2

Starting year 7 is one of the most nerve-racking parts of coming to Heathfield. But what are the best

bits??? There are so many opportunities here: the activities, all the clubs, the school trips and Pinkery. I advise you to do as many of these as you can, to create more friendships and to create more memories at our school. The clubs are great, varying from Impact magazine to science club to netball and football. In year 7 there are prefects - 3 or 4 to each form; they are there to guide you through your first year and to help you with problems you don’t want to talk about with your form teacher. There are many teachers here, one for each lesson. Some are strict; some easy-going, some serious and some hilarious. There are always rewards that follow good work. These are merits which can be hard to get - depending on the teacher - so just ask if you deserve one. Some teachers give them out like cookies!

It will be very different from year 6. Then, you were the biggest in a small pack. Now, in year 7, you’re the small fish in a really big pond. One of the best times in year 7 is Pinkery, which is great fun; you are bound to get muddy, along with bin bag fashion shows, talent shows, ghost stories, the low ropes, mountain biking, and archery. You also get to know everyone in your form!! Even though everything’s new and you’re in a new environment with new people, you will get used to it very quickly. I hope you have a good time here and make the most of it. Georgia Bly year 7

HEATHFIELD IN A NUTSHELL Four students, four stories ...

Welcome to the new edition of

IMPACT!

This latest publication comes with extra blood, sweat and tears (and

joy) - it has been designed using InDesign software on a brand new Apple Mac. Due to a complete lack of knowledge (Mr Backhouse), we bow down to Mr Brown in Art who has been a true knight in shining armour. In short, he is an expert with InDesign, and this mag could not have been produced without him. And check out the numbers of contributors this year. Enormous credit goes to main writers and creators Chloe Bellamy, Isla Emmett, Hannah Boyland, Bryony Woollacott, Tom Larcombe, Leanne Holden, Kathlyn Bottomley who turned up week after week. Also, big thanks to the design teams which included : Niamh Evans, Kerry Faulkner, Faye Martin, Jordan Welch, Hatty Manley, Gemma Thorne, Jess Pearce, Charlotte Robbins, Bryony Pearson, Megan Adams, Lauren Penny, Tina Carmichael, Sapphire Burgess and Hugh Williams. Thanks also to Miss Gray, Mr Flower and Mr Fletch-er. Enjoy reading, and - I nearly forgot - check out all the fab facts about Heathfield as you go...

Students with ex-student Ollie Alnutt, raising money for Biscuits for Afghanistan

3

When you get the news of a new girl or boy joining the school mid-way

through the year, everyone gets excit-ed! It’s an opportunity to get to know someone new and possibly become friends. However, while everyone in the year group is talking about the new arrival, the new arrival will be scared silly wondering whether anyone will like them. It’ a terrifying time, starting a new school... I joined Heathfield School half way through year 8. I am now currently a year 11 student and have enjoyed my time here immensely. However, all the way back in April 2010, I was in my new black uniform and was making my way towards the massive school that I had to start. Mr Fielding, my new Head of Hear, had asked me to come in early on my first day so he could introduce me to my new ‘buddies’. As it turned out my new buddies became my best mates. There were three of them and they

introduced me to others who later on became my friends. It was the most nerve racking day ever. I kept forget-ting their names when they always remembered mine. I was nervous when the English teacher told me to find my own way to and from the library to get a book. I was even nerv-ous when I waited in the dinner line in the canteen. I used to be really shy and not talk or made myself heard. If I had a problem with someone or something, I would keep it to myself and not tell anyone. The same can be said if someone was bullying me. I would let it carry on and not confront a teacher about it. I did not like to come out of my shell even if it was to answer a simple question in class. But being at Heathfield did me the world of good. Everyone was so lovely to me and made me wel-come. I felt at home and made plenty of friends. My results in lessons got a lot better and I started to become interested in school, something that

had never happened before. I went to teachers when things weren’t so good, and things smoothed themselves out. Heathfield is really the best school there is and I will be sad to leave, my only wish being that I could go back to that first day in April 2010 and start all over again! Heathfield gives you plenty of activities and opportunities to keep you going throughout the five years you are there. There is something for every-one. You want my advice? Enjoy it while you can, because it’ll be over before you know it!

