News
Spring 2013
New Student Centre opens
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enquiries@longroad.ac.uk
www.longroad.ac.uk
Contents
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Meet our student helpers
New Student Centre
Exam tips
Lifebox
Meet our student helpers Long Road students can take part in many different College activities and student groups. Here is a selection:
Peer Mentors Peer Mentors are specially trained to help with College events such as Induction Day, when they help our new students to find their feet. They also take part in Taster Days, Admissions Days and Open Evening.
Equality Champions
Christmas party at Ballare
Equality Champions work to promote the College’s policy on Equality and Diversity. Christmas concert and Musical Mash-up
New Student Centre a huge success
Long Road Sixth Form College is well-known for its excellent teaching facilities, including the new Performing Arts area, but students now have a new social area in a stand-alone building to use between classes and private study. The Student Centre opened in style on 19th November. Former students Rosie Ball, who won a BAFTA Award last year, and Tom Horn, Senior Broadcast Journalist at Heart FM, were invited to cut the ribbon with Christine Sherwin, Principal. The Student Centre, which is situated in the College quad, consists of areas for socialising, including a quieter area, and a computer room. There is Wi-Fi throughout the Centre. The College Student Supervisors are based in the centre to provide support and to meet different student groups. Heather Chambers, Vice Principal, comments: “We believe that our students work best when they can both study effectively in purpose-built environments and relax in a pleasant space. We already have a zoned Refectory, and designated areas in the Learning Resource Centre for silent study, working in groups and individual spaces. The new Student Centre will complement these and allow students to recharge their batteries between lessons.” Here are some photographs of the opening:
Gillian Parnin, left, says: “It’s a great place to meet people from lots of .” different schools from all over the area Afua Acheampong, right, adds: “We’ve now got lots of space to meet all our friends.”
Spotlight on Sport
College trips: the Somme, and Bavaria; Faith and Belief Week Novelists of the future; former Long Road students
Main cover photo features Opening of the New Student Centre
Student Committee The Student Committee organises social events for students and represents the student body. This year’s members are, from left to right, Theo Turvill (Joint Chair), Adam Olivant (Joint Chair), Alex Murphy (Treasurer) and Jennifer Buddington (Secretary).
Josh Vallely, left, says: “It’s bright, colourful and friendly.” Martyn Samuel, right, adds: “It’s warm as well!”
Student Social Media Group This new group has been set up to help make our Facebook and Twitter sites as interesting and relevant to students as possible. One of the founder members is Bethany Jones.
Rosie Ball, Tom Horn and Christine Sherwin
Tom Charter comments: “It’s really convenient for catching up on Facebook and using the internet.”
StARs (Student Academic Representatives)
Long Road Sixth Form College is entitled to use the Get Set logo because of our commitment to the London Olympics and Paralympics. We were awarded membership of the Get Set Network after the visit to the college by Lord Coe in May 2010.
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The Student Centre is proving to be a huge success with our students. Here are some comments:
We are launching a new project this year called StARs (Student Academic Representatives) which will enable every student in every teaching group to participate in the project. Student representatives will be asked to collect feedback on items such as homework, resources used in the classroom, opportunities for trips/visits or speakers for your subject, and assessment or preparation for exams. Heather Chambers, Vice Principal, says: “Our students’ views and opinions are really important, and StARs have a key role in helping us to understand student views. We are looking forward to working with students and making further improvements as a result of this project.”
Heather Chambers
Peer Mentors and Equality Champions
Chair of Governors Chris Hesketh with Assistant Head of Studies and Physics teacher Niamh McNabb
Charles Gladman adds: “It’s easy to get to, in the centre of the College, and a great place to meet up with everyone.” Michael Pangratiou says: “Having Wi-Fi is really useful – easy to keep up-to-date with Basketball Academy messages.”
Nigel Ballard, Enrichment Manager, with Student Supervisor Dawn Masters and visitors
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Exam Tips
While our students were working hard for their January exams, we asked them for their revision tips:
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1. Adam Catley uses the Revision Guides which you can buy from the College shop. Marie Avis is lucky enough to have a photographic memory so reads through all her notes then ‘reads’ them from her mind’s eye when she’s in the exam. 2. Alex Brace summarises the poems she is studying on cue cards then reads through them to remember each one. Ruth Caprietta finds that teaching her parents Psychology helps her remember her Psychology notes.
