Carmel Up Close new year, new students, new facilities page 4
a knight to remember page 10
students impress top designers page 18
result!
Carmel is one of the top ten colleges in the country page page 22
Carmel College Magazine Autumn 2010
The Class of 2010 did themselves, their parents and their college very proud! They achieved the college’s highest ever A Level results and once again placed Carmel among the very best colleges in the country.
With an overall A Level pass rate of 99.4%, the proportion of students achieving A*, A or B grades was a phenomenal 57.6% and this performance placed the college in the top 10 colleges in the country according to the Independent newspaper.
A key performance indicator for colleges is “value added” which measures the progress students have made from GCSE. When Carmelʼs 2010 results are analysed in terms of value added, it reveals that Carmel is achieving its aim of “academic excellence for all”. This analysis places Carmel high among the top 5% of schools and colleges in the country.
one of the top ten co l l e g e s i n t h e c ou n t r y
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As in previous years there are many stories of students achieving outstanding academic success. This year saw the introduction of the A* grade at A Level and student Tom Lamont, who came to Carmel from St Gregoryʼs, certainly shone when he scored a full house with an incredible 4 A* grades at A Level plus another A* for his Extended Project Qualification! Tom has now gone to Oxford University to study Earth Sciences. Two other Carmel students are Oxbridge bound too – former Prescot student Helena Newbold who is now at Cambridge University reading Languages, and Matthew Blundell, formerly of Cowley, who is now studying Engineering at Oxford University.
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There were many examples of exceptional achievement this year and with so many happy students Principal, Rob Peacock, was delighted to join in the celebrations on results day. “Today is one of the highlights of the year. I love seeing our young people reaping the benefit of all their hard work. A Level exams are challenging and nerve wracking and an enormous amount depends on the outcome. Seeing how well the students have done and knowing that they can now move on to the next stage of their careers makes all the effort worthwhile. It is great to share their excitement. They are tremendously talented and committed and I am confident that they will go on to even greater success. It is a real privilege to have helped them along the way. I wish them all the best.”
new year, new students, n e w f a ci l i t i e s Psychology, Modern Languages and Foundation Learning.
After being given the "go ahead" for the redevelopment of our campus in Spring 2008, all buildings are now complete. The ambitious scheme represented a total investment of twenty two million pounds that has transformed Carmel College into a truly outstanding and inspiring place to learn and work. From the start of the new academic year, students have had use of the brand new Dalton Building which includes facilities for Performance and Dance. There’s a new Dalton Theatre which seats an audience of 200, plus a Dance Studio, performance areas, teaching and learning rooms and changing and showering facilities. A new Student Services Centre is also located in this building providing students with a “one-stop-shop” for information and advice. The other buildings in the redevelopment programme include the Centre for Art and Design, completed in Spring 2009 and the West Park Building, completed in August 2009, which provides facilities for Sciences, Law, ICT, Philosophy and Religion, History, Geography, English, Sociology,
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All subject areas have access to their own I.T. facilities and the new buildings are “wi-fi enabled” to allow staff and students to access the internet anywhere. As part of the College’s “green heating and lighting strategy”, the new buildings are “controlled” by an intelligent building management system to ensure optimum efficiency. State-of-the-art air cooling systems are used throughout; the lighting is controlled using sensors to detect and automatically adjust the level of additional lighting required in individual areas throughout the day. The new buildings will be complemented by the careful
landscaping of the college grounds. A central college courtyard will make the best possible use of the space to provide students, staff and visitors with a pleasant outdoor area in which to work or relax. Two new all-weather sports training pitches are also welcome additions to the College’s existing sports facilities. The outstanding facilities that have been created certainly match our outstanding reputation and will provide an inspiring environment for future generations.
