WILLENHALL E-ACT ACADEMY Newsletter Issue 13
In Pursuit of Personal Best
Special Thanks to Vicki Till
Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Dear Reader Welcome to our Academy Newsletter for this summer. Since our last newsletter in December, you will see that we have had a very busy and successful Spring and Summer Term. Our staff and students have had much to celebrate and I hope you enjoy reading their reports and articles. The past two terms have been very busy for me personally too as I have prepared to hand over the leadership of the academy to the new Principal, Mr Ashley this September. Mr Ashley is currently Associate Headteacher at Brownhills School in Walsall. I consider myself to have been very privileged to be able to serve the students and their families in the community over the course of my 34 year career at Willenhall. I joined the school in 1979 as a newly qualified teacher of French and German and over the course of my career I have been fortunate to enjoy the positions of Head of Modern Languages, Assistant Headteacher in charge of the SixthForm and since 2003, and Head teacher. I have been very proud to see the levels of achievement for our students rise over the years to what will be an all -time best for students this year, predicted to be between 55% and 58%. I have always been conscious that Willenhall has a special body of staff and that they make these achievements possible. I am indebted
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to them for their unflinching commitment and these successes. Long may they continue to give the students and families of Willenhall this level of support. Willenhall has great spirit and I am really proud that our students display such excellent levels of leadership skills. They display courage and perseverance and the leadership pathways developed within the academy, born out of Sports College status, are a positive asset and strength. Willenhall students are amazing young people and you will catch a glimpse of just some of their achievements as you read on. Lastly, I must thank Parents for all the support and partnership work they have shown over the years. Without parental support our young people would not shine as brightly. Thank you for this. I will take with me very many happy memories and I would like to wish the students and staff of Willenhall every best wish for the future on your journey towards excellence. Onwards and upwards! Best wishes,
Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
The Final Curtain Year 11 The Graduation Assembly was a great way to celebrate our last day as Y11 students at Willenhall E-Act Academy and share our successes with each other. The assembly was prepared and presented by a group of Y11 students; they were Rhys Parfitt, Rajvinder Sidhu, Brad Coward, Tiffany Afflick, Jack Brazier, Nathan Critch, Adam Price and Mandeep Kalirai. These students performed in the assembly and presented the events and awards to celebrate our success. As we walked in each student received their own Record of Achievement portfolio which is a reflection of our achievements and successes throughout our school life. We were proud to have something to take away and recognise our time at Willenhall. Each Y11 student also received a handmade graduation cake and a drink of squash as well as various rewards and certificates. Ms Lyonette and Mrs Hussain helped to prepare the Graduation Assembly by encouraging students to lead the assembly and give them the opportunity to ‘own’ the final assembly. Mrs Till gave a speech aswell to Yr 11 which was nice.
The Y11 students that prepared the assembly wrote speeches and ensured that the pupils involved all contributed by speaking and giving out awards to other students. They introduced the acts onto the stage to rounds of applause and friendly laughter at some of the awards. These are a few of the few quotes given after the assembly by the teachers and students, Molly Pugh quotes “it was nice to see everyone for the final time.” And Millie Thompson quotes “we received our Record of Achievement, which is a folder reflecting our time at Willenhall. Light hearted awards were given out such as funniest person award which was fun and different.” Ms Lyonette quotes “the Graduation Assembly in one word was AMAZING!” Y11 student Rajvinder Sidhu
Year 13 Saying goodbye & good luck We held our first Year 13 Graduation on Thursday 20th June to say a fond farewell to our current Year 13 students and wish them all the best for their future. Our special guest, Mrs Campbell, who kindly deputised for Mrs Till, reflected on the exciting times they had shared with us as Willenhall School Sports College and more recently Willenhall E-Act Academy. Our Post 16 Mentors had nominated some very special students to receive awards, Megan Wilkes and Rebecca Bush being celebrated for their determination, alongside other students such as Robin and Rikki Knowles, Tom Proffitt and Nathan Burns. Post 16 students were also involved in the ceremony, with James Lee doing a fantastic job announcing the student awards; the nicest smile being awarded to Georgia Adams, Anthony Jones most likely to be found with his head in a book and also the most likely to succeed, along with Tom Storey. Hao Hang was awarded the nicest guy, with Shanita Manhertz, Kate Rowley, Jack Simmonds and Grace
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Wilkinson also carrying off student nominated awards. Of course we celebrated some amazing attendance achievements as well with a number of students gaining upwards of 98% attendance and two students, Josh Allen and Tom Harris, who had 100% attendance during both Years 12 and 13 with us in Post 16. The event was rounded off with a chance to take some photos and then a buffet and some specially commissioned Graduation Cup Cakes (thank you to Mrs Hussain for organising them) in the Post 16 Common Room. It was a wonderful day, a chance to celebrate not only the end of the exam season but also 7 glorious years with us. We wish Year 13 all the very best for their results day on 15th August and their futures as they leave us to begin the next exciting chapter of their lives.
Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Year 11 Literacy Project Prelude A blank page is a pretty intimidating thing. The year 11 literacy project was set up in order to provide an antidote to this fact. Over the course of the project, hastily scribbled words and phrases became the draft of a short story. Became, in time, an entire magazine.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
The first stage of the project saw the year 11 cohort stood at the gates of Dudley Castle. Faced by a stern looking Professor McGonagall, they were chided for being late and, suitably unsettled, taken into a dungeon like room to be sorted into their Hogwarts house by a sorting hat that rasped and knew more than a hat should know.
Picture a boardroom.
Each house was then assigned to a witch and taken on a tour of the castle grounds. The students were asked to note down words and phrases that they felt captured the feel of the castle. One room, its roof long since disappeared, was described beautifully as being ‘decapitated’ by one student. As ‘crumbling like brown sugar’ by another. The focus of the day was on the way in which close attention to the senses can inspire writing. Continuing this theme, the pupils witnessed a bird of prey display, and were given the opportunity to browse Dudley Zoo and come into very close contact with some of the smaller creatures that the zoo has under its care. These included a mythical looking (That lizard/ dragon thingy. What was it called???) and a particularly flexible ferret. An encounter with a shady Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher (looking like a Dementor’s slightly less ethereal cousin) closed the day. Each student was given an object (a skull, a mysterious chalice, etc.) and told, under timed conditions and under the guidance of a member of staff, to write a story that sketched out the origins of their object. These stories were then read out by the members of staff who they were assigned to. Every story was well crafted and interesting, especially considering the time limit imposed. Special mention goes to Connor Anderson who, seeing me struggle with reading out a story about a green skull so complex that it couldn’t help but be unfinished, stepped in and improvised the entire thing with the confidence of an experimental jazz musician. It was a wonderful, impromptu moment.
