North Tyneside
Winter 2011
Norham News What is community?
Never too late r young fo le p o e p g n u o y Produced by
people
Welcome to Norham Community Technology College! We are a group of key stage four students from Norham Technology College who have produced this edition of Teenz magazine. Our school is a specialist technology college in North Shields, which includes students between the ages of 11 and 16. We also have ‘extended services’ which means the school can offer a range of different services, facilities, activities, support and groups to its students and their families.
‘Respect’ is very important at Norham. From the very beginning of our time at Norham, we have been encouraged to show support towards members of staff and fellow students. This creates a really positive environment where students are respectful to staff and staff are respectful to students. We are encouraged to respect our peers in exactly the same way. There are many fantastic things we could tell you about Norham but we would be here all night if we listed them all! So, instead, we have picked out just a few of the reasons why we think our school is pretty special: • • •
Good quality teaching and learning. We have lessons which motivate and inspire us, as well as preparing us for the future. There is a wide range of popular extra- curricular activities.
Our examination results improve every year!
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The theme for this edition of the magazine is ‘the community’. This theme has encouraged us to really think about the community that exists in our school. We have found there is a very strong sense of community here at Norham where students, staff, parents and carers all work together to secure positive outcomes for students. At Norham Community Technology College, we view our school as a community. Everybody in the school looks out for each other, and it’s somewhere we are comfortable to come. Our form teachers make our school a community because they are there to help support students and others. Extended school teachers organise activities for young people. This is something which also helps the community because it helps and supports some charities, as well as involving the students who come to Norham. It’s a special place where you know people and feel safe! A home away from home…
Contents Introduction to school
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Introduction to theme What is a community? Our North Tyneside, our views Norham News Never too late Doing our bit for charity The wonders of our part of the world Do they know it’s Christmas Youth Council gives young people a voice Our future community As time goes by Poetry
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4 6
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8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16
Tea with the Queen
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Tiny lives: ‘We do our bit’
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Goblet of fire... Goblet of brilliance
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Credits
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We really enjoyed producing this magazine and hope you have a new sense of ‘community’ after you read it.
This publication was produced by a team from Norham Community Technology College. Published by: Children, Young People and Learning Directorate, North Tyneside Council, Quadrant The Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside NE27 0BY
We would love to hear from you about your ideas and suggestions about living in North Tyneside and future ideas for Teenz email: participation@northtyneside.gov.uk North Tyneside Council wants to make it easier for you to get hold of the information it provides. We are able to provide our documents in alternative 3 formats including large print, audio and community languages.
What does the word
’ y t i n u m m ‘co
We went out and about around Norham Community Technology College to find out what pupils and staff thought about the word ‘community’.
‘The community is the area that you live in. My community isn’t very peaceful, there is a lot of shouting and noise from children in the streets. I like the fact that I have a lot of friends and family living within streets of where I live though. I like living close to them.’ Callum Clyde
‘I think people are so friendly around here compared to other places I have lived. I don’t think it would take much to turn this into an area full of community spirit!’ Mrs Parry, Head of History at Norham 4
‘When I think about ‘community’, I think of ‘community service’. It gives people who have done wrong in the past, an opportunity to make things right by doing something for the community. For example, I have seen people doing community service help the older people of the community by going shopping for them, running errands for them and taking them out places. I think this is a really good way of helping young people who have made a mistake to realise what they have done and make it right.’ Ben Keenan
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mean to you? ‘A community is not the place you live in; it’s the people who live there. Everybody knows each other on my side of the street. We had a community barbeque in the summer and it was a really good day. We all contributed towards the barbeque and everybody worked really hard to make it a success.’ Dillon Hudson
‘I think there are many different types of ‘community’. It isn’t just about where we live; there can be a sense of community in other places like schools, workplaces and churches. A community is any group of people who have something in common. Here at Norham we have a strong sense of community. Staff and students respect one another and work together closely to ensure positive results for everybody.’ Mrs Burns,
teacher of English at Norham
‘In a close community, everybody should know each other and help each other. There is a real sense of community where I live, it’s peaceful and quiet and everybody knows each other. If there is ever a problem in our community, we work together to resolve it.’ Tahnee Wenn
‘A community is the group of people who live where you live. Sometimes it’s really quiet in my community but at other times there are lots of children playing out and they can be noisy. I know everybody who lives around me; we are all really good friends. This helps us to feel like a community.’ Aaron Crawford 5
Our North Tyneside
our views
The ‘Core Strategy’ is about planning for the future and building on greenfield and brownfield land.
