OLIVER!WOWS CHS

ALSO INSIDE

BRIAN COX COMES TO SCHOOL HAVE YOUR SAY DAY

STEMFEST CHORLTON BOOK FESTIVAL

CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

HELLO...Welcome to the latest edition of In the Spotlight. As always the Autumn Term was a busy one at Chorlton High School with lots going on across the school.

We hosted our first ever STEMfest to encourage increased motivation and understanding of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). As part of STEMfest we were very excited to welcome Professor Brian Cox to our school in November for a live Q&A session with our students.

We hosted another successful Winter Fayre which raised an impressive £1,200.78 for our linked school in Zambia and the Chorlton and Didsbury Trussell Trust Foodbank.

A cast of over 80 Year 7, 8 & 9 students wowed audiences with a showstopping performance of Oliver!

This term also saw the launch of the CHS News Team. We already have a team of budding reporters who have written stories for this edition and we hope to have the majority of In the Spotlight stories written by our students in future editions.

Thank you to all staff and students who made the Autumn Term such a success, and we look forward to the successes and achievements the Spring Term will bring.

CHRISTINE TAGGART COMMUNITY AND MARKETING OFFICER AND IN THE SPOTLIGHT EDITOR

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

EXTENDED LEARNING EXPERIENCE DAY 1

HAVE YOUR 2 SAY DAY

NEW SCHOOL 3COUNCIL

OLIVER! 4-5

BRIAN COX 6-7 COMES TO SCHOOL

CELEBRATING 8-9BOOK FESTIVAL

CHRISTMAS 10AND COSMIC NEWS

FUNDRAISING 12TOTALS

WINTER FAYRE 12

CHISILA SCHOOL 13UPDATE

CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Each year group had a different focus to their ELE day:

Year 7 looked at how they could support their community and make a difference to it through a range of activities including disability awareness, making gift boxes for Chorlton Good Neighbours and tree planting.

Year 8 explored employability in the creative sector and attended a number of workshops including animation, theatre production, playwriting, and cake making.

Year 9 focussed on digital skills for the 21st century with sessions on animation, app building, web design and blog writing.

Year 10 looked at diversity, discrimination and rights through Paralympic style PE games and sessions on human rights and Amnesty International.

Year 11 spent the day focussed on success in Science, giving them time to prepare for their GCSE Science examinations.

Members of the CHS News Team shared their experience of their Year 7 community focussed ELE day with us:

ELE day is a day where you learn about subjects outside of school learning. In Year 7 we were learning about helping and supporting the community. The activities ranged from helping the elderly, planting trees in the park and awareness of disability to the form as a community. The theme of the day was ‘I support my community’ which is really important for Year 7 to learn because we play a big part of lots of different communities.

To help Chorlton Good Neighbours we made small gift boxes full of treats to give out to them. Receiving a gift could make them feel happy knowing that people like us are thinking about them. Louis Thomas-Bednarek (Year 7) stated “I think it was a good idea because it’s helping the elderly which is a good cause.”

We also made form logos and time capsules to look back on in Year 11. The time capsules will be a reminder of what we were like in Year 7 (when we were younger). Everyone was asked to write one nice thing about someone else in the form. These comments will be read in five years’ time when the time capsule will be opened.

So, has this ELE been useful for Year 7? We were helping the community, Chorlton Good Neighbours and, overall, learning

more and more. Yes the usual timetable was suspended, but only for extra learning opportunities. It’s been very useful because we were learning and being creative at the same time. “It’s good experience for the future” said Jacob Billington (Year 7). Kya Bowen (Year 7) said “I think ELE is one of the best days of school - not only do you get to experience different things, you also get to work with teachers you’ve never worked with before and it’s fun!” Let’s hope next term’s ELE day is just as filled with knowledge!

BY AMANDA MACKENZIE, ALWEYA MOHAMMED, JUDE PATRICK AND TAHA HUSSAIN CHS NEWS TEAM

EXTENDED LEARNING EXPERIENCE DAYMonday 15th December 2014 was ‘Extended Learning Experience’ (ELE) Day at Chorlton High School. On ELE days the regular timetable is collapsed and a range of creative and exciting opportunities are provided for students.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Students were given the chance to have their say in their forms by logging their ideas and feedback on student voice sheets. Throughout the day members of the Year 9 Council, in their special ‘Have Your Say Day’ t-shirts, were busy collecting student feedback and encouraging students to put their ideas in the ‘Ask it Basket’.

