THE NEWS JOURNAL OF WEST KIRBY GRAMMAR SCHOOL

ISSUE 19 SUMMER 2012

ForewordForewordSummer may be late this year and sunshine mayhave been a rare occurrence, but there’scertainly a lot to smile about and to celebrate –nationally, the Diamond Jubilee, the forthcomingOlympics, maybe the football and in school awealth of talents and achievements.

This year the school has gained the InclusionAward, been re-awarded the Cultural DiversityAward and achieved Artsmark Gold. We are alljustly proud of these awards for they recognisethe work, the commitment and the success ofthe teachers and their students.

There have been numerous groups andindividual successes in all years and in all areasof the curriculum and school life. I’m not goingto name the students for there are too many ofthem and they are too modest. But we are veryproud of each and every one of them, as I amsure you are.

And before us, over the Summer, trips to Europe,a group of drama students performing at theEdinburgh Fringe Festival and, when we return inSeptember, the school’s centenary celebrationsbegin.

Thank you. The students achieve so muchbecause we all work together and support andappreciate each other. We all want the studentsto do well and they never disappoint us. Have agood Summer and hopefully the sun willeventually shine!

G RobinsonHeadteacher

WIRRALYOUNGPOETLAUREATEHaving applied in January to renew the

school’s Artsmark status, we are

delighted to have been awarded

Artsmark Gold! This is the highest level

that can be achieved. The Arts Council,

the awarding body, said that the school

“demonstrates an excellent commitment

to providing high quality arts provision

that is embedded in the curriculum”.

The variety of arts activity available to

our pupils is outstanding. You will no

doubt we aware how many and various

are these activities when reading

Westword! This is unquestionably due

to the creativity, hard work and

commitment shown by our students and

their teachers. Well done to all.

Mrs J Morrison

ArtsmarkAWARD

UK YoungScientist ofTHE YEARKirtana Vallabhaneni has won theprestigious UK Young Scientist of the Yearaward. Completion of a Nuffield Bursarystudying pancreatic cancer at LiverpoolUniversity led to selection for the final.

Kirtana worked on isolating cells in thepancreas that can be targeted withchemotherapy. Winning the title has led toa lot of media attention both at home andabroad. Kirtana has been interviewed onlocal radio and Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.She has also been interviewed by Indiantelevision and radio stations, to name but afew!

Her prize includes a visit to a Europeanresearch project in Spain, an adventureholiday in the Amazon rainforest, and a tripto the Houses of Parliament. Kirtana hopesto study medicine at University College,London.

Mrs K Whiteley

Golden Education“Education is key”, a wise person once said to me;a wonder is the gift of literacy.It can enhance your mind and broaden your sightwith language of beauty, and words of might.It can create a world in which to escape,and your own imagination it soon shall shape.Learning is a process; one of progression; it defines who you are, it allows you expression.My book shelf is large, a tapestry threaded of where I have been, and where I am headed.For this is the year which pursues my next fight to better myself, to reach a new height.2012 the world shall watch as athletes press; running, swimming and jumping to success.They represent the power, the magic of ambition, in a world where lives are a frequent competition.So as hurdles are jumped, and somersaults displayed, I will pack up my books, chin high, unafraid.For the challenge of University awaits, a medal of gold; one that will inspire, and one I long to unfold.“Education is key”, a wise person once said to meYou need the determination of an athletic devotee.And it is for this reason I proudly persevere, knowing 2012 will be my special year.

Beth KadyWirral Young Poet Laureate

The winner of the Chris

Salmon Poetry Competition this

year was Leanne Cunningham.

Beth Kady was placed second

and Olivia Johnson third.

Beth Kady was awarded the

title of Wirral Poet Laureate.

In February, a small group of sixth form students took part in the 2012 UK Linguistics Olympiadwhich is part of an international competition designed primarily for language students but appealsto anyone with a good sense of logic! After several weeks of practice and a lot of head-scratchingover the more difficult questions, the WKGS competitors sat the test which consisted of questionsbased on small samples of obscure or invented languages which students then had to use to workout linguistic rules. This was an extremely challenging task and both Mrs Jenkins and Mrs Terrywere hugely impressed by the ability of the team to take it on without breaking into a cold sweat!

This was our first ever entry to the competition. We were very pleased with the results whichincluded one Bronze and two Silver Standard classifications. Well done to all who took part andparticularly to Rachel Byrne, Harriet Marsland and Emma Runswick in Year 12 who achieved veryhighly.

Mrs K Jenkins

Every year we enter 100 students for each of the UKMT Individual challenges. The Challenges are lively, intriguing multiplechoice question papers, which are designed to stimulate interest in maths.

