Transcript
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HALE NEWS

Summer Art Exhibition (page 30)

For the Richard Hale Community July 2013

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NEED TO BUY SCHOOL UNIFORM?

for great quality used uniform visit the PA uniform stall at school events

or purchase by appointment or post

Contact Jackie Keenan on [email protected] or 01992 550208

winter coats * jumpers * training tops * football/rugby boots

Ski clothing now available!

USED UNIFORM REQUIRED

Help us raise money for the School

school blazers ▪ PE/sports kit ▪ rugby/cricket kit ▪ outgrown ski kit please leave washed items in Reception marked used uniform

100 CLUB WINNERS - SUMMER TERM 2013

First Prize £50.00 D L Jones, Hertford Runners-up £25.00 A Ives, Hertford £25.00 E Waumsley, Hertford

Longstanding 100 Club members please remember to cancel your Standing Order with Natwest

as we are now with Barclays.

For any queries please contact Aissa Blanche, Finance Assistant.

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HEADWORDS Dear Parents,

It has been a very busy but productive end of the academic year. On Monday, 1st July we received notification from the Minister of State that we had successfully converted to an Academy. This is the School’s fourth change in status since 1617, with over 350 years as a grammar school, then a community comprehensive and more recently a foundation school.

Academies are billed as autonomous state-funded independent schools, benefitting from greater freedoms but still operating under the statutory DfE framework. We, however, will not be changing our name, uniform or curriculum. The ethos remains: traditional values with students expected to fully participate in the life of the school. The media have reported on possible changes to the timing of the day or the length of school holidays. You will, I am sure, be relieved to know we have no plans to change either of these!

Education is undergoing a massive upheaval across all sectors. The examination structure is changing and will impact on GCSE/A Level students completing in 2015. Modular examinations are being phased out and replaced with terminal papers sat at the end of the course. Coursework and controlled assessments will have less value, and will disappear completely in some subjects. Vocational subjects will have an external examination component and will no longer have multiple GCSE equivalence. Simply put, education is returning to 1970’s with O Levels and A Levels returning. Disappointing or exciting? It depends on your point of view.

The National Curriculum is being revised and levels removed, but there is no clarity as to what will replace the levels that we currently use for measuring pupil progress. Ofsted will no doubt have a view on this.

The top field was seeded during half term and since then rainfall has been insufficient for grass germination. However, our summer sports teams have enjoyed the ‘heat wave’. At District Sports our minors, intermediates, and combined seniors were group winners, and the boys champions overall. At county level we gained third place in the school finals with the intermediate boys. Three students were picked to represent Hertfordshire in the All England Athletics Championship. It should have been four but Liam Dee Y12 was selected to represent Great Britain in the World Championships.

Tennis has a huge following at Richard Hale and practices are always well attended. The courts are in good condition for a state school but do not prepare our teams for

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matches at schools in the independent sector. It is therefore particularly pleasing to report that our tennis team won the County Finals, at Hertford Tennis Club, beating St Albans Boys in the semis and Berkhampstead College 5-1 in the final . In cricket all year groups won through to the district semi-finals. The Year 8 team lost narrowly in the county final, beaten in the last over of an exciting 20:20 match against Haberdashers.

Biology laboratory refurbishment was completed on time and on budget. The original “new block” laboratories were built in 1977. I was very fortunate to start my teaching career in a brand new lab: they have lasted very well. Following severe water damage last summer, the refurbishment could not start until the roof had been replaced – but they are now what you would expect in a high performing Science College.

The Sixth Form engineers have been busy testing and racing a Green Power car. A single seat race car designed and manufactured by our students. This term it has raced at Goodwood and Rockingham. Unlike our kit car it is not capable of high speeds as it is powered by an electronic motor and limited to two batteries. The team are now working on improving the performance of next year’s car. Automotive Technician Dan Jacobsen was an integral member of the Green Power support team and attended the first practice session and race at Goodwood. Tragically Dan was killed three weeks ago in a road traffic accident. A keen motor sport enthusiast, he was always on hand to support the students. The front cover features a metal sculpture constructed by an A Level art student supported by Dan’s technical expertise.

Once again we were privileged to see a splendid school production, We Will Rock You, and a very impressive display of students’ art work at the Corn Exchange. There are full reports and photographs of both in the magazine.

The following staff will be leaving at the end of this term, and we wish them well in their future careers and activities. Sharon Isbecque: joined Technology in June 2004, and leaving to manage a young family. Rachel Carter: a part-time teacher of Classics who delivered twilight Latin to our ancient linguists. Dan Tansley: a PE teacher who converted to Mathematics, and became master in charge of cricket and Head of Wallace House; he is moving to Verulum Boys School for a well deserved promotion. Roger Tiffen: Physics, persuaded to put off retirement and join the science department for nearly two years, and is finally leaving to pursue leisure activities and

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enjoy a well-earned break. Dagmar Babik: MFL, having covered Sarah Paddick’s maternity leave is taking up a post at Sherrardswood School.

Next term we will welcome Mr Greg Parker to Mathematics, and Mr Andrew Hay, Miss Hannah Mercer and Mrs Faye Whiteman to English. I wish you all a sunny and restful summer.

Stephen M. Neate Headmaster

THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS - AGAIN!

Phil Elcombe English Department

On a cold February in Hertford, the School Hall was catapulted into a futuristic dystopia where live music is forbidden and global conglomerate corporations rule the world– a society under the dictatorial authority of the unforgiving and aptly-titled Killer Queen who, with her faceless army of brainwashed and acquiescent clones, has successfully prohibited rock music and all musical instruments. However, one boy stands alone against her; that boy is ... Galileo Figaro! A boy with a dream of rock! But Galileo and his irrepressible partner in crime Scaramouche Want to Break Free of the Queen’s tyranny and overthrow her and her obsequious sidekick Commander Khashoggi and let rock rule the Earth once more!

We Will Rock You was the sixth school musical in recent years, demonstrating the wealth of talent at the school. There were several stunning performances from the cast. Sam Higgs, as the noble and rebellious protagonist, delivered a very professional performance of Galileo, which won him many admirers. He was admirably supported by Abbie Francis and Grace Costin who shared the role of Scaramouche, but offered different interpretations of the character: Abbie’s unflappable and imperturbable, and

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Grace’s feisty and spirited. Two undoubted talents nevertheless. Eloise Shackleton with her powerful voice and imposing stage presence gave a striking performance as the Killer Queen. She commanded her minions with ferocity and mercilessness, including her faithful sycophant Commander Khashoggi, a role shared by Ryan Hyland and Sam Moss; the comical quality of his nauseating toadying was conveyed expertly by both actors. There were also noteworthy performances from Connor Hewson as the incongruously-named Britney Spears, and his co-conspirator the knife-wielding, uncompromising rebel Meat Loaf, played excellently by Molly Babuniak and Selena Comeskey. The role of Pop, a hirsute, hippy barman, was shared by Jack Hinckley and Kieran Mason; both performers created a loveable and endearing comic disciple of the ‘Old Ways’.

However, it is not just the acting performances that made this production so successful. Musical Director Steve Wright and his Theatre Band were phenomenal, making the show come alive for the audience. A new addition this year was the

wonderful School Choir, within which a new talent was unleashed. The audience was treated to a superb singing performance from Owen Henry who delivered a haunting opening to the production with his rendition of the 1991 hit Innuendo.

In total, almost a hundred staff and students were involved in performing Ben Elton and Queen’s satirical prod at the music industry. Creating this Kind of

Magic on stage takes tremendous organisation and this was only achieved because of the hard work and meticulous preparation of Laura Smith as Artistic Director and Jeremy Heath as Assistant Director. They were ably supported by the choreographic

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talents of Louise Roberts, the versatility of Rick Clayden and his technical team, the wardrobe wizardry of Shelagh Maughan, and the myriad assistance of numerous other staff.

The show was brought to a close with a rousing rendition, led by Sam Higgs and the ensemble, of We are the Champions followed by an encore of Bohemian Rhapsody. An excellent finale to a first-rate production. And another one bites the dust!

