The Bridge - Handsworth Grammar School

HandsworthGRAMMAR SCHOOL

The BRIDGE

July 2014 • Issue 18

Charity updateSee page 9

Clubs and Societies

See pages 32-34

School trips and visits

See pages 10-21

Welcome from the HeadmasterIt gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the relaunched Bridge Magazine. Handsworth Grammar School has been moving forward in a positive way over the last two years and it is entirely fitting and appropriate that we welcome back The Bridge Magazine. I think it fair to say that the contents of the magazine more than amply demonstrate the wonderful talent and vibrant community that is Handsworth Grammar School. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Elaine Brown, Mr Adam Kilcullen, Catherine Munyarari and Sharaye Campbell as well as Rebecca England and Gus MacDonald at Ammac Design for all their expertise and support.

Haec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit.Mr Simon Bird, Headmaster

THE BRIDGE

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The Bridge in 2014…We’ve been away a long time but we are back! For most of you this will be your first experience of The Bridge, others will remember the 2009 edition but whoever you are we hope you will enjoy the new look Bridge.

As you can see from the cover of the magazine both Handsworth Grammar School and The Bridge Magazine have a long history and an exciting future! We would like to encourage anyone who wants to contribute to future magazines to start now. As a very famous writer once said “Forever is composed of nows” so if you have been inspired get writing today!

Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, their writing skills, their artwork or their general loveliness so that this edition of The Bridge was possible. I would particularly like to mention Catherine and Sharaye, my co-editors, for their organisational expertise and for ‘encouraging’(!) everyone to meet deadlines. I would also like to thank Gurdeep, Pip and Aniel for giving up an entire day off school to proof read a stack of articles and for patiently helping me to improve my IT skills! Lastly Tukeer, Khayam and Nikhil for stepping in at the last moment to help with rewrites.

Enjoy!

Ms Brown

Handsworth Grammar 150th Anniversary

The late sixteenth century saw eight bridges crossing the River Tame. Three were wooden footbridges and five were wooden carriage bridges. One of these was Grove Lane footbridge. John Hogetts who owned The Grove in Grove Lane decided that the income derived from some 50 acres of land he owned should be used to maintain and repair the bridges in the parish. If there was any excess money it was decided that it should be used for charitable purposes in the parish of Handsworth. In this way the Bridge Trust was established in 1612. By 1802 the responsibility for the repair and maintenance of the bridges was transferred to the County of Stafford and over time a significant surplus of money became available. In 1812 the Trustees gave £800 to build a school near the Parish Church of St. Mary’s and by 1857 once the Primary School was established the Bridge Trust considered building a Grammar School. £1000 was paid for a piece of land off Grove Lane. The

building cost £2, 300,

Big School was lit by gas and had two open fires and the School Lodge was built for the Porter to live in. The entrance was on Grove Lane which was a narrow lane winding through farmland – Dawson Road did not exist at that time. So, on 5th August 1862 the Headmaster, Mr Guest, opened the Bridge Trust School to 63 boys who came to be examined in reading, writing and mathematics. One of the original School Rules related to uniform as each boy had to wear his cap at all times when in Handsworth or the immediate neighbourhood. Some of the best traditions never fade away!

2012 saw Handsworth Grammar School celebrating its 150th Anniversary. The following events took place:

A Gala Dinner, Summer Soiree, Anniversary Walk (so successful it is now an annual event), publication of Bridge Magazine extracts, Celebration Cake event, memorabilia launch and a School Song competition. We also launched

our Sixth Form Centre project which is now well under way. It

was a busy and successful year in the rich and diverse life of Handsworth Grammar School.

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SIXTH FORM BUILDING PROGRAMME

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the reddings brockhurst lane canwell sutton coldfield B75 5SRtel / fax +44(0)121 308 0211. e:[email protected] www rjaarchitects.co.uk

ARCHITECTS SIXTH FORM CENTRE 2 HANDSWORTH GRAMMAR SCHOOLThis drawing is the property of RJA Architects and Copyright is reserved by them. This drawing is issued on the condition that it is not copied either wholly or in part without the consent in writing of RJA Architects. Figured dimensions are to be taken in preference over those scaled. All dimensions are to be checked on site before commencement of any work or the production of shop drawings. Reference should be made to project specification and all relevant project documents

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“If I can wear a hat, I’m cutting the ribbon.” – Ms Miles

Passing school every day you must have seen it, the naked skeleton frame of the new Sixth Form building. Construction is well under way and hopefully by October 2014 we shall have our brand new cutting edge Sixth Form Centre. The new development will allow more Handsworth Grammar students to study and achieve their full potential in a state of the art building separated from the hustle and bustle of school life. Such a project, soon to be a landmark, represents the school’s movement towards the future.

This enormous development will cost approximately £1.1 million just to construct the building and should cost just over £1.6m when completed. Since the school bought the pub next

door in 2009 a lot of hard work has gone into making this former pub into a modern building worthy of being a part of Handsworth Grammar School.

Ms McGoldrick has described this as an “exciting time for this school, its students and everyone associated with it”.

Mr Bird stated that: “A new Sixth Form Centre will allow our students more freedoms and privileges, which they deserve for staying with us until year 13.”

“Any building project is expensive but we must look at this as an investment towards the future. I hope the new Sixth Form Centre will be a comfortable learning environment and should hopefully advance our school, I may even come back to cut the ribbon, of course I must be allowed to wear a hat.” – Ms Miles.

“I hope the new Sixth Form Centre will be a modern contemporary building that will help the students fulfi l their potential and help us achieve what we set out to.” – Nikhil Dewitt (10 Alfred).

The changes won’t stop after this new build as there are many future plans for the school, the most interesting being the renovation of Baker Street. Baker Street will, hopefully, become a full AstroTurf pitch and have a weather resistant covering which will allow pupils to play all year round. Another key future plan is to fi nally solve the age old problem of lockers in the school and to cover the small quad area between the maths rooms and the main building.

So . . . watch this and any other space . . .

Inspiring the minds of the futureWe have now entered the public phase of our Fundraising Campaign. We would welcome contact from any parents who would like to be involved in the campaign as a volunteer. Please contact Santush Chaunkria our Campaign Manager on 0121 507 8272 or [email protected]. Please remember that the aim of the campaign is to raise £500,000 towards our new Sixth Form Centre and future projects which will benefi t all our students as well as the wider community. Please see the Fundraising area of the website for further details.

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Friday 5th July saw over 60 members of the ‘Friends’ sit down to a delicious dinner served in Big School. The evening incorporated tours of the campus, displays of old photographs and memorabilia as well as speeches by the Chair of the Friends Anne McGoldrick and Headmaster Simon Bird. A good time was had by all and old friends were reacquainted.

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“Inspiring the minds of the future” campaign

OvER 150 YEARS OF ACHIEvEMENT

Friends of Handsworth Grammar School annual dinner

FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

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PRIzEGIvING AND AWARDS

2013 head line resultsGCSE• 47% of all grades were A*/A• 95% of all grades were A* to C• 65% of all students attained 5 or more

A*/A grades• 20 students attained 10 or more A*/A

grades• 7 students attained 12 or more A*/A

grades• 2 students attained 13 or more A*/A

grades• All the figures above are increases on our

performance in 2011 and 2012.

A Level• 99% pass rate• 54% of all grades were A* to B• Over 10% of students attained all A* to

A grades• There has been a 14% rise in the

percentage of A* to B grades in the last 2 years.

Aberystwyth University Entrance Scholarship competition successOur congratulations go to Moheen Amin in Year 13 who has been selected for a Merit Award in Human Geography and English Literature in the recent Entrance Scholarship competition at Aberystwyth University. The Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis and are dependent

on a candidate achieving a minimum mark in each paper, and the aggregate mark of both subjects combined.

Well done Moheen.

Having won the Team of the Year Award at the National Awards for School Support Staff (NASBM) two of our team were invited by David Cameron to visit Number 10 Downing Street. Colette Law and Pauline Hodge duly obliged and amid tight security enjoyed a fantastic day in London.

They were given a tour of the whole building which included visiting special rooms such as the Cabinet meeting room as well as rooms which were specifically used by certain Prime Ministers. They were given an overview of the history of Number 10 and all the changes that have taken place over the years as well as a tour of the gardens where David Cameron and President Obama famously enjoyed a BBQ together.

There was also time for photo opportunities which attracted a significant crowd at the gates to Downing Street.

A good time was had by all – even though the Prime Minister himself was not in attendance!

Head Girl nominated for prestigious Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Award 2013Catherine Munyarari was the youngest finalist in the 2013 Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Awards (BYPY) in the Aspiring Talent Category. The BYPY Awards are the biggest professional business awards in Birmingham, celebrating the outstanding work of business individuals across the city. She was shortlisted from many and was the youngest candidate in the category and in the competition. “The competition was tough, I did the best I could. I rubbed shoulders with so many influential business leaders across the city; this makes me very optimistic for the future.”

Downing Street visit

Prizegiving Handsworth Grammar School enjoyed its annual Prizegiving in Big School on Friday evening. It was fantastic to see so many proud parents and relatives celebrating with staff and students alike at our annual event. Mr David Wheeldon was our principal guest and gave a thought-provoking speech, prior to distributing the prizes, which addressed the whole audience. Ethan Griffi ths and Sharaye Campbell, our Deputy Heads of School, delivered a very confi dent vote of thanks.


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Handsworth Grammar School enjoyed its annual Prizegiving in Big School on Friday evening. It was fantastic to see so many proud

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Ahmed Hamza The University of Birmingham Chemical Engineering

Ahmed Mushfi kur Aston University, Birmingham Biological Sciences

Alasow Suaad Musse Omar Aston University, Birmingham Optometry

Ali Hafi jul De Montfort University Law

Ali Omar Keele University General Foundation Year

Anderson Daniel Aston University, Birmingham Politics and Social Policy

Arshad Tabishe The University of Birmingham Law

Badoghu Anil Coventry University Law

Basatia Jagrubal Singh De Montfort University Pharmacy

Baseel Mohammed Aston University, Birmingham Computing Science

Bassi Harvey Singh Aston University, Birmingham Engineering (Foundation)

Begh Shely The University of Birmingham Pharmacy

Begum Jenefa The University of Birmingham Biochemistry

Bell Thomas Edward Aston University, Birmingham Communications Engineering

Bhakta Nikhil Sunni University of Northampton Economics

Butt Sabeela Plymouth University Dental Surgery

Choudry zaeem University of Bradford Accounting and Finance

Coley Rebekah Ashleigh Olivia Coventry University Biological and Forensic Sciences

Dhadda Taran Singh Aston University, Birmingham Law

Dhaliwal Gurinderpal University of Nottingham Computer Science and Management Studies

Dhanda Sanjit University of Derby Diagnostic Radiography

Dhillon Roma Birmingham City University Sociology

Din Rehman Aston University, Birmingham Chemical Engineering

Dinh Michael Aston University, Birmingham Pharmacy

Douglas Khari The University of Birmingham Economics

Ehsan Roheel Aston University, Birmingham Pharmacy

Fearon-Smith Jamahl Louis Brunel University Law

Galloway Jack Wy Kit Brunel University Biomedical Sciences (Genetics) with Professional Experience

Garbutt Benjamin James Coventry University English

LEAvERS’ DESTINATIONS

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Ghafoor Azar Aston University, Birmingham Optometry

Ghafuri Malika The University of Birmingham Pharmacy

Gill Pavanique Aston University, Birmingham Mathematics with Economics

Gill Sukhraj Singh Central Lancashire University Science (Foundation entry)

Harris Toni Nottingham Trent University Psychology

Hasan Syeda Wasia University of Wolverhampton Biomedical Science

Hassan Yasin Saeed University of Warwick Mathematics and Physics

Hewitt Kyle The University of Sheffi eld Chemistry

Hussain Danyal The University of Birmingham Policy, Politics and Economics

Jackson Marla University of Manchester Sociology

Jagpal Manjeevan Singh Birmingham City University Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year

Johal Sucbinder St. John’s College, Cambridge Chemical Engineering (via Engineering)

Kadzviti Takunda Aston University, Birmingham Mechanical Engineering

Kailla Shane The University of Birmingham Pharmacy

Kalirai Gurdas The University of Birmingham Economics

Khamb Samesh The University of Birmingham Law

Khatun Mahfuza University College London Chemical Engineering

Kumar Michael George Coventry University Law

Mahal Jagveer Singh Keele University International Relations and Politics

Mahmood Saqib Aston University, Birmingham Pharmacy

Majid Haseeb Aston University, Birmingham Engineering and Applied Science (Foundation)

Marway Gurjit The University of Birmingham Accounting and Finance

McCalla Tevin Coventry University Accountancy

Mohamoud Hafsa Aston University, Birmingham English Language

Moore Calvin De Montfort University Biomedical Science

Musoga Frankderrick University of Manchester Petroleum Engineering

Nadeem Sana The University of Birmingham Accounting and Finance

Nagra Amandeep Kaur Anglia Ruskin University Crime and Investigative Studies (Extended)

Nasim Saima Keele University Pharmacy

Pahal Deepinder Aston University, Birmingham Law

Quraishi Azhar Ahmed Aston University, Birmingham Optometry

Qureshi Ausaamah Ahmad Universty of Nottingham Physics

Qureshi Faisal University of Warwick Mathematics and Physics

Raqib Abdul Aston University, Birmingham Business and Politics

Rashid Aneesa Coventry University Psychology

Rashid Naeem Mohammed Daminur

The University of St. Andrews Medicine

Rehman Mohammed Daniyal University of Manchester Economics

Rehman Saad Aston University, Birmingham Optometry

Rindi Rakesh The University of Birmingham European Politics, Society and Economics

Saeed Ammar The University of Birmingham Nuclear Engineering

Sajid Furqhan De Montfort University Pharmacy

Singh Amardeep Aston University, Birmingham Engineering and Applied Science (Foundation)

Taj Shamusrafi n University of Bradford Biomedical Science

Tanveer Mohammed Usamah University College London Physics

Thomas Nathanial University of Derby Psychology

Topadar Naeem Rahman The University of Birmingham Mathematics

Ul-Haq Khizar University of Wolverhampton Pharmacy

virdee Amandeep Singh Aston University, Birmingham Computing for Business (ITMB)

Williams Ayesha Kings College London Law

Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year

Chemical Engineering (via Engineering)

Engineering and Applied Science (Foundation)

Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year

Crime and Investigative Studies (Extended)

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University of Oxford Summer SchoolGurdeep Mall in Year 12 has been awarded a place on the University of Oxford Summer School. The Oxford summer programme is aimed at giving students the opportunity to experience Oxford, and to allow them to form their own opinions on the suitability of Oxford for their further studies. This is quite an accomplishment as only a few places are awarded on this prestigious summer school each year. Congratulations!


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Netcraft AQA A Level Computing awardOur congratulations go to Faisal Qureshi who has won an award sponsored by Netcraft for his A Level Computing exam performance. Faisal attained an A* grade for his Computing exam in conjunction with another A* and A in his other subjects. Netcraft is providing prizes nationally to the top 50 performing Computing candidates in this year’s A Level Computing exam. Netcraft is an internet services company providing internet data analysis, defences against fraud and phishing and web application security testing which has teamed up with AQA to sponsor the prizes this year. Well done Faisal!

Leading Edge membershipHandsworth Grammar School has met the criteria for Leading Edge membership. Leading Edge is a national network for high-performing schools. It is essentially a partnership of 300 of the best schools in the country and is part of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

Kings College London ScholarshipHead Girl Catherine Munyarari has been awarded a prestigious Desmond Tutu Scholarship to Kings College London for next academic year. The Scholarships, which are named after one of the University’s most famous alumni, are dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, learning and understanding in the service of society. Catherine had to submit an essay and her curriculum vitae as well as examples of her community work in the application process. Only a handful of such awards are made by Kings each year and it is to her immense credit that Catherine has been successful in her application. Congratulations!

