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01643 700332 Read the WSCC Comet in COLOUR at www.westsomerset.somerset.sch.uk

In This Issue Page 2 Musical Recital Evening Page 3 Penne’s Post Page 4 Santa Fun Run Page 5 Principal’s Page Pages 6 - 9 Year News Pages 10 and 11 Parent Governor Operation Christmas Child Miscellaneous Page 12 Visit from our MP Vision Opening Times Poem Page 13 Walk on the Wild Side Page 14 Second Hand Books Economics Page 15 Student of the Month Pages 16 and 17

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STEM DAY SUCCESS ctober 2nd marked the launch of the College STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) programme for 2012-13.

The day was filled with amazing workshops – Maths sessions included Bridge Building where bridges designed from paper structures to span a gap were tested with weights to see which design was the strongest. Mr Tunstall was also looking out for the ‘prettiest’ bridge-this made the students think about appearance which is important in architecture! In Science, students were transported into the world of CSI as they had the task of using scientific experiments to find out ‘Who Stole the Donuts.’

Tuesday 23rd October Wednesday 24th October

Pages 18 and 19 Rotary Youth Sport

Kier Bam construction graduates got the students thinking about design with their Lego Tower Challenge.

While at the farm, students were able to take part in a whole host of activities such as: data Other workshops included the ‘Lobster tagging of animals, handling exotic animals, Challenge’ delivered by EDF graduates. The students took part in a simulation which looked bee keeping , horticulture. Bicton College and at the mathematical risk (using probabilities) of Exmoor National Park were also on site. putting lobster pots inshore or offshore All students saw the inter-active assembly depending on the weather. Airbus graduates delivered by Dr Alison Rivett from the world got the students building and thinking about design in terms of objects landing safely from a renowned Bristol ChemLabs. She certainly showed the students how much fun science can height without breaking – this was the ‘egg be through experiments related to the gases. drop’ challenge. Liquid Nitrogen was used to freeze and shrink a range of objects and there were explosions and Some 200 students had the opportunity to frothing experiments that kept everyone on the compare man to machine in terms of power. edge of their seats! They compared pedal power on mountain bikes, through a course, to the electric powered (continued on page 3). segways – a really fun comparison!

What’s Coming Up at the Combe Breast Cancer Campaign - Skydive

Outdoor Ed

Gaynor Comber and Martin McNeill with Richard Mayson and Barbara Jones from EDF and Councillor David Sanders

Diary Dates

Thursday 25th October Friday 26th October

Year 8 Open Evening Year 11 Vocational Raising of Achievement Evening Adult Skills Course-Open Evening INSET Day

Mon 29th Oct – Fri 2nd Nov

Half Term

Thursday 8th November

Year 11 Parent/Teacher Evening

Page 20 Adult Skills Open Evening

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The Sports’ Hall was converted into an exhibition hall for the day, with over 30 interactive exhibitors including: EDF, Rolls Royce, Airbus, Kier Bam, Construction S.W. Universities: Plymouth, UWE, Exeter, Cardiff, Bournemouth and Bridgwater College. Careers Guidance: JCP, National Careers Service. Local Businesses: Ylem, Miles Tea, SWLT, Butlin’s, 1610 Awarding Bodies: Edexcel, City & Guilds

near future will be made of a very thin plastic screen that can be rolled up and taken with you! Students were advised that light bulbs would soon be obsolete. New indoor plastic coatings to ceilings will be the light source – an idea from an innovator bought by Sony for £98K. Professor Macdonald encouraged students to think of bright ideas! Anyone interested should see the ‘Fantastic Plastic’ website. All in all, an awesome day – opportunities for well paid careers in the future that are creative and innovative can be found with STEM subjects.

There was something for everyone-students engaged with hands-on displays and finding out about careers and progression opportunities from our visitors. Lots of stickers, memory sticks, beach balls etc. were given out to the lucky ones.

Year 8 students from Danesfield, Minehead Middle and Dulverton schools also enjoyed their day with us.

Vocational workshops were buzzing with student opportunities to hand-make bricks (Ibstock), try their hand at electrical, plumbing and carpentry activities helped by Jewsons and Kewtech and in motor vehicle from Snap-on showed the importance of high quality tools and diagnostics.

Whilst all this was going on, there was also the official opening of the new facilities funded by EDF. These include the electrical, plumbing and plant workshops together with a fabulous new training kitchen. The wonderful buffet was prepared and served by hospitality students.

