college life SPRING ISSUE 2019
NEWS AND VIEWS ON ALL THINGS OAKLANDS
new look!
travel
POSTCARDS FROM VENICE
Greatest Dancer
Oaklands student James Ashton reaches BBC dance ‘Greatest Dancer’ finals!
#oaklandscollege
student blogger
EWAN JONES’ STUDENT TIPS!
interview
HARPREET NAGRA
Welcome
to the new-look College Life magazine!
ZOE HANCOCK
PRINCIPAL’S WELCOME
W
elcome to the spring edition of the newly redesigned College Life magazine. This year, we’ve redesigned our College Life magazine from feedback received by student surveys which highlighted a number of changes current students wish to see to the magazine content. This year, we’ve included vouchers, fun and engaging hair tutorials, a brand new student recipe section, a student blogger with top tips, student app suggestions and much more! Spring/Summer is a busy time of year for our students and staff members, with students preparing to sit exams, writing their university personal statements and applications, or preparing to enter the world of work, it is an exciting but demanding time of year. This March saw our annual Lambing Weekend community event attract around 10,000 guests. Lucky visitors were able to witness live lambing births of 20 of the 300+ new arrivals, with our Farm Manager Del Knowles and our terrific Animal Management, Equine, and Agriculture and Public Service students’ on-hand to ensure a smooth and successful event. March also played host to another Apprenticeship Week, where thriving apprentices at Oaklands College were invited in, along with their assessors and work colleagues, to celebrate their achievements and collect outstanding recognition awards. It was also a year of firsts, with our Art, Fashion and Design department conducting an exciting and adventurous trip to Venice to sample the culture and carnival atmosphere and develop their artistic knowledge, skills and inspirations. We are now looking ahead to an exciting Summer of events including our Summer Fair and celebrating more student success stories along the way, as we head towards the end of the academic year. Zoe Hancock Principal and Chief Executive, Oaklands College
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Art students to brighten up Hatfield town centre A Hatfield 2030+ art project kicked-off as Oaklands College students met with council officers to show their initial ideas for displays in key walkways leading to White Lion Square. The seven art students are producing work based on three themes: The memory of the past 70 years of the new or Victorian town The interpretation of the present Desires for the future, exploring the impact that new technologies would have on the area. Coordinator in Art Fashion and Design Tim Burkinshaw said: “The staff of the Art, Fashion & Design Department work hard to create work experience and live brief opportunities for our students. Our students have researched the past, present and possible future of Hatfield in order to create ideas and possible outcomes for this brief and we are excited to see their artwork come to life in Hatfield town centre.”
we want your ideas! Send your CollegeLife suggestions to marketing@oaklands.ac.uk we’d love to hear what you want to read/see in the next edition!
GRAPHIC DESIGN
STUDENTS IN COMPETITION FINALS DO COLLEGE PROUD On the 12th December 2018, BTEC Level 3 Graphic Design students Carly Amor, Jonathan Yankah-Ashun and Luisa Zorlakki were handselected by a judging committee for their impressive work on a live-brief set out by ‘My Kinda Future’. ‘My Kinda Future’ are an organisation which works with over 4,500 schools and colleges helping students explore their career options post-education. The BTEC Level 3 Graphic Design course always works closely with live-briefs set by ‘My Kinda Future’, enabling students to simulate real client to designer experience and develop their skills before entering full-time work. Oaklands College’s Graphic Design students have previously worked with organisations such as 20th Century Fox, National Grid, Abbey Line, Watford Football Club CSE Trust and many more. Their content included two original logo designs, an online social media campaign which was distributed across all social media platforms and printed
advertisements which would be advertised through public transport, magazines and roadside billboards. Graphics Design lecturer Huma Yousaf added: “The student’s had their presentation pre-recorded and intercut to coincide with the PowerPoint presentation they had prepared showcasing all of their original creative content. Despite not winning the final; Carly, Jonathan and Luisa were the only group from the finals’ participants to produce a campaign with original material, accompanying the logistics of their campaign.
