October 2015

HIGH FLYER FEBRUARY EDITION VOLUME 3 2016

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High Flyer is Wycombe High School’s half termly magazine celebrating past and present life at school. If you would like to advertise in this magazine, please contact Mrs Dana Morgan on 01494 523961 or e-mail dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk. Our Finance Office will invoice you upon distribution of the magazine. ADVERTISING RATES Items listed for sale: Adverts: Up to £10 = £1.00 £1Small companies ad £15 ¼ page 11 – 25 = £2.50 (< 10 employees) £25 ½ page 25 - 100 = £5.00 £50 full page 100 and over = £2.00 Larger companies ad: £35 ¼ page Wanted or Miscellaneous = £1.00 (> 10 employees) £50 ½ page £100 full page LAYOUT ARTWORK FORMAT Full and 1/4/ page - Portrait PDF or JPEG Half page - Landscape PUBLICATION FORMAT High Flyer A5 Colour – Primarily electronic PDF. Annual Magazine A4 Colour – circa 1500 printed as well as electronic PDF. Our magazine goes out to over 1400 local households and thousands of alumnae and is also online at http://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/ The High Flyer magazine is predominantly an online publication, distributed by email and published online, the size of the adverts are based on the A5/A4 format of the finished product. However we are happy to accept A4 (or other) sized PDF or JPG files and will resize these accordingly to fit. The publication incorporates margins and therefore does not require provision for a bleed edge. We are enormously grateful for the continued support of our advertisers. We hope you find their products and services useful.

Please note: We do not accept educational, tutoring and nutritional advertising for High Flyer. Inclusion of an advert in this publication does not mean the school or the Parents And Friends Association (PAFA) endorse it. Buying a product or service from this publication is entirely at your own risk.

Next Edition Adverts in by: Issue date w / b:

March Wednesday 9 March

Monday 21 March

Diary dates - Spring Term 2016

23 February UCAS Evening for Parents, Students & Staff, Hall, 7.00 - 8.30 pm

25 February Y7 Parents' Evening, 4.30 - 7.30 pm

1 March PAFA Meeting, 7.30 - 9.30 pm, The Forum

4 March All Years Movie Night, 6.00 - 8.00 pm

9 March HE & Careers Fair, 5.45 - 8.30 pm, The Forum, Lecture Theatre, DS, Sports Hall, Lab C & Lab G

10 March Zumba Night

17 March Y12 Parents' Evening, 4.30 - 7.30 pm

18 March 'Energize!’ 7.00 pm evening performance @ Wycombe Swan

19 March 'Energize!‘ 2.00 pm matinee performance @ Wycombe Swan

22 March Senior Concert, 7.00 - 9.00 pm, Hall

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Table of Contents

Cover Art by Chloe Williams

Advertising in High Flyer Page 2

Diary Dates Spring Term Page 2

Message from the Headteacher Page 4

A Level Prize Giving Page 5

Art Pages 6-7

Business and Economics Pages 8-9

Careers Pages 10-16

Development Ambassadors Pages 18-23

Development Office Update Page 24

Drama Page 26

English Pages 27-30

Geography Page 31

Guild Pages 32-38

History and Politics Page 39

Inspiring Women Evening Pages 40-41

Library Pages 42-45

Music Pages 46-50

News Crew Pages 52-53

Numeracy Page 54

Original Contributions Pages 55-62

PAFA Pages 63-65

PE and Sport Pages 66-71

Psychology and Sociology Page 72-73

Science Page 74

Technology Pages 75-78

High Flyer is an entirely student-led initiative. A team of students of all ages, led by Sixth Formers, known as the ‘News Crew’ take responsibility for

this half-termly publication.

Wycombe High School Marlow Road

High Wycombe Buckinghamshire

HP11 1TB Tel: 01494 523961 Fax: 01494 510354

office@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Should you wish to contact the Headteacher or any other member of staff by email, please do so

through the school office at: office@whs.bucks.sch.uk.

News Crew

Heads of News Crew

Emily Morgan Year 13 A3

Saoirse O’Connor Year 13 P3

Year 9

Ana Meechan C10

Year 11

Zainab Alam P5

Ambar Yousuf A2

Year 12

Erin Parry-Bennee P3

Ellie Tarr P9

Lead Staff Member

Mrs D Morgan

Proofreader

Mrs C Wace

Advertisers

Zenopa Page 17

Merchandise Order Forms Pages 19-20

WHS Events Page 25

Flying Colours Page 33

LIFE Build Solutions Page 51

Places For People Page 79

Equilibrium Page 80

Wycombe Squash and

Racquet Club Page 80

Ed Boakes Driving Page 80

Perton Signs Page 81

Wycombe Swan ‘Into The Woods’ Page 81

Innovate Page 82

Letting of School Premises Page 82

Marlow Choral Society Page 83

ST Autos Page 83

Ingenuity IT Page 83

Clubbercise Page 84

Pyramid Health Page 85

Cineworld Page 86

Doxzoom Page 87

Hawkins Sport Page 88

Social Media Page 89

Imaginations Wild Page 90

Future Fund Gift Form Pages 91-92

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Once again High Flyer is bursting with Wycombe High School’s students many, many talents and achievements. It is an absolute joy to read. This is particularly noteworthy in the current educational context. Despite many externally imposed financial and recruitment challenges, Wycombe High School remains committed to providing an excellent all round student experience. And High Flyer demonstrates the full extent of this. You will have read and heard in the recent news that schools currently face a national teacher recruitment crisis. Wycombe High School, through its work as a Teaching School, Mathematics Hub, and National Support School, continues to work hard to attract the very best candidates for any teaching vacancies. To date, we have been successful, but undoubtedly all schools are finding it increasingly more difficult. To address the national crisis, we train our own teachers. Our Teaching School, Cygnus, offers a very high standard of teacher training, delivered in conjunction with The Institute of Education, University College London, and other partner schools in Bucks. We would be delighted to hear from and work with former students, and any parents or friends, who are interested in joining the teaching profession. Our programme will not disappoint. And I hope that this edition of High Flyer is testament to the range of opportunities, the diversity, and the enjoyment to be found in schools. Teaching is an extremely rewarding profession; I urge you to consider it. You should also be aware that schools nationally continue to experience budgetary cuts. In recent weeks, the government has announced the removal of another grant that schools have relied on. The government has also undertaken (rightly) a review of social deprivation in England and how geographical areas are classified as socially deprived. This is important work, because it determines funding for a range of social support measures, including education. The net effect has been a change in how schools are funded. Some schools are gaining, others will lose out. At Wycombe High School this will present a further challenge in managing already tight budgets. Schools unable to boast, celebrate and be proud of the range of diversity that we do, will be less affected. We have a strong and successful history of managing change and externally imposed budget cuts. We are also extremely well supported by parents. Without your support in all aspects of school life we could not do as much as we do. Many parents volunteer time to work in the uniform shop,

assist with fixtures, support languages, young enterprise etc. 14% of our parents also donate to our Future Fund on a monthly basis. This money has directly supported the building of the new Music Centre, our Library, supported refurbishment of our science labs, and funded new drama lighting and facilities. We are currently raising money for a dual all-weather pitch facility and we need as many parents as possible to give money to make this ambition a reality. Our students and staff are actively engaged in Sport-a-thon and MaraFUN to help out. We have already raised £225,000. We need £600,000. I would be hugely grateful to any parent able to make a monthly gift to us. Without the kindness, altruism and support of such parents our school facilities would not be as great as they are. And your daughter would not have the opportunities she has. So please do consider completing the donation paperwork included and attached to High Flyer. Mrs Morgan, our Development Director, will be able to provide further information if needed. I sincerely hope that the sheer scale of activity and talent showcased in High Flyer inspires you to give financially. Please do be assured, we also seek out every opportunity to apply for grants and government funding. We are currently waiting to hear about our bids to: the government to improve flat roofs around the school and to build a new front entrance, reception area and new classrooms; and Sport England to help fund our new all-weather pitches. Finally, as we start half term, it is a timely reminder that the intensive examination period is about to begin. Students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13 are about to embark on their public examinations. This can be a very stressful time for the girls (and you). Hard work balanced by sleep, good nutrition, and planned recreation all support with the stresses of examinations. The GCSEs and AS and A Levels are commencing earlier this year and time is of the essence. So please do encourage your daughter to start her revision this half term holiday; Easter will be too late. And please also encourage her to speak up and ask for help if she needs it. There are many supportive and caring staff here to help her. All of this said, there is no substitute for hard work, commitment and structuring the day to ensure balance is achieved.

Have a super half term. Mrs S N Cromie Headteacher

Message from the Headteacher

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On Thursday 17 December, the Class of 2015

reunited for the annual prize giving ceremony to

celebrate the successes and triumphs of the year

group in their A-levels, and to acknowledge all that

they had achieved during their time at Wycombe

High School. There were smiles all round as the

girls were able to share their experiences after

their first term at university, their gap year plans

and life post-school in general.

This year, we were lucky enough to welcome back

Shelley Harris (Class of 1985) as the guest

speaker. Ms Harris is a novelist, whose books

Jubilee and Vigilante, are both highly acclaimed.

Having been a journalist, lived in Paris for year,

and worked as an English teacher for several

years, she has a range of experiences which she

was able to share. Ms Harris gave an incredibly

inspiring, insightful and humorous speech in which

she shared some invaluable tips for entering the

world of adulthood and about how to get the most

out of life:

Cake – never underestimate the value of a

good homemade cake

Embrace your failures – you can learn so

much from your mistakes

Never pass up an opportunity to use the

toilet

Don’t undersell yourself

Be a proud feminist

Love and kindness are key.

Her points about learning to embrace failure, and

about the importance of having confidence in your

own abilities really resonated. When embarking on

a new chapter of your life, as the Y14 students

recently have, it is easy to stick with what you

know instead of putting yourself ‘out there’, despite

the risk of making a mistake. Her words were

motivating and thought-provoking.

The evening also provided the opportunity to

recognise the achievements of the year group,

with the presentation of over 100 prestigious

school awards, for dedication to subjects across

the curriculum, and to the school community as a

whole. Speeches were also given by Mrs Green

(Head of Sixth Form), Mrs Cromie and Mr

O’Hagan (Chairman of Governors). This year, 13

girls were awarded the Mary Christie Memorial

Prize, which is an accolade designed to

acknowledge academic excellence.

I wish all the best to the Class of 2015 in all their

future endeavours.

Paris Spencer, Y13, C4, SLT, Student

Ambassador

A Level Prize Giving

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Art

Bex Dugdale Parks 5

Bex Dugdale Parks 5 Jasmine Charleston Curie 10

Eloise Tapping Nightingale 3

Kaynaat Tanveer Austen 5

Sasha Wada-Brown Nightingale 9

Year 11 Showcase The Year 11 artwork showcased on these pages is a mixture of work from the their GCSE coursework and Mock Exams. Year 11 are celebrating the end of their coursework and will now focus on their final exam.

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Year 7 Tring Museum Art Trip Two groups of Year 7s went on an art trip to visit the Tring Museum in Oxford on the 19 and 21 of January. I was in the first group on Tuesday. When we arrived we were divided into groups of three or four. Our aim was to study the patterns we could find in all the different exhibits.

We got to wander around the museum looking at all the various shapes and working with our books. We had to fill in 16 different patterns that we discovered during the trip. We then had to use the patterns to fill in the drawing of a penguin that we had prepared in a previous art lesson. We explored the museum looking at not only the animals, but also the statues and paintings that were displayed there. I loved the tortoise statue. The trip was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the opportunity to visit the museum. Kassia Goosen, Year 7, Austen 2

Art

Kassia takes the opportunity to catch a ride atop a tortoise!

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Harry Potter Studio Tour Trip On Thursday the 7 January first year business students, Year 9 and 10, went on a trip to the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studios. One of the first things we saw when we came in was the Great Hall, in which we were instantly overwhelmed by the magic and effects used. The hall was massive, with a real stone floor and various garments, around the room on mannequins, from the different films. Afterwards, we were able to explore the many different sets used in the production, for example the Common Room and Dumbeldore's office - which was my favourite. We also had the opportunity to learn how to use a wand, ride broomsticks and try the famous "butter beer" which was delicious if a little expensive. There were many authentic vehicles from the films, such as, the Hogwarts Express, which we were able look inside, and the knight bus. The sets were extremely detailed,

much more than we expected from what we saw on screen and one of the bridge to Hogwarts even included fake snow falling down upon us. We even found out that Buckbeak was animatronic and actually moved and bowed to us, it was really realistic. Our favourite bit, however, was visiting all the behind the scenes work of the artist who drew and created models of the sets, even the actual

Hogwarts building itself (if a bit smaller). Isobel Nash, Year 10, Austen 3

Business & Economics

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Student Quotes “The bit I enjoyed the most was seeing the model of the Hogwarts castle at the end of the tour. It was really pretty and breathtaking. Overall I really enjoyed the trip and is one of the best I’ve ever been on.” – Maleeha Choudhury, Year 9, Bronte 8 “My favourite part of the trip was the Hogwarts castle because it looked like the real castle and the lighting gave the castle different effects. I also enjoyed the train because it showed me how hard it is to act with a green screen because the timing has to be right otherwise the acting doesn't look good.” – Anum Mahmood, Year 9, Parks 6 “My favourite part of the day was the big castle at the end. It was beautifully made and looked very realistic. The blue lighting in the huge room gave a massive impact making the whole thing look amazing”.—Amina Ahmed, Year 9, Curie 9

“My favourite part of the whole trip was everything, but I really liked going round seeing all the models as it gave you an insight as to how the film is put together and all the effort that was put into it. It's a place which takes you back through the whole experience. Walking through made me feel nostalgic and even though I've been before it was such a good time all together. Also the Hogwarts castle was fantastic. To see a visual of such a grand building and to realise how much time was put into making such an majestic sculpture.” – Megan Warrell, Year 9, Parks 6