Lots of students across the school got involved and lots of ideas and feedback were collected. It was great to see so many students taking the opportunity to have their say and play a part in developing and shaping our school.

Ideas and suggestions from students included:

• Ideas for developing and extending our extra-curricular provision

• Maps of the school for new Year 7’s• Suggestions for new school equipment

and resources• Ideas for managing the queues in the

dining room• Feedback on our new Frog virtual

learning environment

Members of the School Council will be discussing ideas put forward at School Council meetings across the year to start making students ideas a reality.

Akiel Johnson, a member of the Year 9 Council who took an active role throughout the day, gave his verdict on the ‘First Have Your Say Day’:

I thought ‘Have Your Say Day’ was a creative and intelligent idea and a good chance to get across plenty of ideas and

opinions of the students who do not get other opportunities to express their opinions. ‘Have Your Say Day’ allowed us to get out amongst the students and see what fresh and new ideas they could come up with.

‘Have Your Say Day’ in my opinion was a success because lots of the people I spoke to throughout the school said they were extremely happy to get their say on future progress and what is going to happen in school.

I’d like to finish this by saying how I’d like to see this idea used in more instances because this for me was a highly successful idea. I also think if used in the right way, could be a highly effective strategy to not only get new ideas, but also feedback on new initiatives.

‘Have Your Say Day’ was a creative and

intelligent idea and a good chance to get across

plenty of ideas and opinions of the students.

‘‘’’

On 17th September we held our first ever ‘Have Your Say Day’ at Chorlton High School. The day was created to encourage students across the school to get involved in the development of Chorlton High School, demonstrate the importance of student voice and support the Co-operative values. We will be having a ‘Have Your Say Day’ every half term throughout the year, giving students lots of opportunities to make their voices heard.

This year we added a new competitive element to becoming a Whole School Council member. Candidates wishing to stand had to put together an election video which was shown to their Year group in assembly. The whole year group then got the chance to vote in who they thought should represent them at the highest levels within school. We saw some fantastic election videos with some really creative and thoughtful ideas.

On Monday 20th October 2014 the newly elected Whole School Council met for their first meeting of the academic year. During the course of the meeting Maddie Anderson (Year 9) was elected Chair and Alita McLaughlin (Year 10) Vice Chair of the Whole School Council. As well as their School Council responsibilities they will also attend Full Governing Body meetings which will give them the opportunity to present their ideas to the School Governors and have a voice in the strategic development of the school. Izzy Butterworth (Year 7) and Trevor Kacou (Year 10) were elected as the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) representatives and will attend SLT meetings to provide an update on the key items discussed at each Whole School Council meeting.

In addition to the Whole School Council, we have active Year Councils for Years 7-10 which meet every half term. We are very proud of everyone who stood for election and are delighted to have such an enthusiastic and motivated team of students on board. We look forward to seeing the positive impact that both the Year and Whole School Council have on the future development of the school.

INTRODUCING THE NEW WHOLE SCHOOL COUNCIL

HAVE YOUR SAY

3CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

WHOLE SCHOOL COUNCIL MEMBERS

2014-15

Year 7Molly Haworth

Izzy Butterworth Sam Whatmore

Year 8 Grace Doyle

Abdimalik Abdi Taylor Robinson

Year 9Maddie Anderson

Abdi Ibrahim Joel Tragen

Year 10 Louis Burton

Alita McLaughlin Trevor Kacou

OLIVER! HITS CHORLTON HIGHThe love was certainly running through Chorlton High School this week with Oliver The Musical taking the stage. Over 80 Year 7, 8 and 9 students got involved to create one of the School’s best shows to date!

Parents, friends and staff came along to see a school show but instead what they got was a professional, well produced, exciting musical oozing with talent from every student involved. From Oliver, Dodger and Fagin to Nancy’s girls and extras; it did not matter what part students had, they all put in every effort to make this an unforgettable experience for the audience.

