoy the responsibility of helping my brothers through the school. There has only been one year where we have all been here together and, although I’m leaving, I know my brothers will continue to enjoy CHS.”
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IN WHAT REGION HAVE THE PROFITS BEEN SINCE ROOD’S CREATION IN SEPTEMBER 2014? Ben: From the beginning of the formation of ROOD each member had invested into the company for a 10% share which, through hard work, we have multiplied several times. The members would not like to disclose their figures; however, we can reassure our fans it is a considerable sum. BEN, HOW HAS YOUR DAD’S EXPERIENCE IN RUNNING NUMEROUS BUSINESSES HELPED IN YOUR FIRST STEPS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD? Ben: From working with my dad in his businesses, including Warrington’s favourite car boot sale, I have acquired invaluable knowledge of how to manage money, which has helped me in my role of Finance Minister of ROOD.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR ROOD? Patrick: As I said before, for ROOD, the sky is the limit. I reiterate the fact that the basis of the ROOD concept is materialising our ideas. Obviously in the short term our sights are set on becoming one of the country’s most notable newcomers in the fashion industry. However, being the creative visionary I am, I can’t help but envisage the ROOD brand becoming one of the frontrunners in world businesses, up there with Nike and Adidas. With my determination and creativity I will drive this company to greatness. I am Steve Jobs, I am Shakespeare, I am Richard Branson, I am Warhol, I am Willy Wonka, I am Kanye West, I am PK Brako. I AM ROOD!
THE WACONIAN 2015
Fiona Buxton, Design Technology Department Mia Kearney de Vent’s inspiration for an item of storage was the British Designer Vivienne Westward, one of the designers linked to the Punk Rock Movement. The hooks for clothing form spikes of Mohican Hair. Further inspirations were The Bauhaus Design Movement for both Jacob Marks and Tom Adamson. Pop Art formed a popular theme for small products. Jake Rothwell chose minimalism for his lamp.
TOM ADAMSON
JACOB MARKS
JAKE ROTHWELL
ASHLEY BOOTH
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NATASHA LAING-SMITH
MIA KEARNEY-DE VENT
MYLES DENHAM
JESSICA BATLEY
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Year 10 RS Trip to Krakow James Walker, Year 10
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MAY 1st
Why did we have to get up so early? This was the question we were pondering as through bleary, sleep-deprived eyes we shuffled into Terminal 3, ready for the forthcoming Religious Studies trip to Krakow. After the entire group had assembled and met with their respective group leaders, Mrs Firth, Miss Parker and Mr Robertson, we all travelled through the routine of security, check-in and going to the gate. And just like that, we were in Poland! With the local time approaching midday, we finally understood that having got up so early, we were able to have a full half-day meandering through the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. We were then split into two groups: thus facilitating a more personal experience due to the smaller group sizes. First on the itinerary was a visit to Schindler’s factory, which gave an unprecedented perspective on the daily life of Polish Jews under the Nazi oppression.
parents was incredible. The museum excelled at creating a personal connection between us and those who were affected by the Nazis through testimonies and photos. Later we travelled to the surprisingly spacious salt mines. The kilometre long warrens of salt walls contrast with the spacious caverns, which are illuminated thanks to the chandeliers. Unfortunately, the ability to purchase any sodium chloride was hindered due to the large cost. The day was brought to a close with some free time in the main square. And, surprisingly, the majority migrated back to Subway and McDonalds.
Following an evening meal at the hotel, the majority of the group descended eagerly on Krakow’s main square; personally speaking, the majority of my allotted time was spent in Subway or McDonalds.
MAY 3rd
MAY 2nd
This harrowing experience, not least the emotions we felt when we walked through the gas chambers, meant we left on a sombre, reflective note.
Subsequent to a novel breakfast - quails’ eggs, mozzarella and Cheerios (not all together) - we perambulated back to the Jewish Quarter, in which the life of the Polish Jews was portrayed through the photographic medium. I felt that our guide helped us to comprehend the subject of the photos compared with how we would have viewed them previously. Next we were given a talk by a Holocaust survivor, who revealed to us that she had evaded capture just because her mother took a doll as a substitute for her to a Nazi round up. Personally, I felt that her ability to forgive the very Nazis that perpetrated the crimes against her
Today we were allowed two hours of free time around the square. Some chose to use this time responsibly, finding water from the nearby supermarket and others bought presents for their family. Some found themselves back in Subway and McDonalds... After a relatively relaxing morning we all piled onto the bus as we headed to Auschwitz and Auschwitz One. Our tour around the camp was enhanced by a local guide who revealed to us the impact of Nazi tyranny and the resulting genocide. Perhaps the cabinet that struck home to us the most was the room-long display case full of human hair. We were told that the Nazis had often used this hair to make items and turned the skin into lamp shades.
Yet that night our spirits were raised with an entertaining quiz and a final visit to the town, in which we were able to eat liquid chocolate. I think this trip was so great because it intertwined serious and comic moments, as well as combining aspects of History and RS.
THE WACONIAN 2015
BRICKS AND MORTAR THE BIRTH OF MY HOME Jessica Taylor, Year 10 The bricks were laid one by one, man-made with love. The sun peered through the clouds ready to take a glimpse of the new birth. The blades of grass comforted it as it came to life.
a home and every person an individual. Our health, our happiness and our personalities are subtle changes that evolve over time and contribute to the blossoming of our lives.
