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Xaverian College wishes all our students the very best for the future, good luck! Newsletter Winter 2016 The annual Xaverian College Reunion and Celebration Evening welcomed back last year’s leavers. For one night only the college sports hall was transformed into a party venue with music, drinks, buffet, photos, and even balloons which went down a treat! We were delighted to see so many students returning to celebrate their success, collect their hard earned certificates and share a drink with staff, friends and family. Our teachers congratulated our students for all their hard work, reminded them that they will always be a part of the Xaverian Community and wished them all every success for the future. Our guest speakers were then introduced on stage – firstly, former Xaverian student Mike Cooke, now Headteacher at Plymouth Grove Primary School. He shared his personal experience of being a former student, living with one arm but, spectacularly, managing to be the first English disabled athlete to swim the Channel; taking him 16h:40m. We then enjoyed a unique student perspective on life at Xaverian when Aidan Balfe, now studying at Oxford University, entertained the audience with his experiences and fond memories of Xaverian. His affectionate and very funny speech used the culinary delights of Rusholme to bring out the pleasure of the two years he and his friends spent at Xaverian. A professional photographer was there to take photos of our students, friends and families which are available from our college Flickr account. Congratulations to all our former students and we wish you well for the future. Reunion Evening… See more photos on Flickr: xaveriansfc

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Page 1: Download our latest Newsletter

Xaverian College wishes all our students the very best for the future, good luck!

NewsletterWinter 2016

The annual Xaverian College Reunion and Celebration Evening welcomed back last year’s leavers. For one night only the college sports hall was transformed into a party venue with music, drinks, buffet, photos, and even balloons which went down a treat! We were delighted to see so many students returning to celebrate their success, collect their hard earned certificates and share a drink with staff, friends and family.

Our teachers congratulated our students for all their hard work, reminded them that they will always be a part of the Xaverian Community and wished them all every success for the future.

Our guest speakers were then introduced on stage – firstly, former Xaverian student Mike Cooke, now Headteacher at Plymouth Grove Primary School. He shared his personal experience of being a former student, living with one arm but, spectacularly, managing to be the first English disabled athlete to swim the Channel; taking him 16h:40m.

We then enjoyed a unique student perspective on life at Xaverian when Aidan Balfe, now studying at Oxford University, entertained the audience with his experiences and fond memories of Xaverian. His affectionate and very funny speech used the culinary delights of Rusholme to bring out the pleasure of the two years he and his friends spent at Xaverian.

A professional photographer was there to take photos of our students, friends and families which are available from our college Flickr account.

Congratulations to all our former students and we wish you well for the future.

Reunion Evening…

See more photos on Flickr:xaveriansfc

Page 2: Download our latest Newsletter

AoC North West Netball

The Xaverian chamber choir recently performed at the Bridgewater Hall with well-known comedian Jason Manford in his Christmas concert with a packed audience of over 2000 people. The gig – in aid of Cheshire charity the Children’s Adventure Farm Trust for underprivileged kids – of which Jason is a patron – boasted some high profile appearances from fellow comedians John Bishop and Dave Spikey, and a reading from TV actress and Jason’s Ordinary Lies co-star Michelle Keegan.

Our students performed many carols including nativity carol, o come all ye faithful and backed Jason Manford in his rendition of O Holy Night as part of a 100 strong choir.

The choir were backed by an orchestra of 70, “The Piccadilly Symphony Orchestra are really great,” Jason enthused, “and they’re from all over Manchester and the North West. Some of them are graduates of Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern

College of Music and in the next 10 years you’ll see a lot of them playing with the Halle.”

The concert was a huge success and it was a great achievement for the choir to perform on one of the UK’s leading venues for classical music. The whole event was quite a spectacle, brilliant fun and really captured the festive spirit.

