PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER ISSUE 18 FEBRUARY 2012

INSIDE: Careers • Travel • English • Space Centre Trip • 2012 Olympics • ICT Award

Olympic Countdown beginsat Tupton Hall School

Time to saygoodbyeOur headteacher, Patrick Cook,will be retiring in the summerafter ten years at Tupton HallSchool. “Opening thenew school in2003 was aprivilege and atremendouschallenge,” hesaid. “Sincethen TuptonHall School hasgone fromstrength tostrength, theschool is in verygood shapeand this bodes well for the future.”The process to appoint a newheadteacher has been arranged forMarch. There will be an announcementin a Governors’ newsletter at the end ofthe Spring term.Two other long serving members of staffare also retiring in the summer; JonMoore has been at Tupton Hall since1985 and for the last 5 years he hasbeen Head of Science, Paul Goodliffe,Head of Design Technology, has been atTupton Hall since 1990.

We offer our best wishes to allretiring staff.

Olympic torch bearer

Imogen Clark (8GX) is a member ofRykneld Swimming Club and has beennominated by a parent, Mrs D.Pearce, tobe a torch bearer in the round Britainrelay in the run up to the Olympics.

Tupton Hall School marked 200 daysuntil the London 2012 Olympics onJanuary 9th with Olympic 400mrunner Danny Caines releasing 200balloons in Olympic colours. Danny is a World, Commonwealth,European and Europe Cup Championand he spoke to Year 9, 12 and 13students about sporting goals. Danny alsobrought along his medals.School children from Ashover, Grassmoor,Hunloke and Sharley Park Primary joinedthe celebrations. Year 13 student and Higher Sports LeaderJoe Mansfield said “It was a great eventto signal the start of the Olympic year.Here at Tupton Hall we plan to fullysupport Team GB and promote theOlympic Values. Hopefully we have someOlympic athletes of the future here atTupton Hall.”Danny Caines said “As part of Sky’s Livingfor Sport program, I have been visitingschools to share my Olympic story. Theprogram aims to boost confidence,increase attainment and improve lifeskills. Through sheer determination Ifought back against injuries andrepresented Great Britain at the Athensand Sydney Olympics. I hope to

encourage young people to live theirsporting dreams.”Tupton Hall Headteacher Patrick Cooksaid “As a Specialist Sports College,Tupton Hall prides itself on supportingyoung people to achieve their potential insport. The London 2012 Games shouldbe the perfect opportunity to inspire thenext generation of elite athletes.”More on the Olympics on page 7

Year 11 English trip to see'An Inspector Calls'in StokeNinety Year 11 students travelled to Stoke's Regent Theatre inNovember to experience the gloomy magic of the West Endproduction of J. B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'. The fantasticstage design drew gasps; at first there was torrential rainonstage and then the set dramatically split in two! Studentsare currently studying the play in preparation for their GCSEEnglish Literature exam in January. All of the students thatattended were a credit to the school throughout the visit.

‘Of Mice and Men’ TripThirty studentsfrom Year 11saw JohnSteinbeck’s ‘OfMice and Men’at BuxtonOpera House inOctober, aspart of arevisionprogramme fortheir Englishliteratureexamination.The tripprovidedstudents with agreaterknowledge ofthe text; its keythemes, plot and characters. Students said that theperformance had helped them because they now knew whichbits of the book they knew really well – and the parts theyneeded to do more work on!Y11 students took their English Literature exam in January.

English Faculty . . . .

BBC School NewsReportTeamCongratulations to the following students, who delivered achallenging one minute pitch on why they would make idealschool reporters: Charlotte (7HX), Sidonie (7H1), Ellie-Rose(8TA), Liam (8GX), Edward (8T1), James (8CA), Lucy (9HA),Heather (9HA), James (9HX), Lauren (9T1), Danny (9T1), Harry(9H1), Emily (9G1), James (9TX) and Molly (9TA).Their news can be read on the school website (curriculum tab)and on the BBC School News website. On March 13th studentswill be creating news for a real deadline of 2pm, with thechance to feature on local BBC news that evening.If you have stories or issues for our reporters, contact Miss Coward via the English Workroom.

