The Official Magazine of St. Birinus School

Sports Roundup

Photography Competition Results

Environmental AwardSt. Birinus School, Mereland Road,Didcot, Oxon OX11 8AZ

01235 814444stbirinus@st-birinus.oxon.sch.uk

www.st-birinus.org.uk

“Inspiring Excellence”

Front cover: entries For the PhotograPhy comPetition. more details inside...

Celebrate

SPORTKarting

Congratulations to Elliot Harvey (Year 7) who was one of only three finalists in this year’s Oxfordshire Young Sportsperson of the Year.

Elliot was nominated for his continued success in the world of karting. Recently he has had many successes, including retaining his title at the Forest Edge Kart Club championship, winning the last round of the British Series of Super One, and only just missing out on taking top place at the Formula 1-backed Formula Kart Stars Championship.

These triumphs have meant he is currently ranked 4th in his age group in the UK and also the number 1 rookie in the country, having only competed for a year at the national level.

Elliot narrowly missed out on claiming first prize at the Oxfordshire Young Sports-person competition, but simply being nominated in the first place is a huge achievement!

Mr James, Year 7 Leader, said “we are all very proud of Elliot’s achievements and wish him the best in his continued career.”

Mr Brown

Swimming

The swimming club have continued their successes - in the Southeast Division Heats at the end of September the Junior Team took 2 first places, with the Intermediate Team adding a further win and 2nd place.

This success meant they qualified to compete at the 55th English Schools Swimming Society (ESSA) Relay Championship finals in Coventry in November. They competed in two relays, placing 11th in the Medley and 12th in the Freestyle categories.

Dr Zabierek runs the club. She said “I am really proud of the team - I have never been in such a successful swimming team!” Earlier this year - because of her love and passion for swimming - she went to the Olympics to see the likes of Michael Phelps in the swimming competition called the fly!

Dr. Zabierek is also a qualified swimming/lifesaving teacher, and so is currently in charge of a lifesaving team that meet on Fridays from 3:30 to 4:00. Recently, 4 boys have attained their Bronze lifesaving awards, adding to the club’s achievements.

Lewis Hinds (8.4)

Sport is something that we excel at here at St Birinus all year round, but recently we’ve had so much to celebrate that we thought we’d bring you a full round up!

Press Club:

Ala’Eddin BayaaLee Besley

William FothergillChris Gadd

Marc HackettLewis Hinds

Tom LawrenceMatthew O’Dea

Mr Brown (Editor)

Dear Families

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the 5th edition of Celebrate. I am compelled to say that I think it is one of the very best editions; it captures an eclectic range of wonderful moments of the school life over the last few months. There is inevitably a Christmas theme running through this edition - but it’s also particularly pleasant to be reminded of late July via the reports on ‘Activities Week’.

Under Mr Brown’s leadership, the student Press Club is thriving - and all members deserve a great deal of credit for their tenacious pursuit of story lines. Undoubtedly, there are budding journalists amongst them!

In capturing so many wonderful moments, Celebrate allows us to pause briefly and enjoy the very rich collection of activities that elevates St Birinus to being a truly outstanding place of learning, enjoyment and preparation.

Alwyn Richards

Open Evening

On the 3rd October primary school children and their parents came to our school to see the clubs and resources we have on offer.

Each department put on lots of displays - for example, in the Science block they were cutting open sheep’s insides as part of Biology, experimenting with the wind tunnel and creating really squeaking sounds with a microphone and a speaker for Physics, and demonstrating using bunsen burners for Chemistry.

In the main building nearly every room was being used. In rooms 2 and 3 the Warhammer club put on battles, room 4 was full

of things to do with Shakespeare and English, rooms 7, 8 and 9 saw French and Spanish demonstrations, and in room 10 they were showing off some of the scratch programs and letting the primary school pupils have a go at some of the different games that they created.

PE were in the leisure centre where pupils were playing basketball, badminton and football. In the Maths block they were showing some of the tools that they use for learning such as computer programs - people were able to try these out in some various activities, like games. In the Geography department they were making mini volcanoes and puzzles to do with road signs and notice signs.