INTERACTIVE MEDIA
STUDENTS BRING SAFETY MESSAGES TO LIFE A team of students from Oaklands College have created animated safety videos to help educate local primary school children in what to do in an emergency. The team of Level 3 Interactive Media students produced short animated films for the county’s interactive children’s safety centre Crucial Crew, who welcomes thousands of Year 6 children across the county to take part in education activities and sessions across the county. The students were briefed with a scenario to animate in pairs, including designing characters, a production schedule and storyboard. The Crucial Crew team will select the best to be used in their live demonstrations with children. Working to the brief of a flash flood scenario, the winning duo was students Rachel Earl and Lucy Green, both praised for adhering to the brief and clear communication and delivery of key messages to the intended young audience.
Music students treated to Royal Albert Hall masterclass! Oaklands College music student’s visit the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 21st November, as part of the concert hall’s Albert Sessions and were treated to a workshop masterclass from New-Zealand born Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) frontman, Ruban Nielson. Oaklands students had the opportunity to work with Ruban Nielson and his close-friend Jack Sharp, who is a member of the band ‘Wolf People’. Students performed covers and their own original songs in front of the two musicians, who gave feedback and advice to the young performers. Ruban added: “You’ve got to remember that at some point you’ll need to get away from technology and YouTube tutorials and just start working on your songs” adding: “One night, we played three shows in a row, driving, loading and unloading our gear from the car at each venue.”
Introducing our new meerkats in the Habitat Centre The Animal management team and Habitat Centre are pleased to welcome their new recruits - meerkats Morag, Pearl and Dotty. All sisters are settling in nicely and are a great addition to the team and student learning experience. You can meet our meerkats, along with our snakes, spiders, reptiles, rabbits, guinea pigs, lemurs, marmosets and many more of our furry friends at our Animal Antics parties! Find out more about these parties through the community section of our main college website!
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I WONDER WHY...
HE’S THE GREATEST DANCER!
Well done!
James Ashton, a Level 2 Sport student at Oaklands College quickly emerged as a national star on the BBC’s The Greatest Dancer talent show. James and his dance partner Oliver were picked to go through to the next round of the show after dazzling the celebrity judges and viewers alike. Making it all the way to the finals of the show, which was produced by Simon Cowell’s production company Syco, saw competitors of any age and dancing style compete to win £50,000 and a chance to perform on Strictly Come Dancing. The boys brotherly performances, which reduced Glee star Matthew Morrison to tears, had the American judge saying: “It was so incredible. I found myself obviously just really, really moved by that. I’m an only child but I always wished I had a brother in general. “The camaraderie you had with each other – I know you guys are not related – but it was so beautiful to watch.” James’ Level 2 Sport studies tutor said: “He has worked incredibly hard for this moment, it’s great to see him receive the recognition he deserves, we’re immensely proud of him.”
2018 STUDENT VOICE! The Oaklands Students’ Union (OSU) hosted the annual Student Voice Day at Oaklands College’s Welwyn Garden City campus, with the aim to encourage Student Union members and representatives to feedback their ideas and improve the overall college experience. The event opened with a talk from Student Union Officer Rhianna Hornsey, followed by a welcome speech from Oaklands College
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principal Zoe Hancock and Director of Student Experience Sean Scully. Student Voice Day is a chance for OSU members and student representatives, which make up the student voice from both Welwyn and St Albans campuses, to get together and feedback change and ideas to help improve their college experience. Students engaged in team building activities and games, whilst
developing their social and teamworking skills by embarking on a range of sessions throughout the day spread across the main hall and student lounge facilities. In attendance were the Presidents and Vice Presidents for this academic year, Jaye Gherani and Vithu Ravi who represent the St Albans campus alongside Marcel Barry and Lewis Mascoll who represent the Welwyn campus.
AS Law students visit Houses of Parliament and Supreme Courts
AS Law students went on an educational visit to London last week, where they visited the Houses of Parliament and the UK Supreme Courts. In the House of Commons, students were able to sit in on a debate with John McDonnell, a British Labour Party politician who was appointed the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in September 2015 and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, as they questioned the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, over the Government’s Brexit deal. Speaking of his students’ trip, Lecturer in Law Adam Nicholls said; “It was an invaluable opportunity for our AS Law students to sit in on and learn about one of the most significant issues in our constitutional history.”