HGS celebrates continued improvement in academic achievement and attainmentThe Department for Education has just published the annual RAISEonline Report for 2013 which gives Handsworth Grammar School much cause for celebration.

Some headline fi gures include:

This is our highest ever best 8 GCSE’s score and is well above national scores – average points score of 407 (national score is 338).

This is our highest ever value added score of 1020.

HGS is now in the top 18% of schools nationally (up from 26% in 2012).

We will not rest on our laurels though and continue to strive for improvement but this is a great testament to the hard work of our staff and students.

HGS awarded Top 5 RatingFollowing a recent (unannounced) Environmental Health check Handsworth Grammar School Catering department were awarded the top Food Hygiene rating of 5*. Congratulations!

prizes this year. Well done Faisal!

British Computer Society award

The British Computer Society (BCS), the Chartered Institute for IT has awarded Handsworth Grammar School Approved Centre status following a recent visit. This is a great achievement for the IT department – well done!

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CHARITY

Year 13 Students led by Sharaye Campbell made and sold cakes in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on Friday 27th September. £405 was raised by the sale of cakes, drinks and donations by pupils and staff.

Many thanks to all the students and staff who helped to make and sell the cakes.

“Macmillan Cancer Support is a charity very close to my heart. It meant so much to me to have so many students, teachers and catering staff support me in making this event both special and successful. I am so happy with the fi nal amount raised.”

Many thanks. Sharaye Campbell (Deputy Head Girl)

Year 12 Girls Walk for GazaTo help Gaza’s children receive psychological care and medical check-ups, Year 12 students, Aaisha, Maryam, Ayan and Allia, participated in a sponsored 5 mile walk. The Winter Walk last year raised over £117,000 which helped to build Gastroenterology, Cardiology and Respiratory Departments for the Al-Durrah Hospital in Gaza.

Year 13 Students led by Sharaye Campbell made and sold cakes in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on Year 13 Students led by Sharaye Campbell made and sold cakes in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on

Year 12 Year 12

Macmillan Cancer Support

Spring term charityThis term we have raised over £3,200 for a variety of good causes. The

following charities have been supported:

• The Kemp Hospice • Birmingham Soup Kitchen

• The Brain Tumour Society • Good Shout

• Sport Relief

We have held 2 non-uniform days and as part of Sport Relief our students

have organised and participated in a Dodge Ball Tournament (where the

staff forgot to dodge!), a Netball Match, a Football Tournament and an Iron

Man Competition. This helped to raise over £1,650. Congratulations and

thanks to all who took part.

This means that the staff and students at HGS have raised over £9,200 to

date for a variety of good causes such as Sport Relief, Children in Need,

Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Birmingham Shelter this academic year

alone.

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Sharaye Campbell (Deputy Head Girl)Sharaye Campbell (Deputy Head Girl)

We have held 2 non-uniform days and as part of Sport Relief our students

staff forgot to dodge!), a Netball Match, a Football Tournament and an Iron

Man Competition. This helped to raise over £1,650. Congratulations and

This means that the staff and students at HGS have raised over £9,200 to

date for a variety of good causes such as Sport Relief, Children in Need,

Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Birmingham Shelter this academic year

Winter term charityCharity Fundraising Success• Year 7 raised £300 for Lepra.• Year 7 raised over £1000 through the annual sponsored walk.• Year 13 raised £405 for Macmillan Cancer Support.• We raised £418 for the Little Princess Trust.• We raised £500 for Birmingham Children Hospital.• We raised over £2,200 for Children in Need.• We raised £500 for the Birmingham Christmas Shelter.• We raised £500 for Riding for the Disabled

TRIPS AND vISITS

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Lessons from Auschwitz Project Poland visit, 5-3-14The Lessons from Auschwitz project began with a seminar where we met our groups and educators from the Holocaust Educational Trust. We heard the moving survivor testimony of Susan Pollock, a Hungarian Jew who survived the horrors of both Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen. Her incredible survivor testimony taught us a rarely seen individual aspect of the Holocaust. We gained a brief insight into the history of the Holocaust, and had a lesson on pre-war Jewish life in Europe, before our trip to Poland to visit the camps themselves.

After a very early start we travelled to Krakow with our group of fellow students from across the West Midlands, before being further separated into groups of 18-20 people with a specialist educator per group.

We arrived in the Polish town of Oświęcim, where we visited a pre-war Jewish cemetery. This was very thought provoking, as none of the headstones in the cemetery were placed by the correct person; in the period of Nazi occupation the headstones had been removed and used for kerbstones around the town. Many graves are still left unmarked, as the majority of headstones were found in fragments after the war by Jews who bravely returned to their home town; these fragments of marble and stone were built into a memorial to the dead of the town. Following this we toured the sites of both Auschwitz I, a labour camp, and then onto Auschwitz II, or Auschwitz-Birkenau, which saw the death of hundreds of thousands of Jews, Romas, homosexual men and women, and many other kinds of people the Nazi regime saw as unfi t to live. The vast difference between Auschwitz I, with its hard, cold brick walls that once contained the workbenches of Dr. Mengele and Rudolf Hess, and the bleak, cold, and vast open yet somewhat claustrophobic spaces of Birkenau is remarkably stark. The

railway tracks, the barbed fences, the guard towers and the brick chimneys of wooden huts now long gone is all that still stands of Birkenau; the gas chambers that saw the death of hundreds of thousands of individual people were demolished by the SS at the end of the war. We saw the cattle wagons that Susan referred to, giving a sobering, and increasingly rare, individual and personal insight into the events that happened on that very ground only 70 years ago. To conclude the day, a prayer was said in Hebrew by Rabbi Marcus to honour the dead and candles were lit and placed at the end of the train tracks that for many people was the end of their life as free men and women.

On the 13th March, Mariyam and I attended our follow-up seminar, in which we discussed with fellow students our ideas and thoughts on the day once we had had time for it to sink in, and also discussed ways to pass on the lessons we had learned. We decided that an assembly to the 6th Form was the most direct way, and with the help of Mr Mohammed and Mr Conway we spoke to the whole 6th form about the real lessons of Auschwitz. We also taught an after-school class of 13 gifted Year 10 historians and looked at how the lessons are still well and truly being learned. Following this thought provoking assembly, in which Mr. Mohammed clearly outlined the links to the centenary of the Great War, we fi nally had time to look back at our own experience and refl ect on how the experience had affected us.

The day trip to Poland, and the project as a whole has widened my knowledge of this part of history, but more importantly, widened my view of the world and humanity as a whole. We would like to thank all involved with the project especially Mr. Mohammed, whose tireless work with the LFA team ensured the project ran smoothly, the assembly was as powerful as it

was and for selecting us to participate in this truly life-changing project experience.

Connor McGrath (Y12) and Mariyam Mustafa (Y13)

When we were in the coach, I was imagining what I thought it would be like: massive fi elds with wooden cabins, muddy barbed wire everywhere but when we arrived at Auschwitz it was a shock; because I remember looking outside and thinking “Wow that’s pretty”. It looked industrial, just old traditional workplace buildings. It didn’t even cross my mind that it was Auschwitz until Connor pointed out that it was. I was shocked at the fact that it was so deceptive – looking at it you would never have imagined what was going on inside. The sign above Auschwitz itself said “Work Makes You Free”. When learning about the Holocaust I would always think “Surely they knew?” but actually visiting it just shows that those who had the unfortunate fate of ending up in Auschwitz were fully convinced they were sent here to work and start a new life.

We went inside Auschwitz – and it was just surreal – all the fi gures and graphs were overwhelming. Behind glass display cases there were tickets from Greece to Auschwitz. Our tour guide told us the story behind one of the tickets, about this one Roma family who sold all their possessions to buy a ticket in order to get to Auschwitz. People were convinced that it was a “Relocation Programme”, a start to a better life, and the Nazis planned it so precisely by even selling tickets to add to the deceit.

Holocaust assembly

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TRIPS AND vISITS

Cambridge Colleges Physics ExperienceOn the 9th of May, ten students from Year 9 (accompanied by Mr Jones and Mr Mohsin) headed to Cambridge University for a ‘Physics Experience’. We had a tour of part of the University and one of their Colleges, which is a bit like a hall of residence. A presentation, two lectures and a practical science investigation involving light were all crammed into one day!

The day started bright and early; we had to be at school by 7:00. We left school once everyone had arrived, which was about 7:10, and arrived at Newnham College at about 9:20. The façade of the College was beautiful, the whole wall being covered with ivy. It really seemed like the extensive history of the University was written in the city itself. The University Colleges and Departments were dotted all over the place, which is why it seemed like every student needs a bike!

Inside the College was everything a student would need, from a bedroom to a canteen which served meals three times a day. We developed a feel for

University life, silently walking down the corridors because there were examinations taking place, and seeing students’ books piled fi ve to ten high with a laptop in front of them. The College has its own library with thousands of books, and it also has a lovely garden where you could either study or enjoy a nice peaceful walk.

We had a presentation in Clare College about how the University education system works. It was very informative and made us look forward to University education even more. The presentation also told us about what a university looks for in a person. It’s not just the grades they are looking for, but also the potential in a person. We had our lunch here too, before setting off for the Physics Department.

Here, at the Cavendish Laboratory, we had two short lectures about light. The fi rst was about what type of wave light is, and about other electromagnetic waves too. The second was on how astronomers create images of space when visible light is too faint to see clearly. These two lectures were separated by a few practicals about refraction of light, making a telescope and fi nding the focal length of a lens.

Then we left the University of Cambridge and arrived back at school at 18:45 after a great Physics day out!

Caleb Brown

Although there were hundreds of people there it was completely silent; the silence was piercing and haunting. The display in Block 4 was of the hair that was cut from those murdered in the gas chambers. 1,950 kg of hair was on display, the hair from 40,000 people. Some of the hair was in braids, some was curly, some straight, and some had ponytails... It was surreal to see so much hair, real human hair, from real humans that died in the gas chambers. It was awful to think that this is only a fraction of the hair, as most of it was packed and shipped to Germany to enrich civilian life. Prisoners’ hair was sold for money and was most useful to the textile industries as it was used to make blankets. Some was stuffed into pillows to be used by the Germans. We then saw a piece of cloth that was made in Germany from the hair transported from Auschwitz and you can actually see the hair fi bres at the end of the cloth. It was disgusting and I asked myself how could human beings do this to other human beings? How did it ever get to this point?

We went further down Block 4 and there was another display, one that made my heart sink. Behind glass were thousands of shoes belonging to babies and children, moth-eaten baby clothes, little children’s toys and suitcases – a lone slipper, with sequins was perched on top. It was heart-breaking. There really is no other way to describe it. These were innocent babies and children but they were seen as “evil” and subjected to the gas chamber. I didn’t understand how it was humanly possible to do that. There were thousands of pots and pans, shoe brushes and tins of polish, photo albums and sets of keys. People, just like us, who locked their doors in the anticipation of returning home one day. Innocent civilians are killed in genocides.

We went into the gas chamber in Auschwitz I and it was the worst experience of the day. 300 of us inside, it was so cramped and uncomfortable. On the ceiling we could see the holes through which the Nazis would drop pellets of zyklon B. I was thinking, if this was seventy years ago we’d all be gassed alive. A chilling thought.

We then went to Birkenau extermination camp, or ‘Auschwitz II’ and the fi rst thing that came into my mind was how “enormous” it was. A lot of it was destroyed by the SS and all that remained were the brick chimneys. It was horrendous. If any of you have seen “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” or seen images of death camps – that is what Birkenau looked like. More than 700 prisoners were put in one barrack, and at least fi ve people had to sleep in each pallet. When we went inside it was freezing cold, there was no insulation, no beds, just straw. We were wearing coats and boots and these prisoners would have been wearing just a thin prison uniform.

The infamous train track used to transport people to their deaths runs through the centre of the camp. It stops abruptly, symbolising the end of the line for so many lives. As we stood on the platform where the process of selection and separation would take place we were told how Dr Mengle used to whistle and hum to himself while he carried out selection. I remember feeling anger at how sick a man could be.

Listening to the survivor testimony of Susan Pollock made the experience more surreal. She pinpointed that hate propaganda and hate speech is a dangerous thing. She was telling us about her transportation to Auschwitz from Hungary and how she lost fi fty members of her family including her mother and father, who were killed on arrival. It was so upsetting to hear about her life at the camp and the tortures she was subjected to. How does anyone move on from such devastation?

It’s an overwhelming experience actually being there, one that I couldn’t possibly fi nd the words to describe. I made the right decision to visit – I think it’s important for people to see Auschwitz so that it never ever happens again. People should never be allowed to forget what the Nazis did, and we should never forget the 1,100,000 souls who had their lives taken away from them.

Holocaust assembly

Ski Course, New Year 2014This year’s ski trip, the quietest for many years, was to Pila in the Aosta valley. Just nine students - only three of whom had skied on snow before - and two teachers headed off for the Italian Alps on the 28th December. This was not only an incredible opportunity to experience skiing in a beautiful resort but also a rare opportunity to meet other ski enthusiasts.

I had been on the ski trip twice before so I had a fair understanding of what the trip would entail. First of all, the journey only enjoyable for those who managed to get some sleep during the twenty hours spent on a coach (with a large group from an air cadet regiment) but worth it. By about 10 a.m. the following morning we arrived in the Alps and caught a fi rst sight of what we would gradually get used to over the week . . . snow!!! After a couple more hours and a journey through a very long tunnel we arrived in the Aosta valley, home to the tallest mountain in the Alps (well half of it!). We had our skis, boots and helmets allocated to us before we headed off for lunch at the hotel where we would be staying. Afterwards we had time to unpack, relax with a game of table tennis and prepare for the fi rst day on the snow.

Each day we skied for four hours, with an hour for lunch, but more time was available for anybody who wished to do even more. During this time I managed to cover most of the runs whilst the others completed all the blues and a red. Our techniques improved drastically over the course of the week and everyone made considerable progress. We were also able to experience the stunning views and even look down on the snow clouds below.

when we headed to a high altitude.

It took several days and several eggs before we fi nally got a fully cooked boiled egg and actual toast – not just warmed bread! – for breakfast. We ate in several of the mountain restaurants at lunchtime and there was a choice of pizza, pasta, hot dogs, chips and a few more options which I won’t go on to name. For drinks there was water, Coca-Cola, Sprite and hot chocolate, which had a high viscosity and was more like melted chocolate. Our evening meal varied every night but always started with a bowl of pasta. For the main course, most of us had the vegetarian dish as only one student could eat meat but nevertheless the hotel provided delicious meals.

It was a fantastic trip this year and I think I speak for everyone who came. I would urge anyone who is thinking about going next year to go. Skiing is an amazing opportunity and although it is expensive it is defi nitely worth every last penny. I would like to say a massive thanks to Mr Bird and Mr Jones for organising this trip, especially as they had to switch to another provider after the required number of students was not met. To see more pictures of our trip you can look at the Ski Trip 2014 Album on the school website.

Josef Feiven 10G

12

Women in Engineering and ComputingGirls from Year 12 were taken to the “Women in Engineering and Computing” conference at Coventry University on Wednesday 5th March.

Handsworth Grammar School was the only school in the West Midlands to be invited to this prestigious event, which is aimed primarily at undergraduate students.

The girls heard presentations from successful women who work for IBM, TATA, EON, and Rolls Royce.They were also able to sit in a full size Harrier Jump Jet, which is located in the workshop of Coventry University.

The picture shows Maria Mahmood sitting in the cockpit of the Harrier Jet.

