Supported by the Courier
2011
Branksome Bugle Issue 9
Your magazine, your opinion, your school!!
Bugle helps Britain’s health On the 2nd March 2011, 5 members of the Branksome Bugle assisted by Mr Tearney and Mrs Hickerson and went down to London to hand in a petition to stop people from smoking in cars if there is a passenger under the age of 18. We were going on this trip because last June we went to Darlington Memorial Hospital and we supported the launch of the British Lung Foundation’s children charter. Since then the BLF have received over 15,000 signatures. Here is the story of our day at London: After our long train journey, Rebecca did a Metro radio interview at Kings Cross station. After that we got 2 tubes to Westminster station where we were equipped with British Lung Foundation T-shirts. We then walked to the gates of Downing Street. There were lots of press there including BBC London. We met schools from Liverpool, Birmingham, Charfield and Surrey. It was then the time, 5 of us were chosen to go into Downing Street and hand in the petition. The walk down to number 10 was long and when we arrived at the huge black door everyone was very nervous. We then knocked; a security guard answered and took the petition box off us. Everyone was happy but even more nervous because we had a TV interview with Newsround. After that we were lead back to the gates and had some more photographs taken. After a short walk from Downing Street to Westminster we arrived for the British Lung Foundation reception. We walked down past Oliver Cromwell. After having a photo id taken, we had our bags scanned and we were searched. We walked down through the great hall, which had fabulous detail, and collected our name badges. We entered room A, which had been assigned to us. We then lined up for Westminster’s finest cuisine. After we were all stuffed, Dame Helena got up onto the plinth and said a touching speech about why we were all gathered. Once she had finished The Health Minster got up and gave us all of his and members of his teams support. Then when all the speeches had finished we had one last chant and the seven of us headed to the train station for our Last stop, home. Overall the day was a success and we all came away learning something new. We all had really good fun and we nearly got stuck on the tubes. This brought back sad memories for Liam and he became teary. We were all very tired on the train back home, even though none of us went to sleep on the way home. Liam and James were customizing a toy they bought for their friend Ben. For more info about the trip visit: www.branksomebugle.blogspot.com By Elisabeth Davey, Liam Pape, Katie Appleyard, James Allison and Rebecca Parkinson
PAPE“R”MAIL
Best Blogs
In this PAPE”R”MAIL I am going to be comparing 3 of the worlds best blogging web sites. I first came across this idea when Mr Sayers gave me the idea to set up a blog for the Branksome Bugle; almost immediately I chose Blogger to make the blog on. However now I have looked more into blogging websites I may have made the wrong decision. The blogging websites I am going to review are Blogger, Posterous and Tumblr. Lets start with Blogger, like Posterous and Tumblr they are easy to sign up to however unlike Posterous and Tumblr you can sign in using your Google Account. As soon as you have logged in you are greeted by lots of information, maybe too much information with Tumblr! To get started making your blog it is easy on Blogger you just need to follow the steps to change the design, edit your posts or see how many people have been looking at your blog. On Posterous I just didn’t know where to start! All 3 bogging sites can let you post pitchers and videos however it is very hard on Posterous. There are so many small icons and little hyperlinks that you don’t know what they do. Every good blog has photos, music and videos. All 3 of the blogs have the ability to include these features but, apparently, Blogger can only 10mb of videos and photos. Also when you update your blog it will update your Twitter account if you want. In conclusion I don’t think I made the wrong decision because Blogger seems to be the easiest to use.
Feature on a Teacher Name:
Mr B Coyne
Subject:
Deputy Head
Years at Branksome:
9
Most memorable
Playing rugby for Yorkshire at Ravenhill, Belfast against Bulste during the height of the Northern Ireland troubles and getting a standing ovation when running onto the pitch.
moment:
Funniest moment:
Watching the staff make making fools of themselves, including me at Branskome red nose day 2 years ago.
Pets:
Several goldfish in the garden pond.
