Highlights Magazine Summer 2011

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INSIDE...

MAKING CHANGES SEE PAGE 3

JAMIE DAVIES PROFILE SEE PAGE 7

GOODBYE TO Mrs EAVES PAGE 9

MERSEYSIDE CHAMPIONS SEE PAGE 14

MEDIA ARTS COLLEGE SUMMER 2011

G N I T A CELEBR S T R A THE PAGES 6&7

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Head Talk... Lynne Eaves John Pout Headteacher

Dear Reader Welcome to the latest edition of Highlights magazine.

I am delighted to report on the exciting developments in the Sixth Form Centre.

The new Science Academy, launching in September, gives our brightest students the unique opportunity for lots of different activities to supplement their Science A levels. This will really improve our student’s chances to get into the top universities to study Science. A large number of science companies and professionals including NHS Whiston Hospital, Pilkington’s and Fiddlers Ferry are helping us with this.

The Dance Company, which started this year, is an opportunity for our top Sixth Form dancers to work in a professional capacity. It will be an excellent preparation for life in Arts universities and the Dance industry.

The Under 18 (Sixth Form) football team winning the Merseyside Cup is a fantastic achievement; the first St Helens school to win one of the most prestigious school competitions in the country.

With the best A level value added results in the whole of St Helens, including colleges, the Sixth Form is an exciting place to be.

The Summer Arts Festival and trips to Vietnam are highlights of a fabulous summer for the students.

Looking to the future, the £½m investment in the building improvements are featured.

I am delighted with our new House System which will start in September 2011. Our new house names, Perseverance, Rocket, San Pereil and Stevenson give direct credit to the village’s heritage. The Rainhill Trials were unique and gave so much to the development of the modern world. It is great that our students’ houses are forever linked to this momentous event.

Rainhill has a great heritage and has a school delivering a great education with an ambitious future.

Life is exciting at Rainhill High.

John Pout Headteacher

I will really miss Lynne Eaves.

She has taught at Rainhill since 1985. In 2004, I appointed her to the Senior team as Assistant Headteacher – Inclusion.

Since then she has been responsible for Safeguarding; Special Needs; groups of students with additional needs such as Looked After Children as well as Child Protection. She has done these jobs meticulously well. In addition, she has organised all of the ways in which we listen to the views of students and parents.

Mrs Eaves is seen by many of the staff and students as the ‘Mother’ of the school. Her beaming smile, positive outlook and high regard for everyone are crucial elements of day to day life at Rainhill. She is sensitive, caring and listens well. She is inclusive and wants every student to do their best.

Mrs Eaves is an outstanding teacher,

whether it be with 11 or 18 year olds.

From Special Needs groups to top A level students – all get her best and do really well with her.

Over the last few years Rainhill has improved dramatically. Mrs Eaves has been pivotal in this process.

From September, Mrs Eaves will still be coming to Rainhill on a consultancy basis to make sure we are still doing a good job.

Have a long, happy and healthy retirement Mrs Eaves – we will all miss you.

John Pout

National changes and their impact on Rainhill A lot is changing in the world of education, as a result of the Conservative/Liberal Government. The following are some of these developments as they impact on Rainhill. We will need to make some important decisions over the coming months and the principle that will guide our decision making is simple – “what is the best for our students?”

Vocational Education Some courses are to be downgraded but others, such as BTEC Level 3 in the Sixth Form, are being strengthened.

Vocational qualifications are to be judged separately in the ‘league tables’.

We will continue to offer pathways for students that push themselves hard and get good results.

Compulsory work experience for Years 10 and 11 students is to end.

We want all our students to move onto their next stage of life with qualifications that are recognised whether they are strong, academic GCSE’s or strong vocational qualifications, for example, BTEC Construction, Supporting other schools Our success means we are being asked to help other schools come up to our standards.We are happy to do this, but only if the quality of education from Rainhill students is not compromised.

Four ingredients that help make Rainhill successful?

The following are changing...

1. Money We need generous funding to keep Rainhill improving.

The cuts in funding to local councils means that we have to look elsewhere for services they provided in the past. The quality of these services have to be first class.

2. Admissions We are a comprehensive school - and proud to take in students from the Rainhill community. We want a comprehensive intake and our Admissions Policies will not change.

3. Respect for staff We pay National Teachers pay and conditions, as well as support staff being on locally recognised similar conditions of service.

This will always continue.

4. Curriculum We will continue to provide a varied curriculum with different pathways that allow students to have excellent basic skills: •

Achieve their best

•

Pursue their interests

•

Provide the best routes to the next steps of their lives

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BIG CHANGES...

Major builds and refurbishments to be completed during Summer

Summer Improvements to the School

We want the best for every student, every day – therefore the school is investing significant funding in refurbishing and remodelling several faculty areas between now and September 2011. These include: The CLC will become an Arts Centre with: A new Media Studies Suite, 3 Dance and Drama Studios and an ICT Resource area.

In C Block, C101 and the Garage will be remodelled into an ICT Resource base with CAD/CAM and other facilities. There will be a change of entrance points for classrooms into the CDT Department.

The English and Maths Faculties will each gain 1 new classroom and A117 will be remodelled.

In the Science Faculty, the Sixth Form Prep Room, the Greenhouse and the B Block office will be converted into classrooms. All the laboratories in B Block will be refurbished, the Prep Room remodelled and B204 and the corridor refurbished In the Sixth Form, a new two classroom extension will be added.

