HillsNews Autumn Newsletter
Robocon
December 2017
Farbod’s World Première
Hills Road Sixth Form College has launched Cambridge’s first ever robotics competition for local schools sponsored by Cheffins. Teams of young people from the region’s schools were invited to enter this innovative competition, which was launched at an event on 25th November at Hills Road Sixth Form College. Teams will consist of students from Years 11, 12 or 13. The competition is being supported by some of the world’s largest tech companies, including CMR (Cambridge Medical Robotics) and ARM Ltd. Hills Road student Josh Holland, who is helping to organise the competition, said: “We are excited to have the opportunity to launch this competition to local Year 11 pupils and sixth form students. It is a wonderful opportunity for them to learn about robot design and programming or to Farbod rehearsing his Piano Concerto No. 1 in F Minor with Symphony Orchestra at West Road Concert Hall showcase their existing robotic engineering skills, as well as for us all to demonstrate our that I enjoyed orchestrating these sections This year’s autumn concert included technical abilities.” more than I originally anticipated, using student and soloist Farbod Salamat-Zadeh advice from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Principles of performing the world premi ère of Orchestration and observations from other his Piano Concerto No. 1 in F Minor! orchestral scores.” Farbod is studying A level Computer Something Farbod found more Science, Double Maths and Physics at Hills challenging was deciding on the structure of Road. After playing piano for about a decade, the movement and ensuring that it sounded he always aspired to write a piano concerto. unified. He said, “I decided to compose “I liked the idea of reinstating the first movement as part of my Extended short motifs (such as the first three notes Project qualification which I started in January of my main melody) throughout the whole 2017 and completed at the beginning of movement. Similarly, the end of the piece September.” Testing the ‘Blackjack’ power distribution boards features a series of runs on the piano with “My piece is written in a romanticwoodwind insrument section, echoing a lot of era style that incorporates many of the the musical ideas presented earlier.” stylistic elements found in concertos of this “Composing my concerto and time, for example its bold opening with the rehearsing it with the Hills Road Symphony piano in double octaves being suggestive of Orchestra has been a very enjoyable the opening of Grieg’s concerto; and piano experience.” figurations throughout the piece inspired The Symphony Orchestra also by composers including Chopin, Liszt, and played movements from Shostakovich’s Fifth Rachmaninoff.” Symphony. “To contrast the technically difficult The Wind and Jazz Orchestras solo passages, I really wanted to include performed a varied repertoire, and the beautiful and rich melodies.” Showing competitors how to test the equipment combined forces of College Choir and “Personally, my favourite moment The rules of the competition were Orchestra presented movements from Gloria is near the ending where the main melody released at the launch event and teams now by Karl Jenkins. returns in the whole orchestra and piano have five months to build a robot before the together for a grand romantic climax. I found final two-day competition in April 2018. Teams were provided with the electronics needed to build a robot, but the mechanical design and how to solve the problems is up to them. On the final day of the competition, the teams will have to demonstrate the skills of the robot within a bespoke-built arena, provided by fit-out and design company, COEL. Teams will also be provided with additional advice and mentoring through online forums and regular weekend meetings. The College Choir and Orchestra rehearsing before the concert at West Road
Transgender Flag Day Extended Project Market Place Year 13 students displayed their Extended Projects (EPs) at the College’s annual Market Place from 4th - 6th September. Their work is displayed so that it can be seen and marked by their mentors. It is also an opportunity for the students to be able to talk about what they have produced for their EP. Here are a few examples of what some students did for their EPs. Corie Lee designed and built a self-sustaining ecosystem using real world examples to guide him. He carried out primary research at the Cambridge Botanic Gardens to give him first-hand knowledge of a variety of different ecosystems to supplement the process. He put in a variety of organisms including plants such as ferns and mosses and animals like earthworms and woodlice. Once built, Corie studied different processes that took place within it, such as the nitrogen cycle. Marking Transgender Day of Remembrance in College
Corie Lee created a self-sustaining ecosystem
Hills Road LGBT+ Society arranged to fly the Transgender Flag at College to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance on Monday 20th November. Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day to remember all those killed due to anti-transgender violence. It aims to raise awareness of crimes against transgender people. According to the Home Office, 858 hate crimes against transgender people were reported to the police in England and Wales in 2015/2016 and so far in 2017 over 50 murders of transgender people have been reported worldwide. For more information visit www. glaad.org/blog/glaad-observes-transgenderday-remembrance
Henry Riley Talk
Two Hills Road Alumni, Jonah Balmford and Lotan Joseph returned to Hills Road to talk to current students about their career paths. Jonah and Lotan started university courses after leaving Hills Road but decided their choices weren’t for them and they now work for Henry Riley Construction Services where they are following funded degree courses. Year 13 student Ben Buck attended the talk and said “Henry Riley offer an apprenticeship in quantity surveying which I hope to apply for and it is nice to see a good alternative to university. The talk was very informative and interesting, explaining the role on a day-to-day basis and the benefits such as a company car. It is also good to hear from ex- Hills students who are on the apprenticeship and are really enjoying their jobs, and also how we can learn from their experiences.”
