1issue 12Inside this issue

Eddies Editorial pg 2Aquinas Day pg 2Rome -Pompeii History Trip pg 6Mumbai 2012 pg 12Fairtrade First pg 18Happy Birthday Sue pg 20We Woz Robbed pg 21Lord Sharkey Visit pg 22Oxbridge Bound pg 23The Tempest Production pg 24Work Experience Abroad pg 28After the Quake pg 30Pathways pg 36Equality & Diversity Week pg 37 World Book Day pg 38 Our Adopted Olympian pg 42FA Level 1 Coaching Award pg 44Sport & Leisure Studies Visit adidas pg 45Netball Champions!! pg 46Football News pg 48

Aquinas College e-journal April 2012

e-journal

Send your articles to: abestaff@aquinas.ac.uk

Please remember to send images, videos and text as separate files.

Thank you

Rome - Pompeii History Trip pg 6

2Aquinas Day

Eddies EditorialThank you for downloading the latest issue of our e-journal.

It has been a really intense start to 2012! For the first time in a long time we have celebrated St Thomas Aquinas feast day by suspending the afternoon timetable and enjoying a range of activities from inter tutor group challenge to an open mic session to a visit by Fr Fabian Radcliffe OP, a Dominican priest.

The articles and photos that follow show some of the fantastic diversity at life at Aquinas from trips to Rome and Pompeii, Mumbai, work experience in a Polish school, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami one

year on. There are reports from Young Enterprise, Lord Sharkeys visit to the politics students, Oxbridge successes and a fantastic production of the Tempest by our BTEC Acting students and Sue Snelsons 60th (surely some mistake!) and much, much more!

Im sure you will agree a bumper issue. Just a little, in fact, of the rich and varied nature of college life which is captured in these pages. Aquinas fair trade initiative, Equality and Diversity week, World Book Day, the Romanian visit, the Italian exchange and sport all follow. Charlotte Burgesss (our adopted Olympian) visit is recorded along with Pathways Boccia Tournament.

Finally, thanks to Alans never ending quest for innovation and improvement, we are trialling in this issue two video clips which can be activated by clicking on the location. These can be found in the Mumbai 2012 and Fairtrade First ... articles.

Please let us have your feedback, news, stories, photos and for our next issue. These can be emailed to Alan at abestaff@aquinas.ac.uk. And finally grateful thanks to Alan for his expertise and Carol for her perseverance in eliciting contributions, without whom none of this would have been possible and this issue would not have materialised.

3Aquinas Day

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6We came, we saw, we conquered...

Rome - Pompeii

A fter a slightly gruelling travel schedule on Monday the 27th February, we arrived in our hotel in Rome tired but ready to seize the (following) day.

Tuesday arrived, and after a hearty breakfast we managed to navigate our way through Romes metro system at rush hour to the Vatican

where the tour began. Students seemed impressed by the lavish artwork and sculptures on display.

The rest of the day followed with a whistle stop tour of the Colosseum and the Forum which was basked in the afternoon sun. The second day was dedicated to travelling down to Naples and Sorrento where we had some

free time to explore the shops and scenic coastal views, via a short metro journey from our more than adequate hotel. After a restful night we prepared ourselves for the following morning of Pompeii and Vesuvius.

This was no mean feat as it was a full day of walking in an ancient city with no shade and no place to hide from the awe-inspiring ruins of this once great city that was covered with volcanic ash after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD.

The tour of 3/5ths of this city covered all the sight-seeing delights expected, including the Forum and Basilica (central meeting area and political hub of the city), the market streets, the baths and the brothel! After a short break we travelled by coach to the neighbouring resident volcano, Vesuvius!

Here were travelled the 1,281 meters to the summit (mainly by coach) where we saw a breathtaking view of the Bay of Naples on the only crystal clear day of the trip.

7The following day we went by hydrofoil from the port of Sorrento to the Isle of Capri where we embarked on a fantastic voyage round the island and travelled by row boat to the Blue Grotto where we saw the spectacle of light refraction (glowing blue water).

We then ventured onwards, past the expensive Armani shops to the Gardens of Augustus for the truly wonderful panoramic vista that was the Isle basked in the sunlight of the afternoon Mediterranean.So... truly an adventure of planes, trains and automobiles and a successful trip to boot!