The foundations, built with love, joy and happiness, stood strong and ready to face anything that was to be thrown their way. The resounding feelings of achievement ran through the house. It would be capable of carrying out what it was made to do, but you could tell that this one would be a fighter and live for many years, definitely outliving its creators.
The adult years seem a little more mundane. Minimal accessories are added or changed because the identity of the house has been created and the familiarity is what makes it a home. The house is in a league of its own now and there is no longer any competition to impress anybody else; it is accepted for what it is and not for the material aspects of its existence. Memories are added to the air that fills the house and the collection grows like photographs in an album, which spills its contents.
The pristine walls were as smooth as new-born skin, undamaged and innocent like the first snowfall. Stroking them was a thrill to the senses. The windows glistened in the light as they watched the world go by. The shimmer, from the panes of glass, made you want to look in, to watch the untold story of an unfolding life. At present the rooms were a blank canvas but with time their character would develop. Adding colour, fabrics, different styles and accessories would change the picture created over its lifetime. As time flies by, the screeching toddler stage of life whirls through the house. As people move in and out, bumps and bruises begin to appear and as the teenage years draw in, some tweaks have to be made. The arrogant, moody hormones resent these modifications, even though they know that they will be worth it in the end. The panes of glass that have lost their sparkle, due to the abrasions that have been made upon them, need to be replaced. Hinges need to be oiled so that they don’t pierce your ears when they ‘eeeek’ as they open. A few teenage blemishes need covering to hide the shame that this youthful ‘settling in’ phase brings. As fashions change, new wallpaper, lamps and furniture are bought so that the house can still ‘fit in with the crowd’. All these things are at an expense. Homeowners wish to update them and make changes because this is what makes every house
As the dark, gloomy years of middle age to retirement approach, the downhill stretch starts. Cracks start to appear on the outside as well as within. Wrinkles on the walls emerge as the wallpaper begins to peel. Pastes and paint are more heavily laid on in an effort to cover the signs of ageing. One by one, over a long period of time, tiles begin to slide off the roof and accumulate on the ground, like hairs on a pillow. The foundations become frail and unable to cope with the strain of bearing the pressures of everyday life over numerous years. People come and they go, leaving the house to age in the hands of new, young, creative owners who promise to rejuvenate, renovate and rework. But over time, bricks begin to crumble as the inner structure ages. In its lifetime, the outer walls of the house carried the weight of solemn skies and their tortured tears, harsh winds and deadly rays. The bruises, the sunspots and the scars have begun to show. But each bruise, each scar, tells a memorable tale. Eventually, as life begins to expire, the weariness is felt by all. The light in the house is turned out as its remaining inhabitant closes his eyes for the final time.
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A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: JOANNA MILLAN Sophie Parker, Year 9 Joanna, who was born Bela Rosenthal, came to Cheadle Hulme School to tell us about her experiences during the Holocaust. All the students listened intently and in disbelief while she told her sad but inspirational story. It began when in 1943 her father was taken from the streets of Berlin by the Nazis. He was sent to AuschwitzBirkenau where he was killed along with thousands of others. Only four months later Bela and her mother were taken from their home and sent to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp outside Prague. Here, a staggering 97,297 people were killed. Due to the terrible conditions the detainees were kept in, many became ill. Further sadness for Bela occurred when her mother contracted tuberculosis and passed away; now Bela was an orphan at the age of only two. Another kind detainee called Litska Shallinger took pity on Bela and some of the other children. She smuggled food to them from the Nazi vegetable patch and shared it with them; she was so kind and generous and probably saved a lot of young lives. On the 3rd May 1945, there was great hope and joy when the Red Cross took over the concentration camp and Bela and the other detainees were liberated by the Russians. Bela and five other young orphans were then flown to England. They desperately clung to one another, very fearful of being separated and seeking comfort from one another in this confusing time. Bela described the intense emotions that they went through and you could feel the sad atmosphere in the room as she spoke. You could feel how bewildered the young children would have been.
Eventually, Bela was adopted by a Jewish couple living in London. They decided to change her name to Joanna Millan. They did this to try to conceal her past and make her no longer a target of anti-semitism. Joanna’s story highlights an inconceivable chapter in history, the horrors of the Holocaust. Her family and friends went through such atrocious experiences. This kind of evil must never happen ever again. Joanna was pleased as she has since managed to get in touch with longlost relatives around the world thanks to the internet. I am sure everyone listening to her story was very touched and it made it so real seeing Joanna and not just reading the facts from a history book. It made everyone think how lucky they were with their own happy families and normal lives.