New English Faculty LogoLast half term we ran a competition for a new logo for the English Faculty. We were inundatedwith entries and the standard of designs was impressive. The two winners were: Jamie Hill(10G1) for the logo and Ellis Broadhead (8GA) for an inspiring slogan. Both students woniTunes vouchers. The new designs will appear throughout the English Faculty from displayboards to postcards. A huge thank you to Mr Pratt for digitizing the designs.

Miss Hutton, English

CareersYear 11 students tookpart in Tupton Hall’sCareers Day inNovember. Over 30outside guests offeredadvice and guidance,as well as puttingpupils in the hotseatduring mockinterviews. Many guests commentedabout the mature attitudeof students. “If I had jobsto give, there werestudents who woulddefinitely have got them,”said one interviewer.

UniversityTripMr. Iddon, Mr. Geeand Ms. Quinn took amixed group of Y9and 10 students toNottingham Universityfor their Christmaslecture on Science andEngineering inDecember. The students found theexperience of universityinteresting and enjoyedthe challenging activities.

Grease

is�the

Word!!!

Creative Writing Creative WritingParents’ Evening ‘Oh no, not another parents’evening!’ I thought as asauntered into school for thesecond time that day. Anotherchance for my mum to give mea lecture on how I could dobetter. As I walked into the firstroom to meet Mrs Eagle (realname Mrs Gleagle, that’s justher nickname because she cancatch people talking even whenthey’re barley whispering.) Shegrinned at me with her mostsinister smile. When she smilesyou can see all the spinach onher teeth and her teeth are allmouldy! I swear I was nearly sickall over her flowery dress. Shebeckoned for me and my mumto sit down. I did, neatlydodging the chair with the gumon it and letting mum sit on itinstead. “Hmm hmm.” Mrs Eagle clearedher throat, spitting spit all overmy face. I wiped my face withthe back of my sleeve. I’mdefinitely going to give my faceand my jumper a wash tonight. “Your daughter is a disgrace toour class, she shouts out, shenever answers any questionsand she always puts her feet upon the other chair, causing greatdiscomfort for the rest of mylovely class! I have given herseveral detentions for nothanding her homework in, andshe still doesn’t do it anyway!Get her out of my sight now!”

Mrs Eagle bellowed, causingeveryone else in the room toturn at listen. My mum draggedme off the chair and took meout of school.“What do you think you areplaying at?” my mum yelled.“I’m ashamed to be your mum!Now you’re going to get yourselfexpelled again! That’s it! I’msending you to boardingschool!” She flounced off in ahurry, trying to pretend I wasn’ther daughter. My mouth wasopen in shock; there was no wayI was going.

Rosie Walker

Doggy HeavenUp there in the skyTen million or more doggy’s lieWith all their injuries goneAnd now they are a team, asoneTheir owners distraught in theirhomesWondering whether they will bealone But they have gone to a betterplaceWith all four paws and a smileon their faceTheir owners tell of tales bygoneHoping their bark will live onand onBut you will know, even if you’renot quite sevenThat you’re soft, kind pet is inDoggy Heaven

A beautiful starA beautiful star that shines so brightIn my heart and my dreamsLet’s me know that day and night An angel shines down on me

I know the right decisionI see the mist as it clearsBehind the lies and untruthA beautiful angel appears

The angel tells meMy feelings are trueAnd that I am to spend the rest ofmy lifeWith you and only you

I see my pathThe right and the wrongI see my lifeThe weak, the strong

I know my decision I feel my heartThe angel looks And then says, lets start

So I tell herMy decision is How can I do thisI feel my brain fizz

My palms clam upI go into my shellMy life is about to changeLet’s hope it goes well.