A mess of multi-coloured paper and pens takes up all but slithers of the table top. Buzzwords are stuck to the walls and glue, scissors and ideas are being passed from person to person; the mess is being assembled into the first draft of a magazine. You catch its title before the half assembled front cover is whisked away and scrutinised by another pair of eyes: PIXELrated. Music floats from an expensive sound system, serving to spur on the rate of work rather than to distract. Eyes are narrowed in exactly the manner you would expect the eyes of highly paid art directors to be narrowed - art directors who barely have time to sip their coffee before another idea does an obligatory lap of the table. Except these are not highly paid art directors. They are not the minds behind the latest Armani fashion range, or the editors of a hip, highly profitable publication (yet). They are a group of Year 11’s, and this is the second stage of the Year 11 Literacy Project. Their boardroom is Kerrang Radio’s boardroom, and down the same corridor is a soundproof glass sheet through which radio presenters mouth silently. These people are household names, their voices are household voices and, at this moment in time, they have a very real presence in thousands upon thousands of households and places of work across the country. The day began with a tour of the Kerrang studios, an unassuming and open plan environment that, though very obviously the scene of a high level of activity and productivity, nevertheless succeeds in promoting a relaxed atmosphere. A place where even a man called Johnny Doom can live to work, and not merely work to live. For the remainder of the day, our students were split into two groups and were given the task of coming up with a developed concept for a magazine. Having ascertained their target audience, a title had to be settled upon and content produced. An aesthetic style was to be drafted and, to top the whole thing off, the entire package had to be pitched, not only to their peers, but also to members of the Kerrang Radio team. The horror stories that were drafted at Dudley Castle and honed in a subsequent session were included also. Having embodied Kerrang’s work ethos, the pitches given by both groups were confidently presented and the written content was of a very high standard indeed, standing testament to the level of creative thought that was taking place throughout the day. Owen Gerard for instance had the initiative to ask for an interview with Mr Doom himself and was rewarded with a recording of this interview. I am sure that it will be framed and treasured for years to come.
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
New York Year 12 Raising Aspirations Trip - 11th to 15th March The experience of a life time is how our trip to New York can best be described. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip. Not a dull moment overshadowed our travels. We were blinded by the bright lights that greeted us in Times Square. Our adventures there included being elevated to the top of the Empire State Building, where we enjoyed immaculate views over the ‘city that never sleeps’. Also, for the shopaholics among us, we strolled down the world renowned 5th Avenue where we shopped until we were ready to drop. Written by Dharamveer Dhaliwal We also went to the world famous Hard Rock Café where we not only experienced the delicious food on offer, but we also got to see classic rock memorabilia. Visiting Central Park was another highlight of the many we experienced on our trip to New York, witnessing one of the most famous sights in New York was awe inspiring. Plus we got to play on swings! Never pass up on the chance to visit the greatest city in the world. Written by Pavandeep Chanian
ON THE BUSSES!
On 6th June 2013 7SP, 7LJ and 7DG visited The Transport Museum in Wythall for their summer project. Pupils were able to experience what it was like to work as a driver or conductor throughout the years. Pupils learnt about how busses are constructed and how they have changed over the years in order to design and construct their own bus throughout the rest of the term in school. Years 7’s were a credit to the school and the museum was delighted to be a part of the project. Well done Year 7 for representing Willenhall E-ACT Academy in a positive way! H Hopkins of 7SP said: “It was really nice meeting the tour guide Roger as he explained to me what all of the different busses were used for.” Mia Grice of 7LJ said: “I really liked drawing all of the different busses as we were able to draw from the real thing.” Jordan Spicer of 7DG said: “I was thrilled to be able to sit in the driver’s seat on the bus. I was shocked at how little room there was.”
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
The Salter’s Festival of Chemistry at Aston University On Wednesday 15th May Mrs Nicholls took Niamh Cadman (8NS), Rohan Chaunkria (8NS), James Fleet (7GF) and I to Aston University in Birmingham to take part in The Salter’s Festival of Chemistry. Throughout the day we worked in the University’s brand new Chemistry labs and had to complete two separate challenges without any help at all from our teacher. We were competing against some of the top schools in the West Midlands and were being judged all the time by teachers from the University.
The first challenge was a crime scene investigation where a head teacher had been murdered in the staff room and was found with powder on his clothes! We had to test powders collected from different suspects and decide who had committed the crime. This involved using different acids and carrying out flame tests to see different chemical reactions.
and won a science kit for our school. We had a great day and enjoyed going to the University and working in their labs. Kimberley King 7GF
After lunch we took part in the second challenge which involved dying fabrics and comparing them. We also had to make patterns on the fabrics with wax to see how the wax prevented different dyes from soaking in to the fabric. Then, it was the awards ceremony. We watched one of the Professors carry out lots of different chemical reactions before it was announced that we were being awarded with third place in the afternoon challenge. We beat eight other schools
Sky Living
GREAT NEWS
On Wednesday 24th April a group of students met with Heather Fisher (Athlete Mentor) who is an England Rugby International. The discussion was about aspirations, working hard, and being determined to achieve their personal best.
CASHLESS CATERING IS COMING TO WILLENHALL
The Sky Living for Sport Program covers six key points which are known as the six points of success; • • • • • •
Mental toughness Hunger to achieve People skills Sports and life knowledge Breaking barriers Planning for success
Over seven weeks, both sets of students did lots of team building and challenging activities. All the activities was recorded and then compiled together to produce a film showing what they have achieved on the program. In assembly last week they all received a Sky Living for Sport T-Shirt.
The Governors have agreed the installation of Cashless Catering at Willenhall E-ACT Academy. It is anticipated that the system will go live late September, following pupil registrations during early September. Parents can expect to receive permission letters to request the Biometric registration of their children, which involves taking a simple image of the forefinger for use on the Trust-E system. The Trust-E solution from Nationwide has been selected as the service provider and ParentPay have been selected as the online payment service to link directly so that parents can easily pay for their children’s meals. ParentPay offers you the freedom to make payments whenever and wherever you like, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - safe in the knowledge that the technology used is of the highest internet security available.
