May high flyer

HIGH FLYER MAY EDITION

VOLUME 5

2016

October 2015

High Flyer is Wycombe High School’s half termly magazine celebrating past and present life at school. If you would like to advertise in this magazine, please contact Mrs Dana Morgan on 01494 523961 or e-mail dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk. Our Finance Office will invoice you upon distribution of the magazine.

ADVERTISING RATES Items listed for sale: Up to £10 = £1.00 11 – 25 = £2.50 25 - 100 = £5.00 100 and over = £2.00 Wanted or Miscellaneous = £1.00 LAYOUT Full and 1/4/ page - Portrait Half page - Landscape

Adverts: £1Small companies ad (< 10 employees) Larger companies ad: (> 10 employees)

£15 ¼ page £25 ½ page £50 full page £35 ¼ page £50 ½ page £100 full page

ARTWORK FORMAT PDF or JPEG

PUBLICATION FORMAT High Flyer A5 Colour – Primarily electronic PDF. Annual Magazine A4 Colour – circa 300 printed as well as electronic PDF.

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Adverts in by:

Issue date w / b:

July

29 June

11 July

Our magazine goes out to over 1400 local households and thousands of alumnae and is also online at http:// www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/ The High Flyer magazine is predominantly an online publication, distributed by email and published online, the size of the adverts are based on the A5/A4 format of the finished product. However we are happy to accept A4 (or other) sized PDF or JPG files and will resize these accordingly to fit. The publication incorporates margins and therefore does not require provision for a bleed edge. Please note: We do not accept educational, tutoring and nutritional advertising for High Flyer.

We are enormously grateful for the continued support of our advertisers. We hope you find their products and services useful. Inclusion of an advert in this publication does not mean the school or the Parents And Friends Association (PAFA) endorse it. Buying a product or service from this publication is entirely at your own risk.

Letting of School Premises One way in which we can raise funds is to hire out various areas and facilities of Wycombe High School, for example, Sports Hall, Lecture Theatre, Conference Room, The Forum, classrooms, etc. For details of availability, charges and a booking form, please contact Reception on 01494 523961 or email Reception@whs.bucks.sch.uk.

Diary dates - Summer Term 2016 7 June

PAFA Meeting, 7.30 - 9.30 pm, The Forum

16 June

Paula Lee ‘Inspire’ Lunchtime Talk 1.45 pm, Learning Centre

16 June

Tea Concert, 4.30 pm, Music Centre

27 June

Guild Annual General Meeting, 12.00 pm, The Forum, CR

27 June

Volunteers’ Thank You Evening, 6.00 - 7.30 pm, CR

27 June

Art Exhibition, 4.30 - 7.30 pm, WLC

30 June

Year 13 Ball, Shendish Manor near Hemel Hempstead

1 July

Year 11 Ball, Magnolia Park, 7.00 - 10.00 pm

5 July

Pre Music Tour Concert, 7.00 pm, Hall

8 July

Sports Day 10.00 am - 3.30 pm, The Field

11 July

New Y7 Parents and Students & Y8 & 9 Transfer Students' Parents' Evening

15 July

Last day of term (finishing at 1.45 pm)

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Table of Contents

News Crew

Cover Art by Amie Carter, Y13 C1 Advertising in High Flyer

Page 2

Letting of School Premises

Page 2

Diary Dates Spring Term

Page 2

Message From Headteacher

Page 4

Art

Pages 5-6

Business and Economics

Page 8

Careers

Page 9

Charity

Pages 10-11

Development Ambassadors

Page 12-14

Development Office Update

Pages 16-17

Dollin Essay Competition

Pages 20-22

Drama

Page 23

English

Pages 24-25

Geography

Pages 26-27

Guild

Pages 28-36

History and Politics

Pages 38-39

Library

Pages 40-43

Magistrates Court

Pages 44-45

Music

Pages 46-49

News Crew

Pages 51-53

Original Contributions

Pages 54-56

PAFA

Pages 57-58

PE and Sport

Pages 59-65

Science

Page 68-71

Social Sciences

Page 72

Technology

Pages 73-74

Year 11 End of an Era

Pages 76-77

Heads of News Crew Emily Morgan Year 13 A3 Saoirse O’Connor Year 13 P3 Year 9 Ana Meechan C10 Year 11 Zainab Alam P5 Ambar Yousuf A2 Year 12 Erin Parry-Bennee P3 Ellie Tarr P9 Lead Staff Member Mrs D Morgan Proofreaders Mrs C Edwards Dr L O’Connor Advertisers Zenopa WHS Events Interactive Schools WHS Social Media Bucks Skills Show LIFE Build Solutions Places For People The Best Photo Booth Hawkins Sport Saucy Horse Digital Media Chiltern Music Festival Stagecoach Cineworld Innovate Perton Signs Squash and Racquet Club ST Autos Ingenuity IT Zumba with Anisha G Pyramid Fitness Imaginations Wild PYP Sport Gift Form

High Flyer is an entirely student-led initiative. A team of students of all ages, led by Sixth Formers, known as the ‘News Crew’ take responsibility for this half-termly publication.

Wycombe High School Marlow Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP11 1TB Tel: 01494 523961 Fax: 01494 510354 office@whs.bucks.sch.uk Should you wish to contact the Headteacher or any other member of staff by email, please do so through the school office at: office@whs.bucks.sch.uk.

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Page 7 Page 15 Page 18 Page 19 Page 37 Page 50 Page 61 Page 66 Page 67 Page 75 Pages 78-79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 82 Page 83 Page 83 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Pages 87-88

Message from the Headteacher pedestrian access gates at the sides of the school open to students from 07:55 each day. At this time, students in Years 7 to 11 should go to The Forum where they may remain until 08:30. Alternatively they may go to the Learning Centre when it opens at 08:00. Please note that there will be no access to other areas of the site until 08.30. The exception is the Miller Block which Sixth Form students may access from 08:00.

Supervised study is available after school, each weekday, until 18:00, in the Learning Centre. Fuller details of the new arrangements can be found in the letters sent home previously and on the website.

Goodbyes Today we say goodbye to our wonderful Year 13 students.

We have watched these 200 young women grow over the years as individuals, academics, as friends, and as citizens.

This day marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next. The transition from school to a whole new world. We can see the excitement and nervousness each girl has for the next exciting phase of her life. It is because of our girls that Wycombe High School does not stand still, but constantly respond to an ever changing world. We work hard to ensure our students have the social, academic and practical skills they need to take their place in the twenty first century. And our girls deserve the best. They are fantastic girls; they make us laugh, they make us proud, they make us humble, they inspire us every day. They make this school the great place it is. They are its spirit, its joy, its success. We believe they can be whatever they want to be; we simply help them along the way. And when they leave us, as 200 of them are doing today, academically well qualified with strong core values, considerate of others, independent and enquiring, with a high level of cultural awareness and a global perspective, we stand tall and are delighted to have played our part. Girls, we will miss you – your chatter, your laughter, your company, your mischievousness…. We know you will continue to shine wherever you go and whatever you do. Keep in touch and remember: once a Wycombe High School girl, always a Wycombe High School girl!

Play Your Part Our application for two all-weather pitches has been submitted to the Wycombe District Council. Every girl in the school does P.E and uses such pitches. Unfortunately, we have to hire other schools’ facilities at significant cost. This also means we lose lesson and play time whilst travelling to these hired pitches, all of which adversely affects our girls’ experience and practice time. We have decided to apply for two pitches as there is a lack of such a facility in this geographical area and this will enable us to host competitions, work with our local clubs and generate income.

We accept that we will only be able to build one pitch in the first instance, so this is very much a staged project. To date we have raised £234,000, but we need another £366,000 to complete pitch one (and a further £950, 000 to do both).

Unfortunately we were not successful with our Sport England Grant application. Whilst this is of course disappointing, it will not deter us in our aim and other bids and trusts are being applied to.

Exams And of course the goodbyes can only mean the traditional GCSE, AS and A Level examination period has commenced.

We wish all of our students sitting these important examinations the very, very best. We have all undertaken examinations at some point of our own school careers and will undoubtedly remember just how stressful examination period can be. This stress can manifest itself at home in many ways; at home and at school and we all need to be mindful of this. I urge everyone to remember that a young person facing an examination can only do her best, whatever that might be.

Your daughter knows her targets: support her to aim high, work hard and maintain perspective. And never forget, if she is doing her best, no more can be expected or asked of her.

This year at school we have been doing a lot of work on ‘mindsets’ to ensure our girls know that, above all else, it is their effort and attitude that is important and valued, not simply grades. This is true in every aspect of life. So please praise and encourage your daughter’s efforts, not her results.

Of course, encouragement can also involve reminders: reminders not to put off necessary revision or underestimate the time it takes; reminders to get up early during examination leave and work at least the hours equivalent to a normal school day (and without constantly checking social media, texts and messages); reminders to eat healthily and sleep well and reminders to strike a balance between work and recreation. I wish every girl involved in examinations the very, very best.

We have had many initiatives in place this year to help us raise money. Most recently we held a Gala Dinner & Sports Awards Evening hosted by Gabby Logan for parents and students at Wycombe Old Town Hall. This was a wonderful evening with a superb speech from Gabby Logan, highlighting the impact of hard work, practice and effort above all else.

She talked about the role her parents and teachers played in supporting and encouraging her through school, university and her career as a sports journalist and presenter. This event and the multiple other Play Your Part for sport events we have hosted this year have enabled us to raise a further £14,000. We are now launching ‘Sponsor a Square’ campaign and are asking that you buy a piece / pieces of turf for the new all-weather pitch facility: http:// www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/playyourpart. By doing so you will help us break ground on our first of two pitches. You can add your name, picture and a small message to each square you purchase. Squares vary in cost from £50 to £750. All sponsors will be acknowledge on a donor board that will be displayed proudly and centrally at the new facility. This offers a fantastic way to commemorate you daughter’s time at

Wycombe High School or to ensure she has the best facilities possible whilst she is here. Thank you in advance for supporting us and helping us achieve our ambition of an unique competition level facility on our own site!

Site Safety and Barriers Thank you for your support for the introduction of our new barrier system. There is no general vehicular access to the school site until 16:15 each day, by which time the overwhelming majority of students have safely left the school site and surrounding areas, and the volume of traffic has lessened. At 16:15 the entry barrier is lifted and parents collecting their daughters by car may enter at this time. The school is open to students, as usual, from 08:00 - 18:00. The

Have a wonderful Half Term.

Mrs S N Cromie Headteacher

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Art Year 9 Art Early Entry GCSE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Year 9 students have just finished their first unit of work based on Cakes and Sweets. They have all done extremely well and produced some stunning work. Some examples are:

Kitty Taylor, Year 9, Curie 9

Amy Averill, Year 9, Parks 4

Our enrichment students are busy designing and printing their own wallpaper ready to fold some paper shirts. As they finish we are hanging them on display in the Art rooms before moving them to the Learning Centre ready for the Art Exhibition.

Cover Art by Amie Carter, Year 13, Curie 1 This painting is the final piece of the project 'Light, Weather and Landscapes', in which I painted a landscape featuring a field and trees. I reached this outcome after investigating a variety of landscapes using a range of mediums and tones, concluding that acrylic paints produced the most effective results in terms of capturing the vivid landscapes I chose to interpret. This particular style of painting was partially influenced by artist Graham Gercken, whose work I admire and completed an artist copy of as a starting point for the project.

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Business and Economics Young Enterprise Area Finals - Rags to Riches dominating the awards ceremony Young Enterprise is a Year 12 extra-curricular activity where students create their own business and run it for a year, before competing in a national competition for the best company of the year. Our team, Rags to Riches created scarves, bags, snowmen and scrunchies from upcycled t-shirts. We attended many selling events such as Wycombe High Schools Frost Fair and Marlow Late Night Shopping and currently have shareholder funds of over ÂŁ650.

Throughout Young Enterprise our team has already won runner up Best Business Plan and runner up Best Trade Stand at the Eden Trade Fair. Therefore, we felt confident going into the area finals. The judging consisted of individual and group interviews with various judges and a four minute presentation to not only the judges but all the teams competing in the area finals. We felt that we excelled at the individual and group interviews as we worked well as a team in answering the difficult questions presented to us.

The presentation, despite being incredibly nerve wracking went well with our team finishing within the allotted time, the presentation helped us to develop our presentation skills which will be a valuable life skill.

Our hard work throughout Young Enterprise was then rewarded with Rags to Riches winning all three awards we were nominated for, Best Environmental Policy, Best Manufacturing Policy and Best Corporate Image. We then proceeded to win Best Interviews and Trade Stand. And were amazed to discover that we won second Best Overall Company! Taking us to the next level of Young Enterprise, which are the County Finals on the 6 May. Pragya Garg, Year 12, Nightingale 2

County Finals Update The competition was intense at the County Finals Friday 6 May which took place at Buckinghamshire University Technical College in Aylesbury. There were fewer teams but all had qualified by winning or coming second place at their respective area finals. The trade stand looked very good and although Rags to Riches did not win through to the next round, the team deservedly won the Best Presentation award. In effect, this means that the team had the best presentation from some 90 teams across the county, so congratulations are very much in order: well done!