We have continued to exceed the average of 40% of the entry being awarded certificates. In November the 6th form gained 41certificates in the Senior Challenge, closely followed by 66 certificates arriving after the Intermediate Challenge which was takenby Years 11, 10 and 9. Laura Tasker ( Yr9) did so well that she qualified for the follow-on round, comprising of the International

Grey Kangaroo paper. Lastly the Junior Challenge for Year 7 and 8 yielded a magnificent 73 certificates. Congratulations to all our entrants for their mathematical prowess.

We have also entered the two Team Challenges this year. Our Senior Team acquitted themselves well but a win still eludes them- there’s always next year! However the Juniorteam consisting of Xanthe Malcolm, Laura Tasker, Phoebe Cardus and Charlotte Dawson (Years 9 & 8) triumphed in the Regional Final in February and deservedly earned their placein the National Final in London in June.

Mrs J Judge

'Pirates of Penzance' was a fun and livelyperformance for everyone involved. It broughttogether many year groups in school and both thecast and chorus got to know each other well. Theperformance was really funny (and quite silly!) but

the audiences really enjoyed it. The music was new to us all but with a lot of practice, and MrsWilliams' and Mrs Williamson's help, we managed to perfect it. We had lots of fun dancing andlearning the choreography from Mrs Becks. In the end, even the five hour rehearsals were worth it!

Sophie Gee and Anita Thompson, 8J

In my recent drama lessons I was asked todevise a performance that encouragedpeople to think or challenge preconceivedattitudes. I created a piece called The RedBalloon which was about OCD. I wanted tomake my performance accurate so Iresearched and met with people who had

experienced it. After performing to my class I was asked to perform foran audience of staff, students and parents. The Red Balloon has alsobeen filmed with the intention of sending it to the National Theatreand a local politician who wishes to pass it on to outside agencies. Ihave been very pleased by the response that the piece has had andhope that it has made some differences to people's views on OCD.

For more information on OCD visit www.ocduk.org

Kate Collins – 9R

At the end of April, five Upper Sixth Germanstudents had the opportunity to attend a six-day European Conference on ‘Rebellion of the

Young’ in Gladenbach, Germany. We prepared presentations on the situation foryoung people in England which were shown to sixty students and teachers from ten differentEuropean countries. It was fascinating to see how we are all affected by similar problems, includingrising university fees and a lack of voice within society. In international groups, we came up withsolutions and presented them in role plays for the school. Highlights had to be sitting around thecamp fire talking to our new foreign friends and teaming up with Calday to win the Eurovision witha fully choreographed rendition of the Friends Theme Tune. It was a great way to end our last year atWest Kirby and I’m sure it’s an experience we’ll remember forever!

Rachel Jones U66 & Kate Partridge U62

On Thursday 29 March 2012, Mr Chalmers’Folk Group did a special performance of carefully rehearsed

songs to a very select audience of about 20. They sang andperformed a number of different songs, and used a lot of differentinstruments, including the English Concertina, Guitars, Cello andUkulele. The songs were all in the genre of Folk, and were songs byartists such as The Fleet Foxes. The audience were encouraged tojoin in with the more well known songs and, judging by theapplause, I would say they very much enjoyed the performance.

Bethany Armitage 7JM

The whole of Year 8travelled to Liverpoolto visit the Al-RahmaMosque. We wereable to access awonderful tour ofthe mosque andexperience more ofthe Muslim faithwith our very owneyes. There was plenty of time to ask questions about the Mosque andMuslim community. Everybody enjoyed this new experience of visitingan Islamic place of worship.

Megan Hindley and Kate Mimnagh – 8W

UK Linguistic Olympiad

EuropeanConference

Pirates

UKMT Maths Successes

DRAMAPIECEOCD

YEAR 8 Mosque Visit

Folk ClubConcert

NewsArt

We are delighted to announce that A level Fine Art Student, AmyCowley, has been selected to receive the John Ockendon Prizefrom Deeside Arts Group judges. Her project inspired by thecinema, focusing on ‘The Lone Figure’ was commended by thejudges for her artistic merit. The judges found it extremelydifficult to select a winner as they were impressed by the highlevel of talented students. This year, they have also decided tohighly commend Caroline Watt and Charlotte Birch on individualpaintings that they created for their personal investigations.

Mrs L Stinchcombe

Pirates

WKGS’ EngineeringTeam (JenniferStoddart, SophieHanson, Emma Lamontand William Carter)recently went to theUniversity of Liverpoolfor the celebration andassessment day for theEngineering EducationScheme. The team

have spent 6 months working on a real engineering project withEssar at Stanlow Oil Refinery. At the assessment day they gave apresentation in front of a panel of judges and presented a poster andformal report of their work. They have achieved a great deal,learning problem solving skills, demonstrating outstandingcommitment and teamwork. They each received a Gold Crest Award.

