HYMERS REVIEW
A ROUND-UP OF WHAT WE DID DURING THE AUTUMN TERM 2021/22 Senior Prefect Team announced Congratulations to the following students on their appointment to the Senior Prefect team: Heads of School: Gaurav, Diya and Alexandra. Senior Prefects: Jessica, Helena, Isabel, Chiamaka, Charlie, Shreya, George and Oscar.
www.hymerscollege.co.uk | 1
Hymers College @Hymers_Junior: Great fun at Wyre Forest Go Ape for the U11 Sports Tour. Particularly proud of the boys and girls who overcame their fears and completed the course against their better judgement! Well done. Next stop… MORE pizza.
Hymers College @HymersCollege: What a fantastic display of posters from our very talented Year 8 pupils who mixed art and science as they took part in our Periodic Table of the Elements poster competition! Congratulations to our winners with 1st prize going to Isabella.
GENERAL REVIEW Stars in the Swimming Pool We had a brilliant start to the term in the pool as the Junior swimming competition produced some excellent results.
towards the Hymers Junior Swim Stars...
Out of 48 individual swims there were 43 personal best times so it was a great effort by everyone. Special thanks to Mr Bailey, Mrs Farr and Mr McLoughlin for their help, all the children had lots of fun! Additionally several swimmers achieved a bronze, silver or gold standard time
25m Breaststroke Chiara K - Silver
25m Backstroke William H and Frank F Gold; Alex B - Bronze 25m Butterfly Toby B - Gold; Imani M Silver; Maxwell L - Bronze 25m Freestyle Toby B - Gold; Freddie W and Amelia W - Silver; Molly A, Harriet P and Logan M - Bronze
Hymers College @HymersCollege: James, Year 11, has a long standing interest in flags. He has raised his very own Hull-inspired flag here at Hymers which he designed himself!
Hymers College @HymersCollege: Waving off our Year 13 biology pupils who are heading to Cranedale for a weekend of handson study. It’s a busy trip including freshwater sampling at Brompton Beck, lab work, crayfish studies and overnight woodland studies.
2 | Hymers Review Autumn Term 2021/2022
Christmas Toy Appeal
Restart-a-Heart Programme
Thank you to all our pupils across the whole school who contributed to the Christmas food appeal.
We would like to thank Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service who came into School to deliver their life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to our Year 8 students.
Pictured below are Grace, Jacob and Harry, Year 8 Form Prefects, who took the initiative to generate enthusiasm with their form to collect a huge range of toys and food items for our annual Christmas toy drive and food collection. We have been impressed with their leadership and generosity of spirit.
This annual event allows each student access to their own CPR dummy for practicing on. They do practical CPR and learn the correct procedures to follow when approaching a casualty that has potentially had a cardiac arrest. They are also made aware of the location of both defibrillators within school.
Hymers College @Hymers_Junior: A big thank you to 5EH, Mrs Exley and Mr Hodsdon for their super class assembly. They hosted a House Christmas Quiz and certainly got everyone into the festive spirit. Well done to this year’s winners Brandesburton.
Inclusive Leadership Conference visit Hymers Sixth Form students Anna and Tom recently took their message on tackling harassment, mental health crisis & railway safety right to the very top at the Inclusive Leadership Conference in London. Taking part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) here at Hymers last year, Anna and Tom were selected to be part of the NCS Youth Board for our region. Here they meet and talk with others on the board about local issues of concern and anti-social behaviour and harassment at railways became a focus for them.
Recognising their work, Anna and Tom were invited to have a presentation stand at the Inclusive Leadership Conference where they spoke with many senior officials in Government about the work they were doing. Now Anna and Tom are busy working on filming a video of young people’s view of anti-social behaviour at stations. This will be submitted as part of a competition to the Department of Transport where the winners will get to visit Parliament.
This in turn led to Anna and Tom meeting representatives of Northern Rail, the Samaritans and others to discuss issues of trespassing and also issues of mental health crisis at railway stations. Their NCS group worked to rejuvenate local stations and make them more pleasant environments for people – indeed a mural is now in place at Beverley station.
Hymers College @Hymers_College: Last week our Year 13 students had the chance for a practice interview evening, readying themselves for their next steps beyond Hymers. Our thanks to the 41 interviewers involved, including one interviewer zooming in from New York!