Corie said, “I chose this topic as it is relevant to my interests in ecology and zoology plus it was quite creative and therefore quite different from my A level subjects.”
Kate Weddepohl (left) created a food website
Kate Weddepohl created a food website. She said “I created a food website that focused on a plant-based diet. It included recipes, photography, nutritional information and blogs.” “I managed to incorporate my love of art and have enjoyed creating my own acrylic paintings for the website.” “Researching and writing blogs has definitely made me more knowledgeable about the biology and psychology behind food. I loved the design aspect of the project and creating my own website. Most importantly I have learnt how to cook a variety of healthy recipes!” Take a look at Kate’s website here: http://welcometopeapod.weebly.com/
Keira Leigh Hicks designed an environmentally friendly building
Jonah and Lotan talking to students
Keira Leigh Hicks designed an environmentally friendly building using computer software for her EP. She decided to study this topic for her EP because she is interested in pursuing a career as an architect. Keira already had a passion for using nature, which inspired her to study A level Art & Design and she is interested in looking after the environment and sustainability.
Keira learnt how to use Sketchup with Youtube videos being her main source for learning how to use the software. She found it challenging at times but persisted and overcame her difficulties. The project has widened Keira’s knowledge, interest and understanding of architecture, which will be beneficial to her in the future.
Societies Fair The annual Societies Fair was held on 8th September and all Year 12 students were invited to go along to find out about the range of student-led Societies that are on offer for them to join during their time at Hills Road. Joining a society is by far the best way to get involved at Hills Road. It’s an easy way to develop skills and qualities for CVs and UCAS forms, and just to have a great time
and meet new people. Students can sign up for a huge range of societies, including the Hills Road Christian Union, the Environmental Conservation Society, the Vegan Society, the LGBT+ Society as well as various different sports activities including Badminton, Basketball, Rowing and Cheerleading to name just a few!
Composer Alexia’s Three Premières!
Alexia at the premiere of Elegy for Aylan at St George’s Hall
Talented composer and Hills Road student Alexia Sloane is celebrating the recent première of her composition, Elegy For Aylan, commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society and Classic FM for members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The piece was played in the stunning venue of St George’s Hall in Liverpool on 11th October under the baton of Clark Rundell. The programme for the concert included Copland’s Appalachian Spring and Steve Reich’s Pulse. This is a result of Alexia having won the highly prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society/ Classic FM 25th birthday commission prize last April. Here is the link to the concert: www. liverpoolphil.com/whats-on/ensemble-1010. Alexia said, “It was a surreal experience all round. The beauty of this Year 13 students recruiting new members for the Environmental Conservation Society at the Societies Fair extraordinary neo-classical building, St George’s Hall, combined with the atmosphere during the rehearsals and the evening performance were incredible. I feel very honoured and humbled to have had a chamber work performed by such inspiring musicians as those of the RLPO and in such a beautiful venue as St George’s Hall.” There will be an opportunity to listen to Elegy for Aylan on Wednesday 27th December at 8.00pm on Classic FM. In addition, and as a result of Alexia winning The Cambridge Young Composer of the Year 2016, the world premiere of her commissioned piece, Vigil for Gaia, was performed by The Phaedra Ensemble at West Road Concert Hall on 29th October as part of the Cambridge Festival of Ideas season. Finally, the world première of Alexia’s solo piano piece for the composer and pianist Huw Watkins, commissioned by Students representing the Hills Road Christian Union group the Cambridge Young Composers’ Network as part of the Cambridge November Music Festival, took place in the Old Library of Emmanuel College, Cambridge on 18th November. Well done to Alexia for all these incredible achievements!