Mr R Kramer, Business Studies Teacher

Rags to Riches Team Members Emily Atkinson - Managing Director - Curie 1 Lois Ball - Sales Director - Curie 3 Nadia Zaman - Marketing Director - Nightingale 2 Pragya Garg - Head of Manufacturing - Nightingale 2 Rashida Rahim - Finance Director - Austen 3 Hannah Ali - Operations Director - Austen 7 Janhavi Mehta - HR Director - Austen 2 Sabihah Mahmud - Marketing Team - Pankhurst 9 Vatsala Mittal - Sales Team - Austen 9

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Careers Year 10 Employability Skills Day, 13 April 2016

Hay Levels are shared through the official Hay Festival Twitter channel (@hayfestival) using #HayLevels. Students are encouraged to share their comments and questions… You never know who might Tweet you back.

‘Talk the Talk’ came to Wycombe High School to deliver a series of engaging, confident, communication workshops for all Year 10 students. The fun workshops discussed employability skills, interview techniques and key presentation methods. The ‘Talk the Talk’ Day was a huge success.

Bucks Skills Show, Saturday 2 July 2016 at University Campus Aylesbury Vale

Firstly, it helped to boost our confidence, as initially some students were nervous about talking in front of people. At the end of the day we were all given the opportunity to give a short presentation. We were given advice on our speaking and presentation skills which will be incredibly useful for the future. The ‘Talk the Talk’ trainers were very engaging and helped us to see the relevance of the workshops and the skills we learned to our GCSE studies. This was a beneficial experience, I would recommend to other students.

An experiential careers showcase where students can experience an industry sector. It gives students the opportunity to gain new skills as well as being able to meet industry experts. Search; `Bucks Skills Show` for further information.

Kaplan Financial Summer Business School 15 -17 August 2016, 9.30am - 3.30pm

Charlotte Humphries, Year 10, Nightingale 6 GET INVOLVED Hay Festival

The three day course will introduce students to the basics of Accounting & Business. The course also has workshops on CV writing and interview skills. Application Forms should be submitted by the 31 July 2016. Search; www.kaplanapprenticeships.co.uk for further information.

Hay Levels is an inspiring, free series of short videos from some of the world`s greatest thinkers to help students preparing for their A Levels.

Mrs Sarah Miles, Careers and Pathways Advisor

Developed to supplement the A Level syllabus and streamed into subject areas across Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, these short videos cover an exciting range of topics and star thoughtleaders from a range of disciplines; from acclaimed academic Germaine Greer on Shakespeare, to Biologist Beth Shapiro on cloning mammoths.

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Charity Mr Jago

Inter-House Rounder’s Fundraising Tournament

Mrs Gold

On Friday 29 April Wycombe High School staff and Sixth Form students gathered together to compete in an inter-house rounders’ tournament at lunch time on the field to raise awareness for World Health Day and raise funds for each of the Houses respective charities.

During the tournament, the SLT ran a stall selling delicious sweets and homemade cakes and cookies, which attracted a number of spectators to the event. All in all, this stall raised over £126, which will be equally divided between all the house and contribute to their house charities!

Millie Sepede, Year 13, Nightingale 7, Co-Head of Charities

Despite the rain and hailstones, all six houses took part in the event, which saw Nightingale and Curie knocked out first. Pankhurst, led by House Captain Kyra Bola, made it to the final to go head to head with Austen, led by Hebe Grout.

Pankhurst were able to get four rounders, with outstanding performance from Mr Binks throughout, in comparison to Austen’s ½ rounder, making them them this years champions.

Members of Team Curie!

Pankhurst Team consisted of: Kyra Bola Y13 T7 Ellie Herritty Y12 T2 Beth Wagge Y12 T8 Miss Mckeever Miss Penzer Mr Binks Miss LC Miss Nelson

Members of Team Pankhurst!

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Members of Team Austen!

Charmaine Ager- Store Manager at Lush High Wycombe for three Easter themed bath bombs

Nightingale Charity Easter Egg Hunt As part of the Year 8 “Into Outer Orbit” challenge we decided to organise a Charity Easter Egg Hunt to raise money for our House charity; Medecins Sans Frontieres or Doctors without Borders.

With only one week to go before school finished for the Easter holidays we had no idea just how much work would be involved!

Maxine Message for her donation of ten Easter Eggs and a variety of raffle prizes

First of all we thought we could buy the eggs with our own money until our parents explained that normally the best way to organise a charity event is to try and ask for donations from friends, family and local companies.

Grahame Barnes, Supplies Web Ltd for twenty Easter Eggs Jan Steele and Dennis O’Brien, Lucid Group for their donation of 75 Lindt rabbits

We put our heads together and wrote a letter explaining who we were and a little about the Charity who would benefit from our fundraising efforts. Miss Shepherd also gave us signed compliment slips from Wycombe High School to attach to the letters so that companies would know this was an official event.

We were really happy with the letter, but being at school all day we needed some help to circulate our request around the community. We also realised we had to find time to create all the clues for the Easter Egg Hunt so we were going to have to get some help from our parents. It also made sense to divide the responsibilities with Bethan taking charge of the quiz and Cerys taking charge of donations.

Bethan made the clues which lead everyone down a winding path, each ending with an Easter egg!

An example of one of the clues is, “The keys in this place don't open any locks”. Can you guess where it led to?

Finally to Ollie at Waitrose for the unbelievable pallet of FIVE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SEVEN Easter goodies from stores around the country!

Incredibly, we managed to fit all of the eggs into our car, and drove over to the school, where we unloaded them into reception for safe keeping, until the event.

Cerys went to Waitrose with her mum to deliver one of the letters in person and had to speak to the Floor Manager and pitch for the eggs! It was very nerve-wracking, but he was very friendly and interested in helping our cause. He said that he would see what they could do, so we left, anxious to what the decision would be.

We have learned a lot from doing this, such as allowing more time to plan so that there is less rushing involved. We look forward to selling the rest of the eggs soon, and putting on another event similar to this in the future.

Cerys Lloyd Year 8, Nightingale 8 and Bethan Metcalfe Year 8, Nightingale 8

Cerys’ mum also circulated the letter around her company, and social media, and before we knew it, the donations started flooding in!

We would like to give a huge thank-you to the following people and companies, as without them, none of this would have been possible! We cannot express our enormous gratitude for this!

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Development Ambassador Update This year we are raising money for the ‘Play Your Part’ Sport Campaign for a dual all-weather pitch facility. So far we have raised an amazing total of £2,940 towards our £3000 annual target. Thank you to everyone who has participated in our previous events.

Our highly anticipated ‘Would I Lie to You?’ Quiz took place on Wednesday 27 April at lunchtime in the Hall. The quiz was hosted by Mr Bell and consisted of a team of female teachers: Miss Mckeever, Miss Forbes and Miss Honnor competing against a team of male teachers: Mr Snodden, Mr Fazal and Mr Mackerras. The men’s team came first place and received a large box of chocolates each. With the support of the teachers and the 132 students who attended, we were able to raise an incredible £204!

It’s not too late to purchase our 2016 Art Calendar and Art Notelets. If you are looking for unique and beautiful gifts consider buying yourself, friends and family a copy of the calendar and / or sets of cards. Order forms are available on the Development Course in Moodle as well as in this edition of High Flyer. As always, we have wonderful branded merchandise to purchase.

Every order helps us raise much needed funds.

I would like to give a huge thank you to my team of Development Ambassadors: Juliet Taylor Y8 P4, Niamh Duncan Y8 T4 , Kira Dhariwal Y8 B8, Olivia Irvin Y12 B4, Fern O’Shaughnessy Y12 T1 and Jessica Martin Y12 N9. With their support, this year we have produced the third annual Open Mic Night; two half-term quizzes, four movie nights and our sixth Zumba Night. I would also like to congratulate the two new Heads of Development for 2016-2017: Ffion Morris Y12 A1 and Kieren Ghuman Y12 B8. I wish them the best of luck hiring their new team of Development Ambassadors.

This year’s Sports Day is all about raising money for the Play Your Part for Sport campaign. The Development Ambassadors will be running a stall dedicated to ice cream and lollies, as well as WHS branded merchandise. This will include WHS branded water bottles filled with water - perfect for the hot weather.

On Friday 13 May Development Ambassadors held their last Movie Night of the year showcasing the thrilling final film in the Hunger Games series: ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2’ It was a great night, and with your support we were able to raise £54. Our Movie Night Raffle continues to be popular. First prize of four free tickets to Cineworld went to Kyaa Bhandal Y7 B5 ; second and third prizes went to Aaisha Iqbal Y7 A6 and Holly Nicholls Y7 T5 respectively. Our thanks go to our Movie Night Sponsors: High Wycombe Cineworld for the popcorn and raffle prizes and The Guild for tasty treats.

Once again thank you to everyone who has supported the Development Ambassadors this year by participating in events and buying WHS branded merchandise. I have really enjoyed my role of Head of Development - it has been an extremely rewarding and fun experience and I would definitely recommend others to apply for the role in the future.

Munroop Phagura, Year 13, Pankhurst 8, Head of Development

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Development Office Update Recent Events  WHS Sport -a-thon: From January through April 38 students and staff ran, walked, skied, swam, rowed, hiked, etc. nearly 1,900 miles raising over £3,500.

The school academic year is nearly over, so it is fitting to give you an update on the funds raised to date. With the help of current and former students, staff, parents and friends; one off donations from events and sponsors we have raised nearly £74,000.

We are, and continue to be, extremely grateful for the families who contribute to our Future Fund and Play Your Part for Sport Campaigns. We acknowledge that the economic climate is difficult and we all have to prioritise expenditures making your on-going contributions all the more valuable.

This academic year we have managed to raise nearly £57,000 in Future Fund pledges so far – and the year isn’t over yet. Over the past ten years more than £528,000 has been pledged and donated to the Future Fund. Having such a strong tradition of parental giving has enabled Wycombe High School to plan and deliver new state of the art facilities in confidence.

Drama and Music Fundraising Although we are not campaigning directly for funds for Drama and Music we have attributed one off event donations from concerts and productions to help raise much needed funds for the Music Centre Recording Studio and Microphones for Drama productions. With your help we have raised £840 through one off donations for this much needed equipment.

Play Your Part for Sport Campaign Update Our planning application is with Wycombe District Council and has received no objections from statutory bodies and Sport England. We arehoping to break ground for the first of our two all-weather pitches in the near future.

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Alumnae v Staff and Students Hockey Match: Thursday 21 April raised £400.

Please read the match report in this edition of High Flyer and look out for similar events next academic year.

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Charity Gala Dinner & Sports Awards Evening: Friday 6 May raised £4,000.

Please read an article about this wonderful evening in the PE section of High Flyer.

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Marlow 5: Sunday 10 May raised £368 in sponsorship.

Mrs Jo WarnockHorn managed to run a 38.25 min race, was 24th woman to complete the race and first in her age category. I managed to run it just under an hour 59.59 and was very happy to say I was not last to cross the finish line!

Upcoming Events Everyone needs to play their part in order for the campaign to be a success. We invite you to run, walk or otherwise exercise with ‘Team Wycombe High School’ in one of the following events, or

We have had many initiatives in place to help us raise £14,000 so far this year for the campaign leaving us £366,000 necessary to complete the first of two pitches.

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others of your choice. Once you’ve entered your event, please use our JustGiving campaign to help promote your event and secure sponsorship. 

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we are in the process of applying for grants from Garfield Weston and Tesco Ground Works. We would be extremely grateful for any advice / leads on potential sources of grants, trusts and funds and expertise to help write the applications.

11 June 10.00 am – Stokenchurch ‘Run the Rock’ 5K (minimum age 11) & 10K (minimum age 15) http:// www.runtherock.co.uk/

Regular Giving By far the best way you can support this campaign, and the school in general, is for you to consider making a regular monthly gift to the Future Fund. Any future pledges and donations you make will raise academic and extra-curricular standards even further. Please do consider completing the Future Fund Gift form in this edition of High Flyer and return it to the Development Office. If you have any questions or require further information please don’t hesitate to contact me on 01494 897309 or dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk.

8 July Sports Day - This year all funds raised will go towards the all-weather pitches. Mrs Nicola Montiero, teacher of Maths and Nightingale 6 Tutor, has challenged herself to cycle 100 miles on her bicycle attached to a stationary trainer on Sports Day! So while the girls are running, jumping and throwing their way around the track and field, she will be pedalling furiously raising money for our all-weather pitches. You can support Mrs Montiero with a donation to her JustGiving page here: https:// www.justgiving.com/ Nicola-Monteiro or by text message. Simply text to 70070, using the unique code (below) and your donation amount, i.e. "NMON50 £5".

Thank You and Well Done I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Heads of Development, News Crew and Guild, as well as the Development Ambassadors and News Crew. It was a pleasure and honour to work with each and everyone of them.

Head of Development Munroop Phagura Y13 T8 and her team of six Development Ambassadors have raised over £2,940 and the year is not over yet. They not only produced events, they created fantastic quizzes, promotional materials, wrote articles and sold branded merchandise.

For the first time ever Year 12 students took on the roles of Head of Guild: Sophie Richards Y12 P3 and Kelsey Farrell Y12 P2. They have worked incredibly hard producing, promoting and writing about the ‘Inspire’ Lunchtime Talks and our inaugural ‘Inspiring Women Evening’.

10 July – Wycombe 10K & Half Marathon (minimum age 15) http:// handycrossrunners.co.uk/ wordpress/?page_id=164 Clare Penzer-Williams, Head of Classics and Pankhurst 8 Tutor, is taking part in this event. Please sponsor Clare at: https:// www.justgiving.com/ClarePenzer1

Emily Morgan Y13 A3 and Saoirse O’Connor Y13 P3 took on the roles of Head of News Crew this year. Together they led a team of five News Crew members contributing to five themed editions of High Flyer and producing the 2016 Annual Magazine (now on sale!).