Students have commented the following:

A memorable picturesque excursion

Lovely food

Wonderful attentive staff

Helpful tour guides

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9The Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was commissioned in AD 72 by Emperor Vespasian. It was completed by his son, Titus, in 80, with later improvements by Domitian.

The Colosseum is located just east of the Roman Forum and was built to a practical design, with its 80 arched entrances allowing easy access to 55,000 spectators, who were seated according to rank.

The Colosseum is huge, an ellipse 188m long and 156 wide. Originally 240 masts were attached to stone corbels on the 4th level.

The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompeii. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was partially destroyed and buried under 4 to 6m (13 to 20ft) of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1749.

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Pompeii

Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city during the Pax Romana. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year

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Mumbai 2012

Our trip to India in February was an incredible experience. Despite nearly 24 hours of travelling and us all just wanting to sleep for the rest of the day, we had just about managed to stay awake for the coach journey from the airport.

It was immediately clear how much of a different world we had entered, with huge crowds and the consistent sound of car horns from the traffic that can only be described as absolute chaos!

That afternoon, we walked to Prem Dan Garden School in the centre of Mumbai for

an introduction into how the charity was formed. It was a good insight into just how much work they do, and what we would be seeing over the next few days.

After what could be possibly be described as our best night sleep ever, we spent our second day at Kharghar Boarding School, for girls aged 6 - 19. We worked together

to write and decorate part of the song True colours, and create our own musical instruments to play in a final performance of the song at the end of the day.

Everyone got stuck in, and it was really enjoyable working with students over 4000 miles away who we had never met before, as if they were our own college friends. The final performance put a

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smile on everyones faces, as we were all singing and playing our home-made instruments.

Before coming to India, we had all bought presents for them, and at this point, we gave them out.

It clearly meant a lot to them, and they were all very excited about unwrapping their gift. Beki Maguire went on the trip last year, and the person who she gave a present to then had turned down a present from someone else this year, as she wanted it to be from Beki instead.

They were truly grateful, and it was clear that they would treasure it and not forget who it was from.

Our trip to Reay Road school in the slums was certainly the most shocking day of all. We knew we would encounter poverty on our trip, but to witness it first hand

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was a real eye opener. It was incredible to see how some people live in such poor conditions,

and despite the tightly crammed shacks, be so happy and welcoming as if their lives couldnt be better.

Many people came out to welcome us to their neighbourhood, and there was definitely a community feeling to it. It truly made me realise how grateful we should be for what we have, and that we really cant complain about anything, as many are much worse off.

What surprised me the most was how suddenly it changed from rich to poor. As we were driving in, we would be passing luxury apartment blocks one minute, turn a corner, and then suddenly be right in the middle of a slum. It was clear how valued a good education is, and how much it can make a difference to peoples lives.

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We spent a lot of our time at the Garden School carrying out workshops and after school sports clubs with the children.

Our carefully made lesson plans were completely ignored, as the children embraced our activities and got stuck straight into everything.

Despite them barely speaking a word of English, it was very easy to connect with them to make it an enjoyable experience for both us and the children.

We had great fun going back to our younger years of making puppets, paintings, playing games, and lots of face paint, with such enthusiastic and excited kids.

We were covered in glue, paint and glitter, and spending time with the children was definitely the most enjoyable part of the trip. It was fantastic to see where the money goes, and how happy it makes the children, and what such a difference it makes to their lives. There were plenty of tears between us when we had to say goodbye.

I can honestly say that my time in India was the best twelve days of my life. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and have

made some amazing new friends. I would like to thank everyone involved for such a fantastic opportunity that I will certainly remember for the rest of my life.

David Russell

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The Best of Mumbai City MumbaiPav.com - Please click to activate the video. A dialogue box may appear. Select allow to play the video.

Aquinas - Mumbai 2012 Aquinas College - Please click to activate the video. A dialogue box may appear. Select allow to play the video.

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Fairtrade First....Since hosting a Fairtrade Kenyan producer in June 2011 as part of a schools conference, Aquinas has been keen to develop on its work for Fairtrade, with the ultimate aim of receiving Fairtrade College Status.

T here was no better time to launch our work than that of Fairtrade Fortnight, which took place from 27th February to the 9th March.

The college now has a Fairtrade group, made up of a committed team of students and staff who have come together to arrange many events, such as the Traidcraft Stalls.

Aquinas will also be coordinating the Fairtrade Schools & Colleges Network in Stockport, with the first meeting already planned and in the diary!