Lee Besley said “Open Evening was very encouraging for Year 6s and below. I hope they all come and learn at our school. The best of the exhibits was Warhammer!”

William Fothergill (8.4)Ala’Eddin Bayaa (8.3)Picture by Lee Besley (8.3)

Weightlifting

On the 6th October, Alex Johnson (Year 12) represented England in a match against Scotland, Wales and Ireland in Bangor. England successfully won the competition, and with a Snatch of 87kg and a Clean & Jerk of 110kg, Alex was the Best Youth.

On the 10th November, George Ripley (Year 12) and Dominic Miles (Year 11) competed and won their respective regional championships held in Leamington.

Football

In November, our U15 team triumphed over Theale Green School in the National Cup (4-1). The Year 7 team added to this with wins against JFK Catholic School and King Alfred’s. Also, 10 pupils have been chosen for 3 of the Vale of White Horse squads.

Dog Olympics

Congratulations to Anthony Aldridge (Year 9) who, together with his team, won first prize in the Royal Berkshire Dog Olympics.

Cricket

5 pupils (Joe Guntrip, Theo and Elliot Hutt, Elliot Matthews and George Evans) have shown their skills by being selected to attend the District Cricket Squad training sessions. They are joined by Jonathan Meardon who has been selected for the County Cricket Squad sessions.

Rugby

Three recent matches by our teams all ended with SBS victories! First we defeated Wheatley Park School with a result of 29-7, then we beat

Faringdon with a final score of 40-5, and lastly our best result came against Our Lady’s (Abingdon) with an outstanding score of 99-0! Top scorers included Nick Wiltshire, Joe Mason, Dan Geary -Andrews, Ryan Craze, Harry Pay and Max Suttner.

Cross Country

3 teams from SBS competed in the South Oxfordshire Cross Country Championships, with each team doing extraordinarily well! Both the Year 8/9 and 10/11 teams came second in their competitions, whilst the Year 7 team came 1st!

There were also great individual results, especially for Nick Wiltshire and Ricky Martin who both won their races. The rest of the St Birinus pupils all came within the top 19 places, with 8 of them earning positions in the top 10.

Cornwall

On the 12th-13th October the Year 11 photography classes went to Cornwall. The aim of the trip was to take lots of photographs in different view points, angles and perspectives, which will then go towards their coursework.

The first place they visited was a small harbour and beach called Charles Town. Here they took lots of photos from old rope to small caves. The next day was a fantastic visit to the Eden Project - here the pupils split up to go around the site, taking as many photos of different things as possible, including the Rainforest

Biome. This is the main feature of the Eden Project and holds thousands of the worlds species of rainforest plants, providing plenty of photo opportunities. The trip was a huge success!

The students have come away with some fantastic images. To view them, go to the St Birinus School website. Furthermore, a competition held at the beginning of this term saw Aaron Goodey’s photo (shown below) win! It will go on to be printed and sold by the hostel that everyone stayed in during the trip, so congratulations!

Marc Hackett (11.3)

A New School

On Wednesday the 17th of October I met with Jeremy in the library. He began to tell me about his first couple of weeks at SBS.

He mentioned that on the first day he was nervous as he and his friends couldn’t find their

way around the school. He also felt that he was in a big pond with himself being a minute little goldfish; a very good analogy if you ask me!

Jeremy said he found the teachers kind and didn’t start him off with lots of hard work and homework - but that changed later, he

hastily added!! He found the peer mentors, peers and teachers very kind and courteous towards him.

He has thoroughly enjoyed his first weeks at SBS and is looking forward to the years to come.

Lewis Hinds (8.4)

First Prize: Aaron Goodey

Dorchester Abbey

Year 12 historians visited Dorchester Abbey on the 13th of November to enhance their understanding of the effects of Henry VIII’s changes to the English Church.

Reverend Doctor Hannah Cleugh, from Durham University, led a study skills day looking at Tudor documents and also led two different church service reconstructions. Students were treated to a Medieval Latin Mass with incense and bells and later in the day participated in Holy Communion in the style of the 1549 prayer book. They were then invited to think about the differences.

Students were also given a tour of the Abbey and shown the architectural effects of the Reformation which encouraged them to think about the building as an historical source in itself.

