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The Cannon

Spring 2017

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In this issue

Message from Mr Watkiss Page 3

The Big Debate Page 4

Year 11 Poetry Live Page 5

The Kite Runner Page 6

London Fashion Weekend Page 7

National Saturday Art & Design Club Pages 8 & 9

Year 13 Trip to New York & Washington Pages 10 & 11

A Level Business & ICT Trip to Disneyland Pages 12 & 13

Sports Achievements Pages 14 & 15

A Level Fine Art trip to Tate Modern Page 16

Music news Page 17

BBC School Report Pages 18 & 19

Years 8 & 9 Trip to Oxford Pages 20 & 21

Fort Pitt SAS Page 22

Dates for your diary Page 23

Back page #Images of the term Page 24

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Dear Parents/Carers and students

We are now at the end of another very busy and eventful term.

As you will see from the latest edition of the Cannon not only are our students

achieving well academically, they are participating in our ever increasing range of

extra-curricular activities and benefitting from our Raising Aspirations visits and

visitors programme.

I am delighted to report that we have had an increasing number of applications this

year to University in general and this year includes increased numbers to the Russell

Group (including 3 offers for Oxford and Cambridge – for the first time in several

years) and International study including the USA and Europe.

We also have a number of students who are applying for High Level Apprenticeships

and work-related career options which we celebrate and support equally.

I could not be prouder of our school community and the work ethic of our students

which is underpinned by constant demonstration of the Fort Pitt Values and

Excellences.

Here’s to a happy and restful two week break when it finally arrives.

Yours faithfully

Nick Watkiss Headteacher

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The Big Debate

On Tuesday 31st January a team of six Key Stage 5 pupils travelled to Thomas Aveling to take part in the FPTA

Academies Big Debate. Our Fort Pitt team consisted of myself, Izzy Woodcock, Jas Lancaster, Nina West, Sabirah

Qureshi and Evan Hallpike.

There were three debates throughout the evening, all lasting half an hour each. The first debate was between Thomas

Aveling and Robert Napier, arguing for and against fearing the advances in artificial intelligence. Thomas Aveling were

arguing in favour and Robert Napier were arguing against. This debate kicked the evening off with fiery responses from

both sides to the audience questions and judge’s questions. Sabirah asked the team’s questions for this debate to which

they answered with careful consideration. The second debate was between Robert Napier and Fort Pitt. Our Fort Pitt

team consisted of Izzy and myself and we were arguing

against accepting the risks inherent in contact sports. This

debate was heated and well researched, with snappy

precise answers to any questions asked. The final debate

was between Fort Pitt and Thomas Aveling, this time the

Fort Pitt team consisted of Nina and Jas who were arguing

in favour of restrictions on free speech on social media

websites. This final debate was strong, with both teams

quickly and wittily responding to questions posed by the

audience. Evan was asking questions during this debate

and the questions proved challenging for the opposing

team to answer.

The feedback our team received from the judges was good,

carefully outlining our strengths in delivering and researching our

points. Thomas Aveling won both of their debates, meaning that

they won the event overall. However Fort Pitt did bring home an

award as I won best individual speaker for the evening. The debate

was an enjoyable event for all involved and the team spirit amongst

the Fort Pitt team was incredible, as were the biscuits which

Thomas Aveling provided for us.

We would like to thank Miss Melhuish for helping to organise the

whole event and for giving us all of the information we needed to

begin our debate. We would also like to thank the teachers who

recommended us for this debate and Mr Watkiss, Mrs Gordon and

again Miss Melhuish for coming with us to Thomas Aveling and

supporting our team.

Anna Peake Year 13

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Year 11 – Poetry Live!

On Friday 24th February some of our Year 11 students travelled to the Victoria

Apollo Theatre to take part in ‘Poetry Live! 2017’. The conference is specifically

designed for GCSE students as revision for the poetry element of the Literature

Paper.