If you would like to get involved in Fairtrade at the college, please contact Jake Mairs.

Fairtrade Foundation - Please click the picture and activate the video. A dialogue box may appear. Select allow to play the video.

www.fairtrade.org.uk

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Simon Rawles

Oliva Kishero, coffee farmer, Gumutindo

Now women are getting jobs and getting more respect from men. Women have seen me become a successful farmer and a voice in the co-op and many women farmers are interested in joining our co-op. They have seen foreigners come to my farm with their cameras and they admire what I do. Now they also want to earn their own money, to be independent and support their families financially. And now some of the men are realising that it is better for their home if they treat women more equally.

But Fairtrade came in to solve our problems. Now with the co-op these problems are sorted out. Now we produce coffee knowing we will get a fair price and a stable price, fixed for the season. We can then work out what our income will be and plan for the coming year, for school fees and all our necessities. I feel relaxed and comfortable that I can budget for my familys needs.

Simon Rawles

www.fairtrade.org.uk

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Happy 60th Sue Snelson

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Tuesday 27th March saw a team from the Young Enterprise: SK Enterprises go to the Company Programme Finals at Oldham Sixth Form College, against teams from Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside and Stockport, with local rivals Stockport Grammar and Bramhall High School.

We woz robbed.

T he Competition has been running since September and SK Enterprises has taken the challenge on to be a success in business with products from Christmas Stockings for children to, Champagne Flutes filled with sweets and finally a Band Night at Marple Cricket Club.

At the final it was broken down into two parts. Firstly the Trade Stand team, consisting of Charlotte Andrews, Robin Taylor, Joshua Ost and Will Dearden, performed brilliantly in answering judges questions about our products and our company.

Second were the speeches by the companies represented in which SK Enterprises was represented by Managing Director: Harry Greasley, Finance Director James Clayman and IT Director Scott Thomas.

The speech went down well with audience members enjoying Harrys very own comedy.

The team performed spectacularly across all areas from the Company Report, to the Trade Stand to the Presentation, yet despite receiving many words of praise about the products, the team

itself, the trade stand and the presentation, SK Enterprises failed to win any awards.

This left the team downhearted and in the words of Vice Principal Eddie Moore We woz robbed.

SK Enterprises would like to thank all who took part in the event and Young Enterprise as a whole, with special thanks to Sue Conroy our Link Teacher, Dale Arm-Riding our Link Advisor, Jake Mairs and Eddie Moore.

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Lord Speakers Peers In Schools Outreach ProgrammeAquinas College hosted a talk from a member of the House of Lords on (Friday 23/3/12) to encourage students to engage more with the political and parliamentary process.

Lord Sharkey met with Politics and General Studies students for an hour to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords. This was followed by a question and answer session on various aspects of the parliamentary process and life at Westminster generally.

Will Dawson (teacher of Politics at Aquinas) said, This was a fantastic

opportunity for our students to interact with someone who knows the parliamentary system inside out, as it can sometimes seem far removed from their daily lives.

The visit was arranged through the Lord Speakers Peers in Schools programme, which has been running across the UK since 2007 and has so far involved around 30,000 young

people. This continuing outreach programme sends members of the House of Lords into schools and colleges across the country to give talks in support of the citizenship curriculum.

For further information, see the Lord Speakers web page at:

www.parliament.uk/lordspeaker

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Oxbridge Bound

Six students from Aquinas are celebrating receiving offers from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Michael Clifford (Marple Hall) has received an offer to read Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge; Grace Taylor (St James) has received an offer to study Architecture at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and Elizabeth Gould (St Bedes) has received an offer to read English Literature at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.

Three students have received offers from Oxford University, including Thomas Bates (Harrytown), who will study Law; Sophia Christmann (Bramhall) who will read History, and Luke Matthews (Cheadle Hulme High), who will study Classical Archaeology and Ancient History.

Aquinas aims to increase the number of students to these universities each year and undertakes a variety of initiatives to help this occur.

The support offered students includes: informative events that for prospective students; attending Open Days and Regional Conferences run by Oxford and Cambridge universities; offering enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities and societies to students (one such, called SUMMA involves academic debates, visits and lectures by university academics). The college identifies possible candidates in their lower sixth year and provides detailed

applications advice and mock interviews to prospective applicants run by subject-specialists. Recently the whole college took part in a University Challenge competition to celebrate St Thomas Aquinas Day.