Rosie Walker Aged 13

Panic BoxThe sweat trickling down my face, thesurrounding air running out. I ponderedaround as my surroundings grew vivid.With my near to final breathapproaching me, I smiled and said howonce life had been great but the onlyproblem with life was that the goodtimes grew older and the bad timescame quicker. Then my heart beat grewfaster and the temperature dropped. Iwasn’t being tortured as I wasn’tbreathing and I wasn’t in my body!Where was I?I jolted as though in a car but I couldn’ttouch. The box growing closer aroundme and the sounds becoming vague.My eyes closing softly the air around meblack. My bones are rattling like a toolbag being shaken, the thought screamsin my head WAKE UP! But my eyes arelike stones that weigh a ton and mybrain is now hammering from trying toprocess the incredibly peculiararranging of what was going off. At firstI thought I was a sleep but then Ipinched myself then maybe I was in acoma but then how could I feel the painmaybe just maybe all this was real!The friction burning my skin, the chillrunning down my spine, the coldrunning of my blood, the dryness of myeyes, my lips all pale yet still moist, myskin red and white. Causes of distresswere calling me. Feelings of hope andjoy were leaving me; I wish this wouldend. But real life isn’t a fairy tale anddepression will always come just asdeath will always arrive!

Ellis Broadhead

Grease returned to the stage at Tupton Hall School after a ten year break. Nine weeks of rehearsals prepared a cast ranging from years 9 to 13 for the sell out three nights in The Richard Smith Hall. This was one of the schools finest productions, boasting fantastic talents of T-birds and Pink ladies alike. Classic songs like ‘GreasedLightning’ had the audience bopping along in their seats, and the rendition of ‘There are worse things I could do’ brought a tear toeveryone’s eye. To everyone who came and saw the show we thank you for all your fantastic support and hope that next year’s show isof an equal standard. Josh Pendleton & Ted Wilkinson

Enterprise DaysYear 11 students took partin Enterprise days inOctober, involving a rangeof challenging and funbusiness activities. Students learned valuable lifeskills involving money andnegotiation as well as teamskills. The students planned their ownmobile car wash businessincluding the equipment, wages,staff, advertising and pricing.There were also talks on financeand the world of work. It madeus think about our life ‘postTupton Hall’. The students tested their knowledge by designing andadvertising a mug for an audience of their age group.Students had to consider that their mug was reasonablypriced, what features it would have and what kind ofadvertising they would use to promote it. There was prize forthe winning mug and the best presentation. It was a very enjoyable experience for the students. They wereall able to learn and develop skills which they can use in thefuture. The day helped the students to gain more confidenceby having to present ideas and they experienced working innon-friendship teams, like in the real world of work.

Kimberley Cartwright and Samantha Cooke (Y11 Business Studies)

Travel and Tourismstudents organisean enjoyable dayin YorkA coach party of Y12 and Y9students spent an enjoyableday in York organised byY13 Travel and Tourismstudents as part of their A-Level Event Managementunit. The day included a guided tourof the historic city, organisedand led by the Y13 students,including the City Walls, TheShambles and York Minster. Tofinish the day students visitedYork Dungeons, where theyheard stories about Dick Turpin,the infamous highwayman andGuy Fawkes who was born inYork. Thanks to the Y13 Travel andTourism students for arranging avery enjoyable day.

GermanExchange 2011Twelve students from theFriedrich-Ebert Schule inPfüngstadt arrived inDecember, accompanied bytwo staff: Frau Jung andHerr Kretschmer. They had a great week stayingwith families of our students,and big thanks to those studentsand families for their hospitalityand kindness. The week’s activities included awelcome buffet followed by theschool production of ‘Grease’ ,a trip to Chatsworth House andGardens, which was beautiful atChristmas time. We also had acooking demonstration by MrFord and the English studentscooked fajitas for their Germanpartners, and then finally ashopping trip to Meadowhall forthe German students. Ondeparture day, there were hugsand tears, which showed that allstudents had made firm friendswith their partners. Plans are now underway for thereturn trip to Pfüngstadt in theSpring.

P. Gamble

Student Chefof the YearwinnerYear 10 pupil Cameron Watsonwon the competition organised byChesterfield Rotary Club – the firsttime Tupton Hall School hasentered.He created an adventurous 2 coursemenu of baked Atlantic salmon withpuy lentils and lemon butter saucefollowed by vanilla cheesecake,raspberry coulis and white chocolatecigarillos. The food presentation wasoutstanding and we are all thrilled thatCameron now goes into the Regionalheats later in February.