The venue is also home to the musical ‘Wicked’, so the stage was an incredibly

striking back drop for the conference! The first half an hour was spent with an

exam board representative from AQA, Peter Buckroyd, who talked students

through how to analyse an unseen poem and gave students lots of reassuring

advice, for example, to be very selective about what you choose to write about.

Amongst others, the poets who shared their work with us on the day were:

Carol Ann Duffy, Imtiaz Dharker, John Agard and Simon Armitage.

Carol Ann Duffy was able to shed light on some of the more complex imagery

from her poem ‘War Photographer’ – she opened up about a conversation with

a friend which inspired the poem.

Simon Armitage wowed us with his rap! He also spoke very movingly about his poem ‘Remains’ and explained some of

the most powerful imagery, such as ‘blood shadow’.

Imtiaz Dharker reassured us with her explanation of the poem ‘Tissue’ which had previously had everyone baffled (us

afterwards: “So it really was just about paper?!”).

However, it was John Agard who really stole the show, with his eccentric, Calypso-inspired songs. His ‘Put the Kettle

On’ poem was hilarious and his rendition of ‘Checkin out me History’ received a standing ovation. More importantly,

Agard urged young people to consume poetry beyond GCSE – to ‘get out there and write your own stories’.

Simon Armitage responded to the question: “why do you write poems?” with the answer that: “There are just 26 letters

in the English language – they can be used to delight, shock, amaze, upset and disturb – that is a power I find endlessly

inspirational.”

Year 11 student Hannah Stutely’s view of the day: “I really enjoyed going to Poetry Live, because it allowed me

to see how the poets felt about what they were writing, and how their experiences influenced them. For

example, Carol Ann Duffy was telling us how she was inspired to write poetry because of her extremely busy

home life and John Agard told us that he wrote his poems in such a free style because he was inspired by

Calypso music. His performance was incredible and the way he spoke about poetry allowed me to see it in a

whole new way. I found the experience valuable as I can now use these notes as context in my exam and I am

able to understand parts of the poetry more clearly”.

Thanks to the girls for their exemplary engagement throughout the conference – a great start to your poetry

revision!

Mrs Page

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On 11th of January, myself and other A-level English Literature students got to experience “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini on stage at the Wyndham Theatre in the West End. Having studied this now for a few months, it was interesting to see how the words have been lifted from the page and created into the masterpiece that took place on stage.

“The Kite Runner” is a story that is centred around the uprising of the Taliban, therefore it is to be expected that there are some very violent and graphic scenes to be pulled off. I was stunned at the simplistic stage designs made for the production, of a white sheet that portrayed extremely violent acts behind it, whilst it being only the shadows we saw from our seats. Heightened gripping fear overtook me at certain moments, which just illuminates how well the characters were played, as it felt like I was in the presence of people who embodied pure evil. The two most important settings were illustrated between a backdrop that allowed us to feel the illusion of both Kabul in Afghanistan and San Francisco in the USA. It demonstrated the show as seamless and allowed for us to follow Ben Turner’s Amir through his emotional narrative easily.

Another aspect of the play that stood out to me was how the Director of the play, Giles Croft, interpreted the novel to include the importance of traditional Afghan culture. This ranged from both the music to the dress, with a beautiful scene of an Afghan wedding between our protagonist Amir and the empowered Soraya. I thought that it was interesting to see how they portrayed a wedding like this, with a prominent westernised culture being such a factor, especially with Amir’s Baba having struggled to adapt to the American way of living. However, it could only be described as exquisite, conveyed with pure love and humour that made this part more prominent here, than I believe Hosseini made it within the book.

Even though Amir was our storyteller, he was telling his story, therefore Turner created a character who could jump from childhood back into adulthood. Although, the synchrony of this didn’t just stop here, it was further illustrated through his interactions with Andrew Costin who played our faithful Hassan. Their friendship is arguably one of the most beautiful parts of the novel, so I believe it would have been something Croft would have wanted to perfect. Fortunately, both actors played Hassan and Amir as if they were almost mirroring each other at every step of the play, this allowed for an unbreakable bond to be created. Even though we don’t find out they are half-brothers until the end it felt like that they were tied to each other for life.