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Year 9 Oracle Corporation Visit On Tuesday 8 December 2015, the GCSE Computing class visited the Oracle Centre in Reading, to learn more about careers in Computing and IT industries. We were given lectures and talks by people who work in the IT industry in Oracle but did not study Computing at GCSE or A level. Overall we had a wonderful time and we were encouraged to think about a career in Computing, as well as learning more about a job in IT. Our day started with listening to lectures about the IT industry. We were given five lectures from five people who work in the company, who told us about the use of computing in the world, society and its significance. The lectures also encouraged more girls to take computing in the future. During the lunch break some of our group were shown around an office where we learned how data and databases work to store information. Towards the end of our day, we had a Q&A session, where we asked about jobs in Computing and what it is like to work in IT. On the whole we had an excellent day and we were able to learn more about IT in the future and were encouraged to consider IT/Computing as a career choice. Gargi Agrey, Year 10, Parks 9

Year 12 Law Study Day The Law Study Day took place on Tuesday the 12th of January 2016, at Berkhamstead School. The day was extremely insightful, as we were able to explore different aspects of Law, we have not previously studied. The day started with Family Law, which proved to be most insightful as we took part in a variety of activities, such as quizzes and negotiations. We were encouraged to use the jargon used widely by professionals working in law. We discovered the different aspects of family law; for example the differences between divorce and annulment, the main of which is that annulment voids the marriage, meaning it is treated as if it never existed. The study day encouraged us to think about the role of family law and its relationship with human rights. During the study day we were given the opportunity to carry out a negotiation exercise called; `Settling a Divorce`. A practicing Solicitor also gave an interesting talk on; `Life as a Solicitor`, which explained their work and the varied career choices available for solicitors. We also took part in a criminal law lecture where we looked at international law. This was the most influential section of the day as one of us has now decided to commit to international law to help the controversial crisis happening in the world daily, more specifically the wars going on in Afghanistan and Syria. Victoria Inyang, Year 12, Pankhurst 7 & Lucy Smith, Year 12, Curie 3

Careers

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HIGHER EDUCATION & CAREERS FAIR

WYCOMBE HIGH SCHOOLWEDNESDAY 9 MARCH 2016- 5.45PM-8.30PM

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• Meet with 32 of the best

Universities in the UK

Including: Selecting Universities & Degree courses, UCAS, Why

Oxbridge, How to succeed at interview, How to get into Digital

Marketing, Careers in Science, Engineering, Army, Police, Law

Entrance by ticket only. Ticket includes entry for a parent/guardian. Open to Years 10-13.

• Speak with 27 Major Businesses

• Attend one of 11 Careers

Presentations

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HIGHER EDUCATION & CAREERS FAIR

WYCOMBE HIGH SCHOOLWEDNESDAY 9 MARCH 2016- 5.45PM-8.30PM

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Visit Universities

including……

Brunel,

Bournemouth,

Birmingham, Bath,

Cardiff, Durham,

East Anglia, King`s

College,

Loughborough,

Manchester,

Nottingham, Oxford

Brookes, Royal

Holloway, Somerville,

Swansea, Surrey,

Sussex, St Andrew`s,

Sheffield, UCL,

Warwick plus many

more

Visit major

businesses……….

Accenture,

Apprenticeships,

Altera Europe, BBC,

British Army,

Buckinghamshire

Health NHS,CAE

Oxford Aviation,

Cobhams PLC,

Connexions, Frontier,

Gap Medics, Giles

Travel Academy, IBM,

Instron, Kaplan,

Police, Travis

Perkins, Waitrose

plus many more

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Subject Institution Time Room

Selecting Universities and Degree Courses

University of Sheffield 6.30 pm – 7.00 pm TBC

UCAS Demystified University of East Anglia 6.30 pm – 7.00 pm TBC

How to get into the Police?

Police Force 6.30 pm – 7.00 pm TBC

How to get into the Amy?

British Army 6.30 pm – 7.00 pm TBC

How to set up your own Business?

Interactive Schools 6.30 pm – 7.00 pm TBC

How to get into Law? The University of Law 6.30 pm – 7.00 pm TBC

Not just an Astronaut -

Careers in science RAL Space 6.30pm-7.00pm TBC

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Selecting Universities and Degree Courses

University of Sheffield 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm TBC

UCAS Demystified University of East Anglia 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm TBC

Why Oxbridge? Somerville College,

Oxford 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm TBC

How to get into Digital Marketing?

Saucy Horse Digital Ltd 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm TBC

How to get into Engineering? BBC 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm TBC

How to get to the Police? Police Force 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm TBC

How to get into the Army? British Army 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm TBC

How to succeed at Interview? Flying Colours Skills 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm TBC

Not just an Astronaut-

Careers in science RAL Space 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm TBC

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How to select Universities and Degree Courses? University of Sheffield With over 37,000 courses, at over 370 institutions, choosing the right degree can be a daunting prospect. This talk will cover the six key factors to help you focus your search and make an informed choice about your options. So whether you have already chosen a subject or don’t know where to start, this talk will save you hours of searching.

UCAS Demystified University of East Anglia Covering all aspects of the UCAS application process, (including a brief outline of the personal statement) up to the point of submission and a quick overview of what happens afterwards. This is an insightful talk for anyone, thinking of applying to university in 2016.

How to get into the Police? Thames Valley Police Chief Inspector Mears will be talking about her experiences working in the Police Force and entry routes into this particular career. This talk will provide you with a unique insight into the varied and rewarding roles of working in Policing.

How to succeed at interviews? Flying Colours Skills Do you find interviews a daunting prospect? This insightful talk will take you through the steps to delivering a suc-cessful interview.

How to get into the Army? Army Careers Centre If you are looking for a career that offers challenge and adventure, then the Army could be the right choice for you. With over 200 different roles, there are a huge range of careers to choose from, including medicine, law, IT, engi-neering and many more. The talk will give you an insight into the career prospects available in the British Army and help you understand the options available.

How to set up your own Business? Interactive Schools Are you a budding entrepreneur who dreams of setting up their own business? Simon Noakes, Founder and Man-aging Director of Interactive Schools will talk you through the key points to consider when setting up your own busi-ness. Simon will discuss the process of turning an initial idea into a reality. He will discuss the challenges, which you may face along the way. This is a great talk for anyone studying business or thinking of setting up their own business.

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How to pursue a Career in Law? University of Law The legal market place is changing and with it comes new and exciting opportunities. If you’re thinking about pur-suing a career in Law, come along to find out more about how an LLB degree can set you on the path to success in this profession and to find out more about working in Law.

Not just an Astronaut?– Careers in Science RAL Space Are you interested in pursuing a career in science? When thinking of a career in science do you have the image of people in Labs wearing white coats? Dr Sarah Beardsley (RAL Space) aims to enlighten students about the varied and exciting careers routes in science and current work at RAL Space.

Why Oxbridge? University of Oxford Dr Steve Rayner is Senior Tutor, and Tutor for Admissions at Somerville College, University of Oxford. His talk will focus on the unique and world-renowned Oxbridge experience and will try to dispel some of the myths which sur-round applying to Oxbridge.

How to get into Engineering? BBC Have you ever considered a career in Engineering? Abigail Seager (Ex -student, Wycombe High School) is currently working as a trainee Broadcast Engineer for the BBC. Her talk aims to dispel the career stereotypes which sur-round Engineering and to talk about the varied career options currently available in Engineering, and Broadcast Engineering.

How to get into Digital Marketing? Saucy Horse Digital Ltd According to the government, the digital economy is growing 10 times faster than the traditional economy resulting in a skills gap of 900,000 vacancies by 2016. If you are interested in finding out more about the digital marketing industry. Tracy Thomas, founder and Managing Director of Saucy Horse Digital will advise you on what qualities, interests and knowledge you need to be successful in this industry .

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This year we are raising money for a dual all-weather pitch facility. So far we have raised an amazing total of £1968 towards our £3000 target. Thank you to everyone who has participated in our previous events. We hope you will continue to support Development Ambassador events including our Zumba night and the highly anticipated Would I Lie to You? Quiz. On Friday 29 January the Development Ambassadors held a movie night showcasing ‘The Maze Runner Scorch Trials’. It was a great night, with 34 people attending. First prize of four free tickets to Cineworld went to Zoe Evans; second and third prizes went to Kristen Bailey and Devon Grimsdell respectively. Our thanks go to High Wycombe Cineworld who sponsor our popcorn and raffle prizes and to Tesco Loudwater and The Guild for sponsoring our refreshments. With your help we raised £93 for the Play Your Part Sport Campaign.

On the 10 March 2016, we will be hosting a Zumba night. The evening will take place in the Main Hall from 7.00 pm until 8:00 pm. As this is a fundraiser for our new all-weather pitches, tickets will be £6.00 per person and will be available through The Little Box Office. All ages are welcome to come along and join the fun! Take this opportunity to add miles to your Sport-a-thon challenge by participating. We will be opening the invitation to the local community and seeking press coverage to boost ticket sales. Development Ambassadors are also organising a Would I Lie to You? Quiz, which will be held on Wednesday 27 April from 1:45 pm – 2:20 pm in the Hall for students and staff. This quiz will be hosted by Mr Bell. There will be a team of female teachers: Miss Mckeever, Miss Forbes and Miss Honnor. They will be competing against a team of

male teachers: Mr Snodden, Mr Fazal and Mr Mackerras. The quiz will be based on the popular television quiz show, in which two teams compete to decide whether the opposing teams unusual and embarrassing facts are true or false. Don’t miss it! Tickets are £1.00 per person.

It’s not too late to purchase our 2016 Art Calendar, which showcases the creative talents from students across the school. We have also introduced new 2016 Art Notelets featuring current and former student artwork. If you are looking for unique and beautiful gifts consider buying yourself, friends and family a copy of the calendar and / or sets of cards. Order forms are available on the Development Course in Moodle as well as in this edition of High Flyer. As always, we have wonderful branded merchandise to purchase. Every order helps us to reach our goal. Have a lovely Half Term Break. Munroop Phagura, Year 13, Pankhurst 8, Head of Development

Development Ambassador Update

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Sport-a-thon Update Who has taken up a challenge? If you haven’t already, it isn’t too late. Please let us know what your challenge is and send us the link to your JustGiving fundraising pages so we can help promote your efforts. We would also like to feature WHS Sport-a-thoners in the February Sports Bulletin and March edition of High Flyer. If you haven’t already set up a fundraising page you can do so by following this link: https://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/wycombe-highschool/whssport-a-thon/ If you need help setting up a page you can follow instructions here: http://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/440/about-whs/development And finally, join the WHS Sport-a-thoners here: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/whssportathoners/join WHS Sport-a-thoners Miss Snook is on her way with her MARATHON PENTATHLON! She has progressed in each as she is doing them all at the same time! Swim, Row, Cycle, Run, Walk and MaraFUN (various school-based challenges over the 1/2 mile course every Wednesday during lunch). Mr Houston has challenged himself to do essentially 4 Marathons in 4 Months. In fact, the finale will be a 50km "Ultra", so totalling 109 miles of racing over the 4 events: 3 April - Paris Marathon; 2 May - Milton Keynes Marathon; 19 June - Hampshire Hoppit (Trail) Marathon and 16 July - Chiltern Challenge Ultra (50km). Support Mr Houston by going to his website: https://www.justgiving.com/runhoustonrun/, using the QR code above or texting.

Mr Mackerras is walking 500 miles (Proclaimers! See pic of them in his room). He has worked out a graph explaining how he is going to make it different than just fundraising per mile walked. He wants to raise the most money when he gets near the 500 mile mark so that he can be really determined to reach the end milestone and raise as much money as possible! Mrs Cromie has challenged herself to hill run having completed 16 hard k to date. She finds it very rewarding but extremely challenging. Mrs Morgan is walking, swimming, jogging and rowing. She was trained in her new sport of rowing by a Year 12 student who competed this past summer with the Junior GB Rowing Team. Mrs Morgan is attempting to complete a marathon in all of these sports. You can support her by visiting her JustGiving website here: https://www.justgiving.com/Dana-Morgan Please sponsor these wonderful members of staff by signing their sponsorship forms or visiting their fundraising pages. Any gift, of any size is greatly appreciated. Stay tuned for more updates on our WHS Sport-a-thoners in the next edition of our Sports Bulletin and High Flyer.

Have a lovely Half Term break! Mrs D Morgan, Director of Development and Alumnae Relations

Development Office Update

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Year 12 and 13 Go On A Retreat (For educational purposes of course…) For the Year 12 and 13 Drama students, we were barely back through the school doors a week before we were being whisked away again to the wonderful Ufton Court for a weekend of hard work (playing manhunt, eating our weight in pizza and going on long walks).

Of course, for the Year 13s this would be our second year on the trip and while we were not the same group we had been the year previously, it was still really lovely to come back.

We spent the weekend hard at work; using the surroundings for inspiration, coming up with new ideas or, in my case, reinventing the piece entirely. It was a weekend of revelations and blanket forts, with some excellent meals thrown in here and there.

Dinner on Saturday had long been awaited since we first began discussing the trip, and there was zero disappointment that night as the Domino’s delivery arrived, greeted by a small (not really that small) swarm of girls eager to get their hands on some pizza. As previously mentioned, we followed up our feast with a fun, and competitive, game of manhunt which lasted a good while until we were all too tired, or too muddy, to continue. All in all, it was a great trip and I’m really glad I got the opportunity to go again this second time! Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3, Head of News Crew

Drama

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English

Heartbreak of Camelot Oh dear, oh dear what has become of this girl?

So young and innocent

Oh dear, oh dear what has become of this girl?

So young and innocent.

As lonely as a single leaf in mid-September,

All she ever did was weave a web.

So beautiful, so lonely.

My love is still and dead.

Lying in a wooden boat.

Looking so dear and tender,

She was the only one,

Yet gone, gone, gone.

