Highlights Magazine Winter 2011

WINTER 2011WINTER 2011MEDIA ARTS COLLEGE

JUSTIN WHITESPORTS STAR OF

THE FUTURE?

INSIDE...

LIVERPOOL FC

EDUCATION CENTRESEE PAGE 3

SUMMER ARTS FESTIVALSEE PAGE 7

ENGLAND SCHOOL ATHLETICSSEE PAGE 14

A VERY HAPPY

CHRISTMASFROM RAINHILL HIGH

A VERY HAPPY

CHRISTMASFROM RAINHILL HIGH

ANTHONY WALKER DIVERSITY DAYPAGE 11

WISHING YOU ALL

Christmas 2011:Layout 1 02/12/2011 13:50 Page 1

Dear ReaderWelcome to the Christmas 2011 edition of the

Highlights Magazine.I am delighted that this has become a regular feature of

life at Rainhill, and that so many students appear in eachedition of the magazine. The quality of the copy,photographs and production of this magazine is down toMr Foley and his team of journalists. Well done.

2011 has been a fantastic year for the school, with thefollowing significant mile stones;1. Record exam results that put us top of the league

tables2. The partnership with Liverpool Football Club3. The Sixth Form being declared full and oversubscribed4. The launch of the Science Academy in the Sixth Form.5. The launch of our new House System 6. The Anthony Walker Day with the opening of the Mike

Doyle Arts CentreIn particular, underneath the statistics on exam results

are lots of individual students working hard and gettingexcellent results.

The curriculum, the support of parents and brilliantteachers are all key ingredients, but it is the students whoare at the centre of everything we do and they need all ourcongratulations for doing so well.

A brilliant year – well done to everyone on the team whomade it possible.

The challenge now is to carry on being the best. Allsuccess has to be earned through lots of hard work.

Enjoy this magazine – I hope it reflects a successfulschool where students work hard, have lots ofopportunities to do great things, and have fun.

Happy Christmas,

Yours,

John PoutHeadteacher

HIGHLIGHTS - HIGHLIGHTS - HIGHLIGHTS - HIGHLIGHTS - HIGHLIGHTS - HIGHLIGHTS - HIGHLIGHTS - HIGHLIGHTS - HIGHLIGHTS - HIGHLIGHTS -

Why are RainhillHigh School’sexam results sogood?What are the ingredients forthis, John Pout Headteachergives his opinion?

RECORD GCSE EXAMRAINHILL HIGH SCHOOL’S GCSERESULTS IMPROVED AGAIN FORTHE 6th YEAR IN THE LAST 7Rainhill High School’s GCSE results improved again in 2011, for the 6thyear in the last 7.The results were as follows:79% gained 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Mathematics.97% gained 5 or more A*-C grades.100% gained 5 or more A*-G grades.27% of all grades were A or A* - 330 more than the previous year.Results have been improving progressively since 2004 as can be seen inthe table below,

With 27% of all grades were A or A*, 30 studentsachieved an A or A* grade in every subject.Congratulations Go to the following students: Laura Archer (10A/A*s), Melissa McNamara (11 A/A*s), SophieThompson (15 A/A*s),James Ryder (10 A/A*s),FayeDuffy (16 A/A*s), Meghan Matthews (13A/A*s),Andrew Clarke (12 A/A*s),Andrew Bannister(11 A/A*s),Nathan Pearn (13 A/A*s)Mr Pout said, “These results were brilliant, I wasdelighted. It was great to see so many Rainhillstudents getting such high grades. This will improvetheir life chances and has allowed them to go intoRainhill Sixth Form Centre and beyond with excellentresults.I was very proud of all of our students; they workedvery hard and deserved these grades.The school is flying at the moment. We have excellentteachers, a good curriculum, a family friendlyatmosphere, supportive parents and very highstandards – it is potent mixture.”

There is no magic single ingredient; itis about a lot of people pulling in thesame direction. I would include thefollowing as reasons why Rainhill isdoing so well.Students who:l attend every dayl work hard in lessonsl do their homework on time and to

the highest standardl approach exams well by revising

thoroughlyl enjoy schoolA Curriculum that:l stretches every pupil l allows all students opportunity to

Head Talk...