Women in Engineering and ComputingWomen in Engineering and Computing

TRIPS AND vISITS

13

Science trip to Paris44 students from Years 8-11 (and 5 teachers) set off from Handsworth at 6:30am on Friday 25 October for the Port of Dover. Although we did stop at service stations for fresh air and to stretch our legs, it was still a long and arduous journey. Some decided to spend their time listening to music whereas others opted to catch up on some sleep. After about fi ve hours, we arrived in Dover for our ferry. The two-hour crossing from Dover to Calais ran smoothly with plenty to do. We then departed for Paris from Calais; this journey also lasted about fi ve hours, meaning that we arrived at our hotel at about 7:00pm.

On Saturday morning, we departed for a cruise down the River Seine at 9am, and had then planned to go up the Eiffel Tower. Our trip to the Eiffel Tower was for nothing though as Greenpeace protestors had climbed the Tower to display a large poster about saving the planet. As a result, the Tower was closed and no one was allowed up until the police had the protestors taken down. Consequently, we decided to come back later and go fi rst for lunch on the Champs-Élysées. After a walk down the Champs-Élysées taking in the sights, we went back to the Eiffel Tower. The view from the second stage of the Tower was magnifi cent even though it had begun to rain. As a result of the poor weather, we decided to postpone our visit to the Sacre Coeur and return to the hotel to have a game of football on Paris FC’s training ground (located directly behind our hotel) with Mr Mohsin.

On Sunday morning, we departed for the Stade de France for a guided tour. The stadium displayed many famous artefacts including a signed Brazil shirt from Ronaldo (not Cristiano Ronaldo!) and zinedine zidane’s boots from the 1998 World Cup Final. After lunch, we went to the Cite des Sciences where we were left to explore the many things that this place had to offer: “The Past, Present and Future of Games Consoles”, “Where did life begin?” and many more exhibitions that were worth exploring. Then, after a short trip, we arrived in Montmartre and ascended the many steps to the Sacre Coeur where we also visited a small shopping and artists’ area to buy souvenirs. We then arrived back at the hotel in time for dinner.

On Monday, our return journey to Calais was the same as the journey from Calais to Paris, but I wish I could say the same for the ferry ride back to Dover! Due to storms and extreme weather conditions, the water was very rough and the ferry was shaking a lot, which meant we struggled to walk in a straight line without tripping or losing our balance. Due to this, many on this ferry were seasick and the cleaners had a massive job on their hands after we arrived at Dover! The journey back to school was smooth with no interruptions, which meant that we arrived back in Handsworth at 10pm.

In my opinion, the trip was fantastic and I would strongly recommend it to anyone else who has the chance to go.

Mohsin Ali, Year 11

Year 10 & 11 reward trip to BowlplexOn Tuesday the 11th of February, a group of approximately fi fty pupils from years 10 and 11 went to the Bowlplex at Broadway Plaza, as a reward for their excellent behaviour and progress since the start of the academic year. The pupils were accompanied by Mr Mohsin, Mr Bird, Mr Campbell and Mr Hawkins, who kindly gave up their free time to take us.

What was evident to all of us, both pupils and staff, was that the trip was a great success; it’s a wonder why we hadn’t done this before. We think we speak for all the year 10s and 11s when we say more of the same please.

Nathan Bell & Raphael Dobrashian-Yates 10 Nelson

TRIPS AND vISITS

Whitemoor LakesMay 2014On 12 May 2014, 62 Year 7s and six teachers set off for Whitemoor Lakes Activities Centre. Despite an initial hiccup when an ancient double decker bus turned up instead of two coaches, we arrived on time to start two days of ‘Action Plus’ adventures.

All boys took part in a programme of activities which included raft building (lake swimming); canoeing; high ropes; abseiling; zip wire; climbing; archery; fencing; problem solving and camp fi re games.

The centre is purpose built and only three years old. As such, the facilities are superb. The boys and staff were accommodated in modern, comfortable rooms with en-suite shower rooms and toilets. The dining hall provided excellent, nourishing meals and the public areas were well equipped for entertainment.

What was very rewarding is the progress that all the boys made in stretching and challenging themselves out of their comfort zones. Some boys who were nervous of heights at the beginning of the visit were able to scale the climbing wall on the last morning.

Several staff took part in all or most of the activities. Mr Paskin showed his Physical Education prowess in all activities. Mrs Chandan was fearless of height and a dab-hand canoeist. Mr Mohsin showed great courage climbing to the highest point of the ‘High Ropes’ before deciding that discretion was the better form of valour.

On the Tuesday evening, many boys took part in an indoor football tournament in the centre sports hall and demonstrated their skills.

There were some mishaps. Mr Arnold’s canoe turned turtle dipping him and the two boys in it into the lake. An undignifi ed hauling out into an instructor’s canoe ensued. Some raft builders spent more time in the water than on their raft but it was great fun and the drying room took care of their

wet clothes after a hot shower.

At the end of the visit, many boys received certifi cates for their achievements in the activities but also for the tidiest room! A great time was had by all and we returned to school a little more tired but greatly more fulfi lled.

J Arnold, Head of Year 7

14

Whitemoor LakesWhitemoor LakesMay 2014May 2014On 12 May 2014, 62 Year 7s and six teachers set off for Whitemoor Lakes Activities Centre. Despite an initial hiccup when an ancient double decker bus turned up instead of two coaches, we arrived on time to start two days of ‘Action Plus’ adventures.

All boys took part in a programme of activities which included raft building (lake swimming); canoeing; high ropes; abseiling; zip wire; climbing; archery; fencing; problem solving and camp fi re games.

The centre is purpose built and only three years old. As such, the facilities are superb. The boys and staff were accommodated in modern, comfortable rooms with en-suite shower rooms and toilets. The dining hall provided excellent, nourishing meals and the public areas were well equipped for entertainment.

nervous of heights at the beginning of the visit were able to scale the climbing wall on the last morning.

climbing to the highest point of the ‘High Ropes’ before deciding that discretion was the better form of valour.

On the Tuesday evening, many boys took part in an indoor football tournament in the centre sports hall and demonstrated their skills.

There were some mishaps. Mr Arnold’s canoe turned turtle dipping him and the two boys in it into the lake. An undignifi ed hauling out into an instructor’s canoe ensued. Some raft builders spent more time in the water than on their raft but it was great fun and the drying room took care of their

“Abseiling was really cool! It made you feel a rush of adrenaline but really safe too. Their wristbands read “Releasing Potential” and I didn’t realise I could do so much until I went!” – Eshwar

“All the activities were really fun, especially

high-ropes!” – Kishan

“Raft-building was really good! The high-ropes were scary but fun!” – Samir

May 2014May 2014On 12 May 2014, 62 Year 7s and six teachers set off for Whitemoor Lakes Activities Centre.

double decker bus turned up instead of two

“The activities were scary but it was worth it!” – Shofi

“On the second night we

had a camp-fi re … there

was too much singing but it

was good!” – Majid

Synagogue VisitThe RS department would like to thank Singer’s Hill Synagogue for a fabulous visit on Monday 21st January 2014. 7 Nelson and 7 Henry thoroughly enjoyed their tour. They were given the opportunity to see Jewish artefacts and ask a lot of interesting questions. We look forward to taking the other year 7 forms and those boys who will be studying Judaism as part of their GCSE, over the next few days.

Mrs Donoghue

Synagogue VisitSynagogue Visit

Mrs DonoghueMrs Donoghue

TRIPS AND vISITS

15

On Saturday 18th January 2014, a group of pupils went to Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) for a Science trip, which had a bit of history thrown in. We arrived at school at 9am and waited for Mr Keane. When he arrived, we set off on the hour and a half long journey. On the way we picked up Mr Jones at a bus stop. The journey was quite fun as we kept each other entertained (and pinched Danyal’s snacks). The journey did not feel too long as the time fl ew by. When we arrived at the museum we had a briefi ng from Mr Keane and then went by ourselves looking around the various different exhibitions.

The fi rst thing we visited was the Pictures section where we took pictures of ourselves which were then displayed on the many screens hanging from the ceiling. We then

went to the train engine exhibition where we saw many old trains including one of the fi rst ever trains and its carriages. In the Science section we measured our reaction time and our body temperature. There was also an area where you could make huge bubbles and mix lights together to make different colours.

At around midday we had lunch at the cafe. We then went on to see the Technology section where there were telephones, televisions and computers from many years ago including the fi rst home desktop computer. Afterwards we went to the Transport exhibition which had WW1, WW2 and the fi rst ever planes, and also old and famous cars. Even the fi rst motorbikes and milk fl oats were on show. I was more interested in the cars but was amazed how big the planes and helicopters were.

At 2:00pm we gathered together at the museum entrance and left. We broke the journey back at a service station.

The trip was awesome and I would defi nitely go again as there are many things to learn and a lot of exciting and interesting things to see. I would defi nitely recommend MOSI to anyone. You will see things you have not seen before and I am certain that the others would agree with me.

I would like to thank Mr Jones and Mr Keane for taking time out to organise this amazing trip.

Reedwan Ali

MOSI visit

At 2:00pm we gathered together at the At 2:00pm we gathered together at the

‘ALL HUMAN LIFE IS HERE’ … KING LEAR COMES TO THE ELECTRICShakespeare’s tragedy King Lear may have been written between 1604 and 1606 but anyone listening to the Year 13 Literature group’s debates in class would quickly realise the universal and contemporary nature of the themes of this play: family relations, human suffering, the effects of old age and the nature of man. Shakespeare really is a playwright for all time.

HGS was lucky to have the opportunity to attend a bespoke, private screening of the current National Theatre production of King Lear on Tuesday, 6th May. A motley crew of Years 13 (studying the play for A2), 12 (about to study the play after

their AS exams) and 10 (who may well choose A level English Literature at the end of Year 11) assembled outside the Electric Cinema in Station Street at 9.45. ready for the day. It was a scramble for the leather sofas and seats once inside, but the hierarchy of year group prevailed. Misses Brown, Gerrard and Miles, meanwhile, settled comfortably on their sofa with coffee and cake!

The play is not an easy ride and Years 12 and 10 coped very well, despite very little prior knowledge of the plot. Nevertheless, they picked up quite a lot through the actors’ phrasing of the complex language and the brilliant setting and

physical action. The eye-gouging scene is certainly not for the squeamish and Lear’s daughters, Goneril and Regan, are no role models for daughters to follow, but many in the audience will have been most shocked at the sight of Simon Russell Beale stripped down to his baggy underwear…

While Year 13 found the timing of the performance particularly helpful, especially as an illustration of AO3 – interpretations of dramatic texts, all who attended the screening will agree that it was a very worthwhile trip. Thanks particularly to Ms Brown for organising this.

TRIPS AND vISITS

16

Physics ‘Big Quiz’ 2014On Monday 27th January, twelve students from Year 9 went to the so-called Physics ‘Big Quiz’, an annual event held at the University of Birmingham in the Great Hall.

We left school in the minibus, and arrived at about 9:40. We then took our seats in our three teams of four, completing a Physics word search whilst waiting for all of the other schools to arrive. Once everyone had taken their seats we were given an introduction and the quiz began. There were six rounds in total. The last round was a specifi c round on the GAIA Satellite and the Milky Way;

we were informed of this particular round before the event, so we could revise this topic.

After we had completed three rounds we had lunch, followed by a 45-minute lecture from an astrophysicist, which was very informative and enjoyable. Then, we completed the last three rounds. To fi nish we had the Awards Ceremony, where the top three teams each won medals. Each

school could enter as many as

three teams, which we did. Out of the 94 teams entered our highest placed team fi nished fi fth, so there’s a challenge for next year’s Year 9 to improve upon this!

It was a great day out for all of us and we are hoping to have the chance to take part in any

similar events in the future.

Caleb Brown

TRIPS AND vISITS

round on the GAIA Satellite and the Milky Way;

Footnote: The results were very tight indeed at the top end, with only a few points separating 1st and 6th places. Congratulations to Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School (my old school) for coming top! Mr Jones

Biology fi eld trip to the Natural History Museum“I cannot think of a single fi eld in Biology or Medicine in which we can claim genuine understanding, and it seems to me the more we learn about living creatures, especially ourselves, the stranger life becomes.” This quotation from Lewis Thomas really sums up how young minds learn and what better way to learn than to visit one of the most prestigious museums on the planet: London’s Natural History Museum. This museum brought awe to our Year 13 Biology set and exceeded all of our expectations. From the elegant architecture to the extremely interesting exhibits to the Spirit Tour, we were allowed to explore the world and most importantly, History.

We arrived in London by train and after emerging from the South Kensington Station, the sheer size of this extraordinary building became apparent to us. Its intricate architecture that included tall pillars and

gargoyles captivated each and every one of us. The entire building was a wonder in itself. On entering the mammoth museum we were greeted by a giant dinosaur skeleton which was indicative of the wonders yet to be seen at the museum. Everything was absolutely beautiful: even the toilets were palatial. When we progressed further into the museum, more and more incredible things made themselves apparent.

After exceeding our initial expectations, the museum continued to amaze, with exhibits the size of a blue whale, literally. various species were present in this room and we saw animals that we were familiar with, and some whose names we didn’t know how to pronounce. The entire museum was an experience which we will all cherish. The exhibits were breath taking and the facts were really interesting; who would have

known that we would see a 1:1 scale blue whale?

This was the educational part of the fi eld trip. The Spirit Tour allowed us to see a variety of species preserved in methylated spirit, hence the name. The spirit was used to ensure that bacteria are killed, especially saprophytic bacteria which would otherwise decompose the organisms. The Spirit Tour however, was all about science, not sentiment. At the end of the tour, we saw what research took place in the museum, some of which is really ground-breaking.

The remainder of the time at the museum was spent in the Dinosaur exhibition. Being taken back to our childhood fascination with them was an experience enjoyed by all. The highlight of this exhibition had to be the mechanical scale model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Arjan Lal, Mayur Parmar

17

Mission Possible Tanzania ProjectWhat is Mission Possible?

Mission Possible is a scheme set up by Islamic Help to give volunteers a full spectrum of the humanitarian aid process and involves campaigning, fundraising and a deployment abroad of up to 10 days

What did you want to achieve from the project?

Mission Possible was my first introduction to humanitarian aid so I viewed it as a journey of experience. I wanted to gain an understanding of fundraising, to see where the money was being used and more importantly the impact of the fundraising done in Birmingham on the villagers of Kisrawe.

How much did you raise and how did you raise it?

The target for each volunteer participating in Mission Possible is £5000, so naturally I was quite daunted by this sum. I started off with bucket collections around town and school and managed to raise £1000 from this, but it wasn’t enough. With the help of friends and family I organised a charity dinner at La Favorita restaurant (Ladypool road – highly recommended) and managed to raise a staggering £25,000. I am very grateful to all who supported my campaign and allowed me to take this life changing journey.

How was the money used?

Basically, the money raised by all the volunteers is put into a pot and then distributed as needed. The money in our mission was used to fund water tanks, equipment for the school children, raw materials for building and infrastructure as well as maintenance costs for the volunteers.

So what did you do there?

Our mission was split into three teams with two volunteers in each. The first team was Livelihood and Development and focused on the long term changes to Kisrawe. This includes planting trees for future generations, implementing beehives and most importantly educating the villagers on how to sustain themselves and become independent. The second team was Education which focused on the schools in the village, interaction with the children and participation in lessons. The third team, which I was part of, took control of the distribution of water. This involved building water tanks, digging reservoirs and constructing water harvesting systems both for the neediest people in the village and for the village to use as a whole.

How has this experience changed/inspired you?