BOOK CLUB 2012-2013 Yusuf Ben-Tarifite 8 Kinman

At Book Club, we have read a vast range of books this year. First was the exhilarating ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins, a dystopian novel in which a corrupt, blood-thirsty Capitol hosts a merciless battle forcing children from all over the twelve districts to fight to the death. For those favouring a more humorous fictional genre there was Derek Landy’s ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’, a detective series full of magic, fast-paced storylines and amusing one-liners. In preparation for our author visit, we also read ‘Mortal Engineers,’ another futuristic text which addressed issues of climate change and globalisation through an adventure story.

Meeting once a half-tem, members vote for which books to read and have time go away and prepare for the next session. We have analysed six whole books but in a less formal manner than in class. The books we have discussed also include: ‘H.I.V.E.’ by Mark Walden and ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R. Tolkien. The club inspires us to read books that we might never read due the width of the spine or because they are from a genre that we don’t usually try! The relaxed setting allows us to discuss and appreciate texts as well as consider the techniques that authors have used. It’s great everyone gets to recommend their favourite reads. Here are some benefits of reading for pleasure:

Empathy: books encourages you to relate to a variety

of characters’ feelings

Escapism: you can literally be anywhere and live

countless lives.

Imagination: books allow your mind to elaborate and

create new scenery that games and TV just can’t fulfil.

Inspiration: to improve your own work – good readers

make good writers!

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CHARITY RE-LAUNCH James McAleese Head of MFL

‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is the old saying. Yes, but we all love to tinker with things, don’t we? That is what we have done this year in order to pull together all the strands of the school’s fundraising initiatives. This time last year a plan was put together, in order to target charities which involve young people. The idea was that each key stage or potentially each year would help either a local, national or international charity involving people of similar ages. Form groups would discuss charities that they know about, are involved with or have researched. Charities would be presented in an assembly or form time and be voted on by the forms based on the presentations given. The year group or key stage would then support the chosen charity during the newly adopted charity week to coincide with a non-uniform day. The charity week format is designed to give year groups and forms an opportunity to publicise their activities in advance to the whole school and then carry them out during the week. There is the potential for a larger whole year charity fair on one day of the week. The final event is the non-uniform day on the Friday. The school uses money from the non-uniform day to add to the total collected by the year group and also to support local charities as chosen by staff, parents or following requests from the charities themselves.

This year has been the first year of the new system so we are still ironing out the details. The process was tried out with the Sixth Form in the Autumn Term which helped to start the ball rolling for our Il Sorriso – our International Charity in Rio de Janeiro - with a small change collection and a raffle. In the Spring Term Mr Ritchie and Year 9 blazed a trail on behalf of Riding for the Disabled. Seven different events were carried out by all pupils in Year 9 during their charity week and in total they raised £856. The highlight of the week was the staff v pupils tug of war contest in the main hall! The Hertfordshire branch of RDA was invited in to accept the cheque in an assembly. On behalf of 9 Kinman, who put forward the RDA as their charity, Henry Vincett-Wilson handed over the cheque and said what the year group had been involved in to raise that money. The boys were informed that their donation would be used for the purchase of a specialist sheepskin saddle that is essential for use with

Year 7 Tutors in their weekend clothes.

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disabled young people as they are unable to ride with normal saddles. The Hertfordshire branch has to fundraise £50,000 a year to fund their programme of charity work, all of which they must find themselves.

In the second half of the Spring Term Years 7 and 8 had the challenge to each beat that amount and so the target of £1712 was set. They were fundraising for a very special project for this year: to fund a trip for two sisters from our charity in Rio de Janeiro to come to Richard Hale this July. Twenty one events were carried out in their charity week, including a 12 hour film bonanza of the Lord of The Rings trilogy back to back in the main hall! The year groups combined raised a colossal £1,830 between them. Superb leadership from Mr Patterson, Mr Heath and their form tutors. Special mention to Mr Upponi-Davis who raised over £400 himself by having his beard shaved off. He had not been clean shaven in over 20 years so he told us! Thanks to Years 7 and 8, the Sixth Form, the school and individual donations we reached the target of £4,000 to fund the visit.

The final charity week of the year belongs to Year 10 who will be collecting for Steph’s Wishes which is the charity that was set up by Hertfordshire resident Stephanie Knight before her untimely death from bone cancer at the age of 21. The charity aims to support the dying wishes of young people suffering from cancer. This year the school has supported the following charities: Hertfordshire Air Ambulance, Movember Appeal, Mudlarks, Safer Hertford Recruitment, Crohns and Colitis, Riding For The Disabled, Il Sorriso Diei Mei Bimbi, Steph’s Wishes and recently the RNLI in memory of Dan Jacobsen. So far the school has raised and donated well over £5,000 to the above charities. Not bad for a year’s work!

GOD SHAPED GAPS? Marcus Blowers 7 Kinman

The following was written during Marcus’s RE exam in response to the question: “Believing in God is silly – what do you think? Explain your view.”

In my opinion this is true in some respects but not in others. It isn’t silly to believe in God; it’s just I think that God doesn’t exist. Religions, in my opinion, have become more of a way of life than a belief. Some worship and follow religious rules not because they believe but because it is righteous and good. In my opinion the Bible and other holy texts are statements of how we should live our lives. Living righteously is definitely not to be ridiculed. However, others do believe in the stories quite literally. This, in my view, is silly: there has been countless evidence against God’s existence and less for. Take the design argument: since the world is too perfect, it can’t have been a mistake. Therefore it must have been made by God. This

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is rubbish! What about those in poverty and without homes? If God is all the ’Omni’ words, such as omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and all loving, why doesn’t he do something? It’s also countered by natural selection: things are perfect because, in order to survive, they have to be. This is the principle of ‘survival of the fittest’.

Also I believe in the ‘God of Gaps’ theory, whereby God is used to fill blank spaces in our knowledge. Using this approach, anything can be explained. This may be another reason for people believing in God, as belief casts their minds away from the unknown and comforts them. Not only this but humans cannot bear the thought of ceasing to exist when they die - otherwise what’s the point of living? It is again a comforting idea that you, if you are good, will go to a better place. In conclusion religion is perfectly plausible as a lifestyle but as a true account of how life began and how it is likely to end, it has its flaws.

Teacher’s comment: Given that this was done in exam conditions and mentions topics and ideas covered at GCSE and A level this is an outstanding piece of work for a year 7 student! Sapere Aude! (Mr Breese, RE Department)

ETNA, VULCANO AND ROTTEN EGGS – SICILY 2013 Andrew Mackenzie, Caleb Jordan and Andrew Murray

Intrepid Year 11Geologists

Having arrived safely in sunny Sicily late Saturday night, we were awoken early on Sunday to ready ourselves to climb Mount Etna. We arrived in the local town of Piano Provenzana where we met our guide and geologist, Roberto, and watched the film ‘A Fantastic Eruption’ about the eruptions of 2002 and 2013, and their effects.

Roberto travelled with us to the foot of the volcano, and soon we began up a winding trail over the vast quantities of magma that Etna had previously erupted, which had now cooled into black rock. As we trekked further up, we came across a hotel, half-buried in volcanic lava, which had been destroyed when the volcano erupted last. The views were spectacular at any point on the trail, with pictures being snapped left, right and centre all the way up. We passed old volcanic vents, now dormant, that were once the site of previous lava flows. As we reached the apex of our climb at 2800m above sea level, the clouds enveloped us and brought a chilling wind that almost knocked us sideways as we were surrounded by dense white. We returned down the volcano reluctantly, but we needed a good night’s rest for the next day.

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After much needed sleep, we set off at 6:00am from the hotel to make the short bus trip to the port, where we boarded a ferry for the crossing to the isle of Vulcano. Despite the glorious weather it was a very rough trip out to the island, with most of us a little worse for wear by the end of it. After a rest to recover, we started the walk up the volcano’s flanks, accompanied by a charming yet overweight local dog! The climb to the volcanic crater was far from easy, but the views we were rewarded with made up for our aching legs. After a long climb we reached the summit, which was spewing clouds of sulphur gas mere metres below us. After a quick group photo with the stunning views in the background we started the descent, still accompanied by our canine companion. Once down, half of the group ventured into the local mud baths, which was quite an experience. The crossing back to the mainland was far calmer than the first, to the relief of many. After two days of hard walking, the whole group was relieved to return to the hotel for a welcome rest.