These students, our daughters, are to be commended for their professionalism, talent, enthusiasm, dedication and desire to give something back to Wycombe High School. I wish them all continued success in all that they do both in and out of school.

Mrs Dana Morgan Director of Development and Alumnae Relations

We thank you for your support and ask that if you have not already participated in one of our fundraising events, you consider doing so. If participating isn’t your thing, why not sponsor someone who is?

Grants, Trusts and Funds We have applied for grants from Sport England and Bucks Masonic for which we were unsuccessful. We have been awarded a grant from The Hockey Youth Trust for equipment and 17

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Dollin Essay Competition Economics By hosting the Olympic Games, Brazil faces considerable costs and few tangible benefits. Do you agree?

This year’s themes are: Brazil and the Olympics; Syrian refugees; and the EU referendum.

Brazil and the Olympics

Food Does 'carbo-loading' before a major sporting event really make a difference?

Graphics How has the use of modern technology influenced Paralympic athlete performance?

Maths How can mathematics be used to find athletes who have cheated their way to medals?

Archives How far have PE lessons at Wycombe High School changed over the last 100 years? Use the records in the WHS Archives to provide the evidence to support your essay. (The Archives are open every Wednesday lunch, and are located in the Learning Centre: you will be helped.)

Sports Discuss the suggestion that the use of drugs in sports should be treated in the same way as the use of any other training aid such as an oxygen tent.

Textiles Do Brazilian carnival costumes degrade women?

Biology Explain why the spread of the Zika virus to more than 20 countries, including Brazil, has caused the World Health Organisation to declare its fourth-ever international public health emergency.

Chemistry How would you measure the carbon footprint of the Rio Olympics?

Classics How have the Olympic Games, in ancient and modern times, been used for political purposes?

Drama ‘The ritualistic aspects of the Brazilian carnival are akin to those observed in the theatre.’ Discuss.

The Syrian Refugee Crisis

English Literature / Geography Writing about Brazil in the 1950s, poet Elizabeth Bishop wrote the following: On the green hills of Rio There grows a fearful stain: The poor who come to Rio And can't go home again.

To what extent has life in the Olympics-hosting country changed?

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Art

Sociology

‘The Kiss’ in Syria. How can art raise awareness of the horror of war?

Media coverage of Syrian refugees has contributed to a false class-consciousness.

Discuss.

The EU Referendum

Business

Drama

What has the EU done for UK business?

Can theatre be used effectively and respectfully to tell the story of the Syrian refugees or does theatre take away from the political significance that such issues embody?

History Britain: apart from or a part of Europe? Discuss, with reference to any period of your choice.

Geography The social and economic benefits of allowing the mass migration of Syrian refugees to the UK far outweigh the costs.’ Discuss.

Languages

Music How and why is music used in raising awareness and promoting engagement with the Syrian refugee crisis? Your answer should include specific musical analysis of examples from advertising or news reports.

Physics

Numeracy

Politics

In view of the EU referendum, to what extent does language form national identity?

'Leaving the EU - a disaster for Science!' Do you agree?

[Some of Britain's leading scientists, including Professor Stephen Hawking, have called for a vote to remain in the EU in the June referendum.]

Is it essential for sovereignty to return to Westminster? Discuss with reference to the EU debate.

‘The UK should grant immediate citizenship to any Syrian who can demonstrate advanced skills in engineering, maths or computing.’

Discuss.

Psychology Discuss the concept of in group / out group processes in relation to the discrimination experienced by Syrian Refugees.

RS & Philosophy Who should count amongst ‘us’ in ‘them and us’?

/Cont’d...

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The judging process: All essays will be marked anonymously to ensure fairness.

Competition Rules: Following last year’s success, we are launching the 2016 Essay Competition. All students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and outstanding writing skills in the subject area of their choice.

Miss Brash and Mrs Miles will select five essays from all the submissions received, which they feel best fit the competition criteria, to put forward to our external judge.

You can read the 2015 winning essays by Becky Howitt and Amelia Kemp, the 2014 ones by Katherine Skipper and Jasmine Chilton, and the 2013 ones by Haydee Thomas, Becky Howitt and Zahra Khan, on the Dollin Essay Competition page on Moodle.

Oxford Historian, Hazel Tubman will assess these five essays to choose the overall winners. A prize of £150 will be awarded to the winner and £50 to the runner-up, thanks to the generosity of Mr Michael Dollin, a school governor.

This competition will reward two essays written by Wycombe High School students which are judged to display the best combination of:

The judge’s decision is final. All essays will be retained by the School for further use. Entrants will not receive specific personalised feedback to their essays.

Talent for expressing complex ideas in simple terms but in a manner that a subject expert would enjoy.

Prizes will be awarded in early November.

Regulations: Entrants must write their submissions entirely independently. No consultation with, or involvement of, staff at the school is permitted, beyond a short, initial discussion.

An argument that is logically pursued; it must have a starting point, develop over a series of paragraphs, and reach a clear conclusion.

Evidence of enthusiasm for the task.

All research materials and academic sources must be correctly referenced and cited in a bibliography (use the referencing and essay planning on the Information Literacy page on Moodle).

A desire to reach beyond subject syllabi and to show wider understanding and general knowledge.

Originality in challenging the question and devising ingenious solutions to tough intellectual arguments.

Plagiarism will result in disqualification.

If you fail to follow the guidelines, your essay may be disqualified.

How to enter the competition: Entrants can be from any year group in WHS. Entrants must select one essay title from the range of different subjects which will be listed on Moodle from 16 May, and on display outside the Hall and in the Miller Study Area.

Follow the simple procedure: Pick one essay title from the questions displayed on the Dollin Essay Competition page on Moodle.

Write no fewer than 1,000 words and no more than 2,000 words.

Essays must be between 1000 and 2000 words long. They must be word-processed, doublespaced and single-sided. They should include a bibliography and a word count. Please DO NOT write your name on your work.

Make sure any external sources have been correctly referenced and credited in a bibliography.

Entrants must hand their essay in to Mrs Winser in her office in Miller (which is at the end of the Old Common Room on the third floor). Each student will receive from her an identification number. Mrs Winser will be the only person who knows who has written each essay.

Do not put your name on it.

Do not plagiarise.

Print off a hard copy and take it to Mrs Winser in her office in Miller before the deadline of Friday 23 September 2016.

Collect an identification number and wait for the results of the competition.

The closing date for submitting essays is 3.40 pm on Friday 23 September 2016.

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Drama Shakespeare 400 “All the world’s a stage” (As You Like It) – and on Monday 25 April, Wycombe High School was certainly alive with the sound of theatre!

A performance from the Mechanicals (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

What party would be complete without food?

Saturday 23 April 2016 marked 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare, arguably the greatest playwright and poet to have ever lived.

The Bard wrote stories that still resonate with us today, writing characters that we can still identify with and see ourselves in, all these years on.

Therefore on Monday 25 April we thought it only fitting to celebrate Shakespeare with our very own bardic banquet! The Drama Studio was dressed in all its fineries, and the feast was laid out for all to enjoy! Thou wouldst ne’er have seen a finer sight!

We then commenced with the entertainment: a quiz in honour of Shakespeare himself and then an extract from one of his finest plays, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ performed by a fine cast of wandering players!

It was a soirée that Shakespeare himself would have been proud of, but in One Fell Swoop (to quote the Bard himself) it was all over and we were forced to rejoin the present day once more!

Here's to the next anniversary!

We do love our Shakespeare!

Lani Strange, Teacher of Drama

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English The Beginning of My New Interest in Shakespeare When I started learning about Shakespeare and reading A Midsummer Nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dream I had no idea what was going on. Then when we were reading the second scene from the play all of the characters came to life.

The funny characters took my imagination away. I soon forgot about all the tricky words and Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bizarre English and focused more on the mystical and fantastical plot. Learning about Shakespeare really helped me to use my imagination and to develop my own English, we even got to make lots of posters and act out some scenes!

Soon we will act it all out! Yes we have an exam on it, but you get a lot of fun practice to prepare. I have really enjoyed learning about Shakespeare and I know there are more fun things coming up.

Although this topic is only the beginning to my interest in Shakespeare, I am already looking forward to discovering what happens in the rest of the play and to find out more about Shakespeare.

Faith John-Brown, Year 7, Bronte 1

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A New Beginning Poem Collection

The Field Mouse

True Love

The morning breeze tickles my whiskers Ruffles my hair Spring has started everywhere.

I’ve got a spring in my step a bounce in my hop because I know soon Spring will stop.

My whiskers twitch My tail does a wiggle My feed brush along the grass My ears do jiggle For I love new beginning.

A gurgle a splutter, A giggle a mutter, in my arms she lays gazing into my eyes quizzically, Her life newly begun, soon to flourish and grow, but forever will I know that with me she did start and will always be in my heart.

A New Beginning Lying there in the hospital room Full of sorrow and grieving I know my end is coming soon I know I am leaving However sad it will be I’m going to start once again, free.

Sun Rays Growth A flash of gold brown fur Glittering in the newly found sun, Her nose emerges releasing a gentle purr She ruffles in the orange fiery leaves Winter has gone, a new beginning has been found.

In the ground I lay Soon to be something one day I’m starting to grow Even though the process is slow My new beginning is near But others do fear But I will stand tall Even though I’m soon to fall.

She fully leaves the grey dull cave A new life lying in the sun rays, her cubs behind her trying to be brave For they have never witnessed the golden sun A new beginning can start many different ways.

The Cycle The sun fades away Into a blur of colour Night has come Night has gone The sun rises again A new start, the same colour.

The cubs jump in between the sunlit trees Their mother gazes into the spring flowers, All good things come in three she says The three cubs stumble over The family sit together enjoying their new beginning.

Tamryn Bailey, Year 7, Austen 1

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Geography So why do countries like the USA, UK, France, Germany etc give aid? The UN requires some countries, such as the UK, to give a certain amount of GDP to other countries through aid.

The real underlying reason for it though, is guilt and the desire to maintain power. Occasionally, it is for altruistic reasons, although I would argue that it never is. Past colonial powers like France and Great Britain made less developed countries dependant on the colonial power, whilst simultaneously exploiting these nations and sucking them dry of their resources.

Aid and the Wealth Gap Aid is such a misleading word – we generally associate it with charity, giving with no strings attached. In a global capitalist system where the rich few rule over the poor majority, this is not the case.

Firstly, there are many different types of aid that wealthy countries and organisations can give to people.

Bi-lateral aid: this is assistance, usually financial, given by a government directly to the government of another country. This aid is almost always tied aid. Tied aid is when a grant or loan is given but there are conditions attached which often work in the donor country’s favour such as building a specific infrastructural project such as a railway or dam which will often use a contractor company from the donor country with workers from that country. Or there will be other conditions such as a repayment with interest or trade agreements.

After WW2, and in the case of Russia, after the Cold War, these countries found themselves with no resources, poor trade links, and no real legitimate government. This caused unstable political, social and economic situations. So the western colonial powers have a sense of guilt. But we also still want to keep these nations dependant on us. And hence neo-colonialism was born. Neo-colonialism is the geopolitical practice of using capitalism, business globalization, and cultural imperialism to influence a country, in lieu of either direct military control (imperialism) or indirect political control (hegemony) (Wikepedia).

Countries like the UK and USA give aid through the International Monetary fund and World Bank which are huge corporations that have helped some nations reduce their poverty through aid in the form loans and advice. However an overwhelming number of less developed countries who have taken advice and aid from the World Bank and IMF have found themselves in a cycle of debt which then cannot repay.

Multi-lateral aid: is when multiple countries, and / or organisations give money to a less developed country. This can be tied aid but is less commonly tied aid than bi-lateral aid. Often ‘development’ aid.

Emergency Aid: is immediate, essential provisions to humanitarian crises and is contributed to by the international community, and distributed through non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

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Aid from non-governmental organisations such as Oxfam is much more successful in delivering effective development aid to communities, to raise the standard of living in a way that is more bottom-up as opposed to top-down. However, some types of aid actually hinder the development of Less Economically Developed Countries whilst appearing to promote it.

For example, an NGO that supplies mosquito nets to a community in Ghana put local mosquito net makers out of business, meaning that after a few years the free mosquito nets will most likely be broken and ineffective, there will be no local businesses to fix them or provide more, and the local businesses have been impacted and progress has been made. In this current global, capitalist system, in 2014, 67 people were as wealthy as the poorest 3.5 billion people (Forbes); in 2016 the wealth gap is even larger.

Is some of the wealth gap linked to aid and neo-colonialism? Is aid doing more harm than good? How can we deliver effective aid? In my opinion the best way to give development aid is in the form of setting up local, sustainable initiatives, run by locals. For example empowering women in poor rural communities; introducing small banks like the Grameen bank which gives out small repayable loans; and providing subsistence farmers with technology and knowledge to increase their yields.

Lotty Clare, Year 13, Curie 5, Head of Environment

27

Guild Lunchtime Talk: ‘Inspire’ Series with Miss Forbes

with enhanced verbal ability and nonverbal reasoning’. She found this so interesting and loved living in another culture, particularly as a psychologist.

On Thursday 21 April Miss Forbes, Class of 2001, gave a psychology talk to students on her academic experience, how to get into her field of expertise and the three main areas of psychology.