THE WACONIAN 2015
HERITAGE DAY: REFLECTIONS FROM FRANCE Alison Pope, Learning Support
“A night of storm and thunder crashing by, A bitter night of tempest and of rain Then calm at dawn beneath a wind-swept sky, And broken flowers that will not bloom again.” The First World War has always fascinated me; not the battles or politics but the human consequences expressed in art and writing. It is the first war to have been recorded in detail photographically and now those ‘foreign fields’ are but an easy thirty minute train ride away, despite the well-publicised difficulties of cross-channel travel this summer. One can only imagine the trepidation of those young men and women of
a century ago who left these shores probably for the first time, many perhaps doubtful that they would return. So it was with enthusiasm that I volunteered to join the school’s World War One Focus Group, set up to organise events to commemorate the centenary. I found myself co-writing the Heritage Day presentation about how Warehousemen and Clerks’
Orphan School was affected by the war during that period when parts of school became a military hospital, and watched its own pupils march to war. As a family we had already planned a ‘Battlefields’ trip for the following summer; my daughter Rebecca had been part of the Heritage Day cast and had been instrumental in the research to locate the grave of my great-uncle Jack (John Sankey Martin, Loyal Lancashire Regiment) and that of my husband’s distant cousin, Sidney Crawshaw, (the Royal Scots’ 15th Battalion). Little did I know that our trip would include an Old Waconian and an amazing coincidence! Featured in our Heritage Day presentation was Leo Almond, who, along with his brother Edgar, had been a fee-paying boarder at the school. Leo answered his country’s call and joined the Manchester Regiment. In April 1917, aged just 19, he made the ultimate sacrifice at the battle for Henin–sur-Cojeul in Northern France. In the presentation Leo was beautifully portrayed by Ben, a Year 9 pupil. I have known Ben and his family for a number of years and we were offered the use of their holiday home in France, as it is located near many of the main battle sites. Further research by Rebecca revealed that not only could we easily find Jack and Sidney’s graves from there but that Leo’s was also nearby. So in July 2015 we made our pilgrimage to France and found Leo. He is buried in a military cemetery maintained beautifully by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. My association with CHS is short; my daughter has been a pupil there for four years, and I have been a staff member for two, yet seeing Leo’s grave brought on a wave of emotion I did not expect. I am proud and privileged that on behalf of the CHS community I was able to pay our respects to one of our own, plant a rose bush and lay a tribute to him from the School written by Kay Moore and calligraphed by Keith Yearsley.
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I am still amazed at the coincidence that in doing so I set off from the home of the pupil who had portrayed him. The following day, amidst relentless drizzle, we visited BeaumontHamel Park where you can still see the trenches, albeit grassed over, although there are still explosives there and so certain areas have no access. It was striking that as we walked across what would have been ‘no-man’s land’ we saw a flock of sheep. Having seen many Commonwealth war graves on our journey in just two days and knowing that we had still to find Jack and Sidney and so would see many more, the phrase ‘led like lambs to the slaughter’ sprang into my mind. So much so that we were prompted to visit a German war cemetery and lay flowers as a mark of respect for all the young men there for, despite my being a pacifist at heart, I can see that all those who took part in what was supposed to be the ‘war to end all wars’ have a story to tell which still resonates a hundred years on.
“An age of Death and Agony and Tears, A cruel age of woe unguessed before Then peace to close the weary storm-wrecked years, And broken hearts that bleed for evermore.” Both verses are extracts from Vera Brittain’s poem ‘War’, based on her experiences as a nurse with the VAD in World War One.
THE WACONIAN 2015
THE CHOSCARS 2015 AND A YEAR IN MEMORY OF HARRY Debbie Dubois
140-141 Harry’s sudden passing a year ago was a devastating time for so many of us. Although Harry’s star was short lived whilst it was with us, it burned brightly; he was a shining example to his friends, loved ones, school colleagues and all those he touched. Through fundraising events and screenings, Harry’s star continues to shine and to honour both his memory and his spirit of generosity. Throughout the last fifteen months, so many people have done so many amazing things in Harry’s name; they have swum, cycled, climbed, walked, run, performed, baked, made loom bands, held book sale days. We feel incredibly touched that he had such an impact on so many people, even those that he never met. It says something about the type of person he was and the love he gave to others that so many have wanted to give back to him. During the course of the last year, with this support, we have raised over £50,000 for the British Heart Foundation to fund vital research into cardiac conditions. More recently we have directed our fundraising efforts to support heart screening in conjunction with CRY; this has already risen close to £30k. A vital amount as each week twelve young people die of an undiagnosed cardiac condition. It costs £35 to screen a young person and our target is to screen 1000 young people annually, hence 1000heartsforHarry was born with the goal of raising £35,000 each year. We have been fortunate to have received enormous support from CHS during this time, with the school organising numerous events and helping to raise almost £12k to boost Harry’s fund. This contributes a third of our annual total – a fantastic amount of money which will help to raise awareness and prevent more loss of young lives. We have two screening dates lined up shortly, so it’s lovely to see Harry’s legacy benefiting others. A number of the CHS staff have taken on individual challenges or set up events to support fundraising across the year; Rudy Huish and her fantastic 17 Heroes for Harry Challenge, Harriet Burgess and her Great North Run, Brigid Rawling and her Amaretti concert, Amanda Vernon and her sponsored Zumbathons, Ian Chippendale and the annual CHS hike. We also had fantastic support from the Head, Lucy Pearson, who attended the numerous fundraising events throughout the year. Throughout this time she personally supported us by remembering key milestones and recognising Harry’s achievements. Simon Parkin led on opening the garden of remembrance to coincide with Harry’s 18th birthday, and the Christmas
EMILY DUBOIS WITH HEAD GIRL & BOY
THE COUNCIL
fundraiser and Harry’s anniversary memorial service all benefited from Simon’s support - with John Winter helping to co-ordinate all our requests. Jacqui Drennan and Lesley Fowler provided support with music at the various events and Judith Shand collated the lovely Waconian tribute to Harry in 2014. The recent CHOSCARS was a great example of the fantastic commitment by CHS to honour Harry’s memory and to support his fund. When Harry’s sister, Emily, and I first came to visit the School Council to discuss the CHOSCARS, I remember being struck by how enthusiastic, committed and organised the members were. We discussed ideas for an award in Harry’s name and we immediately felt that he would want the work of the peer mentors to be recognised. On Harry’s passing we received several letters from Years 7 and 8 students who wrote about the support they had received from him and how much they were going to miss his compassion and sensitivity. Eve Baddeley, who was in Harry’s group in Year 7, described him as ‘an inspiring individual’. I know when Harry joined CHS how much he benefited from that guidance and how rewarding it was when he became a peer mentor himself. It was lovely on the evening to see The Harry Dubois Award given to a Sixth Form peer mentor, Charlotte Hunter. The CHOSCARS event was particularly impressive as the organisation of the evening had to be managed alongside the School Council’s external examinations. It’s a testament to their dedication that they delivered an event that exceeded all expectations. They had so many great ideas and it was fantastic to see that all come to fruition on the evening with a red carpet, performances, awards and lots of humour! Harry would have definitely approved of it. Evenings such as the CHOSCARS not only work as fundraisers but they are also a time to remember Harry and celebrate his life. Harry always loved social events especially ones that necessitated the requirement for a suit so he would have loved the whole theme of the evening. We know that wherever Harry is now, he is somewhere where music, bow ties and cocktails feature heavily. The fundraising the school has delivered, culminating in the CHOSCARS, has been a wonderful tribute to Harry’s memory, his time at CHS and to everything he stood for. We are incredibly grateful and hope to continue the momentum, building Harry’s legacy over the course of the next few years.