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3. Cameron Haslop goes through past papers to find out where he needs to do more revision. 4
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4. Elizabeth Mann’s tip is to use lots of different colours to represent different things - for example, for her Psychology revision she used blue for notes on cognitive psychology and red for development psychology. 5. Dan McKeogh uses mind maps and goes through past papers to help prepare him for his exams. He finds it useful to revise with other people and recommends getting plenty of sleep. Charlotte Coatham never revises in the morning, especially just before an exam – she isn’t a morning person and prefers to listen to music then. 6. Georgie Kemp suggests writing out your notes again (and again if time!) to help make the information stick. 7. Jessica Hewson uses spider diagrams to help her remember the key points in Business Studies. Phoebe Spry uses revision cards with lots of coloured text, while Henry Maynard finds writing his notes out again helps him remember everything.
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Lifebox:
a toolkit for Health & Well-being Andrea Joyce, Assistant Head of Study at Long Road Sixth Form College, spends much of her time helping students to find solutions to the challenges they face as teenagers. Andrea says: “Students aged between 16 and 19 face enormous pressures. At this stage in their lives, they have to make key decisions about the future while meeting study deadlines, maintaining relationships and worrying about fitting in with their peer group. I wanted to make our students aware of all the ways they can access help and support to get them through these challenges. I decided they needed a ‘tool-kit’ of information – and that was how Lifebox came about.” Lifebox was a half-day event designed to give Long Road students a chance to learn how to deal with issues affecting their health. “We want to make it easier for students to find help when they need it,” adds Andrea, “but we also want to help our students feel able to share their problems rather than hiding them. One in 4 people are affected by mental illness each year.” Talks and activities included:
“We were very grateful to all the organisations which attended, “ says Andrea. “These included MIND, the Cambridge Child and Adolescent Substance Use Service (CASUS), The Samaritans, Cruse Bereavement Care, Lifecraft, Centre33, Relate, the WRVS (who provide volunteering opportunities), the British Heart Foundation, B-eat, DHIVERSE and Cambridgeshire Search and Rescue. There were also a number of individuals who teach meditation, relaxation, mindfulness and yoga, and College groups including enrichment and sports development. “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to experience new ideas, strategies and techniques regarding well-being; to gain access to highly skilled and knowledgeable practitioners/experts and professionals in their field; and finally to equip themselves with skills to tackle life’s challenges and those of the people closest to them. “We hope that this open approach to the pressures students face will make the next few years easier and happier so that they can leave the College feeling confident and excited about the future.”
Dealing with life challenges – anxiety and depression A positive step – relationship counselling Relaxation techniques Well-being and breathing meditation practice Stress: signs, symptoms and strategies Using mindfulness to boost your brain power The holistic benefits of exercise Woodland Walk – the calming effects of nature Practical Yoga session Eating disorders and mental health Healthy Eating = Healthy Life Risk-taking behaviour
8. Rosa Colaço finds rewriting her class notes and making revision cards very helpful. She usually looks through the cards herself but sometimes gets someone to help. 9. Victoria Storey and Megan Stigwood have worked out a system using flashcards. They write key words on the front of the card and notes on the back, shuffle the cards, then go through them trying to remember the notes which go with each key word. They also go through past papers, picking out the questions they can’t do and revising those areas. Finally, they recommend drinking plenty of water and getting lots of sleep.
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Christmas party at Ballare
Christmas concert
Ballare nightclub, in the centre of Cambridge, was the venue for this year’s Long Road Christmas party. Student Supervisors Dawn Masters and Julie White were the organisational brains behind the event:
Michaelhouse, in Trinity Street, Cambridge, was again the beautiful setting for the annual Christmas concert. Students from the Music and Performance Studies A levels and Performing Arts BTEC Level 3 Diploma performed as soloists or in ensembles pieces in a range of genres both festive and entertaining. The College Choir sang Son of a Preacher Man, Rocky, Rocky Road and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, the Performing Arts Diploma students gave a highly amusing dramatised reading of Mrs Pepperpot’s Christmas as well as singing You’ve Got a Friend by Carole King. The AS Ensemble performed Noam Lederman’s Do Balanço. The evening drew to a close with a Bible reading: John 1:1-14 and a community carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Lizi Rowlands, Course Co-ordinator for Music, says: “My congratulations go to all of the students who performed for their hard work and willingness to participate. I am also grateful to Michaelhouse for their hospitality and warm welcome.”