The set was something straight out of the West End comprising exciting set changes, a London bridge and furniture true to Victorian England.

The cast this year were exceptional, spending hour upon hour rehearsing and practising after school and at home. I think the audience will agree that this was all worthwhile as this was one special and memorable performance that Chorlton High School will never forget!

The Director Miss Quinn was delighted by this year’s show: “Every year our students have blown me away with their professionalism, hard work and dedication to the Arts. I have never been more proud to be a part of something so special. All staff involved have worked so hard with the students, putting in countless hours to truly make this show one to remember. Having directed the show for the past 7 years, I can honestly say that every year our students get better and better and I know that they will continue to do so. Congratulations cast of 2014; we did it!”

As ever, the show must go on and we are already planning next year’s musical so watch this space as we will certainly ‘Be Back Soon!’

CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

OLIVER! HITS CHORLTON HIGH

WOW. Just WOW! I cannot believe how

professional the show was. What a talented

school we have.

Year 8 Parent

‘‘’’’’ ’’

I am buzzing after the show. I have never seen so much talent on one stage from a school. Our students are so

incredibly talented and I feel very proud.

Miss Roberts, Geography

I have never been more proud to be a part of something so special.

Every year our students get better and better. Congratulations cast

of 2014.

Miss Quinn, Director

‘‘ ‘‘

BRIAN COX VISITS CHS

The celebrated physicist talked to 180 science pupils, which streamed so that hundreds more in classrooms across the UK were able to watch live via a video link to their classrooms.

Such was the demand from pupils at Chorlton High to have an audience with the nation’s best known scientist that pupils had to write their own letter of application about why they should get a coveted place to be in the audience for the event.

Andy Park, Headteacher at the school, said: “Students and staff were extremely excited by the visit from Professor Brian Cox. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to connect to an inspirational figure who will enable them to see and seize the possibilities in a subject that they are also passionate about.

“It promotes how they can grasp opportunities in the future, not just to shape their own aspirations within STEM subjects and careers, but also to consider the impact they too could have on innovation and leading the future within these subject areas.”

During his talk Brian shared his personal views with pupils on why the natural sciences are so fascinating, and how studying, investing in scientific discovery and education will continue to propel our society into the future.

He said: “I am thrilled to be able to excite students about STEM. I feel strongly that it’s part of the job of an academic to help spark the imagination of the next generation so they can see the value science, engineering and mathematics bring to our society and how they are necessary for human progress. The sciences are the

foundation of our response to the challenges their generation will face, but they are also valuable for their own sake - knowledge is worth acquiring, whatever the short-term benefits may be. Creativity and problem-solving are central to STEM, and it’s crucial for young people to embrace that; there are so many things left to discover. It’s exciting to think what these young people will be capable of if we continue to invest in them by sharing our knowledge at talks like these.”

Councillor Sheila Newman, Executive Member Children’s Services, Manchester City Council, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for Manchester pupils to hear first-hand from one of the country’s best known and leading physicists, and it’s one that I hope will spur some of them on to their own careers in the field of science and innovation in the future.”

On Friday 21st November, Professor Brian Cox visited Chorlton High School giving students a fantastic opportunity to ask their questions about scientific discovery and the role of the sciences in wider society and education.

CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

STEMFEST

A wide range of events took place which included students from all year groups: these ranged from trips out to science based locations around the Manchester area, to in school events such as learning the science of cooking!

The first event to kick off the festival was the Year 9 trip to Jodrell Bank to look at the work being done there using the Lovell telescope. During the trip, pupils also had the chance to visit a planetarium and see the night sky uninhibited by the typical Manchester rain clouds.

Around school, pupils have also been introduced to new scientists and inventors recommended by the CHS staff body. Lots of teachers spoke to the Achievement Team about their favourite scientists, which was then shared with students via the schools TV screens. Teachers in all subjects have been making a special effort to bring science into their own classrooms, including Ms Banger teaching Year 9 about how to bring yeast to life when baking bread!