Kayleigh Parker year 11

HEATHFIELD IN A NUTSHELL Four students, four stories ...

4

There are a lot of subjects at Heathfield such as: Maths, English, Science, Physical edu-

cation (PE), Food tech and lots more. EnglishReading, writing, lots of group work. There is the year 7 poetry speaking competition, and don’t forget : join Impact! MathsYou do a variety of things like frac-tions, decimal points, angles and plenty more. Food tech At the moment you might be thinking : what is food tech? Well, I can answer that for you. You have to prepare and make foods, but don’t get ahead of yourselves - it is not every week that we do this. Some weeks, we have to do written work in our

books. Physical Education PE is a much loved subject in Heathfield. There is a lot of variety, for example netball, football, basket-ball, dance, hockey, rugby and lots more. ScienceIn primary you do very few exper-iments, but here you do a lot more with chemicals and so on. Also there is science club at lunch times. History History is better than at primary school because you learn more inter-esting things. DramaIf you are very imaginative, you can express your feelings through your movements.

EnglishInstead of expressing your feelings through movements, you express them through writing, language and speech! That is why I like the subject so much. ArtI like to draw even though I am not that good at it; you don’t need to be good - it is about the amount of effort you put in. MFLMFL stands for Modern Foreign Languages, which are French and German at Heathfield.These are some of the subjects I like but there are plenty more.

By Leah Davies 7L

Well, what subjects are there?Leah Davies reports

5

Clubs. There are loads to join at lunch time or after school. You can play sport against

other schools too. I do hockey, netball and badminton. There is also Chem-istry Club, Chinese Culture Club, chess, Impact Magazine and even a Green Team. Want to try a different club? What about fencing? These are just a few of what is on offer.

You may have heard about Pinkery. It is amazing; you get to know your form, as well as do fun activities like archery, low ropes, and get very muddy in the bogs. Walking on the moors and to Linton and Lyn-mouth might sound boring, but it’s the best and funniest walk I’ve been on. (You even might get to push the teachers into the bogs … I didn’t say anything!) There is also Activities Week. I have heard a lot about this and it sounds awesome! As you get older you have more choice in what to do. You can go skiing, visit Disney Land and loads more. I am really looking forward to it.

There are hardly any bullies and I have never experienced or seen bullying. If it ever goes on, they take it very seriously and iron out any problems quickly, so it’s better to let someone know it’s happening than keeping it quiet. We also have a school busi-ness called Café Paramo. We are priv-ileged to be one of the few schools who run a business like this. The school buys coffee from Ecuador. We return ALL our profits to the farmers, making it fairer than fair trade. It provides them and their families with plenty of money for the year.

Enjoy primary school while you can. You may miss it when you start at Heathfield but there’s honestly nothing to worry about. Just go with

the flow and you will be fine. Enjoy being young and not worrying about money.

Remember, you only live once.

By Olivia Pearson 7E

A unique opportunity. And, yolo.

6

The Cedar Centre has been

very busy since September. We have six students and six staff

who all teach different things. We cover the full curricu-lum as well as other lessons including Learn to Move, life skills and personal development. We also run extra-curricular clubs such as Boccia and a STEM club and do wake and shake every morning. We have also taken part in a Pinkery trip, Children in Need ‘Penny Pudsey’ and the Ghanaian drumming. In October we went to Pinkery where we took part in archery and watched people on bikes . After that, we went to the beach. There was a sign saying “Don’t feed the birds!” but I saw Mrs Stanbridge get a piece of bread out the bag and said I could throw it to the birds so I did!

