Cranford Community College, High Street, Cranford, Hounslow. TW5 9PD Tel: 020 8897 2001 www.cranford.hounslow.sch.uk

During the Easter holidays a group of Cranford students and teachers made the three hour train journey to Penrith station, situated in the heart of the Lake District, our destination: the Outward Bound Centre. The water in the nearby lake at the centre splashed ominously, as if it were trying to warn us to be prepared for what was to come in the week ahead; jumping in freezing lakes, building rafts and then precariously racing them over long distances in the water – and this was just the beginning.

We clambered through freezing water falls as we embarked upon the overnight mission. Six hours of torturous climbing with excruciatingly heavy backpacks was not something we thought ourselves capable of, but when

AOncein a

LifetimeExperience

we finally reached the summit the feeling of accomplishment flowed through each and every one of us; we had managed an extraordinary feat. At our overnight camp, viewing the

thousands of shining stars in the jet black sky was a magical moment and one that I believe will never be forgotten by any of us, as it reminded us that there

is more to life than just living in the city.

This trip was indeed a once in a life time experience; we embarked upon a journey that many would shiver to simply think off. Along the way there was some trepidation and even some

poignant moments, but ultimately, we faced the best the mountain could give us and we emerged victorious.

By Faizan Khan (year 12)

THE CRANFORD REVIEW June 2010

• ROUTINE BY CHRISTOPHER NICOLL (CRANFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE)

Every day the same. Nothing changes.The alarm goes off at 7.30. I heave myself out of bed. I get ready. I leave the house. I go to school. I work. I go home. I eat. I go to bed. And the routine starts over again in the morning.

It never changes: it almost can’t be changed.

Why must we live in this way? It makes no sense. On the odd occasion, if you muster the power, you can break out of the mould. And for those brief moments in time you are free.

But if you don’t treasure these moments, you will never be free. The routine always finds a way of coming back.

Free to do what you want.

The long ride on the school bus through wild countryside and busy streets was tiring and made the perfect conditions for a quick nap. As we arrived in Oxford and just a few hundreds yards away from the Oxford University colleges, everyone stood up in amazement to appreciate the magnificent gothic architecture.

We walked into Christ Church feeling as if we had been transported to the world of Harry Potter; the college campus was glorious in its own right. The trip was organised by First Story and all participants were invited to attend the Oxford Literary event. This takes place once a year where writers come to share their work, so it was an honour to be there. The whole group became like children again as we explored our way through the college and visited the old library, dorms and gardens.

I was to be on a panel with Philip Pullman (Author of Golden Compass & Of His Dark Materials). William Fiennes

(Author of The Music Room), Ms Powell, who is leading the current writers’ group plus other writers and students from a variety of schools. All of the students were given the opportunity to read their story and talk about their experience of being in First Story. I was nervous at first, with so many strangers in the audience, but I later got on with it and was glad to have had such an amazing opportunity.

By Cyrus Mwangi (year 12)

Sixth form First Story

writer’s forum at Oxford University

On Thursday 18 March 2010, seventeen year 9 students along with Mrs Gawali travelled to the Paul Robeson Theatre in Hounslow’s Treaty Centre. We were there because Cranford took part in the Hounslow Big Read. The challenge was to read a couple of books and to write a review. We had to vote on the book which we thought the best. Most schools in the Borough were running this challenge too. At Cranford we voted for the title ‘Numbers’ by Rachel Ward and guess what… ‘Numbers’ won!

The results were presented by author Ian Beck, who was there to talk about his new book, his first one for teenagers called ‘PastWorld’. After the talk we had a question and answer session. He talked about his work as an illustrator.

I thought that the trip was very interesting because for me it was the second time I had met an author.

By Jad Greisaty (year 9)

19 March 2010, and it had been months since our team had begun preparing for The Times Spelling Bee Local Play-Off. Savas Barima, Manraj Rai, Ali Alweis and myself (Mariyum Mahmood), tried to think positively and stay focused so on the day of the Spelling Bee we knew it was time to ‘pull up our socks’. Once we arrived at Feltham Cineworld, ‘The Cranford Crew’ met their rivals for the very first time. There were two rounds, the play off and the quick fire round. The final scores were very close. We did not come first place but we got goody bags with a cinema ticket, note book, pens, pencils and badges for superb effort towards the spelling bee.

Our sixth form mentors (Simran Kahlon, Amarpal Khuttan and Kiranpreet Bains) had a few words on our efforts “All of the members of the Spelling Bee worked extremely hard and are very clever, interesting characters. We enjoyed working with each of them. In the audience we all glowed with pride as we watched ‘The Cranford Crew’ compete against very high calibre rivals. We hope that all contestants enjoyed the in-school sessions and events, and hope that this experience will last them a lifetime. We are all very proud of each of them and they should be proud of themselves too”.

This has been the best experience anyone could ever have and we were part of it. I really hope that the next year 7 students continue the Spelling Bee so Cranford can be winners of the Times Spelling Bee competition.

By Mariyum Mahmood (year 7)

Hounslow TeenRead Awards Trip

This year’s circus based Sports Excellence Evening was a night filled with fun, excitement and entertainment. Performances from Mumeshi Kendo Club, Choi Kwang Do and the best of Cranford students dazzled the audience, as well as the more than interesting clown costumes from the PE staff (face paints and all).

Many awards were given out that evening including Coach of the Year awarded to Mr Kelly for his devotion to year 8 Boys Football and Zoe Mills (year 10) for Female Sports Personality.

