Students and staff run 4.5km for cancer charity

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April 2008 saw the start of what promises to be a great tradition at Hills Road with the our first college-wide charity run - the HR4.5. This year, the event was held in sup-port of local charity, Wallace Cancer Care.

The run was open to both staff and students. The opportunity to do something amazing for this worth-while cause was well received by all, and places soon filled up, resulting in over 250 people taking part.

The event was well advertised in college, so much so that when the day arrived many turned up to par-ticipate and support. The event itself was a huge success, with a warm up and a band playing beforehand. The participants were seen by many, which equally helped to advertise the event as people ran, walked or dressed up for the HR4.5. All involved wore their very own spe-cially designed blue HR4.5 t-shirts.

The principal was extremely happy with the turnout, congratulating all involved and confirming that this will become an annual event. One student said; ‘it’s really great that this is becoming a yearly event as it is worthwhile. It’s also really great to be a part of the first ever HR4.5’

There were many ways to sponsor and donate to the fun run and thanks to all the hard work and contribu-tions over £5000 was raised. Many thanks and congratulations must go to the three members of Hills Road Staff who made all this possible, Ms Sarah Buckley, Mr Robert Leslie and Dr Tonia Schofield who put in hours of hard work and spent many days organising, advertising and making the event possible.

The Wallace Cancer Care is a local centre which helps unfortunate can-cer sufferers and their families to be informed about what is happening to them and helps to maintain the best physical and mental health possible whilst undergoing treatment

New Principal at Hills Road

The end of the summer term

brought with it the end of an

era for Hills Road Sixth Form

College. Dr. Rob Wilkinson,

College principal for 6 years,

made the decision to step

down from his post and retire,

with effect from August 2008.

Following his decision, a search

was launched for someone

new to take on the role, but

the College needed look no

further than Mrs Linda Sinclair,

Deputy Principal since 2003,

a role which, Dr Wilkinson

emphasises, she performed

with ‘great distinction.’

Mrs Sinclair has been a dedi-

cated member of staff at Hills

Road for a number of years;

before becoming Deputy

Principal she held the roles

of both Curriculum Director

and Head of the Department

of Economics and Business

Studies.

Speaking about her new

role, Mrs Sinclair said “It is

an exciting opportunity and a

real privilege. I have the great-

est affection for the College

and am totally committed to

ensuring a continuation of

the success that the College

has enjoyed under the out-

standing leadership of Rob

Wilkinson.”

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Students speak for-eign languages to help Oxfam

This year on September 26th

a number of students across

the sixth form gave up speak-

ing English for a day and

spoke a foreign language,

all in aid of Oxfam European

Day of Languages. Students

were speaking languages

from across the world from

French to Greek and some

even daring to try languages

from other regions, such as,

Cantonese.

Both teachers and students

enjoyed the day immensely

and seeing teachers try to

remember their secondary

school languages was amus-

ing to say the least. One

student told us; ‘I have par-

ticipated in this day for the

past two years and the high-

light has to be seeing my

economics teacher trying to

speak to me in French, it was

definitely worthwhile.’

In total, the event raised

over £920, every penny

of which has gone to help

Oxfam projects.

Friday 20th June was marked by

celebrations for students at Hills

Road Sixth Form College, who

reached the finals of the presti-

gious national Newsday student

journalism competition.

Competing against students from

700 other schools, the team from

Hills Road came out joint-second

along with Luton Sixth Form

College, only narrowly beaten by

the competition’s winners from

Whitby Community College.

Despite missing out on top prize,

the runners up were celebrating

their success, this year marking

the first time a Hills Road entry

has been shortlisted for the top

prize, having participated in the

competition for nine years, and

being awarded a ‘Distinction’ for

our entry eight times.

The aim of Newsday is for stu-

dents to produce a newspaper

or a news website in just one

day, simulating what it is like to

work in the real media industry.

“You are all here because you

succeeded,” said Brian Robinson,

the organiser of Newsday. “You

worked as a team and you com-

pleted your paper or website. It’s

a real achievement.”

The competition was set up

by Robinson in 1990 with a

mere nine schools taking part

in this first year. The competi-

tion has come a long way since,

the numbers participating this

year at 700, including 12 from

abroad. A grand total of 400,000

pupils have now participated in

Newsday over the course of its

lifetime. Newsday 2008, in asso-

ciation with learnnewsdesk from

The Guardian, was sponsored by

AlphaSmart and Softease.