Students were then given a tour of the House of Lords, where they watched Baroness Smith of Basildon, debating the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community. Once the tour was completed, students were taken to an activity room where they learnt about pressure groups, such as the CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), CBI (Confederation of British Industry), NUS (National Union of Students) and the suffragettes. Adam added; “The tour of Parliament allowed students to learn about the way in which the laws of the UK are passed and was directly related to the course which they are studying.”
VETERANS DAY LUNCH 2018
We will remember them Oaklands College was extremely proud to have welcomed special guests, including World War I veterans and current servicemen and women to The Stables restaurant for a three-course meal, to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I. As part of the ‘St Albans Remembers’ initiative which was running throughout the city and in line with the colleges #ThereButNotThere campaign, the restaurant was transformed into a breath-taking homage to the past, with Photography students’ tributary images and memoirs from World War I on display throughout the restaurant. The Veterans Day lunch also offered Hospitality & Catering the gain valuable event service experience by preparing the luxury three-course meal.”
FOUR NEW CALVES AT THE FARM!
FURRY ADDITIONS! The Habitat Centre at our St Albans campus welcomed three new furry recruits to kick-off 2019! Lemurs Naomi, an 11-year-old mum to Nugget (aged 2) and Narina (aged 4), have already began adapting to their new surroundings, having made the trip from Whipsnade Zoo just before Christmas.
Oaklands College was delighted to welcome four new members to the farm’s growing family of animals in November 2018! The four new female beef calves, Astraea, Athena, Aphrodite & Freya will be cared for by farm manager Del Knowles and his students, further enhancing the educational experience of students studying from our variety of agriculture and animal management courses. The four calves, who are of Aberdeen Angus, Limousin and Hereford breed were all born through late September and early October and are settling in well at the farm. Tanya Peters and Naomi Starkey, two of our second-year students studying a Level 3 Diploma in Agriculture, were invited to Melton Mowbray Market to gain valuable first-hand experience and learn how farms acquire their livestock. Speaking of her experience at the cattle market, Naomi said; “For me the most interesting part of auction was seeing the range of breeds and ages of the animals being sold.”
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Student well-being in the spotlight! Oaklands College ran the annual Student Well-being Week before Christmas, with the emphasis on ensuring all students are in good health and mindfulness, in line with the local It’s OK To Say campaign. The college ran Well-being Week between November 26-30th, which saw hundreds of students participate in a variety of events run by the OakExtra team at both the St Albans and Welwyn Garden City campuses. Rhianna Hornsey and Kirsty Armstrong from the Oaklands Student Union and OakExtra team helped run the launch of the newly built Wellbeing Centre. This included staging a variety of engaging events for students, from sport to personal development, such as social and communication skill classes. Oaklands College used Well-being Week as the perfect opportunity to bring students closer to the OakExtra team, working together with personal development teams, The Edge work experience unit, and the OSU (Oaklands Students’ Union).
‘FitQuest’ test! Local Watford radio station VIBE 107.6 FM, whose live broadcasts have showcased home-grown music from stars such as 2016 Critic’s Choice Award winner Jack Garratt and X-Factor winners Rak-Su, popped down to Oaklands College’s Welwyn Garden City campus to test their health and wellbeing in the newly established Wellbeing Centre. Touchdown Active Director and former Chelsea Football Club professional footballer Mike Adams is one of the Wellbeing Coaches within the centre and a key advocate for student fitness and wellbeing. Mike said: “It’s vital to get the word out about the college’s wellbeing initiatives, not only to students but also to the wider community in order to help tackle obesity and promote a healthier lifestyle.” The radio DJs have been challenged to follow the health and wellbeing plan set-out by Mike and the FitQuest App and will return to re-test their fitness on the machine.