Dr Harry Singer delivered a talk on how his interest and career in science has led him to do some fantastic things with his life. Students were amazed to hear, among other things, that he survived his first parachute jump when the parachute refused to open!

Thanks go to our guest speakers, visitors, teaching and support staff, to Penne Knight and her team for making over 100 packed lunches and Miles Tea for making 500 drinks in the exhibition hall. Finally thanks to Public Services students for acting as guides and looking after our guests so superbly.

Professor Averil Macdonald wowed groups with her Marguerite Bowden: Assistant Principal-Vocational ‘Fantastic Plastic’ talk. This illustrated the amazing advances in plastics technology. Televisions of the very Education, Business & Community Support

PENNE’S POST As the mornings start to get darker and colder remember when you arrive in College in the morning we are open. You can get a hot drink of chocolate, tea or coffee, and we also have hot bacon rolls for those who have not had time to have any breakfast. We are putting a Comments and Suggestion box in the refectory, so if there is something you are not happy about, maybe we are not doing your favourite cake or you would like to see something particular on the menu, please let us know. We are always very grateful for any feedback, good or bad, because if we don’t know we can’t do anything about it. We are finding puddings at lunch time are not very popular at the moment so why not tell us if you think we should stop doing them altogether, or suggest a pudding you would like to see on the menu. I look forward to hearing what you have to say, Before I go below are six puddings with the letters all mixed up. The first two people who come to the refectory and tell me the correct answer will get a free cake and drink. ELAPP EIP FELIRT KECAESEHEC YEJLL ECIR DIDNPGU BBRAHUR BMUCREL Well good luck, I will catch up with you soon. Take care. Penne Knight, Catering Manager Issue 057

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Principal’s Page I have really enjoyed my first month at the College and we have had some extremely exciting events. It was lovely to see every student becoming involved in the STEM day on 2nd October, with some excellent bridge-building in Maths (!) and students zipping around on segways.

We have also had some sporting successes. High praise needs to go to Harry Hall who was placed 4th in the National Schools Championship for Decathlon. Also, a big congratulations to the following students for their excellent achievements on 30th September at the Kings College Inter-School Show Jumping: Overall, the team came second out of 11 teams I look forward to reporting on further student success in the next edition of the Comet! Amy Delbridge 11ATG 2nd in team (80-85cm) 4th individual (80-85cm) Ellie Malin

9DXC

2nd in team (80-85cm) 2nd individual (80-85cm)

Georgia Parkin 9SXW 2nd in team (80-85cm) 4th individual (70-75cm) Ellen Keating

9MCW 2nd in team (80-85cm)

The Rotary Christmas Fair and Santa Fun Run are taking place on Saturday 24th November. To support the Rotarians’ designated cancer charities there will be either a 2-mile Santa Fun Run or a 1 ½-mile Santa Saunta. This will start from Minehead Cricket Club from 10.45 am. If you wish to become involved in this event, the entry fee is £10 for adults and £5 for juniors (this includes a free Santa suit!). For further information, entry and sponsor forms, please see the advert on the facing page. There will be a certificate for every finisher, and medals for the first three in each category AND a £50 Marks & Spencer voucher to the runner raising the most sponsorship money and paid in by 31st December. These will all be presented at the Christmas Fair. Runners will be issued with numbers and their Santa suit via the College, or from 9am on race day. I look forward to seeing you there!