Drastically. We see and hear in the media about situations people are living in across the world and of course we sympathise, but we can’t truly understand what they’re going through until we see it with our own eyes. Meeting villagers, making friends with the elders and teaching the children are all experiences which can’t be expressed in writing and can only be truly understood having been there. Even now I think back to the work that I did in Kisrawe and the beautiful people that I met and get overwhelmed with emotions of joy and longing. I truly did leave a part of me in Africa.

What was the most eye-opening encounter?

When installing the water harvesting systems, my colleague Farooq and I had the task of choosing the most needy people in the village to install the limited amount of water harvesting systems we had. An emotional challenge in itself. However, midway through constructing a drainpipe for Haji, an elderly gentleman, our Mission leader informed us we had to move the water harvesting system to another home, whose resident was in even greater need. Having to explain this to Haji was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do but his response is what gripped me. Haji didn’t complain, Haji didn’t even express any negativity. He thanked us for the work we were doing and understood there was someone who needed it more than him. This was a man who in our eyes had nothing, and still had compassion for those who had even less than him. The selflessness of this man is an experience that will stay with me forever.

Why is it important for young people to volunteer?

To travel and experience. Living in England we are trapped in a bubble; things are very different in other parts of the world. I know we are told over and over again how people are suffering this and that, but it doesn’t affect us right? We can just donate a bit of money here and there and everything will be okay, right? Wrong. We are the generation who can make change happen, and change will only come from understanding.

Any closing statements?

Get out there and make a difference.

Hamza Chaudary

TRIPS AND vISITS

18

In order to fully appreciate the context of an A level set text, it is recommended that students experience the real-life locations of texts and the places that infl uenced the writers who produced those texts. It was with this in mind that an intrepid group of Year 13 English Literature students visited Haworth on a more-than-rainy day in late October.

Braving a three-hour-long trip in the school mini bus, they were rewarded (eventually) by the opportunity to step into the world of the Brontes. The exhibits in the Bronte

Parsonage Museum, the guided tour through the dripping trees of the adjacent graveyard and the undergraduate style lecture by one of

the museum’s curators all served to help the students to a greater understanding of the conditions which shaped Emily Bronte’s classic novel, ‘Wuthering Heights’.

But there were also some less orthodox ways of fi nding out about the context of the novel…Curtis and Jonathan dressing up in victorian clothes (all photographic evidence has, alas, been destroyed); Mr Conway’s extraordinary hill-start somewhere in Haworth; the total enjoyment of the local fi sh and chips to 13 ravenous students plus hungry teachers…

The trip home was never-ending – the Friday night motorway rush hour meaning that the party were not back until after dark… and their bed time. Nevertheless, a worthwhile and memorable day was had by all.

In order to fully appreciate the context of an A level set text, it is recommended that students experience the real-life locations of texts and the places that infl uenced the writers who produced those texts. It was with this in mind that an intrepid group of Year 13 English Literature students visited Haworth on a more-than-rainy day in late October.

Braving a three-hour-long trip in the school mini bus, they were rewarded (eventually) by the opportunity to step into the world

GCSE ‘Science Live’ EventOn Tuesday 4 February 2014, a group of us from Years 10 and 11 got the opportunity to attend one of the “GCSE Science Live” events at Symphony Hall . Here we got the chance to see and hear fi ve of Britain’s top and most eminent scientists (in order of appearance: Robert Winston, Alice Roberts, Andrea Sella, Lucie Green and Jim Al-Khalili).

To start off the day we were each issued a booklet with details about each scientist, the lectures and some general articles about studying Science and working as scientists. With much enthusiasm, the fi rst scientist was then introduced, Lord Robert Winston, and he began talking about transgenetic technology. Through this he was able to explain many fascinating processes including apoptosis (programmed cell death) and he sweetly touched on the fi rst successful IvF in history.

The second speaker, Professor Alice Roberts, focused on evolutionary anatomy. “How can a 1.5 million year old skeleton of a young boy shed light on what it means to be human?” – a very profound question which she answered based on the discovery of the skeleton of a young boy, since named “Nariokotome” boy. Not only was Professor Roberts able to explain with absolute clarity the history and timeline behind human evolution, she was able to describe unequivocally the change in human anatomy over the last 1.5 million years.

The next scientist on the list was Dr Andrea Sella, who skipped enthusiastically onto the stage. His lecture started off with the question: “How did the zebra get its stripes?” Through clever analogies and his almost virtuosic ability of talking with the audience, he was able to draw analogies between biological and chemical processes and compare the inherent patterns of certain chemical

solutions to the stripes on the zebra. Next came Lucie Green who expressed her love for our very own Sun. Her description was almost poetic; she talked about ongoing processes happening in the Sun that are seldom noticed, and she described recent satellite missions which will enable us to keep an eye on our fi ery neighbour.

The last scientist of the day to present was Jim Al-Khalili on what, in my opinion, was the most fascinating topic – he talked about the idea of “time travel” and explained this seemingly improbable possibility using concepts such as time dilation and relativity mind-boggling stuff! During the day we also heard from a Chief Examiner about typical examination mistakes, and tips to improve. A big thanks to Mr Jones for organising the trip – it was a truly memorable experience!

Khubbaib Hasan 11N

TRIPS AND vISITS

by the opportunity to step into the world of the Brontes. The exhibits in the Bronte

Parsonage Museum, the guided tour through the dripping trees of the adjacent graveyard and the undergraduate style lecture by one of

by the opportunity to step into the world of the Brontes. The exhibits in the Bronte

GCSE GCSE ‘Science Live’‘Science Live’

A wander through the world of Wuthering Heights

19

TRIPS AND vISITS

AS and A2 Geography fi eld tripThe Lake District is well renowned for its beautiful scenery and warm hearted communities, but who would have known that we would have encountered so many different Geography-related topics, which would play a key role in our understanding of Geography on this trip?

On the 18th of March 2014, 26 Sixth Form Geography students went on a residential trip to the bright and very beautiful Lake District National Park. Geographical Skills play a major role in our overall AS and A2 grades: despite the trip being a lot of fun it was vital for our learning too.

After a long four-hour journey on the minibuses to Lancashire, which was extremely fun, we were glad to be on our feet again! That didn’t last because before long we were asked to walk about two kilometres up a 400m mountain not too far from our base at Castle Head. Although the walk was essential for AS Geographers (for they revise cold environments, glaciers in particular), it was also a great way for everyone to interact and get to know each other. We were then back for dinner which was really nice, especially pudding,

which was a Lancashire speciality: Sticky Toffee Pudding - lots of toffee! After that we were able to relax, or so we thought! After a little break we headed to the classrooms and started preparations for our fi eldwork the next day.

The following morning AS Geographers set off to study the River Eea. It was a wet and cold day but the advantage of being with friends made the experience more enjoyable and made the work seem less challenging. AS Geographers investigated river characteristics such as discharge, hydraulic radius, gradient and Manning’s M (how rough the channel is) and to see how these features changed downstream. By gathering the information they were able to analyse the data using statistical techniques such as Spearman’s rank coeffi cient and then make conclusions about their hypotheses.

Meanwhile A2 Geographers were investigating the changes of sand dunes with distance from the sea with the Lake District’s most famous sand dune habitat: Sandscale Haws. Although

they were just a few kilometres away from the other group, they were much luckier with the weather and even managed to experience a bit of sunshine!

On the Thursday we all visited Barrow in Furness, a town of only 60,000. A2 Geographers assessed to what extent urban decline had occurred and evaluated Barrow’s recent urban regeneration.

AS students conducted various surveys to compare Barrow with Lindale (a rural village) such as environmental quality, rurality and provision of services. They also

compared secondary data looking at age profi les, household tenure, socio-economic demographics and occupation types.

We then returned to the classroom and analysed and presented our data to each other. A nice dinner followed and then some time to relax. Some watched football, some played football, and others played table football, whereas the girls just chilled!

On the Friday - our last day - we visited Kirkby Moor. A2 Geographers were looking at plagioclimax and how the heather moorlands are managed to keep their beauty. We were lucky enough to meet the man who manages the heather moorlands; he alone looks after 1000 acres of land. Heather moorlands are really important for our heritage as they are fairly unique to Britain: 25% of all heather moorlands are situated here. AS Geographers were looking at the visual and noise impacts of wind turbines. There were 12 turbines on Kirkby Moor, which produce 4.8 Megawatts, enough to power some 2,700 homes. We also had the chance to see Barrow Offshore Wind Farm and Heysham Nuclear Power Plant in the distance, which fi tted in nicely with the energy issues unit of work.

We all learned a lot from our experience at Castle Head. It was really fun and we recommend anyone considering AS & A2 Geography to defi nitely get involved! Putting the fun to one side, we think the trip really helped us with our Geographical skills which is an important part of our exam this year and it allowed us to do it in the great outdoors! This was more than we could ever have learned from any text book. It was an experience to remember.

Hamza Akram & Muna Bulaleh

were then back for dinner which was really nice, especially pudding,

they were just a few kilometres away from the other group, they were much luckier with the weather and even managed to experience a bit of sunshine!

On the Thursday we all visited Barrow in Furness, a town of only 60,000. A2 Geographers assessed to what extent urban decline had occurred and evaluated Barrow’s recent urban regeneration.

AS students conducted various surveys to compare Barrow with Lindale (a rural village) such as environmental quality, rurality and provision of services. They also

20

Year 10 Geography fi eldworkDuring the summer term, three groups from the year 10 geography classes went to Carding Mill valley for our data collection for use in our controlled assessment. It was a cloudy day and a bit dull, but surprisingly it wasn’t too cold. We left school at 9:00 and it took us about one and a half hours to get to Carding Mill valley.

On arrival, we changed into our wellington boots, gathered our equipment which consisted of ranging poles, clinometers, corks and a stopwatch and headed up the valley towards the source of the river, taking in the views of Light Spout waterfall on the way.

We ate our lunch on the Long Mynd plateau and had a wonderful view of the hills, which had lots of sheep. The sheep came towards us, probably from the smell of our lunch but they ran off because we scared them!

After lunch, we started our data collection with help from our teachers. We did our data collection at four sites and we measured velocity, width and depth of river and load size. To measure the velocity, we measured out 10 meters using our measuring tape along the river. We dropped the

cork and timed how long it tooke to reach the end of the 10 meter tape. To measure the width and depth, we got a tape measure and measured across the river. To measure the depth, we put a meter stick vertical to the ground and measured it along at each 10 cm interval of the measuring tape along the river. To measure the load, we got one person from each group to pick out three random rocks and measure the longest length and the shortest length of the three rocks. From our results we learnt that the further you are away from the source of the river, the velocity, width and depth increases and the size of the load decreases.

After we collected our data, we went back to the mini bus and packed the equipment away and changed our boots back to our trainers. We left at about 3:30 pm and arrived back at school at 5 pm. It was a long and hard day, with a lot of walking and getting wet, but it was really fun!

Adil Mahmood 10 Alfred

TRIPS AND vISITS

2020

headed up the valley towards the source of the river, taking in the headed up the valley towards the source of the river, taking in the views of Light Spout waterfall on the way.views of Light Spout waterfall on the way.

cork and timed how long it tooke to reach the end of the 10 meter cork and timed how long it tooke to reach the end of the 10 meter tape. To measure the width and depth, we got a tape measure and tape. To measure the width and depth, we got a tape measure and measured across the river. To measure the depth, we put a meter measured across the river. To measure the depth, we put a meter stick vertical to the ground and measured it along at each 10 cm stick vertical to the ground and measured it along at each 10 cm interval of the measuring tape along the river. To measure the load, interval of the measuring tape along the river. To measure the load, we got one person from each group to pick out three random we got one person from each group to pick out three random rocks and measure the longest length and the shortest length of rocks and measure the longest length and the shortest length of the three rocks. From our results we learnt that the further you the three rocks. From our results we learnt that the further you are away from the source of the river, the velocity, width and are away from the source of the river, the velocity, width and depth increases and the size of the load decreases.depth increases and the size of the load decreases.

After we collected our data, we went back to the mini bus and After we collected our data, we went back to the mini bus and packed the equipment away and changed our boots back to our packed the equipment away and changed our boots back to our trainers. We left at about 3:30 pm and arrived back at school trainers. We left at about 3:30 pm and arrived back at school at 5 pm. It was a long and hard day, with a lot of walking and at 5 pm. It was a long and hard day, with a lot of walking and getting wet, but it was really fun!getting wet, but it was really fun!

Year 12 Geographical Skills residential

At the end of the spring term both A1 and AS Geography students went on a residential trip to bright and sunny Slapton Ley, Devon! Fortunately it only rained for one day of the four we were there.

After an exhausting four-hour ride on the minibus to the South of England, which was extremely fun too, we were glad to arrive. We unpacked our belongings, but before long we were asked to walk to a nearby shingle beach where we did a bit of geology and studied some rocks. After taking a long trek back to our resort we were left to relax for the rest of the evening, or so we thought! After a little break we headed back to the classroom and analysed all of the data we had gathered.

Over the course of the next three days we went to the Harbourne River to try and investigate river characteristics such as depth, width, and volume

to see how the river changes downstream. We practised the River Dance to keep warm and learnt our key terms (see photo). We also looked at the impacts of fl ooding and the solutions that have been implemented to try to reduce fl ooding in the future. Contrary to what you may think, walking in the river proved rather fun, though it’s a shame no one fell in! We also visited parts of Plymouth that recently underwent regeneration. AS students conducted surveys relating to the environment and visual quality of life apparent in the surrounding area to determine the differences between areas. An area that had received extensive regeneration, Gun Wharf, was an amazing sight and enabled its residents to protect their houses from fl ooding much more easily than normal areas.

So all in all Geography is not just staring at a bunch of rocks and colouring things in (although we did do quite a lot of that!); we had fun even with all the rain and a certain sixth former’s (loud) singing!

21

RSC Chemistry workshopOn Thursday 6th February 2014, a group of year 8s were fortunate enough to attend a Chemistry at Work event arranged by the Royal Society of Chemistry at the Thinktank Science Museum. Pupils were selected across the fi ve forms based on Science Teacher and Form Tutor recommendations and the aim of the day was to give pupils an insight into possible careers related to Chemistry.

Pupils were treated to a Chemistry Magic Show, which involved things such as frying an egg using liquid nitrogen as well as the combustion of ethanol fumes in a whoosh bottle. Pupils also had the opportunity to explore the different areas of the Science Museum itself completely free of charge.

Pupils then took part in three workshops all designed to give pupils an insight into different industries where chemistry is applicable. They attended workshops on the Chemistry of perfume making, the Chemistry of DNA in which they were able to take away their own DNA sample and the Chemistry involved in Material Sciences, which included the opportunity to win chocolate bars!

No visit to the Science Museum would be complete without the customary stop at the gift shop and this visit was no different.

It was a brief yet enjoyable insight into careers in Chemistry and the pupils went away reinvigorated about Chemistry as a subject and with ideas of how it can be used outside of the lab.

Mr M Mohsin

TRIPS AND vISITS

Museum itself completely free of charge.Museum itself completely free of charge.

Pupils then took part in Pupils then took part in

22

ARTHANDSWORTH ART

Sports round-up…SPORTS

24

Handsworth Grammar School is very proud of all its students who continue to show great potential in all their sporting achievements in and out of school. This year we have introduced some new sports and many of our students have joined a variety of prestigious teams.

SHUJA MEHMOOD (YEAR 9) …has been signed by Aston villa this year, following a recommendation from Mr Conway. Shuja is a centre forward and has been a regular in the villa under 14’s team this season. He hopes to be Aston villa’s fi rst British born Asian striker!

KAI HO (YEAR 7) …is an outstanding gymnast and is presently ranked 6th for his age in the country. He trains every day after school at Earls Gymnastics club in Halesowen.