Everyone nominated was congratulated and thanked for their efforts and wonderful commitment to the Physical Education department.

Gymnastics, trampolines, basketball, dancing and football - this night had it all. The whole evening was tied together by the outstanding presenting from

Jay Gohil (year 9) and Simran Kahlon (year 12), the teachers dressed as clowns and the ‘flipping’ trampoliners.

By Simran Kahlon (year 12)

March 2010 and the Panjabi Culture Week in Cranford Community College was celebrated by pupils with great excitement and enthusiasm. The main objective was to raise awareness and learn about Panjabi as a language and culture. Pupils from years 7 and 9 took part in school assemblies. They prepared and rehearsed a presentation about Panjabi culture and the Panjabi folk dance Bhangra for a month in their lunch breaks. Their excellent efforts were much appreciated by the staff and pupils from all the years. They received prizes for their hard work from Ms Kokri. They were very proud of their achievements which have built their self confidence and encouraged other pupils to participate in future events.

During tutor time pupils worked on a quiz ‘Some facts about the Panjab, the Panjabi community and Panjabi as a language.’ Pupils enjoyed learning about Panjabi and many took the opportunity to practise their mother tongue with Ms Kokri inside and outside of the lesson.

Panjabi food was served by the school canteen, which everyone enjoyed. It was delicious. The effort made by the kitchen staff to make such tasty food was much appreciated.

The local Panjabi radio, Desi Radio invited Ms Kokri for an interview on the school’s celebration of Panjabi Culture Week. Listeners to the radio station responded positively and welcomed the effort and opportunity given to Panjabi by the school.

It was a great week and enjoyed by the whole school community. Organising this event in my first year of teaching was a very good experience for me, hard work but rewarding.

By Ms P. Kokri (Panjabi Teacher)

The annual fashion show took on a new look this year. After non-stop emails to Ms Joyce and meetings with Business a date was finally set. 29 March 2010 was

a memorable date for many. This year the show was in aid of the Haiti appeal hence named ‘Fashion 4 Haiti’.

On 12 January 2010 at 4.53p.m. the small island of Haiti was hit by an enormous earthquake and the country was left in devastation. The show acclaimed as “the most entertaining

and organised yet” was a hit with the audience members of Cranford. Sixth Form and members of staff did what they do best; fashion, dance, presenting, singing and putting on a show to help raise money

so that the people of Haiti would be a small step closer to rebuilding their lives. The performances were fantastic and the audience was overwhelmed by the performance from Joseph the caretaker.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank those who bought tickets, supported us and who

took time out of their busy schedules to take part to ensure that ‘Fashion 4 Haiti’ was an unforgettable experience for all.

By Shivaani Kaushik, Amarpal Khuttan and Rajdeep Sidhu (year 12)

Sixth form Fashion Show for Haiti Appeal raises £ 415.00

A celebration of hiscommitment to Cranfordas a member of theGoverning Body

One of our longest standing and most committed members of the Governing Body Rod Lewis, husband of another dedicated Governor, Jenny, and father of Nicole (ex student) sadly died on Monday 22 February 2010.

Rod was an amazing and truly passionate supporter of the school and gave so much over so many years. He fought cancer for many years, defeating the odds over and over, even battling against paralysis to walk and wheel-chaired himself to so many school events during his final year. I have never known anyone with such resilience and optimism.

He was a great man to know and admire and I, others and the school already feel his loss. In recognition of his dedication to the school and in respect of the family’s wishes we have donated money to the Prostrate Cancer Trust and will continue to work to support this important charity in his memory.

Kevin Prunty (Headteacher)

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On 25 March 2010, Cranford Community College was honoured to be visited by Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC accompanied by Warrant Officer Lionel Zeffortt, to deliver an inspirational and motivational talk to year 11 students as part of their PSHCE programme.

Johnson spoke about growing up in Grenada as part of a large family without much money; he was 8 years old before he got his first pair of shoes. He moved to the UK in 1999 and lived in Heston. After struggling with unemployment, drug and alcohol problems he joined the British Army at the second attempt in 2001. He had been turned down 6 months previously for being overweight, unfit and sporting unruly dreadlocks.

He went on to talk about how he saved his friends and colleagues, how he couldn’t see where he was going because of the blood from a head wound. “I didn’t think about myself – I’m not important.”

There was an audible gasp across the Concert Hall when Lionel announced that he had brought his medals along, including the Victoria Cross which students were allowed to hold and admire at first hand. While the medals were passed round, the audience was invited to ask questions.

Year 11 were truly captivated and impressed by this incredible young man and I hope that they remember meeting him and listening to his story for a long, long time. I certainly will.

Cath Goold (PSHCE Coordinator)

The Jack Petchy Foundation Awards 2009

Rod Lewis:

National Hero visits Cranford

The award ceremony was a phenomenal event. The stage was set, the seats were full and best of all the presenter was here. Steven Day was our host for the evening. He kept us entertained throughout the evening with his funny jokes and great enthusiasm. There were some absolutely tremendous performances such as street dance, singing and classical dance. The awards were presented in a grand manner by the Mayor of

Hounslow. All the award winners from the schools were worthy of their achievements, including Mr Bray who won the teacher’s award. It was amazing to hear the variety of reasons why people won their award. All in all The Jack Petchy Awards was a great experience which I wish I could live again.

By Harshita Bedi (year 9)