Advice (Words of Wisdom):
A team is only as strong as it’s weakest person, never let your team down.
Teacher’s pet… Mr Greeves
Book of
the month
This book is called double or die it is a really good read, by Charlie Higson, this book is your every day action and thrill book, I have read it and I like it and I know you will to, if you like action and adventure books. There are lots of other book by Charlie Higson and I know I you like this you will like the rest of them!! By Thomas Buchan
For F1 updates go to www.buglef1.blogspot.com And for constant PAPE“R�MAIL go to
On the 25th March 2011 the revolutionary iPad 2 was released. The new iPad can now connect to computer screens and it has a longer battery life. It can also have a protection case which seems to have been made by a magician it is so cleaver. As soon as you put the case down it goes to sleep and when you lift it, it wakes up.
Double or Die
www.red-dimond.blogspot.com
I-Pad 2 is released!
We will Rock you On the 9th – 10th February 2011 drama club pupils and people who are taking performing arts visited London. The day started at 5:30 when we they arrived at school. The bus was set to leave for 6am, though everyone was there for 5:40 so they set off early. They eventually arrived in London at 12:40, where they realized they couldn’t check in till 3pm, so they dropped their stuff off and went to Drury Lane for a backstage tour. Here they learnt some amazing things about the theatre and heard a few ghost stories. After this they went to Covent Garden for about 1 hour and a half so they could kill some time. Some of them went in the Transport Museum, whilst the rest went shopping. Once we had finished shopping, they then went to a burger and fries place for tea. Unfortunately some people didn’t like the food, though they did like the pudding, Vanilla and Strawberry Ice cream. At about 6:30pm, they got back onto the coach and headed to the Dominion Theatre to see a performance of We Will Rock You. They got stuck in a traffic jam on the way there, so they climbed out through the emergency exit and walked the rest of the way there.
They reached the theatre about 7pm and sat down to watch the film. It was full of brilliant Queen songs and then rather a lot of lasers. There was a short interval at about 8:30pm and then the show carried on. They got back to the hotel at about 11pm and then went to bed, though most of them didn’t get to sleep till way past midnight. The next day some of them woke at 6:45am but most of them stayed asleep longer. At 8:35 they had breakfast and then went to a organized singing workshop which was all about one song. They go together, which was a mouthful trying to sing that. After this they went shopping in Oxford Street, though after a while it started to rain, even the people in waterproof coats still got wet! After this they got back on the coach and headed back home. Halfway back, they stopped at a service station for a break, where they happened to see Paije Richardson from the X Factor. After this they set off home and got back to school about 8pm.
Taylor and Hayden Branksome held an impressionist show for red nose day it featured 4 year 8 pupils. It included Hayden Thompson who organised it and wrote the script, Tyler Hutchinson who did the show in a girls uniform for red nose day, Sam Hutchinson and also James Alison. The impressions included Big brother, Paddy McGuiness, Baraka Obama, Michael McIntyre, an interview with Shaun Ryder, all the main characters in Shrek and finally the big hairy angle Susan Boyle. We raised approximately ÂŁ25 from the show. It was a performance to remember laughing and cheering. What a show. Later on in the day there was a comic relief assembly which was amazing. Mr Burfard played the guitar to we will rock you and Miss Loughlin was the host of the hole thing. Even the editor of the Branksome Bugle, Liam lived his life long dream of singing a Beatles song in front of an audience. It was the most amazing assembly we have ever had. Overall we made ÂŁ500 .
By Tyler Hutchinson and Hayden Thompson
Vibe Award On the 24th January 2011, the 5 members of the Branksome Bugle went to Darlington's Civic theatre to receive a vibe award for their commitment to the community. The evening started at 6:15 and ended at 9:10. Many people had turned out to watch. There were 2 nights of the vibe awards and over the 2 nights 715 people got an award. It is amazing how many people are doing good things and achieving so much.