CHARLOTTE HUNTER
THE WACONIAN 2015
R e e m a e di n r t g x E competition
1ST PRIZE Scarlet Appleby, Year 8
2nd Prize Ben Wignall, Reception
3RD Prize Isabelle Anstee, Year 3
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Dance World Cup 2015 Imogen Burke, Year 10 room dodging frantic dancers taking up the corridors by running through their routines as if we didn’t exist. It was harder then it looked as everywhere we went we had a constant battle not to be hit by a kick or leap as the dancers warmed up. Finally we made it to our dressing room clearly marked with England on the outside and we set our bags down ready to start warming up and finish off our makeup and hair. After hours of waiting around a woman eventually appeared and told us it was time for our dance. We were filled with excitement and nerves as we silently followed her backstage. We waited patiently for the few dances before to perform, watching as they all came off tired yet satisfied after giving their once-in-a-lifetime performance. Then it was our turn. We heard the organiser announce our name and number and finally after months of practising it was time to perform.
When I started dancing at three years old I had no idea it would take me to Romania. As part of the Handforth and Prestbury School of Dance Competition Team we have recently taken part in many competitions, including British Troupes and Mardi Gras which takes place in London every year as well as performing at the Royal Albert Hall and we were delighted when we heard we had qualified for the 2015 Dance World Cup. With participants from 38 countries as diverse as Russia, Malaysia and South Africa as well as 18 European Countries, we knew it would be an opportunity to watch world class choreography and unique national dance styles. Performing in Bucharest would also be an unforgettable experience and we were excited to represent our country. Three dance teams qualified from our school, two in the age group 10 -13 and the one I took part in which was 12 -16. Also competing were Ella Bond and Anna Wadsworth from Year 7 and Charlotte Gardner from Year 8. The younger teams performed earlier in the week; unfortunately they did not win a medal, demonstrating the incredibly high standard of the competition and building the pressure for our dance at the end of the week. Nerves were high as we entered the hotel at which the competition was being held. As soon as we stepped inside we were hit by an array of different languages flying around the room; only then did the sheer scale of the competition sink in. We set off towards our dressing
Now all that was left was to wait. We watched the other dances in our section, marvelling at their timing and technique and feeling proud just to be entered in such a prestigious competition, no matter the result. Soon the section ended and it was time for the results. Each dance school went back onto the stage one at a time until it was filled with hundreds of apprehensive dancers anxiously waiting for the results to be announced. The energy and tension in the auditorium were high, with dance teachers and parents all practically as nervous as the actual dancers. The results of the section before us were announced with no gold medal being awarded as they didn’t believe the standard was high enough, so now it was our section, Junior Modern and Contemporary, which contained 23 dances. Slowly she announced 3rd place; we heard the name of our dance school being read out and it took a moment to sink in. We’d got bronze.
The next evening was the final gala; this was where most gold medallists performed again and awards were given as well as the announcement of which country had won overall. After an amazing display of a variety of different dances, it was finally time for the much-anticipated results. 3rd and 2nd places were announced, with Spain coming 2nd, and then he announced 1st as we all waited nervously…… “England.” The national anthem played and all the representatives of England joined in, thrilled we’d won. Finally, the evening came to a close as the flag was passed from Romania to Jersey, where the competition will be held next time.
THE WACONIAN 2015 constantly approached by market sellers and called over to look inside the tiny shops, stuffed full of treasures. It was a thrilling experience haggling down prices to be as cheap as we could get; however, it was not so thrilling when someone followed (some would say chased) you through the market, shaking their objects, eagerly repeating; ‘it’s a good price’ and refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer – however bluntly we put it! Our accommodation in Marrakech, the Riad Moulay Said, was dimly lit, but as we followed the hallway down a short set of stairs, it opened up into a bright courtyard complete with a gleaming pool and seating area. Every inch of the walls, floors and ceiling was covered with richly coloured tiles, all in different patterns, which complemented the dark wood of the doors and windows of our rooms.