In February, some robots came and we all got to make one. We first took one apart and started building a

robogator. Once it was finished it was amaz-

ing it bites anything it sees. It was fun!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH HEAD OF CEDAR CENTRE

What lessons do you do at the Cedar Centre?A. Maths, Science, English, History, Geography, IT, Art, P.E, Project work, Life skills, Personal development, Learn to move and Drama.What is your favourite lesson?A. Maths!Why did you work at the Cedar Centre?A. Because it’s such a privilege.What would be a typical day at the Cedar Centre?A. Wake and shake, circle time, lesson one, outside break, lesson two and three, snack break, lesson four and five, lunch, lesson six, circle time, home time.What rooms do you have at the Cedar Centre?A. Three small classrooms (Beech, Willow, Ash), office, student toilet, calm room, social room, kitchen and balcony.What do you do if a student does some good work?A. Give a reward-e.g. a star, a small postcard (worth four stars) or a large postcard (worth eight stars).

THE CEDAR CENTRE

fab facts

One new Somerset Autism Centre (‘The Cedar Centre’) and state of the art library

7

Found Po etr y by Year 7 Students (Writers Workshop w ith Jo Back hous e)

Found poems take existing texts and refashion them, reorder them, and present them as poems. The literary equivalent of a collage, ‘found’ poetry is often made from newspa-per articles, street signs, graffiti, speeches, letters, or even other poems. - See more at

http://www.poets.org

(‘found’ in The Perfect Hostess Cookbook, 1950, and World in Transformation: Russia, 1969)

Untitled Poem by Kirstie and Joel If you leave aside the cheques

There are only statements Of liability

That PINS make around the card A super-fresh, sharp cardholder cleanser.

fab facts

31teaching assistants

(making the Learning Support

department by far the biggest in the school)

Year 7 poetry speaking competitionTh anks to all the judges and participants who stood up in front of the masses

... to the winners and nearly winners, and above all to ...

Mrs Barratt for organising it!

Other events in English : pop video year 8, year 9 speech competition, Impact magazine

Write rs Workshops, yr 10 +11 debating

THE CEDAR CENTRE

8

SURRENDER THE BART

ENDER

9

Some people love it. Others hate it. But, thanks to MTV and radio stations, we all have

to live with it. I’m talking of course about today’s music. No doubt you have seen the charts, how artists such as Jessie J, One Direction and Bruno Mars have been on top for several weeks, and it leads to the question : when are we going to hear something new? The charts are full of rappers and pop singers and a lot of people are sick of it. It’s too generic, they say. Every song is about sex, or love, or

partying. They complain that no musicians are pushing the

boundaries, that they’re sticking to

the same idea.

But I

don’t.

Admittedly the charts rarely offer

anything aurally

pleasing but

there are so many musicians out there who are experimenting, who do have their own style, their own sound. Yet nobody pays them any attention. A lot of people worry that our generation just doesn’t size up to the 60s or 70s, or 80s. They need not worry. They might have the Beatles, but we have ... Muse. Muse have produced some of the most thought-provoking original songs I have ever heard. They’re fun both on and off stage, and are now pushing the limits of music further. They have dared to venture into Dub step. This, combined with Techno and their own style, has made their new album The Second Law a completely different animal to their first. We take bands like this for granted, but what would it be like without them? Imagine a music store, people rushing in to see the same album stacked on every shelf. Or, at home, you’re relaxing. You try to change the music, but there is only one track. Or at least this is what it feels like. We don’t want that; no one does. Yet, this is where some of today’s music is heading. Music needs that creative element

within it, otherwise you end up with a carbon copy of someone else’s song. Muse’s new album has reached the top ten in the charts and deserves to be there. But other talented bands are struggling and this is not fair. We need hard-working, fun bands who are only interested in their fans and making good music. Music plays an enormous role in our lives. We all have one track that makes us smile – or cry. So why do people want to listen to generic pop all the time? We need something powerful, emotional … something that makes us think. We don’t want Lady Gaga, Carly Rae Jepson or Justin Bieber. We want Muse.