This experience, has only made me fall in love with “The Kite Runner” even more so than I already had. It was heart-breaking and thought-provoking, everything I expected it to be and more.

Ellie Keeling Year 13

The Kite Runner

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On Friday 26th February 2017 the Year 12 and 13 Textiles group visited the London Fashion Weekend at the Saatchi Gallery. Experiencing London Fashion Week first hand was an indescribable experience. Being surrounded by a sea of pastel colours, furs and an endless amount of handbags, shoes and socks brought about a feeling of thrill that reflected the overwhelming current of electricity coursing through the venue. Throughout the day we were bombarded with a wide range of new and upcoming designers and we were able to attend our first ever catwalk show, sitting second row, leaving me in awe, as we were surrounded by bubbling “fashionistas” and photographers. Walking through the Saatchi Gallery whilst adjacent to famous names and brands, such as Jimmy Choo, Moschino and Vivienne Westwood, made me feel very honoured to be at such a prestigious event and it truly felt like a once in a lifetime event.

Araba Dennis Year 13

London Fashion Weekend

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Since October 2015, my friends and I have been a part of the National Saturday Art and Design Club. You might think that a lie-in would be better but this was an amazing opportunity for us all and has really helped us to develop our love of art. Every Saturday for the past 6 months we went to UCA Rochester for 4 hours in the morning; every time we went we did something new and exciting and I have strengthened my artistic knowledge by leaps and bounds. Not only did we get to experience new techniques, such as screen-printing and photography, but also we even managed to get our work exhibited in Somerset House in London. It was absolutely surreal to see our work in the gallery but even more so to imagine how many people had actually seen what we had achieved. It was such a welcoming and comfortable environment, I made so many new friends and became closer with people who I never imagined I would. I would honestly urge anyone who is even the slightest bit interested in any form of art to attend the course. It was an amazing experience and I’m hoping to be able to take the opportunity up again next year; I will always treasure this experience as it has really cemented my love for art and has helped me a great deal in the sense of what I want to do with my life in the coming years.

Written by Carys Wicker

Carys Wicker on finding out that her work had been used for the National Art Club poster for 2016.

National Saturday Art and Design Club

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Above and below:

Carys Wicker and Holly Evans at the National Saturday Art Club

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In the February half term, year 13 students visited New

York and Washington DC.

After meeting outside school at a rather painful 4am, we

made our way to Heathrow Airport to catch our flight to

New York. We were exhausted when we arrived but that

didn’t stop us heading out to explore!

On our first full day, we went on the Staten Island Ferry

where we saw sights such as the Statue of Liberty and the

Brooklyn Bridge. Being out on the deck was very cold and windy but the best place to see all the main

attractions. After the ferry, we took a trip to the ‘Top of the Rock’ observation deck at the Rockefeller

Center where we saw some amazing views all across the city.

After this, we all had free time to explore a variety of places – some students chose the very frosty

Central Park and others decided to go shopping!

After an evening meal, some students were lucky enough to go to a Broadway show where they saw

Phantom of the Opera. Other students went to the Empire State Building. It was amazing to see such

incredible views of the lights in New York at night.

The following day, we had a 5 hour coach journey to Washington DC. When we arrived, we were

surprised at how warm it was – it had been below freezing in New York but Washington was so

warm, some of us had to head out and buy sunglasses!

Year 13 Trip to New York and Washington DC

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On our first full day in Washington, we decided to

give the planned walking tour a miss and instead

created our own so that we could see all the sights

we wanted to. It was great because we got to go at

our own pace, which was helpful because it was so

hot! We saw the US Supreme Court and Capitol

buildings, lots of different monuments and

statues, the reflection pool, and, of course, the

White House. We were all also pretty excited to go

to the American supermarket “Target” where we

all spent a fortune!

On our last day, we had a guided tour of the US

government building, the Capitol. It was really

interesting and we learnt a lot about the US

government and its history.