John PoutHeadteacher

ALEX GRAHAM

LAURA, MELISSA,SOPHIE ANDJAMES



M RESULTS IN 2011!RECORD A LEVELRESULTS in 2011!‘A’ level results improvedagain in 2011In 2010, Rainhill Sixth Form Centre had the best value added results inthe town – beating ALL other post 16 providers.The 2011 results were as good again, with a large percentage ofstudents getting the new A* grade.At A level, 40% of students achieved A*-B grades, with 99% achievingA*-E. In the BTEC Dance diploma 12 out of the 15 students achieved aDistinction which is worth 3 A levels at grade A*.Four students in particular achieved grades that has allowed them togo onto exciting futures

l Alex Graham is now at Oxford University reading Law. He got an A* in Government & Politics, As in Chemistry and Economics and a B in Maths.

l Andrew McNally is now studying Medicine at Liverpool University. He got an A* in Biology and As in Chemistry and Geography.

l Megan Attwood is now at Liverpool University reading Applied Psychology. She got As in Biology, English Literature and Psychology.

l Scott Sutcliffe is now a student at the London Arts Educational School studying for a degree in Musical Theatre. He got As in Fine Art and Theatre Studies and a Distinction (worth 3 A*s) in Dance.

Mr Pout said;

“These results were, yet again, excellent. The students did very wellindeed. They worked hard and had lots of support from their parents.The quality of their teaching was also excellent. I am very proud of allof our students and their success. The Sixth Form at Rainhill is full andoversubscribed, and achieving excellent results.”

specialise in what they enjoy and are good atParents who:l ensure their child comes to school

every dayl ensure their child comes to school

prepared to work hard l ensure their child is well organisedl provide a space at home to work –

unhindered by Facebook, MSN and other distractions

l communicate quickly to teachers ifthere is a problem

Teachers who:l teach welll make learning funl know their subject really well

l work the students hardl want every student to do welll go the ‘extra mile’ for their

studentsA school that:l is friendly and welcoming to all

studentsl is a well organised work placel provides the best facilities for

learningl that expects the best from

everyonel listens to parents, students and

staffl has traditional values and an

innovative curriculum

The Liverpool FootballClub Education CentreAs most people are now aware theschool has established a formalpartnership with Liverpool FC. We are now the official providers ofeducational services to the club.This term, 9 of their players started atthe school.In September 2011, we were greatlyhonored to have Liverpool’s Manager,Kenny Dalglish, come to the school toofficially open the newly built LFCEducation Centre.Unfortunately he was only able to stayfor 20 minutes but it did give himchance to meet Governors, RainhillAcademy Players, Elite Athletes andPrefects.Rainhill High provides the players

with the support needed to do well intheir GCSE’s as well as focusing ontheir extensive footballingcommitments.I was delighted to launch thispartnership. It goes without sayingthat the prestige of Liverpool FCmakes it a great honour for us toprovide this service to the club.Coupled with the high quality ofeducation provided by Rainhill, makesthis a very high quality partnership.Our students have made the LFCAcademy Players very welcome, and

ANDREW McNALLY

M

SA,

SCOTT SUTCLIFFE

MEGAN ATTWOOD



Congratulationsto the following former RainhillHigh students who graduatedfrom Edge Hill University thisyear with first and uppersecond class degrees:

Kate Finney, a 2:1 in BSc(Hons) in Creative Art, Design andTechnology Education with Qualified Teacher Status. David Hill, a first in BA (hons) English.Elizabeth Knott, a 2:1 in BA (Hons) in Religious Educationwith Qualified Teacher Status.John Morris, a 2:1 in BA (Hons) Media, Film and Television. Well done and we wish you the best of luck for the future.

In September 2011, we launched the Science Academyat Rainhill Sixth Form Centre to build upon thesuccess of the Arts Academy. Read all about the newopportunities on offer for young scientists ...