Mr Fuller

Certificate Tea

On Wednesday 21st November it was great to welcome back last year’s Year 11 students to collect their well-deserved examination certificates. They were handed out in the newly refurbished Canteen so that everyone could enjoy this new space, including the mural.

After collecting their certificates the boys stayed for a drink, cake and a chat with other students and staff.

There are still some certificates which need collecting so if you were unable to attend please contact the Exams Office to arrange collection.

Mrs Bailey

Careers Fair

On the 16th November, Year 11, 12 and 13 students were invited to the NEC in Birmingham for the annual Careers Fair.

The day was all about gathering information on a range of possible careers that are available. These included vast setups like mechanics, engineering, media, building trades, science and much more! The day was great because whatever you were interested in, there were jobs there that fitted.

As well as jobs, there were also a large number of colleges and universities, inspiring people to get involved through demonstrations.

The trip was great and opened up many more opportunities and possible careers to pupils.

Marc Hackett (11.3)

Enterprise Day

On the 13th of November, all Year 8 pupils took part in Enterprise Day. They were split into 2 groups, with the “A” group attending for the first 2 and a half periods and the “B” group the second half of the school day.

The first thing we did was a group wordsearch. We each had some words on a sheet but they didn’t go with the part of the wordsearch that we had; we had to work together to finish it by saying our words and everyone else looking for it in their wordsearch. Once we had

finished, the winner got a packet of Crunchy bites.

The second activity was a crossword while working in a group and the winner got more chocolates. Then the final activity was a business challenge; we had to get some paper, scissors and glue for six chips, and then using this equipment we had to make and sell a paper model. We had to negotiate the offers for the car as well as making a profit.

‘Learning but not as we know it’.

William Fothergill (8.4)and Lewis Hinds (8.4)

Rockley Park

A group of keen pupils travelled to France for the week to take part in a host of adventurous activities whilst living under the stars in tents!

During the days the boys learnt a variety of watersports - they learnt how to handle a windsurf, how to sail different types of boats (including Picos and Darts), and how to control kayaks. They also took the opportunity to explore some of the local surroundings whilst trail biking.

They were also lucky enough to do some excursions,

including visiting the Dune de Pila (the largest sand dune in Europe which they raced up and down!), the Aqualand-W a t e r f l u m e

Park, and an evening in

Biscarrose where they experienced the local French cuisine.

In the evenings we had lots of entertainment, including team building games on water and on land, quizzes and beach games.

It was a fantastic trip with all the boys learning a range of useful skills and working well as a team. We cannot wait to do it again!

Mr Allen

Mural

In activities week a group of keen artists were up in the art block creating the newest and biggest school mural.

Mr Richards had asked the Art department to create a mural to go in the new canteen that also commemorated 76 years of the school. The theme chosen was “events since 1936”.

Miss Hodgson and Mr Hudson designed the layout of the mural. They took inspiration from murals Miss Hodgson had done

when working in Australia, as well as the

huge contribution of designs submitted by teachers and pupils.

From the start of the week until Friday afternoon there were pupils and teachers working very hard. Miss Hodgson said “it’s great to see the mural taking shape...and to see the boys working together”. Miss Hodgson and Mr Hudson would like to say a massive thank you to those who made the mural a success.

The mural includes depictions of Felix the cat, Amelia Earhart, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, the creation of Pacman, the 1966 World Cup, and the

Beatles.

Tom Lawrence (10.3)and Matthew O’Dea (10.2)

Activities WeekAnother end of year – another great Activities Week! Below are reports on just 3 of the many activities on offer last year; and with the news of this year’s options just around the corner, we’re sure you’ll be inspired to get involved!

Berlin

Birds of

Prey d

emo

youlBury

mural

skate ParkGraffit

i

WarWick

Green Schools Award

On the 4th of October, the school’s Eco-Committee attended the Green Schools Conference in Oxford. The event was for schools to showcase what they were doing to reduce the carbon output in their schools. It also included the final of “The Dragon’s Den”, where schools had come up with green products to sell.

Our Eco-Committee picked up a Green Hub Award

from Thames Valley Groundwork for our work to reduce our carbon output. We also received a voucher for a Green Business Tour and a Community Event from nPower and Thames Water.

