Top of the Class
SCHOOL NEWS LIBBY IS A PUBLISHED POET Many students from Abbeygate College entered the 2021 Young Writers Competition: Empowered. The theme aimed to encourage young people to make Animet lam as dolupta themselves heard and take back some control following the disruption of the pandemic. Year 11 student Libby Matthews’ poem was chosen from over 12,000 entries and will appear in an anthology called Empowered – A Fountain of Ink.
THESIS OF THE YEAR FOR ABERYSTWYTH STUDENT
BIG SHOT MAKES WAVES IN BIG SCHOOL
Jeff Kinney with librarian Zoe Rowley
International bestselling writer and illustrator Jeff Kinney visited Wolverhampton Grammar School on the UK leg of his global tour to celebrate the release of his latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book
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from 800 schools across the country. Head he Diary of a Wimpy Kid Drive-Thru librarian at WGS, Zoe Rowley, interviewed Experience on 17th November saw Jeff about his new book and his journey to families from Wolverhampton and cities becoming a global bestselling sensation. across the UK enjoy a fun and interactive Students in Years 6 and 7 had the pleasure outdoor experience themed around Jeff of being part of the live Kinney’s new Wimpy Kid audience in Big School, and title: Big Shot. Families competition winners from drove through sportsthe Junior and Senior School themed scenery and were able to ask Jeff questions participated in basketball about his life and what and football challenges inspired him to write the before reaching the finish line, where Jeff series. Intriguing questions personally delivered signed were also posed by children as far away as Bristol, Cornwall, books and posed for photographs with his fans. Coventry, Nottingham, The following morning, A rapt audience in Big School Swindon and Plymouth. Zoe said: “The event was a Wolverhampton Grammar School, Puffin Books and Authors Aloud huge success and we felt extremely honoured UK organised a virtual event that was liveto welcome Jeff to our school,” adding: “It was one of the highlights of my career.” streamed to over 80,000 schoolchildren
JOSHUA IS CADET OF THE YEAR
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Wrexham Glyndwr student has been named St John Ambulance Cymru’s National Cadet of the Year. Joshua Taylor, a first-year Professional Policing student, was also nominated for Volunteer Cadet 2020/21 at the Lord Ferrers Awards by the North Wales Police Citizens in Policing team. Joshua, from Caernarfon, has always wanted to be a police officer, and got involved in
volunteering at age 14. He now volunteers for the police and St John, and has invested an estimated 400-500 hours of time so far. As a representative of cadets across Wales, Joshua attended an event where Princess Anne was guest of honour. He said: “She was really nice, chatty, and very keen on youth voice, which is what being a cadet leader is all about – empowering young people.”
Joshua Taylor
An Aberystwyth University student has won a prestigious award for developing a new method that could help diagnose animal diseases and cancers. Sara Lind Valdimarsdottir, a student of equine and veterinary Sara Lind bioscience, has been awarded the British Society of Animal Science’s Undergraduate Thesis of the Year. Sara’s study aimed to develop and test a low-cost system for identifying changes to DNA chemistry during development or when an animal is under stress. She now has an opportunity to present her work at the society’s annual conference.
APPLE ACCREDITATION FOR ALDERLEY EDGE GIRLS Alderley Edge School for Girls has been re-accredited as an Apple Distinguished School for 2021-2024. This status, first granted in 2018, has been awarded for its ongoing commitment to providing a technology-rich environment to support students in achieving their goals in and out of the classroom. The use of iPads in class has allowed teachers to bring learning to life and has allowed students to broaden their skills in videography, photography and drawing.
CRIME CONFERENCE FOR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS Psychology students at Birkenhead School took part in a one-day conference about prison and life behind bars. Thought-provoking questions helped them Contemplating crime… consider whether prison is an effective strategy for crime reduction, and they were presented with a true-life case where they had to act as the jury. They were also able to interview ex-offenders.
RESTAURANT REOPENS AT DERWEN COLLEGE The popular Orangery has reopened at Derwen College. The restaurant has been closed since March 2020, and students and staff were delighted to usher the first diners to their tables. The restaurant has a new look but prices have been kept competitive. Commercial supervisor Sharon Jones said the college was “over the moon” that its outlets are now open. “The support of the public is vital to the success of the venues as work experience for our students.” Open weekdays 12pm-2pm.
First-class service
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