On the 29th September, 8 Level 3 BTEC applied science students took part in a visit tothe brand new Clatterbridge Cancer treatment centre at Aintree hospital in Fazakerley.On arrival, the students were met with a team of physicists and a radiographer. Theteam made a really special effort to explain how the patients with cancer are cared forfrom the first diagnosis being made. Ourstudents were then taken through to wheretreatment takes place and one of ourstudents demonstrated how the radiographymachines were used and had a go at lyingon one of the beds whilst the lasers wereadjusted on his body. The staff were keen toanswer all of the questions our studentshad and it was a really positive experiencethat I am sure brought the whole subject ofmedical physics to life!Mrs Barker. Vocational science Coordinator.

Well done to sixth form students,Laura Archer, Andrew Clark,Adam Pearson, Sally Mannion,Robert Sharpe, Michael Schenck,Meghan Matthews and MatthewGrove who have signed up to takepart in the 2013 True Adventureexpedition to India. TrueAdventure provides students withan invaluable two yeardevelopment programmeculminating in the experience of a

Elizabeth Knott John Morris

Kate Finney David Hill

lifetime in India. The students arebusy organising fund raisingevents and being creative in orderto raise the target sum of moneyrequired to fund the expedition.Watch out for any India Expeditionfundraising events and pleasesupport the students. For moreinformation about Exploration andGap year opportunities for sixthformers, see Mr Chadwick.

The NEW RAINHILL SCIENCE ACA


A level English trip to LondonBy Jessica Torrie. Year 13.

The English A Level students visited London last July. Whilst there we visited manydifferent places not just for fun, but also for an insight into some of the things we arestudying at the moment within our English A level such as Dr Samuel Johnson’s home.Dr Johnson was a man who created one of the first dictionaries in the EnglishLanguage. Looking around his house was really interesting and gave us a great insightinto his life and what inspired him to write the dictionary. Whist there we were able totake a tour of his home and look into some of his work. Doing this, I learned a lot

about Dr Johnson and how he lived.

We also had a backstage tour of the BBC studios, which I foundamazing. We were able to see the studios where programmes arefilmed and we were also able to try some things for ourselvessuch as playing a game show in the style of “The Weakest Link”and being on the screen doing the weather forecasts.Unfortunately, we arrived a couple of minutes after Jedward hadleft the building! As well as this we also went to watch theincredible play “The Phantom of the Opera”. Over all I found thetrip both fun and educational.

Lessons FromAuschwitz Programme

For the third year running the Sixth Form has beensuccessful in having two students accepted to take part inthe National Lessons from Auschwitz Project. OnNovember 3rd, Emma Davies and Lauren Atherton from Yr13 spent all day at Auschwitz Birkenau in Poland. Herethey give their reflections of the dayEmma:One aim of the Project isto re-humanise thevictims of the holocaust. Ifound that the mostpoignant part of the visitfor me was one particularpicture in AuschwitzBirkenau that looked like apicture my Gran has ofherself at home. This wasupsetting for me but madeit easier to try and relate to the victims because it mademe feel as though what had happened to the prisonerscould have easily happened to me, or someone from myfamily.Lauren:I think it is extremely important that schemes like theHolocaust Educational trust exist to educate the youngergeneration in order that they can then educate others onsuch an atrocity. I believe I could now do this afterparticipating in the seminars and visiting Auschwitz itself.What shocked me the most was that someone had somuch power they could cause such devastation. I want tostudy Politics and Sociology at university and this issomething that I think we all really need to understand inorder to prevent anything like this ever happening again.

CADEMY


Last term several students from the ASPhysics course visited the laboratories ofProfessor Lin Li at the University ofManchester. Professor Li leads a worldrenowned team of scientists in the Schoolof Mechanical, Aerospace and CivilEngineering at the university. The sixthform students were given a full tour ofthe facilities by a member of Professor

Li’s team and learnt about some of theon-going research including hybridmanufacturing (laser-EDM machining,laser/mechanical machining, laser/arcwelding) and modelling of laserinteractions with materials and effects.The visit was held as part of the ScienceAcademy programme of events.