On Tuesday after having a long lie in compared to other days we visited the Alicante gorge which is an old basaltic lava flow. At the gorge we saw the melt water from Mount Etna flowing elegantly down through the gorge past all the twisted basaltic columns that were pointed out to us by Mr Clay and Mr Forster, who were both more than happy to explain to us how they formed! After this we took a coach trip to Taormina and its Roman amphitheatre where Mr McAleese was in his element. After a talk on the amphitheatre, small groups were allowed to explore the ancient town, which gave all of the males on the trip their first chance to visit the nearest pizza

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restaurant. The canny girls in the group, ventured further afield from the tourist hotspot and got a lot better deal on their meals. After this outing we returned to the hotel for our final night, before flying home early the next day.

HISTORY CLUB

RHS Second World War Book of Memorial

This year in History Club we collected information about Old Boys who served our country during the Second World War. By using our school archives and various

useful websites we researched over fifty Hertfordians who were killed in action. We put this information into a book which we presented to The Chelsea Pensioners, the Imperial War Museum and County Hall. All parties were very complimentary of our research, and the book will soon be available on the Imperial War Museum online library.

We took part in an interview with JACK FM and some of our comments were broadcast on the radio, on the Special Memorial Weekend. Many thanks to Messrs Eric Riddle and Eddie Roach who greatly helped and supported our research, and especially Peter Ruffles who funded the project.

YEAR 10 HISTORY EXPEDITION TO YPRES Michael Ives 10 Kinman

On day one of our educational expedition to Ypres we visited the 'In Flanders Field' museum in Ypres (also known as Cloth Hall). This was an invaluable experience for our controlled assessment task as we discovered a variety of new resources, including some of the weaponry used in the three battles at Ypres. After this initial hard-hitting experience we attended the remembrance ceremony at the Menin Gate, where a service in memory of those that lost their lives at Ypres has been held every day since 1927. We were surprised by the size of the congregation (my estimate was around 500). Ms Maughan had given us the names of five soldiers who were missing in action, presumed dead (as all are at the Menin Gate) and it was hard to get your head around the number of names which you had to go through just to find one

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soldier. It made everyone think of the 90,000 wasted lives behind the names engraved at the Menin Gate.

On Thursday our first stop was at Vimy Ridge memorial, which is a tribute to around 20,000 Newfoundlanders who lost their lives trying to capture the ridge - the highest point for miles around - in the Battle of Arras. This was followed by an informative talk about the trenches and subway systems used during the battle, another vital source for our controlled assessment as our guide told us about new tactics and technology. After one invaluable experience came another, as we went to Beaumont-Hamel memorial park which remembers Newfoundlanders who fell on the first day of the Battle of the Somme (1st July 1916). Whilst just 731 of the 60,000 who died on the first day were from Newfoundland, it is dedicated to them because they were pretty much put straight into the trenches without any training, and many of the soldiers that died were from the same family, leaving women and children all alone several thousand miles away. Unfortunately, we couldn't visit the Y Ravine cemetery where many of the Newfoundlanders are buried due to renovation work. On the way back to the hostel we visited Thiepval Memorial where there are several hundred graves and thousands of names of men missing in action, presumed dead. The evening then included the much awaited football match between Ms Maughan's class and Mr Dutton's class, which ended 12-13 to the Duttonians.

Our trip concluded with visits to Tynecot and Langemark cemeteries. Tynecot arguably provided the most jaw-dropping experience of the week. 11,957 soldiers’ graves lie in the cemetery, which is designed to look like a cathedral from above. 60% of the tombstones have no names and simply say 'known unto God'. Here we found a memorial to the great-great grandfather of Alex Carter (10 Co), David Fensom, who went missing in action, presumed dead. We also visited the grave and tombstone of the great-great uncle of Alex Passingham (10 W), John Passingham. From Tynecot we went to Langemark cemetery, which is one of only four German cemeteries in Belgium. The scale of this cemetery dwarfs

its Allied counterparts as almost 25,000 men were put into one pit and each individual gravestone (laid on the ground) contains at least four people. Three words that I would use to sum up the trip are: ‘humbling’, ‘enriching’ and ‘enjoyable’. All 45 students would also like to thank the members of staff who accompanied us - Mr Dutton, Mr Pattison, Miss Matthews, Ms Maughan and Mrs Flowers - for their help and support.

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LESSONS FROM AUSCHWITZ Paul Clay Geography Department

Mr Clay took part in the Lessons from Auschwitz (LFA) project which is provided by the Holocaust Education Trust. HET has supported the Richard Hale’s Holocaust education programmes for several years, including the training of Sixth Formers as LFA ambassadors and supplying speakers for enrichment activities and events.

As I travelled through Poland in May I noted the irony that the relatives of my grandmother found themselves in a similar situation 70 years ago. The only difference was that at the end of the day I would be going home whereas they would not. After several hours of travelling, I found myself on an air conditioned coach, speeding through the green and lush Polish countryside towards one of the country’s most visited attractions, the small town of Oswiecim in southern Poland.

As we passed through the town, people went about their everyday business - children walking home from school, people chatting in the street; it seemed like a nice place to live. You would be forgiven for not having heard of Oświęcim, and when I saw the welcome sign, it did not mean much to me. However, in the 1940’s, during the German invasion of Poland, it was part of a 40km zone of ‘special Interest and economic development’ at the centre of the German Reich and given the German name of ‘Auschwitz’. The day focused around visits to the deaths camps of Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau to see first-hand to what went on in these places.

I thought long and hard about what I could say about the trip, and had to rewrite this article several times, failing to reach anything personal or meaningful each time. It would have been easier not to write anything at all, but I would have failed as a witness if I had not carried on the legacy of those who had experienced the worst of mankind first-hand by sharing what I had seen. I would like to say that the people, who went about their day to day business in and around these camps were monsters, different to you and me, but in fact they weren’t. They had just been given a false sense of hope and the misguided belief that their horrific and heinous crimes were correct. The thing I will take from this experience is how parts of the Jewish community deal with the subject of the Holocaust. Many Jews see the pilgrimage to Auschwitz as an opportunity to celebrate mankind’s ability to survive life regardless of the worst that can be thrown at them.

The guilt of those who orchestrated the ‘Final Solution’ is unquestionable, and when I go back to discuss with my form about what I saw, I want to move away facts and figures and mechanisms and humanise what went on. History continues to show us that given the wrong circumstance anyone of us could be a perpetrator, or a victim. They are the next generation who are entrusted with task of not allowing this to happen again, most poignantly expressed by Martin Niemöller’s warning:

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‘First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a

Socialist; then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, because I was not a

Jew; then they came for me but there was no one left to speak for me.’

THE VIEW FROM BUDE James Davis 7 Wallace

Sunday. After a seemingly endless coach trip, we finally arrived at Adventure International – a beautiful old medieval style building, surrounded by blazing sunlight. Ten minutes later we were up in our rooms unpacking all our neat clothes into jumbled-up piles, strewn all over the floor (so we knew where they were!). Our room had a balcony that overlooked the astroturf and basketball court. Many of us went onto the astroturf to play football (to wake us up from the slow and painful journey) and even some of the form tutors got involved. Mr Fowler scored a lucky header and Mr Pattison scored loads of free kicks. We then went into our activity groups and my group went to the beach to play some unusual beach games. When we came back it was finally time for dinner and the evening activity, this time a disco.

Monday. We woke up at 6:00 and got ready for the infamous morning swim or run. We knew the swim was going to be cold, but it turned out to be FREEZING, and that was the last time I chose it! Today was first day of activities – I was body-boarding first. This was especially funny because most of us had never body-boarded or hadn’t done it in a long time, as was demonstrated when some of us tried to stand up on the boards. Later on, we set off on the team trail – basically an assault course, which ended with a big slide into a water trough and a climb through a soaking tunnel, whilst being attacked by hoses!