Benefits of the Trust-e Cashless Catering System •
Increased speed of service reducing queuing times
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Increased uptake on Free School Meals
•
Anonymity on Free School Meals reducing bullying
•
Facility to pay On-Line
•
No need to carry cash preventing loss/theft
•
Automatic alerts to stop pupils purchasing allergy trigger items
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Students learn about important lifestyle control by monitoring their own accounts
More information will be available as the process continues. Look out for updates on the Academy website.
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Two pupils from Willenhall achieve success in
UK Youth Parliament Elections
Record numbers of young people in Walsall have voted in new members of the United Kingdom Youth Parliament (UKYP) for the borough. Over 13,000 young people cast their votes in schools, colleges and online to elect the winning candidates to act as their representatives for the coming year. Two pupils at Willenhall E-Act Academy were voted in as deputies (DMYPs). They are Jack Brazier aged 16 and Lydia McGann aged 15. Both candidates campaigned hard and fought fiercely to win their place in the UK Youth Parliament. The Academy’s corridors were festooned with posters and campaign leaflets were handed out as they circulated the school encouraging their colleagues to vote for them in the build-up to the elections. Both pupils also made a short video in which they outlined what they would do for their voters if elected. They both did a very professional job and their videos were shown in schools all over Walsall. On his election success, Jack said ‘I feel privileged to be elected and committed to really making a change. I’d like to thank everyone for the votes and support’. Lydia said ‘I was really surprised to win as the other candidates were so good, but I was also really proud. I want to listen to the young people of Walsall and make a positive change for them’ UK Youth Parliament gives young people aged 11 to 18 years the opportunity to express their views on issues important to them at local and national government levels. The newly elected young people will go on to represent Walsall at local, regional and national levels, challenging and working on various issues and projects including: anti social behaviour, sexual health, lack of things to do, transport and much more. Councillor Rachel Andrew, portfolio holder for Children’s Services at Walsall Council Coalition said: “I was really pleased to hear that there was such a high turnout of voters for this year’s UK Youth Parliament elections.
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“It is fantastic that so many young people are getting involved in local government and working to have their voices heard. “Thank you to last year’s MYPs and DMYPs for their excellent work and to all of this year’s candidates for putting themselves forward. “Congratulations to this year’s winners. I look forward to working with them and I hope they have an enjoyable and successful year representing Walsall.” Last year’s MYPs/DMYPs; Daniella Hill, Thomas Evans, Zak Hems and Robert Millward worked extremely hard over the past year on various issues with some brilliant campaigns such as “See the good behind the hood”, “Think before you click”, “Push it” and “Drugged up – getting clued up on drug and alcohol” as well as debating in the House of Commons. They also did a fantastic job as hosts for this year’s ‘Big Announcement’ event. Work will start straight away for the four newly elected candidates who will attend a regional induction at the beginning of April to find out more about their new roles. Jenni Mackay from Youth Opinions Unite, who facilitate the elections and support the UKYP representatives said: “We would like to thank everyone who voted and got involved in the elections and in all of the other projects and activities throughout the year. “We would also like to say a very special thank you to the fourteen young people who put themselves forward as candidates this year and who worked so far over the past two months on their campaigns. “All of the young people should be very proud of themselves. The unelected candidates will all be offered a seat on the Youth of Walsall (YOW) cabinet group so they will continue to be able to play a role in representing young people in the borough.” For more information on Youth Opinions Unite or UK Youth Parliament contact the team on 01922 654888 or go to www.youthopinionsunite.co.uk
Legends of the Trafford
On Sunday 2nd June, 27 students went to Old Trafford to watch a charity event for Red Heart United in support of the Manchester United Foundation. The match was United Legends including Bryan Robson (as manager), Edwin van der Sar and Ruud van Nistelrooy versus Real Madrid’s greatest ever players which included Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo. The game was played at a high level with both legends teams showing they can still play at a good level with Real Madrid coming out on top and winning 2-1.The fun-day was not just football there were performances from chart topping band JLS, Amelia Lily and Tinchy Stryder which created a carnival atmosphere for all to enjoy.
Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Year 10
What did we learn? •
Numeracy
•
Project
What was the week about? • • •
• • • • • • •
Maths And How You Have To Use It In Everyday Life Increasing Our Maths Skills We Practised Using Maths Skills Such As Adding, Subtracting, Dividing, Multiplication, Percentages, Bar Charts, Tally Charts. Competitor Analysis Customer Care Research Running Our Own Shop Planning What We Needed To Do Setting The Shop Up Pricing – Working Out Our Profit Margins Teamwork, Roles And Responsibilities And Rota’s
Who was involved? Year 10 students • • • • • • • • • • •
Jake Kirk Karl Grice Courtney Hutchison Charlie Brooks Ryan Holland Perron Carter Ben Bridgwater Miss Haines ESS-Team – Viv Russell, Linda Robson, Helen Owen and other members of their team. Mrs Samuels LCC Maths Coaches – Mr Cooper, Mr Kang, Miss Aujila and Mrs Ankrett
• • • • • • • • • • • •
How much maths was relevant to the working world How much mathematical research goes into the preparation of setting up a shop How to do bar and tally charts Maths can be fun in different ways unlike school Excitement and confidence Communication skills – talking to people was scary at first but we loved it by end of the week! Learning more maths without realising it. To work in a team To work out how much change to give without a calculator. To calculate the finances at the end of the week Planning is important – it helps you work out what needs to be done and why. That I can be creative – designing posters to increase sales, promote products To remain calm even if lots to do I like to be kept busy – the shop helped me identify that if I am active and doing things I learn more but also my behaviour is good.
What did we enjoy most? • • • • • • • •
Learning more maths differently Gaining confidence In maths Talking to people I can do it Overjoyed that I went through this week We gave people respect with our manners and appearance and got lots of respect back. Working in a team as I normally work by myself.
“I enjoyed the animal man, we got to touch and see different animals that we hadn’t seen before.”
“I enjoyed the animal man, we got to touch and se different animals that we hadn’t seen before.”
How much did we make? • • • •
In total we took £326.96 Stock cost us £121.96 Profit made was £206 £103 going to Dogs Rescue and £103 going to students’ charity choice of Cancer Research
“I really enjoyed the animal man. It was very
“I really enjoyed the
interesting. I would like
animal man. It was very
him to come to school again.”
interesting. I would like him to come to school
“The animal man was AMAZING.
again.”
I loved the snakes and the
“I enjoyed the animal man, we got to touch and see Connor Cheetham 7KA Connor Cheetham 7KA different animals that we hadn’t seen before.”
raccoon dog Tulie.”