After her degree she then got more work experience as an activity coordinator for adults with learning difficulties, a care worker and was trained as a tier two drugs worker. Following this she did a Masters in Health Psychology at UCL, focusing on how the mind affects the way you live your life.

Miss Forbes started Wycombe High School in 1995 and was planning to leave in Year 11 until she received her GCSE results which were better than expected. Something told her to stay at WHS and she decided to give Psychology A-level a try, which was a brand new subject at the time having only two classes, contrasting the nine we currently have.

Her dissertation was looking at why teenagers take the risks they do and requested to use Wycombe High School students as participants.

This was accepted and she spoke to the Head of Psychology about a career as a Psychology teacher. After this the current Head of Department, Mrs Lloyd, phoned Miss Forbes saying they needed a teacher. Even though Miss Forbes had just started a new job she had a feeling this is what she should do, especially as it is what she wanted to do at 16 when she first fell in love with the subject.

Miss Forbes then went on to explain the process of becoming a psychologist. First, you need a degree in Psychology, then at least one year of work experience and then a postgraduate course relevant to your chosen field. This total process should take around seven years.

She loved psychology straight away. Although, it was a particular study on mental illness that captivated her and she had a ‘light bulb moment’ in which she knew that was what she wanted to do with her career. She was convinced to do Psychology for sure when her teacher decided to do a lecture-style lesson on Health Psychology and she had never been so fascinated. Miss Forbes was then prepared to work hard and fell in love with the subject, something she had not experienced before.

Miss Forbes gained some useful voluntary experience and then went to Bath University. She chose this university specifically for the sandwich course* it offered, meaning she could do a placement year - an invaluable asset to have as an emerging psychologist. She then went to Harvard where she worked in a music and neural laboratory working on a project called ‘Practicing a musical instrument in childhood is associated

* Sandwich courses are courses offered by some universities where some of your studies take place working in industry or studying abroad.

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The first of the three fields of Psychology Miss Forbes talked about was Clinical Psychology, arguably the most competitive field. This is where you work with mental health and the aim is to diagnose and treat. For this career you need a degree, work experience and a three year paid doctorate.

We would like to thank Miss Forbes again for her inspiring and informative talk and for giving up her time to come to speak to students.

We would also like to thank the Guild for sponsoring the promotion of the talk and the three ÂŁ10 WH Smith Gift Cards for the free raffle.

Kelsey Farrell, Year 12, Parks 2, Head of Guild

She then talked about Educational Psychology, where the problem young people face in education, due to behavioural, social or emotional factors, are tackled. This also requires a degree, work experience and a three year doctorate.

Finally, she talked about Forensic Psychology.

This can include working to understand the psychology of the courtroom, prison setting, criminal profiling and the treatment of criminals.

This requires a degree, work experience and a masters in Forensic Psychology.

Last of all she went on to explain what you need to get accepted onto a course, most of which have the grade requirements of BBB or higher due to the competitiveness of the course. Although you don't need psychology A-level, you do need some form of science A-level. In addition, she recommended doing a sandwich course as it makes you much more competitive.

Then she briefly explained some work experience opportunities that are available to students currently, both inside and outside of school, including positions of responsibility, Psychology Society, primary school project and gap year experiences.

29

Former Student Current Staff Profile Lani Strange Teacher of Drama Attended Wycombe High from 2005-2012

to university or on to other career paths with a real sense of drive and determination!

What did you get up to at WHS in terms of study and extracurricular activities?

When I was at WHS I was involved in the Chamber Choir from Year 9-13, going on most of the Music Tours and having a fantastic time in a whole variety of amazing countries as well as performing at the school concerts and the yearly Carol Service. I also attended Senior Dance throughout school and got involved in all things dramatic! I took part in ‘The King and I’, ‘We Will Rock You’ at John Hampden and ‘Oklahoma’ as well as being in ‘The Grimm Tales’ and ‘Daisy Pulls it Off’ and helping with the Year 8 Drama Festival!

Music Tour What brought you back to WHS and what is your role?

I am currently a Teacher of Drama and I just couldn't stay away! WYCOMBE HIGH TILL I DIE and all that!

Do you have any fond memories you’d like to share?

One of my fondest memories was having the opportunity to write and direct the School Pantomime and being a part of the SLT! It was Daisy Pulls It Off amazing to see something that I'd written go from the page all the way to the stage and I had such a fun time working with students and staff in rehearsals as I put it all together!

What is it like being a teacher in your former high school?

It was a strange experience to start off with, as a lot of the teachers that taught me throughout school are now colleagues but it is great to be able to come back and see just how much has changed and developed!

What has changed?

It is amazing seeing the Music Centre fully built and up and running as, when I was at school, we spent several years fundraising for it, so it is lovely to see that all the work paid off and created something incredible!

What did you do after school? Gap year, straight into business or Uni. After leaving WHS, I went straight to University.

If you went to Uni where did you go and why did you choose it?

I went to Warwick University because I loved the campus and the Arts Centre that it had on site, giving lots of opportunities for performing!

What do you know now that you didn’t in Year 13 that you’d like to share with current students?

I know now that while Year 13 is an intense, stressful mess, it is all worth it in the end and Wycombe High sets you up wonderfully to go on

A Level Results Day 30

Former Student Profile Hilary Wilson Sentinel-3 Project Manager

the Sixth Form I decided to study a Geology based course, there was only one place that did the course that I wanted (BEng (Hons) Engineering Geology and Geotechnics), so I picked Portsmouth Polytechnic (now the University of Portsmouth). Part of that course involved using satellites to explore the earth and as I enjoyed that very much I chose to follow this course with a MSc in Remote Sensing which was split between Imperial and University College London.

What years did you attend WHS? 1979 to 1985 What did you get up to at WHS in terms of study and extracurricular activities?

My focus was clearly on Sciences as my original plan was to study Medicine; I took Maths, Chemistry and Biology as my ‘A’ Levels. All my spare time was taken up with music; I sang in the school choirs, school musicals and played the double bass in both the school orchestras as well as studying the flute and playing the recorder.

What do you know now that you didn’t in Year 13 that you’d like to share with current students?

In year 13 I never once considered staying at school for another year and retaking my exams to get the grades I needed for Medicine; re-sitting was just for people who failed their exams and not for those who had “good enough” but not brilliant grades. However, in the grand scheme of the rest of your life taking “only” one more year to get the grades to follow your dreams is not a big deal and if you are passionate about something then have courage and persevere, they will take you a long way.

Do you have any fond memories you’d like to share?

My funniest memory is of my best friend Helen Forbes (née Twissell) setting fire to the end of her plait with a Bunsen burner in a Chemistry lesson! I also remember the fun we had on Friday afternoons in double Biology, our teacher Mr Jones was smart and knew that we and he would be tired and grumpy in the last double period of the week so to keep it interesting and us awake, he invited each member of the class to give a lecture on their favourite Biology topic, I brought my two kittens to school to illustrate my talk on “Siamese cat genetics’, though I’m not sure most of the class listened too hard as they were too busy cuddling the kittens (who behaved impeccably).

With hindsight I can say that I am / was too emotional to make a good doctor and that being “forced” to change tack was a very good thing. I found a career in “Space Systems Engineering”, a subject that I had never even heard of, let alone considered, but one about which I am extremely passionate and have followed for more than 25 years.

In the same time I’ve also managed to raise four kids - single handedly for the last 13 years, lived for the last 20 years in a “foreign country” (still wishing that I had studied German at WHS rather than Latin and Greek) and run a half marathon, showing that if you want something enough, are willing to work hard and have a little luck thrown in, you can succeed at most things. Not bad for a failure!!

What did you do after school? Gap year, straight into business or Uni. I went straight to University, gap years were not so popular way back then!

If you went to Uni where did you go and why did you choose it?

When my grades were not good enough grades for Medicine I had to choose a different subject and as I had enjoyed studying Geology ‘O’ Level (GCSE now) in

Sophie Richards, Year 12, Parks 3, Head of Guild 31

Lunchtime Talk: ‘Inspire’ Series with Hilary Wilson

When she was at school ‘there were things that men did and things that women did’ and even now at work she is often the only woman in a room of 100 plus men. It is often a big advantage as you will be remembered! Statistics show that women are more likely to get promotions when they apply for a job, although they actually apply less often.

On Thursday 5 May we welcomed Hilary Wilson back to Wycombe High School. Hilary works within the space industry for a company called EUMETSAT, based in Germany and has been following this career for almost 30 years now working as the Project Manager of the Sentinel 3 project.

Why choose the space industry? 

It is rocket science



It’s really interesting and lots of fun



It’s well paid



You can work abroad and use language skills as well as your scientific ones Wide variety of topics - study the Earth, Mars, Venus, Asteroids, other Galaxies all from the comfort of your own office!

Wide variety of scientific and engineering skills needed.





After the talk we gave the audience the opportunity to ask Hilary some questions…

‘Give us an example of an exciting day.’

I would usually describe an exciting day as something going wrong. Sometimes I will get a call at 3:00 in the morning and have to go in to help solve a problem with the satellite. This is even sometimes as simple as turn it off and on again, however this has its problems as the satellite is in a polar orbit and so not always in range and we might have to wait hours or even days before it comes into range.

It also gets exciting when we get a warning, only very occasionally, that our satellite might crash into / pass very close by to a piece of space rubbish. Once we had a satellite that was actually hit and we had to use the emergency fuel reserves to set it back on course.

Sentinel 3 launch Hilary began by showing us a video of her satellite Sentinel 3 launch, a project whose organisation began 30 years ago. As Hilary put it they are ‘not in the business of doing things very quickly’. This talk enlightened us on the importance of satellites and how they can actually affect what decisions are made here on the earth.

A few examples include:  



Hurricane prediction.

Recording the melting of ice sheets important for predicting rising sea levels and flooding in future years.

Air quality monitoring - provide hayfever and air pollution warnings.

Essentially satellites take pictures continuously to build up images of the earth.

Ocean monitoring: sea level rise

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‘What happens at the end of a satellite’s life?’

Years ago we would have just sent it further out into space but now there are rules set in place against that and there are other ways to deal with it such as sending it back towards earth where is burns up in the atmosphere.

Maureen Allen’s Classics Endowment In the Annual 2016 Magazine distributed in March we included an article about a very generous donation from Hilary Wilson (class of 1985) and her sister Lindsay Plowman (class of 1988) on behalf of their mother Maureen Allen. Maureen was the Head of Classics, spending her last 25 years of the 40 years she had been teaching at Wycombe High School.

‘What takes up the biggest proportion of the cost of running a satellite operation?’

The early operation and all the planning and preparation. Sending it into space doesn't actually cost that much. For example, as we launched Sentinel 3 from Plesetsk in Russia, there was too much snow to even launch, so the cost depends on a lot of things.

When Hilary came to speak at school, we were able to show her some of the much needed resources the Classics Department were able to purchase thanks to their generous gift.

‘In your opinion is there too much money being spent on the satellite industry?’

Definitely not because most of the operations we run do put back into the economy. The ability to be able to warn countries and populations about hazards and dangers such as air pollution and floods make what we do very worthwhile.

‘Do you believe in aliens?’

No. There is currently not enough evidence to suggest life on other planets. However, I am open to the possibility of life being discovered in the future, most probably not in my lifetime!

Mrs Clare Penzer-Williams (Class of 2006), Head of Classics, was thrilled to meet Hilary and show her the donor recognition labels made in honour of her mother who was beloved by her students.

Congratulations to our prize draw winners and thank you to the Guild for donating three WHSmith gift cards.

Sophie Richards, Year 12, Parks 3, Head of Guild

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singing lessons till year 12. Then a year later I auditioned for Caius choir and here I am!

Interview with Caroline Daniel former Wycombe High School student (Class of 2014)

I didn’t start singing solo things until year 12 or 13. I just enjoyed it and thought it was probably a good thing: it helps your confidence and I was always quite shy at school. At the end of my Year 12, the school’s Director of Music (Mrs Sheila Cornall) said I should consider applying for a choral scholarship. I didn’t even know about them for girls: all you really hear about from Cambridge is King’s and John’s, which are all-male choirs, whereas Caius is mixed. I was thinking of applying to Caius anyway so it fitted.

What’s the process for applying for a choir place or a choral scholarship?

I had to fill in an online form asking about my experience of music and particularly singing and choral singing. It said it didn’t matter if you hadn’t had lots of experience of singing in Latin: even though that’s the expectation when you get here, it’s not a necessary prerequisite.

This interview was originally published on http:// www.gonvilleandcaiuschoir.com/choir-life/oursingers

I then had two auditions here. The first one was in front of a panel of a few music directors in the Faculty of Music. First you practise with the organ scholar, then you go in and sing one of the pieces you’ve prepared. Then they give you some sightreading and you do some aural tests. I found it quite hard - I’m not very good at ear tests and my sight reading didn’t go very well: I left saying “sorry”!

Most members of the choir are undergraduates at Caius who read a wide range of Subjects across the Arts and Sciences. There are normally 24 singers balanced roughly as follows: 8-9 Sopranos 4-5 Altos (female and male) 4-5 Tenors

The second audition was in Caius in Dr Webber’s room. I sang several of my Grade 8 pieces and did more sight-reading of madrigals and a bit of a Magnificat. I thought, well, I’ve had a go, and at least I’m going to come here if I get my grades.

But then I heard the next morning I’d been accepted.

5-6 Basses Occasionally individual singers change voice parts as their voices continue to develop with age.