After some free time (and last minute shopping!)

we began our journey to Washington airport for

our flight back to Heathrow. It was nice and

peaceful on the way back as we had a whole

cabin to ourselves so had the opportunity to

catch up on some much needed sleep!

Overall, it was an amazing experience and we all had a great time.

Miss Trussell

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On Sunday 26th February 2017 a group of ten A level students,

Mr Pitman and Miss Potter left Ebbsfleet station, and despite all

being half asleep, we were all very excited for a 3 day trip to

Disneyland Paris. We travelled by Eurostar, and arrived in

Disneyland later that afternoon.

After checking in and putting our luggage into our rooms, we

were given the rest of the afternoon/evening free to go to the

Disneyland Park and the Walt Disney studios. We explored

both parks and went on many of the rides. Many of us watched

the famous Disney parade and stayed out to watch the

fireworks.

The morning of our second day of the trip involved the Business A level students attending a seminar in the Gaumont Cinema

in the Disney village. We had three talks from speakers from high profile companies – Chas Howes from Superdry, Claire

Dickson from The Walt Disney Company and Joe McEwan from Innocent Smoothies. They all provided us with their views

and experience of being part of a business, and from every speaker we got to find out how the business began, how they are

growing as a business and their possible plans for the future.

Claire Dickson from the Walt Disney Company explained how they separate their customers into different categories, such as

'Disney families' and this is how they target future/current families. She also explained how the transition from being

interested in coming to Disney to making the booking requires minute detail in order to make the process as easy and simple

for the customer, and even after the booking the business provides the customer with features such as a 'countdown' to the

trip, highlighting that they are with the customer right from the beginning to the end.

Joe McEwan made us all laugh with his examples of how they use social media within their business, including their 'human'

conversations and jokes via Twitter and how they follow trends and what their followers find funny, such as the trend where

they took the 'level 4 stapler' across the world! He also explained how important it was for them to feel like a 'community',

and they highlighted this by their 'big knit' campaign in which people voluntarily knitted and donated mini hats for the

smoothies, which raised money for charity.

A Level Business and ICT Trip to Disneyland Paris

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The ICT A level students then attended a similar seminar in the afternoon, during which they also had three talks –

Geoff White from Channel 4, Gemma Milne from Ogilvy labs and Joe McEwan from Innocent Smoothies again. The ICT

seminar focused on upcoming technology developments such as 'holoportation' in which people can wear a headset

which allows them to be in the same room but actually many miles away. The seminar also focused on technology we

use in everyday life, such as our mobile phones and how data is tracked, for example when you give your data to a

company and advertisers also have the information.

Both seminars were extremely interesting and it was quite eye-opening to see what is behind a business, and all three

talks gave us relevant examples and case studies that we will definitely be able to use in our exams.

After the seminars were finished we were given the rest of the day to once again explore Disney, although this proved

quite difficult when we were faced with torrential rain as well as thunder and lightening! Nevertheless, it was a

memorable day and I don't think any of us will forget being soaked just to stand in a line to go on a ride!

Tuesday morning gave us the opportunity to explore the Disney village and buy souvenirs/gifts for our family – or in Mr

Pitman's case to build your own light sabre! We were all very sad to be leaving Disney as it had been an amazing three

days, however we were looking forward to going home and having a rest (or go back to school...).

We all had an amazing time despite getting slightly wet and it is definitely a trip I would recommend to any Business,

ICT/Computing or Economics A level student.

Lauren Portnall—Year 12

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PGL Netball

It has been an exciting term within the PE Department at Fort Pitt. In February, the

Year 9, 10 and 11 Netball teams attended a PGL Netball weekend where they played an

array of fixtures against a large number of other Secondary Schools. All of the teams

played exceptionally well; especially the Year 11 team who marginally missed out on

playing in the Finals. The games were umpired by official England Netball umpires and

players from the England Netball Team were present on the final day. When the

students were not playing in their assigned netball games, they were able to take part in

a large number of outdoor adventure activities. Such activities included, a giant rope

swing, abseiling, rock climbing, canoeing and many more. Overall, the weekend was a

huge success and all of the students involved thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are

looking forward to returning again next year!