MANCHESTER UNIVERSITYMANCHESTER UNIVERSITY



In Drama, we hosted a visit fromLiverpool- based theatrecompany,”20 Stories High “with aperformance of their latest play,"Blackberry Troutface" and aworkshop for the BTEC Diplomastudents in Year 12. Media Studiesstudents have been involved in acollaborative project with St HelensCouncil for the “Illumifest”, a lightinstallation animation show and theChristmas Lights Switch on. Thestudents worked on creating a real-time light installation of images andmusic which was designed to reachan audience of approximately 10,000on 19th November in St HelensChurch Square. The studentsdeveloped new skills in the use ofinfinity cove, digital streaming andambient music creation as well asthe opportunity of paid work at theevent itself. We look forward to nextterm when we will be hosting a MusicBusiness Masterclass with a Recordlabel executive.

We are now into the second year of the Arts Academy at Rainhill High and it hasbeen another busy term with Academy students taking part in exciting Artsexperiences and working with professional artists.

SUMMER ARSUMMER AR

The future looks bright... for Tom Allen in 9A who worked onthe popular BBC soap, “Waterloo Road” last summer. Tomwants to pursue a career in Drama and Television and ismaking a great start by being signed to the EKA Agency inWarrington. Over two days, Tom filmed four scenes on the“Waterloo Road” set- a converted school in Rochdale. Onescene featuring Tom involved Vicky and Ronan discussing theirexams! Tom said, “ I really enjoyed working on “Waterloo Road,I learned a lot about how a television programme is made andhow many takes the actors have to do to get it right. I wouldhighly recommend it to anyone who is interested in Drama.”



Super Lamb Banana Competition 2011The Super Lamb Banana was the original work of Japanese-based artist Taro Chiezo.The unusual artwork was created to warn of the dangers of genetically modified food,whilst being appropriate to the city of Liverpool due to the port's rich history in thetrade of lambs and the import of bananas.This year would be the final year of the Super Lamb Banana competition. The themefor this year’s competition was ‘London 2012 Olympics’! Pupils were asked to comeup with a design that represents all the different sporting events that would takeplace next year!This year’s winner was Naomi Cook from 8E. Her design covered the Super LambBanana with all the different flags from the countries taking part in next year’sgames!Well Done Naomi!

Summer Arts Festival 2011The Summer Media Arts Festival in July was the biggest yet,with more visiting artists, performances and pupils involvedthan ever before. Over a two week period, Rainhill Arts Collegehosted workshops and residencies from the following artistsand Arts organisations: u Active Drama Theatre Companyu All Sorts Arts Ltdu Liverpool band, Harlequinu UCrewu Photographic artist, Emma Winderu The St Helens Music serviceu Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA)u Fiendish Film Productions Ltdu Sense of Sound u Fine artist, David Ogleu Local artist, Patricia Greaves.Thank you and well done to all the pupils who took part in theworkshops.

In the Photography workshop withlocal artist, Emma Winder, pupils fromYears 7-9, used the theme of wisdomto develop a postcard containingadvice to others. Phrases and sayingswere collected and many of theseoriginal pieces of advice were amazingand thought provoking. These phrasesand sayings were then made intopostcards of wisdom.

WELL DONE NAOMIWELL DONE NAOMIARTS FESTIVALARTS FESTIVAL



Memories of the2011 PromOn June the 23rd 2011, Haydock Race Course provided the venuefor our annual Year 11 Prom. A total of 205 pupils and 27 staffattended including all the form tutors, senior staff and manyothers who wanted to help the pupils to celebrate. The eveninghad been the subject of planning and discussion for months. Atlast it arrived, the tans had been sprayed, the hair had beencoiffured, the shirts and suits were pressed, the nails manicuredand the makeup applied.There was a fantastic atmosphere at school, so many ex pupils,current pupils, parents, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents hadturned up to wave the pupils off, and what of them? Where hadthe children gone? Who were these elegant and sophisticatedyoung ladies and gentlemen in front of me? The girls looked absolutely stunning in a host of wonderfuldresses while the boys were not to be outdone in their suits.Every single pupil made a really wonderful effort on the night,everyone was in high spirits and they certainly looked gorgeous. After the meal the pupils (and many staff) danced and sang theirway through until midnight. The Prom provided one last chance tospend time together as a whole year group and served as a fineexample of what a wonderful year group they had been. The DJ wasamazed by their enthusiasm to get involved and told me that hehad never seen a prom before where every single person hadstood and participated in the “Hokey Cokey”. However, it did not seem long before the coaches returned towhisk them all away and there were a few tears at the end wheneveryone said goodbye. It was a wonderful evening from start tofinish and all of our Year 11 pupils were an absolute credit tothemselves and to Rainhill High.Mrs Booth