Some choir members have been singing from an early age, perhaps as a boy or girl chorister in a Cathedral, but others have taken up singing only recently. Each singer’s background and experience is taken into account at the audition stage. There is no particular type of voice that is looked for in a Caius choral scholar; for example, both pure-toned and more mature-sounding voices are welcome.

Was that all your contact with the College till you began your studies here?

No – we were invited straight away to the “Handover Feast” – a unique Caius event where the old choir and all the new members come together, and you have to do a Chapel service, grace and madrigals.

You’ve been a member of the choir since arriving at Caius in 2014 – did you have a lot of singing experience when you auditioned?

I was quite nervous about coming up and wasn’t sure about it at all - I was worried it would be like a Year 7 vibe at secondary school, with all the new first years. But in fact all the years get on so well – particularly because in the choir you’re with

No! I started getting into music when I was about ten – I began playing the clarinet at the end of primary school and carried on till 18. But I only really started singing when I was in year nine when I joined the school choir. I thought ‘this is fun – I’d like to get better at it’, but I didn’t start 34

a mix of people from different year groups. Your best friends in the choir are not necessarily in the same year as you.

Now you’re a choir member, what’s the weekly routine?

The choir sings at three Chapel services a week: Evensong on Tuesday and Sunday, and Eucharist on Thursday. There are 45-minute rehearsals before each service, and 55-minute rehearsals on Monday and Wednesday. The services last around 45 minutes and you wear a cassock and surplice over your clothes and black shoes. I hadn’t worn a cassock and surplice before coming here, but a lot of the boys have because they’ve done a year in a cathedral. I’d sung in the school choir and the choir at our local music centre.

How easy has it been to adapt to the demands of being a choir member?

There’s a lot of sight-reading, and it’s a really fast pace of music learning, which I had kind of expected.

We don’t do the same things in multiple services in a row. For 24 services, it’s a lot. The biggest adaptation for me after a school choir was the sight-reading. Also, here you’re expected to have a lot of confidence to sing out, whereas I think I’m a bit of a perfectionist and don’t want to sing very loudly if I might make a mistake. But everyone sings out and if you make a mistake you just put your hand up which shows you know it was wrong and will look at it. It’s only 24 people and the expectation is that you do your part for the sound.

It is hard at first: in the first term all the first years lost their voices. Being expected to sing every day was quite different from what most of us had done, but you learn to sing properly so that you don’t lose your voice.

How would you sum up your choir experience?

It’s great. People said “you’re crazy to try and do medicine and choir – they’re such big time commitments”. But I wouldn’t have wanted to give up choir and I don’t think I’d have done much better academically - you just get more efficient at doing your work.

I really, really enjoy it – you get so much out of it, it’s such fun and so friendly and sociable. You do need to be interested because you need to give up the time, but if you love singing it’s such a rewarding thing to do.

Previously published on http://www.gonvilleandcaiuschoir.com/choir-life/our-singers

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Alumnae In the News: Jennifer Dickinson (Class of 1996) - Fashion Editor

pieces that really feel like works of art. It’s not just about “I need a great phoenix sweater and a great pair of jeans,” It’s now actually, “I want something that I just love.” And there’s more of that around this season than there has been for a long time. I think fashion of that kind really makes you fall in love with it because it’s so beautiful.

What are some challenging trends for this season?

An issue of The Edit we decided to do, to time it with Art Basel, “Visual Optimism”, which is picking up on the trend that’s all about graphic prints, Stella McCartney stripes, Missoni’s bright colours, Christopher Kane’s [coloured fringes] – so it’s picking up on a lot of those graphics and brightness. And I think people always find that tricky to wear. But when you can pull it off, it makes that immediate impact.

Tips and trends of the Fashion industry This article was published in the South China Morning Post by Kim Soo-Jin during March 2016.

Jennifer Dickinson, the editor of Net-A-Porter’s The Edit, a weekly e-commerce magazine, and editor at large of Porter magazine, is the quintessential English rose: well-mannered, eloquent and chic. She’s also a seasoned journalist who understands the fashion industry inside and out. She’s now harnessing that power to help boost Net-A-Porter’s reach to global fashionistas to meet their style needs.

What advice would you give to a woman venturing into fashion for the first time?

Accessories are a really great way to dip in.

Those amazing Gucci slipper behind you, the red ones with the bees on them? I’ve got those and you can literally wear them with a pair of jeans and a sweater and everyone’s going to notice your shoes. You can kind of dip your toe in - quite literally! - an amazing shoe or bold-coloured bag or perhaps a bag with some fringes on it. And what’s quite amazing with fashion is that the more you try with little things, the more confident you feel.

We sat down with her to discuss the latest fashion trends and what it’s like working for The Edit, a lauded weekly e-commerce magazine.

How is working for an e-commerce magazine different from traditional print media?

Do you have any advice for women in Hong Kong seeking to keep their style alive in the upcoming summer without breaking a sweat?

It’s really different. When you’re working on a magazine usually you’re putting all these elements together: the pictures, the words, the shooting. And then you put it out there and you never hear anything back.

I think skirts are really good, like a long skirt, because it’s swishing around you and if you want to sit down then you can actually tuck it between your legs and stop yourself from getting too hot.

With The Edit, you can see whether they’re reading it in Hong Kong but they’re not reading it in New York, or whether they’re bouncing straight out, coming into the page then clicking straight off. It just means that you see the whole process and that you’re much more involved with the woman, what she wants, what she likes, and what she’s not so keen on.

You’re always jetting off between London and LA for interviews and shoots. Do you have any travel tips you swear by?

In terms of beauty bags, I keep three that are already packed. One is for overnight, one is for weekends, and one is for longer trips. I keep everything I need in them so I don’t forget anything. Otherwise I’d always find that whenever I go somewhere, I’d forgotten something and would always have to go straight to a chemist and buy whatever it was that I’d forgotten.

What do you think is something interesting that’s happening in the fashion industry right now?

This season, I love the fact that it’s very diverse and I think you can be all sorts of different women. At the same time there are brilliant embellishments that are coming with Gucci and 36

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History & Politics Remembering Our Queen

spent only ten months in England, Richard did occupy this away time well. Soon before he had ascended to the throne, there was news that Saladin the Merciful had retaken Jerusalem; Richard took it upon himself to crusade. His goal: take back the Holy Land for Christendom.

In this modern world in which we live, it is easy to forget the role that a monarch plays. After all, all key decisions are made by Parliament, and ideas are only vetoed by the Queen. Moreover, the Queen does not ride into battle whenever we are at war, and the country as a whole is no longer bothered with campaigning and conquering.

Whether it is surprising or not, there are even talks of removing the monarchy altogether.

The titular character in one of Shakespeare's best-loved plays, Henry V was a brave and honourable king; not only was he a great fighter, he also cared about his people. In the early 1400s, Henry successfully crushed the rebellion of the Welsh leader Owain Glyndwr. But his greatest victory was when he and his troops went 'once more unto the breach' at Agincourt in 1415, vanquishing the French enemy, and uniting the English. His sudden death at the age of thirty-six was widely mourned, and he was succeeded by his nine-month-old son.

Yet, a king or a queen embodies British morals and values, and Elizabeth herself is a reminder of the rich history of our royalty. For these reasons, as well as to mark the Queen's ninetieth birthday and her being our longest-reigning monarch, I wish to explore some of our most prolific kings and queens.

Everyone remembers studying William I, aptly labelled ‘The Conqueror’, in Year 7 History. The death of one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings, Edward the Confessor, and his dying wish, was to change English history forever. When doubt fell over the Confessor’s preferred heir, a race ensued, and whoever crossed the finishing line first was to gain the throne of England. The Battle of Hastings was the culmination of all of these tribulations. William, after crushing his opponent Harold Godwinson (the unfortunate soul who got an arrow in his eye), was crowned on Christmas Day 1066, and it is from him that all English monarchs hail. William will also be remembered for 1186's Domesday Book, a record of all of the people, animals and estates in the country.

Fast-forward to 1509 and sitting on the throne is the man who will become our most infamous (and not necessarily for good reasons) king: Henry VIII. The son of the wily miser Henry Tudor, Henry became king after his elder brother Arthur died.

Henry was immensely popular at first. However, Henry soon cast off the Renaissance prince facade, and underneath it was a petulant and obsessive man. Perhaps, no king has been quite as irreligious as he; he plundered abbeys and murdered monks when the Pope refused to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon. Henry then set up his own church, the Church of England, and divorced Catherine, seeking to marry the younger Anne Boleyn. We all know the rhyme: Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. The queen to survive the tyrant's rule was Catherine Parr.

Coeur de Leon, or Lionheart. At over six-feet tall, possessing immense strength and golden hair, there was perhaps no king other than Richard I who deserved this title. As well as being an upholder of chivalry and military skill, Richard possessed immense political gall. Though he 38

Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth I certainly did have the 'heart and stomach of a king' as she had once claimed. With a rule lasting forty years, she was perhaps one of our most popular monarchs.

Her defiance in remaining unmarried confused and startled allies and enemies alike. It was when Elizabeth was on the throne that Spain tried to invade, numerous times, yet each time the Spaniards went home empty-handed. Also, in the wake of the religious turmoil left by both her father and her sister, the Elizabethan Era saw religious tolerance and artistic freedom flourish.

Over a hundred years later Queen Victoria was our monarch. The Victorian Age, as it came to be known, was a period of intense change. It built on the drastic developments of the prior Regency Period, and saw massive cultural, technological and military transitions. Victoria, with a reign lasting over sixty-three years is our secondlongest-ruling monarch. During his reign, many things were invented, including the light bulb, the telephone, the camera, the gramophone and the car. Victoria's marriage to the German prince Albert is still a well-known love story, yet aged only forty-one Albert died, and from then on, Victoria wore no colour other than black.

After the ascension of Charles I in 1625, England was once again thrust into religious and political turmoil. Charles was not a natural ruler; he was short, slow and he stammered. He disliked consulting Parliament, and his marriage to a Catholic only soured public opinion further. The culmination was civil war, and after nine years' fighting, Charles' royalist army was defeated by parliamentarians; their leader was Oliver Cromwell. Upon the execution of the king and the exile of the king's son in 1649, Cromwell governed England as a republic.

Finally, of course, there is Elizabeth II. When her father George VI died in 1952, Elizabeth ascended to the throne aged only twenty-six. Perhaps, out of all of our monarchs, Elizabeth has seen the most transformation. Her state visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 was significant. Her rule saw the decolonisation of Africa and Canadian patriation.

In 1977, she celebrated her Silver Jubilee; her Gold in 2002; and her Diamond in 2012. 1992, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;annus horribilisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, was a pivotal point for the Crown. It was the year that Lord Mountbatten was shot, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced. During her time on the throne, the world saw the popularisation of the computer and the television, and the invention of optic fibre and calculators.

However, eleven years later, Charles' son (also called Charles) returned for revenge. His return from exile was warmly received by the majority, and Charles wasted no time defeating the new Lord Protector Richard Cromwell. In 1660, the monarchy was restored, and England rejoiced.

Charles II was the opposite of his father, but he was just what England needed: despite his

licentious and duplicitous nature, he was courageous and tolerant.

Ruling from 1689-1702, William III was an unsung hero. He was one of our greatest monarchs, yet few remember him. William was unique, in that he co-ruled with his wife Mary II. Fast-forward to 1688, and the Glorious Revolution had begun. The dangerously Catholic Stuart king James II had been deposed, and the monarchy was now more acceptable to Parliament. Perhaps William's greatest legacy is his victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

So, there we have it. Discussed are the reigns of some the most interesting, beneficiary and revolutionary kings and queens.

Ellie Tarr, Year 12, Parks 9, News Crew

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Library In the Library this month……

We have a great selection of new fiction in the Library this month. Many of the new titles feature on the CILIP Carnegie Medal shortlist.

We also have special displays for the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and 19th Century fiction:

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Library Spring Poetry Competition Over the Easter Holidays we asked students to be creative and submit poems for our Spring Poetry Competition. Ms Reece has judged all the wonderful entries and we congratulate the following students: 1st: Grace David Year 10, Bronte 1 2nd: Gillian Hargreaves Year 11, Parks 1 3rd: Yaqing Luo Year 12 Nightingale 4 Highly Commended: Anya Vaughan-Smith Year 10 Pankhurst 10 Prizes were awarded to the winners and House Points for all entrants. Well done!

The Broken World Lilies coat a pond in flowers, By and by flow by the hours.

Leaves dress a tree in the finest wear, They blossom in spring, in winter they’re bare.

Clouds cover the heavens when he begins to cry, Holding him until the tears start to dry.

Sun rays lightly kiss the mountains, Melting snow and making fountains.

Baby animals roam the Earth’s spring ground, We ruin their home so they are bound.

Is this our job? To ruin the pure?

We are the ones who ruined… No cure?

If the natural world looks after its own, We should leave them be.

Their beauty is they do this alone.

Grace David, Year 10, Bronte 1, 1st Place

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Missing the Past

Trapped in a Fire

‘Can’t we go back?’ I asked you gently; The flowers are shining under the wind, eagerly Hoping for a new life, a new world, a new spot To burst out into the unknown, and weep under the tree.

Maybe I’ll get out, maybe I’ll survive But you can’t rely on a feeling.

The wind in my hair The heat on my back All the while no one can hear my calls.

You never answer, and I waited and waited.

Patience has flown out of me like long-trapped birds, it is too late To look past your eyes, dig out the darkness and pain and drown in the sea of tears.

You never understand.

I take off my scarf, I wave it frantically, Still no one comes to my side.