Tuesday. After a leisurely morning run (!), we went canoeing on the river. We had to paddle very hard to keep up with our instructor, Cassie, who had obviously done it before. But we also played games and one boat was rocked so hard that it capsized – a very wet crew returned to base. After drying off, we went to the Bude School of Rock, and made a racket, playing all kinds of instruments – badly!

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Wednesday. High ropes were the highlight on Wednesday, as there were many fun activities to do there. My favourite was the Leap of Faith – a challenge involving climbing up a 15 feet wooden post and jumping into thin air to (hopefully) grab a trapeze bar. Luckily most of us managed it successfully and some teachers even had a go,

without bottling or falling out of the trees!

Thursday. We began by surfing the “huge” Cornish waves (they seemed to have gone on holiday). It was still very difficult to stand up as the boards were surprisingly slippery, and most of us fell off – a lot. Next was another highlight, dragon boating. This was great fun, with three boats racing, paddling and chanting to the finish line (“Red Bull” and “Vindaloo” helped our team to victory!). At the break we played “Capture the Flag” with a twist – the instructors played the part of the flags. Camouflage consisted of reeds and straw shoved down our shirts, before throwing ourselves, invisibly, onto the floor – genius.

Thursday evening was possibly the best time, as a basketball match between instructors and students got slightly out of hand and turned into a wrestling match – naturally the RHS boys finished up with bragging rights!

Friday. Time to depart, slightly sad after making new friends at Adventure International, but looking forward to a long lie-in on Saturday morning. We had a fantastic week and would like to say a big Thank You to all the Adventure International and RHS staff that had to endure us and who made it such a memorable trip. Goodbye Bude!

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THE NATIONAL YOUTH JAZZ ORCHESTRA Marco Natale-Miles 9 Kinman

The NYJO London has been at the forefront of my life for a number of months now. The many rehearsals and concerts at the London Centre of Contemporary Music are always exciting and motivate me as a musician. My aim is to move into the top NYJO group, NYJO 1, when I am 16. They do concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, such as the proms, and regularly perform at Ronnie Scots Jazz Club. NYJO London is targeted at people inside the M25 but there are some exceptions to this because they are always looking for grade 7 or 8 players.

NYJO London and NYJO 2 take different routes. NYJO London caters for improvisation work; its members also play tunes by ear, learning to play them with ease without using music. NYJO 2 on the other hand enhances skill on intricate rhythms and pitch range. While NYJO London is a lot more free form I have still learned a lot from it. In NYJO2 their aim is to develop articulation and precision. Some famous names have started in NYJO 2 such as Amy Winehouse and Bill Ashton OBE, a jazz promoter who runs NYJO. NYJO has a big reputation and it is enjoyable; enjoyable enough to spend six hours of my Saturday there, enjoying every minute. Recently I performed in my first NYJO London gig at Ruislip Manor Social Club; it was a huge success and I can’t wait to do the next.

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RACE FOR LIFE Anne-Marie Riddle Extended Sports Co-ordinator

This year’s event was held on June 3rd at Stanborough Lakes. For the last five years Richard Hale has provided a workforce for this event. As part of the Year 12 students’ Community Sports Leaders Award, they have to complete a number of volunteer hours out in the community. The Race for Life event provides the opportunity for our Leaders to not only complete their hours but also to experience first-hand what goes into setting up large public events: eg an early rise (everyone on site by 7:00 am) and handing out and congratulating 2,300 participants, to name but two responsibilities. The race organisers congratulated all concerned on a job well done!

LEAVERS FOOTBALL MATCH: CAPTAIN'S BLOG Dan Tansley Staff Leaver

In a match of four 20 minute quarters (or halves according to Mr Dutton) the game started in a frenetic fashion with headless chicken tactics by both sides. Unfortunately, the students took advantage of lacklustre staff defence with Dan Cox scoring twice and Lorenzo Scibelli once in a ten minute spell. The staff managed a quick reply with yours truly slotting home a penalty despite banter from the rugby team behind the goal! 3-1 to the students at quarter time!

The rugby team actually came on in the second quarter which certainly opened up the game. The staff knocked the ball around effortlessly but to no avail, with Mr Williams in particular missing a couple of guilt edged chances. Still 3-1 to the leavers at half time. In the third quarter the game was certainly end to end with both sides having opportunities until the Headmaster blew the whistle for a penalty. Under great pressure in my final leavers match I once again skilfully, and many insist with great style, put the ball in the back of the net, giving the staff a tremendous chance going into the final quarter.

There were chances for both teams, with one student in particular missing an open goal! Reminiscent of Mr Jones's famous miss two years ago. Every last ounce of effort was given to the cause but in a highly competitive and exciting end to the game, with me missing a chance with the last kick of the game, neither side could add to the score and the match finished 3-2 to the students, avenging last years 6-2 defeat.

A thank you to everyone who played and supported on the day, especially Mr Neate and Mr Botheras for refereeing the match, and Mr Williams for organising it. I know the students especially appreciated it. The game was played in great spirit and demonstrated the outstanding relationship between Hale students and staff.

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CANAPÉS AND CEILIDH Phil Camm Ceilidh Conductor

For those of you who may not be accustomed with the Celtic ceilidh tradition, the band is an ensemble which plays a variety of Irish, Scottish and English folk music, with the primary aim of providing music for barn dances and the like. The Richard Hale Ceilidh Band has been in existence for a long time, but over the past three years it has grown considerably in number from a handful of sixth formers to its present membership of over thirty boys from across all year groups. The band plays at numerous functions and concerts throughout the year, but possibly our most important event is the annual Burns Night Supper at School, organised by the Parents Association. [Always an exceptionally enjoyable occasion, made even better by the presence of home-grown and top quality live music. Ed.]

Over the last year the band have diversified somewhat to include folk and dance music from other parts of world, most notably from Latin America, from where they have picked up tunes and arrangements with tango and samba influences. Not only has this added to the variety of repertoire but it also introduces additional musical skills, particularly with the emphasis on syncopated and complex rhythmic patterns.

The Band gave their annual 'Evening with the Ceilidh Band' on the 28th June to a packed and appreciative audience. Two very special guests from Brazil were present, Jessica and Bianca Pereira, who had travelled to Hertford through our link with 'Il Sorrisso', a charity which the School supports with a strong relationship. Hopefully the addition of our Latin items made them feel at home! Guests were treated to a Pimms and canapé reception followed by a superb evening of music. The band easily gave their best performance to date with superb ensemble playing and some very fine solos.

Richard Hale is, to my knowledge, the only school in Hertfordshire (and wider) that has a Ceilidh Band and therefore regularly performs folk music. As the reputation of the band grows and spreads we find ourselves being invited to perform further and further afield. The band is currently booked for several private events across Hertfordshire over the coming months and we are always happy to receive enquires from potential clients! The quality of the music which the Ceilidh Band provides has to be heard to be believed and we hope to be able to entertain you at future events. For further information about joining the band or to enquire about private bookings please contact Mr Camm ([email protected]).

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I would very much like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Band for their continued commitment, enthusiasm and talent over the last year. They are a superb group of boys with boundless energy and natural talent making them a joy to work with. [And I would like to thank Mr Camm and the Band for their excellent performance at the recent Junior Colours Assembly; by far the hardest audience they play to is 500 of their peers and teachers! Ed.]

MUSIC EXAMINATION RESULTS Spring term 2013

Congratulations to all of these students on their success!