Miss PriorWhy did you want to be a Head of House?As an ambitious individual I wanted a new challenge; Ienjoy working on projects with pupils outside of schooltime and I wanted to continue with this. I am used tointeracting with pupils who are strongly involved withthe Performing Arts and because of this I wanted tobuild relationships with those who had talents in otherareas. I felt a Head of House role was the perfectopportunity to do this. What has been the highlight for you so far?There are far too many to choose from: Sans Pareilalong with the other Houses have very talented pupilswho achieve in all areas of the curriculum. Howeverone moment stands out in my mind: the fantasticsupport we had for our Year 10 Boys football final;three sides of the pitch were full with pupils showingtheir support. A true testament to the great pupils wehave at Rainhill.How would you like to see the House System develop inthe future?At present, inter house competitions focus a lot on ourfantastic achievements in the Performing Arts andsports. I would like to establish competitions for otherpupils who are very talented but not necessarily inthese areas.

HOUSE NEWSFor the first time in the school's history,we have introduced a House System torun alongside our already successfulYear System of pastoral care. The mainfocus of the House System is for pupilsto have a greater opportunity toparticipate in healthy competition withthe school, be it in sport or media artsand also to increase the sense ofcommunity within the school. Inaddition, it has already enabledstudents to pursue leadershipresponsibilities as House or SportsCaptains. It has been an exciting time so far withfootball taking place as the firstcompetition. The extremely wetweather did nothing to deter thecompetitors and staff as Perseverancewon the competition for Years 7, 10 and11, with Rocket triumphing in Year 9and Stephenson in Year 8.The cross-country followed inpredictably boggy conditions withPerseverance continuing to dominatethe sporting events and emerging as theoverall winners. There were also somenotable performances from staff asMiss.Caton and Mr.Marlowe won theirrespective races. In this edition of “Highlights,” Iinterviewed the new heads of Houseabout their thoughts on the Housesystem. (See left).Mr lamb

Mr Cornish, Head of Rocket HouseWhy did you want to be a Head of House?To increase the number of opportunities for students tocompete and excel in what they are gifted or talentedin; and perhaps discover talents they didn't realisethey had. What has been the highlight for you so far?Watching the Rocket Yr 9 football team winningagainst all the odds. How would you like to see the House System develop inthe future?I would like to see more varied kinds of inter-housecompetition, such as, poetry, art, maths and ICT basedcompetitions.

In November, BBC Radio Merseysidepresenter, Billy Butler and his producer, SteveColeman visited Rainhill High as a judge inthe inter- house Rainhill X-Factor Competition.As “Highlights” magazine went to press, Billysaid, “I’m looking forward to visiting RainhillHigh and spotting some new talent!”

RAINHILL HIGHWELCOMES BILLYBUTLER

Miss BurrowsWhy did you want to be a Head of House?I really wanted to be Head of House because I enjoygetting involved in school activities and thought mycompetitiveness would suit the role!What has been the highlight for you so far?The highlight for me so far has been seeing everyoneget involved and obviously all the Perserverance wins!How would you like to see the House System develop inthe future?I would really like to see the House System besomething that encourages everyone to get involvedand work hard to make their house the best.

Miss Reaney, Head of Stephenson HouseWhy did you want to be a Head of House?I wanted to become a Head of House because I enjoytaking part in others things around the school as wellas teaching. I love that fact that I now get to seestudents excel in others areas other than my subject;such as sports or the arts. What has been the highlight for you so far?The highlight for me so far was running the crosscountry. Even though I came last! The team spirit wasgreat, even form others houses and I switch placeswith the students and they ended up encouraging me.This to me sums up why we have put a house systemin place.How would you like to see the House System develop inthe future?I would like to see more events across all areas of theschool, at the moment we have a lot of sports and artsevents. I think as the system develops we can begin toincorporate the sense of house competition in allsubject areas. I would also like to see more studentssupport the house at events, this has already begun todevelop through football finals, the atmosphere wasgreat and I look forward to this developing further.