One DirectiOn? Justin BieBer? Are these the mODern Answer tO the BeAtles? Not according to Ashley Garrod

And why is Ashley’s opinion relevant? Well, he features in Surrender the Bartend-er, pictured, and knows his music. Sam Midgley and Joe Meikle complete the line-up of this all year 11 band.

f a b f a c t s 21 symphon

ies

composed by Heathf el

d students

b e t w e en ye ar 7 an d 1 1

10

Year 8 african masks!Year 8 african masks!

Fab Fact

110 year 11sstudied GCSE Art in 2012-13

11

The Hunger Games: book versus film...Tom Larcombe and Leanne Holden battle it out

A real experience, by Hazel Anne Llewellyn de Gelas

I’m going to tell you about my tragic flood story…

It was Sunday. We were eating. We got a call from the Environ-ment Agency : ‘Prepare to leave on Tuesday because your house may flood’.

When we arrived home we found a huge puddle in our kitchen - we thought it was flowing through the doors from outside. We started bailing the water out. Our friends helped us.

After 45 minutes, we realised it was coming through the floor-

boards!

We moved everything we could upstairs and called the fire bri-gade. They were with us in ten minutes and gave us the news : ‘We

can’t do anything. What hap-pens happens’.

I felt traumatised.

My mum dropped me and the

dogs off with my friends so I

could go to school the next day. My

sister, mum and step-dad went to the Holiday

Inn as there was nowhere else to go. Every hour, the water in my house rose by twelve inches. Already it

had got to three feet!

We lived in a hotel for four more weeks. My house was now wrecked. My chickens went to Olivia Batten’s, dogs to my nan, cats in a cattery and small animals to Ben Sutton.

Three months on, we are trying to get a house in North Curry and take all 30 of our animals with us. We’re not sure what we are doing with our old house. It was a hor-rible experience, worse than you could imagine and I hope it never happens to you.

The BOOK of ‘The Hunger Games’ is an emotional roll-er-coaster set in a war stricken

North America. Divided into 14 dis-tricts, the land now called Panem is caked in poverty and inequality. The main character, Katniss Everdeen, has been breaking the law to feed her family ever since her father was killed in a mine explosion. The spiral of complex feelings and death gurgles, tests the reader’s conscience… (Tom Larcombe) NO, the film is best. (Leanne Holden) You’re wrong, the film is best. In the film you can see all your favourite Hunger Games characters come to life; the way the events are shown is amazing, little Rue with her bouncy hair is amazingly portrayed by Amandla Strenberg… In fact, the book is always better because you can use your imagination to evolve the characters. You don’t have to rely on some weird

actor with ‘bouncy hair’… WHAT?! The characters are amazing and it’s riveting to see Kat-niss and Peeta and really see the tense relationship between them. Why see a tense relationship when you can read one. And any-way, that isn’t even the best part. The deaths are so cool (praise the person who thought up Tracker Jackers! Why would you read about the deaths when you can see them in all their gory glory on the big screen? THERE IS NO BLOOD! Victory! … Even if there is no blood, you still don’t get quite the same effect in the books - you can actually see the haze of the Tracker Jackers venom and you get to see all the awesome stunts and the explosion. Okay, you get that one, BUT you can’t take the film with you to a story-accurate forest to increase the thrill. Actually, yes you can. You

can get it on all different types of portable media, so you can take it anywhere with you... …with internet access! And anyway, those devices are VERY expensive. Face it, the book is best! I think that this is one argu-ment that should be left well alone, and we should let readers decide for themselves, by reading the book or watching the films. Book first, obviously… Oh, WHATEVER! …

FLOOD horror story

fab facts100 litresOf ethanol bought by the Science

department each year (hic!)

12

Miss Lake Miss Malkin Mr Adams Miss Bird Mr Trott

What is your earliest memory?

Falling off a wall into a pile of stinging nettles, wearing only shorts and a t-shirt. OUCH!

My mum giving me lung massage

Dancing with a broom handle as a guitar - I was two

Playing with my Dad in the lounge when I was 2 years old

Holiday in Spain – jumped in the pool –couldn’t swim – Cliff (my Dad!) jumped in fully clothed with wallet and phone to save me, haha

What is the worst fashion faux pas you’ve made?