Jason said, “There’s a lot of people who come who don’t normally go to the Bridgewater Hall, perhaps because they feel a bit like they don’t know what’s going on there, or the venue is not for them. But there’s also a lot of people who come that don’t normally go to see carol concerts. As a comedian, it’s so often the case that I’m just cynical about everything! So it’s nice to do a show where my kids can come along and everyone gets up to sing the carols. It takes you back to another time.”

UK Maths Challenge

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Students at Xaverian College proved they are a mathematical match for anyone after scoring well in the individual and team Maths challenges held by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT).

The UKMT organises national mathematics competitions and other mathematical enrichment activities for 11-18 year old UK school pupils. Established in 1996 over 600,000 pupils from 4,000 schools took part in the three individual challenges last academic year. Each challenge leads into a follow-on Olympiad round and train the team of six to represent the UK in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Our top A and AS-Level Maths students went head-to-head with other high performing Maths students from schools and colleges up

and down the country in the UK Senior Maths Challenge. Overall, in the individual category,

students scooped two gold certificates, eleven silver and eleven bronze. Upper Sixth Further Maths students Nathan Cox and Max Hanson also excelled after qualifying for the follow-on round which will take place shortly.

The event was held in the great hall in the University of Manchester’s Sackville

Street building and involved schools and

colleges from all over the region, not only Greater Manchester but also stretching to Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire. In the team competition, U6 students Max Hanson and Emma Smith plus Zach Dubowitz and Joshua Farrelly from the L6 did well against very stiff opposition, finishing in fifteenth out of a total field of thirty.

Maths teacher Robert Burns said, “This competition is now a well-established national event in the academic year and most colleges and school sixth forms across the country take part. The students spent several weeks preparing for the contest as it demands not only considerable Maths and problem solving skills but also the ability to work effectively as part of a team. The students who participated in the event will benefit greatly from the experience as it has increased their confidence in dealing with Maths problems beyond A-level and given them the encouragement to take the subject further.”

Music Students perform at

The Xaverian College Netball team recently went to The Amaechi Centre for the AoC North West Regional Netball Competition. The girls played very well against the first two teams but unfortunately the other teams were stronger. However they experimented switching the line-up and played excellently in the following three games gaining three strong victories. They qualified for the quarter-finals but were knocked out by one of the finalists. All the girls thoroughly enjoyed the day and their brand new hoodies!

PE Teacher Lyndsay Horner said, “It was a great day out for the girls, they displayed lots of team work and won some important matches. We were up against some very strong teams and it was a good test for this new squad. I hope we can use this experience to develop for the rest of the season and perform well in the league.

Netball Team: Becca Lewis, Sophie Rogers, Leah Salt, Amy Cunningham, Melissa Coey, Jemima Luanga, Carmel Dowling, Hanah Bagnu, Elise Manzola and Rebecca Steele.

Bridgewater Hall

Students scooped

two gold certificates,

eleven silver and

eleven bronze.

Page 3: Download our latest Newsletter

Art Foundation Cornwall Trip Computer Science at MMU

Xaverian College recently hosted the launch of the 2015-16 North West Science Network programme. Over 350 students from schools and colleges across Greater Manchester attended the talk, which was followed by a STEM Fair. Postgraduate and research professionals from the University of Manchester and Greater Manchester’s science ambassador programme STEMNET staffed the STEM Fair, during which students could talk to active scientists about studying science at A-Level, Degree and Postgraduate level and showcase the many careers that a STEM education can lead onto. There was a very wide range of STEM disciplines on offer: nuclear chemistry to geomicro biology to fluid dynamics to X-ray diffraction to genetic engineering to occupational psychology.

Professor Sir Colin Humphreys, Materials Scientist at Cambridge University, was invited to speak on “How Gallium Nitride can Save Energy, Purify Water, Be Used in Cancer Therapy and Improve your Exam Performance!”; an adventurous brief exploring how Gallium Nitride is one of the most important semiconductor materials since silicon and how it can be used across the STEM disciplines. Mary Hunter, Xaverian College Principal commented: “Sir Colin’s lecture focused on how research and innovation in science can be applied commercially in the real world and the interdisciplinary nature of scientific research. The lecture was a fantastic way of showing students how academic study really can change the world”.