The fire still raging The wind is a frenzy of glass I’m not ready to die.

You see my breath condensing and freezing, You look through my soul, as bare as a new born baby, Screaming aloud in despair, in shame, in anger; That I am still staring at you, staring, staring.

I still wave the flag, hoping, wishing That someone will soon see red.

If no one does, then I’m ready to jump Make the red flag turn red.

The giant birds fly past Causing mass destruction, The little ones are nowhere to be seen, The streets below are filled with people and blood They might just break my fall.

I take one step out, onto the ledge Feeling my heart pound.

The people below Scream at the sight They know what I am about to do.

A fresh start is sweeping across the land of the living, and a squirrel is tearing its way through the food chain.

Keep falling towards the blossom of lavender pink But I am still chasing after your glance, smiling.

Time has never let us go, together, apart, or else, Whereas heart cannot be controlled, love, not love, or else.

The scent of dreams should be dissipated by now Too sweet, unrealistic, and untouchable.

I can never hold.

I think for a second About my love and my loss The fire still roars on I’m sorry, my love, but I must leave Before I hear you shout stop.

‘We can not go back.’ I stopped asking.

Knowing what the answer is, just by attaching sights.

But I am broken down by pieces, and still gluing.

Is it time to wake up? And I am still waking, waking.

Droplets of soul tear down my face I’m just not ready to go.

It was forced open me, This impossible decision But now I have made up my mind.

Yaqing Lao, Year 12, Nightingale 4, 3rd Place

I walk out an inch, Tip forward and fall An eagle flying through the air A meter from the ground I close my eyes Then the fire stops.

Anya Vaughan Smith, Year 10, Pankhurst 10, Highly Commended

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Magistrates Court National Court Artist Competition: This competition runs alongside the Magistrates' Court Mock Trial Competition and this year two of our Year 9 girls entered: Olivia Bray (Austen 8) and Kristin Light (Bronte 4).

Congratulations to Olivia Bray as the National Winner, and well done to Kristin for receiving a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Special Mentionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Olivia Bray, Year 9, Austen 8

Olivia Bray, Austen 8. Year 9 (Winning entry far right below).

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Kristen Light, Year 9, Bronte 4

Kristen Light Year 9, Bronte 4

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Music Lower School Concert

Finally, the concert ended with a spirited performance from the Lower School Competition Choir, who sang a ‘Mamma Mia’ medley, and that got us all dancing in our seats! Overall it was a lovely night of music that really was a treat to hear!

On Tuesday 19 April, we were treated to a fantastic concert showcasing the musical talents of many students in Year 7 - 9. The concert included a variety of groups, playing a wide range of instruments, and I was a music leader compering and moving equipment during the concert.

Alice Martin Year 10, Bronte 2, Music leader

It began with the String group playing 'America' from ‘West Side Story’, followed by a number of soloists who achieved awards in the Baillie Murphy music competition, which took place in March. There was a versatile array of acts, including piano, violin, flute duet, and both pop and musical theatre singers. The first half finished with a fabulous rendition of a ‘Les Miserables’ medley from the Lower School Singers, and I loved hearing all the classic songs from the show!

Other instrumental groups such as the Clarinet group, Flute group and Wind Band also performed, and the unique drumming group as well, who entertained us with their fascinatingly fast drumming.

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from the Recorder Group. The first half concluded with a fantastic display of vocal harmony from the Senior Competition Choir singing an incredibly challenging Carpenters medley.

Senior Concert

The Senior Concert is one of the highlights of the musical calendar. It showcases the remarkable commitment, enthusiasm and talent of our wonderful senior musicians. From the main larger ensembles to individual soloists and chamber groups, this concert displays a vast array of musical delights!

The 2016 Senior Concert took place on Tuesday 22 March, and opened with Senior Orchestra performing two incredibly contrasting works. The first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 6, conducted by Mr Snodden followed by Mr Jasper’s conducting debut with the well-known ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’.

The second half was opened by two beautifully diverse pieces by Concert Band, conducted by Mr Andy Rogers. More impressive displays from our senior chamber ensembles wowed the crowd with their professional attitudes and clearly evident enjoyment. From a Brahms violin sonata to a ‘Lion King’ Medley and a dramatized scene from Mozart’s ‘Marriage of Figaro’ the second half was filled with entertainment! The evening was brought to a close by the wonderfully enthusiastic Senior Choir with a diverse programme of four pieces which spanned from early Renaissance to a fully choreographed routine of Coldplay’s ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’! An outstanding end to a year of hard work and dedication – well done to all involved!

The first half featured excellent performances from many of the Baillie Murphy festival winners as well as engaging performances from some of our chamber groups. This included an oboe duet from two of our Music Captains, Tabi Caroe Y13 B5 and Chloe Langham Y13 B5, the Year 10 String Trio, and some entertaining arrangements

Mr Snodden, Teacher of Music

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News Crew Another busy half term, and as I get ready to leave WHS forever, I have some thoughts on this experience. I’ve had great fun being Head of News Crew this year and I hope that you guys have enjoyed my efforts. Both Emily and I have tried to bring something new to this year’s News Crew, and we’ve been helped by a great team. As always I have to thank Mrs Morgan for all the help she’s given us, as well as all the people who proofread for us. I will miss both News Crew and Wycombe High, but I know that we leave behind two brilliant girls to take on Heads of News Crew (Emma Wace Y12 A10 and Ellie Tribe Y12 C1), I have no doubt that they will be amazing.

This edition we again have had some amazing sporting achievement, success in the Magistrates Court Artist Competition, and various exemplary work from subject leaders. Once again I would like to thank Mrs Morgan and the News Crews for their help putting this edition together. Without their hard work this would not be possible, and I hope they know just how much their help is appreciated.

To everyone who wrote in and gave us work, there really would be no High Flyer without you, so thank you so much. I hope you enjoy reading about everything you got up to this half term. The next edition of High Flyer features a theme of festivals. Please send in articles, artwork, poetry, or anything else you’d like on the theme to Mrs Morgan by Wednesday 29 June.

Thank you for reading my ramblings, I hope you’ve enjoyed the work we’ve produced as much as I have liked making it. I am immensely proud of the work we’ve done. I know that next year’s News Crew will be brilliant, but I’m too old for this...

Saoirse O’Connor, Year 13, Parks 3, Head of News Crew It’s been a wonderfully turbulent year, with twists and turns and bumps in the road, and somehow we still managed to create six wonderful editions of High Flyer and one excellent magazine. I am really proud of the team, Mrs Morgan and my Co Head, graciously dealing with stress and closing deadlines in order to make this year as enjoyable and successful as it was. We had a great run, and a great launch party to celebrate that. Thank you so much to everyone who came; whether that was in support of us, the magazine or the option of free food, it was appreciated.

As this is goodbye, I am also pleased to be handing over the reins to two wonderful new heads of News Crew. I am sure they will take on the requirements of the position with equal grace and leadership ability.

I know they will do everyone proud and keep up the good work, no matter the difficulties. For a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3, Head of News Crew

2016 Annual WHS Magazine Available to Purchase All current students who are Guild members are eligible for a free hard copy of the magazine by contacting Mrs Morgan dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk. Parents of current students can use ParentPay (www.parentpay.com) to make an online payment. All others may use the order form found in this edition of High Flyer, in the Letters to Parents section of our website and in the News Crew Course on Moodle.

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July: Festivals Theme

Please contribute your festival stories/ articles/poetry/artwork and other creative ideas by Wednesday 29 June so that we can feature you in High Flyer!

All contributors will receive house points, CASE hours and special prizes! Make sure to send your contributions in

electronic form to Mrs Morgan at dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk.

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Original Contributions Sweet as a Sugar Beet The season that lets not the anxiety of winter seep through nor allows the trifling heat of summer to coarse through its veins It whispers promises of light and birth of new life and offers freedom from the remains of cold pains

It neither bites at your cold fingertips nor peels your hot skin neither stings your red ears nor swelters your back from sultry heat it simply cools your neck with its gentle breeze and carries the scent of flowers as sweet as sugar beet Spring is the engine of a thousand aeroplanes soaring above baby pink blossoms Spring is picking yellow daffodils from rich green stems Spring is waking up to freshly cut grass smelling new and delicious Spring is taking walks along the river Thames It is the most generous of seasons Its gorgeous natural allure gives us spirit and health As a masseuse, spring teases the tension out of stiff bones and shares with us its treasures and all of its wealth Its generous, gentle, genial nature, would win esteem upon any human being And whether shafts of warm sunlight comfort the room or raindrops softly hit the glass The mere presence of spring bestows a scintillating radiance that I wish never to pass.

Jess Martin, Year 12 , Nightingale 9

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Laruen Campbell’s (Year 8, Pankhurst 2) fourth instalment of ‘Stereotypes’

than me at this moment. “Why can’t anything ever go my way?” I mutter slightly out loud to myself, at least no one heard. For once I’d like stuff to just be easy, but that unfortunately won’t ever happen because life is a bully and it seems to enjoy tormenting me, watching me suffer and making me its latest victim. “Oy, what you doing down there? We need to hurry up if we want to win this race!” Brady asked, squatting down next to Jack who is still squirming tirelessly under his heavy back pack. “It’s not a race, it’s an experience!” I jokingly announce to Brady repeating the same thing Mr Sanders had been telling us for days. It got really annoying actually, what did he expect? Of course we’re going to treat this as a race, that’s what happens when you release over thirty teenagers into the woods unsupervised.

Chapter 4, Part 1: Heat I’ve learned something in the last ten minutes trekking through these woods; I’ve learnt that trekking through woods for ten minutes is very boring. You can hear Brady often kicking pine cones, leaves or twigs, as well as Carl’s constant chatter about what he’s going to have for lunch and Jack’s cheerful humming. It’s all infuriating, and Carl’s making me really hungry. I hate the woods; have done ever since the incident. But let’s not talk about that, ever.

“He knows we’re going home for lunch, right?”

Jordan said leaning down so his mouth was closer to my ear. I like to think I’m a good height, though Jordan would disagree. He’s a freaking giant, and considering I am a little shorter than average, it makes him look even taller. “Probably not.”

“Hey, you think they’d notice if I listened to some music?” I ask, looking up at Jordan, only for the blinding sun to catch my eye, causing me to ungracefully stumble forward. Could’ve been worse. “Nah, they probably wouldn’t notice, I’ll let you know if anything interesting happens, like Carl trying to eat a pine cone.” So I pull out my earphones, and try to listen to some sweet, relaxing music.

Expertly played violin, fluent, melodic piano, and slow, taunting cello. You know, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a musical instrument: would releasing such beautiful sounds be pleasurable and as wonderful as the music, or would it hurt. And if it did hurt, would it be worth it, knowing you were brightening the world with your harmonious tune? If I were a violin, having the bow drawn back over my strings over and over again be painful, or would it be like singing, effortless if done relaxingly? And if I were a piano...

I blush once I see Brady staring at me intently and avert my eyes from him over to a still struggling Jack; I hate it when someone makes eye contact with me. It means they’re focusing on me and only me, which also means if I do or say anything wrong, there is absolutely no chance they will have missed it. I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that if you feel uncomfortable with someone making eye contact with you for a long period of time it means you’re insecure, yep I’m okay with that, as long as they don’t look me in the freaking eyes. Maybe Brady thought I was being serious when I repeated Mr Sanders’ line, God I hope not.

He must think I’m a right little teacher’s pet.

“Posy, over here.” Jordan’s voice jogs me out of my starring contest with a faded orange leaf beneath my foot. I look to my left to see what he wanted, but he’s not there anymore. Honestly, sometimes I think he’s the dancer not me, so graceful and quiet, surely that should be me. So not fair. I locate Jordan also squatting next to Jack, though he was near Jack’s right shoulder where Brady was closer to his waist. “Give me a hand.” The orange leaf crackles as my foot moves, gaining a big split down the middle. The leaf sort of reminds me of myself, or my hair to be exact. It stands out against the muddy, brown dirt of the forest path, a stark difference in colour. Just like how I stand out in a crowd of blondes and brunettes, lucky us. I walk over to Jack’s left shoulder and hook one of my hands between his collar bone and the forest floor, and the other in the hook of his back pack (the part you use to hang it up). I see Jordan do the same and feel his

“Umph!” Is the sound that comes out of my mouth when I walk into something firm, but not exactly hard, sort of soft? When I look up I realise what is the weirdly textured object I’ve just waked into, Jack’s back pack. And in horror after that, I realise that Jack is now on the ground after I walked straight into his bulging back pack. Now I feel bad, though he does like kind of like a cockroach on its back, trying to get back up but not being able to due to the huge weight on his shoulders, literally. “Sorry!” I gasp, the breeze a lot cooler 55

cold hand cover a few of my fingers when he holds the back pack too. We both strain to heave Jack up from the ground, man that boy weighs more than he looks, or is that the back pack?

know those lines you can see around a fire that makes land around it look all wobbly and wavy, those cover the ground a couple of yards in front of us. If I die of heat stroke out here, I swear I am going to sue. “Isn’t that a check point?” Carl asks no one in particular, while putting his hand above his forehead to try to see the yellow thing better, like that’s going to help mate. “Yeah, it should be check point A.” Jack points out, I really want to know how he knows what one of the check points looks like, maybe we were shown one in class and forgot to pay attention. Oops.

“Thanks guys,” I give Jack a strained and most likely unbelievable smile where only one side of mouth lifts up, while giving him a nod.