Going for Gold in Morocco Caity Lyng, Lower Sixth Travelling to Morocco to complete the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award was an unforgettable experience. It was an incredibly challenging but fascinating two weeks when we were all taken completely out of our comfort zones and tested both physically and mentally. At Marrakech airport, we met Ridouane, our Moroccan guide, who would stay with us during the whole two weeks, teaching, guiding and advising us. Our visit coincided with the holy month of Ramadan, a time when Muslims across the world fast during daylight hours. It was inspiring to see how Ridouane and the other guides, in spite of not being able to eat or drink anything, were so energetic during the day; walking with us during our trek and even helping to serve our food before eventually breaking their fast as the sun went down. On our first night in Morocco we were allowed to have a few hours exploring the vicinity in our own small groups. The market was brightly lit and bustling, with hundreds of tiny stalls crammed with everything you could possibly think of – useful and otherwise. The objects ranged from vibrantly coloured ceramic bowls and intricate golden lanterns, authentic Moroccan robes and heavy silver jewelry, to hand-crafted wooden figures and baskets brimming with spices. Being obvious tourists, we were
On the first Monday we took a mini-bus up to Toubkal National Park in the Atlas Mountains where we would be staying for the next week to start the residential phase of our D of E. Our campsite was small and secluded with wonderful views of the surrounding mountains, giving us our first glimpse of the Berber village where we would be working. Each day we would walk around 2km, trekking from our campsite to the Berber community, and back again. Working in the village was so enjoyable and it was definitely the Berber people who helped us have such a great time there. In groups of two or three, we shifted heavy bags of sand to another location, built a breezeblock wall to protect the school against flood water and created a human chain, passing rocks to one another to build another flood defence. During every day of work, we were joined by lots of young Berber boys, eager to help and get to know us a bit more, asking questions about our names and ages and all the while smiling and laughing as they lugged around heavy bags of sand. When we were walking through the village, along narrow rocky trails or wide sandy paths, a lot of the kids would give us beaming smiles and shout ‘Bonjour!’ or ‘Hello!’ and stick out their hands for a high-five. They spoke French, Arabic and a little English as well as their native Berber tongue and between us we managed to communicate, albeit on a fairly basic level. All the expedition members agreed that it was the children’s infectious, happy energy that made whoever worked with them enjoy the experience and it was quite refreshing to see young children so eager to work. I couldn’t help wondering whether British children would be quite so keen to work for hours doing heavy tasks such as those… When we weren’t doing project work we were kindly invited to visit the homes of some Berber families. We were taught how to make sugary mint tea and their special type of bread (which we would devour later on, accompanied with olive oil) and we also learned how to cook a delicious tagine. The food at the camp was mouthwateringly good, made from fresh ingredients by our talented chef. It was extremely pleasing to the eye, and most importantly, filling. Enormous round plates were piled high with food that was both healthy and delicious, and each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) was accompanied with mint tea and baskets of bread, our main staples. Every day we would devour colourful salads crammed with every
144-145 vegetable you could think of, scrumptious vegetable omelettes, juicy sardines, slices of steaming potatoes and carrots, seasoned chicken, tagine, spiced lentils and sometimes even pasta and fries! We fully expected to have a chocolate-free two weeks; however, we were delighted when we walked into the communal tent the first morning at our campsite and found chocolate cereal, chocolate spread and hot chocolate powder, along with bread, a selection of spreads including jam, and coffee and milk powder laid out across the table. One day was spent washing our well-worn clothes in the river near the Berber camp. This was a much-needed event and eagerly awaited but turned out not to be as easy as we had expected. Fortunately the Berber women came with us and lent a helping, expert hand to those of us who struggled to keep up the momentum of scrubbing. When all the clothes and delicates had been washed as well as possible, we spread them out across the rocks around the river, until the cliff was scattered with brilliant splashes of colour. Eventually, we had to say goodbye to the camp that had been our home for the last week, as well as to the Berber village, because it was the first day of our threenight four-day trek to the base camp of Toubkal. During the trek we would get up at around 4 or 5am to grab a couple of cool hours in the early morning. Most days we would reach our campsite in the early afternoon and have lunch there, apart from day 2 when we had to trek up a massive hill that took hours, so we all had lunch at the top. Fortunately, when trekking, all the groups had a ‘Silent Guide’ who walked with them, making sure they stuck to the correct paths and didn’t get badly lost, which was easily done as the Moroccan maps weren’t all up-to-date. The day we finished our expedition, spirits were high until we were informed that we would be getting up at 3am for a continuous uphill trek to the top of Toubkal. This is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, extending up to 4167 metres. So, early on Thursday morning, we started our slow, sleepy ascent up to the peak, reaching it at about 7am and were rewarded with a fantastic view of misty mountain ranges. We made it back down to base camp in about two hours, a downhill journey, which was tough on the knees. By 10:45am we were relaxing and having lunch. To our dismay, we weren’t allowed to have our regular nap because after lunch we had to walk back down to our other campsite, which was where we would spend our final night in our tents. Our last day was spent in Marrakech sightseeing and immersing ourselves in Moroccan culture and history. We visited the Saadian Tombs and spent a couple of hours whizzing round the city on an open-top bus, listening to an audio of information on all the sights we were passing. After lunch we headed off again into the maze of the market, weaving around the locals and dodging motorbikes whizzing through the narrow alleyways that came alarmingly close. After a flying visit to a tannery, we headed off to our final destination, a monastery. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to the energetic, hectic and amazing Marrakech, and our Moroccan guide, Ridouane, who had been there with us every step of the way, and someone who I know I will never forget.