There were a range of exciting events for our youngest students, with 30 of our Year 7 pupils being invited to complete the Coaster Force Rollercoaster Challenge. This allowed pupils to use all of the STEM disciplines to design and create their own rollercoasters from tin foil and marbles. In addition, Year 7 were also invited to take part in a science themed cake competition. The

entries were out of this world, and winning entries came from Brooke Comer, Martha Robinson-Carmichaelm, Sasha Riedenthal and Zakaraya Abdullah. The cakes, which included baked version of the Rosetta Probe, a pair of lungs and exploding volcanoes, were sold at break time and helped to raise over £140 for UNICEF’s ‘Beat Ebola’ campaign.

Some of our key Year 8 pupils were invited to an afternoon at the Museum of Science and Industry. Here they worked with lots of hands on exhibits, finding out how sound travels and how the skeleton moves. They also had the chance to look at a 3D printer in action and get to grips with some objects which had come from the printer.

To close STEMfest it would only be right that we had a truly deserving headline act. Throughout STEMfest, pupils had written letters of application to be an audience member in a talk with Professor Brian Cox. The event was truly inspirational, and 80 lucky students then went on to spend the afternoon talking to a number of experts during our first STEMcareers event.

Thank you so much to all staff, students and guests who helped make this an amazing event for Chorlton High School. Keep your eyes open for the ‘Future Females Festival’ which the Achievement Team will be bringing you in January!

Throughout the first three weeks of this term, Chorlton High School hosted their first ever STEMfest. The aim of this three week event was to provide opportunities for pupils to consider the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), and encourage increased motivation and understanding of these subjects both within and beyond high school.

I feel strongly that it’s part of the job of an academic to help spark the imagination of the next generation so they can see the value science, engineering and mathematics bring to our society and how they are necessary for human progress.

‘‘

’’

CHORLTON CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD 2014 Ms Hockey invited the Chorlton News Team along to the library to report on a special event - the announcement of the winner of the Chorlton Children’s Book Award! After many weeks of local children voting, it was finally time to reveal who topped the list.

The 6 Books on the short list this year were:

• A Wrinkle In Time by Hope Larson & Madeline L’Engle

• Demon Dentist by David Walliams• Doll Bones by Holly Black• The Last Wilds by Piers Torday• The School For Good And Evil by

Soman Chainani• Why Spacemen Can’t Burp by Mitchell

Symons

This year students from Chorlton CE, Brookburn, Oswald Road, Chorlton Park, Manley Park, St Margaret’s, St Hildas, Kings Road and of course Chorlton High voted for their favourite book. Before the results were announced, Ms Hockey introduced the books on the shortlist.

After the books had been introduced it was time to announce the winner. A special guest from Chorlton Library was invited to reveal the winner which was Demon Dentist by David Walliams.

Demon Dentist is a tale about a mysterious female dentist that has her eyes set on Aflie who has the most horrendous teeth she’s ever seen.

To round off the event, everyone tucked into a slice of a delicious Chorlton Book Festival cake.

Ms Hockey sums up the award’s appeal: “The great thing about the Chorlton Children’s Book Award, is that the winner is chosen by local children not librarians or teachers. So even I don’t get a vote!”

BY JIA XIN HUANG (YEAR 9) CHS NEWS TEAM

CHS CELEBRATES THE CHORLTON BOOK FESTIVAL This year was a very special year for Chorlton Book Festival, as it celebrated its 10th Birthday in November, with over 20 book-related events in and around Chorlton. It was also the second year of the Chorlton Children’s Book Award, which was bigger and better than ever. The hard work started in the Summer term, when a group of primary and secondary students from Chorlton read an impressive array of books and met in July to decide which six books would make the shortlist for this year.

Jia Xin Huang from the CHS News Team went along to report on the event….

CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

On Tuesday 18th November we had the opportunity to speak to Chorlton Good Neighbours and gain an insight into how they found school decades ago. There are many differences, pros and cons, between schools now and back then. Many changes were due to laws being changed and people’s opinions finally being heard. Do we know how lucky we really are?

One of the main differences we noticed between school facilities now and then was that over 50 years ago many children didn’t have to leave their schools for swimming lessons as they had access to a pool in the school itself. However, most children now have to travel from their school to reach their local swimming pool.