We attended a ‘consultation day’ in October to be involved in giving our opinions on things the council were proposing in terms of building in North Tyneside. Alongside the theme of community, we felt it was really important to take part and voice what young people feel about the ideas, as the building will be finished when we are older and ready to buy houses and have jobs. On the day we did a ‘warm up’ to introduce ourselves to the other young people and staff who we were working with. The warm up was human bingo, which was good fun! There were three different options.
Option one
Was building more buildings on greenfield land. This is a good thing as more people will be out of poverty and more families will have places to live as there will be more homes. A negative about this is that more greenfield land is getting used up and not as many crops can be grown, as well as animals losing their homes.
Option two
Was more about building homes on greenfield and brownfield land. A positive about this is that you are not using as much greenfield land as option one is and you can still grow crops. A negative about this is that greenfield is still getting used up. Also, if people are living on brownfield land it will not be a nice environment for children to play and grow up on.
Option three
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Was about building only on brownfield land and not on greenfield land. A good thing about this is that no greenfield land is getting used up, and there is a lot of space for other things. A bad thing, however, is that this view is not as good as building on greenfield land and if the land is not cleared properly before building homes and shops, then it could be very dangerous for anyone living there.
A lot of people have very different views on which option they think is the best. We thought that option two was the better option as you are using the same amount of space and building on both types of land. You will still keep greenfield which is great, but also have more houses for people to move into in the future. We finally created a presentation for an option we were told to defend. This wasn’t necessarily the option we would pick but it meant we got to look at the perks of each one and make a more informed decision. We then voted for the option we preferred. It was great to be involved in something so important in North Tyneside, our community. We look forward to seeing how North Tyneside will change in the future. The Planners who have been involved in the consultation on the Core Strategy (and who led our really fun day) say; “We would like to really thank all the young people who took part in this consultation. The feedback we received will be very useful in developing our plans. It is interesting and revealing to read the young people’s perceptions of the options they were presented with.” “The youth event was part of wider consultation we undertook in October with more than 660 people from North Tyneside providing views on their preferred option.” “After similar consultation last year we were aware that we struggled to communicate with young people. The youth event was a brilliant way to get them involved. Hopefully with events like this, young people who take part can help get more young people interested and involved in plans for the borough.” (This article was written by children and young people who attended the consultation event, and so this is their views of what happened on the day. If you would like to find out more, further information on the emerging Core Strategy can be found at: www.northtyneside.gov.uk/planning or by calling the Planning team on (0191) 643 2310).
Norham
News
Norham News is a weekly in-house news show which is broadcast to students and staff right across the college every Monday during lesson 5. We visited the Norham News team to investigate what it was like behind the scenes and to witness the work that has to be done in order to produce a fantastic news show.
When me and my friends went to see the producers, presenters and the rest of the crew at Norham News, we had no idea what to expect from them. This is what we found out… We went to one of their meetings to find out what they discussed. They all talked about what they were going to do for the next week’s show. They talked about things like a Halloween Special, news about a focus day and the fact that they didn’t need to produce a show for next week because the school is off for half term. The teachers who help the crew gave the students some advice on how to make the filming look better and told them not to have the camera zoomed up on people’s faces, and to zoom out so you can see what’s going on around the person. The staff asked the students to decide on which roles they wanted to take up for the filming of the next show. Students were all very happy to volunteer to do something, which is good because they are very serious about what they do. Having said this, I’m pretty sure it’s not all work and no play! There were a fair few giggles during the meeting too! We then interviewed two presenters of the Norham news show, Brooke and Frances. This is what they had to say... What do you do at Norham News? We have meetings twice a week and learn how to do new things like interviewing, filming, editing...the list goes on. Are you glad Norham does the news programme? Yeah definitely, because it’s a good experience and it’s something fun to do during lunchtimes. What’s your favourite thing about Norham News? It’s enjoyable and you get to feel like a real presenter and you learn new scripts and stuff.