Niall MacDonald, Oxbridge Applications Coordinator for the college, stated that, though these successes are pleasing, his aim is to get 50% of all Oxbridge applicants to be offered places at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge over the next few years (the current national average is 25%).

Sophie Christmann, Elizabeth Gould, Tom Bates, Luke Matthews, Mike Clifford and Grace Taylor

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The Tempest by William Shakespeare Directed by Jason Hudson

The Tempest is believed to have been written in 1610-11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on an un-specified remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place, using illusion and skilful manipulation.

T he magician Prospero, (played by Dean Smith) and the rightful Duke of Milan, and his 15 year old daughter, Miranda, (Jane Dixon-Rowland) have been stranded for twelve years on an island after Prosperos jealous brother Antonio (Dominique Statham) helped by Alonso (Georgia Hudson) , the

King of Naples - deposed him and set him adrift in a leaky boat.Gonzalo, (Ellie Pettigrew) the Kings counsellor, had secretly supplied their boat with plenty of food, water, clothes and the most-prized books from Prosperos library. Possessing magic powers due to his great learning, Prospero is reluctantly

served by three spirits called Ariel, (Georgina Ross, Natasha Kapp and Jess Heaps. Prospero maintains Ariels loyalty by repeatedly promising to release the airy spirit from servitude.

The appearance of the savage Caliban ( Josh Hooley) disrupts the proceedings as he

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is adopted by the two drunken fools Trinculo (Emma Garner) and Stephano (Haseeb Isdhfaq). Caliban worships the bottle they drink from as they plot to kill Prospero.

The play opens on a storm at sea as Prospero, having divined that his brother, Antonio, is on a ship passing close by the island, has raised a tempest which causes the ship to run aground.

Three plots then alternate through the play. In one, Caliban falls in with Stephano and Trinculo, two drunkards, whom he believes to have come from the moon. They attempt to raise a rebellion against Prospero, which ultimately fails.

In another, Prospero works to establish a romantic relationship between Ferdinand (Rick Battaglia) and Miranda; the two fall immediately in love, but Prospero worries that too light winning may make the prize light, and compels Ferdinand to become his servant, pretending that he regards him as a spy.

In the third subplot, Antonio and Sebastian (Kate Arrigonie) conspire to kill Alonso and Gonzalo so that Sebastian can become King. They are thwarted by Ariel, at Prosperos command. Ariel appears to the three men of sin (Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian) as a harpy, reprimanding them for their betrayal of Prospero. Prospero manipulates

the course of his enemies path through the island, drawing them closer and closer to him.

In the final scene, all the main characters are brought together before Prospero, who forgives Alonso. He also forgives Antonio and Sebastian, but warns them against further betrayal.

Ariel is charged to prepare the proper sailing weather to guide Alonso and his entourage (including Prospero and Miranda) back to the Royal fleet and then to Naples, where Ferdinand and Miranda will be married. After discharging this task, his Ariels will finally be free.

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U6 BTEC acting students - our production idease have decided to give the play a generic

Italian essence with the use Neapolitan folk music and as much physicality as possible.

There is chorus of four who play a variety of characters using physical theatre as a base to bring movement to the text. In the play there is only one Ariel, but as we have a large cast, three girls are playing the character together using their dance background and interpreting this in their own style.

There is a sequence in the play that has to reflect a celebration of the union between Ferdinand and Miranda and the students have choreographed a Bollywood style dance to Middle Eastern track by Ofra Haza. As the director working on a Shakespeare text

with students, its important that the play is accessible.

The students have spent time in rehearsals working on their own interpretation and, most importantly, their understanding of the language. There also has to

be a visual spectacle with a play that deals with magic, deception, plots to kill, spirits and sorcery.

We have, I believe, managed to work on all the essential elements that make Shakespeare both rewarding and enjoyable to a

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modern, young audience and at the same time given the student actors an opportunity to present their work to a live audience and develop their performance skills in a classical theatre piece.

This production is part of the U6 students practical assessment and carried two grades for each student. There will be one mark for use of physicality and another for how they approach the text in a classical theatre performance.

They have been working hard since November in class rehearsing and the final 3 performances will be the culmination of this process and go towards their final grades on the Acting BTEC course.

Jason Hudson

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Have you ever considered doing part of your work experience abroad? Doing this can be an experience of a life time as well as being very different to what you would do here in UK.