Fluorescent yellow tracksuit

They happen daily – I’m just not aware

A brown shell suit (with purple and orange stripes)

Dressing head to toe in baby blue – trousers, shirt, cardigan, shoes – nightmare!

Socks and sandals

Which member of staff would you least like to be stuck in an elevator with?

Mrs Roberts – because she would see it as an opportunity for a disco!

I try to always use the stairs

Mr Breeze obviously

No idea, everyone I’ve met is lovely

Mr Fielding

Most embarrassing moment?

Boasting the fact I bought cheap tickets to an Anthrax gig only to turn up and realise it was a terrible cover band!

Sitting on sauna stones in Denmark

Slipping on the a custard cream and into a pond

Year 6 – I fell asleep on the coach coming back from a school trip with a lollipop in my mouth and my classmates took pictures of me!

Panic attack in the airport because I HATE flying!!!

Film or novel? Novel (most life changing book - Shanteram)

Orwell, Coming up for air.

Film Novel Film

Sum up your philosophy on life in three words

Understanding Awareness Laughter

Do, explore, enjoy

Live, laugh, love Laugh, love, live Experiences better than possessions

Sum up your personality in three words

Enthusiastic, Empathetic & Rockin’

Loud, geeky, curious

Direct, creative, compassionate

Quiet but fun Cheeky, competitive, spontaneous.

Word/phrase you overuse

Just do some work!

Bonjour. Ca va? All right my lover?

“I’m tired!” Yes

STA F F

13Qu E ST IONA I rE

Miss Lake Miss Malkin Mr Adams Miss Bird Mr Trott

What do you most hate in other people?

Self-Gratification Closed mindedness

Dishonesty Lying Rudeness

What do you most hate in yourself?

My ability to over describe something very simple

Impatience The fact thatI’m an expert in procrastination

Lack of self-confidence

Can’t get out of bed in the morning

Favourite gadget?

The lobster telephone in my classroom

iPod iPhone 5 My food processor!

iPhone

Favourite song? Killing in the Name of – Rage against the Machine

Lots I love “God only knows’ (Beach boys)

‘Give me shelter’ by The Rolling Stones

Bruce Springsteen – BORN TO RUN, BLOOD BROTHERS, BORN IN USA! Classics!!!

What three possessions would you rescue from your burning house?

My Le Creuset saucepans, scrapbook of my travels around the world & my music collection.

None. People are what it’s about

Photos, my piano (if I had time), mac book

My teddy, my favourite book, my favourite pillow

PS3, George Forman Griller, Reed diffuser (my housemate smells).

List three things you’d put in room 101

Eggs, marmite & Michael Gove

Guns, films without decent endings, politicians

Michael Gove, Tesco ‘Back to school’ adverts in August, TOWIE

Traffic jams, rain, Eastenders

Edward Miliband, Welsh Rugby and their supporters.

Describe your signature dance move in three words

Head - Banging - Tastic

Probably very German

Embarrassment - needs improvement

Party rocker style

Up Down Around

Favourite joke? Q: What is brown & sticky?

A: a stick

Why was the piano invented?

So the musician has a place to put his beer

What’s red and sits in the corner?

A naughty strawberry

What do you call a man with a seagull on his head? Answer: Cliff!!

Blizzards in

Flanders Fields :

Ypres re-visited

In past visits we basked in sun, but this year the continent was blanket-ed in snow, lending an atmosphere

of peace and stillness to an area all too used to violence and war. This was Ypres, Belgium. The date : March, 2013. Thirty eight year 10 pupils visited the preserved trench-es, sites and memorials of an area on the Western front described by Win-ston Churchill as ‘sacred’ to the British. We packed a lot into a few days. We struggled through the slush and ice at the bottom of preserved trenches at Hill 62. We met Johan, an archaeolo-gist who finds and exhumes lost soldiers. We fought through a blizzard at Pol-ygon Wood, resting place of thousands of Australian soldiers. We saw the difference be-tween the pristine, white and glimmer-ing British Cemetery at Tyne Cot and the dark, brooding German Cemetery at Langemark. We also visited Essex Farm, where John McRae wrote the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, and where a 15 year old soldier has his grave.