The Bugle had to wait until the second half to receive their reward but they had support from Mr Coyne and Mrs Surtees.
Car of the Month
Between awards there were performances, all of them excellent. We saw performances from Stagecoach, Push Chicago and Pretty Little Sinners from QE college. Overall the night was brilliant but exhausting. Hopefully this will encourage pupils from all over Darlington to try hard and achieve a Vibe next year. By Rebecca Parkinson and Elisabeth Davey
Name: Ferrari F430 BHP: 490 Top speed: 196mph 0-60: 4 seconds Rating:
Rebecca P meets Sir Ian Rebecca Parkinson met Sir Ian McKellen when she attended his talk at Education Village about his new Foundation Stone Walls. was succulent, the stuffing was
Where are they now? I left Branksome Comprehensive in 2007 and in the 3 ½ years between then and now I have met some of the most fantastic people and done some of the most fantastic things, but it wouldn’t be fair for me to say that it has come easily. I’m not ashamed to say that I have worked really hard for what I have now and I’d encourage anyone who has ambition to do the same thing.
While I was at school I was also working at Alpha 103.2 as a volunteer assisting the production of the Saturday Sports Show, but in my spare time I had the opportunity to familiarise myself with the station equipment and computer packages in their spare production studio. I showed willing and commitment to the station and eventually they gave me an opportunity to present one of their shows. One thing led to another and before I knew it I had a regular show and was interviewing some of the world’s biggest acts like Coldplay and The Verve. At this time I also began moving around various other radio stations in the local area and produced and presented weekend shows back to back over the stations. Some of these were specialist shows, like sports and dance music, and it wasn’t long before I was DJ-ing in night clubs and making a good name for myself on the local scene. When the community station I was working for found itself in financial difficulties I started to look around for bigger stations and went on to work for the likes of Signal Radio in Stoke, Silk fm in Cheshire and TFM Radio in the North East.
“I’ve gone from a young school boy to a full time commercial radio presenter”
I had to make sure I wasn’t limiting myself to just the local area and when the opportunity came to move to North West England and work for a station that was regularly pulling in 68,000 listeners per week I couldn’t say no and I packed my bags. And that’s where I find myself now. In just 3 years I’ve gone from a young school boy to a full time commercial radio presenter who has interviewed Kylie, The Script, JLS, Robbie Williams and many others. As well as this, I have set up my own ‘radio school’ teaching young people how the industry works and how to present and produce their own shows. I’m really happy with how things have turned out, but I know it’s because I’ve shown commitment and worked hard. I have a busy time ahead of myself and am still We are looking for people who used learning everyday, but I’m really fortunate to be doing what I love for a living. to go to Branksome Science ColIf you have a dream or ambition then just go for it. I did, and now I get to test lege/School and are willing to tell drive £50,000 cars and throw myself out of planes all in the name of entertainus their story. Tell us when you ment! I’m having a great time and wouldn’t have it any other way. Just keep attended Branksome and please following in what you believe, work hard and listen to people who are in the know and you’ll go a long way. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I have, send a brief account of your life since leaving school and if possible but I’ve realised it’s the fastest and most effective way of learning new things! By Martin Lowes a photo. Email to:
Where are they now?
surtees@branksome.org.uk
martin.lowes@2br.co.uk
Mount Pleasant Poems Winter Poem by Katie Winter walked wildly wearing a white wardrobe, Whispering, wintry weather. Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I But when the leaves hang trembling, the wind is passing by. Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor you But when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by.
Snow By Poppy H. Snow cascading to the ground. Swirling round and round. It’s coming quicker. It’s laying thicker. In delight the children cry: “The snow is falling from the sky!” It is becoming clear, Christmas is edging near. The snow is the colour of a featherOhh what wonderful weather.
School Poem by Chloe Richmond School is fun The teachers say we are done. We dance, dance, all day All we want to do is gout and play. Slop, Slop, stick down the glue. Tell Miss Telfer you need the loo. Saturday night I had a fight, The teacher said it’s alright.