What was it like when you first recorded? ‘It was really nerve-racking because you don’t know what the whole school will think about it.’ We took to the corridors of Norham to find out what the rest of the school thought about the news show.... ‘I think that it’s good but they could have some secret cameras or behind the scenes stuff (outtakes), that would be pretty funny.’ Claire Porter ‘I think Norham News is good because instead of being bored in form we can watch something. I think it could be improved by not having the same thing every week and make things more interesting.’ Jade Allan ‘I think Norham News is good.’ Stacie Wallace ‘I think Norham News is a great way to tell students and staff what is going on in school.’ Sophie ‘I think it’s a great idea and an opportunity to bring the form together and enjoy a cool thing.’ Abbie Richardson It was good to experience ‘behind the scenes’ of Norham News as we never knew how much work went into making Norham News and we would have never found this out. Maybe your school could make a school news programme? It’s a fun, new and creative thing to do – and it will also look good on your reports and future CV if you take part. Well done to the Norham News crew on making fun, cool and new episodes every week, we love them.
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Never too late Do you think the media influences the decisions of the public to take drugs or drink alcohol? How? Yes, it glamorises it. It makes people get the wrong message and it makes it look either terrible or acceptable. Our community is not like that.
Sophie and Stacie were interested to find out about the issues that may be having a negative impact on young people in their community. Drug and alcohol misuse is a huge issue and one that affects thousands of different communities up and down the country. To find out a little more about the services available, Sophie and Stacie spoke to a local drug and alcohol worker. They asked them some questions to find out a little more about the work they do in the community. What does your service offer? Is there anything for young people? The N2L is the only service for young people (under 18) who are experiencing difficulties with substance use. Do you think the amount of drugs and alcohol being used in our community has fallen? There has been some reduction in drug use over that past few years. Alcohol is still being used regularly by young people in our communities. Do you think there are enough services to help drug users and alcoholics? We could do with more services! If there were more resources!
What do you think is the best way for people to overcome their drug and alcohol use? Don’t be scared to talk about it and for more education to be provided throughout the schools. Why do you think drugs and alcohol are being used as often as they are? The media, peer pressure, to fit in. N2L thinks the main reason is because they can and they think it’s normal. From experience, young people say that there is nothing else to do but drink and take drugs. Do you think peer pressure is one of the main reasons that people take drugs and drink alcohol? Yes. But mostly because their friends are doing it, so they think it is normal. What would you say was the average age for young people who take drugs and drink alcohol? Most of the young people that N2L work with are from Year 9 to Year 11 and are drinking between 12 and 20 units (a week). Do you think parents influence the choices of children and young people in terms of drugs and alcohol in that they make it out to be the ideal solution to overcome problems? Some parents use alcohol as a coping strategy for their emotions, while other parents don’t agree with alcohol but their children still take it. What is your overall opinion of drugs and alcohol? N2L thinks alcohol and drugs cause a lot of problems in communities but we feel it’s difficult to stop young people being influenced. The best way is to make people aware of the risk and harm associated with certain substances, in the hope that young people will make more positive choices that are less harmful. What is the effect of drugs and alcohol on a community? It includes increased anti-social behaviour, crime, drug-dealing, poor education and health outcomes. How can communities help people? P.R.O.P.S is another service which works with parents, friends, carers and others of drug and alcohol mis-users, by raising awareness and working together to combat the harm associated with drugs and alcohol. N2L is completely confidential unless the child is at risk of harm
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If you would like to contact the N2L service for advice, or just to talk to an advisor, please call (0191) 643 8802.
Doing our bit for
y t i r a ch
Here at Norham, we like to ‘do our bit’ for charity. We’ve had non-uniform days a-plenty to raise money for various charities, we’ve had fancy dress competitions and talent competitions, sponsored silences… all in aid of raising money for those who need it the most.
Between the delicious treats and the chance to come to school in our own fashionable clothes, a fun day was had by all. The best thing about it was that a well deserving charity was given a grand total of £400. This helps the charity to continue the fantastic work they do in supporting cancer patients.
September 29 was a special day at Norham where money was raised for Macmillan Cancer nurses. We had a departmental ‘Bake Off!’ where departments competed against each other with their cupcakes and other sweet treats. Students flooded the hall at breaktime to buy their treats. They raised hundreds of pounds for the Macmillan nurses. To add to the total, we also had a non-uniform day at Norham where students paid £1 to dress in their normal clothes instead of their uniforms.