So we asked year 10s : why go? ‘It helps you realise that young people should care, because of all the young people who died for them,’ said Elliott. ‘It teaches us to not make the same mistakes,’ added George. ‘It makes you feel lucky and grateful,’ (Ellie) and ‘It’s a trip with lots of eye opening experiences’ (Daisy).

If I had to pick one memo-rable mo-ment, then it would have to be watching two pupils (Eloise and Oli) laying a wreath on behalf of Heath-field.

The caption (written by Alex) read, ‘To those who gave

all they could give, and more, to protect

what they love and hold dear. We shall never forget

your sacrifices.’

14

Freedom: life by Thomas Larcombe

Escapism. The process of submerging oneself in fictional or unrealistic events

or circumstances – usually in the form of a novel, televised programme or live performance (sometimes a hobby) – to relieve or separate the mind from the stresses of real life… One day I was walking backwards down the street. No idea why. I just was. But – you know – whilst walking backward it’s very hard to see what’s in front of you. So I inevitably backed into something. It just so happened to be an old woman. She made an annoyed face at me from her seat on the floor, and slowly made her way onto her knees so that she could get up and be on her way. I watched her for a while. The sight was hard to describe. Hilariously stupid? Painfully slow? Thoroughly entertaining? I found myself just staring at the sprawling, timeworn anthropoid and making a deduction of sorts I don’t often.

When I got home, I waltzed up to my room - making no effort to acknowledge the existence of any relative – and set up my easel, paints and brushes. I made a single, small stroke in the centre of my canvas. It formed itself into a five-pronged, flattened star-fish. I rounded off the north-most point. More random stokes formed themselves around the shape, creating moons, rivers, dragons, hunters. Twisted forms of light and shade and darkness and tragedy and sorrow. Jaws and serrated streaks of orange dance the foreground, whilst blues and purples limescale the sky. Selfish black enclose pools of lonely colour. Overly eccentric spirals of wildness create shrill patterns. I finished the curvature of emerald green in the north north-west of the canvas and set down my brush. I stood back and admired my work. It was – blatantly – the woman on the floor. I ran crazed around the room about 16 times before collapsing onto the bed. I stared at

the blank ceiling. I saw the woman. Her eyes piercing. Evil. It took me a while to remember that it isn’t possible for canvass mounted colours to leap out and ring your throat. I shifted towards the canvass, contemplating throwing it out the window, onto next door’s garage, ready to be rain-wrecked. But I told myself that was rash. Sell it! The next morning I found myself asleep behind a stall at the local car boot sale. Several hours and no luck shifting the scrap. No one likes angry grannies, apparently. So in the end I just chucked it, but I’m sure I saw someone take it out afterwards. When I got home, I waltzed up to my room - making no effort to acknowledge the existence of any relative – and set up my easel, paints and brushes. I made a single, small stroke in the centre of my canvas…

Untitled poem by Dom, year 10 (Writing workshop)How long has it been Since water flowed over the mountaintops? A billion years, three billion? How many things has the water seenOn its journey down twined knots?Revolution? Resolution? When did we last walk Down the paved roads of the city? 10 years? Before it disappeared. Because love took over, Took over the people on the sidewalk, The dictators of our world became pretty developed A care that appeared That appeared when love took over, And the knots loosened, And drained the sea water.

Love Limerick by Beth, year 10 (writing workshop)

There was an old woman from France

Who wanted to go to the dance

So she went into town

And found Mr Brown

Who had the most beautiful stance.

He took her along to the jig

Where they dined on a feast of roast pig

They danced to the rumba

And then did the samba

And finished with pudding of fig.