HIGHLIGHTS Magazine asked members of the Year 7 Dance Club what they thought about the plans for the new Arts facilities...

“I like my Drama lessons and am excited about the new rooms that I will be working in next year. “ Megan Lucas.

“I’m really looking forward to dancing in a professional Dance studio.”

Daisy Briscoe.

“I’ve been in the year 7 Dance Club since I started at Rainhill high School and i think that the new studios will be great!”

Faye Lownsborough.

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introducing the science academ Following on from the success of the Arts Academy, the Science faculty at Rainhill High will be launching a Science Academy at Rainhill Sixth Form from September 2011.

Erin O’Sullivan

The Science Academy will be a unique package of enrichment and enhancement opportunities available to every student studying a science subject in the Sixth form. The aim of the Academy is to contribute towards Rainhill Sixth Form becoming a centre of excellence for Science education in the North West. The Science Academy will receive support from Science professionals who will provide work placements, work shadowing, Master Classes, lectures and careers advice. The Academy will also provide our students with experiences that will aid their progression into Science based careers or university.

These experiences will include: u A visit each term to study Science in an industrial or work environment. u A termly master class from a Science professional. u In depth careers advice from professional Scientists. u The opportunity to follow discrete Science courses during school holiday periods. u The opportunity to carry out their own independent work or research – with facilities to support. u The opportunity to gain UCAS points or Higher Education credits through school based courses. u The use of specialised ‘state of the art’ science facilities. u Access to courses taught by experienced teachers with significant experience of the demands of the top universities. u An invitation to the annual Rainhill Science Lecture; great speakers will be drawn from among the best Scientists in the country. u All students will be offered 1 to 1 support with applications to Science courses at University.

In preparation for the launch of the Science Academy, the Rainhill Learning Village Trust has established a working partnership with Whiston Hospital in order to provide our students with practical experience of working alongside laboratory staff in the Pathology Laboratory at the hospital. Earlier this year, students have observed a wide variety of scientific tests and learnt about how they are used to diagnose patients’ illnesses. In recognition of their commitment to science, the students were each given a certificate for ‘Excellence in Science’ from the Trust, when their placement was completed.

The partnership has been a big success so far as Beverley Duffy, Senior Biomedical Scientist at Whiston Hospital said, “We hope to provide inspiration for young people who are interested in Science and it has been a pleasure to help with the training of the next generation of potential scientists.”

Andrew McNally Medicine Man Andrew McNally in Year 13 has dedicated hours of his own time over recent years gaining essential voluntary experience favoured by university admission tutors in pursuit of his ambition to become a doctor and study at University.

After what has seemed like a very long wait for Andrew he has received an offer to read Medicine at Liverpool University, his preferred destination. With competition fierce for Medical School, Andrew has done fantastically well, although we always knew he was in with a great chance due to his impressive work ethos and personality.

Andrew was one of the students who benefited from the partnership work with Whiston Hospital and made a good impression amongst the staff and consultants during the placement. Andrew said of the placement at Whiston Hospital, “This placement has helped me gain a real appreciation of the essential function that pathology provides to the hospital. I found it fascinating to see how conditions were diagnosed and the experience has furthered my passion for going onto university and into the medical profession.”

A focused, committed, pro-active and admirable member of our Sixth Form, Andrew is a fine example of someone who has pursued his dream and is now one step closer to realising it. Studying Chemistry, Biology and Geography and achieving ‘A’ grades in his ‘AS’ examinations must certainly now have boosted his confidence. Well done Andrew, we all wish you success in your final examinations at Rainhill Sixth Form and in achieving your goal and future as a Medicine man.

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S N O I T A L U T A R CONG

my...

We send our congratulations and best wishes to the following students for next year

Tom Gribben

Emma Mawdsley

Tom Gribben will begin a Trainee Science Apprenticeship Scheme with United Utilities in September. Part of Tom’s role will involve laboratory testing of the region’s water supplies to maintain drinking water purity standards. Tom was 1 of 4 students offered an apprenticeship with the company this year out of 4,000 applicants nationally.

Emma Mawdsley has gained a place with Millenium Performing Arts School in Woolwich, London to study a three year National Diploma in

Ian Sanderson Musical Theatre from September. Emma will now have the opportunity to train with professional dancers and actors as well as international directors and choreographers.

Ian Sanderson will start in September as a Trainee Deck Officer in the Merchant Navy. Ian’s three year sponsored apprenticeship with SSTG (Ship Safe Training Group) begins in Fleetwood, but will however take him to the Far East during his first year of training.

Well done to you all and the best of luck for the future.

Year 12 visit to St Annes Primary school.

Earlier this term, Year 12 students visited St Ann's Primary school to deliver an afternoon of textiles workshops to 70 reception and nursery children as part of an Arts week at the school. The students took part in this as part of their Health and Social Care coursework; they planned out the activities, organised all resources and taught the pupils themselves. In the textiles workshop, the pupils designed and created their own t-shirt based on an underwater theme. The pupils at St Ann's really enjoyed the day and the staff were so pleased that they have invited Rainhill Sixth Form students to come back for Arts week 2012! Well done to all involved.