Rugby

Fort Pitt’s Rugby team have been given the fantastic opportunity of having external Rugby Coaches come and lead

their training sessions. This in turn has led to the students being invited to train and play for Medway Rugby Club

which has been a huge success.

Football

The Football Team have also received training from a coach from the ladies team at Gillingham Football Club

where they have experienced a great deal of fun and experimented with new tactics to help aid their team’s

performance. The 6th Form Boys Football Team have won two fixtures against Hundred of Hoo and Strood

Academy and displayed an excellent level of skill and team cohesion. Through observing such talent, a 6th Form

Boys Basketball team has just formed and are in training for their potential upcoming fixtures.

Netball league

The Netball League for both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 has come to an end so all teams involved are eagerly

awaiting the final results. All Netball Teams involved have shown an outstanding knowledge of the game, along

with excellent sportsmanship and team performance. A coach from Medway Dragons has come in to support our

Handball players which has led to particular students now playing for both the School and an outside Medway

team; another amazing achievement for all students involved.

Sporting achievements...

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Madison Rowlands update

Since the beginning of September Madi has been training and competing continuously. Her schedule has been gruelling.

She has travelled to 12 countries including New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Spain, Italy, USA, France, Switzerland, and

Quebec in Canada. She has competed in 7 World Cup Olympic Qualifiers achieving fantastic results. At this present

moment in time on the International Ski Federation Olympic World Cups Qualification she is ranked 13th in the world

for Slopestyle and 16th for Halfpipe. She had to withdraw from the last competition due to Mild Concussion which has

affected her results, however, half way through the season she is still on course to achieve Olympic Qualification for

Pyeongchang 2018. Meanwhile Madi continues to study at A Level at Fort Pitt.

Madi is also ranked 2nd in the World on the Association of Freeskiing Professionals Rankings http://

www.afpworldtour.com/

The BBC aired a programme over the last couple of weeks which included Madi. It gives a brief insight into the Winter

Olympic hopefuls.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08f0jvd/path-to-pyeongchang?suggid=b08f0jvd

Anyone that wishes to can keep up to date with her latest location and results via her social feeds.

https://www.facebook.com/Madi-Rowlands-487215684654563/?fref=ts and Instagram madirowlands https://

www.instagram.com/madirowlands/?hl=en

Dance students are taking part in a ‘Dance Fusion’ competition where they will compete against a number

of other secondary schools. They have shown fantastic efforts already as their training and choreography

is well underway. Our Year 7 students have been raising money for the ‘Lepra’ charity through completing

a sponsored Zumba workout; it was a brilliant event and great to see so much money raised for such a

wonderful charity. It has been an action packed term but the fun isn’t over yet as our Netball and Football

students have begun training for this year’s Inter-house competitions. We are looking forward to

beginning our Summer Sports, with more inter-house events and of course, Sports Day. A big well done

to all students involved for their excellent hard work, dedication and commitment to all of the sporting

successes this term!

Greenacre Sports Partnership – Secondary Dance Fusion – 28 March – Success!

We are delighted to advise that our students came 3rd out of 18 groups. The students performed exceptionally and should be very proud of this achievement.

And there is more achievement in dance

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In February we visited London to seek inspiration and ideas for our Component 2 theme

‘Environments.’ At Tate Modern, we visited the Rauschenberg exhibition. Rauschenberg

was an American artist, who pushed the boundaries and reinvented the possibilities for

art in the 20th century. He has been described as ‘America’s Leonardo.’ We also climbed

the tower in the new Switch building and had an amazing 360° view of London from the

top. At Newport Street Gallery we saw Gavin Turk’s sculptures and paintings. His work

focuses strongly on bin bags, skips and the homeless, a message directed at the attitudes

of our society towards their environment which can be careless with an obsession with

consumerism and appearance. Overall it was an enjoyable but thought provoking day and

a reminder of some of the amazing artwork to be seen in such close proximity.