15

Returning to Heathfield ten years after leaving in 2003 has forced me to reflect on what I

have done over the last decade; after all, when I was 16 with my GCSE re-sults in hand, 2013 felt like a lifetime away. I spent two years at Richard Huish College, continuing with my favourite school subjects, English and Drama and studying new ones such as Psychology and Law. I made new friends and plenty of great memories. After college I felt I needed a break from mainstream education and de-cided to spend a year travelling, four school friends and I got on a plane, first stop India. From there I headed to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Bhur-ma, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and finally the States before heading back home. I could write an entire novel on everything I did, saw and expe-rienced. I’m privileged and proud to say I ticked off many on the ‘see before you kick the bucket list’. I had

left home with a place waiting for me at law school in London and returned sun tanned and inspired to actually follow what I loved and do a degree in Performance. I moved to Cardiff Univer-sity. Two weeks in I broke my knee (OUCH!) and sadly had to drop out of my course – however after my knee recovered and some intense physio-therapy I worked full time managing my local pub and then spent the summer travelling Europe! I then re started my degree, this time at Plymouth. Three years and A LOT of hard work, sweat and tears later I had my degree! SO… then the question was what to do with it? I had always known I’d wanted to teach at some point but felt I needed a break from studying and university therefore I spent the next year working as a LSA at Huish Epis-copi Academy, something I loved and without doubt learnt a lot from, most of all that teaching was definitely for

me. After my first year as an LSA I taught Drama GCSE alongside my support work , before finally enroll-ing on a GTP teacher training course where I get my full teaching qualifica-tion whilst working, which brings me back to why I am here, back at Heath-field on my five week placement. That’s pretty much the last 10years of my life, I know everyone says it but I have no idea where the years have gone! I can’t help but con-template what the next decade will have in store. I hope it will be equally exciting.Emily Moll

Heathfield, Thailand, Bhurma, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cardiff, Heathfield

‘Found’ Poem by Matt and Mike year 7 writers workshop

You will be liable For the peasantry of content: Rebellion. Minimum. University. Students. If we vary The tsarist system We will write To tell you.

(from ‘World in Transformation: Russia’, and ‘Stand-ard European Consumer Credit Information form PD 10275’ )

‘Found’ poem by Leilani and Hannah, year 7

Blackberry asked me to demonstrate The preparation of this flower, Then published it in her dogrose fruit. Eye-spheres, she called it, A large dodder sublime. After the long day, the soil Invariably went to the nettles For the July rocket.

(from ‘Wild Flowers’ and ‘The Perfect Hostess Cookbook’)

Just for one day, by Joe Chorley She’s a harsh mistress, cold nipping.

Frost runs in and out with every shiver Blinding white showers distracts

The beauty of the snow detailed, individual, unique

She transports you to an unknown world.

The first steps on soft ground, walking on clouds themselves

gently, gently, cold spreads takes over

causes chaos, but nobody minds

or wishes her away

Hypnotised by her glory Taken by her power

Speechless for her victory

For the single snowflake holds a place in people’s hearts Nature has triumphed

Just for one day

Just for one day, by Joe Chorley She’s a harsh mistress, cold nipping.

Frost runs in and out with every shiver Blinding white showers distracts

The beauty of the snow detailed, individual, unique

She transports you to an unknown world.

The first steps on soft ground, walking on clouds themselves

gently, gently, cold spreads takes over

causes chaos, but nobody minds

or wishes her away

Hypnotised by her glory Taken by her power

Speechless for her victory

For the single snowflake holds a place in people’s hearts Nature has triumphed

Just for one day

16

The Heathfield showjumping team

17

18

In 1982, I was 4 years old. I clearly remember my mother’s face. She often looked anxious and preoc-

cupied. I remember our excitement of having a new dress for Dad’s return home. I remember being allowed to stay up until 9 o’clock to greet him and the disbelief that he would be coming ashore in a helicopter. I clear-ly remember mum’s disappointment when he didn’t come back that night and we had to keep waiting. When he did return home,