Let's Get Cooking GroupIt was a Halloween theme for the Autumn term withtwo sessions baking some very realistic and scaryfinger biscuits and carving and decoratingpumpkins.In November we "Baked for Pudsy",making and decorating buns and PudseyBear shaped biscuits, raising £110 forChildren in Need. The club members ended 2011 bymaking, icing and decorating theirindividual Christmas cakes. Let’s Get Cooking started 2012 with an Olympictheme. We are researching the traditional food ofthe many countries taking part, and the dietary needs of thesporting stars. A vast selection of new skills are gained by students attending these sessions andwe have such fun. There are some places available for the forthcoming sessions.Come along and speak to Mrs Cheetham or Mrs Stew.

Sandra Stew

Tupton Hall School received the ICT Mark award atthe annual BETT (British Educational Training andTechnology) show in January. The Mark follows an extensive external assessment byNAACE and recognises the school’s strategic use of ICT inadministration and the curriculum. It demonstrates toparents that their children attend a school at the forefrontof modern technology.

They undertook the challenger mission,either on the Challenger spacecraft or inmission control. It is the only educationalspace mission simulator of its type outside of North America. It was founded by thefamilies of the astronauts lost during the last flight of the Challenger Space Shuttle in 1986. Challenger Centre, in partnership with theUniversity of Leicester, encourages studentsto raiseexpectations ofsuccess andimprove theirproblem solving. All students hadan enjoyable timeand got to knoweach other quickly.They came backwith a very positiveattitude to theirlearning.

Training & Technology ICT Reward PostcardDesign CompetitionThe 2012 winners are Kelsey Mae (8CX) and Page Harrison (8T@) who receive an iPod Shuffle.

National Space Centre TripGCSE ICT and A Level ICT students were taken to the National Space Centre in Leicester in September on a team building exercise.

Information and Communication Technology

Andy AdamsICT Systems manager

Year 8 DiscoA Year 8 Disco was held on 19th December and it raised £200 for Ashgate Hospice.The cheque was presented in a recent assembly. Congratulations to all those involved.

Sixth Form visit to the London 2012 Olympic Park“The most important thing in theOlympic Games is not to win but totake part, just as the most importantthing in life is not the triumph butthe struggle”Excerpt from the Olympic CreedA-Level Travel and Tourism, Geographyand P.E. students enjoyed a cross-curriculartrip to see for themselves the amazingdevelopments at Stratford, London inpreparation for this year’s 2012 Olympiad.Students took part in workshops designedto increase understanding of the legacy ofthe Games and their sustainableobjectives. We were able to walk aroundthe perimeter of the site, observing manyof the main stadia developments andgained a brilliant view of the Olympic Parkand the London skyline from the Olympicpark Viewing Platform, despite it beingrather misty.The London 2012 Olympic and ParalympicGames are set to be one of the first trulysustainable Games. The site is specificallydesigned to grow and develop after theGames are finished. This will include newuses for the arenas, but more importantly itmeans providing housing, schools, parksand community centres to make EastLondon an exciting place to live and work.During our visit we saw the new Basketballarena – designed so it can be collapsedand re-built anywhere else in the UK! Theaccommodation used by competitors in theOlympic Village will be used as affordablehousing for local people. All the venues

have been designed and built to be energyefficient and as sustainable as possible;indeed the park has its’ own EnergyCentre. The Olympic Stadium’s roof wasmade out of unwanted gas pipelines andrecycled granite from King George V docksclose by. Many of the venues and bridgeswill have living habitat spaces incorporatedinto their walls and roofs. The eyes of the world will be on thismassive regenerated site, which will be thefocus for many of the main events thissummer. Interest in London as a touristdestination is already increasing; one inthree people who want to visit the UK citethe games as the principle reason this year.Good news for the London tourismindustry, which will hopefully transfer toother regions of the UK too, bringing muchneeded economic benefits to the country asa whole. Once the Games have finished, the areawill become the Queen Elizabeth OlympicPark, which also incorporates the Westfieldshopping centre - Europe's largest urbanshopping mall. Excellent transportconnections to the area make the facilitieseasily accessible and will open up the Eastof London for both locals and visitors alikeduring and after the Games. This includesthe UKs first urban cable-car, which willconnect two Olympic and Paralympic sitestogether - the 02 Arena on the south sideof the river to the ExCel Centre and otherOlympic venues on the north side. Thecable car will increase the number of river