In those days more was expected from students as there were higher standards and

National Poetry day took the theme of Remembrance this year and budding poets at Chorlton High School were challenged to write a poem for the annual Peg a Poem Competition in the library. “We had some wonderful entries this year covering the theme of war and all the way through to remembering a first day at school.” said Ms Hockey “it was extremely difficult to choose one winner, so we decided on two!” Congratulations to Ellie Pole (Year 7) and Saschka Morgan-Quinn (Year 7) our winners this year. Their poems were very different, but each moving in their own way. Well done, as well, to our two runners up, Ibrahim Bakare (Year 7) and Saskia Darlington (Year 7) and to everyone who entered a poem in the competition. You can read the winning poems on our website.

LEST WE FORGET Year 8 students have been looking at war literature in their English lessons. To commemorate Remembrance Day, some students have written poems based on some of the stories they have read about fallen soldiers, and the history of the poppy. You can read a selection of the poems on our website.

The day we remember,

When no one’s forgot,

We show our respect,

To show who were lost.

Our poppies are worn,

To show the end of war,

To those who fought and never came back,

We show our respect,

In the poppies we hold.

BY JESSICA BINNIE (YEAR 8)

PEG A POEM WINNERS

PAST OR PRESENT?

Chorlton High School hosted an Intergenerational Event on Tuesday 18 November, as part of the Chorlton Book Festival. Local people from Chorlton Good Neighbours joined some students from Chorlton High School to remember their school days and to hear about what school is like for students in 2014. They were helped by staff from Manchester Archives, who brought in memorabilia and pictures of schools from Chorlton and the Manchester area.

Alweya Mohammed and Amanda Mackenzie from the CHS News Team went along to report on the event…

there were stricter teachers and rules. This affected many students’ perspective and attitude towards learning. We spoke to a woman, Enid Woods, from Chorlton Good Neighbours who “wanted to be a good girl” but was punished just for writing with her left hand.

Ms Hockey, the librarian, who organised this event and she was delighted to see younger students interacting with older generations. “It was wonderful to host the event again this year” said Ms Hockey. “I love seeing everyone learning from each other. The students were astonished to hear about the use of the cane and strap to discipline pupils in the past.”

BY AMANDA MACKENZIE AND ALWEYA MOHAMMED (YEAR 7) CHS NEWS TEAM

NEWS CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL

YEAR 7 LIFT OFF WITH COSMIC

Year 7 had a fantastic lift off to their start at secondary school and the culmination of their transition work around the book Cosmic, when award-winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce visited Chorlton High School in September. Cosmic tells the story of a tall boy called Liam, who is just starting secondary school and who manages to pass himself off as an adult and wins a trip on a rocket. Like many of Frank’s books, it is funny, inspiring, poignant and well worth a read.

Frank managed to also be both funny and inspiring during the sessions, reading from his books, answering questions and telling the students all about the forthcoming film of Cosmic. His inspiration for writing Millions, which is about two boys who find a bag of money, included a spine chilling retelling of Chaucer’s A Pardoner’s Tale about three men who find a bag of money and end up dead.

“I think that Frank Cottrell Boyce’s visit inspired a lot of Year 7 pupils and maybe teachers too,” commented Millie Grainger from Year 7. “He was very funny and also made people realise that even though he is famous, he’s just a normal person. I think that when Frank told everybody about the Cosmic film they got really excited and there was a lot of ‘I told you so’ going around the Blue Box.”

“Frank Cottrell Boyce’s visit was inspiring to Chorlton High’s Year 7s,” said Rosie Jordan also from Year 7. “When Frank told us about his new story It’s Not Easy Being Green, excitement filled the hall. There were murmurs of ‘a new one’, ‘surely not’ and ‘wow’. No one talked or whispered or moved when Frank read an extract from it.”

Ms Jordan, one of our Transition Coordinators, said, “It was our dream ending to the new Transition Curriculum. All Year 7 experienced Drama, Dance or Music workshops on Cosmic, as well as studying it with their Year 6 teachers back in their

primary schools in the Summer term or coming to our special Friendship Day back in June. Then every department in the school took inspiration from the book for Year 7’s opening lessons. Some fantastic work has gone on and we are very grateful for the support the project received here and in all our Partner Primary Schools, and of course, to Frank Cottrell Boyce. We hope that every pupil came away with a key message from the book - that everyone has something unique about them that they can shine at.”