Members of the Basketball team aiming to recruit new students for the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams
Alexia at Classic FM
Running the British Economy!
Government & Politics trip to the US
A team of Hills Road Economics students, Tolu Matesun, Lucy Dilworth, Dan Kalman and Charlie Jones, came second in the ‘Running the British Economy’ competition held as part of the University of Cambridge Festival of Ideas in October. More than fifty Year 12 and Year 13 students from schools in Eastern England and Greater London took part in this year’s computer-based simulation game ‘Running the British Economy’. Student Lucy Dilworth said “My knowledge of A level Economics helped me to understand all the data and think about what changes needed to be made to stimulate growth in our economy. I found the competition exciting and insightful.” Hills Road students visiting Wakefield High School in Washington DC to debate issues with their US counterparts
From 29th October to 3rd November, the Government & Politics team ran its annual trip to Washington DC. 35 Year 13 students took part in the trip and visited a great number of politically and culturally relevant sites, including the US Congress, Supreme Court, National Archives, presidential monuments, Arlington Cemetery and the Smithsonian Center.
Tolu Matesun, Lucy Dilworth, Dan Kalman & Charlie Jones
They also visited the College’s partner school in Washington DC, Wakefield High School, where both US and UK students had the opportunity to debate ‘hot button’ issues in American politics, such as gun control, abortion rights, the Trump Presidency and the role of the Supreme Court in US politics.
Big Biology Day
The teams had to run the economy for ten ‘years’ by making decisions on topics such as income tax, VAT, public spending and interest rates. In order to do well, teams needed to drive economic growth (GDP) without incurring excessive levels of price inflation, unemployment or budget imbalances.” Lucy said “We had great fun learning more about economic policy in such an interactive environment.”
Dr Andrew Heath Dr Andrew Heath from the University of Sheffield visited Hills Road on 20th October to deliver a guest lecture on the impact of Ronald Reagan’s presidency on America in the 1980s. This was particularly well-received by Politics and History students and was also opened up to all students. Dr Heath read History from 1997 to 2001 at University College London, before receiving his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania and Bristol University. His academic interests include The Origins of the American Civil War, Slavery and Abolition in the United States and Reconstructing America, 1863-1877.
Big Biology Day 2017
The sixth Big Biology Day (BBD) took place at the College on 14th October. The event is organised by Biology teacher Ian Harvey. It is a partnership between Hills Road, Cambridge Biologists and the Cambridge Science Festival and is sponsored by Medimmune. Thirty exhibitors included six MRC research units, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Medimmune/Astra Zeneca, Babraham Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Raptor Foundation, LGC Group, Stem Cell Institute, Gurdon Institute, Sainsbury Lab and Botanic Garden, many of the biology learned societies under the Biology Big Top banner, GSK, OCR, British Ecological Society, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge Dept of
Cardiovascular Research and many others. Hills Road biology students were there, running activities such as mirror tracing, making articulating hands, the mists and mellow fruitfulness quiz, owl pellet dissection, forensic science of animal hair, the ‘smells’ quiz, arthropod matching, the plant/ product quiz and much more. BBD is very much about engagement at all levels. An 8 year old can have as much fun as their mum, dad and grandparents. An exciting addition this year was the Biology Careers Fair in The Zone. It showed our visitors, especially the 14-18 year olds, what career opportunities are available in biology including in the field of medicine.
Biology teacher Ian’s return trip to Sierra Leone Dr Ben Hall Following my first visit to Sierra Leone for 10 days in April 2017 and with the overwhelming feedback I received, how could I not go back? Education in Sierra Leone is a privilege not an expectation and they engage with and appreciate everything which can be offered and want more. As one of the poorest countries in the world (always in the bottom 10) there are huge challenges in terms of infrastructure, health provision, sanitation, clean water, communications, power, etc. but the spirit and values of the Sierra Leonians touched me deeply and, to be honest puts into perspective our lives here. We have so much which we simply take for granted and maybe we don’t appreciate; health care, flushing toilets, taps with safe water,
electricity at the flick of a switch, proper roads, telephones and little fear of infectious disease. I went back in October 2017 with my partner Amanda to build on what was started in April. We trained our engagement team in new activities and collectively we taught 150 students in three schools and trained 35 teachers. Imagine teaching in a half-built shell of a building with no lighting, concrete dust on the floor, no electricity, a ‘blackboard’ to write on in chalk which is a sheet of hardboard, water brought in a bucket, random small children wandering in alongside goats, dogs, chickens and a family of ducks. BUT we did good science!