TRINTY GUILDHALL

Tom Tinner 13 W 6 Flute Merit

Ed Hogan 11 H 5 Flute Merit

Nick Ross 10 K 6 Guitar Merit

Louis Daymond 10 P 6 Guitar Pass

Sam Saul 8 H 5 Guitar Pass

Peter Hurt 10 H 5 Guitar Merit

Andrew Naden 12 H 5 Guitar Pass

Sam Moloney 8 K Initial Guitar Distinction

Kane Kiff 9 W Initial Guitar Merit

Alex McCallan 8 H 2 Drums Merit

Alex Saul 10 H 4 Drums Pass

Chris Wilson 10 P 3 Drums Pass

ABRSM Form Grade Instrument Result

Sam Davies 13 8 Piano Pass

Mark Rider 9 H 5 Piano Merit

Charlie Burr 8 Co 3 Violin Merit

Mitchell Bowell 10 Cr 4 Violin Distinction

Matthew Varco 11 H 6 Flute Distinction

Thomas Gillingham 7 K 2 Trumpet Distinction

ROCKSCHOOL

Drew Waller 12 P 7 Bass Guitar Merit

Dillon Howells 10 K 2 Bass Guitar Merit

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RASPBERRY PI – NEXT STEP FOR ICT EDUCATION James Dent Head of Computer Science

The Raspberry Pi is a cheap and tiny computer designed to get people interested in computers and the way they work. It is a great way for people to tinker with code and develop projects without destroying home or school computers in the process!

It is taking us back to the 80’s and 90’s when we coded programs in order to get computers to function in a specific fashion. I always remember making an Enid Blyton ‘Famous Five’ strategy game on the BBC Basic from which I got a huge sense of achievement. Some of the recent Raspberry Pi projects include: sending them into the atmosphere in a hydrogen balloon, taking photos, readings and tracking them; packaging the Raspberry Pi in a waterproof case and putting it at the bottom of the ocean to record marine life. You may have watched the latest ‘Spring Watch’ BBC series that highlighted the Raspberry Pi bird box. Lots of schools now have ‘Chick Cameras’.

Interestingly industry is now starting to make use of the Raspberry Pi because of its low cost. You might be interested in the ‘Beowulf Cluster Project’ which underlines the incredible cost savings. For example: a cluster of 32 Onyx computers costs £21,000 ; a cluster of 32 Raspberry Pi computers costs £1,000. Richard Hale had over 60 people attend a Raspberry Pi Jam in early June. The aim of the session was to encourage schools to look at the potential of Raspberry Pi in education. We were honoured to be joined by many colleagues from industry interested in supporting schools. Finally, the existing ICT Curriculum is moving back towards Computer Science. From September at Richard Hale the subject of ICT will be renamed ‘Computer Science’ as it becomes a much more rigorous subject. It is an exciting time for Computer Science Education. We are now looking forward to developing robots at Raspberry Pi club on a Wednesday evening!

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FROM RIO TO HERTFORD James McAleese Head of MFL

The Holocaust enrichment day last academic year was the inspiration behind the visit of Jessica and Bianca Pereira from Rocihna, Brazil, this year. The afternoon activity was the showing of the film “Freedom Writers”. In the film, whilst reading The Diary of Anne Frank in their English lessons, some American high school students decide to fund the visit of a holocaust survivor who knew the Frank family so she can tell them her experiences in person. The eureka moment arrived: could we do the same for someone from our Rio charity?

The team at Il Sorriso in Brazil worked together in their community to see if there was anyone suitable to undertake such an immense cultural and linguistic challenge. In a slum where life is cheap, and drugs and violence are an everyday occurrence for its inhabitants, could anyone be considered ready to take it on? In addition, there was the financial challenge of RHS raising £4,000 in less than a year and backing a project that would benefit only one or two rather than many.

Former Richard Hale English teacher Catherine Bruce, our link partner in Rio along with the charity founder Barbara Olivi, had highlighted two sisters who might be suitable for the project. Barbara set about talking to the parents and Catherine flew over to Hertford to give a presentation to our students about the potential link. Catherine was an exceptional project leader throughout and I could not have wished for a better international partner to correspond with over the eight months. She and her husband Paul put in the first £500 to set the fundraising ball rolling.

Over 500 people have been involved in raising money for the two girls this year alone. Years 7 and 8 were given the challenge of raising over £900 each, which would eclipse what year 9 had collected earlier in the term. After a half-term of activities and a very busy charity week they came in with a total of £1820 – an incredible achievement. This together with other events and donations meant that by April 2013 we had all of the money secured.

As I write this article [in May] the girls have had their passports delivered (they did not have a passport until now) and their airline tickets (this will be their first ever flight). They are extremely excited, nervous and apprehensive about the trip but looking forward to it immensely. They have a full three week visit from June 28 until July 21, staying with staff and families from the school as well taking part in lessons, eg Year 9 Geography, watching a cricket match and visiting a London theatre! The trip, nevertheless, could be very daunting for Jessica and Bianca as they will be entering into a world that is very different from the one they know. We intend to do our utmost to enable them to adjust to life here in England.

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Thank-you to all those people that have made this a reality for two young women who we hope to help make a success of their lives due to their efforts and commitment and a little help from us.

HERTS SPORTSABILITY FESTIVAL Ane-Marie Riddle Extended Sports Co-ordinator

On 24 June 2013, Richard Hale ran their fifth TOP Sportsability Festival at Wodson Sports Centre, ably assisted by Leaders from Pinewood. This annual festival has been planned and led by RHS Year 13 students for over five years as the culmination of their Level 3 Sports Leaders Award. It provides pupils with Special Educational Needs Disability (SEND) from all over the county the opportunity to participate in a variety of sports including basketball, seated volleyball, new age kurling, boccia, orienteering, running, and table top games such as table cricket, table squash, polybat and racket skills. The festival was visited by staff from the Hertford branch of Lloyds TSB, sponsors of National School Sport Week 2013, and they were very impressed with what they saw.

Six SEN schools attended the festival: Lakeside, Greenside, Lonsdale, Amwell View, Pinewood and Middleton. The majority of their pupils had not previously had the opportunity to participate in a competitive festival. It was therefore imperative that their first experience of such an unfamiliar environment was a positive one. Some

Dear James, May 2013

Thank you for your letter. When we learned of the possibility of going to England we

could hardly believe it. It is great that there are people willing to help us. To learn

about another culture, another language and people will be a wonderful personal

experience. We would like to thank you very much and all the teachers and students who

have spent these last eight months striving to make this trip possible. It is almost

unbelievable that so many people are willing to help us!

Catherine has helped us enormously by giving us English classes and organising two

new English teachers. She has given us everything we need! We are sure that this trip

will be memorable and that we will meet wonderful people. We have researched life in

England and now we know a bit of the British way of life. We are very excited and eager

to meet everyone in June and to be able to thank everyone personally.

Yours sincerely

Bianca and Jessica Pereira

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individual pupils were linked with Year 7 pupils from RHS and Presdales who joined in with them and escorted them to all the activities.

The festival reflected the themes of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: each school represented a different country and pupils were awarded stickers throughout the day denoting their contribution to the paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality. At the start of the day two pupils from Pinewood School passed Baroness Sue Campbell’s Olympic Torch to the ‘older generation’ leaders of Richard Hale to promote the London 2012 legacy initiative ‘Lead Your Generation’.

A project called ‘Reverse Integration’ also ran during the festival. Four Year 7 pupils from Richard Hale, Tom Buchan, Hugo Dobney, Harry Hunter and Oli Rudling, experienced exactly how it felt to be in a disabled person’s environment to enable them to empathise with the SEND children. In the afternoon Hugo was interviewed by a Herts County Sports Partneship Disability Officer to gauge his feelings prior to and during the day, and his thoughts for the future, to discover whether the festival and that project would leave a lasting legacy. Having never participated in a sports event centred on disability, Hugo talked about his fear of the unknown and his nerves before the Festival. He described being paired with a boy who was unable to speak and explained how he soon learnt to adapt his communication methods to meet their needs via body language and in particular the use of hand signals and a thumbs-up. Even during this short interview, Hugo’s partner kept signalling for his return - he had made a big impression! It became apparent that this Young Leader wanted to work with SEND individuals again.

It would seem that in Hugo’s case the festival had had an immediate impact on inspiring a generation. It would be great to see other organisations try Reversal Integration with their able-bodied children and adults - not only would it nurture knowledge, but it could also help decrease the stigma and naïve misconceptions that the disabled face in society. The awarding of certificates for all who took part in the various activities concluded this particular day of fun; judging by the smiles on everyone’s faces, the TOP Sportsability festival had once again been a success!