“It was so lovely to have Frank visit again”, said Ms Hockey, Library Resource Manager. “I love all his books and I can’t wait for his new one to be published.” All Frank’s books are available in the Library, so please come in and borrow one!

He was very funny and also made people realise that even though he is

famous, he’s just a normal person.

Millie Grainger Year 7

‘‘

’’

COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS PARTY

On Tuesday 9th December, Chorlton High School once again opened its doors to welcome visitors from local care homes for the annual Community Christmas Party. The event followed in the footsteps of previous years and was a huge success with over 40 guests from local care homes attending. Upon arrival the guests were show to the Blue Box Theatre for a buffet lunch. Members of the Year 7 School Council volunteered to help serve refreshments and did a brilliant job serving and chatting to our guests. The students thoroughly enjoyed helping out and all agreed it was a really fun and rewarding afternoon.

To round off the party, our guests were treated to a special matinee performance of this year’s school musical, the classic tale ‘Oliver’ which was performed by a cast of over 80 Year 7,8 and 9 students. The performance was a big hit and the guests were blown away by talent of our students.

Before everyone went home there was a special visit from Santa who dropped in to wish everyone Merry Christmas and give out some gifts.

All of the guests left humming songs from the show and were full of praise for the party. We hope everyone who came enjoyed the party as much as we did and we look forward to doing it all again next year!

VALENCIA FOOTBALL TRAINING

On the 17th November, a select group of Year 8 & 9 pupils attended Manchester College’s sports campus in Hyde. They were coached by first team and academy coaches from Valencia FC in Spain, who shared their expertise with our football enthusiasts. The insight and knowledge that they were provided with was second to none.

One pupil commented “It was great to share the day with pupils from other schools”. Our pupils demonstrated excellent interaction with other pupils, as well as good cooperation and communication skills; all important for a career in coaching (or even teaching!). We hope that they will consider a career in coaching or sport, as they are more than capable!

CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

AARDVARK SALAD CHAMPION BATTLE OF THE BANDSAs the night began, an air of anticipation filled the room; no one could wait for the night to begin! Mr. Scott introduced the Battle of the Bands and as the tension rose so did the noise. Special guest judge Mr. Scruff was introduced, along with the other judges: Mr. Jameson (Head of Year 8) and last year’s winners - No Man’s Band.Year 7 duo ‘Ginger Slip’ (Anya Edwards and Zoe Jackson) took to the stage to perform a song they’d composed themselves. When Zoe hit the crystal clear high notes the audience erupted in celebration! Next up were Year 7 band ‘Black and Blue’. Ammerah, India, Brooke and Aisha performed pop princess Taylor Swift’s latest hit ‘Shake it off’, which got the whole audience dancing and clapping along - another great performance. Next up were ‘Horton Hears a Who’. Rufus Horton and Joe Demby-Harris performed ‘No Buses’ by the Arctic Monkeys (a personal favourite) - they certainly rocked out!

Finlay Ross, Ike Goldman, Isaac Darnley, Spencer Ruke and Finn Watkins made up Year 10 band Goat Cloud who were next up. Despite their lead singer getting a nose bleed before going on, the band were a hit. Their song ‘France’ by the

Libertines prompted much support and encouragement from the audience.

Finally Aardvark Salad performed. Their name comes from the hypothesis that if there’s a tie they’ll announce them in alphabetical order, and they’ll still come first. Miles Pillinger, Sonny Royle and Alec Waters performed ‘Moonage Daydream’ by David Bowie. The lighting really contributed to the great overall atmosphere their performance gave.

During the interval the audience voted for their favourite band whilst the judges conferred amongst themselves. After much expectation, the winner of the audience vote was finally release and it was... GINGER SIP! Loads of their friends ran to congratulate them and Ginger Slip singer, Zoe said “I didn’t expect to win; I can’t believe we were chosen - it still hasn’t sunk in yet!”