Work Experience Abroad

I decided to take a week of my half term holidays to do part of my work experience in Poland. I went to a small primary school of about 280 students but it was quite different to the ones back in the UK.

The children do not have to wear a uniform for school, have a 10 minute break in between each lesson, and have a really early start of 8am in the morning.

In Poland some children will begin their education at the age of 6; however it is compulsory from the age of 7. Children attend primary schools in Poland for 6 years the same as here. In Poland children leave their primary

education at the age of 13, and from year 4 they have to progress from year to year. If they dont get high enough grades which means they wont progress to the next year and that child will have to repeat the year all over again.

Pupils from year 1 until year 3 have to study Polish Language, Mathematics, Science, Arts (like Art and Drama), Religious Studies or Ethics as well as English Language.

The Monday morning wasnt a pleasant day at all, it was -17C and the last thing I wanted to do was work when I could be staying in bed.

Walking down to the school wasnt that bad as there was not that much snow, however later in the week there was about 14 inches of snow.

The first lesson was about to begin at 8am, which was like 7am for me because of the time difference.

I was supposed to be working with children aged 6 to 11 years of age despite this I had to teach a class of 30 boys at the age of 13.

I was given 10 minutes notice as one of the teachers was absent, that meant a full day of teaching English to all different children. I did that for 3 days, and I learned

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how challenging teaching really is. Without regard this has made me appreciate how hard our teachers have to work each day; whether preparing a lesson or trying to explain something to students.

I also have learned that when a child learns something new it is very rewarding for the teacher.Undertaking work experience abroad has given me a lifetime experience.

If you thinking of doing work experience abroad all I can say is DO IT, you will not regret it. As well as doing your work you will meet some interesting people and explore other cultures.

Magdalena Kosztowna

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After the Quake311 has become one of unforgettable dates for us.

T he Tohoku earthquake and tsunami occurred on 11th March 2011. It is hard to believe, however, it has already one year since then.

We no longer receive any news and updates on the current situation as well as the nuclear power station issues in the west.

However, for those Tohoku earthquake and tsunami victims nothing has changed much. It will take a long time to fully recover from such a devastating event to a normal lifestyle for them.

In April 2011 an Aquinas AS Japanese class organised a Japan Appeal day. The event was very successful. They raised 1,142.74 pounds which was donated to the British Red Cross.

You can still see the reminder of this event in the atrium where cranes are hanging. In June, GCSE and AS Japanese classes together with Duncan Whalen wrote a letter to Tsunami victim students through the Japan Society in London.

In September, I received a letter from the Head Teacher of Yamada Junior High School, Miyagi, who had received our letters. I asked my A2 students to translate the letter in English (you can read this letter later).

In October, the A2 students designed an Aquinas College leaflet in Japanese , and we sent them to Yamada Junior High School so the students could read about us.

In November, I received an email reply from Yamada Junior High School. They were happy to receive our leaflet, but the email made me sad (you can read this reply later).

In December, all of Japanese classes (A2, AS, GCSE, Beginners and Culture) made a Christmas poster for Yamada School students

Deaths: 15841Injured: 6011Missing: 3493

Data from:National Police Agency

December 2011

to wish them happiness and good health.

I would like to continue supporting Yamada Junior High School, and would be very grateful to receive any ideas on ways in which we could achieve this.

I would like to thank all of those who participated in and donated on the Japan Appeal Day.

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Takeshi Sasaki (Headmaster)Yamada Town Junior High School

26th August 2011

Ms Emi Tamai - Aquinas College

We would like to express our gratitude to you for your support in Japans recovery and reconstruction. Thank you very much for sending your letters to the pupils after the T hoku earthquake. At the students entrance there is a notice board where we have displayed the messages.

From looking on Google Earth, Aquinas College appears to be in a very nice, green area near Manchester. We were very surprised and touched to receive letters from somewhere so far away and to know that there are people praying for Yamada Town during this difficult time.

30% of our pupils homes have been partly, or completely destroyed or washed away and 60% of the pupils parents have either passed away or lost their jobs. That is the current situation in our school. Despite many of the students being directly affected by the disaster, we dont want our students to feel that they are victims, but instead, to carry on their student lives as usual in order to create a positive atmosphere. This has been our hope for some time now, and it does finally feel as if things are getting back to normal. In response to your kindness, all the staff got together and we are going to do our best to spread the message of hope and reconstruction across the school.