Xaverian College has partnered with Corpus Christi College and Pembroke College (Oxford) and South Cheshire College (Crewe) to form The Northwest Science Network. This network aims to engage students from the northwest with research-level science designed to further equip them for application and entry into higher NWSN-(2)education and spark their interest in STEM topics they are unlikely to study on their GCSE or A-level courses. Events take place across the year both locally and in Oxford.

Alison Hall, Xaverian teacher and the Greater Manchester NWSN hub manager said, “Our mission is to open up access to Y11, 12 & 13 students to research and teaching fellows from the University of Oxford and other research-intensive universities to deliver a series of lectures across scientific disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Engineering, Medical Sciences, Material Sciences, Geography, Psychology and Environmental Science).The lecture programme is also supported by the opportunity to visit regional laboratories – such as Super STEM at Daresbury, Warrington, attend a Manchester based Maths Easter School, and attend a summer schools at Corpus and Pembroke colleges.”

Twenty Seven of our Art Foundation students recently returned from a gloriously sunny field-trip to the north coast of Cornwall. The group, plus three staff, stayed in a surf hostel in the heart of Newquay and engaged in a variety of creative activities whilst there including visits to the Eden Project, St.Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Gardens. Students also spent a full day in Newquay drawing scenery from the Pentire headland before moving onto Fistral beach where they translated their sketches into sculptures using found natural materials. One of the groups even created a sand portrait in tribute to Xaverian’s Learning Skills legend Terry Coleman, who joined the excursion at the last minute and will now forever be known as an honorary member of the Xaverian art and design family!

The weather remained perfect throughout the week and just when they thought things couldn’t get any hotter the students found themselves in the Rainforest and Mediterranean biomes at the Eden Project. These artificial environments have allowed the team at Eden to grow exotic species of plants from around the world. The group spent hours sketching and photographing these incredible natural wonders and a few of them even had a go at Jungle Painting – using natural substances like saffron and beetroot.

The small fishing town of St.Ives has drawn artists to its quaint cobbled streets for centuries, attracted to the pure light and spectacular scenery. Naturally the group spent a full day there, stopping for a while to draw in the garden of renowned British sculptor Barbara Hepworth where many of her original sculptures are exhibited. Unfortunately the famous Tate Gallery is currently undergoing renovation, however the students used the opportunity to visit a number of the smaller galleries dotted amongst the town.

The trip proved to be an invaluable opportunity for the students, not only to gather inspiration from a stunning coastal environment, but also to bond and work together as a group. Art Teacher Gina Burney said, ‘It was a privilege to share this beautiful place with my students. Cornwall is a county so close to my heart and one which I find endlessly inspiring as it in such contrast to urban Manchester. It has been such an enriching experience for everyone and I can’t wait to see what they create in the coming weeks from the source materials they gathered there.”

A group of twenty one Xaverian Computer Science students recently attended a workshop teaching the basic elements of programming in Java at The Manchester Metropolitan University.

Java is a programming language and computing platform first released in 1995. There are lots of applications and websites that will not work unless you have Java installed, and more are created every day. Java is fast, secure, and reliable. From laptops to data centres, game consoles to scientific supercomputers, cell phones to the Internet, Java is everywhere!

Dr Kevin Tan from MMU provided an interesting snapshot of why Java became popular and its roots (originally built for programming washing machines), as well as its multiple-platform approach to enable Java to run on not just PCs but Apple and tablets too. Our students were also shown how to create a simple game written in Java of “Rock- Paper-Scissors”, introducing loops and selection, which they had covered in Pascal at Xaverian.