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help for haiti
In January Carmel's students organised a number of events in order to raise money for the Haiti Appeal. The devastating earthquake caused widespread damage and left many in desperate need of clean water, shelter and medical help. At Carmel, fundraising activities included a cake sale and a ‘waxing event’ where three of Carmel’s brave students had a leg, back or face wax (ouch!!) in exchange for donations from the crowds of onlookers! Over £1400 was raised in total.
lasallian developing wo rld pro j e c t The Lasallian Project takes groups of young people to various countries in the Developing World to work on school building projects helping to make education more available as a force for change and means of escaping from poverty. This year student Stacey Griffiths spent time in Kenya:
The Lasallian Developing World Project Kenya 2010 had a profound impact on me. Having the chance to witness the level of poverty across a small part of Africa, and to directly have an impact on enhancing the lives of those in poverty, is an invaluable experience that will stay with me well into the future. It brings with it many new realisations that I have applied to my own life back home, in terms of appreciation, happiness and lifelong friendship. It is something I would hope to repeat many years into the future so I can continue to have a small influence on the development of the third world. 'Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does' - W. James
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model students team up w i th s a i n ts
Earlier this year Carmel College hosted a fashion show in conjunction with St Helens RLFC. The event was organised by nine A Level Applied Business students as part of their coursework and showcased the latest kits and new clothing range on offer at Saints. Models from across college together with AS Dance students helped to make the event a resounding success, with the Dalton Theatre at full capacity! The Show also featured a guest appearance from Saints player James Graham, together with club mascots Boots and St Bernard. Throughout the week the students sold merchandise in college and achieved excellent sales targets. Alongside this, they also organised some signed shirts and other merchandise which was raffled. The students donated ÂŁ100 to Sport Relief and ÂŁ100 to Willowbrook Hospice which was collected by the Mayor of St Helens on their behalf.
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ski trip 2010
This year’s trip went to the Kaprun area of Zell am Zee in Austria. A combination of great students, great ski conditions and great accommodation at the side of the lake produced a memorable trip. The powder snow off piste meant plenty of fun for both the experienced and first timers and the students learnt a lot from their
instructors. Alongside the skiing, highlights included the games night at the hotel, the Austrian version of mushroom throwing and of course the fancy dress event on the final night!
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students have the X factor! Carmel’s Foundation Learning department wowed audiences with their outstanding performances in their show ‘I’ve got the X Factor…Get me out of here!’ The Dalton Theatre was full to capacity with both performances a complete sell out! Each act was introduced in an X Factor style by “Ant and Dec” with stunning performances from Lady Gaga, Abba, The Saturdays, Queen, Ali G and Jedward. The show ended with a fantastic finale which saw members of staff joining in with a ‘Superman’ number!
carmel joins London 2012’s get set network
Students and staff at Carmel College celebrated earlier this year when they were officially welcomed into London 2012’s Get Set network, in recognition of their commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values. Joining schools and colleges across the UK as members of the Get Set network, students will receive access to exclusive competitions and 2012 Games related opportunities over the next three years.
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Craig Heap, Olympian and Commonwealth Gold Medallist gave a talk to students about the personal triumphs in his career and presented the college with the official plaque and certificate. From now to the start of the Games, Carmel plans to offer many different activities both through the Enrichment Programme and through the curriculum.
a ‘knight’ to remember! The search for the Holy Grail continued its trail to Carmel College in April of this year as King Arthur and his knights took on Monty Python's Spamalot. The Tony award winning production was remastered so that audiences could enjoy the 2005 classic. Scripted from the original Holy Grail film with a bit of Blackadder thrown in for good measure, Spamalot entertained with uplifting numbers like ‘Not Dead Yet’, ‘His Name is Lancelot’, 'Whatever Happened to my Part’, 'Knights of the Round Table’ and the inimitable ‘Always Look On The Bright Side’. The production was slick and colourful with a very talented and highly comedic cast. Ultimately it proved to be a knight to remember!
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industry day Carmel’s annual Industry Day proved successful with over 40 businesses attending the annual event. Students had the opportunity to speak to representatives from a wide range of organisations to gain an insight into what each career may involve, as well as obtaining advice on how to progress in these areas.
