St Mary’s College
E-NEWS
Issue 33 April - May 2018
BTEC SPORT SCALE NEW HEIGHTS BTEC Sport students have been putting their climbing skills to the test as part of their studies in the Outdoor Activities Unit. After a four week course at Boulder UK in Preston, the students will now have to analyse their performance and assess how they could improve in the future.
MORE ABOUT SPORT HERE
BTEC SPORT CLIMB FAIR SNAPE FELL Well done to Sport BTEC Diploma students who successfully completed their hill walking assessment on a 9 mile hike to the top of Fair Snape Fell in the Forest of Bowland. The assessment was the culmination of their studies for Unit 10 – Outdoor Activities. Students had to demonstrate that they could effectively plan, prepare and execute a challenging route in a wilderness environment. The route was planned and led by the students and during the walk they had to demonstrate that they could competently navigate using map and compass as well and wearing suitable gear and planning for emergency situations. Fortunately, the group were blessed with fine weather and spectacular views of North West England. This was the final assessment for the Outdoor Activities Module which has included learning new skills such as map work, navigation, safety and environmental aspects of outdoor activities.
BTEC SPORT TAKE ON THE VIA FERRATA CHALLENGE
www.eahconsequences.com
BTEC Sport Extended students have recently successfully completed the Via Ferrata Challenge in aid of Every Action Has Consequences. The Challenge was undertaken as part of their studies in BTEC Sport – Organising Events where they have been required to plan, promote, deliver and review an event. The completion of the Challenge proved to be a high adrenaline, hair-raising, vertigo inducing climb to the summit of Fleetwith Pike in the Lake District. It is hoped, once all monies have been collected, that their efforts will raise over £400 for their chosen charity.
EX ST MARY’S STUDENT IN SPIELBERG SMASH Former St Mary’s student James Dryden is currently on the big screen in the new science fiction, virtual reality themed hit ‘Ready Player One’, directed by influential film maker Steven Spielberg and based on Ernest Cline’s bestselling novel. James, 28, from Clayton Le Moors, bagged a speaking role in the blockbuster film after his agent secured him an interview just over two years ago. He auditioned, then two months later was notified that he had got the part. He was filming on set for four days and was even able to rub shoulders with the world famous Spielberg himself. James said: “The whole experience was incredible to be honest. A little bit surreal but it was immense fun!” “When you shoot these things you never know if you’ll make it into the film. But I was lucky that a few of my lines that I did have made it.” James has also starred alongside David Morrissey in hit West End play ‘Hangmen’ in 2016. See if you can spot him in the trailer here www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSp1dM2Vj48
VISION FOR THE FUTURE Check out our article in the Ribble Valley magazine featuring our New Director of Teaching and Learning Leon Walmsley and Head of Inclusion Kelly Sharp who explain why passionate teaching leads to passionate learning at St Mary’s College. Read the full article here http://www.live-magazines.co.uk/vision-for-the-future/
RSC SCHOOLS’ ANALYST COMPETITION Congratulations to three of our Science students who won the regional heats of the Royal Society of Chemistry Schools’ Analyst competition last month. The competition, which was hosted by Lancaster University, comprised of a day of stimulating, analytical experiments and the students then being assessed on the quality of their results. Practical skills are a significant focus in A Level Chemistry and the event provided the perfect opportunity for students to revise some of the techniques they will need while providing stretch and challenge in a university environment. Olivia Bourne, Muzaffar Bandarkern and Evi Hurst will now travel to Bangor in June to participate in the national final and hopefully win the entire competition. Olivia says: “The RSC School’s Analyst Competition was one of the most challenging but rewarding things I’ve done whilst at St Mary’s. It allowed my team and I to use higher level practical and analytical techniques which pushed us beyond the A Level curriculum and gave us a feel for what a science degree at university would be like. I feel like I learnt a lot from the competition and I really enjoyed it.” Muzaffar added: “The element of difficulty and competition was what made the day exciting in my opinion. No matter how difficult the challenge was, we were determined to win and we gave that little bit of extra motivation to each other to get the answers that we got in the end.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE £175 was raised by the Make A Difference Group for Oliver’s Neuroblastoma Appeal. The students had a “choc fest” and sold cakes, sweets and staged raffles to win easter eggs to collect money for this worthwhile cause.
RSC CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD The RSC Chemistry Olympiad continues to be popular, with twelve of our Year 13 Chemistry students entering the contest this year. The two-hour written exam with short and long-answer questions, based on real-world chemistry problems, stretched them beyond the A Level specification. It was an opportunity for our students to develop and showcase some of the skills required for studying Science at university and beyond. Will Golding and Fatemeh Akbarpoor received a Silver award, having achieved a result in the top 25% of the UK entries. Emma Conway and Joseph Kitching achieved a Bronze award and all students who entered received a participation certificate for their valiant effort at an extremely challenging exam. Will Golding said:“Very tricky stuff, but a good opportunity to try university level Chemistry. A good thing to have a go at.” George Crewe said: “A fun and challenging way to test my Chemistry general knowledge.”
ANNUAL HIGHER EDUCATION FAIR On Thursday 3rd May, students from Year 12 took part in the College’s Annual Higher Education Fair. The event included application process advice, and a chance to speak to over thirty university exhibitors, encouraging research and consider the choices available. There was also an additional session for parents relating to student finance. In Year 13, students will also have the opportunity to attend the Annual Employer Fair and discover more about opportunities at 18 including degree course apprenticeships.
AOC SPORT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS The National Championships are a celebration of competitive sport in colleges, providing recognition, enjoyment and a unique opportunity for students to compete. They also remain the largest annual student sporting event in the UK, with nearly 1,700 college students taking part last year. St Mary’s College student George Hutchings hit top form in the National Finals recently by winning all his singles and doubles matches to help guide the North West team to a prestigious national title. Having won the North West qualifier George played the anchor role in the National Finals held at Nottingham Tennis Centre in April. The team event included boys and girls singles and doubles, with a deciding mixed doubles in the event of a tie. The North West finished second in their group behind a strong London team and they had to overcome a strong South West team in the semi-finals. Winning both his singles and doubles matches, George played a significant part in a tight 3-2 victory. The final was a rematch of the North West versus London, but with some shuffling of the pairings, the North West came through 3-2 to claim the title.
LIFE BEYOND
Take a look at our most recent article in the Ribble Valley magazine following the student journey of opportunity that helps them prepare for exams, interviews, university application and their life beyond St Mary’s College. Read the full article here http://www.live-magazines.co.uk/life-beyond/
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT STILL ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR ENTRY 2018
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