Gaynor Comber, Principal Issue 057

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Year 9 Report Welcome! Hello, this is the publicity team Abbie Sweetland, Chloe Fewings and Courtney Bland. We assure you that we will try to give you as much information on trips and details of sport fixtures. If there is anything you want to get published or want to read more about please come and see us. Rugby My name is Jamie Foster and I am the captain of West Somerset's year 9 rugby team. I have played rugby for roughly four years in my previous school, Danesfield, although I have never captained a rugby team myself. Our first rugby match of the season against Courtfields ended in a 42-3 win and a 100% conversion rate by Jamie Hodgson, and our tries scored by: Sam Chinn, Jamie Hodgson, Connor Walsh and Owen Murray. Our second game also led to victory with a 24-0 win. Our try scorers were Connor Walsh, Owen Murray and Joe Floyd. Our third match of the season against Heathfield was a hard game but we eventually won 19-12. If we win our next two games will be in the quarter finals of the County Cup. Hockey First of all our opening Year 9 hockey match of the season was against Taunton Academy at home on Thursday the 27th September. The end result was 1-5 (to us) with the goal scorers being Charlotte Jennings-1 goal, Gemma Chilcott-1 goal, Niamh Brookes-1 goal and Chloe Fewings-2 goals. However our second match of the season the following Tuesday, did not run as smoothly with the opposition a little more challenging. This match was away (on grass) against Bishops Fox’s; it was a challenging start with the first half with us only 1-0 up. Then in the second half two more goals were scored by each team, the pressure was on. Luckily Charlotte Jennings scored the last goal with minutes to go, the final score 3-2 (to us) the match was won. We are looking forward to our next match against Heathfield. Riddle Here is a Riddle, if you know the answer or think you can guess please give your answer to Mr Bowden and the first person to get it right will get a prize also their name and the answer will be published in the next College Comet. Riddle 1: Two friends were leaving the restaurant and as they passed the cashier, one of them paid his bill but the other handed the cashier a slip of paper with the number 1004180 written on it. The cashier studied the number for a moment, and then let the friend pass by without paying. Why? Riddle 2: What goes up but never goes down?

Girls’ Football We are Minehead U14’s Girls Football team and we want you! We play matches on Saturdays – home and away- and train every Wednesday from 5:30 -7pm at Minehead football ground, also known as Minehead Rec. The team has now been going for 4 years, and are still looking for new girls from the ages of 12 -14, school years 8 and 9. If you are interested in joining, come down to Minehead Rec on Wednesdays for some fun and a chance to learn new skills. The girls that already play are Morgan Smith, Abbie Vickers, Lauren Scarlett, Sasha Harris, Marie Denley, Jess Jones, Izzy Harvey, Kasey Healy. The Year 8s are Alice Milton, Ellis Johnson, Ellie Lynch, Megan Hodges and Keeley Langdon. If you’re interested in playing you can find any of the year 9s or come to Wednesday training. By Abbie Vickers, Morgan Smith, Lauren Scarlett and Jess Jones Issue 057

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STEM Day: On Tuesday 2nd October the whole College took part in STEM day. This was the first time that the year 9s had taken part in something like this and everybody enjoyed it. Here is what some of us thought. Hannah Thompson said it was nice to spend a day with your mentor and have fun having competitions with people you wouldn’t normally spend time with. STEM Day was a chance to work with new people, engage in new opportunities and try something you've never done before, said Freya Lodge. Max Milliship thought it was a good day with great future career pathways to find out about. Callum Bryant said he thought it was really interesting because we were told all we need to know about different jobs we could have in the future. I think College should really consider doing it again. This day was something that everyone took part in and was a great success. All of the Year 9s look forward to another activity like this in the future. Here are some pictures below of the year nines having fun!

Bowling The first trip to Hollywood Bowl took place on the 11th October, followed by a trip to McDonalds. Everyone had an amazing time and can’t wait for the next trip like this. The teachers also played a game and the winners of their games where Miss Roe-Mottershead and Mr Knight.