Animal Man “It was amazing; we got to see lots of different animals.” Key stage three pupils got up, close“Iand personal for a really enjoyed the hands on interactive animal encounter with ‘Animal Man’ animal man. It was very
Pupils from Year 7 and 8 truly had a interesting. unique, fun, and I would like fascinating experience as they were him given thetoopportunity to come school to come into the land of the Animal Man again.” and experience close encounters with lizards, snakes, animals, birds,7KA and Connor Cheetham insects from every corner of the world.
“The animal man was AMAZING. I loved the snakes and the raccoon dog Tulie.”
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Shire Oak STEM day
On Thursday 13th of June we had a trip to Shire Oak Academy. The trip was all about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). Architecture Workshop The first activity was an architecture workshop. We had to build a triangular structure from sticks and rubber bands. This task was mostly about teamwork and communication. The only way to get it done was to work as a team. We had to connect the triangles (tetrahedrons) together to make a bigger structure. When all was done, the big triangle was dropped from a height; the force was equal on all sides causing only a little damage to the structure. Mathletics For the second activity we went on a web site called Mathletics; students could compete in maths sum races to earn tokens. These could be spent on accessories for your personal avatar to customise it. When we earned 1000 points we could earn a certificate! Dinosaur Mike For our third activity we were taught about dinosaurs by a palaeontologist called Dinosaur Mike, he taught us about a dinosaur called the Brontosaurus (thunder thighs). We were told to think of names for a new dinosaur that had been found in America that was similar to a Brontosaurus and he would forward them to his colleagues to see what names they would like best. The name put forward by us was Tripodactle. Managing Money Our fourth session was led by a lady from Lloyd’s TSB who taught us how to manage our money. We had to manage money for an Olympic contender and learned how hard it would be to live on £1000 a month. Aerodynamics For our last activity we had to design an aeroplane to a budget. To do this we had to get planes further than 5 metres, this meant they had to be aerodynamic. We also earned money by decoration, pilot payment and correct total working out. We enjoyed this activity as it was creative and really amusing; we had to work in a team with Shire Oak students which turned out better than expected.
KS3 STEM SUCCESS On Tuesday 2nd July 100 high achieving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) students were selected to show off their problem solving skills in a series of team challenges. There were 16 teams who were poised to do battle for the prizes up for grabs in the gym. The first challenge was called ‘Egg Tower’, each team had to design and manufacture the tallest tower to support the weight of an egg without collapsing, using only wooden dowels and elastic bands. There was a twist though, students had to ensure that did not over engineer the structures and used the least amount of materials possible. The winning team actually dismantled their first design as it wasn’t going to plan but managed to complete their structure before time was up.
Winning teams Egg tower Edward Thomas Charlotte Till James Timmins Megan Tonks Alex Tunnicliffe
Energy Ball Nicholas Honeghan Rhianne Howell Tayze Hutchins Kellese Hyde Sukhmuni Jagpal Chelsea Jones Elastic Racers James Thomas Kelsey Washbrook Morgan Woolley Cameron Yates Demi-Lee Yates
The second challenge was called ‘Energy Ball’, students were given a roll of card, sticky tape and lolly sticks. The idea was that each team had to build a track for a marble to roll down and land safely into a cup at the end. The winning team was the one who that kept the ball moving for the longest time. There were lots of different designs and the teams worked excellently together but the winning team managed a time of over 13 seconds. The final challenge of the day was call ‘Elastic Racers’, the idea of this task was to design and make an elastic powered car to travel the largest distance possible. This competition was really close and some students produced some weird and wonderful contraptions; the winning design managed to travel over 15 meters.
By Nathan Whitehouse, Kothanyl Holmes and Cameron Yates 8BH
Note
School Shop open at break times in the dining room selling all your stationary requirements including USB memory devices. If you would like to join our sales team or would like more information please contact Mrs Challinor. 10
Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Monkey Forest It’s all monkey business On the 27th June almost 90 students and lots of staff went to Monkey Forest in Staffordshire. Monkey Forest is part of a conservation and scientific study area of the Barbary Macaques. Students got the opportunity to get close up and personal with the monkeys. The Barbary Macaques are yellowishbrown or dull grey monkeys with dark pink faces and vestigial tails. They walk on their hands and feet similar to that of a dog. The monkeys are also in enclosures because, the breed of the Barbary Macaques are meant to live in the wild and learn to fend for themselves. The enclosures are used to make the monkeys feel like they are in the wild. Another reason why the monkeys are in an enclosure are because, some of the Barbary Macaques will be released into the wild in the coming months.
Furthermore, the species are becoming endangered due to the trees being cut down in the mountains where they live. Barbary Macaques live in a forest with old oak trees; they use these types of trees because of the sheer size of them so they can get more food to eat. It is important to be able to estimate the height and the age of the oak trees in Monkey Forest so we used a clinometer to measure the angle. We then used practical maths to work out the height of the trees. Barbary Macaques have fully developed hands with opposable thumbs and even seek social interaction like that of a human and share our high levels of intellect. The Barbary Macaques are omnivores so they can eat both vegetation and insects which encourages many other forms of wildlife (such as ducks, squirrels and rabbits) to coexist peacefully with them. Unlike other species of monkeys, and also humans, the males tend to take care of the young as a form of social interaction. At Monkey Forest, they have enough confidence to stroll freely among people and use paths. They must remain as close to nature as possible to one day returning to the wild.