Without her I’m nothing,

My heart aches for her love.

I never knew her,

Yet we were destined to be one.

I look at her lying there,

They say to me “she’s gone”.

I know she’s there, in me.

She’ll be by my side for ever, ever, ever.

My love, the Lady of Shalot,

My destiny, the Lady of Shalot,

My world, the lady of Shalot,

I close my eyes, she’s gone from my life.

Gone from my life,

Gone from my destiny,

Gone from my world,

and parted from my life for ever and ever.

Tanisha Gill Year 7, Bronte 4 and Hadiqa Jahangir Year 7, Austen 5

The Lady of Shalott Swifting gently, flowing by

A broken boat I see out of the corner of my eye,

I run form my field the barley and rye

To see the angel whom came from the sky.

Humming a tune gently,

She lay there tensely,

Breathing out immensely,

Her face, now looking deadly.

On the boat there was not a lot

But someone by the name of “the Lady of Shalott”

Skimming in the direction of Camelot,

Her boat gradually falling to a stop.

Silent she was lying there

With her face covered by her long dark hair,

I move it round but let’s be fair

I’ve never seen her anywhere.

Shining down were some lights

Of other villages in no delight,

She sleeps in peace in the night,

Floating to heaven her soul not in sight.

Up there she shall be blessed,

In her white clothes she will be dressed

Although she was cursed like none of the rest,

She took a risk and will be remembered for the

best

Her dream she wanted quite a lot

from heaven she will look down on Camelot

She will be loved and never forgot,

and that’s the death of the Lady of Shalott.

Faith John-Brown Year 7, Bronte 1

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Runaway Island

Chapter One: Running Away

Today is the day. I’ve made my mind up. I can’t

stand it here anymore. I have a plan and I know I

am capable.

Yesterday was my 13th birthday, I didn’t expect it

to be great, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

The only celebration I got was a half-hearted hug

from my mum, and a melted chocolate bar that

expired last week.

Nobody cares about me anymore, not now that I

can look after myself. If I left tonight, I doubt

they’d even spend more than 10 minutes looking

for me, nor would they file a missing person’s

report.

It’ll probably take me a few days to reach my

destination; maybe a few weeks to make it home.

I’m going to try and make it to the mysterious

island over the horizon. I have only heard stories

about it, but I know it’s there.

If you haven’t already guessed, I’m running away,

I still don’t know what to pack though. A phone? A

book? Some bedding? I need to think fast or it

might be too late.

I think I’ll only take essentials as a lot of walking

may be involved and there’s only so much a girl

can carry. I will have to take my old toy rabbit with

me though, it will take up a lot of space, but it’s

the only memory I have of when home really

meant home, when my family really did care,

before my dad was gone.

When my dad was alive, things were okay, better

than okay actually, things were great. I loved life

back then.

Dad was kind, he kept me safe and I knew he’d

be there for me as long as he lived. That was the

problem, he didn’t live long enough.

He worked in the harbour. It doesn’t sound like

the best job, but we lived by the seaside and he

loved working there. One evening though, there

was a storm, a big one. All the harbour lights were

out and the waves were getting violent. Many of

the other harbour men had fled, but dad refused

to stop before the job was done, he was always

determined to finish what he started. One large

wave swept him away like an autumn leaf, stolen

by the skilful hands of the ocean.

After that things got hard for mum, she had four

children to care and earn for. Of course the rest of

our seaside village helped with things like the

school run and chipping in a little cash when

needed, but mum found it hard to accept their

kindness.

That was five years ago and things still aren’t

better, worse if anything. That’s why I have to

leave, there’s no better life for me here, nobody

cares, I’m not learning anything in school and I

can’t see a future for me here.

I’ve packed now, I haven’t got many memories

from home though. All I have is: my toy rabbit, a

thick blanket, a supply of Diet Coke (my favourite

drink), a penknife, a packed lunch, some

bandages and a phone with a solar powered

battery pack (yes those really exist). I will have to

be careful with my phone, I have already disabled

all location services and removed the SIM card as

there will be no reception on the island anyway. I

have also downloaded many e-books and movies.

With determination on my mind, this little girl is

ready to go!

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Chapter 2: Saying Goodbye

I am ready, I am ready! That’s what I can keep

telling myself, at least until I know what to do next.

I will have to find some way of crossing the harsh

ocean waters that stand between me and my

island. As I don’t think I could find a real boat to

get across I could try to use something to get to

the halfway point, the holy island.

This island is only about a few hundred metres

away from the coast, it is still quite far but a lot

more manageable than going the full way. I think it

is classed as ‘holy’ because it is owned by a

couple of Norwegian monks. If I could, I’d choose

to run to that island, but I think that at least five

people live there and that’s five too many. I want it

to be MY Island and nobody else’s!

It’s very dark here now, I think it’s about 1.00 am,

even in the height of summer it still doesn’t get

light this early. First things first, I need to break

into our shed to take the little inflatable boat, that’s

the best I can think of to get me there. It’ll probably

have a few holes, but the bicycle repair kit is

usually in there anyway.

I think the only thing I’ll really miss is my garden,

more specifically, my tree. I’ve spent hours at a

time up my tree. I loved carving little messages

and pictures into the bark with my old, blunt

penknife, I don’t know where that is now, the knife

I have with me now is much better, it could

probably take a small branch off of this tree if I

tried, which I wouldn’t of course.

I stopped carving into it a long time ago as I hated

the thought of it dying. I suppose, as it’s my last

time coming here, I could carve one last message.

You can still see a few of the past messages here.

I think I’ll carve underneath, ‘TODAY WAS THE

WORST’. I remember carving that one exactly a

year and one day ago on my 12th birthday, I

thought that only getting two presents was the

worst it would get, so naïve!

‘This Is The End’ is what I came up with, much

better handwriting this time though.

Now I just have to find the spare key to the shed,

Mum would never tell me where it was kept, all I

know is that it’s out here somewhere. If the boat

isn’t in the shed, I’m doomed.

I’m going to check the obvious places first: under

the mat, no; in the hanging basket, no; under the

loose tile, BINGO! There it is, the mysterious

spare key, Mum is always so predictable.

Some people must find it weird that I am so

desperate to leave this place, they have clearly

never met my family. Not only do I have a mum

who doesn’t care, but three younger brothers too!

They’re always shouting, making a mess or not

doing what they’re told. They have total disregard

for the world around them and refuse to grow up.

Maybe they’ll learn a bit more once I’m gone,

they’ll have no one to clear up their mess and sort

their problems, but I shouldn’t worry about them

now, they won’t be a part of my life anymore.

This shed smells funny. Like a mix of paint, rust

and compost. This shed is like a maze, a labyrinth

of cobwebs and shattered plant pots. I can see the

dinghy, high up on the rickety shelf, but I have no

idea how to get to it. I could climb the stepladder,

but how to get there?

I trip over rusting tools that haven’t been used

since Dad was alive: the chainsaw, the pressure

washer, the hedge trimmer and even our old

/Cont’d...

30

bucket! When the bucket was used, he was still

called ‘Rusty’.

The box of the boat is guarded by a fierce spider

and a thick web. Usually I’m not scared by spiders

unless they can outnumber me, which, this time,

they could. There are probably hundreds of

spiders in here, I can imagine this one as their

leader, and somehow he has even managed to

catch smaller spiders in his web. I can’t let myself

be scared by spiders if I think I’m going to survive

an island on my own.

I shove my hand through the web and grab the

box. I clamber out of the shed as quickly as I can

and realise the spider is crawling up my arm! I let

out a small gasp and tightly clasp my hand to my

mouth, then I shake off the spider and pull the

stringy cobwebs from my clothes and long, ginger

hair.

I lock the door again, then tuck the spare key

back under the loose tile. I slump down on the

damp floor and peel the crusted tape off of the

box.

Inside I find the old, white, red and yellow

inflatable dinghy with exactly ten holes and a

paddle, also in the box I luckily find the tyre repair

kit!

‘’What did we do to you, poor thing?’’ I mutter to

the dinghy, ‘’we have had some good fun, haven’t

we?’’ I remember pretending to be on a Viking

longboat in a large rock pool or the time when I

capsized whilst pretending to Cristopher

Columbus on the river, that’s when I lost one of

the ores which could create a problem for me

later.

I’ve got to make my way to the beach now, then

that’s it. The adventure will have begun and

there’ll be no turning back, only going forwards.

Libby Hart, Year 7, Bronte 4

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Year 12 Geography Field Trip Recently Year 12 students who are in the midst of their Geography AS level embarked upon a fieldtrip to Somerset. We stayed for three nights at Nettlecombe Court, a grade one listed building, in what I think we would all describe as, the middle of nowhere. Despite this, the building provided some lovely meals along with housing comfortable bedrooms, a group common room and classrooms for work.

The purpose of the trip was to conduct both fieldwork and research in order to prepare for our exams. We looked into a mix of both human and physical geography, with our topics being titled as

‘Rebranding of Rural and Urban Areas’ and ‘Coastal Management’. The trip did provide us with an excursion to the beach, which was enjoyable, even in the cold.

We were met with variable weather. Writing notes on single sheets of paper in the pouring rain was a challenge to say the least! However the sun did shine at intermittent intervals, allowing us to conduct our studies much more easily. During the trip we visited Taunton, Minehead, Dunster, Porlock and Watchet. They were a mix of rural and coastal towns/villages. It was a lot of fun to explore these locations as we carried out our fieldwork, and it was an interesting experience to be learning outside of the classroom. The trip was a lot of hard work though, with our latest classroom session running on until 8:15pm, but with the help of the tutors at Nettlecombe court and of course our very own WHS geography teachers we managed to cover it all.

Despite the rain and the wind there was a very positive and happy atmosphere on the trip. We all seemed to enjoy ourselves, and were able to gain a lot of knowledge throughout the trip. Though I was happy to get back home so I could experience central heating and dry clothes!

Emma Wace, Year 12, Austen 10

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Networking Session On 3 February, we welcomed back Judith Cocking, a former student (Class of 1987) and co founder of ‘Flying Colours’ (info@flying-colours-skills.com) a leading career consultancy. She held a Networking Session for students in Year 12, a year when networking is a very important skill to demonstrate to universities and employers. The goal of the session was to introduce the importance of networking and to demonstrate how to approach people such as the Inspiring Women Evening speakers that very same evening.

She introduced the idea of networking as a valuable and attractive skill to be able to show off to your future employers. The definition of networking is ‘To create a group of acquaintances and associates and keeping it active through regular communication for mutual benefit’. Seeing as 60% of jobs occur in the “hidden job market” a lot more opportunities will be opened to you if you have a lot of contacts who can make these ‘hidden’ jobs available to you. The main things you need to be are: Confident Approachable Presentable But its not just as easy as turning up and talking to people, you also need to be prepared. Judith’s advice was to consider various things before the event: decide on what you want to achieve, do your research on attendees, plan how you will present and introduce yourself to people. Being prepared will mean that you can benefit and make progress from the event.

At the event Have confidence! Make an impression and people won’t forget who you are. It take 30 seconds for people to form their first impressions of you and 90 seconds to form a lasting impression. It may seem daunting to join a group of people you don’t know but remember, everyone is in the same position. Join a group who look as if they are having a light, open conversation and not a group who are having an intense discussion. Wait for your moment, it will come, don't go barging straight in. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions, the attendees will be flattered if you know who they are. Follow up Remember, networking only works if you follow up on your contacts so be bold and get in contact! This is a fantastic way to meet new people and find out about new opportunities that you wouldn't have been aware of otherwise. Another fantastic way to network is through ‘LinkedIn’. LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 300 million members in over 200 countries and territories. This is brilliant for many things such as: Build your professional network. Check out career paths. Get referrals. Research a company. Search for jobs. So get out into the wider world through meeting new people and making new contacts. You never know, even your own experience might be inspiring or useful to somebody else. Sophie Richards, Year 12, Parks 3

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Subject Former Student Profile Dr Alex Mold What years did you attend WHS? 1993-1997 Starting in Year 10

What did you get up to at WHS in terms of study and extracurricular activities? I liked acting, and was in the school play. I was Mr Gilmour (the lawyer) in To Kill a Mockingbird. The play was fun, and it was also an opportunity to mix with the boys from John Hampden and RGS... I wasn't in the slightest bit sporty (I think the PE staff gave up attempting to teach me to play tennis) so my new-found love of running is something of a surprise!

What did you do after school? I went straight to the University of Birmingham. I chose Birmingham because it had an excellent reputation for history, but also because I wanted to live in a big city. What are you up to now? I am a Senior Lecturer in History Centre for History in Public Health Faculty of Public Health and Policy London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

What do you know now that you didn’t in Year 13 that you’d like to share with current students? 90% of the things you worry about turn out just fine. The other 10% you probably can't do anything about, so don't worry about it! Follow Alex on Twitter @allymol

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Former Student Current Staff Profile Lorene Farrugia Attended WHS 1993-1999 What years did you attend WHS? I attended WHS from 1993 until 1999. What did you get up to at WHS in terms of study and extracurricular activities? English was my favourite subject and the only one I really excelled in. We had a lovely English teacher called Mrs Jones who many girls thought was very strict, but I thought she was just very passionate about the subject she was teaching. I really enjoyed cross-country and still enjoy running today.