“You okay? Good. Now let’s go.” Brady’s voice cuts through the silence like a hammer through ice, not an ounce of compassion held inside it, he really didn’t care whether Jack was okay or not. Is it bad if I say I’m not entirely sure if I do either? I feel like I’ve built up a wall so high, as ridiculous and cliché as it sounds, that I don’t even care about people any more. I know I should care if Jack got hurt falling, and I should feel guilty, but I just don’t. But I do feel like the guilt is gnawing away at my skin, trying to find a way inside. I won’t let it.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Brady shouts suddenly making me jump sky high. Brady has been oddly quiet this last ten minutes, usually you’d be able to here his running commentary of complaints, I guess the heat’s just getting to him.

He’s also standing much closer than I thought he was, I honestly thought he was somewhere over there with Carl or something, he’s really like two inches behind my left. Okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration; he’s at least four inches away.

Suddenly, he just starts right out sprinting to the check out point, since we were still a couple hundred metres away from it, but it was just about in sight. “How the hell is he running?” I ask Jordan, though not being able to take my eyes off Brady’s running form, almost like he has hypnotised me. I’d be surprised if someone could have a full out conversation for more than two minutes in this heat, so watching Brady sprinting was like watching a sloth dance hip hop, just not something you see everyday.

We’ve been walking for ten minutes, in silence. At this moment all of us only have two things in common: We’re all bored, and hot. So, so very hot. The temperature has gone up dramatically and I feel like I’m being baked from the inside. We don’t really have to worry about sun burn much, not much sun light can get to us through all of the thick tree branches and leaves, but that doesn’t make it any less hot. It’s like the floor of a rainforest which would probably not get much sunlight, because of all the large leaves blocking the way, but it would still be boiling, which is not fair. “So freaking warm!” I mutter under my breath, Jordan doesn’t even lift his bowed head, reacting to my words because it would take too much needed energy in this weather. The words just make my throat urn in this unbearable heat, I am in desperate need of a bottle of Fiji water. I have taken off my blue school shirt, since the long sleeves were baking me to the point of insanity, and it is now wrapped around my waist. I’m lucky I decided to wear my leotard underneath my school blouse today, otherwise I probably would have just gone Tarzan and tried (and failed) to rip the sleeves off. So now at least I have something underneath so I am able to take my blouse off.

Wait…was that even Tarzan?

Jordan turns and looks at me like I have completely lost the plot (I can’t describe how funny he looked with that expression though, I nearly lost it just laughing), and with three short words I realise he just might be right: “He’s Brady Daniels.” Jordan says very slowly and exaggerated, like he was talking to someone very stupid and was worried I might not understand.

Then I notice he is completely right, this is Brady Daniels, the boy who has won more basketballs games than anyone I have ever met, and has been this town’s sportsman three years running.

“Touché,” is all I respond with, “Very, very touché.”

Up ahead I spot something, I’m confused on why nobody has seen it yet, I mean its bright, high lighter yellow, it’s a little hard to miss. “There,” I raise my arm and point to where I see the florescent thing stuck to a thick tree. I see Jordan pick his head up from its slumped position and his eye line follow where my finger is pointing, past the heat waves, and I assume everyone else is doing the same too. Wait, heat wave? Oh my God, there are freaking heat waves! Why? You 56

PAFA High Flyer PAFA UP-DATE May 2016 PAFA is the Parents And Friends Association for Wycombe High School. All parents automatically become members when your daughter joins the school, and everyone is always very welcome to join our meetings. Our role is to organise a wide variety of fun events for parents & students, and to help raise money to support facilities the school is unable to fund.

This half term we had a highly successful theatre trip to see Good Night Mr Tom at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury. Over 40 parents took advantage of the discounted tickets to see this terrific performance raising a further £200 towards the outdoor seating that PAFA have been asked to fundraise for this year. Tickets for the next two theatre trips to see The 39 Steps and Sleeping Beauty at the Swan in High Wycombe are sold out, but I look forward to up-dating you on these performances in the next edition of High Flyer.

Our final PAFA meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday 7 June at 7.00 pm in the Forum at Wycombe High School and will be both a celebration of this year’s fundraising achievements and an important planning discussion for next year’s events. Please do come and join us for light refreshments so that we can hear your thoughts about the activities you and your girls would most like PAFA to support. Everyone is welcome!

Sonia Holloway, Chair of PAFA

All funds raised from this years PAFA events will go to outdoor table seating and rain covers . The first 10 or so should be in the school over the coming weeks from this years fundraising.

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PE & Sport scored from a penalty flick - well done Sarah Pearce! The half time oranges (and chocolate!) did their job and both teams came back out refreshed and ready for more goals, one for the old girls and two for the current team, scored by Mrs Crosby and Miss Snook.

Alumnae Vs Current Staff & Students Thursday 21 April 2016

We were so privileged to play hockey on the Rio Olympics hockey pitch at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre in order to raise money for the Play Your Part for Sport campaign. Beth Wagge captained a 16-player strong team of current Students and Staff playing against the Old Girls of Wycombe High to mark the 105 year anniversary of the 'Old Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hockey Association'. The match was well attended and the players put on a great display of hockey, culminating in a win for the 20 Alumnae, captained by Liz Tidy.

Trophies were awarded afterwards during a scrumptious tea of home-made cakes, thanks to the WHS staff and students, with the Old Girls being crowned champions 2016! Everyone enjoyed swapping stories and a great evening was had by all, raising over ÂŁ400 for the Play Your Part for Sport campaign.

Beth Wagge, Year 12, Pankhurst 8

Mrs Cromie started the match at 7.15 pm, the old girls scoring first and subsequently finding the net several times in the first half! The current girls

More photos can be found here: https://goo.gl/ aTPUHT and on the following page.

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U13 Cricket

The U13 Cricket Team have had a very successful month, winning the first two rounds of the Lady Taverners' Indoor Cricket Competition to eventually be crowned Buckinghamshire Champions. In the 3rd round played last Monday 18 April we came up against the champions of other neighbouring counties and some of them were very good. In the end our girls finished 4th out of 8 counties, a good result considering the quality of the opposition. Congratulations to the whole team - we are still Champions of Buckinghamshire!

The Under 13 Cricket Team!

U15 Cricket The U15 team also won their first round match but did not do so well in the second round, partly due to some absences due to illness and other sporting commitments. Thanks to all members of this team for their hard work and dedication to cricket at Wycombe High over the last few years, in particular the Year 10s who will not be able to play in the U15 team next year. Please still come along to support the club and help the younger students to keep progressing.

Mr Stuart Mills, Subject Leader Physics and Cricket Coach

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PE & Sports English Schools Athletics Cup On Thursday 12 May we took two teams of athletes to the English School Cup competition in Hillingdon. We had a very successful day and the Junior Girls Team came first beating Dr Challoner's High, Wycombe Abbey and Beaconsfield High to name a few. We now progress to the Regional Finals and wait to find out which of the three competitions we will compete in.

The Inter Team comprising of only Year 9's came a very respectful third place, as they were competing against Year 10 athletes and there were some excellent PBs. All results came be found on the ESAA website http://www.esaa.net/v2/2016/tfcup/tfcup16results.php The teams were comprised of...

Year 9 Inter Girls Jemima Copeman, Pankhurst 1 Gaby Crosby, Parks 3 Saskia Enderby, Nightingale 1 Rachel Ervine, Pankhurst 6 Harriet Graham, Bronte 7 Amelia Jarvis, Curie 1 Alice Jones, Curie 9 Fran Macleod, Curie 4 Sarah Pearce, Parks 10 Emily Westwood, Nightingale 5 Ruby Whitehead, Nightingale 5 Phebe Haynes-Shariff, Curie 10 Emily Grossi, Nightingale 7 Year 7 & 8 Junior Girls

The Year 9 Inter Girls Team.

Eloise Brindle, Y8 Curie 5 Lilli Clark-Pratt, Y8 Pankhurst6 Sheryl Cliff, Y8 Parks 7 Ellie Ervine, Y8 Pankhurst 7 Mei-Ya Lambert, Y8 Bronte 7 Tina Macaulay, Y8 Bronte 10 Emily Sanderson, Y8 Curie 3 Abigail Symmonds, Y8 Bronte 7 Steph Williams, Y8 Bronte 10 Mia Caddell, Y7 Curie 9 Milly Crosby, Y7 Parks 6 Connie Dredge, Y7 Nightingale 7 Josie Empringham, Y7 Pankhurst 2 Mrs Butterfield and Miss Harris, Teachers of PE

The Year 7 & 8 Junior Girls Team.

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PE & Sports Sports Gala Dinner and Awards Evening On Friday 6 May, the PE department introduced our inaugural Sports Gala Dinner and Awards Evening, with the intention of celebrating sporting success at Wycombe High School for this year.

We were honoured to have the presence of Gabby Logan, who helped present awards and provided an inspirational speech for students and other attendees.

£234,000 leaving us with £366,000 to raise.

With your help we will be able to break ground on the first all-weather pitch in the very near future.

We hope that this pitch will become an integral part of both school life and of the local community.

Please help us by using the Future Fund Gift Form at the back of High Flyer to make a pledge and / or one off gift and returning it to the Development Office.

The evening was a great success, raising £4000 towards our Play Your Part For Sport campaign which will go towards the creation of an all weather pitch for the girls.

It is safe to say the evening, while not only successful, was also very enjoyable for everyone involved. Guests were provided with excellent food, a chance to snap some fun photographs in the photo booth (something many of us took advantage of due to sheer fun and an astounding array of props). Thanks go to the staff at the Wycombe Old Town Hall for helping to provide a wonderful meal and excellent service which helped to ensure a lovely evening for all attendees.

There was also a great array of music provided by the DJ, who got everyone dancing –well, mostly everyone. It was thoroughly enjoyable, seeing both teachers, parents and students all dancing together and having a bit of fun.

It was such a great evening, both for sport and in general, and I hope that evenings like this will continue to have great success in the future.

If you would like to view the award photos, please use the following link: https://goo.gl/O27Rbs. If you would like to view and purchase The Best Photo Booths photos follow this link: http://www.thebestphotobooths.co.uk/wycombehigh-school-charity-gala-060516/ and use the password: thebestgala@2016!

Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3, Head of News Crew Help Raise Much Needed Funds Since the beginning of the school year we have raised over £14,000 bringing the total amount of money allocated to the first of our two pitches to 64

Sportswoman of the Year: Jemima Copeman

Gabby Logan pictured with Director of Sport, Miss Saint-Smith

Team of the Year: Under 14 Netball

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Science Year 10 Engineering Conference, 26 April 2016 Wycombe High School was delighted to host the annual Engineering Conference for Girls on Tuesday 26 April 2016. The day was run in partnership with universities and companies, with the aim of boosting female participation in technology and engineering. The event provided a unique opportunity for Year 10 girls to investigate the work undertaken by engineers, as well gaining an insight into career opportunities available in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). The event was well attended by girls from Year 10 from Wycombe High School as well as many other local schools such as Bourne End Academy, Chesham Grammar and Herschel Grammar School.

The day began with presentations about Engineering and the different types of jobs and work available in Engineering. For the rest of the day we worked in groups and were given the opportunity to participate in really interesting, interactive activities such as using Chroma Depth 3D glasses to explore how we perceive different colours. We made giant tetrahedrons from sticks and looked at how the volatility of oil changes during different seasons. The conference provided a really fun, and informative insight into Women in Engineering.

Jess Seymour, Year 10, Pankhurst 7

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Year 7 Key Stage 3 Science

As part of Year 7’s literacy targets for this half term, pupils were invited to describe and explain what were their favourite topics they had studied this year and how they differed from their Primary School experiences of Science. Here we have a selection of students who wrote about their favourite topics this year.

My favourite topic, during Science this year, has been Acids and Alkalis, because I like learning about chemicals and their reactions. I liked this topic as it was very hands-on with a lot of practical work and visual demonstrations (this really helps me to understand and get a better knowledge of what is happening and why this is). During this topic, my favourite activity was neutralizing the acids and alkalis. Throughout Acids and Alkalis, I have learnt how to understand the pH of a substance, linking it to whether it is acidic or alkaline. I have also learnt how to read word equations for reactions, as well as filling them in to create a correct one.

Maddison Allard, Austen 2 Light and sound is my favourite topic because there were so many different aspects to it and so many different little areas that really made the whole topic so interesting. We learnt so much about light and sound starting with light and how the eyes work using light. It was very interesting finding out how the eyes flip the image and then how the brain then flips it the right way up again. One of my favourite activities was ‘Investigating the Rule of Reflection’ where we measured all the different angles and lines, angle of reflection and angle of incident. The results were very strange and were very unexpected. My most favourite activity was where we went outside and tested how long it took to see the clap and hear the clap.

Evie Hutton, Bronte 8 Even though I have enjoyed most topics in science, my favourite topic so far in science has to be Forces and Motion. This is due to the fact that I like carrying out investigations. I like drawing graphs to represent my results and writing out how we carried out the investigation. My favourite activity was the ‘friction practical (shoes)’- the aim of this investigation was to see which shoe had the most friction. It was really fun working in larger groups and I learnt a lot from it. From the topic ‘Forces and Motion’ I learnt more about contact and non-contact forces and when friction is useful and not useful - for example: friction is useful because it stops tyres from skidding; however not useful when door hinges squeak. At the start of the topic the only forces I was familiar with were: gravity, friction, push and pull but after spending a while studying it in class I now know: gravity, friction, up thrust, air resistance, water resistance and many more.

