SPRING NEWSLETTER March 09
Hills Review issue 02
Medal haul at Physics Olympiad >> Luca Fraser Congratulations to five Hills Road students for their recent efforts in the national Physics Olympiad. James Breen-Norris (silver
medal winner), Fiona
Llewellyn-Beard Matthew Lorna
Lowdon
Redford
Nathan
(silver),
Whitaker
(silver), (bronze), (bronze)
were the proud recipients of medals in one of the country’s most
prestigious
science
competitions. The British Physics Olympiad aims to encourage the study of physical sciences in the United Kingdom. The competition is designed to test a student’s basic understanding of the principles of physics taught at the A2 and GCSE levels and enable them to compare
Still from the collaborative performance that took place last year
>> Ilana Fernandes-Lassman Whilst most students will be looking forward rather than back this term, in anticipation of summer exams, the collaborative efforts of Sculpture and Dance students back in October 2008 are well worth a mention. Over the autumn term, students of both Art and Dance came together to produce innovative art installations, combining students’ best efforts in the two
United Kingdom. Matt Lowdon, speaking of “I’d
recommend
the
Physics
Olympiad
to
anyone YUMING MEI
said
considering taking physics at degree-level, as the different types of questions provide valuable experience. Given the benefits of taking part, I’m sure the Olympiad was worthwhile. I was glad to represent the College”.
Such collaborative links have not been the only cause for celebration in the Dance Department at Hills Road. Bryony Garner, an A2 Hills Road student, has passed the
poster after election poster, signalling the beginning of election week for new Student Council representatives.
of students from all over the
experience,
subjects. Staging a production in which Dance students responded to work of Hills Road sculptors, choreographers and artists worked together during their artistic processes and drew inspiration from each other’s work.
first round of a choreography competition run by Youth Dance England. Bryony and her four dancers (including three other Hills Road Dance students) will be dancing in the second round of this “Young Creatives” competition on 15th March. It will be held in a studio at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. If successful, they will be part of a public performance to be shown at the Royal Opera House in July.
Student elections take College by storm
their attainment with those
his
HAZEL FRANCOMB
Links across the Arts
>> Graham Vale Students returning to College this February after half term were bombarded with election
In what has become an annual event at Hills Road, electionweek fervour arrived with particular enthusiasm this year. Unprecedented interest meant a record number of lower sixth students applying for the Council positions, including Student Chair, Charities officer and Social Events officer. Campaign slogans appeared everywhere, with varying degrees of seriousness
and success, but must have hit home, as record voting over the two-day period, with over one thousand students taking part, was decisive. As pictured, the public hustings in the quad caused quite a stir. Taking over the role of Chair is Katy Dean, with Rachel Young as Secretary, Ellie Davies as Treasurer, and Kat Cheng as Charities Officer. Neaty Soopaul, Tom Wilshere and Rachel Mills Powell were also popular with the electorate.
>> Sian Batra Hills Road students have been continuing to show
Sporting success as students make Tennis finals
their commitment to the
>> Matt Barnes
global community taking
There will be high hopes for success on the courts later this month as Hills Road’s Men’s Tennis team compete at the National Finals, for the 3rd year running.
part in global celebrations as part of Fairtrade Fortnight. During late February, early March,
Hills
Road
has
hosted an array of events and initiatives with a fair trade theme. With Young Enterprise groups running stalls, students have been able to purchase anything from chocolate to Kenyan beads. The money raised from the stalls will go
The team will be representing the East of England at the Bolton Arena on March 20-21st, having been crowned regional champions in February. In doing this, they first topped their local league, and then progressed through two knockout rounds. Their final
The finalists: Resham Sagoo, Sam Pickup, Greg Clowes, Romil Shah, Martin Hulme match (against Copleston High School, Ipswich) proved to be a very tight encounter, eventually decided 10-8 on a tie-break by captain Greg Clowes and doubles partner Ramil Shah, after it had finished 3-3. Resham Sagoo, Martin Hulme and Sam Pickup complete the squad heading to Bolton.
as strong as last year, but we know the format and that should help, so I think we have a good chance of winning. I’m pretty confident.” Hills Road are currently the holders of the national title, having been victorious at the same venue last year.
Sagoo, who played last year too, said: “We’re probably not
directly to the Fairtrade
Hills Road students to establish radio station
Foundation.