Do you have any fond memories you’d like to share? I have many fond memories from WHS, but I suppose the ones that clearly stand out are my form winning the Year 8 Drama Competition, drawing all over the temporary partition walls in our form room due to a terrible miscommunication with our form tutor, relaxing on the field with warm sunshine on our faces, Sports Day and the queen coming to visit! What did you do after school? Gap year, straight into business or Uni? From the age of about fifteen, I was desperate to travel the world and so could never quite commit to going to university after

my A’levels. I travelled all over Asia and beyond between the ages of 18 and 22. I would come back home to work, save and then go travelling again. It was a lovely existence for those four years and I’m so glad that I did it. After having my son in 2005, I did start to wish that I had gone to university and so in 2009, as a mature student, I embarked on a three year Scriptwriting degree, for which I managed to walk away with a first! It is one my most proudest achievements and I did it all whilst juggling work, study and a young child. What do you know now that you didn’t in Year 13 that you’d like to share with current students? Life isn’t ‘one size fits all’. Try to experience as much as you can and don’t fret about the future. The future has a way of mapping itself out sometimes without you even knowing what’s going on! Life-paths divert all the time, so learn at an early age to go with the flow, embrace change and be true to your passions – you never know where they may lead you! Regret nothing!

Follow Lorene on Twiiter @themonsterwood and @Fourmilesdaily

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In The News The Coxless Crew After nine months at sea Emma Mitchell (class of 2003) and five other women completed one of the toughest expeditions by rowing across the Pacific Ocean. They travelled more than 9,200 miles starting from San Francisco in April and arriving into the Marlin Marina at Cairns on 25 January, 275 days later.

The expedition took three months longer than expected, however; they set two world records in the process, becoming the first all-female team and the first team of four to row the pacific. The main reason for this remarkable expedition was to raise awareness and funds for Walking With The Wounded and Breast Cancer Care. They stated that both are amazing charities and they want to help the men and women involved in both of these charities to seize opportunities, make opportunities and face their biggest challenges in life. This expedition would have undoubtedly thrown many challenges at these women, these included a battering tropical storm, waves the height of houses and the approach of a humpback whale that surfaced just yards away from their boat. Moreover, this was tackled with continuous rowing as pairs in two-hour shift, sleeping for just ninety minutes at a time.

The group kept a blog during their preparation for the trip and during the actual expedition One blog entry said that ‘It’s fair to say that with physical exhaustion, sleep deprivation and a lack of savoury food we are being tested to our limits. However this is where we draw on our spirit, row hard, row strong, row together’. The expedition has been filmed for a documentary called Losing Sight of Shore. To find out more about this expedition and read their blog entries visit http://coxlesscrew.com/ Kelsey Farrell, Year 12, Parks 2

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Pigtail Pilot: The Life of Barbara Gubbins A new book, PIGTAIL PILOT, tells the story of a former WHS pupil who might have become the RAF’s first female pilot if she had not died in a tragic air crash. Barbara Gubbins was just 20 years old when her aircraft crashed in the Derbyshire Peak District on a training flight. Her instructor, a Second World War veteran, also died. Barbara Mary Gubbins, an only child, was born on 9 April, 1931, in West Wycombe Road, High Wycombe. Her mother Mabel, a teacher, went on to be headmistress of the old Hedsor village school. Her father Valentine was a policeman. After attending Green Street School, Barbara

started at WHS on 9 September, 1941. Her mother had been a pupil from 1918 to 1924. During her time at WHS from 1941-50 Barbara was a prefect, president of the Science Club, Tennis and Hockey captain and school games captain.

Passionate about flying from the age of ten, she made her first solo flight aged 17 after 5½ hours flying and gained her private pilot’s licence soon after. Dubbed the “Pigtail Pilot” by a newspaper, Barbara paid for her flying by picking fruit and giving horse riding lessons. She flew regularly with Denham Aero Club and High Wycombe Flying Club and at one time was Britain’s youngest female pilot. In 1949 she took her mother up in a Piper Cub from Denham to cruise over their home at Hedsor. A talented scientist with a passion for chemistry and applied mathematics, she went to Nottingham University and joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a cadet pilot at RAF Burnaston, Derbyshire. There she trained weekly for 18 months and had logged more than 150 hours including night flights before the crash. The distinction of being the first female pilot in the RAF went just six months later to Pilot Officer Jean Lennox Bird. Following the crash on Wednesday 5 March, 1952, Barbara was cremated in Nottingham on 8 March and the funeral was held at Hedsor Parish Church on 12

March. Mourners included representatives from WHS, Nottingham University Air Squadron, High Wycombe Riding Club and Denham Flying Club. There were 88 floral tributes, many in the shape of propellers and wings. Her ashes were buried in

the church graveyard at Hedsor. As the casket was interred two RAF officers who had escorted it from RAF Cardington saluted at the graveside. Barbara still plays a small part in the life of WHS today with the annual presentation of The Barbara Gubbins Senior Chemistry Prize. Her mother is

also remembered with the annual presentation of The Mabel Gubbins Senior Biology Prize. PIGTAIL PILOT is published by DLE-History and out now as an Amazon and Kobo ebook and in paperback through these links: Amazon ebook – www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B019H916OI Kobo ebook – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/pigtail-pilot Paperback – www.amazon.co.uk/Pigtail-Pilot-Bill-Todd/dp/1519615671/

To read a sample, visit www.billtodd.co.uk/other-books/pigtail-pilot/

Barbara as Games Captain front row centre

Barbara with her fellow Prefects

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Filmmaking with Ellie Girling (Class of 2013) I’m currently in my third and final year (eekk!) at the University of Kent, studying Film. I believe that with the importance of entertainment in

everybody’s lives studying film can be just as productive as studying English or Drama. Film isn’t just about the practical (although that is my favourite part) it also has an intense theory side. One day you’ll be studying the history behind filmic movements like ‘Dogme 95’ and the next you’ll be studying ‘Toy Story’,

just because it’s a great film. At Kent I’ve studied diverse topics ranging from horror to animation to post war European film to teaching us how to critique a film. I can honestly say, I’ve never been bored in my lectures. However, my favourite part of my degree is definitely the practical side. Over the last three years I have made six short films. I know that doesn’t seem a lot, but the amount of work and effort you put in means that by the end of the term you have created, produced, shot and edited your very own film. And that’s amazing. This year, my last ever practical was a microbudget film that we had to shoot and complete in five weeks. My crew and I spent a week editing a script, and then a week on gaining permissions to film at Whipsnade Zoo, and yes, even Wycombe High! Casting the lead role was challenging as we needed to find someone who could act beautifully, whilst also be able to believably look 14. It was then that I got in contact with Grace Hogg- Robinson (class of 2014), another former high school student, most recently in BBC’s ‘The Coroner’. The people you meet at high school could be your saving grace (pun intended). As I mentioned earlier, back in November I came back to Wycombe High School to film three scenes, in a Verney classroom, the gym and the

changing rooms. Year 13 students Dominique Hamilton Bronte 1, Lucy Price Austen 8 and Emilie Kraft Bronte 3 joined us as extras to complete the filming, and they did a fabulous job. It was such a great experience to be able to come back after three years and revisit all my old classrooms! To be able to film on location and in my old school, added depth and production value to the film that we wouldn’t have been able to gain otherwise. For that I am extremely grateful and thankful that Wycombe High School continues to support their (former) students. The results my film achieved meant that I finished the Microbudget module with a 1st (and

the highest mark in the class!). For now though, I’ve got exactly 10 weeks

left of my degree and I’ll be concentrating on getting these last four essays finished. After that, my crew and I will be focussing on film festivals and hopefully taking the film across the country and indeed perhaps a part of Europe during the summer months. Ellie Girling, Class of 2013

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History and Politics The Politics Society welcomed back to Wycombe High, an former student, Dr Jonna Nyman, a teaching fellow in International Relations at the University of Leicester in December. She discussed the niche area of energy security and the implications of this study specifically for US and Chinese domestic and foreign policy. She also spoke of her time abroad in both these countries as part of her PhD research and answered questions on the future of the UK's energy policy, including the controversial policy of fracking. WHS students asked a range of questions on topics covering international affairs, the sciences and geography. "It was a really enjoyable and knowledgeable expansion of the world of Politics into the wider environment" (Amelia Twitchen, Year 13, Parks 2 and co-Chair of the Politics Society). After Wycombe High School Jonna attended the University of Birmingham and studied International Relations. Jonna convenes modules on International Relations, Contemporary US Foreign Policy, the Politics of Nuclear Weapons, Strategy and International Security.

Her research interests are in the politics and ethics of ‘security’. She worked on energy security in the United States and China, drawing on critical approaches to security to understand how energy is constructed as a security issue. She is currently also working on using this research to better understand the value and ethics of security. Jonna is also very interested in critical approaches to security as a growing research agenda, and in environmental or climate security and politics. She is a member of an ongoing ESRC seminar series on the future of American power, headed by Dr Adam Quinn at the University of Birmingham. She also co-edits ‘International Studies Today’, BISA’s international affairs magazine. In addition, Jonna has also been working on a book entitled ‘Ethical Security Studies: A new research agenda’ with Anthony Burke which is currently in production and will be published in March 2016. It was great to have Jonna back at Wycombe High School and a brilliant preview for the students into this fascinating area of research. Miss Chamberlain, Teacher of History and Politics, and Kelsey Farrell, Year 12, Parks 2, Head of Guild

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Alongside the many events of the busy new year, Wycombe High School presented an Inspiring Women Evening on 3 February, inviting along women (some of whom were former students) at the top of their careers to give advice and helpful experience to the girls studying at Wycombe High School, Wycombe Abbey, Dr Challoners High and Beaconsfield High. Among the speakers were: Trishna Bharadia (Class of 1998) - In 2008

she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and has since been working to educate people with MS. She is now an ambassador for the MS Society and was named Woman of the Year in 2015 for contribution to MS charities. She catapulted MS into the national spotlight in 2015 when she was chosen to take part in the BBC's first ever 'The People's Strictly for Comic Relief'.

Dr Alex Mold (Class of 1997) - Alex is the Deputy Director of the Centre for History in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. From 2007-2012 she held a Welcome Trust History of Medicine University Award and in 2013, she was awarded a Welcome Trust New Investigator Award. She currently teaches on MSc in Public Health and supervises a number of PhD students.

Dr Teresa May - Teresa is one of the UK's most experienced practitioners in the field of dental implants, and was one of the first doctors to offer this treatment in the UK, breaking into the male dominated world of dentistry. She owns clinics in Binfield and Milton Keynes.

Olley Edwards - Olley is a campaigner for Autistic girls and women, a published author, public speaker and award winning film director. Olley, and her two daughters, have Aspergers and works to end stigma and raise acceptance. Olley was also the first British Woman to speak at the UN, raising awareness throughout Europe of Autism.

Ceri-Jane Hackling - Founder and Managing Director of Cerub PR a public relations agency, earning her the title of Entrepreneur of the Year at the Buckinghamshire Business Awards and was named Employer of the Year by the Sue

Ryder Awards. Her company also won the Business of Excellence award at the 2014 BBA.

Rachel Burden (Class of 1993) - Reporter and presenter of BBC Radio 5 Live Weekday Breakfast Show. She studied broadcast journalism at Cardiff University and made her debut on the BBC Breakfast television programme as a relief presenter on Saturday 23 August 2015.

The night began with an introduction from Mrs Cromie who welcomed our wonderful speakers, who then personally introduced themselves to the audience. This was followed by a Question and Answer session. It was lovely to see students from all age groups and parents taking such a keen interest. Here is a selection of the questions asked and the answers given…

'The world of dentistry is very male dominated , how can this be changed?' Teresa: "I think that this is always a hurdle women are going to face as 60% are likely to start families and have children."

'What do you think of graduates being asked to work for free?' Rachel: "It is outrageous but sometimes it is the only way to get into the industry as it can sometimes be a benefit to show your commitment and so it is easy to get caught in the trap. You need to find a balance where you are not exploited.”

Inspiring Women Evening

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'How would you suggest entering voluntary work?' Teresa: "You need to find your speciality beforehand, what interests you and what do you want to spend time on?" Olley: "Find a niche - a gap that needs to be filled in order to help people (for example my daughter needed to be home schooled) and this will make you passionate."

'Where do think the line lies between not giving up and knowing that this is not the right thing for you?' Ceri: "If you think something is worth it then never stop pushing for it. I really wanted to enter publishing however I couldn't find the right avenue and so I thought why not just open my own firm? And so I did."

'Do you think peer pressure affects a lot of girls these days?' Olley: "Keep reaching out because the more you are rejected the more likely you are to be accepted." Trishna: "Yes, everyone at school thinks that they are expected to know what they want to do. Our generation of women has been the generation where you can have 'everything', putting pressure on young girls who feel like they therefore have to have everything. I attended an event with one of the first female politicians and even people like that have insecurities and problems throughout their life. If you are slightly different - play to it; it's your strength."

'Have you ever doubted your abilities throughout your working life?' Ceri: "Yes, sometimes you have to step sideways if you don't like what you're doing." Rachel: "I had a disastrous interview on BBC Radio 1, that made me doubt whether presenting was the thing for me."

'Do you think women are risk averse?' Alex: " I certainly am, but I think women need to realise that doing something wrong is not the end of the world." 'How do you find your passion?' Olley: "I had no idea what my passion was until my daughters were diagnosed with Autism." Trishna: "There is too much pressure on girls to know what they want to do, you need to enjoy yourself and explore, my job enables me to do the charity work that I love." Teresa: "Don't be afraid to try something that you're not sure is your 'passion', it's never too late to change careers."

Ceri: "I found my passion by being in the wrong spot." Rachel: "Your passion doesn't have to be a specific career, think about what you like doing, like talking to people? Explore and have fun, and have confidence in your own skills." After the Q & A everyone had a chance to network with the speakers and suddenly great crowds surrounded the women as everyone leapt up to ask their own questions. 'If you don't ask you don't get', this saying is very relevant to networking as you have to be bold and talk to people you’ve never met before so that you can make effective contacts. The night was a fantastic success with 150 attendees and a beautiful spread of refreshments sponsored by Innovate. The feedback we have received from the night being extremely positive. One current student, Isabella Tasker, B5 said that she "had a great time and learnt lots through listening and talking to the women".