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The Arts Academy at Rainhill Sixth Form has gone from strength to strength over the last twelve months and there have been many exciting opportunities offered to Academy students during this time. Here are a few examples: Congratulations to Arts Academy In February, we launched the Arts College Dance Company with the goal of nurturing talent in styles ranging from ballet and tap to hip hop and street dance. Twenty Arts Academy dancers will create contemporary dance performances and more commercial theatre pieces. To secure a place in the company, many students auditioned in front of a panel of professional dance choreographers, performers and teachers. The company will work with our artist- in –residence, dancer and choreographer, Josie Cork from L.I.P.A. Mrs Aylward said of the Company, “The goal is to give sixth formers professional experience of the life of a company dancer. We’ll be producing high quality, entertaining and innovative performance pieces for private and public events.” For more information, see the Company section on the school website.

In March, the Arts Academy Dance Company went on tour to a Dance Festival in our twin town of Chalon sur Saone in France. The festival took place in the Conservatoire for Dance, Music & Theatre and the students other performances and performed three pieces from the Dance Company’s repertoire. Mrs Aylward, Head of Dance, said afterwards, “I would like to congratulate the students on their outstanding performance on an international stage. I am so very proud of them and all they achieved. They showed just how professional and talented they really are. “Arts Academy students also worked with Josie Cork to create contemporary pieces for the highly successful Dance Show and UCrew, a local Street Dance company, have been working regularly with Arts Academy male dancers.

“Magpie Arts” have worked with Arts Academy Fine Art students in order for students to gain an understanding of how to earn a living from creating visual Arts and setting up their own business. They created a number of jewellery pieces which have been 'mass produced' to sell at the Art Boutique at the Annual Arts Academy Art Exhibition. In April, the Arts Academy hosted a Textiles workshop with Patricia Greaves. Patricia is an accomplished Textiles artist and her work has been displayed on an international level. The students experimented with felt making and sublimation printing.

The annual Arts Academy Art exhibition was held this year at the Godfrey Pilkington Art gallery in St Helens and really highlighted the creativity of the most senior Visual artists and photographers in the Arts Academy at Rainhill High. The quality of the work was outstanding, and the exhibition was very well attended.

In Drama, Arts Academy students attended a workshop with the National Theatre Company before watching their production of “Hamlet” at the Lowry Theatre and participated in a workshop with LIPA on approaches to acting Shakespeare.

The partnership between the Media Studies Department and local Filmmakers, Fiendish Productions continues to develop. Over the last term, Arts Academy Media Production students took part in a workshop on filming and editing.

Local professional singers, Mark Deardon and Amanda Thompson, have worked with Arts Academy Music Technology students to record vocals for the Integrated Performance Unit of their course.

Simon Patterson

student, Matthew Robertson in Year 12 whose recent acting work is being shown on Youtube and Facebook. Earlier this year, Matthew passed a very competitive audition to gain a part in a film being made with the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool and Merseyside Police. The aim of the film is to raise awareness of Gun Crime on Merseyside. Filmed over three days, Matthew appeared in seven scenes. These scenes have been released in stages and if you want to see Matthew’s performance go to the Toughcall page on Facebook. Matthew told “Highlights” that, “this has been a very rewarding experience for me. I have gained a lot from it and it has given me an insight into a possible future career in Television.”

son Matthew Robert

SIMON SOUNDS AND LIGHTS OUTSTANDING Earlier this year, Simon Patterson in Year 13 won an Outstanding Young Person of the Year Award from St Helens Leisure and Tourism department for his commitment to the Performing Arts. Simon started as a volunteer helping with the lighting at the Citadel Arts Centre in St Helens two years ago.

Now he is a Lighting and Events technician and is paid for his work. Simon also coordinates the Lighting and Sound for most school and Arts Academy events. Simon said of his award, “I was thrilled and honoured by this award and it is very fitting as I want to be a professional Lighting designer in the future. “ We wish Simon well in the future and thank him for his extensive contribution to the Arts Academy over the last seven years. Good luck.

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Jamie Davies

HIGHLIGHTS PROFILE ON JAMIE DAVIES In this edition of “Highlights” magazine, we profile Arts Academy student Jamie Davies in Year 12.

Jamie has been dancing since he was six years old after watching his sister take lessons. Jamie attended a Dance school in Rainhill before joining the Dolphin Dance Studios in Liverpool three years ago. In that time, Jamie gained a grounding in many different forms of Dance, including, tap, ballet, contemporary and Jazz. Since Year 9, Jamie has acted and danced in many school productions and was in the cast of “Our Day Out” at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool as a paid performer for two years. Earlier this year, Jamie helped to direct Rainhill High’s production of the same play. Jamie told “Highlights” magazine that, “when I started dancing I was the only boy but it never bothered me. It’s good to be different. Being able to dance has made me more confident and keeps me fit. “If you want to know more about how you can get involved in Dance, see Miss Aylward or Miss Heaton.

LOUISE AT THE HEAD OF THE GAME Congratulations to our Head of Dance, Louise Aylward, who has been nominated for an Outstanding Teacher Award from Edexcel, the examining body, for her consistently excellent teaching and examination results. Well done and good luck with the nomination.

Louise Aylward

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School Council News The school council is having a revamp! In September 2011, the team will be bigger with one member from each form. This will ensure that the council is hearing and representing all your ideas.

Much of the work that the school council does has an effect on all students at Rainhill High. The current council have been working with senior leaders and have decided to create offshoot teams to focus more specifically on: Healthy Eating, litter, toilet design and the School Council budget. The school council will oversee the offshoot teams and communicate the progress of them to all students.

The School council says goodbye to Alex Graham.