as the females will be born into their position and it will not change whereas, males are different. The male monkeys will be born into a high or low position. If a male is born into a low position then he can work his way higher up the chain by fighting other male monkeys and carrying around the babies and looking after them. However, when monkeys fight it would look and sound like they are being hurt. But, if they do get hurt, it will not be bad, as they are only fighting over hierarchy. A monkey would never kill or badly wound one of their own. Overall, it was a great day out and we learned a lot. By, Ryan Draisey, Phoebe Rowell, Ethan Brough and Chloe Hayward
The hierarchy in Barbary Macaques is different between males and females
Want Adventure? Then Come and Get Some! Adventure? Sounds exciting! However, adventure won’t come looking for you… but If you’ve ever been involved with the Duke of Edinburgh Award at Willenhall Academy, you’ll already know that the adventure is where you go looking for it! On their recent practice expedition to the Church Stretton area of Shropshire, our teams showed real determination tackling not one but two major climbs to complete their walk that was in total over 20 kilometres, spread over two days. Due to good weather, our groups managed to do a great deal more exploring of the area and, on the second day, enjoyed the splendid views offered from Ragleth Hill and to look back on the route that they had walked the previous day. However, what really made the expedition stand out for the leaders (including Mr Kang. Miss Woolham and Miss Courtney) was the quality of the meals cooked by the participants. Home-made curry, pasta, stews and all manner of tasty goodness was on offer and there wasn’t a single potnoodle on show. It was obvious that everyone had taken on
board the nutrition and cooking training provided by Miss Courtney! “Normally, I’m used to seeing packet meals and boring dinners,” remarked Mr Hartshorne (Stew) from West Walsall E-ACT Academy, who helped us supervise the weekend. “I’ve never seen such great meals on a D of E expedition.” Campcraft, and organisation on the campsite was also excellent. “Normally, a Bronze practice can be quite disorganised on camp,” said Mr While-Cooper, Expedition Leader. “But I was impressed with how well the students worked together. The staff had almost nothing to do in the evening, which is very unusual. Our students managed perfectly well by themselves, showing that they really understood what D of E is all about.” The Duke of Edinburgh Award is open to all pupils from year 10 upwards. Priority will be given to pupils in Year 9 who are moving into year 10 next year and 6th Form Pupils are invited to participate, either as a continuation of their Bronze Award in year 10, or as a direct entry to the Silver Award in Year 12/13. The next enrolment will take place in September 2013. Any students interested should contact Mr While-Cooper, Miss Courtney, Mr Webster, Miss Woolham, Miss Clarke or Mr Kang and any members of staff who would like to be involved with our D of E team should speak to Mr WhileCooper.
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Children’s Holiday Activities
Easter Extravaganza 2013 In the Easter holidays we held a three day play scheme called the Easter Extravaganza which was targeted at children in years 5 & 6. The Easter Extravaganza ran from Wednesday 10th April – Friday 12th April and there was no cost for the children who attended. The Easter Extravaganza activities consisted of Science workshops where the children conducted fun and exciting experiments, Design and Technology projects where the children built towers and had competitions on who could build the tallest tower and multi skills where the children took part in different sporting games such as bench ball, dodge ball, hockey and many more fun activities. All internal activities were delivered by Willenhall E-Act Academy teachers. In total we had 37 children who attended all three days all from local primary schools. On the Friday, the children were taken to Laches Wood in Wolverhampton which is an outdoor activity centre. The children took part in activities such as canoeing, archery, rock climbing, orienteering and BMX biking. All the children thoroughly enjoyed the 3 days and said they would attend another play scheme. Below are a few comments from parents and children who gave their feedback.
After such a successful Easter Extravaganza we decided to run another 3 day event in Whit week. This ran from the Wednesday 29th MayFriday 31st May. This again was targeted at years 5 & 6 but this time we had 40 children who attended which was our maximum amount of places that we could fill. The cost of the 3 days was only £5 including the trip. For the Wicked Whit Week the activities were similar to Easter however we held an Art workshop where children could make their own masks, we also held a science workshop as the majority of children who attend the Easter Extravaganza said they enjoyed this the most, followed by multi skills on the afternoons where they played football, basketball, cricket, dodgeball and even had a go on the trampolines which was requested on the feedback forms from the children in the previous play scheme. On the Friday we took the children on a trip to Kingswood Activity Centre in Albrighton. The children took part in Aero ball, obstacle courses, team building exercises, caving and rock climbing. Below are a few comments from parents and children who gave their feedback. “I think the whole 3 days is fantastic value for money and an excellent idea and opportunity for the children to learn and have fun. Thank you all very much.” (Mr Connelly) “I loved the trampolining.” (Shannon, aged 9)
“My Child never stopped talking about what he had done that day and was really excited for the next day!” (Mr Shah)
“I enjoyed the science experiments the most because I have never done anything like this before.” (Alishba, aged 10)
“My Daughter thoroughly enjoyed all 3 days, Well done Willenhall E-Act Academy!” (Mrs Wilkes)
“I was really pleased with the whit week activities I thought it was value for money and was happy in the thought that he was safe and happy making new friends” (Mrs Gotheridge)
“I enjoyed the trip the most. It was the first time I had tried canoeing.” (George aged 10) “I enjoyed meeting the teachers who will be there when I come up in year 7 in September.” (Taila aged 9)
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Wicked Whit Week
Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Avoncroft Museum On Friday 12th April 2013 students from Yr.7 had an opportunity to visit an outdoor museum as part of their school curriculum “Time Machine”. This was 25 buildings outdoor museum that gave us an insight of what and how people lived in the Tudor times, Elizabethan times, Victorian times and in the 1940’s. Firstly, we were split into three different groups. Mrs. Powell had one group, Mrs. Allen had another and Mr.Jones had the other group. Then we set off to explore the buildings within our groups. The first building we saw and investigated was the Tudor house. This was a house where people from the Tudor era lived.
Tudor house were framed with massive uprights, vertical timbers that were usually made of oak and occasionally elm. Next, we looked at the spires. These are the tall, long and pointy things that are normally on top of churches. Some priests say that these are placed here so people are aware that there is a church here and also because they reach out to heaven. The most interesting building was the court cellblock. They were left in here to rot and were locked up so they couldn’t escape. After lunch, we had a look at the ice house. This deep, long hole (that did not seem to end) was used to ice cold. We called it the fridge for the olden days. Lastly, we saw a air raid shelter. This was a protection shelter for the people who lived in the 1940’s. This was made out of metal and was digged deep down into the earth; these also had soil and plants planted on top so that whenever the Germans tried bombing the English they would be fooled thinking that there this was a normal flower bed. As we were coming back to the coach we saw that there was a beautiful windmill that we were allowed to go and explore. We learnt that this windmill was once used to grind wheat to make flour. This was amazing. We actually went up and into the windmill. We all enjoyed our day at Avon croft buildings museum. We couldn’t have gone without Mrs. Powell, Mrs.Allen and Mr.Jones. We can’t thank them enough. Report written by Arshdeep Kaur
Year 7 @ Keele In January, Year 7 students travelled to Keele University to experience a little of what degree level study has to offer. Eccentric lecturers, they soon learned, are one part of what University is all about. Who knew that music can, in a very real way, control what you think and feel? A hyperactively delivered lecture by a Doctor of Music demonstrated, in practice and in theory, how the title music that accompanies a T.V series can tell us, with great accuracy, the types of scenes we should be expecting. Most disturbingly, it was made clear that such music can also serve to powerfully manipulate preexisting gender biases; how we pigeonhole the opposite gender according to the roles we subconsciously associate them with. Lewis Ellis wrote after the trip that he would ‘love the opportunity to go back to Keele’, as the lecture he had on how music can control your mind was ‘quite interesting’. The students were taken on a tour of the picturesque and eclectic Keele campus, posing by Freshers Gate (pictured right) with the magnificent Keele Hall in the background. Many of the Year 7’s were surprised by the sheer range of courses that universities offer. Amy Cox wrote afterwards that she would definitely ‘put University into consideration’ following the trip.