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LAMBING WEEKEND
Thousands flock to Lambing Weekend 2019
This March, Oaklands College held our annual Lambing Weekend, sponsored by local solicitors SA Law, welcoming over 10,000 visitors to the hugely successful free event. The college opened its doors to offer the local community and our students the chance to meet some of the 300+ new-born lambs delivered through a busy lambing season from February to April. As well as seeing the lambs and ewes in the lambing barns of the college’s on-site farm, visitors were able to learn about the different stages of lambing and chat to our incredible Agriculture students, who were on-hand to answer and burning questions and to assist Farm Manager Del Knowles and Agricultural tutor Rachel Peach in the delivery of the expected 348 new arrivals. With crowds flocking to the lambing barns, some visitors were lucky enough to witness 19 live-births across the Lambing Weekend and were expertly talked through the process by Del and his team. “This year represented another hugely successful year for lambing at Oaklands College, with our Agriculture students gaining valuable experience of live-lambing and community event management.” The event also offered an opportunity to visit the Habitat Centre and learn all about our Animal Antics parties.
This March, Oaklands College celebrated the annual Apprenticeship Week in style, by welcoming current and former apprenticeship students to the college in a fantastic celebrating of success!
AWARDS!
MEDIA STUDENTS CLINCH ROAD SAFETY AWARDS Oaklands College Media students were awarded two of the three awards on offer at the Student Media 2018 Road Safety Awards, for their impressive short film contributions, aimed at raising the awareness of the hazards of dangerous driving. March saw the launch of the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Student Media awards at Campus West Cinema in Welwyn Garden City. The concept of the project came from Borehamwood Firefighter Brian Chamberlain, who proposed that Fire Crews in Hertfordshire could work with young people to create a road safety video, and then share it with their peers via social media to make their friends and colleagues aware of the hazards of dangerous driving.
TALK
Drug and knife crime activist delivers powerful talk Oaklands College welcomed drug and gun-knife crime activist Paul Hannaford to our St Albans facilities, to speak to hundreds of college students about the perils of drugs and the dangerous road it can take addicts down. Speaking entirely from life experiences, after spending over £1.5 million on drugs throughout his life-time, stealing up to £5 million of goods from stores to fuel his addictions and regularly teetering on the brink of death, Paul’s story is an inspirational one. Proudly, Paul is now over ten years clean and sober and has restored his relationship with his family,
National Apprenticeship Week is a nationwide celebration of our countries’ apprentices and the great opportunities available for them through this unique route of study. The week started with a number of engaging drop-in sessions for prospective apprentices interested in learning about the apprenticeships available through both Oaklands College campuses. Apprentices were invited to a special Recognition Awards ceremony, which included lunch at our onsite Stables Restaurant. Students who had excelled in their fields were given Assessors Awards in a proud celebration of success.
including his daughter, who plays a prevalent part in his harrowing story. Since turning his life around, Paul has travelled all across the country to hundreds of primary/secondary schools, youth centres, young offenders units and a variety of professional football clubs as part of their ‘football in the community’ projects. Paul speaks to over 50,000 children every year to warn them of the perils of crime and since 2009 he has spoken to well over 300,000 youngsters as he looks to ensure his story becomes an isolated one and not part of a common theme.
STUDENT’S FAST-TRACK CLIMB TO THE TOP! An Oaklands College student gave up her A-levels for work experience with a local security company and landed herself on a fantastic career path within a week. Morgan Mitchell, of Wych Elms, was recruited onto Amthal Fire & Security’s apprenticeship scheme where she will complete an AQA Level 3 Business Administration course. A tutor from Oaklands College oversees and assesses her work every six weeks. The former Malborough school student, 18, said: “I would rather be earning money and learning at the same time than
paying out thousands of pounds for a degree. I didn’t want to get into debt and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study. “It’s great to now be on an apprenticeship scheme and know that what I am doing is enhancing the business as a whole.” Morgan will have the opportunity to experience a range of roles within different team activities. Assistant head teacher Richard Atterton at Marlborough School said: “We are delighted that Morgan is doing so well. Apprenticeships are an incredibly valuable opportunity for students to learn whilst they earn.”