Alex Graham leaves us this term after four years active membership of the School Council. In that time, he has been the treasurer, secretary, ViceChairperson and Chairperson. Alex has made a significant contribution to the work of the Council and has always been motivated in his sincere belief that the views of the students should be heard. We thank him for all of his hard work and wish him much success in the future.

“Highlights” magazine asked Alex for the latest School Council news one last time: “At the time of writing, the Students of Rainhill High School are preparing to go to the polls to elect a new school council. The election will be the first to be run under the new Council Teams System after the members of the current council, at its final meeting of the year, were split into two

teams, named Synergy and Isis and asked to elect a leader for their team.

After hard fought battles on both sides, Year 10’s Alex Storey was chosen to lead Team Synergy while Ben Attwood of Year 9 emerged victorious in Team Isis. Since then, both leaders have been busy putting their teams together (both teams now have a candidate in each form), deciding on manifestos and visiting forms to promote their teams.

At the election, students in every form will choose which team’s candidate they want to represent their form on next year’s new and improved school council. The new council will meet for the first time in early July, while the leader of the team that wins in the most forms will become the Chairperson and be able to choose other members of their team to help them run the council.

When asked how he’d found the campaign. Alex

In this edition of “Highlights, “we are launching a new feature on the wonderful governors of Rainhill Media Arts College. We will find out what they do and why they give up so much of their time to support the school.

GOVERNOR’S REPORT Christine Mobbs How long have you been a Governor of Rainhill High School?

5 years What role do you have on the Governors committee?

Parent Governor, Chair of Pastoral committee and Governor with responsibility for SEN How are you connected to the school?

My son Sam is a pupil and is now in year 12 What is your day job?

I work as a Relationship Manager for Barclays Corporate, looking after large corporate clients across Liverpool and the surrounding area.

Why did you become a Governor?

I became a governor at the primary school my children attended in Huyton and am still Vice chair of Governors there ten years later! When Sam moved on to Rainhill High, I applied to be a Parent Governor and was lucky enough to be elected. I became a Governor to be more involved with

LIAM OLU

decision making within school and to give something back to the school community on a voluntary basis.

What do you think is the most important part of being a school Governor?

There are lots of important aspects to being a school Governor but being a ‘critical friend’ has great significance.

We challenge decisions made by the senior management team ensuring that the right decisions are made for all stakeholders.

What do you enjoy about being a Governor?

There are many rewarding aspects to being a Governor, which offset the many difficult decisions that have to be made. I particularly enjoy sharing in the success of the pupils on the annual Achievement night and get great satisfaction knowing I have helped with the appointment of some fantastic new teachers to Rainhill High.

CHRISTINE WATSON How long have you worked at Rainhill High School?

Thirty seven years ago I joined Whiston Secondary School in Knowsley. It was the first school of the comprehensive intake! The following year the school was taken over by St Helens Authority and was renamed Rainhill High School. A few years later, we left our lovely school on Portico Lane and moved to a brand new school on Warrington Road (after a very hectic period of travelling between sites) What have you enjoyed most about working at Rainhill High?

Over the years, i have really enjoyed working with some amazing colleagues; real professionals with a passion for their subjects and for teaching. I have been fortunate to have taught so many wonderful students too; it’s great to bump into “old students” and talk about the old days.

What will you miss?

Well I will miss so much, but most of all, I will miss seeing my good friends on a daily basis and the friendly faces and cheerful banter of my year group.

What do you plan to do next?

HAPPY RETIREMENT Earlier this term, we said goodbye to a valued member of the cleaning team, Jenny Waterhouse. Jenny started work at Rainhill High in March 1996 and was liked and respected by all. Headteacher, John Pout said, “we will all miss Jenny, she was a pleasure to work with. “ Good luck Jenny, we wish you a long and happy retirement.

I look forward to the future with great excitement, having the time to do things that I haven’t previously done like going to Wimbledon, the Chelsea Flower Show, the Glastonbury Festival and, of course, spending more time in my spiritual home, Scotland! But wherever I go in this life, I will remember Rainhill High school often... and fondly.

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Storey said, ‘Its been really enjoyable talking to students about their issues and I just hope they decide to make the right choice and vote for me and Team Synergy. ‘Ben Attwood told us, ‘Being involved in the council for this last year has been really enjoyable and it would be an honour to serve as its Chairperson, Vote Team Isis!‘ Having being involved in the Council myself for a number of years and holding almost every role it is possible to hold in that time, I am confident that both Alex and Ben will make a fantastic chairperson, whoever is elected and all that remains is for me to wish them both good luck.”

OLUYMBO

We profile a newer member of the school council.

Liam Oluymbo has been a member of the school council for just one year. He is one of two representatives for year 9. We asked Liam to reflect on the last twelve months:

SARAH WITAN

Why did you want to be on the Council?

“When I put my name forward, I thought it would be an interesting thing to do. I had to make a speech in front of my year group in an assembly. There were five candidates and i was quite surprised to be chosen as there were others who had more experience than i did and had been on the School council before.”

lot of social skills and I have enjoyed listening to others and helping them.

What have you been doing since then?

I have been attending the Council meetings and talking to lots of pupils in Year 9 about what they want. I have also been bringing back information from the Council to my year group.

It is always interesting to hear what ideas there are about how to make school a better place.

With young people like Liam on the revamped School Council, we are sure that it will be even more effective at representing the views and opinions of all pupils at Rainhill High school. If you want to get involved, see your year group representative and find out what it happening. It’s your school Council- use it!

