The Cranford Review March 2010

Cranford Community College, High Street, Cranford, Hounslow. TW5 9PD

Tel: 020 8897 2001

THE CRANFORD REVIEW

www.cranford.hounslow.sch.uk

March 2010

An Evening to Celebrate Cranford’s Active Citizens Cranford Community College is delighted to recognise our outstanding young citizens who undertake Active Citizenship projects both at home and abroad. Tuesday 20 October 2009 was no exception as we welcomed a variety of guests to applaud student achievement.

Prizes were awarded in various categories including; Sports Leadership, Student Voice, Student Leadership, Environmental Awareness and the Global Citizenship Award given to the sixth form Fulcrum Challenge team who helped build a school in Tanzania for young children. The year 9 YPI project winners for 2009 received recognition for their work supporting the Southall Black Sisters Charity and Amarpal Khuttan and Irfaan Saheb year 12 were jointly presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Active Citizenship Award.

Representatives from various organisations offering future Active Citizenship opportunities attended the event and were delighted by the response from students who expressed an interest in projects on offer.

The event concluded with a presentation by Sgt Major Brijinder Nijjar, 192 Heston AAC ACF, a former student of Cranford who presented Zoe Mills, year 10 a current cadet with the Unit an award as the Best Recruit for 2009.

Yo u t h P h i l a n t h r o p y I n i t i a t i v e For citizenship we had to choose a charity that is in our community and the charity that won would get £3000. Once we got into our group, (Gursharan, Parnyan and Inderpreet), our teacher Ms Kay gave us and everyone a sheet with different types of charities and what they do to help our community.

We wanted a charity that would cover a wide range of problems in our community. We came across ‘Home - Start’ who last year supported 109 families including: 176 children under five years old, 24 families with a disabled main carer, 45 lone parent families and 58 children aged five and over. We contacted our charity and asked them if we could choose them as our charity for the YIP competition, they said they would be delighted to be entered in a competition because £3000 would make a massive difference to our community.

They wrote to us and sent us so much helpful information about their charity. We visited our charity more than three times and we made a short video clip of the manager of ‘HomeStart’ (Margaret) and one of the volunteers in ‘Home-Start’ (Reena).

We showed our charity presentation about our charity to our class (9Z) and Reena came to answer questions that our fellow class mates had. At first we were really nervous but when we got everyone’s attention we got confident.

Our group and another group called ‘Mulberry Centre’ went through to the final. The ‘Mulberry Centre’ presentation about their charity was really interesting because they were clear, confident and had collected a lot of information about their chosen charity.

We spent all our time trying to make our presentation perfect, unfortunately time wasn’t on our side and we only had one day left so we rehearsed and rehearsed until everything was right.

On the final day we were really nervous so we rehearsed again and made sure it was perfect. We were one of the last performances which made us even more nervous but when we walked on stage and said our first words, our nerves disappeared. We thought we were not going to win because there were other spectacular presentations about their charity but it was a great feeling when we saw ‘HomeStart’ written on the £3000 cheque. We put a lot of effort for doing the best we possibly do.

When we heard that we won, all the hard work paid off. We will never forget that day because it was a very memorable day for us.

Many special thanks to Ms Davies, Ms Kay, Mr Lopez, Anisa, Raveena, Heenali and Jad for helping us and supporting us, without them we would have not won £3000 for ‘Home-Start’.

By Inderpreet Bhupall, Parnyan Islamzadeh and Gursharan Maheroo (year 9)

When I found out that I was going to Auschwitz, many things ran through my head, the weather in Poland, how am I going to get to the airport and what should I take? All these things I thought were of great importance.

However as soon as I touched down in Poland all my ridiculous worries mattered no more.

As we travelled to the camps, I absorbed my surroundings and instantly felt an eerie chill run down the back of my spine. The facts and figures we were being told on the way had no meaning to me until we got off the bus and my eyes witnessed one of the most horrifying sites in the world. I looked around and saw nothing but land, land where grass grows out of the blood that had been viciously spilt. My eyes could see nothing but ruins, 1.5 miles of pure devastation. When I am asked now, how the trip was I have no words to say because God did not make a word to express the heartache, the sorrow, the evil and the sheer intensity that I saw and felt. Instead I say, if you really want to know your history, you should travel there yourself. If I was to summarize the trip in one word it would have to be – overwhelming.