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[ IWD2019 ]
THE BIG INTERVIEW Deputy Principal Harpreet Nagra sits down to talk gender equality, leadership and education Harpreet, who has vast experience in further education, previously worked as an ESOL and English teacher with a number of colleges before moving into a quality role in Central Bedfordshire College. After that, Harpreet joined Ofsted and became a Her Majesty’s Inspector for three years. She joined Oaklands College in October 2018 and still works as a part-time Ofsted Inspector. From grassroots activism to worldwide action, we are entering an exciting period of history where the world expects to see genderbalance, noticing its absence and celebrating its presence. With an increasing number of women occupying Senior Leadership roles around the college, how important do you feel it is to ensure we contribute to a better, balanced and fairer working world? It shouldn’t even be an issue; regardless of the workplace, Senior Leadership roles should be based on skills and abilities rather than gender, class and ethnicity. It is important that we champion this as a college and create a balanced working and learning environment.
What does this year’s International Women’s Day slogan #BalanceforBetter mean to you in the workplace? The #BalanceforBetter slogan gives Oaklands College the opportunity to fully focus on what our students need, in line with our college values and mission. Above all, balance should be achieved all year round, celebrating and promoting female students and staff in non-female stereotypical roles. If those decisions are based on gender then we need to break down those barriers and gender stereotypes. As an inspirational senior figure at Oaklands College, what is the most important message or piece of advice you want to send out to our female students and/or staff members? Do not allow yourself to become confined to the stereotypes of your gender, focus on being the best you can possibly be and you will not only inspire yourself, but colleagues and fellow students around you. What motivates you most about your role at Oaklands College? The biggest motivational driving force for me is the students achieving their goals and aspirations, being able to contribute to their success and personal development is what inspires me every day.
Innovation is a key value that is championed by the college, how important do you feel it is that the college embraces this year’s #BalanceforBetter theme? A gender balanced world enables all members of Oaklands College to play an integral part to ensure all students have the best experience and achieve. My advice to students would be to focus on your primary goal, rather than those who are driving it. Finally, which other women inspire you most and why? For me, all women who have overcome adversity and are able to fulfil their dreams and career ambitions are who inspire me the most. I think of my mum, past and present female colleagues throughout my career, our Principal Zoe Hancock and all of our students. As Harpreet touched upon, the magic of International Women’s Day is that it does not stop on the day, meaning we as a college can continue to be inspired and take action to help create a better, balanced environment all year around!
Spectacular graduation night for HE students Oaklands College welcomed over 200 people to our Higher Education Graduation Ceremony. HE students from a range of courses came together to celebrate their achievement in front of a packed audience of family and friends at last year’s event. The Higher National Certificate, Higher National Diploma, Foundation Degree and Level 5 students gathered together in the main hall at our Welwyn Garden City Campus, which was
transformed with lighting and effects for the occasion. Graduates took to the stage to receive certificates from Pro Vice-Chancellor Sal Jarvis of the University of Hertfordshire, joined on stage by Oaklands Principal Zoe Hancock and Director of HE at Oaklands, Stephen Fox. We were also delighted that the Mayor of St Albans and the Mayor of Welwyn Hatfield joined us for the celebrations.
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ART, FASHION & DESIGN TRIP
Postcards from Venice Art, Fashion and Design (AFD) students across the Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, Photography and Multimedia Level 3 Year 2 courses, visited the floating city, the city of masks, bridges and canals this April.
T
his visit took place during the annual carnival, with many extraordinary masks and costumes on display in public spaces. Students had the opportunity to visit, draw and photograph, the busy Pizza San Marco, the Grand Canal, the Bridge of Sighs, the Rialto Bridge, The Peggy Guggenheim Collection of art, along with visiting the islands of Burano, with its brightly painted houses and Murano, known for its glass-making. This study visit will now form the starting point, directly or indirectly, for many of the Final Major Projects the Art, Fashion and Design
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Some of the best images taken from our students during the trip.
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students are currently working on and will subsequently have displayed during their end-of-year exhibition, which this year takes place on the week of 10th June. Special thanks to both Lauren Vassell Leighton and Sarah Easterby in the AFD department for organising this ambitious study visit. The trip represented the largest and furthest trip that the Art, Fashion and Design department have organised at Oaklands College and will be the benchmark for future events within the department. The gallery highlights some of the best images taken from our students during the trip.