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
NATIONAL
SPORTS WEEK 2013
On the week starting the 24th June all schools across the country participated in National Sports Week 2013. The week is used to promote sport and physical activity. Here at Willenhall E-ACT Academy pupils and staff got involved in a variety of activities and competitions. During the week pupils showed a great enthusiasm and positive attitude to get involved. Activities included a teacher vs. pupils’ event. This event saw teachers from across the school come down to P.E and play against the pupils. The pupils and staff showed a very competitive and fun attitude. Mrs Deakin and Mr Jones took 11 lucky pupils to the Tamworth SnowDome for a skiing lesson. Competitions in Football, tennis, fencing and Dance also took place. Pupils also joined in a three legged race in which Lewis Roberts and Pace Stanford of year 8 flew past all 42 pupils and staff to finish in first place. Pupils at Willenhall E-ACT Academy were not the only pupils to enjoy the activities two of our primary schools where invited by Mrs Kearns and Mrs Roberts to have a fencing taster session. Also, during the week, pupils also competed in the Black Country Games where pupils lead or participated in many different activities representing Walsall. The rounders’ team led by Mrs Little finished in a brilliant 2nd place. 12 pupil leaders were also selected to help run Bentley Wests Sports Day. It was amazing to see the character of the pupils of Willenhall E-act Academy. They have shown great positive attitude to get involved and try new things.
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Year 11
Prom Class of 2013 Hollywood came to Walsall for one night, as Willenhall students dressed to impress when they descended on the Village Hotel in Walsall to celebrate Year 11 Prom.
The Y11 Prom was an extravagant night with lots of glitz and glam, limos and lashes, smiling faces and even some tears - of joy, of course. Everyone had a great night and some Y11’s were heard saying it was “the best night ever” Mrs Till popped in to see all was well and to wish us all the best, she was pleased to see everyone having a good time. Ms Lyonette was heard commenting ‘’you all look amazing!’’ and the teachers joined in the celebrations with us too. Mr Bhorjee was busting some moves and kept us on our toes on the dance floor. It was agreed a good time was had by all.
counted them up and Ms Campbell announced the winners to a drum roll, The Prom King - Sachin Hayre, Prom Queen Nicole Nagra, Prom Prince - Jack Brazier and Prom Princess - Shanie Whitticase. Everyone cheered and sashes were given out and pictures taken to capture the memory. Prom was a great experience, never to be forgotten, it was the chance to see everyone together for one last time from the Willenhall Eact Academy Class of 2013 and marked the end of an era. We just wish we could do it all again…. Article written by: Y11 Reporter Rajvinder Sidhu and quotes taken from Y11 students on the night. The Photographer commented ‘’of all the proms I have had been too this is by far the best. The students at Willenhall are very polite and respectful and love having their pictures taken. I’ve really enjoyed the whole event’’. The pictures were taken by Philip Charles Photography
Months prior to this a lot of hard work and co-ordination had been put into creating this very special Prom night by the Y11 Prom Committee including; Jessica Street, Georgia Johnson, Kirstie Mercer, Emily Smith, Tillie Chamberlain, Tom Bradley, Bethany Eccleston, Bethany King, Emily Archer, and Simukai Sekeramayi. The Prom Committee certainly did an excellent job in making sure that the Year 11 Prom Class of 2013 was a night to remember. Mr Thomas and Ms Lyonette kept a close eye on the plans and our spending! They worked hard behind the scenes to make our dreams come true! The BMC looked after the ticket sales for us and helped promote the event. On the night everything came together and everything ran smoothly including the food, the music, and the black and silver theme and of course the balloons! On the night votes were collected from everyone for Prom King and Prom Queen and there was a chance to be Prom Prince and Prom Princess as runners up. Once the votes were in the staff
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Enterprise Charity Fundraising Presentation Years 8, 9 and 10 raised a grand total of £390 through the Christmas Enterprise Fundraising Project. Paula Ellison from Cancer Research UK was invited in to school to receive the cheque and to give some information about the work that the charity performs. Morgan Wright and Chantelle Malhi from 9DN were selected to present the cheque and asked Paula some questions about the work of Cancer Research UK. Paula was really pleased at the amount of money that we raised and told us that it is enough money to buy a Water Bath for the Scientists to use in their experimental work to control the temperature of their experiments. Morgan told Paula about 9DN’s challenge to run and row the length of the M6 to raise money for the charity. Paula was pleased to note that it was not the actual M6 that was used, but the equipment in the fitness suite! Paula explained that her job as Area Fundraising Manager West Midlands takes her to around two schools per week to talk about how to prevent Cancer and where the money that we raise goes. Paula explained that the money goes to help scientists develop drugs to fight cancer as well as to provide support and nursing care to those with cancer.
Fair Trade Competition in Business Studies! Being an Ethical is important for us as individuals as well as businesses. Only last month we heard about the tragedy in the eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh which housed clothing factories with poor working conditions. The collapse is noted as the world’s deadliest garment industry disaster and one of the worst industrial accidents. The biggest factor in this incident is the number of people that were working in the apparently poorly maintained building. This unethical practice has highlighted the plight of many who work within industries such as coffee and sugar farming. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. The students in Year 9 GCSE Business have been investigating fair trade and the products that are available with a fair trade certification. As a result of this class discussion Year 9 GCSE Business were set a challenge to produce a Fair Trade product using only Fair Trade ingredients. Amongst the winners of the competition was Beth Keatley who baked some tasty chocolate Brownies using fair trade chocolate and sugar. Well done to those who took part. The Business Staff certainly enjoyed judging the competition!
BREAKING NEWS! Paula gave us a snippet of just released information: Next year on Channel 4 the show Stand Up to Cancer will be screened again. One Direction signed up to support the show and will also be giving Cancer Research UK 10% of their ticket sales for their forthcoming Arena Tour!