JOSEPH FEIVEN (YEAR 10) …is one of the country’s best young cyclists and is now ranked 14th in the country. He competes both on the road and on track for the Solihull Cycling Club and aspires to be an Olympian one day; an excellent achievement for him.

RAJVEER MAHAL (YEAR 10)…is the amateur WKA mixed martial arts junior British Champion. He has made Handsworth Grammar School proud by representing both Birmingham and Britain.

COREY BLACKETT TAYLOR (YEAR 11) …was persuaded to leave Handsworth Grammar at the end of Year 10 last summer in order to train full time with Aston villa. Corey is a regular in the Aston villa under 15’s team. He has already had England recognition by being on standby for the England under 16’s squad.

LEOPOLD JOHNSON (YEAR 12) …is an outstanding outside centre left, and right wing player for the Aston Old Edwardians Rugby Club Team. In their league match win against Tamworth Rugby Club, it was Leopold’s fantastic ‘try’ that earned him ‘Player of the Month’.

OUR FOOTBALL TEAMS …continue to have Aston Cup success this year, with HGS winning both the under 16’s and under 14’s cup fi nals on a glorious night at Bodymoor Heath.

THE YEAR 9 BASKETBALL TEAM …has acquired some exciting players and they have bettered their plays and knowledge of the game. Despite their lack of height they have literally made great strides and won more than half of their games in their fi rst season.

WRESTLINGThe new Wrestling Club was lucky enough to have a coaching session from former wrestling star “Gladiator” Khan.

YEAR 12 STUDENTS …worked at Alexander Stadium, recording the results of each English Schools’ Athletic Championships events for live SKY Tv coverage.

THE YEAR 8 CRICKET TEAM …were runners up in the Warwickshire Indoor Tournament; the team had an impressive win in their league against six other schools, to reach the fi nals for the second year running.

THE GIRLS’ NETBALL TEAM …have also emerged this year! The team, led by Ms Wharton, are continuing to grow. They train harder and get better by the day

ASTON VILLA SELECTIONS

Handsworth Grammar School continues its long-standing partnership with Aston villa Football Club as Shuja Mehmood in 9 Henry has been selected to play for the Club at Under 14 level. Shuja plays for both the School and the District teams where he has been regularly scoring goals for both sides. He was spotted last season when the HGS Year 9 team won the Aston and Saltley Cup at Bodymoor Heath, Aston villa’s training and Academy ground.

Shuja joins two other HGS Students who are also Academy players with Aston villa – Cairo Brooks-Hoo and Donnell Benjamin.

ASTON SCHOOLS’ FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

The Year 7 Football team are the newly crowned Aston Schools’ Football League Champions in their age group. This is a great achievement and a fi tting way to end the term. Well done!

ASTON LEAGUE DIVISION ONE CHAMPIONSCongratulations to our Year 7 Football team who remain undefeated and have recently been crowned the Aston League Division One Champions. This is a great achievement and is a wonderful way to close the season for the players and coaches (Mr Nichols and Mr Paskin). Well done!

standby for the England under 16’s squad.

Month’.

Wrestling ClubThis academic year saw the introduction of a Wrestling Club linked with the Birmingham Wrestling Federation. Those boys being coached by Radosav Nekic, one of the stars of Tv’s Gladiators, are mainly drawn from year 10 and the Sixth Form. They are really improving under the guidance of their coach and hope to play some matches in the future.guidance of their coach and hope to play guidance of their coach and hope to play some matches in the future.some matches in the future.

25

Table tennis successHassan Nawaz played for Aston villa’s table tennis team as part of the Premier League 4 Sport initiative. Along with three other members of the squad they played teams from Derby County, Nottingham Forest, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City. They won the competition by winning two matches and drawing two. It was a fantastic competition played to a high level and Hassan played a major role in the success of the team.

West Bromwich Albion Selections WBA ACADEMY

Isah Idris 7W

WBA COLTS ACADEMY (1 down from Academy)

Will Smith 7A

Kevin Matinyadze 7A

Adan George 7A – on trial (also getting good reviews playing weekly for AES District)

WBA PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE (2 down from Academy)

Ivan Stanjanovic 7H

Year 8 Warwickshire Cricket Indoor League runners upThe year 8 indoor cricket team reached the fi nals by winning their league in convincing style. They beat Hamstead Hall, Holyhead and Lordswood Boys. The Warwickshire fi nal was played at Edgbaston with fi ve teams playing in a round

robin event. Handsworth Grammar School beat Linworth, Small Heath and Plantsbrook but lost to Washwood Heath who were the eventual winners. This team have reached the fi nals for the past two years. Perhaps next year will be our year.

Rugby developmentWe took a U13 Rugby squad to Aston Old Edwardians RFC. The morning was a series of coaching sessions and games led by RFU Development Coaches. In the afternoon we played three games against Smithswood, North Birmingham Academy and Great Barr.Smithswood, North Birmingham Academy and Great Barr.

SPORTS

SPORTS

26

The year 9 basketball team has had a very successful fi rst season and have reached the play-offs of the North Birmingham basketball league.

Despite this being their fi rst competitive season the boys have made huge progress throughout the season under team manager Mr Conway (Assistant Headteacher) and team coach Mr King (Head of ICT). They have worked very hard and trained regularly each Thursday after school, under the guidance of their coach and team manager.

Despite the team’s lack of experience and tall players, they have performed admirably for the school and have earned plaudits all over the city for their sportsmanlike behaviour and fi ne attitude.

We have played nine games in total winning three and only narrowly losing the others, which has taken the team into fourth place in the league, and consequently a place in the play-offs.

HGS v Yardleys (a) – HGS lost 36–24

HGS v Great Barr (h) – HGS lost 74–35

HGS v Bishop veseys’s – HGS lost 31–30

HGS v St John Wall – HGS won 31–18

HGS v Perry Beeches – HGS lost 37–30

HGS v Hodge Hill – HGS won 38–10

HGS v Smith’s Wood – HGS lost 42–39

HGS v Holyhead – HGS won 25–10

HGS v Smith’s Wood – HGS lost 39–37

The team has also had a coaching session from Paul “Duggie” Douglas, the head coach of the Birmingham Knights basketball team.

The team has been captained by Suffain Elahi-Fadl (9W) and has consisted of the following players:

Sufyaan Irfan (9G), Malvir Padda (9W), Bilal Saleem (9G), Ettan Korpal (9W), vivek Narandaas (9W), Karl Frater (9H), Jasdev Rajan (9W), Gurkirat Thandi (9G), Malone Mukwende (9G), Inder Sangha (9G).

The team has reached the North Birmingham play-offs and these will take place later in the summer term

Mr CJ Conway

Paul “Duggie” Douglas visited HGS to work with our school Basketball team.

Paul is Head Coach of the Birmingham Knights and said how impressed he was with the standard of Basketball shown by our boys.

The players quizzed him on his Basketball career and listened intently to his advice.

Birmingham Knights’ basketball coach at HGS

Year 9 basketball report for Season 2013/14

Basketball successThe recently reformed Basketball team at HGS are into the Key

Stage 3 semi-fi nals of the North Birmingham Basketball League.

The team recently beat Holyhead School 25-10. Good luck!

(Assistant Headteacher) and team coach Mr King (Head of ICT). They (Assistant Headteacher) and team coach Mr King (Head of ICT). They have worked very hard and trained regularly each Thursday after have worked very hard and trained regularly each Thursday after school, under the guidance of their coach and team manager.school, under the guidance of their coach and team manager.

Despite the team’s lack of experience and tall players, they Despite the team’s lack of experience and tall players, they have performed admirably for the school and have earned have performed admirably for the school and have earned plaudits all over the city for their sportsmanlike behaviour and plaudits all over the city for their sportsmanlike behaviour and

We have played nine games in total winning three and only We have played nine games in total winning three and only narrowly losing the others, which has taken the team into narrowly losing the others, which has taken the team into fourth place in the league, and consequently a place in the fourth place in the league, and consequently a place in the

The team has also had a coaching session from The team has also had a coaching session from Paul “Duggie” Douglas, the head coach of the Paul “Duggie” Douglas, the head coach of the

Gurkirat Thandi (9G), Malone Mukwende (9G), Inder Sangha (9G).Gurkirat Thandi (9G), Malone Mukwende (9G), Inder Sangha (9G).

The team has reached the North Birmingham play-offs and The team has reached the North Birmingham play-offs and these will take place later in the summer termthese will take place later in the summer term

Mr CJ ConwayMr CJ Conway

27

POETRY AND STORIES

Dear Harry

You will get two letters on your 16th birthday. I only wish this could be one of them.

The fi rst will be from your dead father, but he isn’t and he’s not.

The second will be from the Youth Welfare Board explaining that now you are 16 you are legally entitled to know that your father James is in prison for killing your mother Lily in a fi rebomb attack on her car. James became insane when he found his wife had had an affair with your ‘Uncle’ vernon, and that vernon was your biological father. In an ironic twist you ended up being looked after by your mother’s sister Petunia who hated you as a permanent reminder of a husband’s infi delity and a sister’s treachery. The tragedy of their lives is tidied away into a car crash.

It will be no surprise to your psychoanalyst that you spent your childhood in a delusion. Unhappy boys will usually become heroes in their dreams, and it is easier to triumph over an imaginary foe than face reality. Handsworth Grammar became Hogwarts; failure at football became a fantasy of Quidditch. In the real world the thugs, cheats and bullies prospered; in your imagination good triumphed over evil and girls were less complicated.

Some suggestions for the next few years. Don’t actually call your teachers by their code name. Dr Bowen was always puzzled when you called him Dumbledore accidentally. Miss Donoghue found your depiction of her as Sybill Trelawney rather touching. Just because Dr Wallach was always grumpy it was harsh to name him ‘Moody’. And as for Mr Snape...let’s not go there.

More advice: it may seem unbelievable now but things do improve. Petunia divorces vernon and takes Dudley with her. vernon acknowledges you as his son and you patch things up (you will never call him ‘dad’ but he’s kind of okay). Try and talk to the 6th form girls; they can be kind and thoughtful and don’t get called ‘gay’ for it. Get out more. Avoid the back of Munchies. Real friends take effort but don’t vanish when you wake from the dream.

And that letter from James Potter? If only I could tell you not to read it.

All the best, Harry Potter-Dursley

Be youBe you! Be you!

Don’t disguise because of what they say

Be you! Be you!

That will make you glad every way

Don’t let what people say about you

Don’t let them tell you that your life is through

Don’t let them tell you who you want to be

Just be yourself, and you’ll be happy

Be you! Be you!

Be you! Be you!


Be you! Be you!


Don’t let them be a problem

Don’t let them tell you your life is done

Be you! Every moment!

Intimidation is from jealousy

So don’t listen to what they tell you to be

Do not change because they want you to

But what you should do is just be you

Be you! Be you!

Be you! Be you!


Be you! Be you!


Don’t let them be a problem

Don’t let them tell you your life is done

Be you! Every moment!

Don’t let them judge you



Be you! Be you




By David Akinfemiwa

An adult Harry Potterwrites a letter to himself, aged 16

POETRY AND STORIES

28

A number of students in year seven and eight entered the Young Writers’ A Twist In The Tale mini saga competition. We are pleased to say that we now have a number of published writers in our midst and we have included Usman Khan’s (8 Alfred) winning entry for your entertainment. Young Writers commented on the way Handsworth Grammar students wrote with ‘imagination, perception, expression and creative use of language’. Well done to all competitors!

Dear Esther reviewMy favourite video game isn’t actually a game. Most reviewers have described it as “an interactive art experience”. In actual fact, it’s more of a playable short story, where you take the role of a man wandering a Hebridean Island, becoming more and more lost inside of himself, trying to come to terms with the death of his wife, Esther. As the game’s offi cial website explains it: “Dear Esther is a ghost story, where the focus is on exploration, uncovering the mystery of the island, of who you are and why you are here.” The main gameplay (if it can be defi ned as that) is exploring the island and listening to fragments of the story read out to you (most of which are in a random order).

Each playthrough of Dear Esther feels completely and utterly personal to the player, with each playthrough lasting about one hour. The optimum playthrough is late at night, headphones on with lights and subtitles off. The game’s sensory details are astonishing, with a desolate score composed by Jessica Curry. The plain act of walking around an abandoned drab island, as a guilt stricken man searching for answers, is morbidly beautiful.

Dear Esther is split into four chapters: The Lighthouse, The Buoy, The Caves and The Beacon. Each chapter is more beautiful than the last, with layered metaphors both visually and audibly creating a beautiful scene to walk through, one that could only be created through the form of video games. Perhaps the most visually striking chapter is when you venture down into the tunnels beneath the island, with bioluminescent rock formations softly guiding you along to the inevitable ending of the piece. The strange thing about Dear Esther is that, despite fl ooding your senses with strange glowing circuitry painted everywhere and confused snippets of the Bible weaved in and out of both the voice over and the

scenery, it never asks you to apply them. There are no puzzles here, or places to use your various ideas of the story.

The only puzzle, in fact, is working out what had actually happened to the characters inside the story – is he walking around an island in real life or is he stuck inside a coma, is he all three of the people he has described or is he none? Dear Esther never answers these questions and leaves it up to the player to fi gure out why an hour-long experience can move and touch him, but without him ever fully comprehending the entire story.

However, you can look at Dear Esther from other angles. It could just be an overpriced poorly written walking simulator, with vaguely pretty things to look at as a man reads a story to you. I would argue that yes, while it has no gameplay, it is still an incredible experience. Dear Esther invokes the same feelings as walking along a beach at night, sitting alone on a windy clifftop contemplating your existential reasons. Dear Esther subtly manipulates you into feeling this, slowly bringing night time upon you, having

the constant telegraph pole watching you for your entire playthrough, invoking a sort of Eye of Sauron feel to it. This experience is one you need to let yourself go through, not fi ghting it but riding it out to the end, feeling the same emotions and pain as the narrator, climbing the same hills and challenges and ultimately reaching the same end. As one reviewer puts it, Dear Esther “is oil painting, poetry, eulogy and video game all at once. And it’s never less than fascinating.”

Pip Turner

Young Writers’ Competition

POETRY AND STORIES

Cinderella made her way into the ballroom with her intricate white dress. She walked towards

the prince who had rejected her immense beauty and had instead gone for Cinderella’s stepsister,

Druzella. Cinderella rushed back to her palace in her large, magical pumpkin, with her heart

metaphysically torn by the handsome prince’s heartless rejection.

29

POETRY AND STORIES

BOOKSBooks are endlessly fascinating: their pages provide comfort, their characters become friends and their morals teach us valuable lessons about life, death and everything between! A person can encounter a well-written book centuries after it was written and think that it is of no relevance to their life, but the powerful nature of language is such that it captures the very essence and spirit of the author’s thoughts and emotions. This semi divine relationship between writer and reader transcends culture, time and religion, explaining why literature is such a powerful means of communication, which has endured for millennia and continues to thrive. I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t read- and for me, books are the most powerful of portals, because they allow us to escape the stark reality of life into a place which demands nothing, apart from attention.