[ STUDENT INSIGHT ]
Ewan’s top tips! Hello! My name is Ewan Jones, and I’ve been a student at Oaklands College since September 2016. In this time I have studied Creative Media Production at both Level 3 (Extended Diploma) and progressed onto the foundation degree course in partnership with Oaklands and the University of Hertfordshire. I’m a dedicated filmmaker and have worked on many different types of films as part of my course as well as external work, including promotional adverts, short films, music videos, and documentaries.
How to get work experience Regardless of your course, work experience can be an invaluable tool for your own personal development and help you further your own career goals for what you would like to do once you graduate from Oaklands College. Oaklands College has a dedicated team employed to work with students, their teachers and course leaders to find appropriate work experience opportunities which are relatable to what students are studying. A lot of students do not know how important work experience is and how good it looks on your CV when applying for jobs or writing personal statements for University.
Three top tips for creating an online portfolio for clients Online portfolios are a great way of showcasing the best of your work to a potential employer or client, they’re a fantastic way to help you stand out as an individual from the competition. 1. Create your own website to stand out and showcase your portfolio of work 2. Create your own business cards to improve your communications with potential clients and get your name/ service out there! 3. Attend networking events to meet up
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with as many people working within your chosen industry, you don’t know how many options may arise, whether it be work experience or client-based work, the more experience you gain of these events, the more affective they will be.
Ewan’s exam preparation tips 1. Use music to your advantage When revising, using instrumental music can be a great way to distract yourself from any unnecessary thoughts, and help you to knuckle down in your studies by filling the silence. I personally use playlists on Spotify like Lush Lofi, Concentration Beats, and Electronic Concentration, but you can also find many of these on YouTube if you don’t have Spotify. 2. Create a schedule Creating a structure to your work means you have a clearer idea of how long you should spend on certain topics or subjects. Give yourself a fair amount of breaks so that you can incentivise your revision rather than procrastinating and wasting time. By changing your mind-set to a more positive one, you can improve your attitude towards your revisions and hopefully your final grades!
3. Revise from past papers Your tutor will be able to provide you with resources from previous years, so make sure to clue up on the structure and format of your exam papers, identifying the types of questions that consistently come up, the more you use the better! 4. Don’t do too much! While it may seem counter-productive, don’t give yourself a workload that you know you won’t be able to handle; If you’re more suited to revising in smaller chunks like 20 minutes at a time, use that to your advantage!
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hair tutorial
nom!
THE PERFECT DUTCH BRAID! Some fun, easy step-by-step guides to keep fellow students up to date with the latest hair trends around campus! Hairdressing student Megan Ault shows us how to create the perfect dutch braid! STEP 1 Brush hair straight, ideally washing the day before. STUDENT COOKBOOK
Classy chicken burger with chunky chips and coleslaw INGREDIENTS For the burger
For the coleslaw
• 1 chicken breast • 1 brioche bun • Potatoes (chopped into required amount of chips) • Plain flour • 1 Egg • Breadcrumbs • Salt and pepper for seasoning
• • • • •
200g white cabbage 1-2 carrots 50g onion (chopped) 1 cap of white vinegar Mayonnaise
For the salad
• Cucumber, tomatoes and red onion
METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 200 degree ready for chips 2. Chop and prepare potatoes into desired chip-sized portions 3. For the coleslaw, finely chop cabbage, onions and grate the carrot, combining with mayonnaise 4. For the salad, simply chop the ingredients and mix 5. Oven bake chips in preheated oven at 200 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden 6. Coat chicken breast in flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs if preferred 7. Shallow fry chicken in oil and butter on a medium heat (add Cajun seasoning for added flavour!) 8. Plate up chicken breast with chips, coleslaw and salad.
Feeling healthy? Why not try substituting the chips and coleslaw for a healthier side salad?
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STEP 2 Part hair and secure one side with a hair grip or clip! STEP 3 Take a small triangular section of the hair near to the root and divide into 3 equal sections. STEP 4 Take the outside section of the hair and position it into the middle of the 3 sections, take some hair into the back section and begin plaiting your way down. TOP TIP! – Always select hair from inside and outside as you work your way down the side of your head and ensure you hold each strand tightly, ensuring a clean look down the length of the braid – Small sections look better! STEP 5 Simply repeat the plaiting process until you reach the bottom section of hair and tie the remaining strands of hair together with a hairband, repeat the same process across the other side of hair to complete the full Dutch braid!