Then came the judge’s choice, Mr. Scruff came up and evaluated all the performances, then he announced the winner. WELL DONE AARDVARK SALAD!! They performed ‘Moonage Daydream’ again to end the show.

The winners received a Battle of the Bands trophy as well as a day out in a local professional recording studio - WOW! Our guest judge Mr. Scruff said “everyone had a fantastic night” and Aardvark Salad agreed, saying “I’m so glad we won, everyone tonight was great”. The entire night was much enjoyed by judges, performers, audience members and the News Team Reporters. I can’t wait until the next one!

BY ATALANTA HARKAVY (YEAR 9) CHS NEWS TEAM

FROM BUGS TO DRUGS

In October a group of Year 10 students participated in a family-orientated open day at The University of Manchester for the School of Pharmacy. This is now the second year running that our students have been invited to participate, and we were delighted to be involved once again. The event aimed to explore the drug development process from identification of disease to clinical trials. Our students were invited along to help run an educational fun activity demonstrating the misconceptions and misunderstandings about the drug development process.

The Year 10s did a fantastic job attracting visitors with a zombie demonstration of the journey through the different stages of the drug development process. Their zombie enactment involved scientists looking to find a cure for a new highly infectious (and fictitious) microorganism that turns humans into zombies if infected.

On Saturday 13th December we opened our doors to welcome staff, students and members of the community to our annual Winter Fayre fundraiser. This year the Fayre raised a fantastic £1,200.78 for our partner school in Chisila, Zambia and the Chorlton and Didsbury Trussell Trust Foodbank. Students and staff worked hard throughout the Autumn Term to get everything organised and ready for the big day. The Winter Fayre student planning team met regularly during the term to plan their stalls, sort donations and wrap prizes. The support from students was fantastic with a large number turning up to run stalls including a chocolate and sweets tombola, lucky dip, homemade cakes, second hand book stall and guess the number of sweets in the jar. We also had a team of elves who did a fantastic job helping out in our very own Santa’s grotto. All the students who helped out were brilliant and they should be very proud of themselves.

“It was so much fun! I really enjoyed helping out at the Fayre and can’t wait to find out how much money we raised” (Year 7 student).

The Winter Fayre is always a brilliant opportunity to invite members of the local community to our school. We welcomed lots of local businesses and traders who ran stalls throughout the Fayre selling a vast array of products including handmade Christmas decorations, knitted toys, sweets and bath products.

“Thank you very much! I really enjoyed it! Lovely atmosphere and friendly, helpful people.” (Local trader)

There was lots of entertainment throughout the Fayre from staff, students and members of the local community. Local children from Razzamataz Theatre School made a starring appearance, performing some fantastic dance and songs to entertain the crowds. The Staff Choir made their annual festive appearance with a medley of Christmas tunes and student band The Riff Raff’s ended the Fayre.

To round off the event the Winter Fayre raffle was drawn by Santa with prizes including a meal for 2 at Electrick, a lovely food hamper from Unicorn Grocery and 6 weeks dance tuition at Razzamataz Theatre Schools.

This year the Winter Fayre raised a record £1,200.78 which was only made possible due to the generosity of staff, students, parents and the local community. Thank you to everyone who helped support the event and everyone who came along on the day!

NEWS CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL

FUNDRAISING WINTER FAYREOver the Autumn Term our Staff and Students have been busy raising money for a number of fantastic causes with the fundraising total standing at an impressive...

£2,085.48

MACMILLAN

OUR PARTNER SCHOOL IN CHISILA AND THE CHORLTON AND DIDSBURY TRUSSELL TRUST FOODBANK

Ms Holdship organised a staff cake morning for Macmillan Cancer Support

£2139.40

£131.45

£48.86

Tahaani Hamoodi, Rebecca Brownhill and Lily Plat from 8SF selling cakes for Cancer Research

Mr Jameson and Year 8 students selling cakes for UNICEF

Mrs Byfield organised a cake sale for The Christie

Mrs Byfield for Children in Need selling wrist bands

Mrs Byfield for Macmillan.