Dr K Hill

Debbie Martin (Year 12) went to the University of Liverpool for a number ofweeks on Wednesday evenings to attend the Nuclear Physics Masterclass.This gave her the opportunity to get a real insight into University Physics,carrying out experimental work using techniques and equipment notavailable in school. She worked with a team researching Medical Physicstechniques using gamma rays. Debbie has also been accepted to take partin the Senior Physics Challenge in Cambridge in July (one of only 60 studentsfrom all UK schools).

Dr K Hill

In April, we held our presentation for all studentswho had completed their Duke of EdinburghAward during the past twelve months. Theparticipants spoke of their experiences duringtheir award and how it had enhanced theirstudies. Mr Bob Saunders was our guest speakerand spoke to the audience with great passion forthe scheme.

We are very proud of all the students who take onthe challenge of the Award, watching themdevelop and mature as they learn a great varietyof new skills.

This year we were delighted to present 75 BronzeAwards, 53 Silver Awards and have had 42students complete their Gold Award. These Goldstudents are invited to St James’ Palace to receivetheir certificates and I was lucky enough to attenda recent presentation when 15 of our girls werereceiving their Gold certificates.

Mrs A Whitehead

Pupils in Year 7enjoyed their 3rdPLTS day in

March. They spent the day workingwith peers from the same town or village, lookingat both how to promote and develop the area inwhich they live. This led to an afternoon’s‘Apprentice’ activity in which pupils presented toour very own Lord Sugar (in the form of Mr Weston)and his team. This was a very enjoyable event inwhich the girls had to think quickly and work as ateam with others. Lord Sugar was impressed!

Year 9 enjoyed the summer PLTS programme inwhich they spent two days looking at the solarsystem and why Earth sustains life. This led to formgroups looking at carbon footprints and how‘green’ our supermarkets are. Much was achievedin a short space of time, and we are extremelygrateful to Dr Lynn Moran from Liverpool Universityfor her huge contribution to the second day.

Mr M Thomas

As part of the Year 9 PSHE programme,Wirral Brook came in to school in April todeliver their ‘Bitesize’ half-day course. Thecourse covered topics such as sexual healtheducation, alcohol and drugs awareness andthe law. Brook is the country's largest youngpeople's relationship and sexual healthcharity, providing education, support andadvice to young people under the age of 25.The aim of the course was to help studentsto make good, informed lifestyle choices. Thefeedback from the girls was extremelypositive, with pupils enjoying the informalatmosphere and the opportunity to broadentheir knowledge on a range of issues. Thestaff from the Brook were excellent,combining knowledgeability and experiencewith approachability and good humour.

Ms S Gill

In May we were fortunate to host Dr Paul Wigley, from the University of Liverpool. He came to deliver afascinating lecture on the E.coli infection of beansprouts in Germany in 2011. For the first part of the talk he dealtwith the bacterium and how it causes illness in a manner that was understandable to the layperson whilstretaining enough hard core science to please those with a biological background. For the remainder of theevening Dr Wigley gave an account of when the university was asked by local news for a comment. Inadvertentlyhe became the “media darling” of E. coli for a few days; being live on TV as well as giving interviews to radiofrom places such as Canada, S Korea and New Zealand. A truly interesting and amusing evening, delivered bysomeone who is extremely knowledgeable about his subject as well as passionate.

Mr L Allport

Science Evening Lecture

Nuclear Physics Masterclass

DUKE OFEDINBURGHAWARDPresentation ofCertificates

ENGINEERINGEducation Scheme

Bitesize Brook

GERMAN EXCHANGEOur annual German Exchange is now in its 32nd year. In the spring, a group of Year 10 pupils enjoyed a week inGladenbach, staying with the families of students from our partner school, the Europaschule in Gladenbach. Theweek proved to be a great success, with plenty of opportunity to practise the language and gain a betterunderstanding of both school and home life in Germany. As well as attending lessons, pupils took part in severalvisits, including the Mathematikum in Giessen, medieval Marburg and a day in Frankfurt. A few days after ourreturn, we hosted our German partners, whose visits included Port Sunlight, Liverpool and Chester. This was a greatexperience for all girls taking part. We look forward to our 33rd exchange next year!