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The wonders of our part of the
North Tyneside is a wonderful place to live and grow up in. We are really lucky to have some fantastic places to visit that form part of the history of North Tyneside, as well as being massive parts of our community, and the communities of others who lived in the area before us. We created a photo article to demonstrate the fabulous places near where we live - in North Tyneside and in Newcastle!
ard here ‘I’m going to see Jedw !’ er mb ve No on 30th Norham student
‘A place with so much history and so many stories to tel l.’
minds me ‘I love this picture. Ittoresee my ry fer of trips on the Shields.’ grandparents in South
Staff, Norham
Norham student
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‘This reminds me of lon g summer days spent in the suns hin e on Tynemouth beach.’
Norham student
me back ‘Ah, this picture takes member re I le. litt s wa to when I fair that fun old being taken to the er racing my mb me re was there. I skelter on a uncle down the helters.’ rie mo mat. Happy me Mrs Burns, teacher at
Norham
oling with ‘I used to go rock poou se. We hth lig my dad at the other sea d an bs cra d fin used to creatures.’ Norham student
‘The Sage is massive different concert halls , there are and a café inside.’
Staff, Norham
‘This photograph remi nds me of my granddad and ho w worked there in the pa hard he st.’ Norham student
are home’. ‘To me, this says ‘you ay and I’m When I have been aw the Tyne travelling home, I seehome, I’m ‘I’m nk thi Bridge and back where I belong.’ Staff, Norham
lk across ‘I love going for a wa at night. e idg Br m niu lle the Mi lit up.’ lly tifu It is always beau Norham student
‘I’ve seen some fan tic shows and pantomimes thetas re!’
Norham student
‘Loads of bands, ar ts and shows have performtis ed he re. The place always has a buzzing atmosphere.’
Norham student
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? s a m t s i r h C
Do they know it’s
It’s nearly Christmas! A time for friends and family, and a really big thing for many of us in our community. Since the theme for this magazine is ‘communities’, we thought we would look at how other countries celebrate Christmas, or if they celebrate something entirely different!
Africa
UK
Christmas in the UK is completely different to other countries around the wo We get presents and so rld. me countries don’t exchan ge even the smallest of gif ts. We are lucky enough to re ceive a Christmas dinner, which in a celebration of Ch we share with family eat no differently thanristmas. Some countries many, there is not en any other day. For gh food to go around from day to day, neveou r mi I love Christmas in the nd at Christmas. we could do more to UK but I only wish sure that other countries around the en wo rld have an enjoyable celebration like us.
Kenya
ny In Kenya they do maea t very d an s ng thi t en fer dif hter ug sla ey Th yummy food. a – i goats and eat chapatt eat the flat bread tortilla. Theyone. In goat in honour of some a dance on some parts, they doleb rate the ce Eve to the night of Christmas joy of the season.
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rica Christmas in South Afys. wa ny ma is unique in ence The main point of differ ich wh is the season in ted. Christmas is celebrara te leb ce s an ric Af South of t igh he Christmas in the the world, like in other places of t Bu summer. advance in ll s begin we Christmas preparation the in d rse me is im and the whole society “Christmassy” feel. rica is a summer Christmas in South Af liday season sees ho al holiday. The annu rdes of holiday schools close and homa ny business leave applications in country has a great establishments. Theand many camping affinity for outdoors the shade of mountain groups are seen in banks. South Africa is slopes and the river tional Park – visited by famous for Kruger Namakers. The southern thousands of holidayistible to the South summer sun is irres ly, Christmas in South Africans. Unfortunate t, the beautiful flowers Africa has no snow buspaces more than and lush green openurban areas have all make up for it. The dern-day Christmas the trappings of a mo make their rounds celebration. Carollersd there are special on Christmas Eve an 25th December. Christmas services on
Youth Council gives young people a
e c i vo This year, 33 young pe ople put themselves forward to be the Youn g Mayor. This was the n reduced to four. As this magazine went to print, the election to cho ose our new Young Mayor was being com pleted.
Our new Young Mayor
is . . .