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french exchange 2010 This year marked the French Department’s 18th annual exchange to the Vendée region of France with over 30 students and staff travelling to La Roche. The group spent a very enjoyable week visiting a ‘boulangerie’, an aquarium, a pottery, the town of La Rochelle and the cinema. Students were looked after by their host families and took part in a range of activities, experiencing the way of life of a young person in France. The whole experience was both educational and enjoyable and the visit helped to motivate students as well as increasing confidence just before the oral examinations!
students explore barcelona
In February of this year a group of Carmel’s Spanish students along with their tutors flew out to Barcelona. They visited all the major sights including the Sagrada Familia - the famous work of Antoni Gaudí, Las Ramblas, the Olympic Stadium and the Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona. The group also saw a film at the
cinema which was good listening practice, and there was even time for some shopping in Spain’s famous department store – El Corte Inglés! The highlight of the trip was the Pueblo Español where students saw the varied architecture of Spain and a spectacular Flamenco show - a fantastic end to a fascinating visit!
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geographers brave the elements
The annual Geography field trip saw the AS students braving the elements in Morecambe where they completed a detailed ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ of the coastal defences. The following day the expedition continued on to Sandscale Haws National Nature Reserve. In yet another bracing wind, students got down to surveying the vegetation communities and environmental conditions along the sand dune system … the electric fence which restricts pastoral grazing, being the only barrier to their enthusiasm! Barrow-inFurness was the next port of call. Here, the students toured the once heart of British shipbuilding. The final day of fieldwork took the students to a range of locations to study ‘Rural Rebranding’ before visiting Holme Open Farm, near Holme Fell, border country between Cumbria and Yorkshire. Once again the students worked tirelessly and ended the day with a well earned drink and a cake in the Farm Café!
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health kick for students Another successful Student Health Day took place earlier this year. Students and staff were given the opportunity to speak to health professionals and get expert advice on a range of health issues. Visitors included representatives from the Lighthouse Drugs and Alcohol Team, Asthma UK, Smoking Cessation Team, Chlamydia Screening, Mental Health Team and Merseyside Police who were publicising their Road Safety Awareness campaign. There was also the opportunity to book an appointment for a health check with an NHS Health Trainer and to find out your BMI through the Alive ‘n’ Kicking Weight Management Programme. Information about healthy eating and getting your “five a day” was also available and, with a variety of fresh fruit freely available to all, a few people decided to get their five portions in one sitting!!
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dance students practise th e i r t e c hn i q u e AS Level Dance students at Carmel took part in a workshop delivered by 3rd year BA Hons Dance students from Edge Hill University.
Designed to raise the profile of Dance within further and higher education, the programme gave students an insight into university life in general and specifically what they can expect as an undergraduate Dance student. The day proved to be very informative and enjoyed by all who took part.
new york, new york! Staff and students from Carmel’s Law department spent a very enjoyable five days in the Big Apple. Highlights of the trip included a night visit to the Empire State Building, a guided tour of the United Nations Building, visiting a snow covered Central Park, ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre and watching a basketball game at the world famous Madison Square Garden. All in all a fantastic trip enjoyed by staff and students alike.
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public speaking competition Six of Carmel’s students entered a public speaking competition organised by the Catenians at Eccleston Golf Club. Students chose from a list of topics and were expected to speak for 4 minutes. Topics included ‘Is 66 too old to have a baby?’, ‘Yes we can’ (Barack Obama), “You are the architect of your own fortune” (Appius Claudius). Congratulations to Carmel students Jacinta Peers and Thomas Williams who were awarded first and second places.
the appliance of sc ienc e
Science graduate ambassadors from Newcastle University visited Carmel this year to deliver a series of activities for the college’s science students. These activities aimed to enhance and enrich the STEM curriculum with some fun experiments. The sessions generated a real buzz around the science area and students commented on how much they enjoyed the day.
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Staff and students at Carmel got to show off their musical talents by busking for Children in Need.