Mr M Thomas

PLTS

GERMAN EXCHANGE

West Kirby Grammar SchoolGraham Road, West Kirby, Wirral CH48 5DP

Tel: 0151 632 3449 • Fax: 0151 632 1224Email: schooloffice@westkirby-grammar.wirral.sch.ukWebsite: www.westkirby-grammar.wirral.sch.uk

Printed using vegetable based inks on paper sourced from responsibly managed forests

SPORTS NEWSSPORTS NEWS

An audience of 250 girls packed the school hall to watch girlsfrom years 7 and 8 perform in the ‘Dance Factor’ competition.The standard was extremely high and gave our 4 judges Tulisa(Mrs Stenhouse) Cheryl (Miss Edwards), Kelly (Mrs McKenzie)and Simon (Mr Sweatman) a very difficult job! There wereprizes for choreography, performance and interpretation ofthe music. The overall best dance went to Millie Hodges,Maddie Stevens and Darcy Burchall from year 7 and SophieMc Gregor and Megan Hindley in year 8. Well done to all thegirls who took part and for putting on such a fantastic show.

Mrs R Becks

The 2012 London Olympic Torch made a surpriseappearance at West Kirby in February! Nick Raines, aMetropolitan Police Officer in charge of the Torch, gavean interesting presentation on the Olympics and the torchdesign. He even let us touch it!

The U16 Netball team retained their Merseyside County Championship title in March.They qualified for the finals and went on to win all of their matches, beating WirralGrammar, Woodchurch, St. Mary's Crosby, Range and Sacred Heart to take the title. TheU14 and U18 teams were both placed 3rd in their respective County Finalstournaments.

The U12 and U13 teams played some excellent netball to both finish as runners up inthe Wirral schools Netball tournaments. Both teams won their groups and then theirsemi-finals against Birkenhead School. Unfortunately both teams lost narrowly to Wirralin the finals. There were 18 teams in the Year 7 competition and 16 teams in the Year 8so they did extremely well.

The Year 7 Sports Hall athletics team were placed 3rd (out of 13 teams) in theMerseyside County Finals. They were the top placed Wirral School, scoring 350 pointsand only missed out on qualification for the North West finals by 5 points.

The following students competed in the Wirral Schools Athletics trials and will now goforward to represent Wirral at the Merseyside County Championships in June: AshleaWard (75m and 150m), Olivia Batty (75m), Laura Butters (150m), Lucy Jamieson(1200m and Long Jump), Bethan Davies-William (Long Jump), Ryam Al-Rawi (Shot),Francesca Way (Hurdles), Emma Backhouse (High Jump) and Mackenzie Allen (Javelin).

Mrs A Goodall

On Sunday 13 May, the U13 Gymnasticsteam competed in the Schools’ NationalFinal Competition for Floor and Vault.Each team competing were representinga region and had qualified by winningtheir regional round.

West Kirby Grammar School representedthe North West and was one of 12teams competing. The standard of allteams was very high and we were proudto finish in 6th position overall.

THE TEAM WAS: Cara Harris, Lucy Hodgson, Hannah Bennet, Ella Wilkinson and Esme Hayes.

Mrs A Whitehead

Merseyside Schools’ Table Tennis TournamentCongratulations to Rachel Scott who has beenselected to play table tennis for both Cheshireand the North West.

Many thanks to all those who have been busy intheir fundraising efforts for this year’s SchoolCharity, Make A Wish Foundation.

The charity does invaluable work in realising thedreams of terminally ill children all over the UK.Charity events, ranging from themed cake andsweet sales to teacher karaoke, have so far raised£3,000. Keep up the good work everyone!

Pictured is the presentation of a cheque for£5,310 to The Alzheimer’s Society which waslast year’s School Charity.

Mrs F Limberg

DANCE U13 GymnasticSuccess

Olympic Events

Charity Update

The PE department hosted an Olympics weekbetween the 28th May and the 1st June. It wasan action packed week which aimed to inspirepupils to take an interest in the Olympic Gamesthis summer. Each year group had a lunchtimeOlympics where form groups competed for gold,silver and bronze position in a number of events.Each form also attempted to run a marathon.There was also a lunch time club where pupilscould make their own Olympic flame and variousother Olympic themed activities throughout theweek. A lot of fun was had by all and we arenow waiting with anticipation to see how ourathletes do in the summer.

Mrs R Becks

OLYMPIC Torch

Factor The U16 Gymnastics team participated in the Carita HouseFloor, Vault and Group Competition and again won theregional round, qualifying to represent the North West inthe Schools’ National Final. Again,they performed to a veryhigh standard and came5th overall in a very strongfield.

THE U16 TEAM WERE:Rebecca Molloy, SophieGradden, Lucy Hodgson,Cara Harris, Ella Wilkinsonand Esme Hayes.

Well done to all gymnastsfor their continuedcommitment to the teams.

Mrs A Whitehead

U16 Gymnastic Success