>> Jeremy Smith
With the College’s Africa
Hills Road students could soon be gracing the airwaves, starting up their very own radio station and record label at the College. The culmination of nearly two years of planning and hard work, the launch of Hills Road Records and Hills Radio station is set to take the College by storm over the next few weeks when the project goes live.
Link in mind, students and staff were also able to take part in a quiz night on Tuesday 10th March, which raised money to support a craft training programme for disabled young people at the Ihkwezi Lokusa Centre near our sister school in Mthatha, South Africa. The great news is, even though Fairtrade Fortnight is over, it’s easy to help out all year round, with our very own Café Direct being an outlet of Fairtrade food. This also helps to emphasise the College’s continuing commitment to Fairtrade in the long run.
Facilitated by staff in the Music Department, the radio station will allow students and the public to listen to online ‘webcasts’ of pre-recorded radio shows via the web. Armed with a complete artistic license, students will be able to feature their own music and commentary on the shows to produce fully-fledged professional broadcasts. Listeners will also be able to access broadcasts ‘on demand’,
with choice from previously recorded shows. These will include highlights from the College’s external concerts from the past few years including all music enrichment activities. The starting line-up is set to include a techno, electro and drum & bass show by Harry Wriggly and Graham Norman, as well as Adam Shilton’s rock show.
and diverse events that are put on by the Music Department. We believe that producing a live CD of some of the highlights will mean all the hard work put in by the students and staff lives longer in the memory”. The first CD from Hills Road Records will be available to purchase for £8 from Friday March 13th, and will feature musical highlights from the 2008 winter term.
Alongside the radio station, the College is also set to benefit from its own record label, Hills Road Records. Having been in the pipeline for two years, the project has now come to fruition. Speaking about the record label, member of staff Alex Hough had the following to say, “The project will allow us to reach a wider audience, with more people being able to experience the rich
COURTESY OF HILLS ROAD RECORDS
CLAIRE DAVIS
Hills Road students promote Fair Trade
Valentines at Hills Road >> Serena Saini Whilst Valentines is traditionally celebrated on the 14th of February, celebrations came early for Hills Road students this year. Across the College, Friday 13th, a date synonymous with bad luck, not romance, marked the commencement of the annual
French students pictured on the Montpellier exchange REBECCA WILKINSON
Bon voyage to foreign language students >> Zosia Krasodomska-Jones It’s been a busy term for many Hills Road language students, with exchanges to Montpellier and Hamburg, and a trip to Venice. Thirty-eight students left for Montpellier, where they stayed with host families and students from the Lycée Jean Monnet. The ten days were packed full of lessons and lectures, trips
to nearby towns of Nimes and Aigues-Mortes, a guided tour of the centre of Montpellier and even a trip to a ‘Seaquarium’. The German exchange to Hamburg was particularly challenging as not only did students stay with host families, but they also undertook work experience at a variety of places, including schools, solicitors and research laboratories. There are now just a few short weeks until
the return visits, which should hopefully prove to be just as successful! The first ever trip to Venice fell during the weeks of the Carnival, probably the best time to visit this wonderful city. Students, staying with host families, were able to experience the festivities, as well as enjoy the usual sights. The exchange partners all got on so well that an unofficial return visit is in the pipeline!
celebrations
with
students
getting into the romantic spirit. Facilitated
by
the
Student
Council, many students took the opportunity to express their feelings for their fellow classmates
by
sending
‘Valentines secret messages’. Ranging from the amorous to the just plain bizarre, messages were posted on the Student Council’s website for all to view. Valentines also represented a
From bottle tops to bicycles: fundraising at Hills Road >> Sophie Dawson Ask someone to think about fundraising and they’re likely to list events such as Comic Relief and Children in Need - the last thing you’d expect to hear about is collecting bottle tops for charity. However, such has been the case at Hills Road over the past two terms. Keith Whalley, a member of staff at the College has been organising an ongoing appeal to collect plastic bottle tops for a disabled child living in St Neots. After a company based in the town agreed to provide a wheelchair free of charge if the amount of bottle tops equivalent to the weight of the child could be collected, the challenge was set. Two months later, enough bottle tops had been collected to meet the target. Building on the sucess of this campaign students and staff are now collecting for a new Air Ambulance. This time the challenge is a little
harder, with only plastic milk bottle tops being collected. Thanks go out to those who made Keith’s aims a reality! Keep collecting! News of a former student’s plans to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust’s £1m appeal was also welcomed earlier this term, with many current students pledging sponsorship for the intrepid Hills Roadian. Cancer survivor Sean McCann will pedal 2,000 miles to Rome in mid-March, in a bid to raise vital funds for the cancer charity. Diagnosed at 18, he spent nearly three months on an adult ward rather than with his peers. Now he wants to raise funds to ensure others benefit from a dedicated TCT unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Hills Road wishes him all the best for what is sure to be a marathon of a cycle ride!