Computing Teacher Cath Graham said, “The overall experience gave our students a useful insight into what programming would be like to study in the first year of University. The visit enabled students to understand programming language taught at 1st year degree level, which was a real eye opener for some. We would like to thank Kevin Tan and his team and we look forward to working with MMU again in the future.”

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‘St.Ives has drawn artists to its quaint cobbled streets

for centuries, attracted to the pure light and spectacular scenery’

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Page 4: Download our latest Newsletter

UN Model DebateStudents from Xaverian College recently attended the Geographical Association’s 5th United Nations Model debate. The event replicates the high-pressure environment of a UN General Assembly in the model United Nations, students are put into groups and selected to represent individual countries. The debate is designed to further the student’s understanding of different cultures, consider different texts from other countries and traditions, practice their speaking, listening, interaction and group discussion skills as well as developing their research and debating abilities.

This gave Xaverian students the opportunity to pit their wits against some of the biggest Independent Schools in the North West. We entered two teams – one represented Eritrea from Africa, and the other debating on behalf of the Lebanon in the Middle East.

Each country was given an opening speech – Andreas Miyashiro gave an interesting and well researched position for Lebanon. Lucia Southworth from Eritrea then challenged the discrimination her country had felt and demanded tolerance as well as mutual respect. She laid out Eritrea’s position as a country beset by poverty and refugee issues all of their own.

During a short interval students had to ‘Caucus’ for alliances in presenting amendments to the bill being put through. In the end

the Lebanon represented by Harvey Stanhope and Hannah Devlin managed to gain enough support to get their amendment passed whilst Joe De Paola and Ellis Algar furiously tried to gather support for their plight however it was not to be.

Geography teacher James Foster said, “Events like this are a great learning curve for students to show their skills to a wider audience. Important and reasoned debate is the best forum to find solutions. These students understand that tolerance, beliefs, and other people’s opinions are just as valid as their own – a skill which will be very useful in their lives and future careers.”

Winter Drama Productions

Xaverian students performed their own interpretation of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ as part of the MANCEP Shakespeare Festival. This is a two-night festival of abridged Shakespeare plays performed by students aged eleven to eighteen, and organised by a partnership of Manchester Catholic Education Centres. Hosted by Loreto College, five local high schools and two sixth-form-colleges were part of the festival this year, involving over one hundred students.

The organisers have commended the “enjoyment and enthusiasm” of the Xaverian students during their performance, and praised them for being “warmly supportive” to the younger actors. A review of their performance said “This was a wonderful adaptation of ‘The Tempest’ which, even in this shortened version, the excellent physical performance brought the play to life”.

Head of Xaverian Drama Michael Mitchell said, “Our annual participation in the Shakespeare Festival truly captures the essence of what Xaverian College is really about. Staff and students combining hard work, dedication and creativity to produce an interpretation of ‘The Tempest’ that the famous bard would be proud of. Even 400 years after his death, we still celebrate the works of the world’s most famous playwright, and so we strive to deliver a worthy performance to our Xaverian community.”

The Drama Department now brings this production to a wider audience, performing the play here at Xaverian College. Our students have been working tirelessly to create unique settings and costumes, in addition to all the hours of rehearsing

Students Speak Up On InequalitySociology and Politics students attended The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Science 2015 entitled “Unequal Me? They won first prize for the quality of their presentation on social inequality to a large audience including three other colleges.

Experts in the field shared their knowledge with the young audience.

• Professor Andrew Russell, spoke about political participation and social exclusion, discussing the repercussions for young people of not voting in local and national elections.

• Dr. Hyde presented evidence on the link between inequality, poverty and ill health, asking some profound questions about life expectancy and education.

• Dr. Laurence Lessard-Phillips pushed our students’ powers of perspective some more by putting them through their paces in an inequality quiz which featured controversial evidence regarding the gendered pay gap in the UK.

