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Olympic fever hits Greenshaw

The Greenshaw sixth form was delighted to welcome Bill Morris, Director of Culture, Ceremonies, Education and Live Sites, together with his colleague Mia Allen, into school on Monday 5th December.

Bill, in charge of planning the London 2012 cultural and education programme, came in to talk to our business studies and physical education A level students about the 2012 Olympics. They discussed how the Olympic dream had developed into reality over the past five years and how London would benefit in the future from the Olympic legacy.

Bill fielded a series of questions from the students: about transport, organisation and how we can all get involved in London 2012. Of particular interest was what form the opening and closing ceremonies would take - to which his reply was suitably ambiguous!

The visit left the students with a greater understanding of the organisation behind the scenes and a sense of excitement looking forward to next year’s big event.

Career Academy students get Capital Experience

Our Year 12 Career Academy students headed to London on 29th November to get a taste of life at Freshminds, one of Britain’s most influential organisations, to boost their networking and employability skills.  The eye-opening visit was part of a day-long event, ‘A Capital Experience’, organised by aspiration-raising business-education charity, Career Academies UK.

During the morning, Freshminds provided the students with a behind the scenes look at how the organisation works and in the CV workshop, the students all improved their CVs. After the visit, the students made their way to the Royal Festival Hall, where they networked with other young people from across the UK taking part in the programme and participating in business-related activities, boosting employability skills.

During the afternoon, the students received valuable advice from speakers including Channel 4s Fairy Jobmother, Hayley Taylor, Paul Wilson, Senior Advisor at Bain and Company and speaker and author, Lee Jackson. The afternoon was led by motivational speaker, David McQueen. The experience inspired and motivated our students and helped them to see what they can achieve if they set their minds to it.

Tales of the river bank

Monmouth is one of the most scenic parts of Wales – a perfect location for the Year 12 geography field trip on Friday 14th October.

On arrival in Monmouth, the first task for the students was to sketch the town from a local viewpoint. Later that evening was check-in time at the residential centre – a 200 year old mansion house in the middle of the countryside. Students were prepared for their task on the next day and spent the night telling each other ghost stories.

On the second day, the groups were based at Grywne Fawr River, where they carried out a river study (below). Students undertook investigations at a series of points along the river, getting to grips with their equipment and gathering data. Geography teacher, Miss Beaton, said: “One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to a series of waterfalls in the Brecon Beacons. This was a jaw-dropping sight and we were able to stand behind the main fall.”

Their final day was spent in Cardiff, examining different land use within the city and visiting the Big Pitt, a redundant mine which has been transformed into an entertaining museum.

Biology students love lichen!

Our Year 13 biology students visited Juniper Hall, a residential field centre near Dorking, in November. They spent three days honing their field work skills (below) and completing A level course work. The pupils now have a new found love for lichen!

Bumper crop of A level results

Greenshaw High School A level students celebrated an excellent set of exam results. The school achieved a 100% pass rate with 50% of the grades at A*-B. The majority of students are now on their way to their first choice universities and the school is understandably proud of their achievements.

Alan Gardner, Director of Post-16 Studies, said: "The students have worked hard for their success and they are thoroughly deserving of these superb results. What we are continuing to do at Greenshaw is challenge students with a full range of abilities to achieve grades that will help advance their careers, whether this is through further study at some of the best universities, or in employment."

Sixth Form fundraising

Today was an opportunity for the Sixth Form Charity Committee to visit The Children’s Trust, Tadworth, a charity they have been fundraising for since September.

The visit included a talk on the origins of the Trust and the work they do before the group was given an extensive guided tour of the grounds. Their visit included the recently opened Hydrotherapy Centre, sensory playrooms, gardens and the residential block. The students also had the opportunity to meet some of the children who are being cared for by the Trust, which they found to be hugely humbling and inspiring.

The Greenshaw Sixth Form Charity Committee has raised £2,500 this year for The Children’s Trust, Tadworth and today has just been the beginning of a new link between the Trust and the school.

The students were truly touched by their experience and grateful for the chance to see how the money is being used. Every penny really does count and the committee are incredibly grateful for everyone who has contributed this year.

A level Art and Photography Summer Exhibition

Our A level Art and Photography  students have worked tremendously hard to produce some really amazing work this year. Head of Art, Miss Vilday, said : "We think it's the best ever!"

All their work will be on show on Thursday 30th June, from 3.30pm to 6.00pm in the Sixth Form Centre. Do try to come along and visit the exhibition in support of the students.

Greenshaw's budding entrepreneurs

On Thursday 31st March at the HUB in Morden, Fred, Rosewan, Jason, James, Rajiv and Luke (Year 13) fought off tough competition to become the winners of the Sutton and Merton Company of the Year 2011 on the Young Enterprise Programme.

Their company, called Cut Here, designs web sites and has produced work for a number of professional local businesses. Initially were twenty seven other companies in the competition, with nine finalists selected on the basis of their company reports. On Thursday, finalists had to organise a trade stand and complete a verbal presentation in front of the judges and a live audience. Other schools competing in the final included Wallington High School for Girls, Wimbledon High School, South Thames College, Nonsuch High School for Girls, Cheam High School and Sutton High School.

The Cut Here Web Design Company will now compete at the London regional finals. Director of KS5, Mr Gardner, congratulated the team on their success, saying: “This is a fantastic achievement. The students have worked tremendously hard and have put together a very professional package and thoroughly deserve their success. Well done and we wish them luck in the regional finals.”

Oxford students of the future?

Twenty five of our most able Y11 students enjoyed a visit to St Peter’s College, part of Oxford University.

The day included a tour of the university, a discussion with students and lecturers and a presentation on gaining admission to Oxford University. After lunch in the college, the students took the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the sights of this university town. Who knows, perhaps some will find themselves studying there in the future?

 The Cohen Project takes Greenshaw by storm

On Thursday 17th March, Greenshaw hosted a stunning evening of drama, poetry, music, photography and dance, celebrating the work of the Canadian poet and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.

Talented students from Year 8 upwards, along with several teachers, gave wonderful dance, drama and musical performances throughout the evening. The show also included an exhibition of exceptional art photography by Year 10 students and a selection of thought-provoking poetry written by our Year 10 Gifted and Talented English students, which were all inspired by Cohen lyrics.

Interval refreshments were provided and served by the school’s Tanzania Team of students to raise funds for their World Expedition project to Tanzania, East Africa, in 2012.

The event was a sell-out and has been widely acclaimed by visitors. One parent commented: “It was inspiring to see teachers and students working hard together to produce such a project - witty, thoughtful and emotional - with some great performances from the musicians and singers. The news of today is often full of negative comments about teenagers and their lifestyles, I can only say they should look at what happened last night as proof that they can, and do, work hard.”

He added: “It is positive to see the diversity of learning and skills at Greenshaw that includes music, dance and photography along with the more accepted curriculum of schools and this can only take it forward as a school of choice.”

Another parent observed: “It was a fantastic show which I really enjoyed. All of the performances were excellent. The whole evening, from our welcome on arrival by pupils, to the staging and interval food and drinks, was great. It was very professionally put together and was both moving and exhilarating. There were talented performances from pupils and staff alike. It's a shame that it was only on for one evening, given the enormous amount of work that must have gone into its production. So, thank you very much, and well done to everyone!”

Peru 2010 Worldwide Expedition