Personally, I have a preference for books which are set in faraway lands, amongst people whose lives are in no way similar to my own; not only does this allow us to appreciate other cultures, ways of life and philosophy, but it also allows us to become more well-rounded as individuals, able to appreciate others and have a more sensitive approach to life. Khaled Hosseini is known around the world for being the only Afghan author who writes in English, providing a delicate glance into a country with a rich history and culture woven together with the thread of the tradition of poetry and story-telling. Foreigners writing about countries with which they have become enamoured produce similarly passionate works, because they are able to capture the captivation with different cultures. The perfect example for this would undoubtedly be Arthur Golden’s ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, which illustrates the changes in one of Japan’s oldest art forms against the backdrop of the political and social upheaval which followed the Second World War

On a more practical level, there is a clear and inexorable link between reading and academic success, because children who read from an early age are able to develop a wider vocabulary, which aids in their understanding, which in turn leads to highly developed vocabulary. It is almost a cycle of prosperity which harnesses the skills needed for academic and professional success; indeed, this hard work, determination and desire to self-educate is what characterised the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Many of the inventors who propelled Britain into the Industrial Age received very little formal education, and built on their basic literacy with a huge array of books; for me, these romanticised accounts of ‘self-made men’ reiterate the world of possibilities that reading brings. Most of at HGS originate from countries where illiteracy is a very stark reality, and by choosing to not read, I honestly think that people discard the excellent opportunities that we have had access to.

Literature appeals to me because it comes in many forms, ranging from the highly distinguished works of respected philosophers to books which subtly describe the varying pigmentations of a colour (you know what I’m referring to), meaning

that there truly is ‘something to suit everyone’. I accept that books seem at times to be so detached from reality that there is no semblance of usefulness, however, it is important to recognise that the importance doesn’t lie in the existence of monsters, but in the lesson that these monsters can be defeated, something which applies to all people, regardless of culture, age and social background.

However, it is important to be aware that in many parts of the world, even today, art and literature are subject to censorship, such is the power of artistic self-expression that many dictators feel it to be a very tangible threat to their hold on power. Indeed, it was Mao zedong, founder of the People’s Republic of China, who stated “To read too many books is dangerous”. As such, I believe that to not read is to have a complete disregard for the freedom that we, as young people in Britain, enjoy: the freedom to think, the freedom to question...

I decided to put together a list of books that I have read and which have had a huge infl uence on me, causing me to think, to question. I hope that you will read at least a few of these and see why I am so passionate about literature.

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are

the most accessible and wisest of

counsellors, and the most patient

of teachers.” Charles William Elliot

(American Author and Academic)

Reading list1. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini2. Schindler’s Ark – Thomas Keneally3. The Diary of Anne Frank – Anne Frank4. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee5. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte6. Ninteen Eighty Four – George Orwell7. Animal Farm – George Orwell8. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens9. A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled

Hosseini10. The Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger11. The Harry Potter Series – JK Rowling12. The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald13. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy14. Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck15. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden16. A Suitable Boy – vikram Seth17. Devdas (English Translation) – Sarat

Chandra Chattopadhyay18. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens19. And The Mountains Echoed – Khaled

Hosseini20. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens21. Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White22. The Complete Works of Shakespeare23. Les Miserables – victor Hugo24. The Casual vacancy – JK Rowling25. Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne26. Life of Pi – Yann Martel27. Marriage Material – Sathnam Sanghera28. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins 29. The Percy Jackson Series – Rick

Riordan 30. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

29

romanticised accounts of ‘self-made men’ reiterate

of at HGS originate from countries where illiteracy

will read at least a few of these and see why I am so passionate about literature.

Riordan 30. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

MUSIC

30

Music Department 2013/2014In September 2013 we welcomed Ms. vaughan to the music department who has joined HGS following the departure of Mr. Sosulski. Mr Sosulski had taught at HGS for three years and left in order to take a full-time teaching post. In November we took a small number of A-level students to Solihull Sixth Form College to attend an A-level music day delivered by Bangor University. The fi rst big event of the year was the Winter Concert at Ladywood Arc on the evening of 19th December. We were very pleased to be able to return to this wonderful Birmingham concert venue that is used by a wide range of professional ensembles for both concerts and recordings. Almost 100 students from across the three key stages were involved and they performed in a wide range of different styles. The venue was standing room only and the atmosphere was friendly and very appreciative.

At the beginning of 2014 we took 45

enthusiastic music students to hear the world-famous City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. For many it was their fi rst experience of hearing a full orchestra in a live performance. The programme included a range of different pieces from the classical world to the computer gaming world.

More recently we held the annual Instrumental Progress evening for the students in years 7 through to 9. There were fantastic solo performances from Balkaar, Camara, Ryanvir and Jai, as well as group performances from various guitar, keyboard and woodwind ensembles.

We have included a number of different pictures of all of the events from the past twelve months. If you have not attended a school concert before we still have the Summer Concert on Thursday 10th July at HGS. Come and join us.

Music Department.

Music Department 2013/2014Music Department 2013/2014

30

At the beginning of 2014 we took 45

More recently we held the annual Instrumental Progress evening for

Camara, Ryanvir and Jai, as well

Music Department.

Interview with Alpesh Chauhan

MUSIC

Q When did you start learning the cello?

A I started learning the cello aged six at Hall Green Infant School with Birmingham Music Service teacher veronica Raven.

Q What other instruments do you play?

A I started learning piano by myself (on an old keyboard we had at home) and then started having lessons with Stefan Czepiel at HGS and did my Grade 5 and 6 with him. I did experiment with having odd lessons on other instruments at HGS too as my interest in conducting made me interested in learning how a range of different instruments worked including trumpet, trombone, tuba and organ.

Q When did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

A I always knew that music was what I wanted to do. I always gravitated to my cello in lunch breaks and after school and I would be playing piano in the shorter breaks. Music was and still is my main love!

Q Where have you studied?

A After the initial fi ve years at HGS I stayed on for a further two for sixth form. I then did a four-year Bachelor of Music degree on the Classical Cello at the Royal Northern College of Music under CBSO section leader Eduardo vassallo. I am now completing my fi nal year of the Postgraduate Master of Conducting at the same place, RNCM.

Q Could you describe your experience at the RNCM?

A The RNCM was a total release for me. I just wanted to play music and learn more about it all the time and coming to the RNCM allowed me to be around musicians every day (for six years now) and to develop as a small fi sh in a very large pond. I have learned immense amounts, been able to explore my own musical interests and make some great like-minded friends.

Q What is your ‘typical’ day?

A There is no typical day! I am at a key stage of development so things get busier and busier and vary from day to day, from month to month and from year to year. Depends on what and when you get booked to do things! I am currently on a fi ve-hour coach journey with the CBSO as Assistant Conductor on their European tour. The journey is from Germany to Luxembourg where the orchestra play their 15th concert in 17 days before fl ying back home tomorrow!

Q You were recently awarded a conducting fellowship with the CBSO. What does this involve?

A The CBSO fellowship is a learning, developing and practical course. I sit in on as many professional rehearsals with world-renowned conductors as I can, learning from how they work with orchestras. I also help them with balance questions: sitting out in the audience to let them know if certain details are coming across, or if it sounds how they want it to in various concert halls. I have also been involved in outreach work with the CBSO and will be conducting them in concert for the fi rst time in a couple of months.

Q Do you have any long-term plans?

A I can’t answer long-term plans. Of course I am on a journey where I hope to become a professional conductor; however, that can take a variety of routes. I just have to keep gaining more experience, conducting more orchestras in the UK and further afi eld.

Q Which musicians have you had the opportunity to work with?

A As a conductor, I have received mentoring and coaching from some of the world’s best conductors including Andris Nelsons, Stanislaw Skrowacewski, Jac van Steen, Edward Gardner and Andrew Litton. I have been involved in masterclasses with vasily Petrenko and Juanjo Mena in the last two years. I have also been lucky enough to just observe some conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo, Sir Mark Elder and Gianandrea Noseda in rehearsal and concert.

Q What advice would you offer students at HGS who might be thinking of a career in music?

A HGS students who are aspiring musicians - realise that the life won’t be glitz and glam for a very long time if at any time at all! You have to do it because you love music - it’s not something to just ‘try out’ at university. If you love music and what you do it will always be extremely rewarding or at least I have found it to be so, so far! Honest musicians really have to work and work and work but the sensation of doing successful concerts and performances is more than worth it.

Q Okay, be honest, how much practice did you do at HGS?

A At HGS I used to practise about half an hour or so some lunchtimes, and then do around two hours at home (on cello). My aim was to do at least two hours, but hopefully three each day. At the RNCM this target changed to four or fi ve hours.

Q Finally, do you have any favourite composers?

A My favourite composers include Puccini and Tchaikovsky. I love the passion of both of these composers and Puccini especially who has the ability to make people feel ecstatic, happy, sad or distraught by the power of music. Other particular favourites are Shostakovich, Brahms and Rachmaninov.

Alpesh’s forthcoming engagements can be found at: www.alpeshchauhan.co.uk

Autumn 2013 Exam ResultsSanakavan Sukanthan Guitar Grade 2 MeritSamuel Lau Guitar Grade 2 PassBrandon Masih Guitar Grade 3 MeritAtul verma Guitar Grade 3 MeritArrandeep Bola Guitar Grade 3 MeritPip Turner Guitar Grade 5 PassHamza Chaudary Guitar Grade 7 MeritRaj Lawrence S. Saxophone Grade 4 MeritCaleb Brown Piano Grade 2 PassRajeev Badhan Piano Grade 3 PassThere are a number of other students who will receive

their exam results later on in the year.31

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

32

United Kingdom Youth Parliament an UPDATE

Handsworth Grammar students and members of the United Kingdom Youth Parliament (UYKP): Vikram Patel, Catherine Munyarari, Gabriel Dobrashian-Yates and Jules Singh have had an eventful year in their roles. We took a look at some of the things they have been up to.

‘Make your Mark’ Birmingham Results

Over 11,000 young people from across Birmingham took part in the UKYP Make your Mark campaign. The Ballot paper had 15 issues designed by members of the youth parliament for young people aged 11–18 years old across the country. In the 2013 campaign over 478,386 young people cast their votes; that is more than the vote in the Police Crime Commissioner elections and the largest youth democratic election in the country!

The top issues in Birmingham were:

1. 16–19 Bursary Fund2. Better Work Experience and careers advice3. Living Wage4. A curriculum to prepare us for life5. Fund our youth service – don’t cut them

House of Commons Debate

“What is always popular is not always right”On Friday 15th November 2013, alongside 300 other young people from across the UK, the four HGS students represented over 11,000 young people in a live debate. It was chaired by the Speaker of the House The Rt. Hon. John Bercow MP, and witnessed by the Deputy Leader and Shadow Leader of the House, with Youth

Minister Nick Hurd MP and Labour Chair of the Backbench Committee Natasha Engel MP.

The national results from the ‘Make your Mark’ elections nationwide decided the top fi ve issues to be debated on the day. The top fi ve national issues were:

1. votes for all 16- and 17-year-olds in all public elections

2. Better work experience and careers advice3. Combating youth unemployment 4. zero tolerance towards bullying in school5. A curriculum to prepare us for life

Each of the top issues was debated until two national debates were selected, these were:

1. A curriculum to prepare us for life2. votes for all 16- and 17-year-olds in all public

elections.

Transitioning from GCSE to AS Video

Gabriel Dobrashian-Yates and Catherine Munyarari interviewed Year 13 students on the best ways of preparing for A-Levels. The UKYP created a short video which included advice from six HGS students. Ella Otemwo said: “When you start at a new sixth form, it is okay to be nervous because everyone is in the same boat.” Ravail Khan said: “It is very important you research the content of your

A-levels before selecting them so you know what to expect.” This campaign was vital in raising the profi le of common insecurities many students face when making that transition; however, it is important older students support and work with young students to eradicate these insecurities.

Votes at 16 Lobby

“Young people make up 25% of today, and 100% of tomorrow”In support of the new UKYP campaign: votes at16, last December Gabriel Dobrashian-Yates was amongst a legion of young people who were lobbying in London to reduce the voting age to 16. The UKYP has seen Scotland lowering the voting age and Catherine Munyarari said: “We live in a world that is constantly changing, we have seen tuition fees almost triple, and who do these changes affect most – young people. That is why it is vital we have a prominent say in politics and infl uence the decision makers.”

Gabriel and Anam UKYP election success Gabriel Dobrashian-Yates has been successfully re-elected as a UKYP representative for Birmingham and Year 12 student Anam has been

elected to represent Sandwell for the 2014-2016 term. The students will work with young people in their communities to continue to raise issues that affect the future of young people in the UK.

United Kingdom Youth Parliament United Kingdom Youth Parliament United Kingdom Youth Parliament United Kingdom Youth Parliament

Minister Nick Hurd MP and Labour Chair of the Minister Nick Hurd MP and Labour Chair of the

A-levels before selecting them so you know what to expect.” This campaign was vital in raising the profi le of common insecurities many students face when making that transition; however, it is important older students support and work with young students to eradicate these insecurities.

Votes at 16 LobbyVotes at 16 Lobby

“Young people make up 25% of today, and 100% of

best ways of preparing for A-Levels. The UKYP created a short video which included advice from six HGS students. Ella Otemwo

new sixth form, it is okay to be

Birmingham and Year 12 student Anam has been elected to represent Sandwell for the 2014-2016 term. The students will work with young people in their communities to continue to raise issues that affect the future of young people in the UK.

“Young people make up 25% of today, and 100% of

the new UKYP

votes at16, last

amongst a legion of young people who were lobbying in London to reduce the voting

Stage2 EllaI’m Ella, I’m in the Upper Sixth and in September I want to be studying English and Drama at university. I think I’ve always had a passion for drama and theatre, and about fi ve years

ago I joined a youth theatre called Stage2. Being a member of Stage2 has taught me so much and I’ve had a lot of fun. I really would recommend that all young people take part in some other activity outside of school. For me

that was Stage2 because it offered so many different opportunities so that you could join in even without being an actor.

The last production I was in with this company was during the Easter holiday. The play was Why Is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? by Claire Dowie; it was about the struggles of growing up a girl in the 60s and feeling like you don’t fi t it. The play was quite political and hard hitting in places but it was also very

funny and fast paced. I was part of the band that played live Beatles tracks throughout the play. This project was really special to me because it was my last production with Stage 2 but also because we were able to work with the writer a little during the term in a workshop - she also kindly came down from London to catch the Friday night performance and talk to us afterwards!

You can fi nd a copy of the review at: www.behindthearras.com/reviewsam/reviewsAMapr-Jul2014/John-Lennon-review-S204-14.html

We got 4/5 stars and I got a little mention too :)

32

university. I think I’ve always had a passion for university. I think I’ve always had a passion for drama and theatre, and about drama and theatre, and about fi ve years fi ve years

that was Stage2 because it offered so many that was Stage2 because it offered so many different opportunities so that you could join different opportunities so that you could join in even without being an actor.in even without being an actor.

The last production I was in with this The last production I was in with this company was during the Easter holiday. company was during the Easter holiday. The play was Why Is John Lennon The play was Why Is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? by Claire Dowie; it was Wearing a Skirt? by Claire Dowie; it was about the struggles of growing up a girl about the struggles of growing up a girl in the 60s and feeling like you don’t fi t in the 60s and feeling like you don’t fi t it. The play was quite political and hard it. The play was quite political and hard hitting in places but it was also very hitting in places but it was also very

33

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

HGS played host to a number of external organisations who all came to speak to the 6th form students and engage them in different activities from jewellery making to fi nancial management.

Year 12 students began work on their UCAS application for 2015 and this was followed by a series of presentations. The fi rst was from Carl Smith who spoke about the dangers and temptations facing young drivers.

The second presentation was from former student Keshav Bhat who spoke about his work and about sexism among young people. Mrs Chandan, our Psychology teacher, spoke about domestic violence, and we also had two visitors from the accountancy fi rm Deloitte, who spoke about their company’s “Bright start” programme.