Teachers from Xaverian College, Mrs Hall and Miss Voges, also addressed the room to speak about issues such as globalisation and the digital underclass to add to the political, economic and social issues already discussed by the lecturers.

Students were then put into teams competing to win first prize for a presentation on social inequality using the PEST model; considering the political, economic, social and technological dynamics of inequality. Seven teams of students from across the North West debated, argued and collaborated to produce some excellent posters which they used to support the delivery of their presentations.

Sociology teacher Liz Voges said, “All our students were very confident, taking the initiative to lead most of the presentations. They took on board what they have learned and delivered a number of discussions that were articulate, engaging and thought provoking. We are very proud of them all.”

The Tempest

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The Xaverian College Young Musician of the Year competition was held recently in front of a packed house in the college’s Drama Studio and was a wonderful evening’s worth of entertainment. The competition has been running for many years and assists students in their preparations for conservatoire auditions while also giving them invaluable performance experience. Evidence is demonstrated by the fact that 33% of students acquire places at the finest music colleges in the country.

The Xaverian College music department is one of the best in the country and the variety of instrumentalists and vocalists on show was truly breath-taking. The panel members consisted of Xaverian College music staff and peripatetic instrumental staff. Manvinder Rattan was invited from London as a guest judge; he is the Musical Director of the John Lewis Music Partnership. Manvinder is a highly acclaimed professional musician, conductor and teacher.

Xaverian’s Music Director, Andrew Levendis said, “The adjudication

of this year’s competition was extremely difficult. The standards were extremely high and also very consistent across the board. It was an absolute pleasure to hear musicians perform in a variety of genres and hearing such a range of instruments/vocalists demonstrated the diversity present in the department; from guitarists, to viola, to tuba and to bassoon. All the contestants are a credit to their parents, teachers and themselves for their hard work and level of performance. I am very proud to be the musical director of such an amazing department and work with such wonderful staff and students. I wish all contestants all the luck and prosperity for the future.

Manvinder Rattan added, “It was a pleasure to help adjudicate Xaverian’s YMotY. I’m sure it is a matter of immense pride to the whole college community that your Music Department fosters so many young musicians of such remarkable calibre”.

Photos by L6 Student Luke Emery.

Xaverian Young Musician of the Year

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Show Me the Money!

A Level Economic students were invited into the People’s History Museum for a guided tour of the ‘Show Me the Money: An image of Finance from 1700 to present date’ exhibition. This exhibition attempts to question ‘what is money’ and the value we place and trust in it.

This exhibition asks: what does ‘the market’ look like? What does money really stand for? How can the abstractions of high finance be made visible? Who is finance for? All money is a matter of belief and if that belief is shattered then a financial crisis will inevitable occur. The exhibition charts how the financial world has been imagined in art, illustration, photography and other visual media over the last three centuries in Britain and the United States.

A2 Economics student Nomsa Mwimbi said, “The ‘Show me the Money’ exhibition combined philosophy, politics and economics so seamlessly that it required anyone viewing it to think deeply. History never looked so good.”

Hinda Ismail said, “I really enjoyed how money was illustrated in an artistic way since normally money is seen as just numbers and figures and not everyone really understands the impact it has, not only on our lives but also within society.”

Sumer Bhatti said, “The trip was a very educational experience. I never really thought about the concept of money or money in general, I just spent it whenever I got it. However, this trip taught me some fascinating elements about finance and money. For example, the digital version of the stock markets was a fun way to show the fluctuation in stocks.”

After the tour the students then attended a workshop to create their image of money in today’s world. They worked with an artist, Helen Mather, who quizzed them and debated with them about what the role of money meant to them individually. Each student then worked on an image and designed a piece of a quilt which at the end was stitched together to create a full patchwork quilt. This patchwork will now be on display at the museum for all to see in the future!