A Level Fine Art: Visit to Robert Rauschenberg

exhibition at Tate Modern and Gavin Turk at the Newport Street gallery

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Music news

CONGRATULATIONS TO ...

Daisy Stewart, Year 12, for passing her Grade 6 Drum Kit exam, with Distinc-tion. Well done!

Members of the Medway Schools Wind Band, who performed at the Central Theatre in Chatham on 13th March.

Brisen Davison, Year 7, who performed for the Countess of Wessex as part of a performance with The Rochester Cathedral Children’s Community Choir

SPRING CONCERT

WELL DONE and THANK YOU to all musicians who worked so hard to produce performances for this term’s Spring Concert. A special mention must go to Year 13 students for whom this was their last Fort Pitt concert. Some of these students have committed hundreds of valuable hours to music rehearsals over the years they have been a member of the Fort Pitt community, and the Music Department is proud of all that these students have achieved during this time. Thank you and well done!

Mrs King

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BBC School Report The BBC School Report was a fascinating day. Despite not knowing what to expect, all of

the students arrived ready to learn and participate. Throughout the day we attended a

variety of lessons involving scientific experiments and debates, on materialism and the

constantly changing views of reading. In addition, we interviewed teachers to gain an

adult perspective on issues that have significance in our lives. When composing our

reports, the local and national news provoked some engaging discussions and produced

alternative opinions to our first thoughts. Often, you need to obtain other views to

understand your own more clearly, or to gain knowledge and a further depth of

understanding; this is just one of the many

lessons we have learnt on the day; it seems to be a fundamental part of journalism.

For the day to be effective, we needed to work as a team - it wasn’t about one person trying to be the best or interview the

most people, it was about sharing ideas, observing perhaps unconventional opinions and making a motivating report that

we cared about and were proud of. Therefore, teamwork was an incredibly important aspect of the day. Another skill we

honed was research, which involved analysing debates to highlight the most predominant viewpoint and counter it with

the opposing view. We further developed our analytic proficiency, confidence and literary ability, which will prove

beneficial in the future.

Throughout our day of being BBC reporters, we were introduced to a variety of topics, each requiring us to either: research

further into the issue or challenge other members of our year group. We did this through leading them into class debates,

or create a series of questions and responses based on our opinions and other’s. The provocative topics included: “Is Money

Fundamental to be Happy?” This sparked a disagreement in one Year Nine class and four of the reporters. Points raised in

this discussion consisted of: “society expects money for almost everything”, or “holiday and outing expenses” and “these

costly trips are what make up our memories, and therefore make us happy”. The counter-argument to this is that, “the time

and effort put into an event is more important and offers more happiness than the cost.”.

Following this was ‘Women in Science’, in which another Year Nine class contemplated whether they would take up a

STEM career. The majority of the girls questioned, were fascinated by Science and were considering careers in areas such as

cosmetic chemistry.

Additional topics included, “MPs putting restrictions on the portrayal of suicide in TV dramas”, “The Science Behind the

Five Second Rule” and “Healthy Eating”. These topics were chosen by us, after looking at newspaper headlines, as we felt

passionately about them, or were intrigued by the topic.

Later in the day, further interviews and discussions evolved around stimulus such as “Our School’s Anime Club”, the

“Importance of Reading in Comparison to Social Media”, “What Makes an Engaging Opener to a Novel?” and “Bans on

Mobile Phones Outside the School Gates”.

During the day we learnt about the diverse abilities a reporter needs, such as: communication skills (ensuring clarification)

and listening skills (to be polite and only interrupt if necessary). We started the day with a team breakfast and an overview

of what the day would involve. Everyone signed up for numerous journalistic activities; we went to different classes and got

our research. Then at the end of each session we returned to the base and prepared for the next activity. Whilst some

reporters were out on field research, others reported from our own ‘news room’ headquarters - borrowing the reception

area’s small coffee table, which miraculously reappeared at 2pm!

The last hurdle we encountered was writing this article – as rookie reporters we weren’t entirely sure what you would want

to read. We hope we performed adequately and provided a satisfactory result. Thank you for reading our article and

viewing our online report, which is available on the school website.