Caitlin Tinnelly, Bronte 5

My favourite topic was Reproduction. Although it is a slightly embarrassing topic the teachers made it easy to discuss. We learned about the different ways animals and plants reproduce, live and thrive.

Isha Rashid, Austen 8

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Science Silver CREST Award Participants Yakshi Aggarwal Pankhurst 3, Year 11 Zainab Alam Parks 4, Year 11 Emily Calton Nightingale 1, Year 11 Lizzie Feakin Curie 9, Year 11 Becky Howitt Parks 10, Year 11 Udara Nagodavithana Curie 5, Year 11 Yasmin Richardson Bronte 7, Year 11 Thabooja Sathiapal Curie 2, Year 11 Ini Eniola Curie 10, Year 10 Bertie Trobridge Austen 3, Year 10 Jin Yun Wong Parks 10, Year 10 Mikki Bailey Austen 6, Year 10 Simran Suri Austen 6, Year 9

Planning my experiment: Firstly, I have to decide how I am actually going to prove my hypothesis. I think that the best way to test the physical strength of the hair strands is to find out how much mass they can carry. In order to make this a fair test, I need to make sure that the hair strands are the same length. I will do this by cutting each hair strand so that it is 15cm long.

Moreover, I will actually need the conditioners to test. I have decided to choose five conditioners that have different prices: an inexpensive supermarket conditioner, a mid-range professional conditioner, a leave-in conditioner, a more expensive deep conditioner, and a salon conditioner.

Year 10 & Year 11 STEM Crest Award Presentations Evening

As a control, I will use the same shampoo while I also need to make sure that I use the same amount of conditioner each time (25ml) as well as the same amount of shampoo. I should control the time spent actually lathering the conditioner and rinsing it out as well as controlling the temperature of the water. I plan to only use my hair so that I can also control the hair type used (natural thick wavy) because although different hair types have the same strength, thin hair does not have a medulla and dyed hair could potentially have damaged cuticles which would corrupt the data collected as the hair wouldn’t be as strong as it could possibly be. I also plan to cut my hair strands so that they are the same size by measuring it against a ruler. My independent variable is the type/cost of the conditioner used while, as mentioned before, my dependent variable is the mass that each individual hair strand can hold.

On Thursday 12 May, I was one of many to finally complete my STEM Silver Crest Award at the Year 10 and 11 STEM Crest Award Presentation Evening. Over the last few months a number of Year 9s, 10s and 11s have all been busy at having a go at creating formal lab reports. We could experiment on anything we wanted - I chose to look at the effect of microwave radiation on different organisms, but there were many other intriguing projects. Once we had carried out the research, we had to present our findings in an interview with an examiner from CREST, and then on an awards evening to all our parents. It was great fun, and I would highly recommend it next year to any upcoming scientists!

Albertine Trobridge, Year 10, Austen 3 ‘More expensive conditioners make individual hair strands stronger’

I also plan to test the strength that hair strands have without conditioner so that I can determine whether using a conditioner actually works. I will also test three strands from each type of conditioned hair and find the average mass the strands can carry so that I have more reliable results.

Planning my project: The purpose of my project is to deem whether hair strength is proportional to the cost of the conditioner used. So I will start by investigating the structure of hair and different types of conditioners, followed by an experiment to determine if my hypothesis is correct. I decided to choose this topic because everywhere, people are spending exorbitant amounts of money on conditioners to make their hair stronger and more manageable. However, it is unclear whether using a more expensive conditioner will actually make a difference, hence why I wanted to find out.

For my ‘inexpensive supermarket’ conditioner, I have chosen ASDA’s ‘Strengthen and Nourish’ conditioner. Meanwhile, I plan to use Tresemme’s ‘Moisturizing’ conditioner and Aussie’s Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-in’ conditioner for my midrange and leave-in conditioners. I am also going to use Tresemme’s ‘Keratin Smooth Deep Treatment Masque’ conditioner and the Matrix ‘Biology Smoothproof’ conditioner as one is a deep conditioner and another is a salon 70

conditioner. The price range varies from £1.50 to £17.00 in the order described above.

My Results: Type of conditioner

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

No Conditioner

200

100

100

Average 133

ASDA Strengthen and Nourish Conditioner

100

200

200

167

Tresemme Moisturising Conditioner

200

100

200

167

Matrix Biolage Smoothproof Conditioner

200

100

200

167

Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner

100

200

100

133

Tresemme Keratin Smooth Deep Treatment Masque

600

300

200

250

Upon looking at my results, the first trial seemed to hold an exorbitant amount of mass so I treated it as an anomalous result and ignored it when calculating my averages.

My results were interesting as the high cost salon conditioner, the ‘professional’ mid cost conditioner and the low cost supermarket conditioner had the exact same results, hence suggesting that using any cost of conditioner gives the same results and strength of hair, thus proving my hypothesis wrong. The deep conditioner seemed to have better results compared to the other ones tested despite the anomalous result, perhaps this is because it penetrates the cortex as well as the cuticle, unlike the other conditioners which only protect the cuticle. Meanwhile, the control and the leave-in conditioner did worse compared to all the others and had the weakest results. I think this is because the leave-in conditioner is more dilute and isn’t rinsed out, therefore it is not as effective as the ‘rinse-out’ conditioners. The control being weaker than the others implies that using conditioner does help make hair stronger.

However, the range between the results were very close, perhaps the results would have been more reliable had I used lighter masses such as 10g ones, as I would be able to more accurately pinpoint the mass each strand could carry.

But, what I have learnt from my experiment is that the price of a conditioner doesn’t affect the strength of hair. In fact, it appears to be the type of conditioner that affects hair, because ‘leave-in’ conditioner had the worst results while ‘rinse-out’ and deep conditioner appeared to make the hair strands more strong. Hopefully, my results will help people realize that they don’t need to spend a fortune on hair products to have strong, healthy hair.

Thabooja Sathiapal, Year 11, Curie 2

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Subject Social Sciences Olivia Hammond, Class of 2015, worked as a volunteer for the Social Sciences Department at Wycombe High School. She wrote about her experience.

On the subject of responsibility, that is one aspect among many that I have honed and built upon as a result of my time in the Social Sciences Department.

Commonly, I have been responsible for my own time. I have a list of jobs and their priorities and it’s down to me to make them happen. The timing can be tight, but the teachers’ expectations have never been unreasonable.

If I was to sum up my experience in Wycombe High’s Social Sciences Department in one word, it would be ‘diverse’. Diverse in subjects, in jobs and in people. There is always something going on in this Department and its diligent ‘matriarchs’ can always be counted on to dream up new and interesting ideas for you to dive into headfirst! My responsibilities have covered numerous areas, from conducting focus groups, to teaching sample lessons to quantitative and qualitative analysing. Then of course, there’s the laminating! You don’t quite fully know pride, until you’ve seen a display you started from scratch, gleaming in bright and laminated glory up on the wall!

A key part of my role here has been Psychology mentoring, being a former Psychology A level student at WHS myself. Above all things, this has challenged and refined my organisational and time management skills. There is no way you can mentor 15 girls in 15 hours with conflicting free periods once a week at a one-to-one level without burning out if you are not considerably organised. And, I stress, mentoring was only one part of my role in the Social Sciences Department at any one time, so really there were less than 15 hours available for this. Nevertheless, where there is a will - and a spreadsheet - there is a way!

Moreover, the ‘Dynamic Duo’ of the Social Sciences Department – Miss Forbes and Miss Neville - are so accommodating. They were always willing to offer a helping hand and work around what was best for me.

Whenever I needed clarification or ideas or advice, I felt confident I could ask them at any time. They provided an excellent foundation of support throughout, for the responsibility that came with such freedom. As a result, I felt confident in my role raising up students to a level where they themselves could be confident in their own ability and knowledge via mentoring.

In all seriousness though, I have thoroughly enjoyed brightening up the Annex. Aesthetics and extras are the little things that can so often get neglected, amidst the pressure of the necessary, yet they all help to make the effort of learning that bit more pleasant. I’m glad I could help make that a reality. Social Science is interesting - so I think it is only fair that the environment in which it is taught represents that.

Consequently, when we come to the matter of whether I would recommend volunteering at the Social Sciences Department, I think my answer is pretty clear.

Absolutely! Working here during my gap year has given me an invaluable sense of purpose and satisfaction helping others who are so grateful for my time, during a period I might otherwise be achieving relatively little, in terms of personal growth and development. There are dull times, hard times, slow times, and lightning-fast times in any job role. But it is the good times, the times you see all you’ve worked for take shape in the best of ways, that make it worthwhile - and there are plenty of those within the Social Sciences Department, if you are willing to make them happen.

It’s not all glitter and brightly coloured borders, though.

My work as part of the Positivity Programme has seriously challenged my analytical ability and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Being responsible for collating and analysing results, both quantitatively and qualitatively, from just under 200 students, has been a huge investment of time and effort. Many hours have been spent researching, curating, recording, calculating, organising and emailing. Definitely a labour of love. Yet, where else could I gain such involving experiences in such meaningful psychological research straight out of A levels? Above all else I have done within the Psychology Department, I am most grateful for being given the opportunity to play an enabling role in the running of the Positivity Programme within the school, for having been trusted with that responsibility. I am excited to see the impact it has on WHS with time. Besides, I am a lover of maths, so I’m not going to pretend I didn’t enjoy a lot of it!

There is something for everyone here: opportunities for creativity, complex calculating, independent working, class-interaction, self-learning and more. So, if you are considering it, I would thoroughly encourage you to give it a go, even if only for a few hours a week. You may be surprised to find the difference you make in the Department and the difference it makes in you.

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Technology Year 7 Easter Cooking Club Last term I took part in the Easter cooking club led by Mrs Lindsey-Clark and assisted by Year 10 students. I really enjoyed it.

On our first session we watched how Hot Cross Buns were made and then the following weeks we made many delicious things, including traditional Easter Biscuits and Chocolate Nests.

On the last day of the club we made a Simnel cake, which is a fruit cake traditionally covered in marzipan with 11 marzipan balls around the edge.

At the end of that session all the cakes where judged by Innovate, and I came first which was a surprise. I hope that Mrs Lindsey-Clark carries on with this club because it gets everyone enthusiastic about cooking.

Elizabeth Butland, Year 7, Austen 7

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Technology Pensole: Shoe Design Competition Recently a small handful of students entered the Pensole World Sneaker Design Championships, sponsored by Foot Locker. Participants had to draw and render a trainer shoe aimed at a target audience of 20 year old fashionable men, the competition was international, and with thousands of submissions from all over the globe it was highly competitive.

Those entering had to follow a certain specification to design the perfect shoe for the given demographic. It required a side profile view of the trainer, and a sole view, the Pensole logo having to be displayed on the product somewhere too, and all design ideas had to be hand rendered only.

Three designs were submitted in the end; to the right you can see Lizzie Keenan, Julianne Griffin and Rebecca Skipper’s (Y11 N10) designs.

As stated, the competition was tough and despite three excellent design ideas, sadly nobody made it to the knockout stages. Despite this, the girls learnt some very good presentational techniques for next year’s design projects.

Class Dojo: New Character App Design (For All Years) ‘Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed creating entries for the competitions and would definitely recommend them for other students in the future.

They gave us a chance to express our creativity in a situation outside of the classroom in a much more relaxed environment. Projects such as this allowed us to continue our passion from GCSE, ready for A-Level next year.

Becky Skipper Year 11, Nightingale 10 and Lizzie Keenan Year 11, Bronte 1

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Year 11 - End of an Era The End of an Era

this definitely brought nostalgic tears to the year group’s eyes.

This year, a group of Year 11 students joined together to create an end of year committee that would organize various activities to make the end of Year 11 memorable.

We ended with the end of year video, a compilation of memories and photos from our time at WHS. laughs were shared and tears shed but there could have been no better way to send us off to a day at Thorpe Park. The day was filled with food, friends and fun and no rollercoaster was missed by this adventurous year group.

Everyone returned home together as a year group one last time, spirits high, until we realised exams started the following week!

The group consisted of: Zainab Alam - Parks 4 Jess Maidwell – Bronte 5 Lucy Lawrence – Parks 2 Ella Thomas – Bronte 10 Hannah Summers - Austen 9 Lois Bown – Nightingale 8 Jasmine Pankhania - Pankhurst Cassie Green -Nightingale 5 Chloe Aitken – Curie 10

Now the year eagerly await prom and a long summer ahead, and although the leavers will be missed we ended the year on the highest note possible.

We organized prom, book day, Thorpe Park celebrations- you name it, we organized it! The job wasn’t easy by any means but I speak for the entire committee when I say that we have all thoroughly enjoyed working with Miss Shepherd, Mrs Killinger and various members of staff to create a memorable experience for Year 11 students.

Cassie Green, Year 11, Nightingale 5

On Friday13 May we said goodbye to our red jumpers and to many school friends. However seemingly superstitious this day set out to be, the day ran smoothly and the atmosphere was exciting and lively throughout. Emotions ran high as we started with some words from The End of Year committee, giving out some student voted awards to send us to Thorpe park The list of awards included: Best double act Most dedicated to learning Most contagious laugh Most competitive form Good egg Friend- to- all Most creative nickname Best sports day star Best school spirit Most Likely to Be Famous Funniest Person Most likely to become a millionaire/entrepreneur Once the students gave their awards it was the turn of the teachers, they passed on messages and awards from our time at Wycombe High School. Including personal and class mentions, 76

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