Furthermore, we have told the students that if they want to write a letter back, then they can, but because their English isnt very good and many of them are shy, I think it would be difficult.

I hope this short letter has expressed my appreciation and gratitude sufficiently.

Yours sincerely,Takeshi Sasaki

These are two letter

s received from

Yamada Junior High Sc

hool.....

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15/11/2011Ms Emi Tamai, Aquinas College

Thank you very much for sending the leaflets. I am the deputy head of Yamada Primary School, Iguchi Wataru, and I am in charge of all external communication. Having received another of your letters, from now on we shall be sending our replies via email.

If you take a look at the rest of the world, it would seem that everyone thinks that the T hoku disaster is over. Over here however, we havent noticed a single improvement since the earthquake struck. 109 of our students are currently living in temporary housing and this winter is expected to be bitter. We are worried about their futures as their homes are not suitable places for learning. Since living in the temporary housing, many of our students have been absent from school for long periods of time, their nerves have been on edge and they have become stressed when in school. It turns out that some students even have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Because of this, more and more students are having difficulty sleeping at night. The number of students has decreased from last years 538 to the current 483 and it is feared that next March even more students will change schools.

In response to the current situation, as previously explained in one our letters, we are spreading a message of hope and reconstruction to the students and we are encouraging them to work towards their dreams, but it is very difficult for us to ask you to provide us with specific help as each student has different issues and circumstances. Were just really hoping for the safety and peace of mind of the students and teachers. With the support and encouragement from the entire country and the rest of the world, well persevere.

Regards,Iguchi Wataru

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Italian Exchange

And almost (but not quite!) to top off a fantastic year of international jinks we need to tell you about another great Italian Exchange. Following hot on the heels of the Romanian students in February and the Italian students at the beginning of March, Nina Peplow, myself and 12 wonderful students travelled to Valdobbiadene near Venice to sample some true Italian hospitality.

As always, a fabulous time was had by all. A great opportunity for our language students to polish up their act in time for exams next month and for those new to Italian to take their first faltering but enthusiastic steps in a new language.

Rest assured everyone, Italy is still just as beautiful, the weather is better than here and the food... oh, the food!

Next year, come along - we know where to get the best ice cream in the whole wide world.

Jaki Singleton

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On Wednesday 8th February 2012, the Stockport Area Boccia Tournament took place. Twenty four teams from schools and colleges in Stockport and Trafford competed in the one day competition.

T he Pathways department of Aquinas College entered two teams of six. Team A won all of their games in the first round but were knocked out of the competition in the quarter finals.

Team B played consistently well, beating Werneth High School (last years winners) in the semi final 6:0. The final was very exciting.

Bridge College had a strong team and our students were feeling nervous.

The first game went to Bridge College, with them scoring 1 point.

Game two was evenly matched until Nic Msindai played a ball which pushed the oppositions ball off the court, resulting in Aquinas scoring 2 points.

In the final game, Ruth Ward played her second ball so close to the pin that it could not be beaten.

The final score was 4:1 to Aquinas!

Team B (from left to right) Laura Worthington; Ruth Ward; Nic Msindai; Nico Jackson; Ryan Cailey; Alistair Barnes

Team A (from left to right) Cynthia Tang; Ella Rowe; James Young; Sarah Jemison; Alicia Rogers

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Every year, the Aquinas community comes together to celebrate equality and diversity issues through a themed week.

Equality & Diversity Week

T he purpose of the week is to raise awareness and highlight a range of equality and diversity issues to all members of the college community, both on a local and national level.

Aquinas College strives for every week to be an equality and diversity week, recognising the needs and wants of individuals and doing what we can to make them achievable.

This year, the emphasis has been placed on the assembly and tutorial programme, coordinating stimulating and engaging sessions that students and staff will be able to learn key messages from, whilst also making an everlasting impression.

This was designed by a team from the Student Council, led by Jake Mairs as the student representative for equality and diversity. Topics in which have been covered this year

From left to right: Kunal Ramchurn, Scott Thomas, Natalia Dawson(front), Magdalena Kosztowna, Katriona Anderson Budenberg, Faeza Choudry (front), Joshua Mason, Sue Conroy (E&D Coordinator), Jake Mairs (E&D student rep)

have been: homophobic bullying, learning disabilities, religious tolerance, and equal opportunities in the workplace.

We are particularly grateful to the learning support charity, MacIntyre, who provided materials and visited the college to speak to a group of students regarding their work.