0 /1 ed y! 09 is rit 20 l ra ha In me r c ar fo C 35 ,8 £3
children in need
Throughout the day students played a range of different instruments and at lunch time a large crowd gathered to enjoy a mini concert by staff trio Rob Peacock and Ken Buckley on guitars and Frank Park on the violin. All our buskers attracted generous donations raising £440 for this worthy cause.
carmel is a F ai r t r a de C o l l e g e
Last year, Carmel became a Fairtrade College and the Fairtrade Foundation has renewed our Fairtrade Status again for the next two years. Their report was full of praise: “Your events are extremely impressive and highlight your commitment to raising awareness about Fairtrade on campus. We are very impressed by the high level of engagement of the student community. We congratulate Carmel College for all their hard work. We are delighted to renew Carmel College’s Fairtrade Status.”
As part of Fairtrade Fortnight, temptingly tasty treats were to be had at two cake sales - and all made with Fairtrade ingredients, delicious! Carmel’s Justice and Peace Group brought in homemade Fairtrade sponge cakes, flapjacks and cookies and a Fairtrade Tea Party was the order of the day down in the Foundation Learning Flat. With a beautifully presented spread of cakes all baked by the Foundation Learning students, guests at the tea party were spoilt for choice!
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students impress top de s i g n e r s at br i t i s h v o g u e Each year, one of Carmel's BA Graphic Design degree students, gets the opportunity to spend three weeks working at British Vogue in London. The placement allows the student to work with some of the industry’s most prestigious designers including world famous Creative Director, Robin Derrick. This year, Josh Glover was chosen to take up this fantastic opportunity. Josh proved himself at the magazine, and in no time he was working with the Creative Director and the Fashion Editor. The August issue contained some of Josh’s page layouts and designs, which is an amazing achievement for a first year degree student. Thanks to Josh, the relationship that Carmel has built with Vogue has gone from strength to strength.
antony conboy of fi c i al l y fi r s t c l a s s an d ca u s i n g a s t or m ! Antony Conboy has graduated from his BA Graphic Design course with First Class Honours. The former Carmel student was always destined for great things achieving grade A in Graphics and a Distinction on the Art Foundation Diploma. For his final major degree project, Antony created an app for the iphone, which has gone down a storm with the fashion world. Macworld said: “Lookinglass is the world’s first dedicated ipod, ipad, and iphone fashion buying Magazine. Regularly updated Lookinglass leads the way in a new era for magazines.” In talks with Selfridges and British Vogue, Antony finally accepted the offer from
publishers Conde Naste to work on their Wired publication and develop the technology. Creative Director of Vogue, Robin Derrick told Carmel “It’s great to see that Antony has done so well, and to have seen the progress he has made since his work experience. His degree work on the app is really fantastic. I’ve been so impressed with the calibre of students that come to us from Carmel.”
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usa tour 2010 Earlier this year students from the Government & Politics, Sociology & Media departments jetted off from Heathrow for the annual trip to the USA. This year’s tour was expanded to take in the City of Boston for the first time. The group visited Harvard University, had a tour of Boston via the Freedom Trail and the historic Boston Common, and also saw the famous ‘Cheers’ bar. The next leg of the journey took them to New York City where they had to brave torrential rain! Undeterred by the weather they visited Times Square, had a guided tour of Mid-Manhattan, took a trip on the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and also visited Wall Street and the Stock Exchange. From New York the group travelled to Washington DC stopping off at Philadelphia on the way, where students saw the Liberty Bell and had a tour of Liberty Hall. But without a doubt the highlight of the whole trip was visiting the White House where they had a tour of the East Wing - very impressive! Whilst in Washington the group also visited the Capitol Buildings where they almost got to see the President, but sadly it wasn’t to be!