Sophie Richards, Year 12, Parks 3, Head of Guild

Follow our speakers and join the discussion on Twitter #WHSInspire Trishna Bharadia @TrishnaBharadia Rachel Burden @rachelburden Dr Teresa Day @TeethDoc Olley Edwards @OlleyEdwards Ceri-Jane Hackling @CerubPR Dr Alex Mold @allymol

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Autumn term “Celebrations” Competition We had some beautiful entries to our seasonal competition – poetry, prose, artwork and photographs were submitted, all earning house points! After shortlisting by the Library team, the final judging was handed over to Mrs Debra Jewell and Ms Louise Denmead. The winner of the poetry was Mathurika Vinothan Year 7, Bronte 2 with three runners up: Alice McIver Year Bronte 9, Areej Jahangir Year 8, Bronte 1 and Megan Harris- N10. They all receive a certificate and a small prize. The winning entries and a selection of others are currently on display in the Learning Centre. Try not to… Today is the day of my birthday, You’d expect me to go and shout ‘hooray’ But daddy won’t allow it, he just cried, Because today was the day that my mum died. The misery hangs everywhere I go Though I wish it was how it was long ago When mum was still here and we were happy We would play dollies, mum, me and daddy It’s been like this since last year When my mum died because of smoke and beer. Daddy still carries on cursing the sky And I watch him from inside. Today is my birthday, let’s celebrate. But I’m not allowed to, because of fate. I celebrate silently, even though I knew That I’m not allowed to celebrate and I try not to… Mathurika Vinothan Year 7 Bronte 2 The Celebration of Life Death, cold and dark, A whisper of the mourning, The hum of despair ever-growing Although the light is dawning. For in Flanders Fields the red sea crys, And knows although they fight, Their numbers will decrease, Until the last flame burns bright. The clouds of despondency around them, A way to show a new path, The fire dimming, not gone, yet, Ongoing, yet ceasing, into the aftermath.

The endless struggle, so fierce Is tormenting those all around, And the new moon is clouded over, Not yet fully round. But still the flame burns on and on, Until the final breath, And so we celebrate tonight Although it may be death. Megan Harris Year 7 Nightingale 10

Library

Alice McIver Year 8 Bronte 9

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Blind Date with a Book

As it’s nearly Valentines Day we thought we should mark the occasion in the Library with a rather different sort of book display. We offered students the chance to choose a book from a wide variety of genres. However, the big difference is they will all be wrapped up (beautifully and decorated with hearts of course!) so they won’t be able to tell which book it is until they’ve unwrapped it.

We hope that by doing this borrowers will be given a book that they might not usually have chosen for themselves and who knows, it could be a perfect match! Opposites do attract, so they say!

Coming up…… World Book Day Exclusive! We are also thrilled to tell you that Robin Stevens, author of the incredibly popular series of ‘Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries’ will be spending the day with us on 1 March. All Year 7 classes will take part in sessions with the author and all students will be able to meet her and buy her books at lunchtime. Mrs Warner and Mrs Pascoe, Learning Centre

Library

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On Thursday 3 February Lorene Farrugia, class of 1999, gave a talk to students about her experience being a children’s author, how she came to publish her own book and her goals for the next few years. Lorene produced her first self-published children’s book ‘The Tickle Monster’ in December of last year, starting with 200 copies that sold out in only four weeks. She has just ordered her second run of books and she told us about her journey to this stage of her career.

Lorene explained how writing has always been a passion of hers. She wrote stories as a child and was encouraged to pursue her passion at WHS. She came to Wycombe High School in 1993 and has very fond memories of her time at school. She said she had fantastic English teachers that encouraged her love of writing due to their level of teaching and passion for her own passion. Lorene didn't want to go to university so she spent four years travelling. It was because of this she wanted to become a travel writer. However, it was difficult for her to enter this field without a degree in journalism and without the help of the internet. So she then pursued her love of both writing and films by doing a script writing course as a mature student. Lorene consequently ‘lived and breathed writing’ for four years and she said she would strongly recommend a creative degree as it has made her the writer she is today and really taught her how to receive critique.

While she was script writing she also was creating stories all the time for her three year old son. Like many parents, Lorene adopted the character of the tickle monster to entertain her son and when he asked further questions about the character her answers inspired the plot of her book. One day she decided to put pen to paper and wrote three stories back to back. She then sent these stories to a number of publishers. From most of them she did not receive a response, however; Nosy Crow replied very positively and asked what Lorene was looking for in terms of illustrations. She was surprised at this as she thought the publishers would take care of illustrations so she sat on the letter for a whole eighteen months trying to decide what to do. One day it finally hit her how she wanted to illustrate her books. She was sat watching ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’ with her son and realised the mix of photographed and computer generated characters on a photographed background was a truly stunning and unique combination. Lorene said she realised ‘this is how I want my book to look’.

Lorene is also a keen photographer and so trekked around the local woods to take hundreds of photos in an attempt to find the perfect background for her book. Next, she had to decide on the character. She thought about the name and decided that a tickle monster made out of feathers would be a great starting point. She emptied her son’s craft box and created a monster out of multi-coloured feathers.

Library Author Talk

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She then sent this to her husband, who is skilled in design, who slightly adapted her initial idea into something Lorene loved. Whilst her husband mocked up some pages for her story Lorene began to design some more characters: the sneezy monster and the sock monster. She and her husband then used primarily Photoshop to create her book. Lorene then talked about her decision to set up a publishing business and self-publish her book. She decided to do this at an early stage as she felt so passionate about this book she did not want anyone else telling her any part of it had to be changed. Lorene had fallen in love with the story and what they were doing and so ‘took a huge leap of faith and self-published the book’. Lorene then proceeded to give students a quick guide to self-publishing and all the steps you must go through to be successful as well as showing us the actual litho plate used to create the front page of her book! Lorene said that her friends and family have been a massive help with spreading awareness for the book and that it has done really well on Amazon, moving from tenth place to second in the list when searching for ‘tickle monster’. She is now currently working on some new special edition copies as well as the next book in the series, which is already being demanded by customers!

We were also able to be some of the first people to see the next monster in the series — the lick monster. Finally, Lorene revealed that in a few years time, after releasing some more books in the Monster book series, she would love to move the stories onto TV. She is also pursuing her script writing skills and is in the final stages of a script writing competition which started with 10,000 people and is now down to just 125. We would like to wish Lorene every success in the future with both her books and her script writing and thank her again for giving such a wonderful and inspiring talk.

Follow Lorene on Twiiter @themonsterwood and @Fourmilesdaily Kelsey Farrell, Year 12, Parks 2, Head of Guild

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New York

New York, New York! On15 January 2016 the WHS choirs travelled to New York City, upon invitation to perform in Carnegie Hall. Our time in New York was jam-packed with rehearsals, sightseeing and lots of fun. Here is just a brief overview of what we got up to on tour.

After arriving at school at 3:30 am we made it to our hotel just after 4.00 pm (New York Time). After some rest in the hotel we walked down Broadway to the Hard Rock Café for dinner. The Hard Rock Café welcomed us warmly with some great food and lots of music, a lovely and relaxed first evening in New York.

The following morning we had a short lie-in before we headed to the rehearsals in the early afternoon. The rehearsals were long, but our conductor ensured they were entertaining by trying to get us all to dance to the music. We met lots of people from all over the world, with singers coming from Spain, Italy, Pennsylvania, Twickenham, Ireland and ourselves, just to name a few. However, our most exciting acquaintance of that day was Sir Karl Jenkins. Not only did we all get his signature and photograph, we also had the opportunity for a Q & A session with him about the piece we were singing.

Following all this excitement, we proceeded to Ellen’s Stardust Diner. The diner, situated in the middle of Broadway, had singing waiters and waitresses which was amazing for us all. Later that evening we went to see ‘Finding Neverland’ on Broadway, the show was great, despite Matthew Morrison’s questionable Scottish accent! This was the perfect end to a brilliant day.

Sunday came, bringing snow with it! The day

began with a morning rehearsal. The rehearsal consisted of auditions for improvised solos in parts of the piece. Congratulations to Scarlett Halton who got to sing a solo. After the rehearsal we walked to the Rockefeller Centre which was amazing, despite the snow preventing us from seeing many of the sights!

The big day arrived, the day we were to sing in Carnegie Hall! In the morning we went on a tour of the Radio City Music Hall which was just breathtaking with the elaborate art-deco style, we all also met a Rockette which was very exciting for some girls. After this we returned to the hotel in order to get ready for our rehearsal. We left for the rehearsal in plenty of time, we arrived and were separated into our various dressing rooms. We had a short rehearsal before it was time for us

to get ready for the real performance. Our part of the concert lasted just under an hour. Everybody enjoyed the experience of singing in front of such a large audience, with many family and friends who had made the effort of travelling out to support us as well! After the performance we watched the other choir sing the ‘Armed Man’ before we went

and had dinner with the other choirs. We all enjoyed the dancing after dinner and got back to the hotel quite late but in high spirits after such a wonderful day.

On our last day in New York we went shopping in Manhattan Mall and Macy’s before we boarded the flight home.

On behalf of us all, I would like to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to Mrs Honnor, Mr Snodden, Mrs Lally, Mrs Griffiths and Mr Bell. Thank You for looking after us in such a big city, and for making the trip so enjoyable for us all. We hope you had fun too!

Chloe Langham, Year 13, Bronte 3

Music

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Tea Concert On Tuesday 26 January, the Music department hosted the next in their series of Tea Concerts featuring girls from Years 7-12. Kassia Goosen (Year 7, Austen 2) and Yaqing Luo (Year 12, Nightingale 4) were returning performers, relishing the opportunity to continue to improve and gain more feedback since their last Tea concert performance. The concert featured many new faces, performing works in progress in preparation for upcoming exams as well as new repertoire they had been studying. All performers played extremely well and enjoyed the feedback and praise from their friends, family and teachers! A special mention must be given to Alice McIver (Year 8, Bronte 9) and Yaqing Luo (Year 12, Nightingale 4) who both presented works they had written themselves. Look out for these two aspiring composers and the rest of the performers from the Tea concert in the upcoming Baillie Murphy Music Festival (March 10-11). If you are interested in attending or participating in the next Tea concert, please do not hesitate to contact either Mr Snodden, email: msnodden@whs.bucks.sch.uk or Hannah Boddy, (Year 13 Music Captain) email: 09ABoddH@whs.whsat.uk for further details or to sign up. The date of the next Tea Concert is 3 March – we hope to see you all there! Mr M Snodden, Teacher of Music

Music

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Greetings all, Another busy half term, and as the Sixth Form gear up for mocks after half term, News Crew have put this love themed edition together for your entertainment. This edition we again have had some amazing sporting achievement, success in the Rotary Young Chef Competition, and various exemplary work from subject leaders. The standard of original work has been particularly noteworthy this edition, and we are excited to present the second part of Lauren Campbell’s ‘Stereotypes’, as well as a new serial from Libby Hart entitled ‘Runaway Island. As always we would like to thank Mrs Morgan and the News Crews for their help putting this edition together. Without their hard work this would not be possible, and we hope they know just how much their help is appreciated. To everyone who wrote in and gave us work, there really would be no High Flyer without you, so thank you so much. We hope you enjoy reading about everything you got up to this half term. Our next edition of High Flyer features a theme of Parent / Daughter. Please send in articles, artwork, poetry, or anything else you’d like on the theme of familial love by Wednesday 9 March. Saorise O’Connor, Year 13, Parks 3, Head of News Crew Featured Cover Artist The piece was inspired by the nature of a gift and the value of roses as a token of sentiment. The roses were a gift from my father to my mother on their wedding anniversary. Roses serve both as a decorative object and an object that conveys deep emotion, through the depth of the colour expressing passion and the fragility of the petals that are destined to wither over time. Chloe Williams, Year 13, Nightingale 10

News Crew

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Mr Mackerras’ Assembly on Statistics Mr Mackerras’ assembly encouraged us to critique statistics and factual claims, and to question their reliability, as information we are given by the media can be easily manipulated in order to influence us to believe a biased perspective. One example that he gave was information from doctors and professionals which suggested that it was beneficial to spend large amounts of money on knee operations (pictured). However upon closer inspection it became apparent that this was in fact a placebo, as there was no physical advantage for the patients who undertook the surgery. In fact, the operation would only work for young people who have sports related injuries, and had no medical benefit whatsoever for older people with naturally expected knee pain. The operation itself had no effect, and only the anaesthetic made them feel better when asked immediately after the surgery. Another way in which he got his point across was by using a database of research undertaken in countries with large Muslim populations. He showed how through using filters on Microsoft Excel, he could select the data he wanted in order to prove inaccurate statements. Under the guise of using a random process, he discarded data from more moderate countries such as Albania, to make it look like all Muslims fit in with and agree with the more radical views from countries such as Egypt. On a happier note, Mr Mackerras also displayed a graph illustrating a significant decrease in the quantity of violence-related deaths each month in Iraq from 2006 to 2007. He told us that this fall in trends was a result of methods used by the US government. These strategies were increasing the number of troops on the ground as well as the very unusual method of giving advance information as to when attacks would happen. However, Mr Mackerras’ twist was to disclose that this graph was sourced from Wikipedia and that therefore we should not trust it without further questioning! Hollie Westwood Y11 T6 and Yasmin Richardson Y11 B7

Numeracy

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Love Is Love

We wander through town side by side with a good distance between us. People think that we're friends; nobody takes notice.

I feel my hand twitch with the urge to wrap my fingers around hers. My arms and face and heart are warm with longing as my throat tightens. I glance at her out of the corner of my eye with a small smile.

My mind races with thoughts of her, the feel of her soft fingertips against my cheek, her delicate pink lips on my neck, her silky hair falling into my face as she leans over me.

I remember all the times we've been content in each other's arms and suddenly I step closer to her and grasp her hand.

She looks at me in surprise as her cheeks grow red and she presses her side up against mine to try and conceal our interlinked fingers from those around us.