Montpellier Exchange a resounding success

Just before February half term,

about 20 intrepid linguists made

the first step in an exchange to

Montpellier in order to perfect

their French. Although slightly

intimidated as they were first

paired with their partners on

French soil, the group of stu-

dents soon settled down to their

stay with French families and

were immediately plunged into

an exhausting, although thor-

oughly rewarding, week and a

half.

There were a great variety of

activities throughout the week,

including trips round castles,

museums and, naturally, the

shops with plenty of café breaks

in between.

The constant need to speak and

think in French was of immeasur-

able benefit to all the students,

all of whom felt their fluency and

vocabulary increased greatly, as

well as really enjoying the life-

style of another culture for a

short period of time.

Students make the finals of national newspapercompetition

Clockwise from left: Lizzy Quinlan, Jeremy Hughes, Jeremy Smith, Lucy Oates & Zosia Krasodomska-Jones - just 5 members of this year’s successful Newsday Team

Moonlighting for charity

Every day, 6 teenagers between

the ages of 16 and 24 will be

diagnosed with cancer. The

Teenage Cancer Trust makes its

top priority building specialised

centres in NHS hospitals specifi-

cally to deal with these victims.

After her brother Nick was diag-

nosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in

his heel, 16-year-old Lizzy Kostov

determinedly donned her train-

ers and took part in the annual

Magical Moonlight Walk in July.

She raised £300 towards the £1

million needed to establish a

specialist unit at Addenbrooke’s,

and was top fundraiser

out of 400 participants. In

total, the Walk raised £9000.

Nick, 20, is currently being

treated in an adult ward at

Addenbrooke’s. He said he was

“so proud” of his sister, adding

that “it was a cause that did hit

close to home as she has seen

me every day during my chemo-

therapy. We have had a history

of cancer in our family, which

made her even more deter-

mined to take part in the walk.”

As a charity, the TCT wel-

comes any help you can give.

Visit https://www.teenage-

c a n c e r t r u s t . o r g / h o w - y o u -

can-help/ to get involved.

Three award winning businesses,

two terms of hard work and one

Business Woman of the Year. In early

September 2007 three groups of 15

students met for the first time, much

like in the real business world. They

soon began to work as a team and

after much debate and democratic

voting 6Teen, Diversify and Flare

were born.

The purpose of Young Enterprise

was to operate as a real business, so

the first job was to raise capital by

selling shares to friends and family

and each person needed a position

such as Managing Director. With

a firm amount of starting capital,

the teams needed to start raising

revenue and lots of it! There was

fierce competition between each

group, as Diversify bought and sold

products ranging from candles to

Pashmina scarves. 6Teen and Flare

went into the services sector, Flare

held a “Battle of the DJs” concert

at a local venue and 6Teen created

a “Speed Meeting” event at Hills

Road, which was their own twist on

speed dating.

In February 2008 an event was held

at a local shopping centre where all

the teams, alongside other Young

Enterprise groups from other

schools, were judged by local busi-

ness men and women. 6Teen, Flare

and Diversify each came away with

a variety of awards ranging from

“Best Customer Service” to “Best

Trade Stand”.

Even though each business had their

own problems, the teams learnt to

solve them quickly and efficiently and

each of achieved a great amount. For

example, Diversify raised revenue of

over £3000 and Serena Saini, their

Marketing Manager was awarded

Business Woman of the Year for

Cambridge.

For two days earlier this year, Hills Road Sixth

Form played host to some of the most eminent

historians in the country. July 16th and 17th saw

the presence of a number of scholars, includ-

ing Professor Eric Evans, Dr. Robert Mallet and

Dr. Richard Evans, each an expert in their field.

Organised by students and teachers of the

Hills Road History Society, the conference

is an annual event, aimed at providing an

alternative perspective for students study-

ing History, and an opportunity to quiz some

of the best minds in the business. Of par-

ticular interest this year were lectures cover-

ing the reform of British government (very

useful for coursework!) and the uneasy rela-

tionship between Italy and Nazi Germany.

As usual, the event was a resounding suc-

cess, with all 11 lectures generating a large,

eager audience. Every historian gave a fas-

cinating talk, and managed to make even

some of the more boring topics interesting!

History students are now keen-

ly awaiting next year’s conference.

Hills Road Engages with History

Young Enterprise - Learning by Doing

Students make the finals of national newspapercompetition

Young Enterprise group Eclipse are just some of the students hoping to prove their business skills in this year’s event.