What do you think about the new ideas for the Council?

I’m looking forward to working in smaller teams on different subjects as I think that we will get more done and be able to involve a lot more pupils in the work of the council.

Would you recommend being on the Council to others?

Yes, I would certainly do it again. I have learnt a

LYNNE EAVES

How long have you worked at Rainhill High School?

I started here in September 1985 to cover a Maternity leave for the Head of English- and never left! In total I have been teaching for 33 years.

How long have you worked at Rainhill High School?

What different jobs have you done in school during that time?

8 years.

What have you enjoyed most about working at Rainhill High?

What different jobs have you done in school during that time?

My main subject is Health and Social Care but I have also taught some Food and Textiles.

Without doubt it has been working with the tremendous young people across all age groups. There is no other ‘job’ that gives so much pleasure (and at times anguish!). and is very rewarding watching Year 7 blossom in to happy, well-rounded and successful young men and women. For that reason my time as a head of year was the best time. I have worked alongside fantastic members of staff-teaching and non-teaching- many of whom have become good friends.

What have you enjoyed most about working at Rainhill High?

There have been many proud moments, especially seeing how many children who find school difficult achieving so well.

Rainhill was my first teaching post and has given me the opportunity to develop as a teacher with some lovely students, a large number of whom have then gone on to work in Health and Social Care professions. I have also loved being a form tutor, and it will be a pleasure to see the students I have been with since Year 7 collecting their ALevel results in August.

One of my proudest moments was when a group of my year 13 students won the European Youth Parliament Competition against 14 Public schools. Mick Binns and I –along with the students-hosted the International Event for 300 European students and teachers at Durham University. An unforgettable experience for us all!

What will you miss?

What will you miss?

The staff, I have made some fantastic friends and worked with some really great people who have taught me a lot.

Definitely the children. The school is for, and about, them. I have loved every aspect of being here. Teaching English is a passion of mine. I have been fortunate to work within a dedicated department and to teach enthusiastic students. I shall miss that.

What do you plan to do next?

I am going to teach A-Level Health and Social Care at South Sefton 6th Form College.

SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL 4th- 15th July 2011 This year, the Summer Arts Festival is bigger than ever with an exciting programme of opportunities including, live theatre, song writing, Graphics, Animation Design, Drama, Dance and Film making. There will also be lunchtime performances each day during the festival. There are 20 different activities on offer with a total of over 350 places open to all pupils in years 7-10. Any pupils interested will enter into a draw for each activity and names will selected at random. Details of all activities are on the website.

First and foremost I am an English teacher. In 1995 I became Head of Year until 2004 when I was appointed Assistant Head teacher of Inclusion

One of the loveliest aspects about being a teacher is when, as adults ,they return to say ’hello’, see how I am getting on and tell you about their journey since leaving high school.

I will miss the being part of the school as a full-time member of staff.

However, I will still be in contact as from September I shall be working here on a consultative basis. I am excited about a new and different challenge that lies ahead.

What do you plan to do next?

Spending more time with my husband and family is a priority. We hope to travel more often, too. I love the garden and would like to start a vegetable patch. Health permitting, I hope I am able to just enjoy whatever comes along.

Good luck to you all and best wishes.

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The St Helens Cultural Awards 2011

Congratulations to the Rainhill High students who were well represented in many categories of the prestigious St Helens Cultural Awards this year.

The awards were presented at a Gala night in the Town Hall earlier this term. Our students won the following awards: Raheem Stirling- Young Elite Sporting Performer.

Andrew Clarke- St Helens Young Media Arts Award.

Natalia Lees- Young “Against the Odds” Award.

Emma Mawdsley- Young Musician of the Year- Solo Vocalist.

Lauren Lynch- Young leaders Award.

Training with the Royal Air Force

What did you do over the Spring break? Go shopping? Go to the cinema? A group of year 9 pupils decided to spend their break at RAF Mawgan, a Royal Air Force camp in Newquay, Cornwall.

There were only twenty places available and the camp was attended by 969 Squadron from St Helens and 281 Squadron from Southport. Our students did very well to be selected and really enjoyed the whole experience. Well done to Emily Mottram, Selina Arrowsmith,Georgia Farley,George Bathurst, James Hynes and Bradley Cosgrove.

Read on for extracts from Selina’s diary of some of the activities the group were involved in.

13th April.

A long day. Had to get up early to have all of my kit packed for an eight hour journey.

14th April.

Up at 5:00am, breakfast at 7:00am and then room inspections at 8:00am. Later that day, we all went shooting.

15th April Spent today in Water World in Newquay getting our swimming qualifications so that we could be ready for Surfing!!

16th April.

Off to the beach to relax before going back to the camp for more drill!

17th April.

Today was the surfing and our teacher was an Olympic surfer.

18th April.

The best day yet. First, we went shooting again and then up in a Lynx helicopter. We flew all over Newquay.

Well done Well done to Ivan Kelly in Year 11 who has been nominated for a St Helens Young Persons Award 2011 for increased attendance in school and for his volunteering work in the Construction area of the Design Technology Faculty.

Well done Ivan!

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Profile of Officer Matthew Gill.