I notice a change in the demeanours of some; they become guarded as hostile expressions spread across their features. A mother directs her child's attention away from us, a man glares at us with disgust clear in his eyes.

All of a sudden, we are different. Outcasts. Abominations. Whatever words they use against us, we try to ignore them. But the pain is ceaseless.

My heart aches with the knowledge of her discomfort and I loosen my grip to give her an opportunity to continue our previous deceit.

She looks at me and I am suddenly aware of her holding back her tears. I long to be able to kiss them away. But I can't. Instead, I drop her hand and we continue walking.

We pass a couple whose fingers are fearlessly entwined. The boy tilts his head downwards to place a kiss on his girlfriend's lips and I look away quickly.

I talk to her as we walk and we laugh together but it all seems strained.

"Rose?" She says my name, almost too quietly for my ears to register.

"Yeah?" I respond with a smile that feels full of pain.

"I'm sorry for being afraid. I'm not as brave as you," she says, resting her head lightly on my shoulder.

"It's okay. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," I assure her. "I love you."

"I love you too," she says boldly in return, reaching up to place a kiss on my cheek, light as a feather, before we continue our journey home.

Erin Parry-Bennee, Year 12, Parks 3, News Crew

Original Contributions

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Molonay

Molonay, my darling,

Molonay, my love,

Purer than white,

Pure as a dove.

Molonay, my beauty,

Molonay, my dearest,

Fairer than blonde,

Sweet, true and earnest.

Molonay, my sweetheart,

Molonay, my bonny,

Your humour is wild,

You’re ever so funny.

Molonay, Molonay,

Which bus, train or flight?

I wish you were here, Molonay,

Here in my sight.

By Katie Harrison Y7 N1

Original Contributions

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Welcome to the second instalment of

‘Stereotypes’ by Lauren Campbell, we hope

you enjoy it.

Stereotypes: Part 2. Schools and Excursions

Mr Sanders is the most typical Science teacher

you could ever get. He is a very strict, no

nonsense type of person. He is also the type of

person to completely get on everyone’s nerves by

setting four hour long homework due in for the

next day.

I heard he gave a kid a ‘D’ once for using nine

hundred and ninety nine words instead of two

hundred even though it was a really good paper…

although that may just have been a rumour,

guess we’ll never know. Mr Sanders has a buzz

cut of dark brown hair and woody brown eyes with

one vibrant green spot in his right eye. His facial

features are very precise and sharp, though he

does have quite pale skin, but not as pale as

Jordan’s. He usually wears quite tight polo shirts

as well as jeans yet he still seems to make

himself look very smart and presentable and not

at all casual. Mr Sanders is also always seen

wearing a spotless white lab jacket, but I just don’t

get how he keeps it so white.

There have been many explosions in the science

part of the school, mainly caused by the jocks

who don’t care about getting into trouble or the

kids who really just don’t know what the are

doing. Mr Sanders rarely likes any of the students

in his class, and if he does you have to be

exceedingly great at science, and being amazing

all round helps too. So Jordan and I…he doesn’t

like us that much. Rumour has it that he once

threw a board rubber at a student and they got

brain damage…but rumour also says our maths

teacher is really a woman and they won the 2006

toe wrestling and wrote all of the Dickens novels.

Oh shoot…I just realised something. Jordan has

my permission slip. So if he’s already on the bus

then I won’t have my permission slip and Mr

Sanders won’t let me on the bus and I won’t get

the extra credit and I’ll fail science and – “Here

you go Mr Sanders, and here’s mine too.” A male

voice interrupted from behind me and a thin, pale

hand reached over my shoulder to give Mr

Sanders, who didn’t look too happy at being

foiled, two permission slips. I spun around on my

toes, there, standing behind me was Jordan and

Sarah. Jordan was smiling broadly, yet a little

cheekily, as he handed the two pieces of paper to

the terrifying science teacher. That’s odd, Jordan

never smiles at school, though come to think of it

who actually smiles a genuine smile at school

anyway? The three of us walked towards the

coach without another word,

As we board the bus we find it is completely

empty. Why did I ever think Jordan would already

be on the bus? My brother is never on time for

anything, so why would he be the first person

anywhere? Jordan and Sarah sit next to each

other on the right side, about halfway between the

front and back of the coach. They’re trying to be

cool, not sitting at the back where the jocks do

and not at the front with the nerds which is where

I sit two rows from the front. You see I don’t really

care about my image, I’m just the extremely

happy girl who smiles at everybody and

disappears during the lunch and break times. Not

much of an image, but I suppose I do brighten

everybody’s day, even if that smile is fake.

Soon enough everyone else is climbing onto the

coach. This is a normal routine for our school:

First all of the ‘nerds’ and ‘geeks’ clamber into the

seats at the very front, sometimes a geek would

argue with a nerd about who would get a window

seat, I think the geek usually wins but I spend

most of my time staring mindlessly out the

window so pretty much anything could be

happening around me and I would be oblivious.

Then, after that the teacher and the coach driver

get on and shout at us for making a ‘ruckus’. After

that the ‘popular kids’ get on; the girls talking

about going shopping or where they got their nails

done or something along those lines. While the

boys would talk mindless garbage about who

knows what, most of the stuff they say goes in

one ear and out the other. I don’t speak popular

boy! But there is one thing I’ve figured out about

their mumble jumble, they speak as loud as hell!

/Cont’d...

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Like you could hear them across the playground

loud! Either they all think that their conversations

are so important we all have to hear them even

though I have literally no clue as to what they are

talking about, or they are all deaf and need to

shout to hear each other.

And here comes the fourth step, the final step, and

definitely the most interesting step. The jocks. The

jocks think they own the whole school, and to be

honest, they do. All boys, all incredibly strong and

all terrifying. I suppose there’s just something

mentally scarring knowing that with one punch

you’d be out and possibly dead. Can’t think why?

But yeah, when the jocks enter the coach, they

don’t instantly take their seats that practically have

reserved signs on them at the very back of the

coach. Instead they like to linger, especially

around the nerds. See our jocks are like any

sporty person you see on high school TV

programmes, completely full of themselves and

because of that, they find it fun to tease and bully

the geeks and nerds. I personally find it more than

a bit cruel to be humiliated in front of your entire

class, but I suppose in some weird sick way it’s

just a way of life. It’s also reassuring knowing that

at least the nerds are going to make something

out of their lives, where as the jocks will probably

end up serving burgers to the next generation

of sportsmen, and the cycle continues.

Then they get to the popular kids, whom they

seem to greet like family, it’s weird. So many

bro hugs and compliments from single popular

girls trying to get a date and to be honest it’s

weird to watch somebody go from teasing and

mocking a group of people to hugging and

laughing with another group. Then finally they

would get to the back of the bus and make

even more of a racket than the popular boys do

when they have a conversation. Sometimes

chanting their team’s names or mocking the nerds

from their seats or even commenting on how

either awesome or rubbish the trip would be. And

that is our routine at Bremen High... I have way to

much free time, don’t I?

As you can see, our school is very stereotyped:

nerds, populars, Goths, jocks. I don’t quite know

why, but there is not much to do in Bremen, and I

suppose this gives us something to do, live up to

our stereotype. I can’t really remember a time

when we have all been on equal levels of

popularity, even in Pre School there were nerds

and populars, Goths and jocks. All natural

enemies.

We are currently in late stage four, unfortunately.

The aisle seat next to me is still empty and behind

me are Charlotte Grace and her airhead boyfriend,

acting all cutesy as always. It’s actually kind of

sickening to hear them exchange ‘I love you more’

so many times in the space of thirty seconds. As

the jocks make their way past my seat once they

have finished with the geeks, I see one of them

shoot me a small, almost shy but genuine smile.

Well that was odd. The only reason you usually

see any of the sporty people smile is when it’s

either for sarcasm purposes or mocking benefits.

And strangest of all, why would he smile at me?

There’s nothing special about me. In fact I’m the

opposite of special, I pity anybody who is forced to

hang around with anyone as normal as me. He

must have just smiled at me because I’m always

doing it to everybody else and he just decided to

return the favour, yeah that’s it. That has to be it.

The boys (nearly men)

took their seats at the

very back of the coach

and begin yelling and

chanting at the top of

their lungs, making me

wish that I had my

earphones to block out

their noise but they are

currently in a tangled

mess at the bottom of

Original Contributions

59

my bag connected to my phone. It would take

more effort than it’s worth to untangle that mess,

so I decide to just live with the noise as best I can.

Considering we will be at our destination in only

about twenty minutes I won’t have to wait long.

I see Mr Sanders call to someone outside of the

coach to hurry up, and hear the sound of rushed

and heavy footsteps clattering on the gravel road.

A boy steps in through the door to the coach, and

instantly the jocks cheering and chanting stops,

only to be replaced by loud boos and complaints.

It is Jack who has stepped onto the coach, and he

lets out a sigh of exhaustion and relief (at not

missing the ride I think) and begins looking

around the coach for a seat, not seeming at all

fazed by the yells of protest aimed at him. That’s

when I realise; the seat next to me is still empty

and waiting for a passenger. Oh please don’t sit

here, anywhere but here. I can’t help but think as

Jack takes a couple of steps forward through the

aisle and scans for free seats. I’d like to have a

peaceful trip today, I’m tired. I stayed up late last

night thinking we had History today and that

paper was due in, forgetting that we have a

school excursion and there are no lessons today.

Smart me.

You see the thing about Jack Abby, is that he

may be one of the biggest nerds/geeks in the

school, but he really doesn’t care. Now you may

find that admirable and inspiring, but because he

doesn’t care, he seems even more annoying. He

will talk and talk and talk about the kind of stuff

that goes in one ear and out the other. Does he

ever stop? No. I suppose he is a sweet guy. He’s

probably just about the smartest person in the

whole school; Science and Maths are his

speciality. Jack moved here with his parents when

he was thirteen from somewhere in Asia I think,

they’re both doctors and they were moved to work

in the Bremen hospital so we had a more suitable

number of doctors for a town our size, yet Bremen

is very small and ordinary. And like Jack, they are

the best at what they do. They’re our town’s best

doctors, we’re always using them as examples to

try and better ourselves but we fall short. They’re

the perfect family, the two extremely intelligent

and successful doctors and their son, the

smartest boy at his school with great prospects

for the future. When he moved here he and his

family were the talk of the town, I can see why.

Cool new kid, nobody’s ever heard of him, no

rumours of anyone new in town, and I have to

admit, he is rather good looking.

The boy has a very Asian look about him, yet over

the years of living in Bremen he has developed a

reasonably thick Australian accent. He has very

dark black hair, the same colour as Jordan’s that

is straight and brushed to his right side. He does

wear glasses, yet they’re not the usual nerdy,

round ones like you see in the Harry Potter

movies, but dark purple rectangular lensed ones,

they actually do look very good on him. Jack has

a very circular face, with a medium sized nose

and strong jaw line, but what really stands out

about him are his teeth. He must have worn

braces before he came to Bremen because his

teeth are so impossibly straight that it can’t be

natural, not even one blemish. They are also

impeccably white, which makes a nice contrast to

his tan-ish skin tone. He must brush his teeth at

least three times a day – maybe four – or have

previously gotten his teeth whitened, though Jack

doesn’t really seem like the type of guy to go to so

much effort for the sake of his appearance. He

doesn’t care what people think so why would he

change it? He must just be a clean freak or

something.

Jack lowers himself down on to the seat next to

me; he attempts to remove the back-pack from

his shoulders, but fails, miscalculating the

distance between his seat and the one in front of

it. As he struggles to get the strap that is hooked

around his shoulder off, something falls out of the

side pocket of his bag: a notebook. It falls into my

lap and I wordlessly pick it up and hold it up to

him, signalling for him to take it out of my hand.

Jack reaches his hand out slowly with a

suspicious look on his face, as if he thinks I am

going to commit some horrendous deed to his

belonging, but I don’t exactly blame him. He does

go to the same school with Ryan Greggson and

Jimmy Connors: the school bullies. And Jack just

happens to be their prime target.

/Cont’d...

60

“Can’t you see through those glasses nerd?

Wrong bus! Freak!” One of the stupid jocks from

the back of the coach shouts at Jack, while one of

the other’s throws a scrunched up piece of paper

at the back of his head. Jack doesn’t even turn his

head or react to the jock’s sudden outburst, so the

thrower decides to continue with his ‘amusement’.

“And the crowd goes wild as Jimmy Connors hits

his target!” This of course makes his team mates

laugh and begin to egg him on more, so he stands

up and takes a mock bow as if he has just

accomplished some glorious task. The loud buzz

of an engine starts up, signalling to us the bus is

about to start off towards our destination, so the

idiotic jock plonks himself back down into the

squeaky, uncomfortable chairs, still with the overly

confident, I’m-better-than-you-all smirk on his face.

Good choice, sitting down, you don’t want to die in

a mystery coach crash before your hopeless future

can even begin.

Trees pas by at a steady pace as out agonizingly

slow coach drives on the road that leads through

out small Bremen forest. I swear this coach was

supposed to be replaced years ago, but the school

would rather spend their minimal amount of money

on new basketballs and hockey sticks than the

safety of their students.

I miss the quietness of back home, in my purple

bedroom, the only sounds being Jordan from the

other side of the house and mum and dad’s

constant fussing. At school everything’s so loud.

People playing some sort of sport out in the sun,

others lounging around the hallways, leaning

against the lockers trying to project an ‘I-don’t-care

-I’m-so-cool’ type of vibe. Even in tests there will

still be so much noise, the sounds a teacher

attempting to quiet his students from the next door

class room through the thin walls, nervous

populars realising they really should have revised

the night before and not gone out to a club, lazy

jocks rocking on their chairs with their hands

placed behind their heads, because they know

they’re going to fail whether they try or not. All this

is why I like to be alone, just me, myself and I.