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Willenhall E-ACT Academy are clued up on Careers On 13th March 2013, Willenhall E-ACT Academy held its annual Career Fair, with pupils from Year 11 and Post 16 receiving advice and guidance from nearly local businesses and training providers about a variety of work related training and employment opportunities when pupils leave school. Pupils were able to discuss with different training providers which courses and training opportunities would best suit their career path beyond their GCSEs. Year 11 pupils were lucky enough to speak to representatives from a wide range of organisations such as Freelance Training, Walsall College, Staffordshire University and the Royal Navy.
Pupils found the event very helpful in providing them with information and guidance based on their chosen career path. Emily Archer said: “The Careers Fayre was really useful; the practical workshops offered by Freelance Training gave you a really good idea of what their courses would offer. The Careers Fair gave me lots of information about where I could study next year after my GCSEs.” Pupils in Year 11 were described as “very polite” by many of the training providers attending and that they really enjoyed being part of Willenhall E-ACT Academy’s Career Fair. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate pupils in Year 11 for being excellent representatives of the academy.
Business and Enterprise: A visit to Black Country Question Time On 13th March 2013, Willenhall E-ACT Academy held its annual Career Fair, with pupils from Year 11 and Post 16 receiving advice and guidance from nearly local businesses and training providers about a variety of work related training and employment opportunities when pupils leave school. Pupils were able to discuss with different training providers which courses and training opportunities would best suit their career path beyond their GCSEs. Year 11 pupils were lucky enough to speak to representatives from a wide range of organisations such as Freelance Training, Walsall College, Staffordshire University and the Royal Navy. Pupils found the event very helpful in providing them with information and guidance based on their chosen career path. Emily Archer said: “The Careers Fayre was really useful; the practical workshops offered by Freelance Training gave you a really good idea of what their courses would offer. The Careers Fair gave me lots of information about where I could study next year after my GCSEs.” Pupils in Year 11 were described as “very polite” by many of the training providers attending and that they really enjoyed being part of Willenhall E-ACT Academy’s Career Fair. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate pupils in Year 11 for being excellent representatives of the academy.
Enterprise Charity Fundraising During last half term the whole of year 7 were set an Enterprise Challenge: To raise money for Midlands Animal Rescue Team (MART). MART are a local animal rescue charity who are based in Wolverhampton and rehome cats and dogs when the animals have been abandoned. Some innovative and exciting ways of raising money were used from making Lego key rings to cake sales. 7DT won the form championship by raising over £270. Lana and Bradley from 7DT have written the following report: During our time fundraising we did a sponsored run through the cold, wet and thundery weather – Brad raised a huge £171.50 in his own! We also put on a cinema at dinnertimes throughout the week and Leondre held an arm wrestling competition and won every one! Raising money for MART was a fun time, it made us pull together as a form and work hard to win and WE DID! The money will help the cats and dogs that MART rescues, the vets bills, foods, water and more. The ladies from MART came in to assembly and thanked year 7 for their amazing achievements. During the celebration assembly the form were extremely nervous and extremely proud when we knew we had won. Mrs Dorsett is very proud of us all and couldn’t praise us enough. An amazing achievement by 7DT and great work by all of year 7 who collectively raised £1051 for Midlands Animal Rescue Team! Well done Year 7! Mrs Challinor and Miss Butler are looking forward to next year’s challenge!
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Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Aspirational Year 12 Year 12 have been involved in a lot of activities recently to help them prepare for life after Post 16 and to help them make choices about their future. The Aspirations week at the start of June was very well attended and students really got to grips with the UCAS system for University applications, as well as attending workshops on Student Finance and writing their Personal Statements. The week ended in a trip to Alton Towers for all the students who attended the Aspirations Week.
But planning for an aspirational future doesn’t stop there. 35 students attended the UCAS Fair at Aston University in Birmingham on 28th June with Post 16 staff to visit as many stands as possible and gain first-hand information about what individual universities and training providers have to offer them. There were also a series of seminars to support students with advice and guidance through the process of applying for university.
Music
So what’s next? At the end of this term all of Year 12 will be involved in another series of workshops to help them explore other options, such as apprenticeships and training, and how to prepare for Year 13 effectively. A Parents information evening is also planned for October. We believe our current Year 12 students have loads of potential and the Post 16 team are looking forward to welcoming them back in September as our new Year 13.
performance and donation
The music department would like to congratulate Kurtis Bray and Rebecca Allmark for their wonderful performances competing on behalf of the school and the Rotary Club of Willenhall. They did exceptionally well and we wish them all the best when they move on at the end of this year. We would also like to make a special thank you to Mr and Mrs Lewis from the Rotary club who worked with us during these performances and the very kind donation they have made to the school, donating a beautiful electric organ which will provide many students with an incredible opportunity. Don’t forget we are still happy to receive any other instruments that which to be donated.
‘The BIG Sing’ Sixteen of our Music students took part in an all-day singing event this term called ‘The Big Sing’. Invited, were fourteen of our strongest vocalists from KS3 and violinists Holly Watkins (Y9) and Alanna Cossey (Y12) who joined an orchestra of ten staff from different schools including our own Mrs. Mcallister! Students had been rehearsing ten songs at our Academy vocal group since February with the aim of coming together with another 170 students, all from different secondary schools around Walsall to rehearse and perform each song in three and sometimes four part harmonies. The girls did an excellent job both in rehearsal and on performance and we were commended for the effort and volume our team produced. The songs ranged from British songs such as ‘Sing’ by Gary Barlow, to musical theatre songs such as ‘You Can’t stop the Beat’ from the musical ‘Hairspray’, to wider cultural songs such as ‘Yenemanoa’ from Africa and ‘Shoshone Love Song’ from Japan which fitted in nicely with this terms Y7 SOW ‘Around the World’. Vocalists showed fantastic stamina singing for 10 hours with only a few breaks which was then followed by an hour’s performance in front of staff and head teachers from various schools around Walsall which was a big success. If you should wish to join our team and take part in something like this in the future join us in the Music block on a Thursday after school 3-4pm.
