April 2020
In Focus
Taking care of Business in New York! Our flight on the way out to New York was delayed by two hours due to storm Ciara. When we finally got the green light, we had a bumpy take off but soon arrived at JFK. After an eight hour flight, we got a coach to the hotel where we dropped off our bags. We headed to Times Square on the subway and had dinner at Planet Hollywood. The next day, we had a tour of NBC Studios and saw where Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show and Late Night with Seth Meyers are filmed. We also got to make our own short film at NBC Studios which was really fun!
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Before having free time in Times Square to go shopping, we went to the Top of the Rock and saw an amazing view of New York. That evening we went to Times Square and ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp - a restaurant based on the Forrest Gump film. On the second day, we took a ferry to Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty. Although it was a dull day, we got some great pictures of the statue and saw a good view of Manhattan. Later that day we paid our respects to the 9/11 memorial.
We also got to make our own short film at NBC Studios which was really fun!
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The next day we got the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge. We walked halfway across the bridge to see the view of New York. After visiting the Brooklyn Bridge, we had an allaccess tour of Madison Square Gardens and watched the New York Knicks play the Washington Wizards. Unfortunately, the New York Knicks lost but the experience was amazing.
On our last day in New York, we took the subway to Central Park. After taking some pictures and walking through the park, we had free time to go shopping on 5th Avenue and Times Square. Before having our last meal at Bubba Gump Shrimp, we went to Madame Tussauds where we took lots of pictures!
We had dinner that evening at The Hard Rock CafĂŠ where the food and atmosphere were both great.
We then headed back to the hotel where we picked up our bags and got on a coach to JFK Airport. Luckily, our flight was on time and it only took five hours due to tail winds. After a smooth flight we landed at Heathrow at 9pm and made our way home.
Elsa
As a class, we went on a biology trip to the botanical garden of Wakehurst which is owned by the National Trust. Once at Wakehurst we were informed that at their millennium seed bank they were planning to make it their mission to conserve 25% of the world’s plant species by the end of 2020. This seed bank is one which contains the largest and most diverse set of wild plant species.
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used quadrat and random sampling to find out how many different species were in each coppice, using light intensity and temperature to see if they impact the results and the species’ diversity. We found out that areas with larger trees showed less species diversity in plant life as competition for light would be most likely high compared to the more open grassland, especially as the larger trees will outcompete most of the smaller plant species. The more shaded woodland showed higher rates of succession
During the visit we were able to gain a first hand look into the laboratories and the enormous storage facilities where the seeds are kept.
In the morning we took part in fieldwork and
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Wakehurst: Conserving Plants and was closer to a climax community than the less shaded area and therefore the shaded area had less species in each quadrat. During the visit we were able to gain a first hand look into the laboratories and the enormous storage facilities where the seeds are kept. We also learnt that seeds are frozen away and stored. However we were also informed that some seeds do not freeze, for example the monkey puzzle seeds and therefore more drastic measures need to be taken that involve cryogenics and liquid nitrogen, in order to freeze the seeds. We also got to explore different ways seeds were germinated once frozen and we learned that every ten years, seeds in the active side of storage would be tested to see if the embryos were still alive and viable to germinate and if so how, would they recreate specific conditions for seeds from different countries and climates. One type of seed in the gardens
was said to germinate if a turkey ate it and this was because the turkey is a close relative to the dodo and the dodo must have previously eaten the fruit or seeds and afterwards would cause them to germinate. However, with no dodos currently around, the scientists had to get creative and recreated the circumstances with a similar species of bird. This shows that although it can be simple to freeze the seeds, getting them to germinate afterwards can be quite a challenge. Overall, the day provided us with an in-depth view into a seed bank and its inner workings, how to successfully use a quadrat, do random sampling and gather results. The day also helped us identify a variety of species of plant from primroses to ground ivy and meant that we also understood the importance of protecting endangered plant species and species diversity.
Lucy
My time at the Ascot Racecourse was an insightful and useful experience. I acquired much information about my possible options in the future as well as a more realistic idea of what I need to achieve before then. Furthermore, there were representatives from a wide range of universities, apprenticeship programmes and other school leavers programmes, which allowed me to explore different pathways I had not previously considered.
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On Monday 2nd of December, a group of us from the sixth form left for the day so that we could travel to Ascot Racecourse, this was so we could talk and learn more about future career opportunities. We got to speak to representatives from multiple universities and companies alike, they all offered a range of courses and options that really got me thinking about what path I wanted to take once I left the College.
The trip was great to see what my future career would hold, and really helped me to expand on the possibilities available after I finish my education here at Warlingham Sixth Form College.