If you have any questions regarding equality and diversity, please do not hesitate to make contact with Sue Conroy or Jake Mairs.

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The Learning Centre celebrated World Book Day on 1st March, a yearly event which promotes authors, books, illustrators and reading!

World Book Day

Our brand new set of Quick Reads were very popular and we even caught some of the teaching staff reading them..

The photos are also on show in a colourful display on the first floor of the Learning Centre and the Quick Reads are now available for loan.

Thanks to Stephen Wilson for the photography.

Thanks,Lorna

Learning Centre

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From left to right: Jamie Shawcross, Anna Herety, James Blake, Sam Edwards

As part of the Stockport Sports Trust initiative, we have been incredibly fortunate to have been assigned our very own Olympic athlete - archer Charlotte Burgess.

Our Adopted Olympian

C harlotte visited Aquinas recently to talk to PE and Sport students about her preparation for the London Olympics and to reflect on her experiences in Beijing.

She brought in her bow which was a far cry from the wooden robin hood style bow and arrows we are accustomed to seeing on TV. The carbon fibre state of the art equipment sure was impressive, as was the way Aquinas student John Devenny was able to hold it up!

Charlotte spoke of how she missed out on a bronze medal in Beijing by just one point and

how she and her team mates dealt with the devastating lows that followed. Sport and PE students asked questions about areas they study such as training regimes and anxiety management and Charlotte was keen to give examples from her experiences to answer these. Her modesty was humbling and it was obvious how her mellow and calm matter-of-fact approach to life enables her to hold steady under what must be immense pressure. Following her talk, Charlotte was happy to pose for Photos with Aquinas Sport students followed by an interview with

our very own James Thorburn who did such a good job, he may want to consider a change of career direction! During the interview Charlotte told us Gold is the only medal she wants and that whilst she is looking forward to competing in a home nation Olympics, she reminds herself its just another archery competition. She sure was one cool customer, in the nicest sense of the word! Her message to the students at Aquinas in all their endeavours was to go for it, to never give in, as in her words itll always come good in the end. Remind you of anyone?

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43Aquinas College Stockport e-journal March 2012

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As part of the enrichment activities a group of 20 students successfully completed the FA Level 1 Coaching Certificate.

The qualification also involves completing an Emergency Aid qualification and Child Protection Certificate.

The course covers the following topic areas;

Safely organise and supervise football activities including mini soccer, small sided and conventional games Promote and establish positive working relationships and high standards between players, coaches, parents and officials Understand different aspects of coaching children Identify and adapt football activities and seminars for a variety of different age groups Identify personal development opportunities in football including sports therapy, administration and officiating

FA Level 1 Coaching Award

T he course was delivered internally and also in partnership with Cheshire FA and is an excellent qualification for the students to gain, and looks fantastic on a personal statement whether applying for University, an apprenticeship or job.

Congratulations to everyone who successfully completed the course; Dominic Simpson, Anna Herety, Andy McHale, Joe Wrigley, Chloe Fuller, Jordan Tarmey, Katie Lobu, Dylan Doyle, Bethany Wells, Kyle Cunningham, David Sergent, Tom Donaghy, Josh Dias, Conor OHanlon, Jay Green, Liam Aylwin, Mike Pentland, Josh Turner, Dale Felstead, Matthew Warburton.

The students were a credit to the college and the standard of coaching was fantastic, they all found the course extremely rewarding and it will definitely benefit them in the future.

Students Comments:

Josh Dias - The FA level 1 course was fun and enjoyable to complete. With lessons once a week for a term including a day for practical exercises I would definitely recommend this for someone and it will definitely be useful in my future.

Joe Wrigley - The FA level 1 course had a lot of hands on

experience throughout and there was lots of practical examples throughout the duration of the course.

Bethany Wells - The FA level 1 course was a new challenge that came with many new experiences. In found it useful as I am looking to go to university to do sport in the future and it was good starting point to help my coaching career.

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A class of Sport and Leisure students visited the adidas headquarters in Hazel Grove last month.

Sport and Leisure Students Visit adidas

T he visit was part of the Olympic Legacy and to help the students with their coursework. The visit helped the students in a number of different ways including:

Sport - Analysing the sports industry, employment opportunities within this industry, examined different sport components and the interrelationships of these components.