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Some of our students have already embraced the Dutch Braid! Make sure you send in your attempts to our social media channels, we’d love to see your tutorial results!
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A round-up of all the latest news from Oaklands Sports Academy
To check match fixtures, dates and times, visit us online oaklands.ac.uk/wolves #Wolfpack
OAKLANDS RUGBY STAR SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD Former Oaklands Wolves Rugby Academy graduate Joel Kpoku, who has embarked on a meteoric Rugby Union rise since breaking into the Saracens first team, has been further recognised recognised with a shortlist for this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup Breakthrough Player Award.
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PLAYOFF BOUND!
As we go to print, we are proud to celebrate Oaklands Wolves fantastic achievement reaching the end of season play-offs in the Women’s Basketball League, for the first time since their formation three years ago. Head Coach Lee Ryan believes they still have a few surprises up their sleeves.
A 77-60 win away to Essex Rebels means Wolves are the eighth and final team to make the post-season games and their reward will be a trip to undefeated leaders Sevenoaks Suns. Meg Pritchard top-scored against the Rebels with 13 while Anneke Schluter chipped in with 12 and Tia Freeman 11th. Lee Ryan said: “The team set this goal and have worked relentlessly to achieve it. I feel confident we can give ourselves a chance of taking Sevenoaks down but they have obviously quality and pedigree. We will have to be at our best.”
The award, which was launched in 2012, celebrates and recognised under-23 players who have stood out in the tournament. The winner will be announced prior to the Premiership Rugby Cup Final, with the winner receiving a variety of exclusive prizes including £1,000 worth of kit to be supplied to a grassroots club of the winner’s choice. 19 year old Joel has been in impeccable form for Saracens and was a decisive factor in their Round 4 ‘Derby
Day’ victory over Harlequins in the Rugby Cup, with an impressive 100% tackle rate, topping his performance off with a try to match. Oaklands is one of the few colleges in the country which is an RFU centre of excellence, and as such has a formal relationship with Premiership rugby club Saracens. This link provides students with a unique opportunity to get a taste of life as a professional player. Working on a regular basis with coaching staff, players have a fantastic chance to train and play using up to date training and playing strategies used in the top level of the sport.
MEET TEAM GB’S SPECIAL OLYMPIANS! On behalf of the college, we would like to extend our congratulations to Thomas Miller and Philip Nicholls for their Gold and Silver medals at the Abu Dhabi World Games on 14th March 2019! Special Olympics GB is the largest provider of year-round, all ability, sports programme in Great Britain and supports over 10,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities on a continued basis and are celebrating their 40th year as an organisation. Thousands of participants and spectators will take part in the Games, with an estimated 7,000 Special Olympics athletes and 2,600 coaches who will arrive early to get used to the time-zone and temperature changes. Abu Dhabi will provide an impressive 20,000 volunteers and up to 500,000 spectators for the event, giving Team GB’s stars the ultimate experience in their quest for medals. Roared on by support all around the World, up to 6,000 family members of the competing athletes will also get chance to travel to Abu Dhabi to
show their support, with an estimated 2,000 reporters, photographers, videographers and bloggers there to capture every moment for international media outlets. A momentous occasions for all athletes, who will be inspired by an estimated 4,000 honorary guests, of whom a lot of athletes look up to. Team GB, whose official Olympics squad was announced today, will compete in 17 different Sports, with athletes representing their country in Athletics, Basketball, Cycling, Equestrian, Football, Power-lifting, gymnastics, swimming and many more. Excitingly, Oaklands College will have two athletes with a close affiliation to the college, having previously attended as students. Thomas Miller, a former Landmark student who currently volunteers at
the colleges state-of-the-art Equestrian Centre, will compete in the Level A Equestrian discipline and will be gunning for Gold, to add to the two Silver medals he achieved at the Eastern Region Games in 2017. Speaking before he departs for the United Arab Emirates, Thomas said: “I want to do my very best in Abu Dhabi and try to win a medal for my country!” Thomas, who helps current Oaklands College Equine students from Levels 1-3, has spent the past six years looking after Haflinger Horses in the Highlands of Scotland during summer break, where he has honed his skills even further! Also competing is former student and Special Olympics veteran Philip Nicholls, who has been competing since 1998! Philip will race in the Breaststroke & Freestyle swimming disciplines. Philip, who has swam his way to a plethora of medals at Regional events, also has nine medals from just four National Games and will be hoping he can emulate his hero Adam Peaty by winning Gold in the Breaststroke discipline.