On Thursday 22 October 2009 we visited Poland and went to see Auschwitz- Birkenau, which are the original grounds of the Holocaust, where many Jewish civilians lost their lives. The day was an emotional rollercoaster, spine-chilling and very tiring.

It was a great once-in-a-lifetime experience, from which I gained a vast amount of knowledge that I never knew about the Holocaust. One rather grim fact that I found out was that 6 million Jewish civilians were killed, 1.5 million of them were actually children. I recently read an article to find that every 1 in 6 pupils within the UK believed that Auschwitz was an amusement park. This shocked me because having visited the concentration camps, it makes you wonder how can people even think that a place where people lost their lives is a place in which people go to have fun? It’s a complete contrast to the truth that lies beneath the grounds and it’s something that society needs to be made aware of. It was an experience that cannot be described, but is one that has to be seen physically and internalised mentally.

By Raghav Kaher (year 13)

By Bhavita Gohel (year 13)

FACT: the size of the concentration camp was equivalent to 40 football pitches put together. It was 400 acres long and if you were to draw a square around the camp, it would be a 1.5 by 1.5 mile square.

FACT: If we were to have a minute silence for every person who lost their lives during the Holocaust, we would be in silence for three and half years.

MICHAEL JACKSON’S

THIS IS IT Arnelle Paterson-Mensah, aged 15 from Cranford Community College in Hounslow has been selected as an award winner in Sightsavers International’s i-click competition 2009. Arnelle’s photo, selected from hundreds of entries submitted by aspiring young photographers from across the UK, will be displayed in a special exhibition alongside photos by Harry Potter star Katie Leung and X-Factor pop sensation Same Difference at the. gallery@oxo on London’s South Bank.

The theme for the competition this year was ‘body language’. From capturing hand gestures, to body shapes, the raise of an eyebrow to an affectionate greeting - young people were challenged to try and snap moments in time when actions speak louder than words. Arnelle’s photograph ‘love sick’ depicts an image of herself, holding her mouth as if she was about to be ill. The photograph is a vivid image with stark green contrasts. Arnelle was selected as a regional runner up for the South East in the 14-16 age category.

Jo Mitchell, Schools Development Manager for Sightsavers International, commented: “I was so impressed by the level of thought and attention that went into the entries submitted this year. It’s great to be involved in a project that encourages young people to reflect on how we use our senses and celebrate their creativity! We were all so impressed by the professionalism and artistic flair demonstrated by these young photographers and the resulting exhibition will help us to demonstrate just how precious the gift of sight really is.”

Sightsavers works in over 30 countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean to treat and prevent avoidable blindness and to improve life for those who are irreversibly blind. There are 45 million people in the world who are blind yet a staggering 75% of blindness can be prevented or treated, often through very simple and cost-effective interventions.

This is it!

This is it! This is really it!

After four months of relentless waiting, it’s finally here.

The final curtain call, in a long line of truly “thrilling” performances; Michael Jackson’s…

THIS IS IT. 3rd November 2009 was a very exciting day for my friends and me as we were going to watch the Michael Jackson film: ‘This Is It’ at Feltham Cineworld.

As we were leaving Cranford on the school minibus, everyone was getting more and more excited by the minute.

The film was a documentary about Michael Jackson’s rehearsals and included some of his most famous hit songs, including ‘Thriller’ and ‘Smooth Criminal’.

The film ended on a more touching note with songs such as “Man In The Mirror” and “Earth Song”, then finally we saw a picture of Michael, standing with his arms out, more like a picture of an angel, with the caption “Michael Jackson, 1958-2009, The King of Pop.” It stays there for a minute, so that the audience can take in all the magnificence

they have seen, and also to remind them of the music/ dance genius that the world has unfortunately lost.