“We sold all 600 tickets – at £5 each they were very good value for a night out, especially as the price included a free glowstick! As well as the club DJ, one of our students, Jake ButterfieldLowes, had a spot as guest DJ. We recruited two Photography students, Maya Marty and Joe Maddocks to record the event.”
at Michaelhouse
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5. The AS Ensemble - Howard Middleton (guitar), Isaac Fenn (guitar), Harley Mayes (bass) and Chris Holman (drums) perform Do Balanço by Noam Lederman 6. The College Choir sings Rocky Rocky Road – West Indian spiritual arr. R. de Cormier 7. Annabelle Graham performs the Miniature in D minor by A.F. Gedike
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Musical Mash-up The company@longroad brought the house down in December with their whistle-stop tour of the world of musical theatre. From the atmospheric start of Singing in the Rain to the final rousing chorus from Hairspray, via Wicked (complete with sinister green lighting), Saturday Night Fever, A Chorus Line, Cats, Top Hat, Oliver, Les Misérables, and Sweet Charity, there was something to delight everyone. Best of all – the show was devised by students with just a small amount of input from Expressive Arts teachers – truly an excellent start to the festive season.
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1. Kurt Hornett and Alice Carr perform Handel’s Adagio from the Trio Sonata in F Major 2. Rosemary Start performs Brahms’ Hungarian March No.5 3. Nick Smith plays Four on Six by Wes Montgomery 4. Annie Scholfield and Millie Tapner sing Sisters by Irving Berlin
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Spotlight on Sport Football Exceptional Long Road 2nd team remains unbeaten The Long Road 2nd XI football team remains unbeaten this season in all competitions with a record of played 11, won 10, drew 1. The team is managed by PE teacher Chris Cope and captained by Michael Jarman. The team plays an attractive brand of passing football which has proved successful in both the Cambridge Schools’ and Colleges’ Development League and the Cambridge University Amateur Football League. At the time of writing, the Long Road 2nd team is top of its respective university league and has to win three further games to complete a league campaign without a loss. The team is the highest scorer in its university league with significant contributions from Francis McGeoghagan, Joe Junkovic and Mike Orris. The solid defence is marshalled by Alex Harvey, who is having an exceptional season alongside his regular defensive unit of Zak Ollington, Sam Harvey, William Strathdee and Jordan Banthrope. Goalkeeping duties are admirably covered by the excellent Matt Lander. Manager Chris Cope says: “I have been lucky enough over the years at Long Road to manage a number of skilled and successful teams. However, this team is proving exceptional not only in its relative ability for a second team but also in terms of its team ethos and spirit. The opportunity to complete a season without a loss in the league is one that I hope the players are able to achieve as it would be an outstanding achievement from a highly likeable group of players.” Team captain Michael Jarman
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Long Road Girls’ team Team coach Matt Payne reports: “The Long Road girls’ football team has had a successful campaign to date. The girls are currently playing in the BCS East Region Division 1 and are sitting in second place out of 8 teams, only 2 points behind the top of the league. There has been a huge increase in the number of girls wanting to play football, and we have 20 players in the squad this year. The girls were also runners up out of 15 teams in the BCS Eastern Region 5-a-side competition, losing narrowly 1 – 0 in the final, so it was a very close game with a great effort from Long Road.
Sport Diploma students visit St. George’s Park
Sport Diploma students were some of the first students to spend a day at the new FA Centre of Excellence at St George’s Park, East Staffordshire. St George’s Park will be the training base for the 24 England teams, but is also the home of FA Learning, the Football Association’s educational department. The centre will run national coach education courses and communicate ‘The Future Game’ philosophy, which outlines a vision for the development of English football. The centre includes a full-sized indoor third-generation football pitch equipped with a viewing gallery for up to 200 people, a multipurpose indoor sports hall, 11 full size outdoor pitches and one elite DESSO training pitch which is an exact replica of Wembley. Players, coaches, guests and athletes from other sports will have the opportunity to access the very best medical and sports science facilities on site. Nigel Ballard, Sport teacher, comments: “This was a fabulous opportunity for College students to be amongst the very first visitors to the new FA Centre of Excellence at St George’s Park. It enabled them to witness first-hand the elite provision for the various England Squads, and take part in an excellent high-level coaching session on the same pitches used for training by our elite players. An inspirational trip.” A second visit to St. George’s Park is planned for students working on their Optimising Performance unit.