Year 13 were treated to presentations from James Seymour, director of student recruitment at Aston University, and Mr Duck, our UCAS co-ordinator, also spoke on applications for student fi nance, and then we were allowed to choose a practical activity to take part in. The choices ranged from pottery with our head of Art, Mr Lynch; a yoga class with Mari from Handsworth Leisure Centre; jewellery making with Estelle Bennet; “Cooking on a budget” led by Shaleen Meelu; and rock climbing at the West Bromwich Climbing Centre, led by Mr Woodcock.

A great and memorable day was had by all.

Dynamic Debating: Success in the ESU debate Our new debating team stormed the ESU School Mace Debating Competition! Gabriel Dobrashian-Yates and vikram Patel represented the school eloquently, reaching the quarter fi nals in the tournament.

University talk on Mathematics in Space TravelDr Generalis, an Astrophysicist and Mathematician from Aston University, thrilled Sixth Form students with his presentation on the use and application of mathematics in space travel.

He relayed the story of the famous Apollo 13 mission in 1970, when only a knowledge of mathematics, particularly vectors and tangents, allowed the commander of the module to guide the ill-fated capsule back safely to earth. The dramatic journey was made into an Oscar nominated fi lm, starring Tom Hanks as Commander Jim Lovell.

Dr Generalis, who’s son is a former pupil, visited HGS as part of the “Speakers for Schools” programme. His enthusiasm and witty delivery both educated and entertained the year 12 and 13 students, many of whom waited to speak to Dr Generalis after the presentation.

Sixth FormCitizenship Day

Haroon Gulfraz

HEAD BOY

Hard work must start on your

fi rst day in this institution. The

more work and effort you put

in at the beginning of the year,

the better you will perform.

Calculations and essays will be

much clearer and stress levels

lower. You will learn to adopt

a natural work ethic which will

ensure your A-Level grades will

give you the key to compete

with other students for your

desired course at University.

Sharaye CampbellDEPUTY HEAD GIRL

I believe a school should not only provide academic success but the motivation to achieve and fulfi l one’s own goals. Handsworth Grammar School truly provides this, and as Deputy Head Girl I have the honour of assisting in its progress. I believe passing the torch on to future generations is important; it is our role to inspire and empower. I take my role as Deputy Head Girl very seriously and have given my all to this extremely prestigious school.

34

Year 8 enjoyed a day off normal timetable to take part in a unique learning experience both in and outside

the classroom. The focus was to learn about the issues surrounding electric cars and the technology that makes sustainability possible. The students made a buggy using a super capacitor which once charged does not need a battery. These were made and then raced – to varying

degrees of success. We were grateful for the support of Renault who provided inspiration in the form of an all-electric

car – the Twizy. This was an exciting experience for the students (and staff!) and generated a genuine enthusiasm to

learn more about the issues and challenges that we will have to face in the not too distant future.

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

INTERvIEWS

Year 8 super capacitor car

challenge

Senior Prefects’ corner

academic success but the motivation to achieve and fulfi l one’s own goals. Handsworth Grammar School truly provides this, and as Deputy Head Girl I have the honour of assisting in its progress. I believe passing the torch on to future generations is important; it is our role to inspire and empower.

seriously and have given my all to this extremely

Catherine Munyarari HEAD GIRLIt is a great pleasure to have been selected to represent

such a diverse range of students. As a young woman, I

would highly encourage all prospective female students

to not feel intimidated by their male counterparts, but be

determined to reach their full potential. At Handsworth

Grammar it is not only academia that is vital but it is the

support and opportunities provided, such as: regular careers

advice, university speakers, open days and community

volunteering placements that help to create a well-rounded

student. With the development of the new Sixth Form

Centre I see positive changes ahead. I am honoured to

have been a part of this establishment and its legacy and I

know the future of the school is very bright!

Sharaye CampbellSharaye Campbell

Prefects’ Prefects’

Catherine Munyarari

Catherine Munyarari HEAD GIRLHEAD GIRL

It is a great pleasure to have been selected to represent

It is a great pleasure to have been selected to represent

Ossama El-Shukri HEAD OF SCHOOL COUNCILSince Year 7 I have found HGS to be a

school where the teachers motivate you to

achieve the grades you are capable of attaining.

However, at the end of the day it is all down to

you. You have got to be willing to invest time

and effort into your future and your education.

I strongly advise you to work hard as the grades

you achieve will determine whether or not you

can apply for your chosen degree and continue

your academic journey at university. Catherine Munyarari

Catherine Munyarari

Catherine Munyarari

Catherine Munyarari

Since Year 7 I have found HGS to be a


















Ethan Griffi ns

DEPUTY HEAD BOY

Throughout my seven years at Handsworth Grammar school,

the Sixth Formers have always been the best role models and

ambassadors of the school. As Deputy Head Boy I am confi dent

my experiences will enable me to be a good example to all

prospective students, to see what mature, sensible and confi dent

students we Sixth Formers are. My role has allowed me to

empower other students with the determination they need to

succeed. I enjoy all sports, and the school’s sports facilities have

been a great platform, by providing opportunities for me to

represent the school in sport teams. The development of the

Sports Hall is an amazing asset to the school and as prospective

students, if like me you love sport, this is a great place for you.

Senior Senior Prefects’ Prefects’ Prefects’ Prefects’

Ossama Ossama El-Shukri

El-ShukriHEAD OF SCHOOL COUNCIL

HEAD OF SCHOOL COUNCILSince Year 7 I have found HGS to be a


Q: How long have you been teaching at HGS?

A: I’ve been here for 18 years, I only came for a year but I ended up staying because I loved it so much!

Q: What are the biggest changes that you’ve seen during your time here?

A: I’ve seen many changes in my 18 years at HGS – the buildings have been transformed beyond all recognition. Also, I’ve got older (I laugh awkwardly, not knowing what to say). But at the base of it all, the students never change.

Q: Do you remember the fi rst lesson that you taught at HGS?

A: I do actually: it was in Ms Gerrard’s room, which wasn’t called room 7 back then, with a class of silent Year 9s and the text I was teaching was Great Expectations. I was shocked by the fact that they all had pens, as well as by the fact that they could all access the text – a stark contrast to the London Comprehensive that I had been previously been teaching at!!

Q What will you miss the most about HGS? (Apart from our Y12 Eng Lit Class)

A: I’ll miss a lot of things about HGS: my friends and colleagues, the students – but mostly being paid to talk about things for which I have a genuine passion! But I’ll tell you what I certainly won’t miss: waking up at 6:00 am every morning; the three-hour daily commute – and the mountains of paperwork…

Q: Who are your favourite authors?

A: Philip Larkin, Emily Bronte, George Eliot, virginia Woolf, TS Eliot, Tennyson, Donna Tartt, Tobias Wolfe, Dorothy Whipple and Patrick Hamilton.

Q: Have you any advice for Mr Dubay?

A: Get on top of that bloody paperwork! Also, chocolate, if he wants to keep the department sweet!

35

INTERvIEWS

Adil Ray: Old Boy returns to HGSAdil Ray who left HGS to study at Huddersfi eld University in 1992 returned to his old school for a chat and to give us the wisdom of his experience. Adil gave two short presentations to a packed Big School fi rstly of Sixth Formers and secondly a mixed group of Key Stage 3 students. He then took a variety of questions ranging from who his favourite

teacher was and which football team he supported (Aston villa!) to whether he preferred saag or dhal.

He provided some excellent advice on making the most of the opportunities that HGS provides and the need to follow your dreams whether they be academic, musical, artistic or sporting. He posed for a number of pictures and signed many autographs for the students who thoroughly enjoyed meeting him. It was wonderful to welcome Adil back to HGS and Mr Jones was able to present him with his old form photograph, raising a good deal of laughter. We are grateful to him for taking time out of his busy schedule (he is currently writing the new series of Citizen Khan) and look forward to seeing him back at HGS in the near future.

Miles away…

Q: Have you any advice for Mr Dubay?Q: Have you any advice for Mr Dubay?

A: Get on top of that bloody paperwork! Also, chocolate, if he wants to keep the department sweet!

to the London Comprehensive that I had been previously been teaching

Dear 16-year-old MeWhat would I tell you – fi xed in 1974 as you are, without mobiles,

iPods, email, Waterstones, Amazon and all the things I depend on

now?

Firstly, look after your teeth – cut the sugar out now, especially

those Fruit Salad chews that cost so little and taste so good. Find

something to fl oss with, even though fl oss doesn’t exist yet. Raid

the sewing basket and fi nd some thread.

Secondly, talk to your grandma more and ask all the important,

interesting questions. value her opinions and her memories and

write them down because by 2011 they will be very hazy in

your own memory and that will be soooo frustrating.

Thirdly, look after all your 45s and keep them in your parents’

house rather than lugging them around from place to place

as they will get scratched, tatty and eventually your husband

will leave them in a wardrobe when you sell your fi rst fl at in

London. They will be worth a lot by 2011.

Finally, apologise to your music teacher for being so horrible

to her in Year 7 – the whole class singing in a high-pitched

voice and playing the recorder upside down and so reducing

her to tears. It was bullying and a bit pathetic really.

Good Luck.

transformed beyond all recognition. Also, I’ve got older (I laugh awkwardly, not knowing

Miles away…Miles away…Miles away…Miles away…Miles away…Miles away…

Dear 16-year-old MeDear 16-year-old Me

Adil Ray: Old Boy returns to HGSAdil Ray: Old Boy returns to HGSAdil Ray who left HGS to study at Huddersfi eld University in 1992 returned to his old school for a chat and to give us Adil Ray who left HGS to study at Huddersfi eld University in 1992 returned to his old school for a chat and to give us the wisdom of his experience. Adil gave two short presentations to a packed Big School fi rstly of Sixth Formers and the wisdom of his experience. Adil gave two short presentations to a packed Big School fi rstly of Sixth Formers and secondly a mixed group of Key Stage 3 students. He then took a variety of questions ranging from who his favourite secondly a mixed group of Key Stage 3 students. He then took a variety of questions ranging from who his favourite secondly a mixed group of Key Stage 3 students. He then took a variety of questions ranging from who his favourite secondly a mixed group of Key Stage 3 students. He then took a variety of questions ranging from who his favourite

teacher was and which football team he supported (Aston villa!) to whether he preferred saag or dhal.teacher was and which football team he supported (Aston villa!) to whether he preferred saag or dhal.

He provided some excellent advice on making the most of the opportunities that HGS He provided some excellent advice on making the most of the opportunities that HGS provides and the need to follow your dreams whether they be academic, musical, provides and the need to follow your dreams whether they be academic, musical, artistic or sporting. He posed for a number of pictures and signed many autographs for artistic or sporting. He posed for a number of pictures and signed many autographs for the students who thoroughly enjoyed meeting him. It was wonderful to welcome Adil the students who thoroughly enjoyed meeting him. It was wonderful to welcome Adil back to HGS and Mr Jones was able to present him with his old form photograph, raising back to HGS and Mr Jones was able to present him with his old form photograph, raising a good deal of laughter. We are grateful to him for taking time out of his busy schedule (he a good deal of laughter. We are grateful to him for taking time out of his busy schedule (he is currently writing the new series of Citizen Khan) and look forward to seeing him back at is currently writing the new series of Citizen Khan) and look forward to seeing him back at HGS in the near future.HGS in the near future.

Miles away…Miles away…

secondly a mixed group of Key Stage 3 students. He then took a variety of questions ranging from who his favourite secondly a mixed group of Key Stage 3 students. He then took a variety of questions ranging from who his favourite

INTERvIEWS

36

Goodbye Mr Arnold Q Over your 26 years at HGS how has the

school changed?

A The buildings have changed; they are cleaner and better equipped. When I fi rst came here, there were no computers! And there are now girls in the school.

Q What will you miss most when you leave?

A All the members of staff that are my friends. I have enjoyed working with young people as they keep you young!

Q Where did you study?

A Alsager College of Education, Alsager Training College, in Manchester (1973-1976).

Q Funny teaching moments?

A There have been too many.

Q What subjects did you study at A-Level?

A English Literature, Geography and History.

Q How did you become a Biology teacher?

A After teaching English I changed to become a Biology teacher. I did an Open University degree in Science.

Q Why did you become a Biology teacher?

A I have always been interested in the natural world.

Q Did you play any sports at school?

A Swimming, Athletics – I was a very fast runner and Rugby – I played inside centre and wings.

Q What memory do you have of your teacher(s)?

A In A-Level geography we had a short plump teacher, he walked a bit like a penguin. My friends and I would draw cartoons about him and his adventures, we called them ’The Adventures of Peng’.

Q Have you ever had a YOLO moment?

A All the time! Every Friday night when I open a bottle of wine.

Q What is one of you favourite books?

A ‘Catch-22’ by Joseph Heller.

Q What was the last really good fi lm or TV programme you watched?

A ‘Breaking Bad’ the last series.

Q If you had one superpower what would it be?

A To be able to fl y like Superman.

Q What is one of most beautiful places you have travelled to?

A Islay Scotland, I go cycling and walking. It is wild, beautiful, quiet and has six whisky distillers. I have been there a lot and will be going this summer.

Q Do you have a saying you live by?

A Live your life honestly and work hard and play harder.

If you had one superpower what would If you had one superpower what would

What is one of most beautiful places you What is one of most beautiful places you Q Q Do you have a saying you live by? Do you have a saying you live by?

Alsager College of Education, Alsager Training

What subjects did you study at A-Level? What subjects did you study at A-Level?

English Literature, Geography and History.

After teaching English I changed to become a Biology teacher. I did an Open University

Why did you become a Biology teacher? Why did you become a Biology teacher?

I have always been interested in the natural

Swimming, Athletics – I was a very fast runner and Rugby – I played inside centre and wings.

In A-Level geography we had a short plump teacher, he walked a bit like a penguin. My

Sweet sixteen?When I was asked to consider how I would live my life differently if magically whisked back in time to the age of 16, a whole raft of ideas came into my mind. However, after more considered thought, it became apparent that the hardest part of this exercise is remembering how different the world was then to now. I was 16 in 1971 (yes I’m very old) and the world was a different place.The planet was smaller then – not physically, but travel was relatively more expensive and less available. The Ryanairs of this world didn’t exist so my fi rst thought that I would like to have travelled more extensively might have been less easy. We were all less affl uent than now and the idea of gap years and the lifestyle that students live today was not a reality. I was expected to sit my A levels then go into higher education straight away. There wasn’t really an alternative except for the richer few. There were no student loans to spend on take aways, alcohol, cinema and nightclubs. If you were poor (which we weren’t) you got a full grant. If you were rich (which we weren’t) you had enough money anyway. For those of us in the middle, we relied on what our parents could afford or were prepared to give us. For me that was £4 a week in my fi rst year at Alsager College of Education (teacher training college).£4 didn’t go far even though beer was only 14 pence a pint and prices of everything were considerably less than now. Buying books for college was something that was done reluctantly. I preferred to spend my small allowance in the bar or on records and music gigs. But what if I’d had a little more money?Music has always been one of my greatest interests. I would have dearly liked to see more of my favourite bands and bought more of their records to play on my mono Dansette record player with its sapphire stylus. There was this ‘rich’ kid in the room next to mine at college and he had this fantastic system with a reel-ro-reel tape machine and illuminated (green) buttons – state of the art, no doubt. The buttons weren’t the only things that were green.One of the greatest decisions one makes in life is a choice of career. Would I still be a teacher if I had my time again? There have been times in my career when I have thought I would have prepared to do something else. There are plenty of careers that would have earned me more money and I might have enjoyed more. There are, of course, many jobs that are harder and pay less. I have to admit, I do like the academic holidays and would hate to have the standard four weeks a year. More recently, I look back on my years in teaching with some pride and feel that if I’ve made a positive contribution to young people’s lives then it has been very worthwhile.So, to be 16 again sounds all very well but is that 16 then or 16 now? Most older people would say, “Yes, OK, but only knowing what I know now.” Remember, 16-year-olds still have a lot to learn and the wisdom of older years is a long way off. Overall, I’m fairly happy with my lot, even if my time on this Earth is less than it used to be. I’ve lived through a period of prolonged peace in this country and relative affl uence. I’ll stay as I am thanks.