After the credits rolled, looking around the cinema it was clear that this film had had an effect on the other students; the expression on their faces was indescribable! Michael Jackson “wanted to be starting something” and he really did! All he had accomplished cannot possibly be documented in 2 hours of film time, but “This Is It” is the closest we are going to get. “This Is It” is an astounding depiction of his life. Thanks to Mr Lopez and the other members of staff that accompanied us on this trip. All that’s left to say is...

LONG LIVE THE KING OF POP. When the film had finished, we all got back in the minibus and enthusiastically shared our opinions and thoughts on the film.

Looking back, it was a fantastic experience and a great way to start the new term.

By Sana Bhatti (year 7) and Radhika Badiani (year 12)

Cranford’s Performing Arts Excellence Evening on Tuesday 15 December 2009 was nothing less than Cranford’s Oscars, kicking off with the Black Eyed Peas. The red carpet was rolled out, the spot lights were on and the well dressed guests were treated to a great evening.

The grand show started with a big bang, students emerging from every corner of the Hall bringing colour and vibrance into the ceremony. Then there came the Awards which were the highlight of the whole show, as the nominees and their great work was shown on video. You could have heard a pin drop before the dramatic announcement of the winners.

The Staff Band rocked; there were fantastic monologues and group performances and solo singers and it all ended with a Bhangra bonanza. Performers planted at each table started drumming the Bhangra beat, two beat boxers stood up to join in and there was a music war between the beat boxers and the dhol players before everyone started dancing and partying.

It was a fantastic evening and everyone left with a smile on their face.

Surya Varatharajan (year 8)

Visit to the House of Commons

A day to remember for talented trio On Tuesday 17 November 2009, me, my mum and my cousin Emma and her mum went to Leeds with Mrs Chatralia and Ms Cannon from Cranford Community College. We left school at 6:45am, around 9:00am we stopped in the services for breakfast - it was lovely.

Emma and I entered the competition in June 2009 for the Gypsy Roma Traveller history month. The competition was about describing a picture painted by a famous Traveller. We had to describe the picture in 100 words. Bobby Frankum came 1st in Key Stage 4, Emma came 2nd in Key Stage 4 and I got highly recommended in Key Stage 3.

We arrived at Leeds Civic Centre where the award ceremony was taking place. At noon we had some lunch and then we all sat at a big round table which was decorated with balloons. Me and Emma were then called up to collect our prize.

We received a bag filled with goodies including a voucher each and we also got a certificate. We had a great time, we had pictures taken, we saw a professional story teller and a Traveller artist.

In October 2009 Sonela Selgiekaj (year 11), Lakhbir Baghri (year 10), Fatima Mahmood (year 9) and I were fortunate enough to visit the House of Commons with Ms Sambi and Mr Prunty to discuss the opportunities that students like ourselves have been given and the impact of the AimHigher programme over the past couple of years. All of us found that AimHigher had really opened up our eyes to the world of further education helping to improve our leadership skills and confidence. It has given us a detailed insight into what university life would really be like, with a hands-on view from undergraduates who are presently studying at university.

We arrived back at Cranford Community College at 7:00pm.

We all had a great time.

We learnt from their presentation the wider positive impact that the programme has on students from schools all over London.

Alan Keen, MP for Hounslow and Feltham suggested a few of our own ideas for development.

Overall, I think it was a great experience and we all agree that AimHigher has definitely taught us something useful that we can use later on in our education, helping us to aim even higher.

By Emily Marie Smith (year 9)

By Amarpal Khuttan (year 12)

On 7th and 8th October 2009, year 7 students had the opportunity to participate in “Disability Day”. It gave pupils an insight into how to tackle the effects of and how to deal with being physically impaired. Classes took turns in acting out different scenarios, and were set in pursuit around the school.

They had to complete various tasks such as, collecting water from the fountain and getting up flights of stairs, with one of their team members were disabled.