THE WACONIAN 2015
AN INTERVIEW WITH MR HALL, TEACHER OF MUSIC Anna Chippendale, Lower Sixth HOW AND WHEN DID YOU START SINGING? I suppose it all really started when I joined the children’s choir in my local church, The Salvation Army. It was run by my mum so I don’t think I really had a choice in the matter! I sang with them from about the age of 6 to around 10. Then I packed it all in as I didn’t actually enjoy singing and thought it was a bit girly. I didn’t get back into it again until a few years later. To cut a long story short I was encouraged to join the school choir by my rugby teacher and I ended up really enjoying it. I think that was because my voice had broken and I was now singing with my friends. People said that I had a good voice too, so that helped! WHY DO YOU THINK CHOIRS ARE SO IMPORTANT? Choirs are so beneficial. From a musical perspective they are fantastic for developing oral skills and general musicianship. As well as that, they are great for social interaction and improving people’s confidence. I always get an incredible buzz whenever I sing with a group of people. IS IT TRUE THAT YOU SANG IN THE SAINSBURY’S CHRISTMAS ADVERT? WHAT WAS IT LIKE? Yes, it is. It was a bit of a typical sessional job though to be honest: lots of hanging around and then a little bit of music, not very glamorous! I got a call from a friend of a friend who was a music producer. He told me that he was looking for people who could sing in German and asked if I were free for a project. We recorded all the singing parts in one afternoon in August. We weren’t actually told what the soundtrack was for, but only that we were going to be the singing voices of actors. We were split into two choirs, English and German, and each choir sang their respective verse. After that a few of us were picked out to be a “soloist.” My German solo was then synced to one of the German soldiers in the final advert.
When we had finished we all had to sign a gagging order and then we relinquished our rights to the recording before finally being paid. By the time it came out on TV I’d actually forgotten all about it. WHERE IS THE COOLEST / MOST INTERESTING PLACE YOU HAVE EVER SUNG? To be honest, I don’t really know. I think that’s quite a hard question as something that might seem pretty standard to me might seem cool to you! But I think the most interesting has to have been when I was on a tour in Tallinn, Estonia. In the morning I sang in a massive tent as part of a free concert to the people living in a very deprived area of the city. There must have been about 1000 people there. In the evening I sang an oratorio in the Tallinn Opera House to the richest people of the city and there was hardly anyone in the audience! I just found the whole juxtaposition of the day overwhelming. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT TEACHING THE CHOIRS AT CHS? Sharing my passion and enthusiasm for singing and seeing it reflected in the pupils. Several people have also said that they enjoyed watching the Year 7s during our concerts because of their clear enjoyment and passion for singing together. The pupils here at CHS are often well motivated and very able which means we can sing more challenging pieces and create exciting music together! To be honest I always enjoy the performances in the concerts: it’s always good to have something to work towards! WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE GENRE OF MUSIC? I’ve always been a bit of a pick and mix guy so find it hard to pin anything down. I listen to such a range of genre, from Baroque to Bhangra. As part of my degree I studied “Kurdish Beatboxing” which was an ethnomusicological study into the ways in which Kurdish diaspora have fused urban Hip Hop
with Kurdish folk to preserve their culture amongst Turkish immigrant communities in Southern Germany. That kind of sums me up really! I suppose music from other cultures has always fascinated me. I am actually in an Indian wedding band in Manchester and even recorded an Adhan inspired melody for a concept album by a Prog-Rock band a few years ago. If that’s not random, I don’t know what is! WERE YOU IN ANY CHOIRS AT SCHOOL? Yes. I was in the main school choir for a few years and then joined the Men’s Choir, which started when I was in Sixth Form. I cofounded a little barbershop group with my friends at one point as well, but that was short-lived! During my time at school though the best choir I was in was the Berkshire Youth Choir. Although it wasn’t part of the school it taught me so much about music and singing. If it hadn’t been for that choir I don’t think I would have gone on to do a Music degree. HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN GET MORE PEOPLE TO JOIN CHOIRS AT CHS? I think people need to hear and see great choirs. Success breeds success. Since September I have seen some encouraging improvements: the Year 7 Singers always seem to be a bit of a hit and the Men’s Choir has come along in leaps and bounds! It’s always hard whenever a new person comes in but I do believe that the choirs at CHS could become something amazing. I’d like to run a few choir days next year; there is one already being planned for September. The aim is to bring in a guest conductor from somewhere and maybe some young, aspiring choral directors from a local university and put together a big charity concert in October. I’m also keen for our more senior choir, Cantorum, to perform an evensong in a local cathedral alongside a professional choir. In the long term I’d like to run a few residential choir events. Maybe as well as singing we could go to Alton Towers or Laser Quest (I’m a bit of big kid at heart) to help the choir bond a bit and build friendships. I’d love to take the choirs on tour somewhere too...now that would be cool. Maybe that would encourage people to join...I mean, who doesn’t like a school trip!?!
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AN INTERVIEW WITH MR HENDERSON (HEAD OF HOCKEY) AND MR HIGGINS (DIRECTOR OF SPORT) Kate Watson and Harry Firmston, Lower Sixth WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY AND TO WHAT LEVEL? Mr Higgins: I believe you should play lots of sport. I have played a little bit of rugby and football to a high standard. My strongest sport was basketball which I played for the North of England.
Mr Henderson: I enjoy playing rugby, which I played a lot whilst in school and extreme sports including mountain boarding (riding down a hill on a board). I play hockey at National Level.
WHEN DID YOU START COACHING SPORT AND WHAT INFLUENCED YOU? Mr Higgins:- I did a Sports Science Degree and got Level 2 for football coaching.