crossings east of Tower Bridge, serve as atourist attraction, and cut travel timesbetween the two major Olympic andParalympic venues. Up to 2,500 people anhour will be able to make the five-minutejourney across the river in one of 34gondola cabins, the equivalent of 50busloads. In doing so they will also have awonderful bird’s-eye view of the city ofLondonIn the South Plaza, the two main London2012 venues – the Stadium and theAquatics Centre – will be at the heart of anexciting new visitor experience. The NorthPark will become the home to the UK’sonly VeloPark offering a purpose-built roadcycle circuit, the Velodrome, BMX tracksand mountain-bike trails. Other mixed usesports facilities will also be available forlocal use as well as national andinternational competition.Together, these London 2012 venues willbe the platform to deliver a genuinesporting legacy. They will set the tone forthe Park, where focus will be on active andoutdoor living: sport, recreation and play.Seeing really is believing – seeing thedevelopments for ourselves ‘up-close andpersonal’ has made the Games seem allthe more realistic and has made us realisethat the London 2012 Olympics really aregoing to happen. The developments reallyare amazing and if the Games live up toall expectations, then we really are in for atreat this summer!

Jill Young

Leadership Academy Statusfor Tupton HallTupton Hall Secondary School has been granted LeadershipAcademy Status in recognition of outstanding studentinvolvement in leadership and volunteering. Over the past five years the PE, Modern Foreign Languagesand Food Technology departments have developed leadershipcourses for a wide variety of students. Within PE, students can work towards their Level 1,2 or 3Sports Leadership Awards, whilst in Modern ForeignLanguages and Food Technology, older students workalongside younger pupils.Several students have used their leadership qualification andexperience to assist with local and national events andcompetitions. Tyler Bexton (Y12) is currently volunteering on theAll England Netball Youth Steering Group whilst Poppy Marriott(Y13) coaches twice a week at Chesterfield Athletics Club andis a member of the National Young Ambassadors SteeringGroup. Beth Clarke (Y13) is an exceptional local sportsvolunteer, supporting local netball development andcompetitions.Numerous other students assist with our own lunchtime, afterschool and holiday clubs. We would not be able to offer thewide range of activities and teams without our Sports Leaders.Darren Norwood, the Community Liaison Manager, isdeveloping a Level 2 Community Sports Leaders Course forparents and adult volunteers(darrenn6@tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.uk).

Fitness sessionsfor parents!Do you want to get fitter and healthier in the New Year?Tupton Hall hosts a ZUMBA fitness session every Mondaynight from 6.00pm - 7.00pm in the Dance studio. The session is open to all ages, abilities and fitness levelsand costs only £2 per session.To book a place or for further information, please callDarren Norwood on 07798 681 069 or e-maildarrenn6@tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.uk

Rugby ClubRugby has proven to be really popular this year with studentsfrom all age groups regularly training hard on a Wednesdayafter school. This has led to many more fixtures againstother schools. The year 10 and 11 team took part in an Erewashtournament. The team also played Tibshelf and in a hardfought and entertaining game drew 20-20.The year 9 team (year 8 and 9 students), took part in theDerbyshire Emerging Schools Rugby competition, finishing2nd in their group. The team also played West Park in afriendly.

Derbyshire Emerging Schools’ Rugby ChampionsThe Year 8 team (comprising year 7 and 8 students) won the tournament – a first for Tupton Hall. They went through the groupstages unbeaten and won the final convincingly. The team then followed this up with a 40-0 victory against West Park Schooland a 50-0 victory against Brookfield. They also won a round robin tournament beating Kirk Hallam and Wilsthorpe.Mr Rosling would like to thank all the players for the commitment they have shown and the players have made bigimprovements. A big thank you to Bob Curry and other coaches from Tupton Rugby Club for their tremendous support.New players are welcome at training on Wednesdays after school.

Tupton Hall School, Old Tupton, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S42 6LG Tel: 01246 863127 email: info@tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.uk www.tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.ukedited, designed & printed by pickards.org.uk printed on recycled paper