In October, Rainhill High School held our second annual “Anthony Walker Day”

to raise funds for our charity partner, the Anthony Walker Foundation. The

Foundation was set up in response to the murder of Anthony in 2005 in Huyton

and works to support victims of Hate Crime and raise awareness of racism and

discrimination. The Anthony Walker Day is also important as it is an

opportunity for every student in school to Celebrate Diversity.

There were many different activities for students throughout the day, including

a special assembly for everyone in Years 7- 11 in which renowned Poet, Levi

Tafari, talked about his experiences and thoughts on Racism and Diversity and

performed several of his poems.

Letters to AnthonyIn the run- up to the Anthony Walker Day, students were asked to write a letter toAnthony in which they could express their thoughts and feelings about his story. Anoverall winner was selected and presented with a prize by Leona Vaughn, the ChiefExecutive of the Anthony Walker Foundation.Congratulations to Amy -Leigh Shaw in 11E. Dear Anthony, When the competition to write a letter to you about the future wasfirst opened, I felt that it was slightly insensitive. Why talk about a world withoutyou? That you could never live in? But then I realised that the point of thecompetition was to make us realise how lucky we are to have the gift of the future.To be stood, where you were, on the brink of a whole new world, without thebarriers of childhood. Most of us never appreciate the gift, we take it for granted.Most of us feel safe where we are. Some of us worry about the future. Some wish itwouldn’t come. None of us think of it as anything special. The odd thing is though,when I think of you, I don’t think of your future being stolen from you- I think of youbeing stolen from us. I wonder who we would have today? Would I have known you?Would you have married your girlfriend and lived happily ever after? Your life is likea book with the pages torn out through the selfishness of a reader that didn’t likeyour cover. That didn’t see the beauty of your crisp pages, or the curled calligraphyof your title. Because of them, hundreds of people will read your story. Every one ofthem will wish there was a proper, happy ending. I take comfort in the fact that, inevery big religion, it says that you will be happy. From heaven to reincarnation,that’s all I can truly give to you. I hope that you are happy. You don’t know me,Anthony Walker, but I know your story well. Amy.

Poet, Levi Tafari



On the evening of the Anthony Walker Day, we also officially openedthe new “Mike Doyle Arts Centre.” Known as D Block, the former CityLearning Centre has been transformed into a Media and performingArts Centre equipped with Dance/ Drama Studios and Media and ICTsuites. Lessons have been running in the Centre since September andD Block is already a vibrant and popular place for students to work inat lunchtime and after school. The centre has been named afterCouncillor Mike Doyle who was the Chair of Governors of Rainhill HighSchool form the day the school opened in 1981 until his death in2008. It was Mike Doyle who worked on the design of the school andthe site, insisting on features which make the site so pleasant to thisday, including the sandstone walls, mature trees and pitched roofs. The Centre was officially opened by Julia Doyle in the presence of theLord Mayor of St Helens, Councillor Glover, the Chairperson of RainhillParish Council and Councillor Marie Rimmer, the leader of St HelensCouncil. At the Opening, there were numerous Arts activities for theGuests to participate in, for example, the creation of a large scale Artpiece for the building and the creation of a short film on the subject ofDiversity. Refreshments were prepared by the Technology faculty andwere an excellent array of Foods from different cultures, impeccablyserved to the guests by the GCSE Hospitality and Catering Group.Following the Official Opening, the guests moved outside to watch ourGuest of Honour, Anthony’s mother, Gee release balloons in memory ofher son. Written on a tag attached to each balloon were personalmessages from students and guests about their thoughts aboutDiversity. The evening ended with a performance event in the ArtsTheatre in which the audience was entertained by a varied programmeof performing Arts pieces by students and local arts groups. Theevening closed with a short speech by Gee Walker in which shethanked the whole Rainhill High school community for not forgettingher son or the lessons to be learned from his death. Gee returned toRainhill High a week later to receive a cheque for over £1500 fromfunds raised on the day for the Anthony Walker Foundation fromRainhill High students. Well done and thank you to everyone who tookpart in making the Anthony Walker Day 2011 a day to remember.