Ms Wall, who organises the Eco-Committee, said “our thanks go out to the whole school - staff and pupils - who have helped to reduce our carbon output.”

We are now working towards earning our Silver Eco-Schools

Award, and there is room for pupils from Year 7 and 8 tutor groups that currently are not represented.

Matthew O’Dea (10.2)

Pitt Rivers

On 20th September Year 11 students went to Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum and the Museum of Natural History to gather inspiration for their coursework.

The students made observation drawings and took photos to make evidence of their visit. They will use these in their coursework to show understanding of their chosen topic and how they will develop their work to improve it.

Mr Hudson said, “The photos and observation drawings that the students made will also be used to form the basis of their mock exam; this may be things such as old guns or shrunken heads, and they will document the displayed items to develop ideas and stimulate inspiration.”

The trip was obviously a huge success and we wish all pupils the best of luck in their Art exams and coursework.

Marc Hackett (11.3)

Berlin Berlin

Jubilee Concert

Saturday the 24th November saw the annual choral concert take place in the Leisure Centre. As ever, St Birinus School Choir joined forces with the Didcot Festival Chorus and the Oxford Symphony Orchestra to bring a rousing programme of music to celebrate the end of the Jubilee year.

It opened with Poulenc’s Gloria, an incredibly difficult piece of music which the boys managed to learn and perfect within very few rehearsals. This was followed by Ferdinand David’s Trombone Concertino, performed eloquently by Mark Butler (year 13). After

a short interval the second half included performances of Handel’s “Zadok the Priest”, Britten’s “National Anthem” and “I Was Glad” by Parry.

The seats were filled with enthusiastic and expectant audience members, including the Mayor of Didcot, our Headteacher Mr Richards and a host of staff members, all there to support the hardwork and dedication of the school choir.

A huge congratulations should go to Mr Walker who conducted the choirs and orchestra in this fantastic concert.

Mr Brown

Mr Zahariadis used to work in an Australian High School for the past 6 years where he has said to have “never had a dull day!” Before being a teacher he worked as an Analytical Chemist in a tobacco factory and after seeing what goes into a cigarette said he doesn’t smoke and he never will.

When I asked Mr Zahariadis what hobbies he had he told me “I enjoy many things mostly to do with travelling and eating different foods. I enjoy indulging all my senses simultaneously - for instance eating a pizza in Italy with the sights and sounds would be a very different experience than in front of the telly, even if it were the same pizza.

He added “I’m looking forward to tasting some traditional English cuisine while experiencing

the countryside. I’ve been recommended cheesy chips, frigets (some chicken nugget type thing) and haggis. More recommendations welcome!”

He is also currently taking part in Movember, raising awareness of male cancers. He said “I don’t necessarily have to raise money. If I can get people to have regular blood and health checks then I’m happy.”

Tom Lawrence (10.3)

House Leaderboard

The current standings (as of the end of November) are shown to the left. A revolution in the House competition is that pupils can now earn House Points rather than merits, giving everyone a greater opportunity to contribute to their House total! At the end of the year, the winning House will receive a prize, so keep earning those points!

athenian: 75 Points

corinthian: 125 Points

sPartan: 175 Points

trojan: 125 Points

More...

As ever, we’ve fitted as much in this edition as possible...but if there are any news stories we’ve missed, or you have an excellent idea for an article or feature, please let us know!

And don’t forget to check the website where you can find lots more up-to-date content: www.st-birinus-school.org.uk

We hope you enjoyed the seasonal touches we added this edition; we’ll be back with the next Celebrate very soon...

Scouting

Congratulations to Owain Worgan and Jack Townsend (both Year 9) who have recently achieved their Gold Award in Scouting. It recognises their commitment and ability in a range of tasks and situations as well as their all-round Scouting character. This is the highest award attainable, and so is an incredible success for them!

Mr Brown

New Teachers

This year sees a number of new teachers working at St Birinus, and so to welcome them here (and to introduce them to the pupils they haven’t taught yet!), we’ll be bringing you an interview with a different one in each edition. To start, Tom Lawrence interviewed Mr Zahariadis, one of our new Science teachers.