The Year 13 Sports Leaders were: Chris Anelay, Joe Ansbro, Jack Austin, Ed Boorn, Isabella Cacciatore, Hannah Craig, George Davalle, Alex Froud, Will Hanson, Roisin

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Lacey, Andy Leake, Andrew Mabbett, Ben Orchard, Harry Pateman, Ross Perkins, James Rogers and Ryan Wescott.A brilliant effort!

MY F1 IN SCHOOLS EXPERIENCE Henry Vincett-Wilson 9 Kinman

After months of preparation, designing and making a balsa wood car with the capabilities of encasing a CO2 canister we were finally prepared. The car had to be capable of being fired along a race track, so our precise work and measurements had to do it justice. Our team, named 2FAST, was invited to go along to the F1 in Schools competition in February 2013 held at the City University of London.

We were well prepared for the event with a display board, team portfolio and our cars. We were asked to present a five minute powerpoint presentation to a panel of judges, race our balsa wood cars down a 20 meter track and finally present our team display board to a group of judges. Our verbal presentation went very well and the

judges seemed impressed by our presentational skills, the scrutinizing also went very well and our car was at the exact required measurements. They were equally impressed with our display board and the unique design of incorporating IT screens to show our ideas. This made us stand out from other schools. The day was looking very positive after the judging had been done, but unfortunately we were up against one of the best cars for the races. The first race was very tight and the other car won by one second! In the second race we were beaten by five seconds, and finally by four seconds on the last

run. Even though we didn’t win the day it was a brilliant experience, and it has taught us a variety of different skills including communication, leadership and team work. We have also had an insight into what we need to work on for our next competition, which will be the 4x4 Challenge.

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RICHARD HALE FOOTBALL 2006-2013 Dan Cox First X1 Captain 2012-13

The seven years of football played by my year group at Richard Hale have been very successful – but possibly not as successful as anticipated given the players who have featured in the team. Big thanks to all of the players who have played over the years, but a special mention to Ben Orchard and Mark Willis who have featured regularly in every side since Year 7. The greatest success of the seven years must be reaching the County Cup final in Year 8, unfortunately losing St Michaels. But where there has been failure, there has also been real achievement, for example winning the District Cup on a penalty shootout against Leventhorpe in Year 12.

There have also been many moments of laughter and enjoyment over the years - for example, goalkeeper Luke Wilkinson running straight past the ball when attempting to clear it and conceding a goal. As captain of the side, my most memorable game must have been in Year 10, away at Latimer College in Edmonton. Memorable for very odd reasons. We arrived with nine men, unheard of, though James Rogers rolled up midway through the first half giving us ten. Incredibly, Sam Green and Ben Orchard (future Head Boy) and were both sent off in the second half, Sam for fouling the referee’s son (a very controversial decision) and Ben for some extremely sarcastic back chat, leaving us with eight men. In the end we won 7-1 with goals from two debutants, Tom Gatens and Ryan Atkinson, Ryan’s goal coming from around the corner flag position, looping over the goalkeeper and into the top corner. Three of the others were from me in possibly the most interesting hat-trick a Richard Hale team has ever seen: a penalty, a bicycle kick and a sliding tackle from the half way line - yes a sliding tackle - and yes from the half way line. Just what I intended!

The District Cup final victory against Leventhorpe last year was one of the best Hale games I have played. Playing in a final as a Year 12 was great experience, and that game being the Year 13 players’ last ever game for the school made it that extra bit special. New boys in Year 12 William Hayward, Danny Barnes and Lorenzo Scibelli should almost get mentions for outstanding performances, not only in that game but throughout the two years. A special mention should go to Kieran Mitham, Vice Captain in Year 12, for his quality play and for being selected, along with myself, to play for the Hertfordshire Schools XI.

Overall, playing football for Hale over the seven years has for me personally been the best part of being in a wonderful school. Playing alongside your school mates is a unique experience. Being appointed captain of the senior team was a great honour, something I will keep with me for the rest of my life, something I will tell my children and

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grand-children. I am going to miss the team, the teachers, and most of all the feeling of pulling on that bright yellow shirt.

SUPER TENNIS VICTORY!

Malcolm Ritchie Master i/c Tennis

The Under 15 Tennis Team are County Schools Tennis champions. The team (ratings in brackets) comprised Callum Evans (8.2), Peter Hale (7.2), Oliver Hanney (7.2) and Harvey Shackleton (3.2). The format for league and knock out matches is four singles and two doubles matches. Hertford Tennis Club hosted the finals.

We qualified for the semi-finals by beating Hitchin Boys, Knight's Templar and Bishops Stortford HS. St Albans Boys School are always tough but we won 4-2, and went on to defeat Berkhampstead College convincingly 5-1 in the final. We now enter the national phase of the competition playing the champions of a (yet to be announced) neighbouring county in September.

Congratulations also to Harvey Shackleton 10 Page who last week competed in the Scottish Cup Under 16 and Under 18 singles competitions, for players in the top 60 of the country. Having lost in round two of the Under 16 competition, he went on brilliantly to win the Under 18 Consolation Final, 7-6 6-4, against a player ranked in the top 25 Under 18s in the country! We wish him every success in the Nationals Grade 1 competition at Nottingham in August.

DISTRICT ATHLETICS RESULTS Tim Saunders Head of PE

On a horrid wet day the school yet again performed extremely well producing a number of outstanding performances. All twelve schools in the District were represented in four different age groups for both boys and girls. There are too many individuals to mention and so here is a summary of results. In total 20 first places, 14 second places and 10 third places were achieved on the day.

Overall Team Places: Boys 1st place / Seniors 1st place

On top of this the Year 9-10 team came a superb 3rd out of 8 in the County League Finals and the Year 7-8 team gained 5th place in the County League Plate Finals for teams finishing outside the top four. The Intermediate Boys won the County Multi-Events competition again, with Olly Boorn going on to represent Hertfordshire in the Regional Competition.

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Congratulations to Jamie Dee, Natalie Allan and Rob Green who were selected to go to the English Schools Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Jamie came 19th in the final of the 3000m in 9.06.5, Natalie came 5th in her heat of the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.26, and Rob came 6th in his heat of the 80m Hurdles with a time of 12.1. An extra mention must go to Liam Dee who has been selected to represent Great Britain in the 1500m at the Junior World Championships in the Ukraine this summer!

Minor Boys ( Year 7 ) – Team 1st place

Individual District Champions: Harry Hunter - 100m / 75m hurdles 4x100m relay Olly Skipp - 800m/ long jump 4x100m relay Alfie Marshall - 200m / 4x100m relay Jake Stangroom - 1500m Olly Rudling - 4x100m relay

3rd Place: Lewis Matthews - shot

Junior Boys ( Year 9 ) – 4th place

Individual District Champions: Josh Swindell - 100m Rob Green - 80m hurdles Jordan Wasylyczyn- hammer

2nd Place: Cam Bailey -200m Joe Church - shot Jordan Wasylyczyn - high jump Murray Bond - triple jump

3rd Place: Oscar Bell - 1500m

Intermediate Boys (Y10/11) - 1st place

Individual District Champions: Reuben Omolu - discus Dan Hill - 800m Joe Carter -long jump James Llongren - triple jump Connor Kilgallon - 1500m steeplechase Oliver Boorn – 400m

2nd Place: Craig Devine - high jump Stanley Voss - 200m Max Ellis - javelin

3rd Place: Joe Carter - 100m

Senior Boys and girls - 3rd place

Individual District Champions: Christian Sloan – discus / shot Rebecca Suzan - shot Liam Dee - 1500m steeplechase Bridgette Omolu - discus

2nd Place: Natalie Allan -200m Grace Costin - javelin Ella Lloyd - 800m Liam Cloona -1500m Alex Allen - high jump Josh Brown -110m Hurdles

3rd Place: Alex Aves - 100m / long jump Tom Gatens - 400m

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ART EXHIBITION 2013

Mike Todd Head of Art

We held our annual Art Exhibition at the Corn Exchange in Hertford in June. Artwork produced by GCSE and A Level Art students was on display attracting a large volume of visitors, including a Coronation Street actor. This year we had a group of particularly talented and creative artists, who displayed an eclectic range of styles and ideas including beautiful landscapes, metal animal sculptures, Damien Hirst’s childhood desk, a psychedelic installation, bold eye-catching portraits and a horror film.