Hymers College @Hymers_College:
Cambridge Chemistry Challenge success
As part of @NCS nine Hymers graduates embarked on a 13K walk to raise money and awareness for @Shelter
Eight students sat the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Cambridge Chemistry Challenge examination. The students answered questions about the analysis of clouds of molecular gas in the Milky Way, the old-school demonstration Pharaoh’s Serpent, the use of photocatalysts in the production of hydrogen from water, and the links between redox and the Periodic Table, including the effective removal of manganese (II) ions from drinking water. This is a Year 12 competition, but two students from Year 11 also took part. Kushal (Y11) and Amna obtained Copper Certificates, Greg and Huarui Silver
Certificates, Gaurav, Matthew (Y11) and Diya won Gold Certificates. This is a fantastic achievement for these students, and the first time Hymers has had more than one gold in a year of this testing examination.
Hymers College @Hymers_Junior: Well done to our Year 4 children for their fantastic performance of ‘A Magical Christmas Jigsaw’. It was wonderful to have a live audience again, we hope you enjoyed it!
John Hymers Award launched Director of Co-Curricular, Mr Thompson, launched The John Hymers Award. This Award is for students in Years 7–9 who have shown excellent commitment and broad participation in co-curricular activities and in service to the school. With over 100 co-curricular clubs and
activities on offer, there are plenty of opportunities for our pupils to get involved in life outside of the classroom. Now, this Award will reward that dedication. Bronze, Silver, Gold certificates will be awarded in each year and a John Hymers lapel badge can be earned at the end of Year 9. www.hymerscollege.co.uk | 3
House system returns to Senior School… Bringing back the house system that Hymers adorned until the 1970s would always be a hard task, however as a school community it could not have been taken on much better! In its first term, staff and students alike have taken it upon themselves to make sure the system has a sense of pride attached to it. In a time full of twists and turns, the house system has certainly followed suit in being unpredictable and exciting; the first events of the year, the house debating and cross country, allowed students to thoroughly express their talents both in an academic and sporting light. With races, and debates, taking place across all age groups within the school, it is fantastic to see the wide array of talent that is present within our school. The success of the house system can even be seen over in the sports centre, where countless students have been able to get involved in inter-house rugby and hockey, both of which have been spectated by many to cheer on their houses. One of the great assets the house system has is its ability to allow everyone to display their talents in their respective interests, and do so in a competitive manner against their fellow classmates - perhaps explaining why we have had so many house contests already! Personally, the most captivating event we have had this term is the House Quiz, which led to a theatre of passionate students cheering on their houses as they went head-to-head. As with anything you introduce, it is important to seek a consensus on how people think it is going and some of the responses and ideas we have had come to us from students all over the school paint the picture that this system is something that will poise excitement throughout the school for many future generations of Hymers. In a school as inter-connected as Hymers, it really is fantastic to see a system that creates cross-year allegiances take off so well. I am excited to see what the future holds for the house system, and hopefully it’s successes will be celebrated for years to come! Tom, Joint Head of Gore House
“Being a Head of House has really allowed me to appreciate how much talent my peers have, and how the Hymers spirit of teamwork can flourish.” TOM 4 | Hymers Review Autumn Term 2021/2022
After a lapse of more than 40 years, September saw the reintroduction of the House system in the Senior School.
Our Heads of House are:
Brandesburton, Gore, Holderness and Trinity will now run through the whole school with pupils earning housepoints for good work, attitude, co-curricular activities as well as in inter-house competitions such as debating and sporting fixtures.
Gore: Tom and Phoebe
Brandesburton: Charlie and Grace
Holderness: Tom and Marie Trinity: Matthew and Rosie
House Chess Competition The Hymers House Chess Championship attracted over 50 students competing to win points for their House. Whether new to chess or a seasoned master, the club makes sure there is something for everyone to enjoy. The program is growing in both the Junior and Senior schools and lots of exciting challenges on the horizon.
Sixth Form InterHouse Debating competition Our Sixth Form Inter-House Debating Final featured a clash between houses Brandesburton and Trinity. Trinity were awarded 1st place and 25 points for the House, Brandesburton were awarded 10 house points. Well done to all the students who took part in the competition!