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Year 10 Mentoring. Year 10 are now fully into the swing of their mentoring program. There is clear emphasis on literacy this year and so the majority of the work and challenges they do are linked to this theme. All groups have the opportunity to have a mentor session where they are expected to bring in something to read. This reading can be done individually or in groups. The aim is to encourage students to enjoy reading and, by doing so, improve their own literacy. The benefits are already being seen by many students in Y10 improving their reading age. However, there is always time for some fun. Therefore our Tiddly Frogs competition is proving very competitive. The Grand Final is scheduled for the 13th November when the Leap Off will be “televised” live in our assembly. The activity is not just a fun one but teaches students to follow instructions, as they have to make their own Tiddly Frog which for some has proven a bit of a problem. Sport The Sports’ fixtures have started and there have been some very pleasing results from hockey and rugby. What has also pleased me is the sporting way in which Y10 have played their matches. Well done to all those who have taken part and I look forward to continued success. Talking about success, I couldn’t let this edition of the Comet escape without a quick mention for Ashleigh Attwell who over the weekend of 5/6th October competed at Millfield in the Somerset ASA Development Meet. Ashleigh did brilliantly in all her events posting a succession of personal best times and came away with a silver medal in her age group for the 200m breaststroke. STEM Day Year 10 had a great day on October 2nd when the College played host to companies and universities from across the country. To the right are just a few of the activities that the students were involved in. Year Council The Council has carried out their survey to find out which charity the Year Group wants to support this year. The Charity that came out tops was Cancer Research. The council is now hard at work sorting out how they can raise money. They have a number of ideas that all need approval but keep listening in assembly and reading the Comet to find out the details of their fundraising schemes. As our Year 10 Class Council representatives, we recently held a vote to decide which of three charities we are going to support – Help for Heroes, Cancer Research or Cystic Fibrosis. The charity that received the most votes was Cancer Research and we are hoping to hold a charity event to raise as much money as possible for this really good cause. If you have any ideas on what to do, please speak to a member of the Council: Josh Bonser, Emily Champion, Hermione Cordell, Shannon Craven, Shannon Johnson, Katie Lynch, Jessica Norman, Charlie Osborne, Tia Phillips and Olivia Wood. Shannon Craven (10RC) Up and Coming Events. You may remember that last year Y10 and Y11 had the opportunity to become involved in expeditions lead by a local company called Outposts. After half term a representative of the company will be coming into College to talk to all of Y10 about the opportunities that are available to them this year. This is no easy task and requires commitment and enthusiasm as well as the ability to raise funds. Fee Bellamy will be coming into our assembly on the 13th November to tell you more. Issue 057

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Year 10 Caption Competition

„Guys‟! Guys! Look! I laid an egg!!‟ 10KT

JA – „Fe-lime‟ KT – „I have a melon hat, your argument is invalid‟

„Red wool gives you wings‟ 10JA

„Scientists cross dogs with rabbits‟ 10MLB

JA – „Hairy Potter‟ MLB – „I think the spell went wrong Harry‟

JA – „I ate your father‟ MLB – „Bark Vader, “Use the woof Luke, may the paws be with you”

Leaves College 4.00pm approx. Returns to College by 10.45pm approx. Issue 057

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Calling all Year 12 students who took GCSE Geography last year Your controlled assessments were super and can now be returned to you. Please come and collect from Miss Dale before Christmas otherwise they will be thrown away.

Parent Governor Following an election at the end of the summer term Kevin Francis was elected as a new parent governor. Kevin started his four-year term of office at the beginning of September and has joined the Curriculum Development and Design Committee. Kevin has previously been a governor at two other schools and he is looking forward to using this experience in his new role at the College. We hope he enjoys his time as a College governor.

Photographs These are ready for collection from Student Reception at break or lunchtime.

Operation Christmas Child Thank You for making Operation Christmas Child possible. 2011 was another fantastic appeal, with nearly 1.1 million (over 20 from this College) shoeboxes wrapped, packed and sent (both by hands and via computers!) to some of the neediest children living in 14 countries around the world. To give you a glimpse of just what goes into making Operation Christmas Child (OCC) happen each year, here is a glance at the 2011 shoebox appeal by numbers: 1,089,018 shoeboxes sent out from the UK & Ireland to children overseas 500,000+ children and adults involved in making up gift-filled shoeboxes 16,184 churches, schools, workplaces and community groups involved 7,500+ overseas volunteers helping to distribute shoeboxes to children in-country 5,000+ UK volunteers helping to collect, prepare and send out shoeboxes 1,927 public places serving as Drop Off Points to collect shoeboxes 14 countries in which children will receive shoeboxes made up in 2011 1 child – what it’s all about: each child who receives a shoebox is special and deserves a Christmas present

Help us make even more of an impact this year. The Interact Group challenges every mentor group to complete 2 shoes boxes, one for a boy and one for a girl. Is your group up for the challenge? Is this something you could lead for your group? Completed shoe boxes to HB6 by November 16th please. There is a prize for the mentor group who completes the most, so come get wrapping and bring a smile to stranger this Christmas. Lesley Dale (Strategic Leader: Teaching & Learning) Issue 057

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A Visit from our MP Vocational Education got the thumbs-up from Ian Liddell-Grainger when he visited new facilities that recently opened in The Skills and Enterprise Centre. The local MP was given a tour of the new facilities in Construction, Motor Vehicle and Hospitality and commented on the positive impact the facilities would have on local jobs and economy. Mr Liddell-Grainger met with new College Principal Gaynor Comber, Senior and Vocational Leaders and Sixth Form students. His tour began in The Combe, the College’s training restaurant, with coffee and cakes. Mr Liddell-Grainger was impressed by the students and told one of them, Charlee Todd, that when she started her own hospitality business she should contact him personally for help and advice. The MP’s tour continued around the new vehicle, electrical, carpentry and plumbing workshops, where Mr Liddell-Grainger spoke enthusiastically about Vocational Education and its place in the modern curriculum of English schools; he was particularly excited about the contribution the new facilities will make to the local community. Adrian Fleming, Subject Leader-Hospitality