Mr Henderson: At the age of 14 I received a Sports Leaders Award and then coached at University before coming to Cheadle.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SPORT? Mr Higgins: As a huge football fan it was a great honour to play 90 minutes at Old Trafford, the second largest football ground in England, where I played half the game as goalkeeper and the other half outfield.
Mr Henderson: It has to be the U16 girls reaching National play-offs this season, especially as this was during my first term at Cheadle, and scoring two goals in the staff versus Sixth Form hockey match.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE ASPIRATIONS? Mr Higgins: Sport is a great passion of mine so it is my goal to make it accessible for all students at CHS and to ensure that everyone enjoys it fully.
Mr Henderson: A future aspiration of mine would be to coach an England hockey team before the age of 30 because it would be a huge privilege and achievement.
IF YOU DID NOT TEACH YOUR SPORT, WHAT WOULD YOU TEACH INSTEAD? Mr Higgins: I would love to be able to speak a foreign language because I would be able to travel around the world more and experience different cultures, so probably an MFL subject like French.
Mr Henderson: Personally, if I could cook myself I think I would be quite good at teaching Food Tech, because it would enhance my cooking skills too and allow me to cook a variety of dishes. I think my speciality would be paella.
IF YOU DID NOT TEACH AT ALL WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO DO? Mr Higgins: It would be a great experience to volunteer around the world in places like Africa.
Mr Henderson: I would probably return to Leeds to be a strength and conditioning coach again.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE ROLE MODEL? Mr Higgins: Definitely Dave Brailsford, because he took an unrecognised cycling team and made them the best in the world, receiving numerous medals at the Olympics.
Mr Henderson: Johnny Wilkinson, because of his effort and commitment, turning up at practice wanting to be there to train properly and become better. That’s what I want to be able to make happen at Cheadle.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE? Mr Higgins: ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling:
Mr Henderson: ‘Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.’ Winston Churchill.
THE WACONIAN 2015
WA sk i
R g E T in
Mrs Lyng interv ie CHS’s very ow wed Lucy Roberts, Year 6, n champion w ater-skier.
LUCY, WHAT FIRST GOT YOU INTO WATER-SKIING ? Well, my mum and uncle grew up in the Caribbean so we go there a lot for holidays and they do a lot of water sports. When I was eight I saw a little boy doing it and I quite liked the look of it. I had a go and the water-skiing teacher said I was really good. I carried on doing it for the rest of the holiday. When we went back for another holiday I water-skied most days and soon could ski on one ski. My ski instructor said I had a talent and should continue it back in the UK. WHERE DO YOU WATER-SKI IN THE UK? I started water-skiing at Sale Water Park. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SKIING IN THE COLD WINTER MONTHS? You get used to it and you have to try not to fall in! DO YOU WEAR A WET SUIT? In the winter I wear a dry suit, in the first couple of months of the season I wear a wet suit and in the summer a swim suit. DO YOU STILL SKI THERE? No, I found a ski place in Rochdale where I could ski every day in the summer. THAT’S A LOT OF DRIVING FOR YOUR PARENTS! Well, that’s in the holidays but I don’t go every day during school time. My mum is really good at taking me places and she likes doing it for me. I also ski in Wigan at the Three Sisters and in Lincoln at Hazelwood where my family have a caravan. WHAT SORT OF SKILLS ARE YOU NOW LEARNING? I’m learning how to ride jump skis which are really big. I’ve learnt different tricks. I can do toe-tricks which means you put your foot in the handle and spin and jump. One of my next tricks is to learn to flip. This is a somersault on the water on one ski.
DO YOU HAVE TO WEAR ANY PROTECTIVE GEAR? No, not really, but some people wear shin pads to protect themselves from getting hit by the skis. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TRICK? A ‘wake back to back’ – it’s quite complicated. You perform three 180 degree turns in the air, one after the other. YOU’VE ENTERED AND WON QUITE A FEW COMPETITIONS, HAVEN’T YOU? WHICH HAVE BEEN YOUR FAVOURITES? The British Nationals was really good. I won Under 10s slalom, Under 10s tricks and Under 10s overall. This made me the top skier for my age in Britain. I was really proud to achieve this as were my parents. In the British rankings I am now first in the Under 12s category. There are three skiers who are really closely matched in terms of ability. I will compete in Essex at the end of July – I hope I win! Another competition is the Seaton Classic. I like this one because when I ski I can see the roller coasters as it’s near Thorpe Park. I competed in this at the end of last season in October and I won it. DO YOU HAVE AN AMBITION IN SKIING? I want to be European champion for Under 14s and I want to compete in the World Championship. HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP WATER-SKIING? Until I’m 110 because it’s great fun and I’ve made so many friends. My best friend skies as well. IS THERE A DOWN-SIDE TO ALL THIS SKIING? The only down-side is that all your birthday and Christmas presents tend to be ski-related. For Christmas I got a new ski bag and for my birthday I got a new ski binding!
String Group: Alderley Edge Festival Zach Foster, Year 4
String Group worked very hard in the run up to 8th May 2015, the date of the Alderley Edge Music Festival. They left school in the morning very excited on a coach bound for Alderley Edge. There were five groups performing in the Festival and the CHS quartet did very well, claiming third place. Well done, String Group! The Group was led by Mrs Carey with help from Mrs Whettam and Miss Garrett. All the members of the club, which rehearses on Monday lunchtimes, did incredibly well. They had worked hard to learn all the music over the course of the year and by the time of the festival they knew it to perfection. The three pieces they played were Susannah and Liza meet Polly at the Races, Hedwig’s Theme and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The quartet was up against very tough competition in the class they were in, and the standard was extremely high. Also it takes courage to play in front of other schools and the adjudicator who was marking them. All that said, everyone had a great day and returned to school with talk all about getting ready for next year!