Year 7’s Scientific Bake Off for UNICEF Beat Ebola

The Office Team for Key 103’s Mission for Christmas

The Winter Fayre for our Partner School in Chisila and the Chorlton and Didsbury Trussell Trust Foodbank.

UNICEF BEAT EBOLA

UNICEF

CANCER RESEARCH

£131.45

£36

£82.20

£73.23

£41.56

£1,200.78

£48.86

£129.40

£342

MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT

KEY 103 MISSION FOR CHRISTMAS

THE CHRISTIE

CHILDREN IN NEED

MACMILLAN

OUR PARTNER SCHOOL IN CHISILA AND THE CHORLTON AND DIDSBURY TRUSSELL TRUST FOODBANK

OUR THANKS GO TO:

YEAR 7’S SCIENTIFIC BAKE OFF

TAHAANI HAMOODI, REBECCA BROWNHILL LILY PLAT, 8SF

MS HOLDSHIP STAFF CAKE MORNING

MR JAMESON AND YEAR 8 STUDENTS CAKE SALE

THE OFFICE TEAM

MRS BYFIELD CAKE SALE

MRS BYFIELD SELLING WRIST BANDS

MRS BYFIELD

THE WINTER FAYRE

Leonard is a 12-year-old boy who lives in Chisila. He’s new to the area. Up until a few months ago, Leonard lived in Zambia’s capital city, Lusaka. Leonard’s mum had died, making him a single orphan. Until recently his father had been paying for him to attend an expensive school in Lusaka and Leonard had lived a relatively comfortable life - one similar to the kind of life we would expect to live in the UK.

Suddenly everything changed. Leonard’s dad disappeared from his life. He stopped paying Leonard’s school fees and Leonard was sent to the country to live with his aunt in Chisila, one of Zambia’s poorest communities. Leonard’s whole world was turned upside down.

When he first arrived in Chisila, Leonard was a happy confident boy. He was outgoing and always telling jokes. Two months later, when we met him, Leonard was quiet and withdrawn- just a shadow of his former self. Living with relatives that he hardly knew, wearing worn out clothes and shoes with holes in, Leonard’s life had become unrecognisable. Suddenly he no longer had enough to eat. He’d had to abandon his childhood to take on adult responsibilities and help the family put food on the table. Leonard was experiencing loss on every level and was struggling to come to terms with what had happened to him.

Leonard’s story helps us understand the reality that children in Zambia face every day. If our closest loved one disappeared and we were taken away from everything and everyone that we know - how

would it feel? What would we do if we suddenly found ourselves with no money, not enough food and none of the comforts that we are used to? It’s a challenging thought.

Happily, the support of Chorlton High School has meant that PEPAIDS could be there to help Leonard when he most needed it! This year, Chorlton’s fundraising has helped us run two camps for orphans and

vulnerable children in Chisila - one for 9-12 year olds and one for 13-16 year olds. Each camp was a week-long with the aim of giving the children a holiday from hardship and an opportunity to learn life skills that would help them improve their situation at home. For Leonard, our camp was a lifeline! He had the chance to be a child again, to relax and play with other children his age. He had 3 meals a day and the camp activities helped him explore strategies that would help him cope with his emotions and work with his family to bring in more income. Children were taught about HIV/AIDS prevention and sexual and reproductive health in a safe environment. They were given a mentor that they could share their problems with and go to for support after the

camp had finished. For Leonard, just the chance to talk to adults in English again, was a massive boost.

We know that the best way to help the poorest children in Zambia is to help them help themselves! That is what Chorlton have done for some of the most vulnerable children at Chisila community school. Leonard is one of 60 children that you have given that specialist attention to in 2014 and PEPAIDS want to say a great big THANK YOU! Happy Christmas!

CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

CHISILA COMMUNITY SCHOOL UPDATEEach year the Winter Fayre raises an impressive amount of money which is donated to our linked school in Chisila. Last year the Fayre raised £992 which was used to help fund camps for orphans and vulnerable children in Chisila. Helen Allen, Founder and Chair of Trustees at PEPAIDS has given us an update on the impact our support and fundraising has had on the children in Chisila.

CHS’s fundraising has helped us run

two camps for orphans and

vulnerable children.

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