The Rainbow Fish Beneath the shimmering, motionless ocean The fish move swift and slow dancing to the gentle, coral reef. Something glistened amongst them, gleaming all colours of all, It was told the heart of the ocean. The rainbow fish that’s what, as it moves with its elegant beauty swaying to the beat of the waves. The sound is a humming of shells, as it rushes through my veins. Its scales looming with life, and its sapphire blue eyes. It rushes no time as its breath is light of the stars. All the fish hover around me, admiring my colourful scales With ruby red, and emerald green the colours of the ocean flora. I lie within the oceans breath, the currents flow through me.

Our opening hours have changed: Monday: 9am - 11am (Blow Dries and Sets only) Tuesday: Closed Wednesday: 10am - 6pm Thursday: 10am - 6pm Friday: 9am - 3pm For more information or to book please contact us: Vision Hair Salon - 01643 700317 Skills and Enterprise Reception - 01643 700335 Issue 057

Written by Oliver Fenwick (10JL) 12

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A Walk on the Wild side! Things have been very busy with the exotic animal collection in Land Based Studies, now that all the animals taken home by students have returned and settled back into College life!

We have had some new arrivals, firstly 6 Rex “Kitts” (baby rabbits) donated by an animal rescue centre in Watchet They are very friendly as they were part hand raised and are proving a real hit with the students! This means we have been able to retire our 3 older rabbits, Sami, Carrots and Fluffy to good homes. Our new amphibians are Fire Bellied Toads, we brought 4 in and they now live in a fantastic enclosure designed by animal management students! On the creeper side, we have our first Praying Mantis, known as a Marbled Praying Mantis, coming from Madagascar. Praying Mantis is a master of Disguise, a carnivorous insect with a very colourful appetite. They can turn their triangular heads up to 180 degrees in search for an insect for dinner!

Giant African Train Millipedes are forming a part of a breeding programme we are running. As most that are sold in the pet trade are taken from the wild, we will breed them here and sell the offspring to petshop suppliers, hopefully reducing the need to take wild ones! We have some new stick insects, firstly, the Haaniella dehaani which is their Latin name, as they don’t really have a common name (but ours are called John and Jill!) from the Sarawak forests on Borneo and secondly the GIANT Thorny Stick insects, small at the moment, but they will grow! Fascinating animals!

Lastly we have 2 baby Leopard Geckos, not sure what sex they are yet, but we are intending to breed them in the future! Lee Jenkins, Teacher of Animal Management Issue 057

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Secondhand books needed If you have any books at home that you are planning to throw out please bring them into College and give to Mrs Cranna so she can set up a Book Swap Shop.

ECONOMICS IN THE NEWS

Should firms be allowed to pay to pollute? Carbon credits are allowing firms to be able to pay to pollute, if firms have a carbon credit they can emit one tonne of carbon. The aim of this is to reduce carbon emissions by placing a price on polluting, however this creates tension as markets that require the production of carbon arguably have the right to emit pollutants. So is this system correct? Reducing the amount of pollutants in our atmosphere will inevitably reduce the risk of climate change, creating incentives for firms to pollute less and in doing so becoming more economical. If this isn’t enough, then the imposed prices on pollution credits should be, as firms can’t afford to exceed the one tonne limit and that, in turn, will mean future generations are a lot happier. However, by the time it is determined whether pollution credits are essential to reducing the risk of climate change it may be too late. In which time, carbon credits will arguably distribute responsibility in an unfair way. For example, if a poorer country reduces its carbon emissions, it will access carbon credits. These can therefore be bought by a wealthier nation that can then carry on emitting more carbon than they could have previously, allowing them to pollute which is increasing the pollution gap between wealthier and poorer countries. This highlights the benefits of pollution credits as the risk of climate change will significantly be reduced. On the other hand, carbon credits may lead to an unfair distribution of harmful emissions between nations that could later change our lives. To conclude I think firms should be allowed to pay to pollute, however only to a specific or set amount, therefore reducing the amount of harmful emissions entering our atmosphere whilst shrinking the pollutant gap between nations. By Chris Hunt (13SS) AS level choices: Economics, History, Psychology and Philosophy and Ethics Possible University course: Economics Issue 057

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Students of the Month: September Subject

Student name

Mentor Group

Reason

Drama

Janielle Sabale

9EH

for excellent effort in lessons and producing outstanding homework

Music

Hannah Thompson

9SLJ

for excellent participation and performance in her music class - beautiful singing voice and song writing skills with her group.