In this edition of “Highlights”, we celebrate the achievements of Matthew Gill in Year 12, an NCO in the Air cadets. Matthew has been a member of the Air Cadets for the last five years and was promoted to Corporal two years ago. Being a corporal, Matthew’s main responsibilities are being in charge of discipline, uniform and recruitment. Being a member of the Air Cadets has given Matthew many exciting opportunities over the last five years, including travel to Germany, The Netherlands and throughout the United Kingdom. Matthew has had experience flying, climbing and using weapons. The Air Cadets has also enabled Matthew to gain a very impressive list of qualifications, including, Gold Duke Of Edinburgh Award, Climbing Leader Award, the Community Sports Leader Award and Kayaking Coach Level 2. Currently, Matthew is working towards getting his Gliding Pilot’s licence.

With a CV like this, we are sure Matthew is going to fulfil his dream to become an RAF officer after finishing his A levels. Well done Matthew.

Melissa McNamara

Matthew Gill

The House System one Ivan!

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For the second year running, Rainhill High School has won the 'World of Glass' short story writing competition. This is a popular competition with entries from across St Helens. Well done to Melissa McNamara in Year 11, who received her award at an awards ceremony earlier this month at St Augustines High School. As Melissa said of her award, “The story only took a couple of days to write. I’m really pleased to get this award. I have been writing fiction for five years and this will certainly encourage me to carry on.” Here is an extract from Melissa’s winning short story, “The Wedding Gift.”

“Jason was half asleep, lulling in the cusp between consciousness and awake, before the sudden slam of the front door woke him. Rage surged through his veins. His large frame rose precariously from the couch, pregnancy test in hand; he greeted his wife with a scowl and strong whisky-breath.

“Sorry I’m late, honey.” Lola’s eyes refused to meet the accusing glare of her husband. Such a beautiful women - with captivating, sea-foam blue eyes that shone from her exquisite face. Lola had told Jason she was visiting her mother. That was a lie. She was good at them.”

The House names have now been decided. After excellent ideas from pupils, teachers and parents, the names are to be based upon the Rainhill Trials.

The Rainhill Trials were an important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways, run in October 1829 in Rainhill.

The names are: Jerry Lamb “PERSEVERANCE” (Years 7-12 Forms A and B- Green) Perseverance, built by Timothy Burstall, was the first steam locomotive to take part in the Rainhill Trials.

“ROCKET” ( Years 7-12 Forms C and D- White) “The Rocket” was the most advanced steam engine of its day. It was built for the Rainhill Trials and set the standard for the next 150 years of steam locomotive power.

“SANS PAREIL” (Years 7-12 Forms E and F –Yellow) “Sans Pareil” was a steam locomotive built by Timothy Hackworth which took part in the Rainhill Trials on the Liverpool and Manchester railway. The name means, roughly, “without equal” in French.

“STEPHENSON” (Years 7-12 Forms G and H- Purple) Robert Stephenson (1803- 1859) was an English civil engineer.

His father was George Stephenson, a famous locomotive builder.

However, many of his achievements were actually the result of joint work with his son.

See above for which House you will be in. All Houses will have a House colour and will be provided with a new free tie and PE shirt. Watch out for many new events next term that your House will be involved in!

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BEN S E R U T C I P N I Y L I SIC ATTWOOD

PUBLISHED POET

Congratulations to Ben Attwood in Year 9 who is now a published poet.

Ben tells the story of how this came about, “Last February, I was walking home when I saw that someone had dropped a magazine, I was going to throw it in the bin but then I saw an advert for a competition to write an environmental poem. I wrote one in twenty minutes and sent it off. When I found out that I had won, I was surprised because months had passed since I wrote it.” Ben’s prize was to have his poem published in “The Small Book of Poetry” published by Climatlantic Publishing. Well done Ben. Here is Ben’s winning poem entitled, “The Last Polar Bear.”

I walk across the melting ice- Alone My kind I haven’t seen for months- Dead They were once mighty Strong in number And now there’s only me We ate fish We taught our young the lessons of life Predators were no longer a challenge....

Until we met man They destroyed our homes with fumes of poison Killed our women and children And they kidnapped the survivors Put them in camps where men stared at us GAPING GAPING GAPING LAUGHING LAUGHING LAUGHING That was the end of our civilisation And now I am in a land Derelict and melting Not my home I am old and lonely They won’t understand me like they understand one another But I have learned a lesson A valuable question I ask to you now Which one is the stupid animal, us or YOU?

GEOGRAPHY TRIP TO SICILY

by Mr Jones.

In April, the Geography Department took a group of 43 GCSE students to Sicily, during the spring break, to study the physical and human aspects of this island. Pupils had the opportunity to bathe in radioactive mud pools, take a boat trip to the Aeolian islands, as well as taking the cable car and a bus up to the top of Mount Etna to see the volcano erupting. Two pupils loved the field trip so much that they lost their passports in the airport on the return journey and almost had to stay for a few extra days!

NEIL DANIELS PUBLISHED AUTHOR

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GOOD MORNING VIETNAM

by Alex Graham (Year 13.)

As a group of teachers and pupils prepare for an unforgettable trip to Vietnam this summer, “Highlights” magazine asked one of the students to pen his thoughts on this forthcoming experience.