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Sports
Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
E-ACT’S NUMBER 1! E-ACT National Table Tennis and Badminton Competitions Over the last three months pupils have been representing the school at the E-ACT Games. The E-ACT Games are competitions between all E-ACT Schools in the country. The competitions involved all year groups including two males and two females from every year group 7-10 in table tennis and badminton. The competition was split up into two rounds the semi-finals and finals. The semi-finals were held in Birmingham at Heartlands Academy. This included all E-ACT schools in the southern conference. Our pupils did amazingly and as a team we qualified for the finals. The finals took place at the Central institute of sport in Sheffield. This is an amazing place; a place in which many of our countries greatest talents train and prepare for events. On the day, some pupils even managed to watch Jessica Ennis training and some pupils also caught a glimpse at Amir Khan. The day was a great success and all of our pupils represented the school very well not only with excellent behaviour but also their competitive but fair sportsmanship. Well done to the following pupils; Table Tennis Team Jack Plant, Connor Yates, Rebecca Blythe, Amy Cox, Natasha Griffiths, Rebecca Rogers, Nathan Jarratt, Lewis Roberts, Nathan Gilbert, Nathan Griffiths, Lauren Mills, Chelsea Sheppard, Keisha Gardner, Simran Pahal, Kyle Gardner, Nathan Lawrence, Billy MayRidding and Chelsea Georgiou.
Badmintion Team Liam Crabtree, Mark Lloyd, Shannon Mckeon, Rebecca Butcher, Nathan Reeves, Zach Webb, Harpreet Kaur, Britany Spooner, Josh McFarlane, Jack Ball, Abbie Evans, Hayley Stringer, Chloe Barker, Lauren Phillips, Connor Hall and Sandeep Kumar.
Pupil Comments Nathan Gilbert Year 9 “I found the whole experience very rewarding because we went to Sheffield institute of sport which was really good, as we played table tennis and winning the tournament also got the chance to see Jessica Ennis. Also, the first tournament was good because me and my team mate won every game except for one. The whole experience was very enjoyable. Thanks to the P.E department for giving me the chance to play in the E-ACT Table Tennis Finals”.
Year 10 Cup Final On Wednesday 15th May the Year 10 boys’ team faced a Barr Beacon side in the Walsall Schools Cup Final and McKechnies Stadium in Aldridge. Barr Beacon took a 2-0 lead but, just before half time, good team play saw Ricardo Ricketts convert a cross by Chay Scrivens to allow Willenhall back in the game before half time. The second half, Barr Beacon scored half way through the second half taking a 3-1 lead. Willenhall gained a goal back with a great strike outside the box by Chay Scrivens and soon after, got the equaliser with Chay Scrivens finishing with being one on one with the Barr Beacon goalkeeper. After a good defensive display, the Willenhall midfield creating chances and eventually took the lead with good attacking play leading with Ricardo Ricketts beating the goalkeeper. Willenhall held the 4-3 lead with two minutes to go with a great team effort.
Team: 1. Bradley Round 2. Sam Baxter 3. Liam Ledsam 4. Alex Storey 5. Nyal Walker 6. Simon Samra 7. Ronan Llewelyn 8. Jack Whitehouse 9. Ricardo Ricketts 10. Chay Scrivens 11. Jake Proffitt 12. Marlon Hill 13. Bradley Dodds (GK) 14. Sandeep Kumar (GK) 15. Kyle Gardner 16. Ishvir Kella
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Sports
Willenhall E-ACT Academy www.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
Eshana Kapoor On Friday 22nd March Eshana Kapoor attended the Wednesbury Hockey Club awards night of which she collected awards for playing badgers and men’s 4th team hockey, when not playing for Sutton she turns out for her old club and coaches the youngsters. At the end of the evening there was a special award announced which is given to an athlete from anywhere in the Black Country and Sandwell who has shown to be an outstanding sportsperson and an ambassador for their county. Other nominees were footballers, cricketers and a tennis player. This award is given by the Black Country association and the Wednesbury Sports Union to the region’s top young sports person. To our surprise and pride Eshana won the award and was presented by the former GB and England Hockey Olympic player Michael Johnson. This has been a
fantastic month for Eshana; as on the 2nd March, her club team Sutton Coldfield ladies won away at Olton ladies 3rd team to clinch promotion to Warwickshire Ladies Division One. The match finished 3-1 to Sutton. On the 3rd of March Eshana played for her County in a three county tournament at the Sandwell Academy. The other counties were Birmingham and the West Midlands and Leicestershire. Eshana was taken off just before half time after first being elbowed in the face and then struck in the head. Black Country were winning 1-0 at the time but finished 2-1 losers eventually. The second match against Leicestershire seemed more of a challenged as Leicestershire had just thumped Birmingham and the West Midlands 7-0. After receiving first aid Eshana dusted herself down and led Black Country to a stunning 4-2 win! Assisting in two great team goals and then scoring the third goal herself, intercepting the ball on the halfway line dribbling past most of the opposition and then letting fly a powerful drive to put the match out of Leicestershire reach. A carbon copy of the goal she scored for Sutton the day before. Confirming her position as one of the best young Hockey players in the West and East Midlands.
2013 Netball Tour Written by Rupinderjit Chahal Year 10 This year we had another annual netball tour where four teams and two teachers (Mrs Deakin and Mrs Kearns) travelled from Willenhall E-ACT Academy to Condover Hall to represent the school in a series of netball matches. The excitement of the netballers was evident from the level of noise on the bus ride up to Shrewsbury, which was only momentarily hushed when we pulled into the grounds of Condover Hall and saw it for the first time: needless to say it was a magnificent building. We stayed at Condover Hall for the weekend, Friday to Sunday. There were pupils from all years and it was the first time that Willenhall was going to compete as an academy. The teams completed against other schools over the weekend and got to do some fun activities like: Body Zorbing, Tunnelling, and many more. On the first day we got there, we got given out netball kits and jackets and told the rooms we were stopping in. All the rooms were spacious and comfortable. On the evening, a campfire was taking place; this was for the
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others teams to get to know each other. Every school were asked if anyone had a special talent and were asked to perform it. Abbie Evans (Year 9) performed a mini gymnastics session and competed with another student from another school and won. The following day, all the teams were excited for their first netball match and played all games with great effort and skill. The Year 7’s were very excited, as this was their first netball tour and they enjoyed every minute. The girls however, did not win all of their matches, but enjoyed their time at Condover Hall. The activities at Condover Hall were so enjoyable. The best activity was Body Zorbing, which involved four people getting into separate body zorbs (inflatable balls which don’t cover your legs so you can walk or run). Other activities were Lazer Maze, which means, you can’t touch the lasers otherwise you’d lose a life. It was a really good activity. There was also the silent disco on the tour, this consisted of every person wearing headphones and having different music played. The instructions joined in on the disco and made it very enjoyable. Overall, the netball tour was a great experience. Also, a big thank you to the teachers.