Geography

Kayleigh ShandleyEdwards

9VRM

for a simply stunning start to Geography here at the College including completing a piece of work to National Curriculum Level 7A

DT

Matthew Ludlam

9ABB

for achieving full marks in all work completed so far this year.

IT

Emma Chalker

10JA

for an excellent standard of work both in class and at home which is always completed by the deadline.

Product Design

Jack Griffin

10JL

for achieving 3 grades over target on his first project.

PE

Ellie Blandford-Corp

11RY

for amazing application, attitude and effort.

Science

Phoenix Sanoh

11DC

for exceptionally good work, a positive start to BTEC.

Hairdressing

Phoenix Sanoh

11DC

for constantly working hard and producing a very impressive level in her practical work.

Business Studies

Tom Parker

11HS

for outstanding performance.

German

Alex Denholm

11HG

for producing an excellent piece of writing for her controlled assessment.

French

Shannon Robinson

11HG

for a superb start to the year with an excellent, accurate and personalised piece of work on 'Mon collège'; her work shows both maturity and perception.

Electronics & Controlled Systems

Alex Potton

11CR

for top marks in Year 11 so far, 2 grades over target.

Food Technology

Beth Cahalan

11HG

for commitment to Food Technology and the detail put into the research section of her course work folder.

Technology Textiles

Lauren Paviour

11CSW

for an excellent start and great quality of work in her coursework folder.

Art Textiles

Danni Garratt

11CD

for her hard work ethic.

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Breast Cancer Campaign (Part One - The Coffee Morning) The coffee morning of the 27th September in aid of The Breast Cancer Campaign was a fantastic success! For those who don’t know, we are Abbie Smith and Laura Winzer, and intend to complete a tandem skydive on the 6th October to raise money for our charity. Considering this is our first parachute jump from an aeroplane, this could be quite an interesting challenge for us! We made excellent progress towards our £800 target by raising £183.06 from a coffee morning in The Combe Restaurant. Guests were treated to a delicious range of cakes including themed pink cupcakes and some cheeky fondant fancies that were shaped in honour of the theme! It was a very busy morning in The Combe and we’d like to thank everyone who came along and supported us! We are very much looking forward to our skydive next weekend and are just as much nervous as excited. The day will include spending the morning in training and jumping in the afternoon. A tandem skydive involves both of us having an instructor strapped to our back as we jump at over 10,000ft and freefall down to 5,000 feet falling through the air at 120 mph! Due to technical difficulties with the plane the previous weekend, the girls completed their tandem skydive on a later date than planned – Saturday 13th October .

Part Two (The Skydive) On the day, we jumped an extra 5,000ft higher than expected. Jumping from a total of 15,000ft instead of the previous 10,000ft as originally booked. This is the highest possible height to jump from without oxygen! Due to excellent weather conditions on the day, we were also able to have a go at steering ourselves back down to the centre of the drop zone below. We received a certificate to prove that we have completed a 'two-mile high' Tandem Skydive and also have memories that will last a life time! We would like to thank everyone who was kind enough to sponsor us and also for the huge amount of support received along the way. Especially, a big thank you to The Combe Restaurant for all their hard work in helping us achieve our fundraising target. At the time of writing, we have raised over £850 for The Breast Cancer Campaign but this is still a rising figure! We hope that from this we have inspired and motivated people to go out and do something for charity! Big or small it all helps! Abbie Smith (12WH) and Laura Winzer (12PB) Issue 057