Leisure - Marketing, finance, products, promotion, branding, advertisingThe visit entailed:

Meeting the adidas team at their offices and looked around the different departments

Find out about adidas history and links to the Olympic and Paralympics games

See London 2012 clothing before its sent to the shops

The visit was extremely beneficial and helped the students with their coursework enormously.

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Megan Francis-Hill, Maria Breen, Kate Meagh, Abbie Revill, Rebecca Pearson, Claire Armstrong, Rosie Ratcliff, Olivia Boland and Nicole Dalton.

ednesday 29th February saw the netball team

leave college and head to the Amechi Centre for the NW tournament.

It was a very relaxed day and when the draw was announced we breathed a sigh of relief no Cardinal Newman. Once on court the girls nerves disappeared and they played to their strengths.

3 group matches saw 3 successes and we awaited the results of the other group to see who we played in the semis -

Blackpool 6th Form College. This team was an unknown quantity to us but fortunately we had inside information on the college and knew if we played our game wed be fine.

100% effort from our girls saw a nail biting goal for goal encounter a turnover from the girls and we never looked back. The final whistle came and we were in the Final!!!!! How did that happen we all asked ourselves?

With the other semi completed we now knew our opponents

Cardinal Newman. A few moans and groans from us all. Just go on court, play your game and enjoy yourselves! and thats what they did we were 5 nil up and nearing half time!

The second half under way and the tables turned, but the girls stuck to their game and when the final whistle came no one knew who had won, it was that tight. 11-10 to Aquinas College!!!!

We were now on our way to Bath for the BCS National Championships!!

Megan Francis-Hill, Maria Breen, Kate Meagh, Abbie Revill, Claire Armstrong, Rosie Ratcliff, Olivia Boland, Katy Swann, Clare White and Nicole Dalton.

British Colleges North West Netball Champions!!

F riday saw the netball squad meet up at 9.30am to set off to Bath for the Championship weekend. After checks that no one had forgotten trainers or dresses we were off.

It was a long drive and when we finally arrived at our accommodation Novotel in Bristol we were all very

impressed. We quickly unpacked then headed up to Bath University for registration, dinner and the Opening Ceremony.

All neatly dressed in our NW hoodies we sat and waited, and waited and waited for the ceremony to start. Eventually proceedings began and after a long evening we returned to

BCS National Championships - Friday 30th March Sunday 1st April

our hotel for an early night as we had a 7.00am early start, with 6 matches on Saturday and a further 2 on Sunday.

Saturday saw us having to play 6 x 30 minute matches, with little recovery time. The girls were absolutely shattered at the end of the day results being 2 wins and 4 losses. The girls

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played amazingly throughout all the games and performed brilliantly against Academy teams.

The bus was very quiet that night going back to the hotel, but after a hot shower they came down to dinner refreshed if not very stiff!! Not wanting to drive back to Bath for dinner we found a small Italian restaurant close to the hotel where pizza, pasta and chips were the order of the day!

As we had 2 more games to play on the Sunday the girls didnt need any telling after dinner that an early night was in order. What we didnt realise, until the next day, was that this early to bed was them plotting how to catch us out with April Fool the next day!

Sunday lie in til 8.00am saw some very sore and tired girls walking in to breakfast. But in true Aquinas spirit once on the court they came alive and won their first match.

The adrenalin certainly kicked in and how they got through their final match Ill never know, but that they did and gave their opponents a fright for a short time. As the final whistle blew all the girls breathed a huge sigh of relief; they

had finished and just wanted to get on the bus and head home. 3 wins and 5 losses saw us finish in a very creditable 6th position.

We arrived safely at college at 5.30pm. I have to say that the girls were amazing throughout the whole weekend and even though absolutely exhausted they never gave up.

At both the regional championships and the national

championships the girls were brilliant ambassadors for the college and should be extremely proud of what they have accomplished during both tournaments. They have made me very proud this season and their accomplishments are very special to me, reminding me once again why we do things like this for our students.

Thank you girls! Pat Greening

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T he top four teams from the South and North leagues qualify for a quarter final knockout with the chance to be crowned North West Champions.

A special mention must be made to the second team who qualified as league winners. Well done to everyone who has represented the college so far this year & good luck in the knockout stages.

Congratulations to the Football Teams

Both the football 1st XI and 2nd XI have qualified for the knockout stages.

If you wish to send an article for our newsletter email it to: abestaff@aquinas.ac.uk. And please remember to send images and text as separate files.

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