You know, when I said I was failing science, I

really wasn’t joking. I JUST DON’T GET IT!!! I also

don’t really care about it, why do I need to know if

vertebrates are warm blooded or if a rock is ten or

ten thousand years old? I have no interest in being

a doctor or scientist or anything like that when I

grow up, yet I still need to pass the class or all my

grades won’t look impressive. That’s why I need to

do well on this excursion. Basically, they’re going

to chuck us into the Bremen forest for three hours,

after they’ve separated us into groups of five, and

in those three hours we have to go around the

forest and collect a token from each check point to

show we didn’t just take a short cut and hang

around the very edge of the forest for the past

three hours. Then after all the groups have made it

back to the starting point, we start the ‘activities’.

That’s pretty much just fire starting, fort building

and map reading, stuff to see whether or not you

would survive in the wild, I’m not quite sure where

exactly you would get a map in the wild though?

I had better do well on this trip, otherwise my

grade rests solely on the end of year exam, and I

know I’m not going to do well in that. I suppose

how well I do today depends on who I get in my

team, gosh I hope I get someone who knows

about science and is willing to work on a school

trip. But anyway, I suppose it’s going to be

interesting.

Lauren Campbell, Year 8, Pankhurst 2

Original Contributions

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Romantic Movie Reviews ‘The Princess Bride’ As the Metro Goldwyn Meyer lion gives its trademark ferocious roar, the screen fades to a young boy who is down with the flu. But his day is soon brightened up when his grandfather turns up, intent on reading him a story. A wonderful mixture of lost loves and revenge, the ‘Princess Bride’ manages to squeeze in themes from the worlds of the supernatural, fantastical and romantic alike. Princess Buttercup is haughty and simplistic, but her character's intense love for Westley manages to eclipse this. As with many feature films, the soundtrack is essential in framing and emphasising some of the most intense scenes, such as the magnetic chords chimed when Buttercup is rescued by his Prince Charming in the Fire Swamp. The Princess Bride is a great demonstration of the endearing qualities of animatronics over modern-day CGI, as well as the diversity of humanity. Andre the Giant is fantastic as the clumsy and simple Fezzik (who ends up saving the day) and Cary Elwes is just as at home playing the Dick Turpin-esque Man in Black as he is as the impeccable Westley. Chris Sarandon, in the role of Prince Humperdink, presents to us a perfect representation of a duplicitous, uptight medieval monarch, and veteran actor Wallace Shawn is excellent in his delivery of the slimy Vizzini. Peter Cook's mutton-chopped, vicar is a treat to watch, a welcome distraction from the climactic, swashbuckling finale.

Overall, the film picks and chooses from key

elements of many film genres, whilst staying true

to the original novel on which it was based. The

plotline is a bit of a cliché (how many films have

we seen involving a lowly stable boy winning the

heart of a fair maiden?) but it is so sweetly and

cleverly presented that one forgets this.

Ellie Tarr, Year 12, Parks 9, News Crew

‘Love Actually’

It’s the classic

film we all know,

love and feel

deeply

uncomfortable

watching

outside of

Christmastime.

‘Love Actually’

is possibly one

of the most

popular

romantic

comedy films

that I know of.

With an incredibly talented ensemble cast, there

is never a dull moment in this film. From

emotionally heart-wrenching performances from

Emma Thompson, to the ridiculous notion of the

Prime Minister dancing to Girls Aloud, this film

has it all.

The film has many wonderful moments; Colin

Firth’s terrible Portuguese proposal, Thomas

Sangster running through the airport to save his

ten year old romance and Rowan Atkinson

righteously annoying Alan Rickman at the till to

name but a few.

But, of course, at the end of the day, the favourite

scenes have to be those opening and closing

shots, chock full of real life proof that love actually

is all around (at Heathrow Airport at least).

Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3, Head of

News Crew

/Cont’d...

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‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ ‘Truly Madly Deeply’, starring the late Alan Rickman, in a role that does not require a wand or robes, but rather a truly excellent moustache, and the wonderful Juliet Stevenson, is sort of like Ghost without the melodramatics. Nina, played by Stevenson, is a translator who’s recently deceased boyfriend Jamie returns as a ghost. After a while though she begins to wonder if the relationship has been soured by Jamie’s death, and eventually turns to new love. The title comes from a truly lovely scene where the two leads play a game where one must say an adverb describing how they love the other. While this eventually descends into idiocy (juicily?), it is a lovely snapshot of life. If you’re looking for psychics, redemption,

revenge and endless hours of moody staring, I’m

afraid this isn’t the film for you, try ‘Twilight’

instead. There are no daring swordfights or

passionate exclamations of undying love here,

simply a story about love lost and found and lost

again. ‘Truly Madly Deeply’, is poignant, uplifting,

and if you aren’t reaching for the tissues at the

end you truly have no soul. Or no tear ducts.

Saoirse O’Connor, Year 13, Parks 3, Head of

News Crew

‘About Time’

‘About Time’, directed by Richard Curtis, is a

lovely little film all about love, family and the

wonders of time travel. Tim, our main character,

learns from his father that the men in the family

have always been able to travel in time. Being the

romantic that he is, it’s inevitable that he ends up

using this power in his search for a soul mate,

whom he believes to have found in the lovely

Mary.

Ever since I first saw the movie I fell in love. It

instantly drew me in with the main character

having been topped with ‘strawberry blonde’,

reminding me of my father. It was fun loving,

goofy and inspiring; with a moral to live life,

essentially, appreciating every moment as if you

had come back to relive it’s exact experience. It

really made me think.

The actors had been perfectly picked to portray

each character magnificently and bring them fully

to life, consequently making you feel connected to

their story. It definitely brought tears to my eyes,

with both happiness and melancholy. One of the

most memorable moments from the film is a

beautiful montage set to ‘How Long Will I Love

You’ in which the two main characters, Tim and

Mary, exchange an array of hello’s and goodbye’s

in the London Underground. It’s an incredibly

sweet scene from an incredibly sweet movie. As a

result of it’s brilliance I have now just watched it

for the fifth

time.

I would

recommend it

positively, to

all ages as, it

is an all

round film

with no

specific

target

audience.

Enjoy!

Anonymous

Original Contributions

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PAFA Up Date - February 2016 PAFA is the Parents & Friends Association for Wycombe High School. All parents automatically become members when your daughter joins the school, and everyone is always very welcome to join our meetings. Our role is to organise a wide variety of fun events for parents and students, and to help raise money to support facilities the school is unable to fund.

PAFA’s 2016 calendar of events got off to a terrific start with our Burns Night Ceilidh which was attended by over 90 students, their parents and friends, all of whom took part very enthusiastically in every dance! The evening included a delicious supper (with optional haggis!) and scrumptious desserts donated by parents, and raised over £1,000. Our thanks go to everyone who helped with the event, especially the food preparation volunteers who peeled over 24 kilos of potatoes and swede! Looking ahead, we have again secured great value tickets to two

super theatre events, this time at the Wycombe Swan. Matthew Bourne’s beautifully choreographed production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ on 24 May and the highly successful ’39 Steps’ on 31 May. There are only a limited number of seats available at PAFA’s special rate so book early at www.thelittleboxoffice.com/whspafa All monies raised by PAFA this school year will be used to fund much needed additional outdoor seating on the field. This is as requested by the students, all of whom were surveyed last December to ask their thoughts on what items they would like PAFA to donate. 398 girls took part in the survey and 67% of respondents voted for seating, so we are confident we have made the right decision! The girls were also asked what sorts of events they would like PAFA to organise, and popular ideas ranged from Paint Balling to Cookery Demonstrations, so watch this space! Our next PAFA Committee Meeting will be on Tuesday 1 March at 7.30pm in the Forum at Wycombe High, we would be delighted to see any parents who would like to join us for a glass of wine and hear more about future events and opportunities to get involved. Sonia Holloway, Chair of PAFA

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A Great Start for the Bucks U13 Squash Team’s Season I am very pleased to report that the Bucks U13 Girls Squash team, which includes Gina Mullins (Year 8 Nightingale 9) have had an exceptional start to this season! They took part in the Inter-County Cup, in which teams from around England and Wales compete to become national team champions. The Bucks girls eased through the group stages, beating Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Beds & Herts, Gloucestershire, Essex and Dorset - every player in every match winning their games 3-0. So it was on to the semi-finals – and another easy victory against Lancashire, again with no-one even dropping a game. And so on to the final against Yorkshire – the favourites to win, and very loudly supported… The finals were held in a snow-covered venue in Nottingham on Sunday 17 January… another amazing performance from the girls, this time closely contested but resulting in a fantastic victory – and a first for Bucks girls, becoming the Inter-County National Team Champions.

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Under 19 Squash Team Reaches the National Finals The WHS U19 Squash team played their last match in the group stages of the National School Championships on Wednesday 21 January. It was a highly important match; the winner would go through to the national finals, held in Nottingham in March. The team was made up of Captain Cassie Green (Year 11, Nightingale 5), Alysha Martin (Year 10, Nightingale 1) Lauren Allington (Year 12, Curie 5), Jessica Martin (Year 12, Nightingale 9) and Emily Morgan (Year 13, Austen 3). The opposing team, King’s School Canterbury, arrived at the Wycombe Squash and Racketball Club and the matches took place. Emily and Jess took to the courts first, each playing outstandingly well, and winning their games 3-0. Having won two matches within the first 20 minutes, WHS only needed to win one more game to win the fixture overall. Lauren then played, wining her first two matches convincingly, but losing the third in a close battle. Luckily, she won her last game 11-4, meaning WHS had won the fixture. Alysha also won her games, 11-2, 11-1, 11-2 with Cassie finishing the afternoon playing as our number 1. Cassie won her games 11-3, 11-2, 11-1, meaning WHS won in straight games. It was a fantastic performance from all the team and it won’t be long until the National Finals. Hopefully, the level of performance seen against King’s School will be repeated at Nottingham and WHS will place highly in the championships.

Lauren Allington, Year 12, Curie 5

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U14 and U19 Gym Competition Huge congratulations must go to our U19 and U14 Gym Squad who competed in the Southern Regional Finals at St Mary’s school on 31 January. The squad is predominantly made up of talented Year 7 Gymnasts so it was strange to have such a young Under 19 team in the competition. With expectations tempered, the performances were fantastic! Our Under 19s, consisting of Lara Thornton (Year 7, Austen 7), Poppy Whelehan (Year 7, Parks 10), Lucy Sutton (Year 9, Pankhurst 10), Hannah West (Year 9, Austen 4) and Abi Pinner (Year 11, Bronte 8) performed beautifully in their floor routines with Poppy Whelehan being highlighted by the judges for scoring an unprecedented 16 out of 16 points. The judge simply could not find any fault with her routine! Incredible. As a result of this stunning performance, the group won the bronze medal! The future certainly looks bright! The Under 14s did very well given the lack of experience in the group and performed some beautiful routines. This team of year 7s consisted of Naomi Hand, Nightingale 9; Isabel Webster, Pankhurst 3; Milly Crosby, Parks 6; Isabelle Tucker, Curie 4 and Scarlett Smith, Austen 10. They scored a group total of 117 points and have a lot to look forward to when they gain further experience. Well done to both teams! Miss Snook, Teacher of PE

PE and Sport

Go to @WycHighSports to see

the amazing routines!

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Bucks Schools Cross Country Races - Wednesday 3 February 2016 Hughenden Park Many girls from Wycombe High School took part in a cross country competition at Hughenden Park on Wednesday 3 February. It was a challenging course due to a hilly terrain and a very muddy river! The first category was the minor girls, Year 7's, running a distance of 1.8km. First was Megan Harris, Nightingale 10, who had a fantastic race finishing 3rd overall. Next came Megan Daley, Parks 5, finishing 26th, closely followed by Josie Empringham, Pankhurst 2 in 29th. Sky Axford, Nightingale 1 and Connie Dredge, Nightingale 7 came next, still with great positions of 48 and 49 respectively. Finally there was Mia Caddel, Curie 9, who finished 58th, out of a total of 98. All of the girls had great races, and so were able to finish 4th overall as a team. The next category was the junior girls, consisting of years 8 and 9, running a total distance of 3.2km. Emily Sanderson, Curie 3 was first, finishing 15th, just beating Mia Waterhouse, Austen 7, 16th, to the line. Then came Phoebe Haynes-Shariff, Curie 10, finishing in 23rd, Amelia Jarvis, Curie 1 in 28th, and Emily Westwood, Pankhurst 10 coming 32nd. Sadly, Jemima Copeman, Pankhurst 1 had to pull out of the race, although the she was in the top 10 before pulling out! Mei-Ya Lambert, Bronte 7 finished next, in 39th, with Harriet Graham, Bronte 7 in 42nd, and Tina Macaulay, Bronte 10 in 58th. Last but not least was Harriet Redington, Nightingale 9, who came 60th, and Elsie Watkins, Curie 7, who came 63rd. All of the girls finished in the top two thirds, due to amazing performances, meaning they came 3rd overall, almost beating Aylesbury High to second place, who finished only 0.4 seconds in front of them. The last category was the senior girls, years 10 and 11. They ran at total distance of 4.2km. The top three competitors from each school make up a team, but sadly, for Wycombe High school there were only two inter girls meaning they could not qualify for a team position. First finished was Ana Montgomery, Pankhurst 9, in 10th, and next was Lucy Wheeler, Nightingale 4 coming 20th. Both girls had excellent performances. All the girls who competed performed excellently, doing Wycombe High School proud! Ana Montgomery, Year 10, Pankhurst 9 This event was supported by Alan Hewson and Miss Snook.

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Congratulations to the U15 Squash team!

For the fourth consecutive year, Wycombe High School will be sending an U15 squash team to the

National Schools Finals…

They booked their place in the Finals earlier this week after a visit to the formidable Wycliffe College who

have an amazing record for producing squash champions. Our Wycombe High team proved to be far too

strong for them though. Abbie Sumner played first, sealing a 3-1 win against her opponent, giving us a

good start. Lucy Herrity and Hannah Krasner were up next and both had a competitive first game with

their opponents but both came through convincingly to win 3-0.