The University of Brighton particularly stood out to me as it offered more than 160 courses and degrees. The University of Royal Holloway also seemed especially promising , offering a degree in biomedical science. This trip also enlightened me regarding alternative career choices. In conclusion, this trip was a wonderful opportunity that I am thankful to have been able to take advantage of. Rachel, Year 13 student
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I took great interest in courses which surrounded the subject of computer science and security / intelligence. Some companies that offered me excellent apprenticeships included Vodafone, The Ministry of Defence and the National Crime Agency. These apprenticeships would mean that I could get a full degree alongside getting work experience. However universities still remained an option to me, so I spoke to several popular representatives from various universities, including the University of Winchester,
Widening Horizons at Ascot Canterbury Christ Church University, Swansea University and the University of Portsmouth. These could offer me a range of courses that I could narrow down to find the best one that suited me. The university representatives suggested I should plan ahead and begin to visit various universities to see which one would be more suited to me. They felt it would
be best for me to experience their universities for myself and encouraged me to sign up for open days The trip was great to see what my future career would hold, and really helped me to expand on the possibilities available after I finished my education here at Warlingham sixth form.
Hayden
After a very welcome lie-in, we all met at London Gatwick to catch the 1 o’clock flight to Geneva. The flight was extremely pleasant. It was especially scenic as we descended through the Swiss Alps with the sun setting over Lake Geneva.
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The significance of the Higgs Boson particle confirms the standard model which explains all the fundamental forces in our universe. We were then able to ask questions about how the large hadron collider works; Photons are accelerated to 99.9999991% of the speed of light and travel around the 26.7km tunnel. Then, at the Compact Muon Solenoid the photons collide and an explosion like that a millionth of a second after the Big Bang occurs with thousands of new particles being created from the collision.
I was in awe; the detector was about the size of a four-storey building, which was incredible considering it was only looking for tiny subatomic particles.
From the airport, we caught a bus to the Geneva Hostel, where we were staying. We had meatballs and rice for dinner and cake for pudding. At around about 7pm we took a tram and a bus to Bel Air (not where the fresh Prince lives!) to go bowling. My bowling was shockingly poor; I was possibly the only person who didn’t get at least one strike! Despite this, it was still very good fun. After an overpriced happy meal, we headed back to the hostel for an early night as the following day was going to be jam-packed! In the morning, we enjoyed a continental breakfast then caught two trams to the legendary CERN. The scenery surrounding CERN was so picturesque, with clear fields and snow-capped mountains. The tour started off with a brief video about the history of CERN, the projects at CERN and the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle.
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We then were shown the first ever particle accelerator made in 1957. Like the light shows on the Disney tower, the synchrocyclotron had projections on it bringing it to life to explain how it worked. After that we took a coach to the lift underground to see the famous CMS (compact muon solenoid). After descending over 100m we were able to feast our eyes on the place where the particles collide and where they had
discovered the legendary Higgs Boson particle. I was in awe; the detector was about the size of a four-storey building, which was incredible considering it was only looking for tiny subatomic particles. After the amazement of seeing the actual large hadron collider. We headed back up to the surface and took a tram to Geneva City Centre. We climbed many, many steps to the top of Geneva’s cathedral to witness a stunning view of Geneva on this clear blue day. It was so lush seeing snow-capped mountains and sunlight sparkling in the lake.
Accelerating Learning at CERN After a little free time and another expensive McDonald’s, we headed to the Red Cross Museum, where there was an exhibition on refugees and the hardships that they face. It was interesting but did not have the same WOW factor as the LHC!
Sadly, we then had to say goodbye to Switzerland as our trip had come to an end. On the plane from Geneva to London Gatwick I was able to catch up on a bit of lost sleep after an amazing couple of days.
Reece
Warlingham Sixth Form College’s Geography trip to Iceland was one of the best experiences you could imagine: a week long adventure discovering the hidden geographical landforms of Iceland! Our home for the week was the welcoming and comfortable Hlemmur Hostel with a room to ourselves, so we had plenty of space and privacy. When we weren’t in the hostel we were exploring Iceland and its wonders.
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walking up to Sólheimajökull glacier and the towering plumes of sulphuric water and steam ejected from Strokkur Geysir. We observed the destructive environment of Iceland’s Southern black beaches, with loud, crashing waves accompanied by harsh and powerful winds battering the cliff coastline, compared to the calm and gentle sloping beaches in the much more constructive environment.
Overall, the trip was incredible; it was the perfect place to go on a Geography field trip due to its exam relevance and the awe-inspiring landscape.
One of the most breathtaking sights was Gullfoss waterfall. Also very impressive were the Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls, the deep blue glacial ice we observed while
In Reykjavík we saw the grand Hallgrimskirkja, or The Church of Iceland, a towering monument with architecture akin to the mountainous topography of Iceland.
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We were given a first class tour around Iceland’s biggest geothermal powerplant, Hellisheiði, designed with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in mind, with two distinct wings to the building separated by a grand, glass, triangular lobby. We learnt just how the heat is extracted, distributed throughout Iceland, and how any byproducts are safely put back where they belong. Other than uncovering the natural wonders of Iceland and discovering how they effectively run such a low emission power grid, we were
getting to grips with the culture of the Icelandic people, for example finding out our Icelandic forenames and surnames from our native driver, Eggart, as well as taking a dip in the Secret Lagoon, an Icelandic tradition. All of this, plus a grandstand view of the Northern Lights! Overall, the trip was incredible; it was the perfect place to go on a Geography field trip due to its exam relevance and the aweinspiring landscape.
Adam
Breathtaking Iceland!
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