great opportunity for Eclipse, one of the College’s resident Young Enterprise groups, which sought to cash-in on events. Offering admirers the opportunity to purchase roses which could then be delivered to a chosen recipient, it proved an excellent way of raising funds whilst getting into the Valentines spirit. The Young Enterprise competition takes place annually, and involves a number of students competing on a local/regional level. One of Hills Road’s other Young Enterprise
groups,
Viaticus,
have been offering students the opportunity to purchase customised Hills Road hoodies.
Music Department celebrates success >> Alex Challans This term has been a busy and successful one for students of Music at the College. An unprecedented number of
Performing under pressure >> Georgina Chivers A play in a day? Impossible! Well, this was the task set for 10 Theatre Studies and Performing Arts students on March 1st this year.
students have recently received ten offers to study instruments at Music Colleges and to read Music at Oxford & Cambridge Universities. Amongst them, Xiaotian Shi has been offered a scholarship to study Composition at the Royal Academy of Music. Helen Lilley has been offered a choral award at Clare College Cambridge, and fellow students Sam Johnstone and Jake Howarth have been offered places to read Music at Worcester College Oxford and Robinson College Cambridge respectively. Both Sam and Jake have also had success in the Cambridge Young Composer of
Organised as a fundraiser to enable the intrepid group of students to attend the Edinburgh Fringe this year, Play-in-a-day represented one of the more ambitious and challenging events of the term. Arriving at eight in the morning, an early start given this was a Sunday morning, the ten students were joined by Rich Rusk, a former Performing Arts Assistant at the College, and two former Hills Road students, Tom Penn and Javan Hughes, forming the perfect team to create a production. Christian Clarkson, one of the students involved said, “The
The cast pictured on stage during The Trial CAMERON CARR
whole thing was so much fun Rich, Tom and Javan are geniuses at coming up with brilliant ideas! We’re so grateful to them, Richard Fredman, and everyone who came for giving us such a hilarious experience and helping us on our way to the Fringe”. Equally as impressive was the Drama Enrichment group’s staging of The Trial earlier this term. The play, written by Stephen Berkoff, adapted from the novel by Franz Kafka tells the tale of a character named Josef
>> Jeremy Smith
the competition and Sam was
The spring term has got off to a great start in Art and Design. One of this year’s most notable sets of work has been produced by Alex Worsfold who has made a series of ‘drawing machines’.
In addition to such outstanding individual musicianship, music of all types and styles continues to thrive at the College. The College is already well known for its more traditional music making, and is now developing a series of innovative projects
Directed by Lucy Edevane, The Trial was a thrilling and thoughtprovoking production with notable performances from Daisy Thurston-Gent in the lead role as Joseph K and the rest of the all-female cast. Special mention goes out to Ben de Vries and Jason Uttridge, for their respective contributions for the play’s music and lighting.
Innovative invention from Hills Road student
the Year competition. Jake won highly commended.
K, who awakens one morning and, for reasons never revealed, is arrested and prosecuted for an unspecified crime.
These are mainly hand powered devices which enable the user to generate drawings automatically. They tend to work rather like a more physical, very rough and unpredictable version of a Spirograph®, and they can be loaded with different types of drawing material and paper. The most complex machine requires the artist to pedal in order to produce the drawing.
Alex pictured with his drawing machine
ALEX WORSFOLD
some exciting news, including
including concert recordings both in CD and online formats, podcasts and DJ workshops.
PRODUCTION NOTES All material featured in Hills Review has been written and produced by Hills Road students, unless stated otherwise. Publication produced by The Phoenix Newspaper, Hills Road’s independent student newspaper. Edited by Jeremy Smith.