Paralympian’s rise to the top Four-time Gold medallist winner and former Oaklands Wolves Athletics Academy graduate Olivia Breen has continued to shine on the athletics stage since following her dream at Oaklands College. Olivia’s rise has been proudly watched by the college, fellow athletes and academy staff alike, but the story behind her brilliance is an awe-inspiring one. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy from an early age, Livvy; fondly nicknamed by those closest to her, was determined not to let her disability define her life and embarked on a career defining pathway which would ultimately see her reach the London 2012
Paralympic Games and go on to win a collection of medals. Livvy said her cerebral palsy “affects the balance in my legs and arms, but I don’t really feel it when I’m running.” “I feel really happy when I run, I think to myself, I’m going to get to that finish line and win!” It was this mentality and determined attitude which helped Livvy shine on the World stage and one that she still embodies today.
Unsurprisingly, Livvy has gone on to achieve five Bronze, one Silver and four Gold medals at the age of just 22 across four different Olympic sports including women’s 4x100m relay, long jump, 100m and 200m sprints. Notably, Breen was part of the T35-38 relay team, which included Bethany Woodward, Sophie Hahn and Jenny McLoughlin, helping her team set a new British record of
53.84, another testament to Livvy’s professionalism and determination. Whilst training for the upcoming 2019 athletics season, Oaklands College will continue to champion the incredible success stories of yet another successful Wolves Academy alumni member!
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STUDENTS SHINE AT CATHEDRAL ART EXHIBITION
Parents of current Art, Fashion and Design students at Oaklands College, along with local artists were invited to a private viewing this April, showcasing their incredible and inspiring work in an exhibition open to the public. The students were commissioned by the college to create pieces in line with this year’s theme of ‘Revolution’, encouraging them to express their opinions on worldwide events, political, geographic and economic standings and much more. All artwork was judge by a panel of experts, with the first prize going to Esther Harbord for her breath-taking interpretative painting of the Syrian Refugee Crisis, depicting a mother carrying her young child through times of crisis and despair and titled ‘Refugees Welcome’. Second place went to Helen Borlase for her ‘Homeless’ sculpting ceramics, depicting two empty shells which
highlighted the emptiness and struggle for homeless people. Finally, the inventiveness of Georgia Tominey-Smith’s ‘Help Me’ piece, illustrating a tortoise’s struggle in an ocean full of plastic and nonbiodegradable waste. Georgia’s emotional piece touched many of the guests and all pieces highlighted modern issues in an ever-changing ‘Revolutionary’ society. Head of Creative Industries at Oaklands College Victoria Caulton said: “Reflecting upon events such as the humanitarian crisis in Syria, the rollercoaster ride of Brexit or a vision for a better future, the artists drew upon their abilities and used their specialisms as a platform to
convey their views on a modern and ever changing World”. Mayor Rosemary Farmer said: “I was delighted to be invited by the College to see the fabulous work of Oaklands students in the grand setting of the Cathedral. I was impressed by the creativity of the students and the ingenious and varied ways their work, in so many different mediums, interpreted the theme of Revolution. The evening was in aid of the Willows Foundation and I was very pleased to be able to support the fundraising of such a great charity.” Oaklands College would like to thank the St Albans Cathedral for providing us a breath-taking location to host the exhibition, which has become an annual feature of their event programme. Additionally, Oaklands College Art students have also been contributing their shirt designs to local menswear and bridal boutique store ‘Cerimonia’, keep an eye out in their shop windows for this display.
3rd place Georgia Tominey-Smith’s ‘Help Me’