Inter-house Cross-Country The first Inter-house cross-country took place in October with lots of enthusiastic runners taking parts. All entrants were awarded a housepoint for competing with those coming in the top 6 per year group being awarded two housepoints as well as gaining personal housepoints for themselves.
a message from
the headmaster Mr Justin Stanley
No doubt it will take some considerable time for us all to digest the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic but it is clear that in many ways we have already started to view the world through a different lens. From the start of the new school year, pupils and staff alike more than ever appeared to appreciate the privilege of being able to study and work at Hymers. September 2021 saw a relaxation of some Covid measures within schools which included the removal of year group bubbles, a mitigation that had impacted heavily upon all aspects of schooling. Furthermore, close contacts of positive coronavirus cases were no longer required to self-isolate. In particular these two changes from the previous academic year meant that the autumn term felt like something of a return to normal within school for the first time in 18 months. As you would expect, the Hymers pupils took full advantage of the rediscovered opportunities, throwing themselves with customary gusto into school life. The term saw the re-inauguration in the Senior School of the House system after a period of approximately 40 years and the pupils relished the greater chance for involvement in co-curricular activities and mixing across the year groups that was afforded by this. In fact, the healthy interaction between pupils in different year groups continued to be one of the most notable and positive features of Hymers life. The academic and pastoral mentoring of pupils in Years 7-9
and the support of Junior School cocurricular activities that our sixth formers undertake is invaluable work that goes largely unseen by parents and visitors. Younger and older pupils alike benefit in different ways but in equal measure.
“...one reset caused by the pandemic has perhaps been a decreasing focus on which team has won and lost, and a growing awareness of the value in simply playing in a team with friends.” Across the school – from the youngest in Year 4 through to Sixth Form – pupils enjoyed playing competitive fixtures against other schools in rugby, hockey and swimming. Of course, it was pleasing to note that results were generally strong, but one reset caused by the pandemic
has perhaps been a decreasing focus on which team has won and lost, and a growing awareness of the value in simply playing in a team with friends. Another boon from the pandemic has been the ongoing programme of Old Hymerians, drawing upon their own personal and professional expertise, to engage and inform our pupils in Languages & Culture Club, Engineering and Biology societies and MedSoc. We are exceptionally fortunate to be able to call upon such enthusiasm and wisdom on a regular basis.
I am pleased to report that – as in years gone by – we were able to mark the end of term with the customary festive concerts and final assemblies in front of live audiences. We were all sent off on our Christmas holidays in high spirits at the feast of witty and skillful performances that our pupils laid on before us. Justin Stanley www.hymerscollege.co.uk | 5
Hymers College @Hymers_College: Congratulations to our Year 10 pupil Francesca who won our Christmas card design competition! Runners up were Amelie in Year 9, Gracie in Year 8 and Alex in Year 7. Their designs have been reproduced on Mr Stanley’s Christmas card this year. Well done to everyone who took part.
ARTS REVIEW Amazing Artists
Hymers College @Hymers_Art: Our Year 10 students are currently beginning their GCSE journeys by investigating the style of Van Gogh and urban landscapes. This is a stunning pen and ink study based upon original photography.
So many talented artists have amazed us with their work - here is a selection including Year 10 and Year 12 photomontage submissions and a couple of A Level students investigating the themes of surrealism and natural forms.
Hymers College @HymersJunior: The Year 6 Dance Group gave a superb performance @yorksdancefest. Well done to all the groups that took part. A huge thank you to Sue Marsden, our Dance teacher, and to all the parents for your support at the event. Excellent audience participation in the finale (photo)!
Year 6 Choir delight in Edinburgh
Hymers College @Hymers_MFL: Well done to Sarah whose piece of creative writing about time travelling to Occupied France showed flair, accuracy and empathy together with a touch of humour!
The Year 6 Choir had a wonderful time in Edinburgh in October and once again amazed and delighted the audience. 6 | Hymers Review Autumn Term 2021/2022
They received a standing ovation for their performance as well as many compliments from people not connected to the school.
Hymers College @HymersSport:
SPORTS REVIEW
Congratulations to Gore for winning the Senior House Hockey Tournament yesterday afternoon! A huge well done to all teams involved and thank you to Mr Tapley and Miss Walker for umpiring. It was a fantastic afternoon!
Twickenham Festival for Junior Squad A group of U9, U10 and U11 boys had a fantastic opportunity to play at the home of England Rugby, Twickenham Stadium in November. They played in a mini-festival on the hallowed turf before watching what was supposed to be the Barbarians vs Samoa fixture. Unfortunately, a last minute Covid case resulted in the cancellation of the Barbarians game, but the Barbarians Women vs Springbok Women’s game was brought forward in its place so we were still treated to a spectacle of fast flowing rugby with plenty of tries.
Hymers College @HymersSport: Rugby brings with it not just great camaraderie with team mates, but also a feeling of togetherness for everyone who played under lights at the tournament at @HullensiansRUFC this evening. Well done to all concerned!