Frank Lee Leisure and Fitness Centre
provides work experience for Rob Sayer Sport Diploma student Rob Sayer’s work experience placement was at Addenbrooke’s Hospital – not on the medical side but at the Frank Lee Leisure and Fitness Centre. “The centre’s for people who work at Addenbrooke’s,” he explains. “Keeping fit is one of the best ways of keeping healthy, so it’s not surprising that there’s a leisure and fitness facility in the grounds of the hospital. There’s a gym, two squash courts, an astro turf and a swimming pool.” Ron shadowed the lifeguards and assisted with centre administration, including collecting post and documents from the main hospital. “I worked there every Monday from 8am to 4pm for eight weeks and had an excellent experience. Even better: they’ve offered me a job providing I gain a lifeguarding qualification by the end of the College year. If I decide to take a gap year before university, it’s great to know that this opportunity exists.”
Trampolining PE star qualifies for British Colleges Sport National Championships Congratulations to Year 1 students Becca Shaw and Hannah Bradshaw on their success in the British Colleges Sport East Regional Trampolining Tournament. Both girls competed in the Elite Girls group. Becca came 6th and has qualified for a place at the National Championships in Bath in March. Hannah, who is studying PE, Psychology, English Language and Applied Science, came 7th and is first reserve. Becca, who is studying PE (specialising in trampolining), Psychology, Geography and Applied Science, explains: “I took up trampolining four years ago when I joined the after school club at my previous school, Comberton Village College and started competing almost immediately. Last year I started to compete on the National Circuit and was lucky Becca in action Photo DE Photos enough to qualify for the British Championships in Birmingham. Hannah and I both train at the Cambourne Comets Trampoline Club. The club has five national competitors, so the standard is really high.”
Basketball Lions Women’s squad show their calibre
Sport Diploma students take part in additional courses
Sport students were offered four different additional courses in December. These were the NPLQ (Lifeguarding) qualification, which 12 students passed, the Handball level 1 course (20 students), a Tennis leaders’ session (15) and an Introduction to Touch Rubgy session Newly-qualified lifeguards (10). Lynne Little, Sport Diploma Course Team Leader, says: “This was an excellent way for our students to develop new skills to make them more attractive to both universities and employers.”
In December the Lions Women’s squad travelled to Braintree to compete in the BCS East Regional Tournament. This is the first time for a number of years that Long Road has had a Women’s squad at the regional tournament and is another indication of the developments that have been made as part of the Long Road Basketball Academy. Although the team didn’t manage to beat the tournament winners, they did considerably better against local rivals Hills Road, winning convincingly 20-0 after some great scoring by Anna Goggin and Megan Pinner. Coach Pete Charlwood said “I am really pleased and proud with how the girls performed. I feel they have learnt a lot, and there are many positives we can take from the tournament.
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Historical and cultural trip
Religious Studies and History trip
to Bavaria
to the Somme
History students took part in a varied and interesting visit to Bavaria just before Christmas. The trip was designed to support student work on German history from 1900-1945. History teacher Barbara Warnock reports:
In November, Year 1 History and Religious Studies students went on a day trip to the battle fields of the Somme.
“We went on a guided tour of Dachau concentration camp, the first one opened by the Nazis, in 1933, and also the Nazi party parade grounds in Nuremberg. We then moved on to the scene of the Munich Beerhall Putsch, from where Hitler tried to overthrow the Weimar Government in 1923. “On a ligher note, we also explored the traditional Christmas markets of Munich, and visited the fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein, built by ‘mad’ King Ludwig. The castle is in an attractive location in the foothills of the Alps. The large quantity of snow in Germany added to the seasonal appeal of the area, and staff and students enjoyed sampling Bavarian food and drink in the Hofbräuhaus Beerhall, one of Munich’s oldest breweries. The tour was an excellent balance of history and Bavarian culture.”
At Dachau concentration camp
Neuschwanstein castle
History students study the Western Front during WW1 as part of their examined unit on Britain’s experience of warfare. Religious Studies (Ethics & Buddhism) students study the ethics of war and peace as part of their course on applied ethics. The students visited the site of the British and German front lines and took part in role play scenarios involving soldiers going ‘over the top’. Those who had moral reasons not to join up took on the role of conscientious objectors and became stretcher bearers. Another ‘soldier’ who disobeyed orders was later court martialled for staying with pals instead of going over the top. Students saw memorials to the pals battalions (groups of friends who fought together) and found out about the living conditions in the trenches. Rats as big as cats fed on corpses and spread diseases. Students also had the opportunity to examine WW1 army kit and weapons before visiting the German cemetery at dusk to pay respects to all those who lost their lives in the ‘Great War’. Student Emily Banner says: “The trip was really good preparation for our exam,” whilst Morta Maneikyte adds: “It was a useful opportunity to learn extra facts about the WW1 battles”. Tabby Freer says: “The trip really brought alive the material that we went on to study in class”.