Students had to deal with wheel chairs, blindness, deafness and loss of limbs, whilst being supervised by teachers and sixth form volunteers. When asking various students what they had learnt, one replied “it’s difficult being disabled and as good citizens we should do all we can to help them” and another student stated “there needs to be more disabled – friendly equipment at school, such as more ramps and lifts so that everyone can access our community school”. Thanks to Ms Goold, the teachers and volunteers for organising and taking part in these two enjoyable days, and hopefully in the future “Disability Day” can become an annual event that the whole school can participate in.

By Radhika Badiani (year 12)

It’s not where you

start

it’s how you finish

Thursday 19 November 2009 was an evening of praise, reward and achievement.

Cranford’s annual Presentation Evening was hosted by the ‘Quartet’ which included the Head Girl (Nisha Das), Head Boy (Omair Nazimi), Deputy Head Girl (Famish Shaikh) and Deputy Head Boy (Jagdip Randhawa). The evening recognised those who worked hard throughout last year, rewarding years 7-13 in subjects across the curriculum. One student who achieved amazingly is Esther Nicoll. She is now attending Cambridge University studying history. Although she was not able to attend, she had an inspirational speech about school life at Cranford with the wise quote “It’s not where you start it’s how you finish”.

Our guest speaker, author Gautam Malkani made an inspiring speech which explained his achievements and book, ‘Londonstani’. Set in and around Hounslow where he grew up, he tells the story of four young Asians through youth speak and vivid characterisation. The evening saw outstanding entertainment from a group of dancers ranging from all years performing ‘Singing in the Rain’, umbrellas and all. Two year 10 drama students performed a five star performance of an extract of the play ‘Cat on the Hot Tin Roof’ and a group of year 8 students concluded the evening with an original poem set to music entitled ‘Start 2 Finish’ Congratulations to all those who achieved awards and well done to the students who created amazing entertainment for the night. It was a truly inspirational and enjoyable night for everyone.

By Simran Kahlon year 12

He started off by introducing himself and a robot he got from his trip to Japan. He turned the robot on and the golden robot started doing martial arts. He then told us what the book was about; it was interesting. It was about a bunch of kids who secretly worked for an organisation called MeX. The book sounded different and I wanted to hear more. Later on in the show he showed us a strange robot that you can drive around with an ipod touch for example and it has a sort of web camera that pops out of the head so you can talk to anyone through the microphone as well as see them. Jason Bradbury ran a competition and the prize was a signed copy of the dot robot. What you had to do was control the robot by moving it up, down, spin and side to side. He chose 3 students to take part. Coming to the end of the show he showed us a website you can go and write in your secrets: http://www.doyouknowanysecrets.com We really enjoyed the road show and will read the rest of the book. The book is recommended to anyone who is into modern technology, gadgets, action and inventing.

By Gugandeep Banga & Arvinder Aulakh (year 8)

On Wednesday 2 December 2009, forty year 9 students travelled to central London with Mr Blades, Ms Kay, Mr Lopez and Ms Croker to visit the London Dungeons and take a walk around Jack the Ripper’s London. We went on the trip because we had been studying about Jack the Ripper in our history lessons and wanted to see why he hadn’t been caught.

In my opinion, the trip was a good idea because it was a fun experience but was also educational. The trip around Whitechapel was fun but it could have been better as it rained and was very cold and windy. Nearly everyone was soaked through by the end of it. My favourite part of the trip was the London Dungeons and in particular, the mirror maze. This was because we kept going around in circles and it was really funny.

One thing that I would have changed was the time of the trip. It started quite late and was also set in the winter. We would have preferred it to be in the summer because the weather would have been better.

Overall, I would rate this trip as 10/10 because it was fun and educational and I would do it again.

By Manvir Satsavia (year 9)

Scar y stories and unsolved tales...

Copyright Cranford Community College © 2010 | Editor Director: Jessica Joyce | Graphic Designer: Enzo Gianvittorio | Printed by: schoolhousestudios.co.uk

On 17 September 2009 the LRC organised an author event where Jason Bradbury came to Cranford Community College. Jason Bradbury is one of the presenters on a TV show called the Gadget Show where he tests out all sorts of new gadgets such as the hover board.