By the time that you read this magazine, after almost two years of doing bagpacks, carwashes and sponsored events, on July the 8th 2011, 10 Rainhill Students, along with Miss Fortune and Mr Lucas will have jetted off for a once in a life time 4 week long expedition in Vietnam. The expedition will be split into four parts- getting used to life in Vietnam in the acclimatisation phase, embarking on two gruelling treks in the jungle infested, old communist North of the Country in the trekking phase, living with the locals and helping them to build ovens in the Project Phase and then sampling the Culture and History of the nation in the R and R phase. This is particularly exciting to Matt Burton who said, ‘I’m really looking forward to seeing places like the Hanoi Hilton in real life as I’ve only ever seen it in all the great Vietnam films, it’s gonna be brilliant!’ However, Zain Hashmi is a bit worried about what Culinary Delights we might experience after watching the recent Gordon Ramsey’s Great Escape programme from Vietnam on Channel 4! ‘ The Vietnam Team would also like to thank Ben Attwood and Dominic Makepeace of Year 9 who have been collecting pencils and money to buy footballs for the Vietnamese villages that we will visit, thanks guys!”

CAREERS AFTER RUGBY LEAGUE

Earlier this year, Rainhill High School was pleased to work in partnership with GPW Recruitment and Saints Rugby Club on a project preparing Saints players for their careers after rugby league. The aim is to find work placements with local businesses and, as a result, Saints prop James Graham was placed in Rainhill High.

Once he retires from rugby league, James is looking into a number of careers including teaching English as a foreign language. James helped out in the RAC and brushed up on skills that will prove useful when teaching English. Head Teacher, John Pout commented, "James Graham is an excellent role model for all children in St Helens.

While he was at Rainhill High School, he worked with some of our students to improve their literacy and numeracy skills and he was a mentor to some others. In addition, he ran seminars with our elite athletes to allow them to see how hard work and a great attitude can help get you Rainhill High School is now officially a to the top.”

“Healthy Scho

IT’S OFFICIAL!

Remembering the Holocaust

ol.” We received the awa March 2011 in recognition of the heal rd in choices on offer, the opportunities to thy food in school, the safe and attractive envi exercise and for being an all round healthy ronment community. Well done to all involved.

Your chance to win £10.

“Highlights” Summer

COMPETITION Don’t Stop Believing.”

Did you know that Neil Daniels, our librarian, was a published author?

Neil has written eight books and his latest is a biography of rock band, Journey. Neil told “Highlights” recently, “The book is called Don’t Stop Believing- The Untold story of Journey and charts the band’s history from their early days right up to this year. “ Journey scored a number of hits in the 1980s, including “Open Arms” and “Only the Young.”

Recently, they have won a new, younger audience with the use of their song “Don’t Stop believing” on the hit show, “Glee.” Neil interviewed several band insiders in the process of writing the book and it is the first ever biography of Journey. The book has been published by Omnibus Press and is out now. Good luck with it Neil!

Year 11 Drama students, Jessica Ashworth, Tom Mawdsley, Rhys Burke and Olivia Robinson were highly commended last term for performing a powerful and insightful piece of Drama at the St Helens Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Town Hall in January. Following the event, the Lord Mayor of St Helens, Councillor Neil Taylor, wrote to the school to thank the students commenting that the piece was, “very moving and emotional and very fitting to the event.”

If you know the answer to the following Summer question, post your entry in the Highlights box in the pupil reception. The prize will be given on the last day of term to one lucky winner.

Ethan Davies in Year 8 recently competed in the US Kids Golf championships in Gullane.

Is Gullane in England, Scotland or Wales?

The answer is ............................................................

NAME..........................................................................

FORM..........................................................................

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RAINHILL SP I P M A H C E D I S Y E S R E M A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

by Mr McLean.

Wednesday 30th March 2011 was a night to remember. It was on this night that Rainhill High School won the Merseyside first X1 Trophy and became champions of Merseyside!!

In their first year of entry Rainhill High School has become the first ever St. Helens school to win, in the words of the Merseyside Schools FA Chairman, "The greatest and most prestigious trophy in the county", and became only the 8th School name to be engraved on the shield.

16 schools from across Merseyside entered the competition and competed on a weekly basis.

Rainhill High successfully reached the final 8 and a place in the knockout stages. In the quarter final against Arch Bishop Beck School, Tyler Jefferies rose to nod in a free kick to take Rainhill through to the semi finals.

In the semi’s against Alsop High School ,a goal each from Liam Sumner and Adam Campbell saw the boys through. The final could not have been more difficult with Rainhill pitted against one of the oldest and most prestigious foot-balling schools in Merseyside, SFX. The game started lively, with big tackles being put in from both sides. Rainhill’s obvious plan to unsettle and disturb SFXs passing style became more prevalent as the game wore on with the score at 0-0 at half time.

On 52 minutes, a long throw from Adam Warrener was flicked on at the near post by the awesome Tyler Jefferies and deflected into the net for Tyler’s 9th Goal of the season. An outstanding contribution from a centre half. With the half wearing on, a corner was whipped in by the SFX captain and what looked like a certain hand ball was pushed into the near post where the Rainhill captain Adam Hodgkinson replied in kind with what can only be called a ‘save’ on the line. SFX were awarded a penalty, and Rainhill were lucky not to be down to ten men. The SFX skip-per brushed home the penalty in confident fashion to level it at 1-1. Pressure mounted in extra time when the SFX centre half smashed home to make the score 2-1 to SFX. However, in the second half of extra time ,high pressure, hard work and togetherness proved effective as a long ball from Adam Warrener was chased through by the team’s top scorer Liam Sumner, and the big man was brought down right on the edge of the 18 yard box. In what was the longest 4 second ever, and in somewhat generous fashion, the referee pointed to the penalty spot, and with 3 minutes to go were Rainhill to equalise? In majestic fashion the team’s penalty taker, their goalkeeper Ryan Williams ran all of 90 yards to collect the ball and stroke it coolly in the bottom corner to take the game to penalties.