Gaming Play Station Move The play station move is a pointless waste of time and money and it is copying off the Nintendo Wii even if play station is bigger, so what, the Nintendo Wii is much better.
Skyrim Skyrim is a fictional region in The Elder Scrolls series of games. It is the home of the Nords. On December 11, 2010 It was announced by Bethesda's Todd Howard that Skryim will be the setting of the next Elder Scrolls game, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim set for release on November 11, 2011.
Nintendo Wii
Mario
Yes Nintendo have done it again (except four years earlier). Nintendo have perfected their new way of gaming (four years earlier). You can now play great games like tennis,ice hockey and even monopoly. You can swing a racket or even role a dice just by flicking your wrist. If you don’t have a wii but you have a playstation three, don’t get playstation move get a Wii.
Super Mario bros Wii: Super Mario bros Wii is a great multiplayer game that is fun for all the family. It is probably the best Mario yet and it has a new feature 4 player mode where you have a choice of Mario, Luigi, blue toad and yellow toad. For anyone who doesn’t know who Mario is, he is Nintendo biggest name. In this game you must progress through levels in order to save Princess Peach. There are various power ups in order to help you as well as several new ones. Super Mario galaxy 2: Super Mario galaxy 2 is another great way to play Mario, in 3d. You must progress through harder and harder levels the further you get. There are eight worlds each with many levels to try and take away your life total until you reach zero where you get game over and must load back to your last save. It is the same as every other Mario, collect power ups to help you but you now have a selected life bar so you know how much life you have left. Mario Kart: Mario Kart is yet another great game from the Mario franchise where you race head to head against other Mario characters in different cars and bikes. You also have thirty two different tracks to race on and lots of different power ups to help you win.
Halo Reach Halo reach is an epic shooter where it is the year 2552 and the human race is at war with the covenant, an evil alien race. The game is based around planet reach, the heart of all humans’ best technology and weapons. You play as a Spartan super soldier along with another 5 Spartans also known as noble team. You are a new recruit, noble 6, and must help to stop reach from falling into the hands of the covenant. There are 10 great campaign levels to tickle your fancy and a great new way to do matchmaking. Every time you play a game you earn credits to rank up and customise your Spartans armour. Have fun! 15cert.
Game of the Month
Bow master is a great game of skill were must shoot evil people in order to progress to the next level. You earn gold pieces to upgrade your army and bow arrow. You use w, s, a and d to move and mouse to aim. One child said its fun and enjoyable, and another child said it’s exciting. There are many different options to make the gaming experience more enjoyable. Each level has a different map and it is more and more enjoyable as it progresses. If you would like to cheat use a magnifying glass to read the next line. Press # while holding shift.
Sport Darlington Sports Partnership
By Ewan Barr, Tyler Hutchinson, Hayden Thompson and Sam Hutchinson.
Tutor Football
Quakers on the road to Wembley
On the 20th January 2011, 9 students from year 9 and year 10 went to the Dolphin Centre to umpire the first of the four competitions for the year 3’s tennis finals. 8 pupils from Heathfield, Alderman Leach and Reid Street attended and each school played 5 skill games and then they played matches. Mr Hillary helped organise the event and the results were as follows; Alderman Leach was last with 48 points, Reid Street came second with 49 points and Heathfield won with an impressive 59 points. Well done to all schools taking part.
It was a must win game for the Quakers they could concede 2 goal or they were out. Darlington dominated the possession in the first half. Then just as half time was coming up, a well hit free kick from brown just tipped over the bar. The second half begun with gates head pushing just missing a chance on goal but Sam Russell made a good save sending it wide. Darlo progressed with Liam Hatch just shooting wide. There was 4 minuets to go there was no real good chances . the ref blew his whistle. DARLO WERE GOING TO WEMBLEY. The fans ran on the pitch, hugging the player shouting and singing.
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