Huge congratulations to all the students who exhibited and whose hard work throughout the year helped to make the event such a success. A special mention must go to Dan Jacobsen who sadly died just before the exhibition. His advice and expertise was a massive influence in the creation of the metal animal sculptures [see front cover]; fittingly one of the annual Art Department awards has been renamed in his memory. The standard of work was particularly high this year with many pieces of work sold to visitors. We were inundated with positive comments including:

Privileged to be able to exhibit such incredible work. The

future is here …. Chris Addison, owner of the Corn Exchange.

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Fantastic show, well done to all involved. Better

than a lot of the work at degree shows

Rod Murray Arthaus Galleries, Herford

Amazing collection of Art work, such a high standard!

Congratulations- Lynne Hewitt

Yet another fine

exhibition, a strong

standard and variety

of work – a fine

memory to Dan. Well

done all – Jo & Rachel Aumayer

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DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S NEWS Derek Clarke Award Leader

With the expedition season in full swing it’s a busy Term for D of E participants and staff. The two Bronze Practice Expeditions went well, but we could have hoped for

warmer weather. Then the first Qualifier was almost too hot on the Saturday! Most Teams did extremely well and were a credit to the school by their enthusiasm and competence. That they also enjoyed the experience made it all entirely worthwhile. The course at the Fire Station is well under way and is always a popular way to complete the Skills Section. The chance to use the high pressure hoses and breathing apparatus always proves to be fun as well as instructive.

Gold Expeditions are in the Summer Term and holidays, with Year 12 having their Practice and Year 13 having their Qualifiers. The ventures will see many of our Sixth Form walking and camping in the mountains of Snowdonia. The

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challenge is huge, but the rewards are equally great. To complete a four day expedition in remote country and to be self sufficient throughout calls for skills and determination. Invariably the bond within the team grows stronger each day and the whole venture will inevitably prove to be memorable.

The expedition to the India Himalaya leaves at the end of term. The group will be there for three weeks, first working in a school and then trekking. The highlight will be the attempted ascent of a peak at 19,500ft. It will be a very demanding climb, but one that should prove a fantastic experience. The expedition concludes with a visit to the Tah Mahal.. Let’s hope we return with some great stories and pictures.

HALE RUGBY – A CAPTAIN’S VIEW Joseph Verrent First XV Captain 2012-2013

I didn’t know where to start this report as there have been so many great moments throughout my time playing rugby with Richard Hale; the team has shown great loyalty to each other and the school since the first training session in Year 7. We had a strong season this year, and although we lost a few games they were by very small margins and I’m really proud of the team. However the second team did exceptionally well losing only one game all year and that was to a side that the current Year 13s have never beaten, Watford. Next year’s squad look like they are going to have a successful season: we have had a lot of Year 11 students training and wanting to play for the team - good luck, boys! When you play for a Richard Hale rugby side, no matter what year you are in, you are always proud! You develop a sense of family within the team; you play for each other and the School. Some of my most memorable moments during my seven years have been on the rugby field. We have played some renowned rugby schools but we never gave up and always work hard. I remember when I was in my junior years at Hale, everyone looked up to the First XV, everyone wanted to be in that team before they finished school, and to be named captain is a privilege that comes to few. Playing with your friends that you spend every day with for seven years is the best feeling anyone could have and I speak for all the senior players when I say we all hated that last time we took off the golden shirts. Playing rugby for Richard Hale is unforgettable.

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A WEEK ON THE ROOF OF AFRICA Will Worthington Recent Old Boy

Pole-pole. A Swahili saying meaning ‘go slow, and you’ll get there’.

Last year I had the extraordinary privilege to see a breathtaking view from a very special location: Uhuru Peak, the bare rock summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. The week I spent climbing to what felt like the top of the world marked a big personal achievement, from which I have gained some incredible memories. It was also a chance to raise money on behalf of the Home Farm Trust, a special needs charity.

Obviously, you don’t climb the world’s highest free-standing mountain just like that. After finishing my A Levels, I knew that a gap year before university was for me. I set my sights on Kilimanjaro because I enjoy the kind of outdoor adventures that push you to the edge. Achieving the summit was as much a test of willpower as a physical challenge. I climbed as part of a team of six, aided by a team of local porters and trek guides, all the way from the dense rainforests of Kilimanjaro National Park to the icy summit of the mountain itself.

Truly, this was one of the defining experiences of my life, one which presented so many new (and not always comfortable) situations. The first days were spent trekking through rich rainforest, which covers the foot of the huge dormant volcano. As my first experience of the southern hemisphere, the sights and sounds were magical. After two days of uphill hiking we emerged into stunningly beautiful moorland, at altitudes of around 3760 meters.

By day, it got hot enough for this typical British tourist to get horrific sunburn; by night, we had to shiver in our huts in temperatures of -12 or colder. Once we climbed beyond 4000 meters, we found ourselves in the ominously named Alpine Desert, where constant wind means there isn’t even snow to soften the stark landscape of rock. Few plants survive at this level, and the only animals with the endurance for it seemed to be mad European tourists, hardy Tanzanian guides and the vultures that

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appeared from nowhere every time we stopped for food. The easiest way to get a picture of life on Kili’s slopes is to imagine suddenly stepping onto the surface of Mars, with blue African skies above and the clouds below.

It was at this stage that altitude sickness, the dreaded result of the body’s struggle to acclimatize to decreasing oxygen supply, began to set in. We climbed for the summit during the night, which was probably the toughest night of my life. After a four hour rest in which we tried and failed to sleep in the numbingly cold temperatures, we had to get up and climb through the night in order to reach the top by sunrise. We walked in single file, with me at the back because I was the least ill; my job was to catch anyone if they blacked out and started to roll back downhill.

Temperatures reached -25 degrees and I suffered mild frostnip on my fingertips. During that night, three team members became so ill they had no choice but to go back down to Kibo Huts, our high camp, while the rest of us struggled on. That left just four of us to watch the sunrise from a tiny ledge just beneath the mighty crown of Kilimanjaro’s Kibo Peak. It’s a testament to how tired I was that I sat on a boulder and cried at the breathtaking spectacle. At Gilman’s Point, just a few hundred meters from the top, my remaining team mates opted to call it a morning. It took a lot for me to summon the courage to say goodbye to them and walk on.

I dragged myself to Uhuru Peak, the summit of Kilimanjaro - 5,895 meters above sea level. It was a moving experience to stand alone (apart from my Tanzanian guide Benjamin) and see the world spread out below my aching feet. In fact, it’s hard to put into words the elation and pride I felt to be at the very roof of Africa. In the end, I could only manage about five minutes at the top before we started a hasty scrambled descent. Quite apart from the mountain, I loved every minute of my brief time in Tanzania: the local people were so welcoming and friendly. All in all, it was a fantastic experience that created a thousand memories that I will cherish.

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UK MATHEMATICS TRUST CHALLENGE Steve Coote Maths Department

The annual series of UK Maths Challenges, patronised largely by independent schools, provide a great opportunity to stretch our most able students, giving them a wider perspective on the application of maths to an increasingly complex world and encouraging them to think outside of the proverbial box. Richard Hale have established a long tradition in the event, 2012-2013 being our fourteenth successive year of providing students across all year groups with the opportunity to tackle the challenges.

Of particular note this year was Albert King’s performance in the Senior Maths Challenge where he outshone his school peers by securing his Best in School performance whilst still a member of Year 12 and winning a place in the British Mathematical Olympiad. Equally impressive was Edwin Watson-Miller’s Best in School performance in the Intermediate Challenge, sufficient to secure him a place in the prestigious MacLaurin Intermediate Olympiad.

Here are some samples of the problems the students are required to grapple with.

The following table shows those who achieved “Best in School” in their respective age groups. The figures in brackets indicate their actual year group when they did so.

Q1 At Corbett's Ironmongery a fork handle and a candle cost a total of £6.10. The fork handle costs £4.60 more than the candle. What is the cost of two fork handles and four candles?