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world challenge Summer 2010 saw the culmination of two years of planning the adventure of a lifetime – a month long trip to India and trekking across the Himalayas! Students, Harriet, Tom, James, Beth, Jenny, Rachel, Vanessa and Joseph raised £3,000 each to fund the project through individual and group fundraising activities. Accompanied by Carmel Tutor, Ed Swann, and a World Challenge Expedition Leader, the team arrived in Manali just as the monsoon came! Finding themselves stranded for 3 days, they acclimatised whilst exploring the local area and prepared for the main trek which would take 12 days to complete. Along the journey they visited a Tibetan monastery, tried new foods and learnt about the Himalayan people. Following glacial streams through remote areas of the Himalayas they climbed almost 5000m up to Chandra Tal Lake in the Kullu Valley! After the trek the team visited the aweinspiring Golden Temple in Amritsar, a magnificent highlight of the trip, before continuing to Jaipur, “The Pink City”. Here they spent 5 days working on a project to teach sports to local primary school children. Before returning the home, the team also found time for some sightseeing visiting Agra and the Taj Mahal. All involved in the trip had an amazing time and it’s an experience which they will always remember!
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biologists visit the ”r i c h c o a s t ”
During the Easter holiday the Biology department took a trip to Costa Rica in Central America.
The group got first hand experience working with a group of Costa Ricans on a Turtle Conservation project where they collected eggs to protect them from poachers and went out on night patrols. Cahuita Beach was the location for a rainforest walk and the group saw monkeys, poisonous snakes and a wide variety of plants before taking to the sea to snorkel over the coral reef. Their third stop was the Sarapiqui Activity Centre. Here the group stayed in deluxe tents in the rainforest and went to sleep to the sounds of tree frogs, cicadas and howler monkeys! The next day, they themselves swung through the trees on zip wires for a rainforest canopy tour – voted the best activity of the holiday!
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a taste of enrichment At the end of June, Carmel’s lower sixth students were given the opportunity to “have a go” at different enrichment activities. Over two days, students could choose from over 50 activities on offer through Carmel’s Enrichment Programme - from art, music, performance, media and film through to a range of sports, sign language, cooking and many more. The event was very successful in highlighting the opportunities available at Carmel and students and staff thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
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sports review Netball
Carmel's Netball team tasted success in December when they took part in the British Colleges North West Competition in Manchester. The girls flew through all rounds and ended with an 1812 win in the Final. It had been a great day for the Netball team who were on top form throughout the tournament. This will hopefully be the first of many trophies for the team who also enjoyed a successful season in the British College North West League where the girls finished fourth in their table. Well done girls!
Netball Team - Britis
h Colleges No rth West Plate
Rugby Carmel’s Rugby League team enjoyed an “up and down” season in which they finished 3rd in their league table, during rugby “legend” and manager Garth Thomas’ last season at the helm! The lads were entered into the Carnegie Colleges Cup and managed to take it all the way, defeating fierce rivals St Helens College in the Final in what turned out to be a thrilling game, and a great send off for the upper sixth students. Next season with some new additions and rookie manager Tony Higgins in charge, the team can continue where they left off, and pick up more silverware! Football The Football teams also had a mixed season, with the college 1st team finishing 1 point outside the play-off positions in a season of e winners 2010 y League Plat Student Rugb frustration. The 2nd team however enjoyed their most successful season in years finishing top of the league and losing out narrowly in the league playoff finals 1-0. This year we will be hoping for an improvement from the 1st team and for the 2nd team to continue where they left off.
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winners 2010
more student achievements Chemistry Olympiad A group of Carmel’s chemists took part in the extremely demanding Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad again this year. All of our students passed with two achieving Silver Awards.
Creative Writing Award Lower Sixth student Charlotte Harris won the 2009 Young Creative Writing Award for her short story ‘The Hunt’ at the St Helens Cultural Awards.
Photography by Elliot Garn er
gan Photography by Joe Fine
Carmel’s Art Students feature in the Sunday Telegraph More than 15,000 entries have been submitted to the Saatchi Gallery / Sunday Telegraph Art Prize for Schools competition so far and out of the five that were featured in the news article, two of them were Carmel students!
Prescot Road, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 3AG Tel: 01744 452200 (Reception) 01744 452214/452212 (Admissions)
Email: info@carmel.ac.uk
www.carmel.ac.uk
Carmel College is proud to be a Fairtrade College
Choose products with this Mark www.fairtrade.org.uk