A fantastic trip for those involved either to experience playing or watching a family member play in an 80,000 seat capacity stadium, fantastic memories that will last a lifetime.
Racketlon success! One of our Heads of School, Lexie, has triumphed by winning a recent Racketlon competition held in Letchworth, Hertfordshire
Hymers College @HymersSport: Always a great atmosphere for our Junior School Swimming Gala against St Peter’s York.
Having progressed through the Junior levels she competed in Letchworth in the Women’s B League playing each game of squash, badminton, table tennis and tennis to 21 points.
Brilliant effort from both teams!
Lexie says, “I enjoy competing in Racketlon as they are always fun events and there is a close-knit group of competitors.” Lexie first started playing squash at the age of six and only started competing in Racketlon in the last 3 years. She enjoys the competitive nature of playing four disciplines albeit in a friendly environment and plans to continue training whilst continuing her studies.
in Prague in November in the World Doubles Championship, both the women’s and mixed competitions, coming first in the Girls U18 category.
Lexie has previously won the U16 World Championship and U21 British Championship and has recently competed
... Breaking News ... Lexie has been named Girls Singles World No. 1 ... Congratulations!!
Hymers College @HymersSport: Last time representing Hymers XI Hockey team for Tash, Lizzy, Lydia and Shreya after 10 years representing the school.
Football success! Congratulations to Hugo and George, both Year 8, on signing for Lincoln City and Scunthorpe United respectively. A fantastic opportunity for both boys who can’t wait to be travelling the region playing academy football as well as representing Hymers College squad. www.hymerscollege.co.uk | 7
an interview with
Where in the world would you visit and why?
Tom McConnell History & Graduate Sports Assistant What brought you to Hymers College? As an OH I knew all about the school before applying. I had a fantastic time at school and was not hesitant in applying for my role. Sport is one of my passions and having the opportunity to be involved in a thriving sports department was one I could not turn down. This role gives me the opportunity to coach across multiple sports and I have been lucky enough to be given some classroom teaching hours to combine my sport role with my PGCE and also teach some History this year.
What did you do before joining? Seeing as though I only left Hymers 6 years ago this section will be quite short!! After 3 years at Loughborough University studying History, I started working at St Mary’s College in Hull. This is where I decided working in education was what I wanted to do. Being employed as a mentor to help underachieving students across an array of subjects showed me just how much I enjoyed helping students and making a difference to their lives. This role also involved a pastoral side of helping any students who were unhappy and acting as a support mechanism for any student in the 6th form at St Mary’s. I stayed on at St Mary’s the next year to complete my PGCE combined with Hull University. This only turned out to be half a year in school and half a year at home due to COVID which was certainly a unique experience but one I will not forget!
If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Australia to watch an Ashes series or to watch England in the West Indies. Anywhere that could combine my love of warm weather and cricket!
What is your favourite film? Anything Harry Potter, I absolutely love them all. Having them coming out every couple of years when I was young was always something I looked forward to.
Who or what makes you laugh? Michael McIntyre - I saw him live last year and I have never laughed so much. I also love any kind of TikTok that involves a dog. They tend to also make me laugh.
What three songs would you choose to play on a jukebox? This is the hardest question so far. I’ll go with: Star Girl - McFly: An absolute classic that is a mainstay of my playlist on the drive to work. It always gets me ready for the day! Galway Girl - Ed Sheeran: I love all Ed Sheeran’s music and have been lucky enough to see him live. This one is such an anthem that I love singing along too. Country Roads - Hermes House Band: A song that brings back lots of happy memories for my friends and I. One that reminds me of my time at school and a song that gets everyone on the dance floor when we are out.
If you could have dinner with anyone past or present, who would it be and why? As a massive Hull City fan, I’m going to go with Steve Bruce. The man at the helm during some of the club’s most successful and controversial years. I would have plenty of questions to ask him for sure!
What is the best advice you have ever been given? Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.
If you were an animal, what would you be?
Friendly, easy-going and conscientious.
Keeping up with the Hull City theme, I’d be a tiger: strong, powerful and likes relaxing in the sun!
What frightens you the most?
What is your guilty pleasure?
Heights!! I hate them! Anywhere I think I might fall off from I will steer well clear of! I also have quite the fear of cows but heights definitely wins that contest!
I have quite a few! I do love a good RomCom though. Films like Wild Child and any of the Pitch Perfect series are particular favourites of mine.
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