Dr Ben Hall demonstrating the cancer modelling software
Dr Ben Hall came along to the College on 20th November to talk to students. Dr Hall is a faculty member of the MRC Cancer Unit. His group has developed a computational modelling software that helps interrogate cancer-related questions something quite novel and upcoming as an approach. He talked about the research, demonstrated the software to students and asked for feedback. This was an excellent opportunity for students to become involved in some current research and test out new scientific technologies.
Latin Readings Two new young friends at UMC School in Makeni, Sierra Leone
With minimal materials and equipment either sourced in Sierra Leone or carried out in our suitcases we could investigate heart rate and exercise, reaction times, the functions of the parts of the brain, pendulums, how hands work, surface tension, osmosis, enzyme action, chromatography, static electricity, lung vital capacity plus more. We taught about hypotheses, controlling variables, data recording in tables, graph drawing and calculations. Funding permitting, our work will continue as education is critical to the future
Taking my turn at preparing cassava leaves for dinner
development of a country which has suffered lots of hardships over the last 30 years: civil war, Ebola and mudslides. I hope in a small way I’ve done things for the country and the people because I know they’ve done so much for me. I have true friends there, they have given me my second home, they have taught me so much in terms of human values and they have given me a new perspective on life and what’s actually important. I’m going back in 2018! Ian Harvey
Finn Jarvis
Congratulations to Finn Jarvis and Joe Waters who achieved first and second place respectively in a Latin competition at Cambridge University on 8th November. Finn Jarvis won first place for prose reading and Joe Waters was awarded second place for senior verse reading. This competition is normally dominated by students from private schools, so it is an extra achievement that Latin and Classics teacher Natasa Kosanovic and the students managed to be so successful amongst schools with much more experience in this kind of event.
Joe Waters
Geography Trip to Sicily Exam Success for Geology Class of 2017
Fay Amstutz
The Geology team are celebrating the recent A level exam results success of their Geology students. 28% of the 2017 students achieved an A*, with an impressive 79% achieving A*- B grades at A level this summer. Julia Thomson, Head of Geography & Geology, said “Many of our students from Geology take the subject further by going on to study Geological Science and Earth Science degrees.” “One of our students, Fay Amstutz, achieved the third highest mark nationally for A level Geology and achieved 4 A* grades in Chemistry, Maths, Geology and Extended Project. Fay started a degree in Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford this autumn - we wish her and all her fellow students every success!” OCR’s subject officer, Chae Cruickshank, commented by email on Fay’s success, “I feel sure that her achievement reflects the quality of geology teaching at Hills Road Sixth Form College.”
Tropical Hunstanton!
A November trip to Hunstanton with 24 Year 12 Geology students took them into tropical seas - not of the North Sea but of the Cretaceous period 99 million years ago. Students studied the chalk, greensand and other rock layers in the famous stripey cliffs at Hunstanton. Although the conditions were less than tropical, excellent rock observations and investigations were carried out with Dr Jones explaining all. Student, Martha said, “The Hunstanton trip was a fun day out and a great way to do our first bit of practical geology fieldwork.” “It was very interesting learning about the formation of the cliffs and studying the rocks on the beach. I also especially enjoyed eating fish and chips near the end of the day!” This is the first of several practical days geology students are undertaking as part of the new Geology A level course to gain their practical endorsement of this science subject.
Dr Jones (left) with students on Hunstanton beach
Summit of Etna (left) erupting steam and gas as students walk across the rim of craters created in the 2002 eruption
A group of Geography students travelled to Sicily from 4th - 7th July. Student Joe Crump said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and think it is one of the best I have ever been on!” “It was incredibly informative and allowed me to apply my prior knowledge on volcanic activity to actual volcanoes like Etna and Vulcano, whilst also teaching me new aspects of it that I could not have fully understood in lessons.” “I particularly enjoyed visiting the Greek theatre of Taormina, and hearing about the ancient history of the island, something that I would not have learnt about if I hadn’t been on the trip.” Raisa Haque said, “Sightseeing and studying; the sweltering tour of Sicily gave
History trip to Berlin History students visited some of the key sites left over from the Cold War such as Checkpoint Charlie, the TV Tower, the remaining sections of the Wall, and Hohenschönhausen Stasi Prison where the Stasi attempted to break the resistance of
History students in Berlin
us the chance to be educated about history, culture and of course the geographical characteristics of the island.” “What attracted me to the trip was the chance to plunge into a new culture. I wanted to challenge myself to attempt activities I would normally avoid.” “The gruelling climbs were, without a doubt, worth the scenic and idyllic views. Personally, the most memorable part of the trip was the refugee collections; it demonstrated how current and relevant our lessons on migration are. Witnessing evidence of geographical processes outside a classroom environment was a remarkable experience. It truly puts syllabus content into perspective.”