A £14.45 B £13.70 C £12.95 D £12.20 E £8.35

Q2 Albert Einstein is experimenting with two unusual clocks which both have 24-hour displays. One clock goes at twice the normal speed. The other clock goes backwards, but at the normal speed. Both clocks show the correct time at 3:00. What is the correct time when the displays on the clocks next agree?

A 05:00 B 09:00 C 13:00 D 17:00 E 21:00

Solutions below …

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Year Junior Years 7-Y8

Intermediate Years 9-Y11

Senior Years 12-13

2007 Joseph Crilley (8) Will Brady (11) Luke Jones (13)

2008 Ben Goodair (7) Andrew Ashwood (10) Peter Townsend (13)

2009 Francis Brown (7) Mark McGill (10) Nick Fitzpatrick (13)

2010 Marcus Waller (7) Michael Sledge (10) James Keens (13)

2011 Marcus Waller (8) Edwin Watson-Miller (9) Andrew Williams (13)

2012 Alex Holmes (8) Marcus Waller (9) Mark McGill (13)

2013 Sam Kleanthous (8) Edwin Watson-Miller (11) Albert King (12)

ANDY BARKER - SPORTS VIDEO EDITOR

Ella Morter 13 Page

Andy Barker came into school to give our Media Studies class a talk on his occupation and what it entails.

Andy works as freelance, which gives him the freedom to work anywhere but makes his income varied and unpredictable. He joined the BBC in the 1983 as an engineer having studied Physics at university. When he joined there were only three channels and no daytime television. The BBC has now started to freelance many of their employees and hire equipment because it makes them less responsible and reduces costs. The advantage of hiring equipment is that it is easier to keep up with the latest developments.

There are three stages of production: pre-production (planning), production (filming) and post-production (editing). Production time depends on the broadcast piece.

Q1 Answer B Let the prices of a fork handle and a candle be £x and £y respectively. Then x + y = 6.1 and x - y = 4.6. Adding these two equations gives 2x = 10.7. So a fork handle costs £5.35 and a candle costs £0.75. Therefore the required total is £10.70 + £3.00 = £13.70 Q2 Answer E After x hours, the first clock will have gone forward 2x hours and the second clock will have gone back x hours. So the next time they agree is when 2x + x = 24, that is when x = 8. The correct time then is 21:00.

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Andy gave the example of a four minute feature taking about one day to edit, whereas a documentary can take 18 months. In the 1950s, editing was a low tech, slow process because of the rushes that had to be processed before an editor could actually see what they had made. Editors could only make linear pieces by cutting the film but the film could only be used in order. In the 1960s, the video (VHS) recorder came into use but only as a time delay device between America and Europe. Because tapes could be reused, they were often wiped and many programmes were lost. Technology started to develop quickly from two inch tapes to digital cassettes to QuickTime files to flashcards. A laptop now can do more than a whole editing suite could do before.

It is Andy’s responsibility to edit the pieces so that they are more interesting and articulate; this is usually a collaborative effort between the producer and the editor. The producer usually has more power over the end product but sometimes the producer will just leave it to the editor. He showed us an example of a single camera Football Focus broadcast piece that he had worked on a few years ago. A single camera is used for interviews and drama with the camera being moved around. He advised us to shoot a lot of cutaway material and to keep it varied, making it more interesting. The original filmed production was uninteresting, some speech was hesitant and the wind was loud. He used sync pull to manipulate the speech to make it more coherent. He had to balance the soundtrack due to the noises of the wind and crowd using wind noise effects and dubbing. There was a music montage added to decrease the amount of talking and set the scene at the beginning of the piece - the interview doesn’t actually start for at least 30 seconds. The montage also gives the opportunity to be creative.

Live events are covered by multiple cameras. Cameras are always on the same side of the pitch so that the viewer will know the direction of play. A scanner shows the output of every camera. The director then has to choose what should be shown on TV from up to thirteen cameras, which is down to experience. The cameramen have red lights on their cameras so that they know when their coverage is live. The commentator is a useful guide to the director. The commentator generally uses camera 1 (covering the whole pitch) when something important is happening like a potential goal.

The talk and presentation gave us valuable insights into the challenging, exciting world of television programme making – a world that I would like to join one day

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SCHOOL FOOTBALL REPORT Kevin Patterson Head Coach

It has been another successful season for the majority of year groups with several teams either picking up silverware or getting through to the latter stages of competitions. Weekend football was unfortunately interrupted by some horrendous weather but performances and attitude remained high. The school entered 14 competitions this season, played nearly 60 fixtures, including county and national games, and scored over 140 goals. We even managed to squeeze in a mid-season tour to Paris and EuroDisney for the Year 8 and 9 teams respectively! So here is how it all happened …

The Year 7 and 8 teams have been a joy to watch this season. They both were unfortunate to lose their places in the early stages of the County Cup but bounced back in the district competition. On a cold evening in March the Year 7 team played St Marys (Cheshunt) off the park in the district final, winning 8-0. The year 8 boys did their best to match this achievement with an impressive team effort against Turnford, winning 2-1. This is the first time the school has won both year groups for over 20 years, which shows we are developing young talent for success in future years - unlike England!

The Year 9 team have again made it through to the business end of competitions only to come across their nemesis Goffs! They reached the district final for the third year in a row and were more positive about beating their opponents. However with the game looking to go into extra time Goffs secured their third straight district championship with a last minute winner (1-0) to leave the boys devastated. The boys also met their arch rivals in the County Cup Semi Final. They were obviously affected by their loss the week before and lost disappointingly. Nonetheless they should be exceptionally proud of their achievements and strive for that elusive piece of silverware next year.

2012-13 statistics - including all weekend and cup games

Played Won Lost Drawn Goals - For Against

Year 7 10 6 2 2 45 20

Year 8 10 7 3 0 40 9

Year 9 8 5 2 1 20 13

Year 9 B 5 1 4 0 3 21

Year 10 7 5 2 0 17 20

Year 11 7 5 2 0 19 9

Year 12/13 9 3 2 4 16 12

Overall 56 32 (57%) 17 (30%) 7 (13%) 140 104

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The Year 10 team played pleasing football at times, but unfortunately failed to reach the District Cup Final with a semi defeat to Turnford. They have some very talented footballers but they need to play the game at a faster pace and work harder when building an attack. Hopefully next year will see them return to winning ways with a district cup triumph, along with a few players making it into the 1st XI.

The Year 11 team were unlucky to be eliminated from the District Cup on goal difference, but did reach the County Semi-finals. They played a talented Barnwell School from Stevenage only to lose 1-0 with a very late bullet from 20 yards. The players were a joy to coach all season and should be proud of the way they conducted themselves throughout the year. A few of the boys are leaving to pursue a higher level of sport and it has been a privilege to see them improve over the last five years. They leave with our best wishes for the future.

Senior football has been disappointing this season, with some indifferent team performances. The team entered four competitions, but did not show its full potential all season. Players’ commitment to training was wayward and the standard of play suffered due to this. Mr Williams and I will demand and expect more from a talented set of 10/11 boys next year. Playing 1st XI football is a privilege and our high expectations were not met this year despite the best efforts of Captain Dan Cox (Players Player of the Year) and vice-captain Kieran Mitham (Manager’s Player).

Overall, the standard of football at the school has continued to grow. We are a major force in both District and County competitions and should continue to strive for a high standard of play along with enjoyment and fun for all. The school has also utilized the growing number of officials within the different year groups and has now formed a partnership with Hertford Town Youth FC to develop these referees. One thing the boys must take away from this season is that they must be more ruthless and clinical in front of goal. Too many times this season different year groups have let in crucial late goals. However, the improvement over the last ten years continues, and overall we should be proud of our achievements!

The School was also proud to have two former pupils, Alex Davey and Harry Toffolo, playing against each other recently in the FA Youth Cup Final, for Chelsea and Norwich respectively. This was a great individual achievement for both boys, something to which all school players can aspire. Finally, a big thank you to all staff that have coached and supported this year, and to the parents who time and time again give their invaluable support in so many ways. You’ll never walk alone.


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