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Post 16 – Outdoor Education On 18th September the Level 3 students from Public Services went to Watermouth Cove in Ilfracombe, Devon with Mr Wilson and Mr French from Exmoor Adventures. The group spent the day Coasteering and Sea-Kayaking. We left the College at 9am and after a short journey to Watermouth Cove geared up and dug straight in. Mr Wilson and Mr French briefed us on all the safety points we needed to be aware of, including the wildlife! Sharks! Really? We swam to the first set of rocks and worked as a team to climb up onto the top. Once we were there we had our first look at the jump ahead of us. It was with a surge of fear and excitement as we looked down at the sea, which had quite a swell on it. Tom Middleton-Smith was the first to jump and he was swiftly followed by the rest of the group. You got a great adrenaline rush jumping into the water and we all clambered out to jump again. Two hours later we stopped for lunch and a break. Once lunch had settled we split into two groups and set off in the Sea-Kayaks. One group headed off towards Combe Martin and surfed the waves on the beach. The other group paddled around and through the rocks where the waves and tide made it quite a challenge. Then the two groups swapped over. I think several of us dozed off in the minibus on our way back to College, but it was an amazing day and we can’t wait to our next Outdoor Education day with Mr Wilson. Zak Wood – 12PU3

Rotary Youth Activities On Monday evening the Rotary Club of Minehead entertained staff and students from local schools. Excellent presentations were given by the students involved in the recent Rotary Youth Exchange to Vendome, and by the winners of the Rotary Water Rocket Competition. Awards were given to the winners of the Rocket Contest and to Isaac Reeson, the winner of the Rotary District Young Photographer Competition. As well as celebrating the great achievements of our local students in Rotary activities last year, the Rotary Club of Minehead presented its youth activities plans for the next twelve months. If you would like to know more about these plans or if you are interested in joining Rotary and helping with their community work please visit their website – www.minehead.rotaryweb.org Barrie Harban, President of the Rotary Club of Minehead, said ‘It was a great evening and a great pleasure to meet the students who have done so well in our National Rotary Competitions, they are an example to us all!’ The picture shows the winners of the Rotary Water Rocket Competition, team ‘That’s what she said…’ The team members are Tara Hemamen-Wood, Emily John, Amy Pollard, and Jack Waterman. Roger Andrews, Rotary Club of Minehead Issue 057

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Sports Fixtures Year 9 Girls Wednesday 7th November Wednesday 14th November

Football Hockey Hockey

Heathfield Castle Kings of Wessex

Home Away Home

Year 9 Boys Thursday 25th October Tuesday 6th November Wednesday 14th November

Rugby Rugby Football

Castle Kingsmead Millfield

Away Away Away

Year 10 Girls Tuesday 23rd October Thursday 8th November

Hockey Hockey

Kings of Wessex Castle

Away Home

Year 10 Boys Tuesday 23rd October Tuesday 6th November Wednesday 14th November

Rugby Rugby Football

Castle Kingsmead Millfield

Away Away Away

Year 11 Girls Wednesday 24th October Wednesday 7th November

Hockey Hockey

Chilton Trinity Castle

Away Home

Year 11 Boys Thursday 25th October Wednesday 7th November Wednesday 14th November

Rugby Rugby Football

Castle Kingsmead Millfield

Home Home Away

Hockey County Cup WSCC v Haygrove We travelled to Haygrove in Bridgwater to play our first match of the season. Despite playing on an unfamiliar surface and coming under a lot of early pressure, we managed to get hold of the ball and string some passes together, with some promising runs down the wing by Rosie Chamberlain. As we continued to soak up the pressure, Ellie Blandford-Corp made a breakaway, passing out to Kirstie Speed who crossed into the ‘D’ for Rosie to tap the ball past the keeper and put West Somerset into the lead. The goal gave West Somerset some confidence and, after a scrappy period of play, Brooke Fitzpatrick came away with the ball, passed to Sophie Hart who travelled before playing a one-two with Shannon and beating the keeper on the inside post. West Somerset managed to keep the lead and were pleased to finish the first half 2-0 up. Although West Somerset made a good start to the second half, Haygrove came back fighting, putting a lot of pressure on our defence. Zoey Cape and Bethany Singleton were excellent in defence clearing the ball. However, the attack couldn’t keep hold of the ball and, within 15 minutes, Haygrove had scored. After scoring, Haygrove were the better team, looking like they could score with every attack. Every West Somerset player was in their own half, frantically trying to clear the ball. They put up a spirited defence and, even after numerous shots and short corners, West Somerset managed to hold on to beat Haygrove 2-1. Sophie Hart (11HS) Issue 057

19

18/10/12

Issue 057

20

18/10/12