political prisoners. They also took in some of the sites associated with the Second Reich and Nazi periods such as Berlin Cathedral and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and explored the vibrant, modern city which Berlin is now.
Physics Trip to CERN
Old Cantabs Dinner
Chair of the Student Council Evren Uygun Hills Road students at CERN
I really enjoyed the physics trip to CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. Before heading to Geneva, we visited the University of Cambridge Cavendish laboratory for a ‘High energy particle physics’ workshop. The workshop gave us a strong foundation in quantum physics. Back in College, we hosted some lunchtime sessions to build on these foundations, where we each gave a presentation in pairs. Each pair of students had their own topic to research to give us an understanding of everything we could see at CERN. While we were at CERN we met with some of the scientists and students who work directly with the Large Hadron Collider. We were able to ask them all of the questions we had created from our lunchtime sessions and
get to know exactly what goes on at the LHC. Everyone was amazed to see the sheer scale of engineering taking place at the centre of physics research. We were also able to get up close and personal with the older particle detectors and learnt about the development and history of particle detection. In the new school lab at CERN we got to build a cloud chamber and detect our own particles. Our particle detectors were no competition for what lay beneath our feet but we were able to detect and observe the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR). Aside from visiting CERN, we had free time to explore the beautiful city of Geneva. From swimming in Lake Geneva to visiting the UN and eating cheese fondue at Café du Soleil, we had a fantastic time. Oscar Jopp
PE trip to Boston
The Old Cantabrigians Society annual dinner was held on Saturday 18th November at the College. The Society is open for alumni from both the Cambridgeshire High School for Boys and Hills Road Sixth Form College to join. The Principal, Jo Trump attended the dinner along with members of the current Student Council. Chair, Evren Uygun was invited to reply to the toast to the College. Evren said, “Meeting alumni from both the High School and Sixth Form periods enlightened our knowledge of this historic education establishment.” “Over time, Hills has become a more modern and advanced place for learning, whilst keeping true to its roots as an institution that cherishes its past.” Several people who attended the dinner travelled long distances for the reunion including Robert Constable who travelled from his home in Australia. He attended the Cambridgeshire High School for Boys from 1942-1947.
From left to right: Tolu, James, Emily & Evren
Student Fees Debate PE students enjoying some downtime in Boston
In late October the PE department and 24 students jetted off to Boston, USA for a week full of sport matches, talks and visits to some of the most iconic stadiums in the USA. We visited various sporting matches/events such as the ‘Head of the Charles’ rowing races, a University American football match, which is rather hard to understand, and ice hockey. We experienced a variety of ice hockey matches from the lower university level of Northeastern vs. Quinnipiac to the huge USA vs. Canada match on our final night which had a great atmosphere despite the USA losing badly! After watching the Holy Cross American football match the next day we attempted our very own match on the beautiful Boston Common, it is fair to say we needed a bit more practice but we did improve!
We went to some very helpful and informative talks with experts from Harvard University, who answered many questions based around our A level coursework, and we were also given a tour of the huge campus. In addition, we were lucky enough to be given a tour around the famous Red Sox, Fenway Park Baseball stadium which offered great views and history of the team. Other monuments we visited such as Bunkers Hill and USS Constitution ship also added some background history to our trip. Evenings in Boston often consisted of us being able to explore the city whether it was shopping, eating at a local diner or having a swim in the sea. This trip was one of many surprises and excitement which I will remember for a long time. Thank you Mr Duffy and Ms Hemming! Gareth Lewis
Chair of the Student Council, Evren Uygun, recently chaired the Student Fees Debate at the Cambridge Union Debating Chamber. The debate focused on whether the Tory & Lib Dem coalition was right in raising the tuition fees, giving secondary and sixth form college students an insight into arguments on a pressing issue. With well researched comments from the audience, the debate was a highly inclusive one, featuring speakers from the University of Cambridge political associations.