YMY Catherine Tarpey Cornet

YMY2 Ellie Mead Tuba

YMY3 Rachael Perkins Voice

1st 2nd 3rd

Xaverian College Qualifies for National FinalsAoC Sport is the lead organisation for college sport and physical activity, delivering high quality, accessible competitive opportunities for college students across England. Their nine regional tournaments, which cover 14 sports, lead to the annual college sport National Championships, where over 1,800 students compete for individual and regional honours. The best teams and individuals qualify for the National Championships where they compete individually, for their college and their region.

This year Xaverian College entered male and female teams in various sports, boasting a number of excellent performances throughout in swimming, football, netball, golf, badminton, and cross country. Our success came through our all-female athletes in basketball, tennis and table tennis, reaching the national finals. The basketball team, coached by Paul Cantwell, fought off stiff competition from colleges across the North West region and played some tight matches to win the competition. Pictured from left – Cerys Neild, Mollie O’Carroll, Keely Edmonds, Christianah Adejumo, Emily Mitchell, and front – Alicia Kandeke.

There are two female racket sports specialists – Epiphany Russell, who will represent us in the tennis competition and Abigail Griffith at table tennis. Epiphany said, “I am really happy that the hard work and training has brought success in this competition. I am looking forward to going to the finals and I am training hard to give my best performance on the day.”

The National Championships will see the team competing against athletes from colleges across England, Wales and Scotland. As well as individual glory, teams will be aiming to accumulate points for their region and win the prestigious Wilkinson Sword trophy.

AoC Sport Managing Director, Marcus Kingwell, said, “We are really excited about this year’s National Championships, which will be hosted in Tyne and Wear for the first time. Everything is in place for the 2016 Championships to be the most successful to date and we anticipate they will be the perfect platform to reinforce our new strategy: ‘Fit for College, Fit for Work, Fit for Life’, which outlines our ambition to get every student active.”

Page 6: Download our latest Newsletter

Horses for Courses…

Chemistry in action at Warwick University

When Media teacher Allie Crewe offered twelve places on the third annual HorseHeard training course she was inundated with names wanting to attend. They knew that apart from it being, well, perhaps a little odd, it sounded like lots of fun and beneficial. Ultimately our students recognised that to gain employability skills in a competitive area, they needed to provide evidence that they can work in a team and that they have leadership skills.

The HorseHeard model is designed to develop emotional and social intelligence skills through experiential learning in interaction with horses, including self-awareness, resilience, confidence, motivation, communication, team working and much more. The programme was developed by our own students two years ago before being launched at the House of Lords and Xaverian students, supported by HorseHeard, have been developing a course for fellow students to gain leadership and employability skills which is now delivered nationally.

This year’s students were offered one-to-one and small group coaching over two days and agreed to step out of their comfort zone to tackle something very challenging. They had to instruct the horse to move in to different areas and very soon discovered that, without believing they could do it, it simply did not happen. Interacting with horses in equine facilitated learning can bring life-changing insights and this is the fundamental one – belief. Once our students understood this they were able to guide a horse around an obstacle course, learning to both understand the horse, and most importantly, themselves.

Our Students said:

“HorseHeard helped me to understand that being quiet isn’t a flaw and allowed me the chance to access confidence in an “out-of-the-box” situation. It was highly moving and I feel lucky to have gone on a course with such wonderful people who make such a huge impact on individuals in the work they do.” – Chloe Heffernan.

“I’ve learned that people’s perspectives of you are a reflection of what you project.” – Charlotte Eagle.

“It was such an amazing opportunity. I learned a lot about myself and gained some valuable skills. We worked in teams to improve ourselves. Through HH I greatly improved my confidence and gained a stronger sense of self-belief. It was a wonderful experience.” – Tavonga Dzawohh

Media Teacher Allie Crewe added, “I am so proud of these students – they were very brave, very committed and it was a privilege to watch them take risks and develop their skills. It was such great fun to be out for the two days and I learned so much from them. HorseHeard work with corporate managers and CEO’s, but the coaches Heather Hardy and Andrew McFarlane felt that the teenagers often surpassed the adults, being more flexible in their mind-sets and willing to change. It certainly was a life changing experience for some.”