Gina Mullis and Alysha Martin finished the tie in style, both sweeping aside their opponents in double-

quick time to also win 3-0.

Overall, a fantastic 5-0 victory! Congratulations to Alysha, Gina, Lucy and Hannah who will be making

return trips to the Finals and a special well done to Abbie Sumner who will be making the trip for her first

time.

Wish them the best of luck for the Finals – taking place on 8 March in Nottingham.

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Keeping the WHS Sport-a-thon Alive! The PE Department has been producing lots of events to help students and staff meet the challenge of completing the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles) since the start of the challenge in January.

Staff v Student Badminton Matches The PE Department have organised two Badminton matches so far. Most recently on Friday 12 Februay they held an International Style Staff V Students Badminton match in the Sports Hall during lunchtime. To raise funds they charged £1 to enter and £1 to watch with additional buckets on the door to encourage more donations. To secure a place on the teams one had to sign up quickly as only the first eight staff and first eight students were sure to secure a place! Each player was given a partner and a country to represent on the day. Results of the event will be published in the March edition of High Flyer. MaraFUN Every Wednesday lunchtime the PE Department have set up lots of fun sporty events for students and staff to participate in. So far they have jogged, walked, keepy-uppied and three-legged around a mile course (four laps) on the field.

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The Psychology of Love Around this time of year, we find ourselves becoming increasingly aware of one thing: love. When it’s nearing Valentine’s Day and all the shops are decorated with red and pink hearts, people seem to become obsessed with romantic relationships. This could manifest in many ways, such as expressing how glad you are to be single, crying into a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, or enjoying time spent with a special someone. But what exactly is love? Romantic love causes many changes to occur for both men and women, and there are lots of theories surrounding the different stages of “falling in love”. Elizabeth Kane states that the first stage is the initial attraction. Have you ever been talking to someone when suddenly your heart is pounding, your palms are sweating, and a whole

load of positive energy is flooding your system? This could be because hormones such as dopamine,

oxytocin and serotonin are making you more alert and ready to bond. But there are billions of people on Earth, how are we supposed to choose the right one? Researchers suggest that we are attracted to those we subconsciously view as having the best genes for our future children. This genetic assessment can be done in various ways, one of the strangest being through smell. Several studies have been conducted where women have had to rank men’s t-shirts according to how attractive the smell is. They have found that the scents women like best belong to men who have different major

histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes than they do. This may be because MHC genes play a large role in immune function, so seeking out opposite gene pools would be beneficial in helping children develop a better immune system. However, as birth control pills fool a woman’s body into believing that she is pregnant, women on the pill tend to be more attracted to those with similar MHC genes. This could be because the hormonal changes that mimic pregnancy cause women to be more drawn to relatives – or those with the same MHC genes – for support. Therefore birth control pills could potentially lead to relationship problems. For example, research shows that women in relationships with men who have similar MHC genes to them are more likely to cheat on their partners as a result of feeling less sexually satisfied.

Furthermore, if a woman were to stop taking the pill during a relationship, the hormonal changes could lead to her feeling more drawn to men with different MHC genes, causing the couple to break up. Another way of making sure you pick the right partner is through kissing. The three main theories for why this is the case include: assessing genetic quality of mates, increasing arousal, and keeping relationships together. In a survey, women generally rated kissing as more important in relationships than men. Perhaps this is because women must invest more time into raising a child – nine months of pregnancy and up to several years of breastfeeding – so they are more selective in choosing partners. It has been suggested that kissing can help this process of choosing a mate as it allows people to subconsciously pick up on biological cues for genetic fitness, compatibility or general health. Yet kissing isn’t just important in finding romantic partners, it also has a huge role in maintaining the relationship. Long-term couples who kiss more frequently tend to have a better quality of relationship, but this link was not seen when it came to having more sex. When you kiss

Psychology

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someone, oxytocin and dopamine are released, helping you to relax, bond with your partner and create feelings of love and desire. A study at Lafayette College found that levels of the stress hormone cortisol decreased after long-term couples kissed. They also found that the longer the couple had been together, the further the levels dropped. This shows just how important kissing is in maintaining a happy and healthy relationship.

Although where does the desire for love come from? Why do we find ourselves falling in love with someone so deeply that we can’t even imagine our lives without them, only to fall back out of love a few years later? Why is it that following a break up, we mourn a “broken heart”? Recent studies of brain scans show that being in love can affect the brain in ways that are strikingly similar to serious mental health problems such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction. Literature has often described love as a kind of madness, and knowing that this is reality can help us improve relationships in the long run. Brain scans of people suffering from a broken heart when shown a picture of their ex-lover showed activity in the dopamine system in the brain – which is associated with pleasure and addiction – as well as in regions associated with risk taking, controlling anger, obsessive compulsive problems and even physical pain. This

gives us an insight into how much of an impact breakups can have on our mental health and can help explain some of the strange behaviour often associated with love. While other animals have strong reproductive instincts, humans have developed the ability to resist them, for example by deciding to be celibate or using contraception. So why do we keep having children when we could easily avoid the hard work of raising them? Most of the time, the decision to have children is made by a couple in love. In fact, most people only experience feelings of being madly in love for around two years: the perfect amount of time our ancestors would require to produce and wean one child. Is the madness of love purely to ensure that our genes are passed on to the next generation? Or is there something more?

As humans, many of us crave companionship and there is a lot of emphasis placed on finding that perfect match, or “soulmate”, to spend the rest of our lives with. Social norms push us to spend months or even years searching for a partner. This intense obsession with love has led to the creation of countless ways to try to find someone, such as dating sites and speed dating events. We desire the comfort and reassurance of knowing that there is at least one person who understands us and cares about us enough to put us before everyone else. Erin Parry-Bennee, Year 12, Parks 3, News Crew

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Class of 2015 Student Receives Prestigious Salters’ Chemistry Award The Salters’ Institute is the educational charity of the larger Salters’ Company, originally called the Worshipful Company of Salters. The company is ranked 9th in the United Kingdom’s official order of precedence. Given its Royal Charter in 1394 by Richard II, the Salters’ Company is one of the Great Twelve City of London companies. While the umbrella organisation Salters’ Company has a very wide focus, the Salters’ Institute is a charity which seeks to promote the appreciation of chemistry, harking back nonetheless to the Company’s original foothold in the salt trade. The Institute aims to help introduce children to the fascinating world of chemistry through a variety of means, such as running workshops and staging lectures. Another facet of the Institute involves supporting the hard work of chemistry teachers and professors. There are three main prizes given out by the Salters’ Institute. One such award is the Salters’ Advanced Chemistry Award. A prestigious title, it is awarded to students who perform at the highest level in their A Level Chemistry exams. A member of last year’s Year 13, Joanna Ye, was awarded this prize for her outstanding mark in her A2 Chemistry examination; she gained the second highest mark in the whole of the UK. The award, and the company as a whole, celebrates the utmost excellence in the sciences, a demonstration of Joanna’s achievement.

The award ceremony took place at Fishmongers’ Hall, a seven hundred year old building in the City of London. The Hall is home to another of the Great Twelve City of London livery companies,

and has been featured prominently in history. It has also had its fair share of hardships, being partially destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and then again reduced to near rubble by German bombs in World War II. But the building was in great shape, ready to receive the 170 guests and prospective prize-winners on Thursday 29 November 2015. The evening began with a keynote address from Professor Sir John Holmon, who is the Chairman of the Salters’ Institute, and who also presented the awards. Ellie Tarr, Year 12, Parks 9, News Crew

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Bridging the Physical and the Digital- What is Aurasma? It’s an Augmented Reality technology. Huh? Well, the technology is available on an app for iOS and it very simply allows you to set what is known as a ‘Trigger’ which can be an image, a picture or a physical object. When you point your Smart Phone or Tablet at that trigger, that’s when the fun begins.

The overlays can be videos, 3D animations, URL’s etc. It’s a way to let the physical world around you interact with the digital world and link the two together. So what sort of things might you start to see over the next 6-12 months around the school and in the Technology Department especially?

Inspirational figures will become interactive and come alive. You’ll have images in your workbooks linked to revision notes or more reading articles There will be immersive notes that bring objects alive. Language tags where tough sentences or technical terminology can be displayed so when the iPad is pointed at it, instant translations and explanations can be given. A School tour – by pointing a device at your school, you’ll be able play a video walk through links to revision notes, articles and videos. By pointing an iPad at equipment in your technology lab or work shop you’ll get a virtual manual as a reminder of how to use the equipment, ensuring safety aspects are followed. How do I use it? Download the app on your Smart Phone or Tablet, create an account and follow a user name, just like Facebook or Instagram. This will allow access to all of that person’s Auras, or search for public Auras if you need inspiration.

Try it, you’ll love it, its available to anyone with an email address.

Craig Nevard, Teacher of Design and Technology

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Year 8 Food Technology Day On the Year 8 Technology Day, I chose Food Tech. Our task was to create a new cookie for a coffee shop, and present it to the rest of the group. Our day started with a quiz on food hygiene, to make sure that we remembered what we had learnt in Year 7.

Then, we watched a video about how cookies are made on an industrial level. Next, we learnt about the components of cookies, along with their importance and started to design our own. We did this in groups of four, we were given the basic recipe, along with some other ingredients, such as raisins and cocoa powder, which we could put in to make our cookie unique. Our group settled on cherry and chocolate cookies, in a checker board pattern. In period three we made our cookies; we were all assigned roles and had to work efficiently as we only had one hour. Once our cookies were finished, in Period four, we went to a computer room to design our packaging, do nutritional analysis and create our

presentation. Finally, in Period five it was time to present. There were 10 groups in total and we all took turns to present our cookies to our peers, as well as the teachers who were the judges.

Once that was done, the teachers announced the winning group, which consisted of myself, Isabel Dixon, Parks 7, Olivia Bradley, Parks 8 and

Aaysha Ahmad, Austen 6. All in all, it was a really fun day, and also helpful for making our option choices, such as Food Enrichment. Rosie Coward, Year 8, Austen 9

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Rotary Young Chef Competition – Area Final Report On Monday 25 January 2016 two Wycombe High School girls from Year 9, Kristen Light (B4) and Chloe Dove (B2), returned to the kitchens to compete in the local Area Final of the Rotary Young Chef Competition. In total there were 11 contestants from seven different local schools all ready to cook a three course meal for the judges under £15.

The contestants had 2 hours to complete this and they promptly started at 6.30 pm. When the heat finished all the amazing dishes were presented to the judges led by the locally renowned chef David Hill. The Mayor of High Wycombe, Mr Hanif was also present and he shook hands with all the contestants and presented certificates to everyone and prizes to those who came 1st, 2nd and 3rd and the winner was myself! I am now going through to the next round, the District Final on Saturday 27 February in Bracknell, for which I am very excited to compete. My winning menu consisted of Seared Scallops on Pea Puree with Crispy Pancetta to start, followed by Pan-fried Seabass, wilted leeks, potato rosti, green beans with vermouth sauce and then completed with Vanilla terrine with a shortbread biscuit and homemade raspberry coulis for dessert. Chloe Dove, Bronte 2, Year 9

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Year 8 Technology Taster Day On 7 January, Year 8 had a technology taster day, when we could choose to do Graphics, Textiles or Food Technology, this was to help us make an informed decision about any potential early entry GCSE's we’re considering taking as by this point we had only sampled one of the Technologies in full. I decided to do Graphics because I really enjoyed it in Year 7 and I was considering it as one of my GCSE choices.

In Graphics, we were divided into two groups; one with Mr Nevard and one with a combination of Mrs Hill and Ms Davies. I was with Mr Nevard for the beginning of the day and then when we split into smaller groups to begin the practical and CAD (Computer Aided Design) stages, with Ms Davies. First of all, we were given our task. Each of us would be given an A5 piece of acrylic plastic, with a choice of six colours. We could make anything we wanted to, but the initial ideas given to us were a mobile phone / tablet stand or picture frame. We would eventually go on to laser cut this and model it, with decorations to finish. We started with a difficult session of brainstorming and creating a design concept in only 30 minutes. I usually take longer to think of multiple ideas and to think about which one will be the best to do, so this was a good test of my adaptability skills. This process taught me how to come up with a good idea quickly and to be open to change aspects of the design whilst in the process

of making it. As we produced our products we were able to confirm the dimensions were correct and that they would look aesthetically pleasing. I came up with a Union Jack design in black plastic with various lines cut or engraved to create more of a visual effect. I eventually finished off my model using gold Vinyl stickers for decoration. As I wanted this union jack to be a phone case it had arms and legs that would wrap around the phone to hold it in place. Designing this on 2D design, a computer software was the most challenging part of the day because we had never used the package before and had one hour to learn, create and save our design ideas. As you can see from my picture, my design was very detailed and had small parts of engraving that were only 2mm apart in some places. As it was so complex, I spent a little longer on the CAD stage than others, which meant that that I missed most of the decoration stage where we were cutting out vinyl stickers and completing the worksheet in preparation to finish the model. My phone case was only just cut in time for me to decorate it before the deadline, so I had to bend the arms using a Strip Heater quickly and luckily got it right first time. Although if I had made a mistake, as Acrylic is a Thermoplastic I could have re-heated it and tried again. I finished off my model the following lunch time adding the final touches gold Vinyl and am really proud of the outcome. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and am looking forward to continuing Graphics in year 8 and possibly my GCSE's. Isobel Potter, Year 8, Nightingale 10

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Letting of School Premises One way in which we can raise funds is to hire out various areas and facilities of Wycombe High School, for example, Sports Hall, Lecture Theatre, Conference Room, The Forum, classrooms etc. For details of availability, charges and a booking form, please contact Reception on 01494 523961 or email Reception@whs.bucks.sch.uk.

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