At the scene of Hitler’s Nuremberg Rallies
Faith and Belief Week The College held an Inter Faith and Belief Week in December as part of its commitment to Equality and Diversity. Representatives of different faith-based groups and organisations were invited to set up a stand in the College reception where students could find them easily. Members of Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian and Islamic groups took part. Members of the Muslim Education and Outreach Centre in Cambridge talk to students about the Islamic faith and Muslim culture
Virginia Barnes, representing the Baha’i faith
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Novelists
of the future Two talented young novelists at Long Road have been working towards publication: Saffron-Jade McCormack Saffron-Jade is studying Psychology, Photography and Applied Science. She started work on her novel when she was in Year 9, inspired by the Twilight series. She finished her book when she was 15, but on re-reading it realised that her style has now developed, so she is in the process of editing the work. “It’s about a girl who is human but gradually transforms into a vampire because she has vampire ancesters. She isn’t bitten by a vampire, and she’s very independent - not at all like Bella in Twilight. She starts to acquire vampire skills - levitation, control of fire and water, mind-reading - but then realises that her boyfriend’s father (they are a vampire family) is trying to steal her skills.” Saffron-Jade always writes by hand, preferably in purple ink, which goes with her trademark hair. “I find it easier to spot mistakes in purple ink, and I don’t type it up until I’m happy with it. “I’ve already been in contact with a publisher, who wants to see it when I’ve finished rewriting it, and I’ve already got the second book in the series mapped out.”
Alexia Housden Alexia Housden is studying Art, Design & Technology and Maths (Mechanics). She writes under the pen name Leksi Knight and has written several series of books. “I am preparing the first book in my Death’s Confessions series of books for publication on the day of my 18th birthday – it’s called The Choice and will be published as an e-book on Kobo. You can also read about it on the Goodreads website if you type in my pen name.The lead character is a girl who doesn’t become a vampire until the end of the book – one of her ancestors is a shaman and so she gradually evolves into a supernatural being. Death’s Confessions are crime and adventure stories rather than purely about vampires.” Alexia has been writing since she was 11 – she wrote all the books in the Death’s Confession’s series then came back to them a few years later for further rewriting. “My dad’s a writer as well – he takes his inspiration from his childhood in Costa Rica. I’ve been writing stories for years and have completed six other series, all on supernatural themes. I have also written a stand-alone novel not based on fantasy. I have to be in the mood to write – but as my books are generally about 150,000 words long, that’s a lot of writing!” Alexia is planning to study Games Art and Design at De Montfort University in Leicester.
YouTube star and Marketing Director
former Long Road students make their mark TomSka YouTube fans will be familiar with the wickedly funny cartoon series ASDF, which features the work of TomSka – and also with TomSka’s very popular YouTube channel. TomSka started life as Thomas Ridgewell, former Long Road and Cottenham Village College student. Tom studied English Language, Film Studies and Media. Since then he’s attracted 1,000,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, for which he won a YouTube award, and has appeared in the February edition of Wired magazine. Both Hat Trick productions and BBC Comedy have approached him, but Tom prefers to work on YouTube for the time being.
Tim Landucci Tim Landucci is Marketing Director at the Cambridge Judge Business School. He studied English Language, History and Performing Arts at Long Road before reading English and History at university. “After I graduated, I worked for a publisher in a marketing role. I then joined Michell Instruments as Marketing Co-ordinator before moving on as Marketing Manager to Syrris, which develops automated instruments for research and development chemists. “I started at the Cambridge Judge Business School as Marketing Manager (Executive Education), and have now been promoted to Marketing Director (Executive Education) “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Long Road, and the two years there taught me a lot about what I needed to do to achieve my academic goals, as well as preparing me for university and providing me with more confidence in my own abilities.”
Forthcoming events New York trip: Film Studies, Media Studies and Photography students Clerment-Ferrand Film Festival: French and Film Studies A level students Careers Week: students explore different options in a lively and interesting way Spring Recitals: Music students perform mock recitals in preparation for their exams Curriculum exchange: a small group of Long Road staff is visiting Silkeborg Gymnasium in Denmark Careers Exhibition: companies and organisations visit Long Road to talk to students
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Long Road Sixth Form College 2011/12
LR6FC
Long Road Sixth Form College
Long Road
Cambridge CB2 8PX