Young people seem to think they are not part of the community. They think they don’t put anything into the community. Well, young people put just as much into the community as adults do. As you may know, North Tyneside Council has a Youth Council. We listen to young people and put their views forward to the council. I, Alan, am a member of the Youth Council. This gives you the opportunity to be on several groups, such as the youth police authority group or an intergenerational group, and you also get the chance to go to area forums and talk to adults and discuss their problems. This benefits both you and your community.
Jade Hope
We also have a Young Mayor, who goes to meetings with Elected Mayor Linda Arkley and her cabinet. The Young Mayor has many responsibilities. Our previous Young Mayor, Rebecca Leighton, organised a concert for young people when young bands performed. It was a great success.
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Our future
Community
Communities are important to all of us, and are probably very different to what they were when our grandparents were our age. Who knows what they will be like 20 years into the future? A group of Year Eight students from Norham used ‘our future community’ as a theme for their creative writing. Hover cars and teleports? I don’t think so!
‘Lots of people will probably say stuff like hover cars, freezing people, teleportation and responsive holograms but I think that it will not be too different to 20 years ago. They said the same things back then and none of it has happened…..yet. Medical science will be advanced to cure all known diseases. Limb and organ transplants will be instantaneous and there will be no need for needles. I bet my life that some people will say teleportation and hover vehicles will be around in the future. Well, maybe in 100 years time but not 20 years. Schools will not be needed as a ray containing education and knowledge will be blasted into your ears and fit around your lifestyle. There will be no wars. The only wars around the world will be ones of blissful harmony.’ Kirsten Pringle
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Robots will take over the world!
‘From wacky fashions to upgraded warfare, the future will be completely different in 2028. Many more scientists will be needed. This will be to work on many cures for diseases such as cancer. Another job scientists will have to do is to build robots and robotic engineered things. The robots will take the place of humans in jobs like in shops. This would lead to humans being paid off and robots taking over the world! Another thing that will change is transport. Most people will be driving flying cars that work on both the ground and in the air. Children will be allowed to drive these. A new form of ferry will be built so that people can see underwater. The last thing to change will be warfare. New weapons will be built that can shoot more than one bullet at the same time. Tanks will be upgraded and will have a huge amount of power. The lethal tanks will also be able to fly on the spot to look for danger.’ Joel Tuffin
Cures for baldness!
In the future I believe there will be a mountain of opportunities. There will be outstanding doctors, nurses and teachers. There will be a cure for cancer, there will also be a cure for baldness. The cancer cure consists of a simple injection of a special liquid called iron peper. It will also be the most popular drink of the time. The cure for baldness will be a special kind of laser zapped onto a person’s head and they will grow hair. This treatment will only last for a decade but once you have the hair cut, it won’t re-grow as you would have to have another laser treatment. Tayler Moat
A new way to shop!
In the future there will be a new shopping trolley called the ‘shopmobile’. It will hover around the shop and collect the things you need. It will pay for the shopping on your behalf and take it home for you where it will unpack the food and put it all away! There will be no more teachers. Robots will teach children instead. Children won’t write, they will use massive iPad-like equipment instead of tables, books and paper. Instead of a playground there will be a massive theme park which the children will have free access to at any time. Kayla Todd
As time goes by Doing so much work in our local community made us think about what it was like years ago. We spoke to local residents who had lived in the area for many years. We were interested to find out how the community had changed over the years. Peter, 52, from North Shields told us that he has lived in the town all his life. He spoke about his childhood and described a very different community to the one we live in now. He described a very close community where it was common for neighbours to know each other, leave their doors open, trust and help each other. He recalled children playing games like tin-a-block and hopscotch. He thought schools were stricter when he was young and that young people back then had more respect for adults, teachers and parents. His description of North Shields from his childhood is very different from the town we are living in today. Young people do play with one another but often this is in a ‘virtual’ sense, with young people competing against their friends online through the X-Box or Nintendo Wii. We weren’t even entirely sure what tin-a-block or hopscotch were! Peter’s words about how close his community was years go really made us reflect on our local community, and how it has changed. Also, what we should do to improve it. It isn’t uncommon for people not to know who their neighbours are these days. Neighbours barely manage a polite ‘good morning’ to one another in some places. I think this is really sad. I would love to experience a community like Peters where residents know, respect and help each other. As for tin-a-block and hopscotch … well, we’ll stick with our version of ‘play’. I think the X-Box sounds more interesting and fun than those old childhood games!