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Lastly, can we say a mammoth thank you to the sixth formers studying Media and Film Studies and the school technicians who were essential in filming the news today and helping us edit the final cut: not forgetting the teachers, librarian and students who helped make the day a success. We look forward to School Report 2018! (Becky Ball, Amneet Uppal and Saffron Retter: Year 9)

Feedback from other students who were ‘budding reporters’ for the day: “The day was interesting and informed me about news and events that I would not have ordinarily thought to have researched. It was fun to interview my classmates about what their plans for the future are and it was fascinating to take part and watch debates that went on in classrooms. Taking part in the BBC School Report has been a good experience and I highly recommend it to any students who get the opportunity to take part.” Anouk Asher

“I helped with filming, directing and editing the final cuts of the BBC School Report. I learnt about how to edit footage and what looks best on video. I liked listening and contributing to the discussions behind the scenes, regarding what content is in the media. It is great seeing something I helped with ‘come together’ and to create an excellent final piece.” Kathryn Shillito “I went around with the roaming cameras and appeared in different video scenes, for example, the response to ‘Can Money Buy us Happiness?’ and debate on mobile phones in schools and gave my opinion on the new library layout. I also helped in editing the final piece. I liked the debate because I was able to give my point of view. My favourite part of the day was editing the final piece so I could see it all come together and was very satisfied with the result!” Rebekah Bryant

“Overall, the day was incredibly fun and one that I had never experienced before. Articulating our ideas and opinions, and using them to form recorded reports, very similarly to those in our everyday media, was something I had never previously done. My involvement meant that I had a stronger understanding of what it felt like to be a reporter, as well as the nervousness that came when the camera clicked. However, despite the initial slight apprehension, it quickly dissipated, and now I feel much more confident in front of a camera, and more prepared if I ever do something similar to this again. In addition to this, the BBC School Report has also caused a strong development not in only in my confidence, but in my journalistic skills too – ones that will be very beneficial to me in both my writing and future career opportunities.” Sophie Rabin “I was glad to be given such an opportunity. This is one that I hope in the future many more of our peers will be able to experience; we gained so much from this day. My views have been broadened and both our researching and presentation skills have improved, considerably. Personally, I always found it hard to really see different points of view on things I was passionate about, but after today, I have become more tolerant to other opinions. Stephanie Popoola “It was a good way for us to find out more about what is going on around us and how it could possibly affect us here at Fort Pitt. We found out things such as Ibuprofen having the potential to put people into cardiac arrest and “the five second rule”, actually being applicable to foods such as crisps, biscuits and bread, which is good for those of us who dislike being wasteful or clumsy. Later on, we went to Mrs Hayward’s class to film the class debate and ask questions. I had a really good day and I think that it was beneficial because it helped to improve my confidence and gave me the opportunity to see other

people’s opinions on various subjects. Fi Soyinka

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Often when students are thinking about choosing a university, they are happy

to consider Bristol, Nottingham, Reading or other Russell Group universities

but there’s never a mention of Oxford or Cambridge. So I was delighted to

accept an invitation extended to Fort Pitt girls, from Dr Catherine Redford an

Oxford Don (teacher), to visit Hertford College in the centre of Oxford.

Bright and early on the morning of World Women’s Day in March, an intrepid

bunch of year 8 & 9 students gathered in cool of the morning, eager to begin

the journey to visit a place where women were not awarded degrees until the

1920’s, to see for themselves what Oxford could offer the modern young

woman. We also hoped to dispel any myths and preconceptions the girls

might have about the university and to see what studying for a degree at

Oxford might really be like. So, on day three of careers week, where raising

aspirations was the key theme, we set off to gain inspiration amidst the city of

‘dreaming spires’.