Opening the

Mike Doyle

Arts Centre



Subject: Dance

Hobbies: Dancing,Watching films,Shopping

Favourite T.Vprogramme:“Something for theWeekend.”

Favourite Food: Pasta

Favourite Music: Anything by Bruno Mars

Childhood hero: My mum

What (or whom) inspired you to become a teacher?

An old teacher of mine!

What was your favourite subject at school?

Drama

What do you enjoy about teaching?

Each day has a new challenge.

Why did you choose to work at Rainhill High

School?

I did a University Placement at Rainhill High and

just loved the school, staff and students.

Are you enjoying it so far?

Yes it is amazing, I have settled in really well.

CLAIRE NAVINSubject: Photography/ ArtHobbies: Boxing –Building Cars –DesignFavourite T.Vprogramme:Top GearFavourite Food: MEATFavourite Music: Electric Soul / anything by theUnabombersChildhood hero: Grandad (and still is now)What (or whom) inspired you to become a teacher?My college tutor who was brilliantlyknowledgeable and inspiring, always dedicatedand passionate about his job.What was your favourite subject at school?Graphics and GermanWhat do you enjoy about teaching?The only reason people don’t go far in life isbecause they are not told early on, that it ispossible to do so. Teaching gives me the chanceto spread this message. Why did you choose to work at Rainhill HighSchool? Because of the good reputation of theschool.Are you enjoying it so far?Yes!

ANTHONY BENNETT

Subject:MathematicsHobbies: Singing in achoir, reading andspending time withmy childrenFavourite T.Vprogramme: “StrictlyCome Dancing.”Favourite Food: ChocolateFavourite Music: Various including Evanescence,Sara Bareilles and Kelly ClarksonChildhood hero: Not sure that I had one.What (or whom) inspired you to become a teacher?I got the opportunity to teach as part of my jobwhen I first graduated from university. I enjoyed itso decided to go back to university to train to bea teacher.

What was your favourite subject at school?Maths and PEWhat do you enjoy about teaching?Seeing students learn and make progressWhy did you choose to work at Rainhill HighSchool?

There were lots of reasons but mainly because itwas the right place at the right time for me.Are you enjoying it so far?I am. Every day brings different challenges andreasons to smile.

DEBBIE MATTHEWS

Subject: D&T (Food)

Hobbies: Scouts,

camping &caravanning

Favourite T.V

programme: “Have I

got News for You.”

Favourite Food:

Chocolate

Favourite Music: Queen

Childhood heroes: Blue Peter presenters


Whilst catering for 70 Scouts on a camp –

discovered I could handle food & teenagers at the

same time.


Geography


The excitement of not knowing what each day is

going to throw at me.


School?

Good school with good facilities.


Yes!

KATH ROBINSON

Subject: English.

Hobbies: Dancing and

eating lovely food.

Favourite T.Vprogramme: Tough one

– “Dexter I think”,followed closely by“Waterloo Road.”

Favourite Food: Thai.

Favourite Music: I’m pretty open to all kinds of

music. I love Kelly Rowlands.

Childhood hero: My older brother Bobby, because

he’s really cool and taught me loads.


My English school teacher – she was fab.


Performing Arts.


The children and the often crazy comments that

they come out with.


School?

Because it’s an outstanding school that really

cares about every single child.


Loving it!!

MISS MILLER

Mr Neale retires inFebruary 2012, weasked him to reflectupon his time atRainhill High.How long have youworked at RainhillHigh School?From September1986 until February 2012.What have you enjoyed most about working atRainhill High? Meeting my wife Maggie who used to be a DeputyHead here. She is now a Headteacher inWarrington. Also working in a Department which isvery relaxed and which produces excellent resultsrepeatedly.What will you miss? The staff room banter amongst the sad oldgrumpy men as well as the keen and inquisitivestudents who have a thirst for knowledge.What do you plan to do next? Drive coaches full time for Eavesway Travel

Mr NEALE

AND SAYS GOODBYE TO...