High achieving A Level Chemistry students recently attended an amazing Chemistry in Action event at the University of Warwick. The day was packed with cutting-edge chemistry, demonstrations and plenty of inspiration for the scientists of the future. The students discovered the future of green energy through 3D specs, learned about drug discovery research and the wonderful world of materials chemistry, and explored the science behind the TV series Breaking Bad. The students also experienced a lunchtime examination session specifically aimed at improving grades.

The day was filled with astonishing information from some of the most formidable scientific minds in the country:

• ProfessorSaifulIslamfromtheUniversityofBathoutlinedtheuseofatomic-scale modelling and structural techniques to help students understand new crystalline materials for lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells.

• ProfessorDavidSmithfromtheUniversityofYorkshowedthestudentshowchemistry is used to develop drugs capable of interacting with the human body.

• JulieMacPhersonfromtheUniversityofWarwickexplainedthewondersofcarbon,element number six. Two allotropes of carbon, graphene and fullerene have been the subject of Nobel prizes in recent years.

• TaritMukhopadhyayfromUniversityCollegeLondondescribedthedevelopmentofnewflu vaccines, exploring the biochemistry of influenza and some of the challenges and opportunities in research into making better vaccines.

• SujataKundufromImperialCollegeLondongaveajourneyintothesecretworldofsuperhero science – leaving the students wondering what is science fiction and what is rapidly becoming science fact? Super strength, invisibility, gadget filled costumes and the ability to fly are all becoming closer to reality due to developments in materials science!

A level student Osarugue Otabor said, “This was a fantastic day which enabled me to learn more about cutting edge chemistry and gave me ideas that I would like to research in the future.”

Student Brad Hales added, “The lunchtime revision sessions were really useful and gave me lots of tips to help me in my final examinations in the summer.”

Xaverian Head of Chemistry Dr Hyde thought that, “The day was a fantastic journey of discovery for our high achieving chemistry students. It provided them with a fascinating range of choices about how they may pursue their chemistry careers in the future, as well as supplying excellent critical and essential tips for their forthcoming examinations.”

“I’ve learned that people’s

perspectives of you are a

reflection of what

you project.”

Charlotte Eagle

Twenty Theology and Philosophy students recently attended a Philosophy of Religion conference hosted by two leading academic figures. Dr Peter Vardy, and special guest speaker Dr Stephen Law, delivered four lectures and participated in a debate on the nature of God. Many other schools and colleges attended and Xaverian Theology students took a leading role in debating God’s nature.

Students discussed ‘Being and Nothingness’ – Can something come out of nothing? Can order and purpose develop by chance? Can an unlimited timeless God act in time? The event covered two classic arguments for the existence of God (design and cosmological) before considering their implications for the nature of God, beliefs about miracles, religious experiences and religious language.

Lower Sixth student, Sadie Jones said, “We were able to meet key and current philosophers, Dr Peter Vardy & Dr Stephen Law – it was a truly eye opening experience for all of us. They discussed aspects of our AS course and developed our skills outside of the classroom, allowing us to debate with others students on a range of different topics and religions. We all had an enjoyable day and left us all looking forward to what the rest of the course has to offer!”

Theology teacher Mr Davern said, “It was great to see such young students engaging so confidently in a topic that many believe the young are not interested in.” Head of Theology Mr Vernon added, “It is so refreshing to know that Xaverian students are able to express themselves about such delicate and sensitive matters in such a public environment. Our students really are a credit to themselves.”

Students Attend Philosophy Conference

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Xaverian College | Lower Park Road | Manchester, | M14 5RBT: 0161 224 1781 | E: [email protected] | W: www.xaverian.ac.uk

@XaverianSFC

Winter 2016Newsletter

Reunion Evening…