Which team had the most quality, and more importantly the most bottle to win it? Ryan Williams again stepped up first to slot home for Rainhill to make it 1-0. Then after the first SFX player blazing the ball over the bar, Liam Sumner stepped up to make it 2-0. The SFX player then replied to make it 2-1, and a confident Adam Warrener smashed home to make it 31 to Rainhill. With pressure mounting their centre forward scored an excellent penalty to make it 3-2, with Tom Green knowing his next penalty could put a world of pressure on their 4th taker. Tom duly converted to make it 4-2 with the SFX player knowing that he now had to score his next penalty to keep his team in it. In dramatic style the outstanding Ryan Williams dived to his left to push the penalty away and send the Rainhill players and fans into ecstasy. A wonderful end to what had been an unbelievable season.

VICTORY for Y9 Footballers St Helens Cup Final

by Mr McLean.

Tuesday 19th April 2011 Rainhill 3 Vs De La Salle 0 A comfortable win in what has been an outstanding season for this age group. Desperately unlucky to lose in a penalty shoot out in the Merseyside Cup Semi Final 3 weeks before, the lads were eager to win their first trophy as a year group.

After early chances were spurned, Matthew Bailey was on hand twice to tap in from close range to put Rainhill 2-0 up with only ten minutes played. Then as De La Salle began to get to their feet, Bailey struck again, this time though from 30 yards in stinging fashion, flashing into the top corner of the De La Salle net. A fantastic performance to end what has been an outstanding season.

BTEC Sports News

by Miss Fortune and Miss Fryer

The BTEC Sport group recently attended seminars with a Health and Safety Officer from St Helens Chamber of Commerce. This involved learning about Health and Safety in the workplace in terms of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The group responded really well and enjoyed the lively discussions, debates about health and safety issues, and the competitions. At the end of the course, the group sat an exam which they all passed to receive a Level 2 Certificate in Health and

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PORTS NEWS PIONS Busy year for Alex

Football Update Rainhill High School student, Yusuf Mersin in Year 11, has amassed a total of 16 international caps to date. In April 2011, Yusuf played in Goal representing Turkey in the European Under-17 Championship Qualifiers against Germany, Swizerland and the Ukraine in Dusseldorf. Callum Pilkington in Year 10 was recently placed on standby for the Under 15s Community Shield Match. Last February, David Moli in Year 11 was selected to play for England in the Under 16 squad in the match against Slovenia at the Bonifika Stadium in Koper Slovenia. In March, he played in the Sky Sports Victory Shield game against Scotland and was on standby for the England Under 16 Duty In the Victory Shield against Northern Ireland. Raheem Sterling in Year 11 was in Mexico last month playing for England's Under 17 squad in the World Cup. It has been an outstanding year for Raheem. In May 2011, Raheem represented England in the Under 17 Squad in the semi finals of the European Championships against Germany in May. Raheem has also played for England against Yusuf, who was in goal for Turkey this Year. Luckily a 2-2 draw left honour equal and Raheem did not get to score against his schoolmate, Yusuf!

NATALIA LEES

Alex Dunk in Year 11 has a busy summer ahead. We are proud to announce that he has been selected to swim for Britain at the European Olympic Youth Festival in Trabzon, Turkey later this month. The European Youth Olympic Festival is expected to involve around 4,000 athletes and officials from various sports representing 49 nations. A number of British Olympians, including Rebecca Adlington have gained vital experience at this event, before graduating to compete for Team GB at the Olympic Games. This is a fantastic achievement for Alex, who swims for Prescot Swimming Club and trains with the St Helens High Performance Swim Training Scheme. Alex was selected to compete after enjoying remarkable success at the British Swimming Championship earlier this year. Alex Dunk swam an excellent 1500m race. He went off the blocks confidently, finishing the first length in first place, then steadily extended his lead every length thereafter, finishing with a new Personal Best time of 16:09.05. This was a 24second Personal Best score, an outstanding achievement. His success in this event followed two previous swims at the British Championships more recently in which he recorded excellent Personal Bests in the 200m and 400m Freestyle.

In each of these events, Alex achieved either second or third best national ranking times in the 16 year old age category. We wish Alex every success in Trabzon and will keep our readers informed of Alex’s progress. He’s certainly one to watch!

Natalia swims for the Liverpool Penguins Club. At The DSE Short Course Nationals, Natalia won the 100 metres Individual Medley and came 2nd in the 50 metres Backstroke. All these achievements led to Natalia winning the “Against the Odds” category at the St Helens Cultural Awards.

Natalia’s longer term ambition is to represent Great Britain in the 2016 Paralympic Games.

ETHAN DAVIES

Well done Natalia Well done Ethan!

Safety at work. Such a qualification costs employers several hundreds of pounds to gain accreditation for their employees. So hopefully, all of the group will now be a lot more attractive to future employers with this qualification already achieved. We really proud of the group and their achievements and have every confidence that they will be just as successful on the Level 3 BTEC Course. Well done everyone.

Ethan Davies in Year 8, playing off a handicap of 10, recently represented Lancashire when he competed in the US Kids European Golf Championships in Gullane, Scotland. Ethan has been playing Golf since he was two years old and has competed in this Championship before. In 2009, Ethan came fifth and eighth in 2010. Against 62 competitors, Ethan came fifteenth and has been invited to compete again next year. Well done Ethan.

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