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THE WACONIAN 2015
BLACKPOOL Our Reception Trip
On Thursday we all went down to the coach. After that we arrived at Blackpool. First we had biscuits while we were watching the turtles. Next we went to see insects. Next we went to see the sea-lions. They were very clever. They kissed and they clapped. They did all sorts. After that we had lunch. I had some sandwiches and crisps – yummy! After that we went to the giraffes.
Musa Adibiy Guess where we went? We went to Blackpool Zoo. First I saw a lion, it was sunbathing. Then I saw some giraffes. They had very long necks. After that I saw some penguins. Finally I went back home.
I went to Blackpool Zoo and first I saw Charlie the turtle. Next I was brave and held a stick insect and a cockroach. Then I watched the sea-lions catching a hoop. After that I saw an otter. Finally I got on the coach. It was a long journey back.
Gabriel Galassi First I went on the coach. Next I saw tortoises. Then I stroked the cockroach and the cockroach made a tiny hissing noise. I saw the orang-utan on the tightrope. Finally I went back on the coach.
Isa Gonzalez
Kush Patel
We are at the zoo. The man showed us a stick insect and a cockroach. I touched the cockroach. The sea-lions clapped as well. It was a tiring, hot day. The way home was long. It was fun. I had a big, yummy, tasty lunch.
First we went to look at the turtles and they had a hard shell. I liked the giraffes. We saw the penguins. The penguins were splashing in the water. We saw the sea-lion show. They balanced a box on their nose.
Emma Raine
Maisy Hutchison
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THE WACONIAN 2015
SAND TIMER Faye Ainley, Year 10 The sun glows amber, its rays glinting with optimism at the start of a new day. The light dances on the water, shimmering like the ripples of a baby’s laughter. Like new experiences, the waves tumble over one another, and calm their laughter as they bubble then settle. The water has swept the beach clean, leaving it to start fresh. The stripped sand is left exposed, innocent, naïve. It has no past; the previous day has been forgotten. The sun climbs high in the sky, the whispering wind calling visitors to the lonely shore, each one leaving behind their footprints, like memories soon lost in the ever shifting sands. Brightening up the beach, the sun gleams with joy, excited for the day ahead. The light creates shadows in the quiet corners of forgotten places. The wind pushes the sea spray high in the air, as the waves fall on the shore. The bubbles of froth rumble from beneath the water: they rise to the surface, joggling with the waves, magically vanishing once they have reached the sand. Yet, beneath the froth and glistening foam, flows a tumultuous swell of emotion, waiting to be released. The tide leaves behind shells, scattered around the beach like treasures from another world. Squawking seagulls fracture the peace, cackling like teenagers, watching from above.
Shadows extend towards the shoreline, the sun losing its vitality. Only a few people remain, enjoying their last hours in the sun. The waves slam onto the sand, the current growing stronger. The swell churns up past memories once hidden beneath the sea bed. The waves grumble as they drift closer and closer into the shore. This angers the seagulls, causing them to flee. Their wings open, showing their hidden array of feathers, each tip delicately coated in a silver finish; their harsh voices sound as they bid farewell, gliding past the crimson light. The sun falls, and pauses as if for a final applause. It radiates pinks and oranges as a final farewell, then taking a final bow it dips into the sea, out of sight. But when all have left, the beach grows lonely. Only the sea’s hush and the wind’s sigh accompany the silent sand. The water calms, the waves curling gracefully onto the shore, the comforting sound repeating itself like a gentle refrain. The once bubbling waters recede to a murmur. The sorrowful white glow of the moon reflects off the sea, creating hope amidst the darkness. The waves ebb over the sand, wiping the beach clean, memories and treasures now lost in the ocean. The sea splashes against the tired and worn-down sand dunes, the sea’s energy spent. Now, at the end of the day, under the cool gaze of the moon, the shore is at peace.
SEASONS OF LIFE Amy Dunning, Year 10
COMMENDED ENTRY IN THE FOYLE YOUNG POETS OF THE YEAR AWARD 2015 You were born towards the start of spring, Among rainfall showers, and new-born creatures. Through snowdrop forests your wail did ring, A birdsong concerto bathed your blossoming features. You were born towards the start of spring. You grew throughout the summer weeks, Advances mimicked the length of days, Fuchsias flowered before your flushing cheeks Sunflower umbrellas shaded you from the rays. You grew throughout the summer weeks. You ripened with the autumn hushes, Your belly bore the bounty of babies, As blackberries birthed upon the bushes Your mind filled up with infinite maybes. You ripened with the autumn hushes. You aged under winter’s icy relapse, Nebulous eyes sought the frozen spell, You went to seek your Great Perhaps, Under twinkling starlight, away you fell. You aged under winter’s icy relapse.
THE WACONIAN IS PREDOMINANTLY WRITTEN, ILLUSTRATED AND COMPILED BY THE STUDENTS OF CHEADLE HULME SCHOOL AND MRS JUDITH SHAND, TEACHER OF MODERN LANGUAGES.
HEAD Lucy Pearson, B.A. (Oxon) Claremont Road · Cheadle Hulme Cheadle · Cheshire · SK8 6EF TEL
0161 488 3330
head@chschool.co.uk
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