Bonjour!Which area in France are you from?Limoges – a small beautiful city in the countryside, very famous for making porcelain.

What fond memories do you have of your childhood?Every summer I used to go to a summer camp by the seaside. It was so fun, I loved doing sand archery.

What subjects did you study at A-Level?In France I studied Engineering, Maths, Physics, English, German, PE, French, Philosophy, History, Geography and Chemistry.

Where did you study?Poitiers University (2000-2003) where I studied English and French Foreign Languages and for my PGCE I studied at Oxford Brookes University (2004).

At school did you ever get a detention? Yes, I remember having a detention for three hours and walking six miles to get there!

What memory do you have of your teacher(s)?In France I had this clumsy Physics teacher who didn’t really pay attention to what he was doing. He would always put the acid test tubes in his pocket and forget he had them, when he bent over he would spill all the acids in the tubes.

Did you play any sports at school?Handball, badminton, table tennis and I played and taught tennis.

What is one of your favourite books?‘The Book Thief’ by Markus zusak.

Movies?Anything by Quentin Tarantino.

What was the fi rst concert you attended?In England, I went to see Muse in Manchester, they were amazing! I like punk, metal and just a bit

of everything as long as you can move to it.

If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be?A rock star, it looks so fun!

If you could invent anything what would it be?A time machine! Can you imagine your history lessons with a time machine?

Do you have a saying you always try to live by?Carpe Diem.

Travelling?I have been to Tunisia and Djerba, I am excited to go to Japan this year.

If you had one superpower what would it be?To be invisible, so I could be a good spy.

If you could go back and tell your younger self anything what would it be?I would not tell myself anything. The process of discovering yourself is much more important than the fi nal result.

What advice would you give to students?Try your very best now so you won’t have any regrets later!

INTERvIEWS

Where did you study? University of Freiburg in the Black Forest in Germany where I studied English, Celtic Studies and German.

What fond memories do you have of your teens?They are all musical. I was a member of two choirs and spent most of my teens singing.

What did you study at A-level?In Germany I studied among other subjects Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Music, Geography, Maths and Latin.

What languages do you speak?I speak fl uent English, German, French, Irish Gaelic, a bit of Welsh and Turkish and I am learning Swedish. I also understand Latin, some Spanish and a little Macedonian. I love languages, the weirder the better!

Did you play any sports at school?I was a member of the volleyball team, but was too short to compete with the taller girls.

What memories do you have of your teachers?At school I had a Latin teacher, as a class we would always distract him to teach us anything other than Latin, for example ancient history.

What is one of your favourite books? Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend Of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by velma Wallis.

Fun Fact about you?I have been a vegetarian for 12 years and a vegan for a few months.

What are your hobbies?I enjoy music, pottery, gardening, knitting, DIY, cycling, hiking, reading, photography and travel writing.

What was the last movie you watched?Pippi Longstocking in Swedish.

If you had one superpower what would it be?To eradicate poverty and environmental destruction.

Music?At age ten I attended my fi rst concert, ‘The Magic Flute’ by Mozart. Also, I like to experience countries through their authentic music; I like the traditionally inspired music of every country.

What was your fi rst solo travelling experience?This was on an exchange trip with a school in Norwich for a week, I was only 13 years old.

Travelling?Through travelling I have realised that it makes you richer as a person because of all the cultures you know. You will always miss something from the countries you have visited and lived in but you never really have that feeling of being content in one place any more.

What are your travelling tips?1) Get to know a lot about the

country before you go. This is so you are safe and that you know enough about the culture to show respect and consideration.

2) Forget about package holidays and just plan your holiday well.

3) Stay and learn with local people .

What countries will you be travelling to next?Sweden and the rest of the Scandinavian countries, Albania and Spain.

What advice would you give to students?Be open to new things, and always do things you are passionate about.

EU takeover bid at HGS?What changes are happening in our Modern Foreign Languages Department? We sent Head Girl Catherine to fi nd out . . .

Mrs Feiss Ms Helias

If you had one superpower If you had one superpower

Ms Helias Ms Helias Ms Helias

put the acid test tubes in his put the acid test tubes in his

them, when he bent over he them, when he bent over he would spill all the acids in the would spill all the acids in the

‘The Book Thief’ by Markus ‘The Book Thief’ by Markus

won’t have any regrets later! won’t have any regrets later!

In England, I went to see Muse in In England, I went to see Muse in

Guten tag!

38

In conclusion…We hope that you have enjoyed reading this latest edition of The Bridge. Planning for next year’s edition has already begun! So, if you have any ideas for articles please do email them to the Editorial team at: [email protected]

We really do encourage as many of you as possible to contribute to the magazine so please don’t be shy in sharing your news, views, stories, pictures and so on.

38

LEAvERSHello, my name is Celina Talib, I studied Psychology, Religious Studies and English literature. I plan on going to Birmingham University to study Philosophy and Political Science. It’s been a good learning experience going from private schooling to Grammar School; it has taught me to be more independent and get things done by myself for myself. Thanks to all the teachers.

Hello, my name is Chetan Soni. I studied Biology/Maths/Geography at HGS. The teachers have been incredibly supportive whether they’ve known me for just a year or throughout my time here. The number of friends I’ve met is surreal and I’ve enjoyed watching HGS progress over the years. I hope to study Geology at UCL. P.S. Enjoyed getting whooped when playing student vs. teachers football!!!

Hi, I’m Mayur. I studied Biology, History and Psychology at HGS. The best part of my time at Handsworth Grammar School was D of E. I want to study Psychology at University of Leeds and wish everyone in the year the best for the future too.

My name is Ravail, I have been at HGS since year 7. I studied Maths, Physics and Economics and I’m hoping to study Accounting and Finance at De Monfort University. Throughout my time at HGS the one thing I have always experienced is the willingness of the teachers to help, support and guide your learning.

Hi, my name is Taja, I studied English Psychology and Religious Studies and hope to study English at Keele. HGS was such a welcoming place, coming from an all girls’ school to a mixed school I was naturally slightly apprehensive but it was so easy to make friends and adapt.

My name is Tanassar Nasir, HGS made me who I am today. I have enjoyed many things such as having the nickname Smiley, everyone called me that because of how much l smile! A good memory is being part of the Athletic ICT Support 2013 at Alexander Stadium. I enjoyed everything at HGS, I am going to miss it, especially my friends, the teachers, the school, the basketball, the park, the food, the area, the bus journeys, the non-uniform days, the ‘smiley fame,’ all other achievements and everything from roof to ground! I studied Politics, Law and Religious Studies at HGS and hopefully I will attend the University of Sheffi eld to study Law.

Hi, my name is Umae-Farva Shah, I studied Biology, Business and Psychology at Handsworth Grammar School. I enjoyed meeting loads of great new people and also doing new subjects that were really interesting like Psychology.

38 38

GOLDFlSH BRAlNYou will have to excuse the mess, I’m afraid that my housemate and I happen to rely on others to maintain the cleanliness of our environment and as you know, these days you just cannot get the staff.It’s pretty dull here. Not a great deal happens. The usual comings and goings. We do have a grandstand view of THEM. THEY frequently engage in some ritual that involves strange repetitive raising of THEIR elongated fi ns. You will have to excuse the mess. And my little friend. Yes, he isn’t the full tank if you know what I mean. He just follows me around, cheerfully muttering to himself.The only variation is when the food arrives from THEM. All we do is swim up toward the light and food appears from the beyond. My little chum and I have a good old munch. very pleasant. I really cannot wish for more. Perhaps a little more sophisticated company…You will have to excuse the mess. I’m not sure how it has come to this. I’m not really used to

such squalor. I’m afraid my ‘friend’ over there is rather responsible for this. He isn’t very bright.I have tried to appeal to THEM, but they don’t seem to notice. THEY are deaf to my pleas. They seem to be uninterested in my plight. I’m just not used to living like this. The food is dreadful. The swooshing thing over there is very irritating…

Yes, I’m very proud of my little place. I have a lovely housemate, too. Lovely clean atmosphere, beautiful coloured fl ooring. The food is smashing. All our needs are catered for by these pale servants who live out there. THEY are not very engaging, but they are very effi cient and we want for nothing. Lovely…WHAT AM I DOING HERE? WHO AM I? WHO IS HE? WHY AM I HERE?!

such squalor. I’m afraid my ‘friend’ over there is rather

isn’t very bright.isn’t very bright.isn’t very bright.I have tried to appeal to THEM, but they don’t I have tried to appeal to THEM, but they don’t I have tried to appeal to THEM, but they don’t

39

We are two rescue cats, by the names of Treacle and Murphy. Our owner had us from kittens and took us back to her home. We like to bring presents to her all of the time and I know she enjoys sharing how kind and generous we are to her students at school. Amongst her favourite gifts are the pregnant mouse, a dead mouse on a trap, a pigeon (we even de-feathered this one for her), a family of baby blackbirds, and frogs. She frequently will try and discuss with us whether cats have the ability to feel compassion for the creatures they catch or whether we have a conscience! She spends her evenings chasing around after two smaller humans. Of an evening we like to try and curl up on the table next to her piles of paper that she is trying to write on; she is never keen on our help with her marking.

Treacle and Murphy

bring presents to her all of the time and I know she enjoys sharing how bring presents to her all of the time and I know she enjoys sharing how kind and generous we are to her students at school. Amongst her favourite gifts are the pregnant mouse, her favourite gifts are the pregnant mouse, a dead mouse on a trap, a pigeon (we even de-feathered this one for her), a family of baby blackbirds, and frogs. She frequently will try and

bring presents to her all of the time and I know she enjoys sharing how

‘DUTCH’Howsaboutye, aul han’, I’m a ‘Huntaway’ and

built like a brick...wall!

Back in the day, I was used to herd sheep,

‘cause they’re as thick as a ditch. Like most

‘Huntaways’ I’m black and tan, which

goes down like a lead balloon in our

house, but we’re good workers!.....

we’re from New zealand ya see, but we were

originally sent there!

My breed are large chested, like my big brother Silvest!, and I

ccurrently weigh about 30 kilos, which is about 50 lbs in real

money!... but I have fl oppy ears which makes me look

cute... But don’t judge a book by its cover!!!


cute... But don’t judge a book

Right. Right. Right. Ooooh eh. I’m Spike-

the-Cat and I’m a Scouser. I’m really

hard, got a curly perm and can rob stuff

for yer if you want...oops, just playing

to the vicious Birmingham stereotype

there. Calm down, calm down....

Right, right, right. So, I love

Whiskas pouches and my mistress,

who is also a Scouser by origin, gives

them to me sometimes...so I love her for that. She

doesn’t always, but I know if I go on and on and on she will

eventually give in ‘cos she’s a soft touch. She likes books and so I

have to listen to her going on and on about what she’s just read and

she likes chocolate too but so do I and sometimes she shares hers

with me – but not stuff from Hotel Chocolat ‘cos that’s her fave. So,

you can guess easy who she is, can’t you. If not you’re a div!!

Love Spike-the-Cat xx

We are two rescue cats, by the names of Treacle and Murphy. Our We are two rescue cats, by the names of Treacle and Murphy. Our owner had us from kittens and took us back to her home. We like to



Garnet at Nightfall - An English Bulldog.I’m Garnet at Nightfall, an English, Brummie bulldog

of medium size who displays the typical bulldog spirit

throughout the day, somewhat akin to resilience as a learning

habit! I’m sturdy and smooth haired, with a fl at wrinkled face

and broad chest. Some might say I resemble my owner, being short and stocky with royal blue blood running through my veins. I enjoy long walks along the River Cole in south Birmingham, whilst my owner listens to classical music on his latest smartphone. I also snore louder than my gadget geek owner, especially when he is talking about a well-known Midlands football team’s poor performance every weekend. So, you can guess who my owner is, can’t you?

Love Garnet at Nightfall xx

Howsaboutye, aul han’, I’m a ‘Huntaway’ and

Back in the day, I was used to herd sheep,

‘cause they’re as thick as a ditch. Like most

we’re from New zealand ya see, but we were



throughout the day, somewhat akin to resilience as a learning

habit! I’m sturdy and smooth haired, with a fl at wrinkled face

and broad chest. Some might say I resemble my owner, being short and stocky with royal blue blood running through my veins. I enjoy long walks along the River Cole in south Birmingham, whilst my owner listens to classical music on his latest smartphone. I also snore louder than my gadget geek owner, especially when he is talking about a well-known Midlands football team’s poor performance every weekend. So, you can guess who my owner is, can’t you?

Love Garnet at Nightfall xx

My name is Maisey and I am a 3 year old Springer

Spaniel, brown and white in colour. I love running

in the park, eating lots of food (including human

food!) and jumping into very muddy puddles.

There are a couple of photos of me for you to

see, one clean and one as I prefer, covered in

mud. I live in Harborne with my owner who,

I think, may prefer cats – especially black ones.

Who do you think this

might be?

Maisey

compassion for the creatures they catch or whether compassion for the creatures they catch or whether

She spends her evenings chasing around after two She spends her evenings chasing around after two smaller humans. Of an evening we like to try and smaller humans. Of an evening we like to try and curl up on the table next to her piles of paper that she is trying to write on; she is never keen on she is trying to write on; she is never keen on

My name is Maisey and I am a 3 year old Springer

Garnet at Nightfall - An English Bulldog.

Garnet at Nightfall - An English Bulldog.I’m Garnet at Nightfall, an English, Brummie bulldog

of medium size who displays the typical bulldog spirit

Garnet at Nightfall - An English Bulldog.

TEACHERS’ PETSCan you guess who they belong to?

seem to notice. THEY are deaf to my pleas. seem to notice. THEY are deaf to my pleas. seem to notice. THEY are deaf to my pleas. They seem to be uninterested in my plight. I’m just not used to living like this. The food is I’m just not used to living like this. The food is dreadful. The swooshing thing over there is

have a lovely housemate, too. Lovely clean atmosphere, beautiful coloured fl ooring. The atmosphere, beautiful coloured fl ooring. The atmosphere, beautiful coloured fl ooring. The food is smashing. All our needs are catered for by these pale servants who live out there. for by these pale servants who live out there. for by these pale servants who live out there. THEY are not very engaging, but they are very effi cient and we want for nothing. Lovely…effi cient and we want for nothing. Lovely…effi cient and we want for nothing. Lovely…

mud. I live in Harborne with my owner who,

I think, may prefer cats – especially black ones.

Who do you think this

might be?

Maisey

bring presents to her all of the time and I know she enjoys sharing how bring presents to her all of the time and I know she enjoys sharing how kind and generous we are to her students at school. Amongst

discuss with us whether cats have the ability to feel compassion for the creatures they catch or whether compassion for the creatures they catch or whether

She spends her evenings chasing around after two She spends her evenings chasing around after two smaller humans. Of an evening we like to try and




cute... But don’t judge a book by its cover!!!


Right. Right. Right. Ooooh eh. I’m Spike-

the-Cat and I’m a Scouser. I’m really

hard, got a curly perm and can rob stuff

for yer if you want...oops, just playing

to the vicious Birmingham stereotype

there. Calm down, calm down....

Whiskas pouches and my mistress,

who is also a Scouser by origin, gives

them to me sometimes...so I love her for that. She

doesn’t always, but I know if I go on and on and on she will

3838


Grove Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands B21 9ETTel: 0121 554 2794 | Fax: 0121 551 5575 | Email: [email protected]

www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk

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