Evren chairing the Student Fees Debate
Speaking a Different Language Exchange Students’ Visits Language For a Day On 26th September the Modern Languages department celebrated Languages Day by asking students to speak a different language for a day to raise money for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders. The languages spoken on the day included Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, British Sign Language, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Nepalese, Polish, Portuguese, Roumanian and Spanish. Some spoke combinations of the above and some teachers also gave it a try too! Thanks to all students and staff for their effort and participation. An AMAZING £1,723.07 was raised to fund more life-saving activities by Doctors without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières and was nearly three times the initial target. Well done to all students who took part!
French exchange students visiting the College in November
27 students from Montpellier, France visited Cambridge and spent nine days with their exchange partners. They attended lessons, drama workshops and lectures with their partners in College. They also visited London and Norwich. Similarly, 25 Spanish students from
Santander, Spain visited us for eight days, attending lessons and various workshops in College, as well as going on several trips in the region. Hills Road students of French and Spanish are looking forward to the return exchange in January.
Students speaking a foreign language for a day
Special mention goes to students Ahmed Tooba and Zixia Hu who raised in excess of £150. Asha Bensted-Smith and Andrew Neziri both raised over £100. Spanish exchange students in College
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Students speaking a foreign language for a day
Maths Challenges The Mathematical Challenges aim to stimulate mathematical problem solving and are run by the UK Maths Trust. Over 150 Hills Road students recently competed in the UK Senior Maths Challenge, with more than forty students going on to qualify to compete in subsequent rounds. The subsequent rounds are the Senior ‘Kangaroo’ qualification and the British Maths Olympiad Round 1.
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. It is observed on 3rd December and since that was a Sunday, the College marked the event on Monday 4th December by providing a tree to represent the diversity of disabled people within the College community. Students and staff were invited to either make their own tag or use one already made up to hang on the tree to represent groups of people with different disabilities. The number and range of disabilities represented at the College provided a great reminder of the inclusive community we have and the extent to which it is an enabling enviroment.
Students tying tags to the tree opposite the Cafe
Sister Act
Hallelujah! This year’s Christmas Enrichment musical was Sister Act, the feelgood comedy musical based on the hit movie starring Whoopi Goldberg and performed by students from across the College. It was directed by Helen and Paul Garner.
The wit, inventiveness and professionalism of the whole cast and crew made this an uplifting and hugely entertaining feel-good show with a wealth of Hills Road talent on show. Great acting, great singing, great dancing, great set! Well done to all involved!
Law Talk
Hills Road Alumna Celine talking to students
Hills Road Alumna Celine Heinz returned to Hills Road in November to give a talk to current students about Human Rights and their place in UK law. After leaving Hills Road, Celine went on to study Law at the University of Birmingham and is currently taking the Legal Practice Course at BPP University in London. When she has completed the course she will be joining Mills & Reeve as a solicitor. Year 13 student Danielle Richardson who attended the talk said “Celine and Grace went into detail about individual rights, and we were given the opportunity to question who deserves them.” “I really enjoyed the talk and my friend did too; I dragged her along, even though she isn’t even considering law. To her surprise she too found it really interesting and we continued the discussion once we had left the talk. We both learned things we never knew before and we are really pleased we went.”
A scene from Sister Act
Association of Parents and Friends
A scene from Sister Act
A scene from Sister Act
A scene from Sister Act
Hills Road Christmas Puddings The Hills Road Christmas puddings are on sale via the College Wisepay website and are available for students to collect directly from the College Bursary. The Hills Road Christmas Puddings are made by the award winning Ultimate Pudding Company who also make puddings for organisations such as Fortnum and Mason. Puddings are attractively packaged and also make a great gift. After the success of the gluten-free puddings last year, we are selling this range again this year. As well as enjoying a great pudding you will also be contributing to the College as each pudding sold makes a donation to Hills Road through the Association of Parents and Friends. Puddings weigh 1 lb (454 g) and are microwavable. The cost is £5.50 for one pudding or two for £10.00. Annual Quiz As you relax over the Christmas break, why not keep family and friends entertained and out of mischief as you try to solve all the clues before anyone else? This year the questions are all clues to towns and villages in the UK. The closing date for entries is 19th January 2018 and the lucky winner will receive a small cash prize. You will be able to make payment for the Hills Road Annual Quiz Sheet online via WisePay. Once you have logged into WisePay, click on the ‘Tickets and Events’ tab located on the homepage.