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Poetry
e d a m d Why Go s a m d n a r G all his children God looked down on d there And decided then an needed s That a grandma wa and care To give special love ppy stories She’d tell lots of ha es to play Or know special gam kisses With tender love and n’s tears away She’d chase childre e lovely things God thought of all th e fun She’d do to make lif dma an gr And he created a ne To be loved by everyo
t r a e h s r Siste to heart were little From the time that we be I knew you’d always ter Not just a loving sis me But a caring friend to
y on A shoulder I could cr es of need A helping hand in tim me up A cheerleader to lift and deed rd wo My angel in both secrets We told each other cried We giggled and we and sorrows We shared our joys e by side We were always sid ial bond We have a very spec art I knew it from the st forever You’ll have my love t to heart We are sisters hear
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Chloe Faircloth
Chloe Faircloth
What is a friend? Faithful kind and alwa ys true Reassuring through and through Insightful in your wi se advice Enthusiastic sweet an d nice Noticed for your sm iling face No-one else could ta ke your place You are you and no-o ne else You’re special in ever yway Just be yourself and you will see That you’re so perfe ct to me You’re my best frien d And you know it’s tru e So please remembe r you are you And just for that … I love you! Chloe Faircloth
Tea with the
n e e Qu
A garden party was held at Alnwick Gardens in the summer. The event was in honour of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The duke planted a tree to mark ‘new beginnings’ at Alnwick Gardens.
In addition to the Queen and the Duke, Alan Shearer was also there. The local sea cadets and members of the general public were there to witness the event too.
Tiny lives:
I was lucky enough to experience the garden party because I am a member of the sea cadets and I was asked to attend in support of the local community. The sea cadets were in full uniform and we try to attend as many local events as possible. I play a musical instrument as part of my role in the cadets. I particularly enjoyed the food at the event – Greggs supported the garden party by providing an amazing buffet! I also enjoyed the opportunity to play the bellier as it’s a fantastic hobby.
o d e ‘W ’ t i b r u o
Staff work hard to raise money for the Tiny Lives department at the RVI in Newcastle. Mr Robson and Mr Patterson are two members of staff at Norham who have gone to great lengths to raise money for the unit.
Together with the sales of bingo cards, tombola, various raffles and event tickets on the night, this generated a huge total. Mr Patterson, his wife and Mr Robson raised well over £3,000. They all commented on how ‘taken back’ they had been by the overwhelming generosity of colleagues, family, friends and pupils.
Tiny Lives provides medical care and support to poorly newborn and premature babies. In support of the fantastic work that goes on in the department, Mr Patterson and his wife arranged a charity evening where they hoped to raise thousands of pounds. Mr Patterson and Mr Robson decided to raise even more money by getting pupils and parents to buy school raffle tickets.
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Goblet of fire... Goblet of
! e c n a i l l i r b
I was lucky enough to see the Goblet of Fire as soon as it was released at the cinema. I was excited to see the fourth instalment of the magical and mysterious life of Harry Potter! And I wasn’t disappointed. Goblet of Fire was amazing from the beginning to the end. One of the highlights of the movie was when Harry wins the ‘Tri-wizard Tournament’ and is awarded the ‘Golden Egg’. This is my favourite part of the movie because he fights off an evil, fire-breathing dragon.
The special effects are amazing, they are so good that it makes you feel like you are sitting right there in the middle of all the action. I was catapulted from my seat in the cinema into a world of broomsticks, wizardry, magic and dragons. This was a fantastic film which didn’t disappoint: JK Rowling got it spot on yet again! I would give this film a fantabulous five stars out of five!
Credits North Tyneside Council would like to thank the young people who have been involved in the creation of the Teenz magazine this term. Thanks go to Kieron Mulgrove, Alan Ware, Katy Taylor, Jodie Pye, Jade Allen, Stacey Wallace, Claire Porter, Sophie Gibson and Chloe Faircloth.
Thanks also go to Mrs Burns who has supported the group throughout the project, and the staff and residents across North Tyneside who were involved in the articles.
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