The ball tradition at Hills Road

As a reward, for working

so hard, at the end of each

half term, the school council

organises a “ball” for stu-

dents across the Colldge.

They are often held at local

venue “The Junction”.

These occasions promise to

be evenings of dancing and

socialising, an opportunity

to wind down after a busy

term.

Often there is a theme, such

as Christmas and Easter

which entails dressing up

or winning Easter eggs. The

music rangers from old clas-

sics like the Spice Girls to the

latest club anthems.

As the 2007-08 academic

year drew to a close, the

summer ball was held at the

college. It was a chance for

girls to wear cocktail dresses

and guys to wear tuxedos.

As well as a dance floor, in

other areas of the college,

a mechanical bull and an

unlimited supply of freshly

made candyfloss.

The annual exchange with Liceo

Marconi in Parma was again hugely

successful this year, with new friend-

ships being made and already several

return trips from both groups since

the fist trip in March. As well as a

fantastic opportunity to perfect the

language skills of students of Italian,

the exchange is open to Lower 6th

History students who study Fascist

Italy as part of their course. Parma was

a centre of Fascist resistance from the

beginning, and the ‘parmigiani’ are

very proud of their heritage.

The History students went on a walk

around the city looking at the sites of

the barricades and everyone attended

a conference on the resistance at the

Istituto Storico della Resistenza.

As well as the cultural aspect, the

exchange was an excellent opportu-

nity for English students to experi-

ence Italian youth culture. The Italian

school system bares little resemblance

to the English one, with students stay-

ing in one classroom and studying

about 10 subjects up to the last year of

the Liceo. Lessons were very different

too; there is nearly no class discussion

and the traditional blackboard and

chalk are still very much in use.

The trips to Florence and Mantua

were highly successful, despite rather

grim weather, and the students saw

many of the famous cultural sights;

the Uffizi, Michelangelo’s David in the

Accademia Gallery, the Ponte Vecchio

and the Palazzo Ducale of Mantua.

The return visit was equally suc-

cessful, despite Cambridge suffer-

ing gale-force winds and heavy rain.

For many of the students, their first

trip to England did little to dispel the

stereotype of our typical weather!

Nevertheless, armed with raincoats

and with frequent coffee breaks, all

the top sights of Cambridge were

visited, including: Kings College

Chapel, Trinity College, the Fitzwilliam

Museum and the Backs, as well as

visits to London and Norwich.

One of the musical highlights last year was

the Cambridge Young Musician of the Year

Competition. Hills Road musicians did espe-

cially well, with Sharzad Shini (right) and

Emma Fowler joint winning the Piano 16-18

age category. Sharzad, who has been play-

ing the piano for 12 years, loves to play music

from the Romantic period. Other Hills Road

students were highly commended in the

competition, including violinist Helen Lilley.

Students winners of local music award

Viva Italia!

The students who took part in the exchange to Parma

Students head for the Antarctic…

....or its nearest equivalent in the

form of Cambridge’s own Scott

Polar Research Institute, where

a group of intrepid Performing

Arts students from Hills Road

Sixth Form College staged

the voyages of the Endurance

(Shackleton) and the Terra Nova

(Scott) using dance, drama and

music back in January this year.

Project leader, Lucy Edevane,

praised the generosity of the

Institute, saying “it’s a fantas-

tic experience, being allowed

to perform at the institute

surrounded by artefacts from

the actual expeditions them-

selves – the sledges, the skis,

the clothing, Wilson’s paint-

ings – they even have a polar

bear and Amundsen’s Flag”.

The group composed fresh

music using the styles of the

period mixed with haunting

modern melodies to conjure

up the wide open spaces of

the world’s largest continent.

The piece entitled “To seek, to

strive, to find and not to yield”

and formed an important part of

both the College’s desire to tack-

le relevant local material and the

Institute’s plans for increased

public awareness and access.

Members of the Cambridge City

Council recycling team were at

Hills Road Sixth Form College

on 7th April to help students

launch an initiative to recycle

plastic bottles.

A new society for recycling the

College’s waste was launched

by the students and on the day

students were asked to sign up

to the society.