Careers Award
Daniel Zeichner MP
From left to right: Simon Bywater, Paul Ingham, students David Bell & Shannon Li, Wendy Hodgkiss
Careers staff are celebrating for the second time because they have been awarded the CEIAG (Careers, Education, Information, Advice and Guidance) Quality Award ‘Investing in Quality’. This prestigious national quality award has been awarded to the College because the quality of their careers programme, the information, advice and guidance given to their students is of a high standard and is embedded into the College’s curriculum. To gain the national Quality in Careers Standard the Careers department was able to provide sufficient current evidence to demonstrate that they met all the national quality assessment criteria in their overall CEIAG provision. In addition, with external assessment of the quality of CEIAG, through the Quality in Careers Standard, they can be confident that they are providing the best quality for all students.
From left to right: Jo Trump, Daniel Zeichner, Chris Sherwin
Daniel Zeichner, MP for Cambridge City visited the College on 16th November. He met with Principal, Jo Trump and the Principal of Long Road Sixth Form College, Chris Sherwin. Both principals were keen to talk to him ahead of the budget regarding the chronic under-funding of 16-19 education that has been experienced since 2010. They discussed the Support Our Sixth Formers campaign which is a joint campaign run by the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association in collaboration with the Association of Colleges and also with key head teachers’ organisations reflecting the plight of sixth form funding in every state institution. Chris
Sherwin and Jo Trump highlighted the under investment as a key concern with sixth form education typically being funded at 21% less per pupil on average compared with the national average funding per pupil aged 11-16. Mr Zeichner is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Sixth Form Colleges and is well informed on these issues. He committed to raising the plight currently being faced by all Sixth Form Colleges. All constituents can show their support for fair funding for sixth form education by writing to their MP, using any of the letter templates and information available at www. supportoursixthformers.org
Inspire Dialogue Event
From left to right: Jenna Loades (student), Mr Paul Ingham (Head of Careers), Mr Mark Yates (Assessor), and students David Bell, Alex Brand and Kieran Nair.
Paul Ingham, Head of Careers at Hills Road said, “The renewal of this national quality award is great news and reflects the hard work of staff in the Careers department.’’ The CEIAG Manager at Cambs County Council, Janet Harris, said “Mr Paul Ingham and staff have demonstrated through the submission of evidence and by an on-site moderation visit by our external assessor that Hills Road Sixth Form College meets the rigorous standards of the award and can sustain these into the future.” Attending the award ceremony at Shire Hall on Friday 10th November were Paul Ingham, Wendy Hodgkiss, students Shannon Li, who is applying for Medicine and David Bell who is applying for Mathematics and later wants to join the RAF. The award was presented by Simon Bywater, Councillor representing Sawtry and Ellington, who sits on the Children and Young People’s Committee.
Students were invited by Lord Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge and former Archbishop of Canterbury, to join an open dialogue event Education for Human Solidarity on 16th September. In 2015 Rowan Williams convened a diverse group of people who might not otherwise have met, for dialogue around the values that they shared. The principal guest was the Dalai Lama and they learned a great deal from the participants. He then established an annual Inspire Dialogue event. The aim of this year’s event was to generate ideas and suggestions for a project that the Inspire Dialogue Foundation is developing, creating educational resources which focus on citizenship, handling
difference, and which build an ethic of human solidarity. Chair of the Student Council and one of the participants at the event Evren Uygun said “The inclusion of individuals from all walks of life, gave us the opportunity to witness from a variety of perspectives, the change that we can foster in an inclusive set of discussions.” “From the inclusion of refugees in the education system, to the voice of current students, the way in which we approach unity in education was greatly explored, leaving with us many routes of change to follow.” “We thank Lord Williams for the invitation and the student body look forward to next year’s Inspire Dialogue event.”
Front row, from left to right Hills Road students: Cherry Dicko, Finn Jarvis, Rianna Andrews, Theo Long, Evren Uygun
Wellbeing Days There was an extensive programme of activities, talks and workshops at this year’s Wellbeing days on 28th & 29th November. The Wellbeing team arranged a wide variety of activities so that there was something of interest and intrigue for everyone. The range included goalball, mindfulness, listening skills workshops, circuit training, self-defence, table-top games, male mental health awareness, drugs awareness, watercolour painting among many others! Alongside the sessions there were
stalls and activities in the Atrium and the Zone including a ‘Fun Room’ run by the student led Amigos and an Ergo challenge run by the staff from the Hills Road Sports and Tennis Centre. The aim of the two days was to highlight the breadth and variety of things which our students can do that would have a positive impact on their wellbeing. We are very grateful to all the participants who contributed towards the two days and we are already starting to think about next year!