When we arrived at Hertford College after quite a long, but uneventful journey. (Thankfully the ‘sick bags’

supplied by Mrs Parle was not needed) we were greeted by what should on the surface be a city conflicted. But

the modern elements sit comfortably beside buildings dating back to the thirteenth century. People on

bicycles glide easily between ambling pedestrians and the whole effect is of a city set out of ‘time’. But if you

look deeper and you see that the magic of Oxford is that it is just like any other modern city, but with an extra

ordinarily beautiful infrastructure.

Hertford College sits proudly opposite the Bodleian Library, notable because it holds a copy of every book

ever published and copyrighted in the United Kingdom. In fact, it houses so many volumes, its vaults extend

below the streets of the city itself. The college is another reflection of the city, an ancient medieval hall

surrounded by a 19th Century annex.

We were greeted at the porter’s lodge by the college cat, who came up

to the window to check us out and having met with his approval we

assembled in the quad at the college which seemed eerily familiar.

This is due in part to the inclusion of many of Oxford’s colleges in the

popular detective series of Inspector Morse and Lewis. The traditional

architecture gives the place an ecclesiastic feel but again when you

look deeper the students that live and work here look like the

members of any other university campus.

Looking around the college the inhabitants have the vibe and colour

of contemporary society with the honour of tradition. The dining hall

where students and Dons sit together every evening and where thanks

are given in Latin before every evening meal, is adjacent to the student

common room with every necessity to the modern student visible

including flat screen TV and Wi-Fi. The students all have their own

college accommodation for the whole length of their degree and as the

academic terms at Oxford are also the shortest in the country so it’s

much cheaper to study there because of the shorter rental periods.

Year 8 & 9 Trip to Oxford

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We were taken on a walking tour of the city by Sam who came from Lewisham in South London. He

was certainly not what the girls had imagined an Oxford undergraduate might be like. He came from

a normal state school background and was certainly not brought up in a privileged household. But

Sam is a more typical Oxford student these days than you might think and official figures bear this

out with 55.6% of students coming from the state school sector.

Sam was ‘reading’ History at Oxford. He said that if you had told him three years ago he would be

studying here and talking to a group of younger students about his experiences he would not have

believed it.

Oxford is definitely a very traditional place of education and not to everyone’s taste but it is

accessible to all. The students we met we’re approachable honest and open and …normal! After a

guided tour of the city we had our lunch outside the Ashmolian museum, which holds a place in the

Guinness Book of records for being the first ever museum open to the public and we became just

another contrast of ancient and modern.

Oxford is a university town, admittedly not quite the same as most others, but it is a place everyone

has heard of and a degree gained from here will open many doors to many different careers. What

was made clear to the girls who visited with me was that it could be within their reach - all they have

to do is work towards it.

Mrs Sharpe

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This year has seen the introduction of the exciting new Social Action

Society at Fort Pitt, with students being supported by the Global Social

Leaders Society and Future Foundations, to set up a club to further

promote diversity at Fort Pitt.

Our members have worked hard this year and we were thrilled that Molly

Best and Georgia Orpin represented our society at the annual awards, held

at Wellington College on Saturday 25th March. Molly and Georgia gave a

presentation to a panel of judges, many of whom are fellows of the RSA (as

is Mr Watkiss) or are actively involved in charities supporting young people

in achieving social action in their communities.

The presentation was a great success and the judges felt our focus on

diversity was a highly relevant and valuable project. Molly and Georgia

both thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share the hard-work of our

society but more importantly they appreciated being able to see the ideas

and work of other young people across the country, many of whom they

had met and worked with at the LaunchPad day in November 2016.

We feel extremely proud and fortunate to have won a £75 bursary from the

National Citizen Service to help us ensure our social action work can be

sustained in the coming months and years. New members are always

welcome!

Fort Pitt SAS

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Term 5

Monday 24 April Term 5 starts

Monday 1 May Bank Holiday

Wednesday 3 May Leavers’ Service

Tuesday 9 May Year 8 Enrichment Day

w/c Monday 15 May Coffee Mornings

Monday 15—Thursday 25 May Year 10 Examinations

Friday 26 May End of Term 5

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Photos of just some of the things we have been involved in during a very busy term at Fort Pitt Grammar School: January to April 2017