Vicky Kelso from the Council’s

recycling team said: “We’re real-

ly pleased that students are tak-

ing such an active role in promot-

ing recycling. Recycling plastic

bottles not only saves rubbish

going to landfill, it saves energy

too. This will help to lower the

College’s carbon footprint. It’s

also important to try to reduce

the amount of plastic bottles we

use in the first place, before we

come to recycling them. That’s

why we’ll be giving away refill-

able sports bottles to students

on the day.”

Approximately 1,800 full time

students, 280 adult students and

over 200 staff are on the College

site in any one day and large

numbers of plastic bottles are

generated as waste. The recy-

cling initiative has also extend-

ed to the Hills Road Sports and

Tennis Centre where members

of the public, students and staff

use the sports facilities. Natalie

Moss, the Sports and Tennis

Centre manager, said: “I think

that the students’ idea is bril-

liant. People using our facili-

ties generate large numbers of

empty plastic bottles. By starting

this initiative, the College will be

making a contribution to sustain-

ability and the environment.”

The College has been recycling

paper for some years and, more

lately, cardboard. If this latest

venture proves successful, the

College will consider further

recycling projects in the future.

Students give blood

During a visit by the National

Blood Service (NBS) on Tuesday

25th September a milestone

was reached. A student at Hills

Road Sixth Form College, Cara

Lawrence, 17, donated the 400th

unit at the College since the re-

launch of blood donor sessions

held on site. In total, approxi-

mately 450 units have now been

donated by staff and students at

the College.

Gareth Bell, Communications

Officer for the NBS, said,

“This is a fantastic landmark,

with each donation being bro-

ken down it to its component

parts – red cells, platelets and

plasma, students and staff can

lay claim to saving 1200 lives!”

“Every year around 15 per cent of

blood donors in Cambridgeshire

can no longer give due to age, ill

health, or relocation so we need

more people to become blood

donors to help replace them.”

“It’s great to see that so many

students at Hills Road are willing

to come forward and make a real

difference to the lives of others.

continued overleaf...

Plastic bottles recycling launch by Hills Roadstudents

Just some of the eager studetns who attended the launch of the College’s new recylcing scheme back in April

cont. from previous page...

Linda Pike, Student Guidance

Officer at the College, said,

“Sessions at the College are

always very well attended

and I am delighted to see

so many young people once

again taking part.

“Giving blood is an essential

task and it really does save

lives.”

The NBS is constantly look-

ing for new blood donors.

In most cases anyone aged

17 to 59, who weighs more

than 7st 12lbs (50kg), in gen-

eral good health can become

a blood donor.

For further information, and

to book an appointment

(strongly recommended)

please contact the NBS hel-

pline on 0845 7 711 711 or visit

our website at www.blood.

co.uk.

Hills Road Sixth College has been

working recently with Ndamase

School, near Mthatha, in the Eastern

Cape to fight HIV/Aids and other

STI’s.

Tutors at Hills Raod have been look-

ing at the situation both in the UK

and in South Africa as regards STI’s

and discussing the steps that we all

need to take to protect ourselves

from them.

The Global Citizenship Enrichment

group and others exchanged mes-

sages of support and Christmas cards

with the ACTIVE group of students at

Ndamase.

Then, on November 30th the College

got behind the Red and Alive

Campaign being run by Dhiverse, our

local HIV/Aids charity, and supported

the work of the Bethany Place of

Safety like our friends at Ndamase.

Staff and students wore the red rib-

bon. Red cakes were sold. And the

College gathered at break time in

the quad to pause and remember all

those fighting HIV/Aids both in this

country and in South Africa before

letting off a cloud of red balloons

over Cambridge.

In all we raised £296.41 – a sum which

was divided between Dhiverse and

the Bethany Place of Safety.

Students at Hills Road Sixth Form College held

a ‘talk like a pirate’ day on 25th September.

Members of the Hills Road student council

were delighted to raise £226.10 for the Royal

National Lifeboats Institution, an organisation

funded completely by donations. To find out

more about the RNLI visit the RNLI website

The students not only dressed up as

pirates, but spent the whole day talk-

ing like a pirate. They even raised the Jolly

Rodger on one of the College’s flag poles!

A competition was held for the top three best

pirates, judged by some members of the students

council. The winners were awarded free tickets to

the College freshers’ ball, as well as stage passes.

‘Students ahoy!’ at Hills Road

College works with its partner school in South Africa

Photograph shows Hills Road students releasing the red balloons in the College quad as part of World Aids Day

The three winners; (left to right) Jess Blake 17, Emily Loombe 17 and Rob Wilkin, 17