Table-top games in the Cafe
Goalball training session by Camsight
Indoor Kurling on wheels, not ice!
Students in the Painting Escape session
Students taking part in a Circuit Training session
Learning self-defence
Taekwondo Bronze Sports News Hills Road students have achieved the highest number of sports teams to for William Tan qualify for the AoC National Finals in April.
The Hills Road Sports teams who will be going to Nottingham University in April to compete for the Eastern Region are: • Men’s Hockey • Women’s Hockey • Men’s Volleyball • Women’s Volleyball
• • • • • • • • • •
Men’s Tennis Women’s Tennis Men’s Squash Women’s Squash Women’s Badminton Women’s Table Tennis Men’s Cross Country Men’s Golf Men’s Cricket Men’s 5-a-side Football
William Tan
I started Taekwondo about ten years ago and began competing around the age of 10. Over the years I trained in and won several championships each year starting at regional tournaments, joining the regional squad and working up to national level. I won the Gold at the World Taekwondo Championships in 2013. In 2016 I competed again for England at the international tournament and won Silver. After taking a year off for my GCSEs and my 2nd Dan black belt grading, I made a return to competing in this year’s British Championships 2017 and managed to win the bronze in the cadet black belt division. Now, looking ahead, I’ll be focusing on the next World Taekwondo Championships to be held William Tan this summer 2018.
Men’s & Women’s Volleyball teams
For the first time both the Hills Road Men’s and Women’s Volleyball teams have qualified to represent the Eastern region at the AoC National Finals. It is the third successive year that the men have qualified for the competition but the first time the women’s team have
qualified. Men’s team: Sam Edgington, Artur Demka, David Leek, Peter Cooke, Albert Amadeus, Pau Sole Vilaro. Women’s team: Anna Loudon, Diana Dourou, Olivia Hyde, Meleni Aksoy, Antonia Ren, Georgia Howitt-Sutton, Freya Sutcliffe.
Women’s Rugby Team
This Girl Can! My involvement with the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign stemmed from my successful application to be an ambassador for the organisation for the East of England. Alongside three other girls from Hills Road, we represented the East region at a conference for ambassadors held at the Olympic park in London. This experience inspired me to further my knowledge about girls’ participation in sport and the alarming rate at which participation levels are decreasing. It also allowed me to meet other like-minded girls, who were passionate about increasing the number of girls participating in sport. Hills Road has provided me with every opportunity to pursue my passion for sport. As a keen sportswoman, I play netball, tennis and volleyball for the College. Sport not only provides me with the ability to make friends and socialise, it helps me to maintain overall fitness. Fortunately Hills Road offers a variety of sport that one can participate in whatever your gender or ability. I recently contributed to an article published in The Guardian newspaper online, regarding girls’ participation in sport. I expressed my opinion about the worrying effect the media has on indoctrinating young people. Moreover, I spoke about my enthusiasm for the introduction of more women-only exercise classes. I believe that women-only exercise classes will provide women with the opportunity to take up sport in a comfortable and supportive environment. Anna Fox
The Women’s Rugby team & middle row from l to r: Albert Portsmouth, Tim Reed, Simon Morrice and Adrian Medd
The recently formed Hills Road Women’s Rugby team were delighted to be invited to the Urban Shed in King Street on 1st December to promote the launch of the team and the promotion of the Crimbo in a Bap, a speciality of the Shed at this time of year. Director of the Urban Shed, Simon Morrice decided he wanted to help the newly formed team in some way after their coach, Adrian Medd, a regular customer at the Urban Shed, told him about the team’s formation. Simon said, “Adrian told me that Hills Road Sixth Form College had been selected as one of the initial twenty-one
colleges designated as a Focus College and supported by the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) initiative, amongst other things, for promoting and developing women’s rugby.” Adrian said “This group of girls only a handful of whom had any experience of playing rugby - have come together very quickly and are now a tight-knit supportive group who represent all of the core values of rugby participation and they are a pleasure to coach.” If you would like to support the team please go to: www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/hillsroadsixthformcollegewomensrugby