H



In this edition, we celebrate some of the outstanding FineArt and Graphics work produced by Rainhill High students.The work featured here is just a sample taken from the verysuccessful annual Art exhibition at the Godfrey PilkingtonGallery at the end of last term. Congratulations to all thestudents involved. Check out the work of our ArtDepartment technician, Stephen Williams, atwww.StephenWilliamsIllustration.carbonmade.com.Originally from Widnes, Stephen Williams' style ofIllustration has developed from an early age. Since schoolhe has developed his skills throughout college anduniversity taking inspiration from anything and everythingthat surrounds him. His style of illustration is individualizedby his attention to detail and dedication to each piece ofwork produced. Working mostly with graphite, Stephen hasmanaged to master the different grades of pencils, graphitesticks and charcoal. This has given his work the "WowFactor" he aims to achieve with each individual piece.

highlights galleryHighlights gallery

“BUMP ARTFOR COMIC

RELIEF”

Recently, I was part of a UK-wideteam of artists who joined forces withpregnant ladies and raised over£8000 for Comic Relief by paintingbumps! ‘Bump Art for Comic Relief’was organised by colleague SamGray who has produced a 2012calendar featuring many of thepainted bumps. Here are a couple ofbumps that I painted. Bump orGestational Art, as it is sometimescalled, is a very personal experiencefor mums-to-be offering them aunique memory of a very specialtime.Mrs Martin

Hannah Peters

Molly Kilshaw

Stephen Williams

Scott SutcliffeJames Bentley

Hayley Leadbetter



It has been an excellent term for the BTEC PE group. As partof the Level 3 BTEC PE Course, the students studied a Unitcalled Assessing Risk in Sport. During the unit all of thestudents passed the Level 1 health and Safety course led byMike Morgan from St Helens Chamber of Commerce. Thiswill now put them at an advantage in the job market asfuture employers would have to pay to put their employeesthrough this training. The level 3 BTEC group alsoindependently organised and delivered the InterhouseFootball and Cross Country Events. This provided them withevidence for Unit 23: Organising Sport Events. The entiregroup achieved a Merit as they were solely responsible forthe planning and delivery of both events. Similarly, thewhole group also passed the Level 2 LeadershipQualification in Sport, which involved leading 10 hours ofsports sessions both in and out of school.

Congratulations to Justin White, Michael Causer and LianeBibby who all competed in the England School AthleticsChampionships at Newcastle University last July.“Highlights” asked Justin how it went. Justin said that lastyear he was relatively inexperienced at Championship levelcompetition. Justin successfully got through to the Semifinals and ran a personal best of 23.17 seconds. Justin wasdisappointed that he lost out on competing in the final by200th of a second. Justin was in 9th place overall. However,Justin wasn’t disappointed for long and soon after thatfinished 2nd in the Northern England Championships in the100metres. Justin said, “I’m looking forward to next seasonand will be running the 100, 200 and 400 metres in theEnglish Schools Athletics Championships and in the YoungAthletes League.” Justin has also recently been signed as ayoung player with Blackburn Rovers Football Club. We wishhim every success for the forthcoming season.

ENGLAND SCHOOL ATHLET

BTEC LEVEL 3 SPORT

MICHAEL CAUSER

JUSTIN WHITE



Rebecca Lewis andImogen Eales

Young SportingAmbassadorsRebecca Lewis in Year 13 and ImogenEales in Year 10 have been selected tobecome Young Sporting Ambassadors.They attended a conference at LancashireCounty Cricket Ground in November wherethey participated in a number ofworkshops to help them develop the skillsneeded for the job. Their task will be tosupport the formation of a School SportsCouncil and to provide support for otherYoung Ambassadors and primary schoolsin St Helens.

ETICS CHAMPIONSHIPSREPRESENTINGYOURCOUNTRY

Congratulations to some of our Liverpoolacademy students who have beenselected to represent their country!Jerome Sinclair and Niall Heaton wereselected to play in the England Under 16ssquad for the Sky Sports Victory Shieldmatch against Scotland in November. Inthis match, they played against RyanFulton, who was in goal for Scotland.Lloyd Jones has also had internationalexperience as he has been playing forWales in the European qualifiers.

LIANNE BIBBY

RYAN FULTON

INTER HOUSE GIRLS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT




Documents

Highlights Magazine Winter 2011