I remember being told to be quiet as he needed to rest. Dad’s face was also preoccupied; I seem to remember thinking he must have been through something difficult. A few months on, Dad was presented with his Medal by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Embarrassingly, my lasting memory is that of the amazing wooden toilets! My father, Michael Clapp, is a retired Naval Officer who served in the Navy for over 40 years. During the 1982 Falkland’s Conflict, he command-ed the Falkland’s Amphibious Task Group to liberate the Islanders from Argentinian control. I’m now 31 year’s older and can look back at these memories with an adult’s eye. I’ve heard Dad’s war stories over the years (sometimes more than once!). As part of the 25 Year remembrance of this conflict, the charity ‘South Atlantic Medal Association 1982’ helped my brother, James, and I to visit the Islands. We landed in bright sunshine but with a strong, cold southerly wind

confirming that we really were near the Antarctic! We were met by John and Stephanie Ferguson with whom we stayed whilst in Stanley, the capital city. Stanley has a population of just over 2,000. There is a large primary school and a large secondary school (I did think about visiting but decid-ed I was on holiday!). John and Steph used to be the only inhabitants of Weddel Island, a 102.6 square mile Island which they ran on their own as a sheep farm before selling and moving to Stanley. They were so generous and took us all over the East Island. We paid our respects at memorials to the Welsh Regiments, the Marines and the Argentinians who died in 1982. We visited San Carlos Bay and the haunt-ing Field Hospital at Ajax Bay. We saw the local cathedral, the Catholic Church and the amazing museum which has objects from the very early days of people on the Islands. We talked at length with local people about their memories of

Falklands Islands revisitedMiss Clapp remembers her father’s role in the Falklands conflict

Miss Clapp’s father, looking at the ruins of the old hospital unrepaired since the warArt year 9 WITH Miss Lake

FISH

FIGHT CAMPAIGN in the making COLOURFUL fi sh skeletons made from RE-CYCLED kite m

aterial

19

25 years’ ago. Many of the memories were harrowing, some terrifying and some showing extraordinary bravery. The overwhelming feeling was that of feeling grateful to the veterans and to the British forces for coming to lib-erate them. A lovely lady called Sybie Summers from ‘The Pod’ Giftshop’ hugged my dad when she found out who he was! During the second week of our stay we took a very small plane to 2 outlying Islands, Carcass Island and Sea Lion Island. Both these Islands were beautiful and full of wildlife. We saw thousands of penguins, Sea Lions, Elephant Seals, Killer Whales, wading birds and birds of prey. I often didn’t know where to look, up in the sky or down at my feet for fear of missing something or standing on something! I had an amazing time. It was a privilege to see the Islands and meet

local people. For my Dad, it was an obviously therapeutic opportunity for him to see the Islands thriving and at peace. For my brother and me, the Falklands have been a part of our family life from our very earli-est memories. This trip gave us an opportunity to experience the Islands and to set our memories and all Dad’s stories in context. I came back with a great respect for the Falkland Island-ers. They have persevered to estab-lish a livelihood and a thriving community in an ecologically and politically hostile environment. I hope this peace lasts....

Art year 9 WITH Miss Lake

FISH

FIGHT CAMPAIGN in the making COLOURFUL fi sh skeletons made from RE-CYCLED kite m

aterial

20

Amnesty International is a non-governmental organisation, working to protect peoples’ hu-man rights across the globe.

There are ten pupils who make up Heathfield’s Amnesty team. We feel being part of the group is a great opportunity. The teachers who help us are Mrs Smillie, Mr. Lowndes and Ms. Malkin. We meet every Tuesday lunch time to discuss what is going on in the world, and how we can help people in need. Last term we looked at several issues, but the most dramatic was stoning, a horrible pun-ishment still legal in 6 countries. We have been part of Amnesty International since the end of year 7. We were nominated for the Anne Frank Award (for young people who help the community) last year and came second. Not only do we learn things and help others, but we have been taken to London to visit the Houses of Parliament. We plan to make a petition for the rest of the school to sign

to be a little part of Amnesty

International and to help others.

The journey:We met at Taunton Station on Sunday morning.

We were excited and got quite loud and ate loads of sweets and took hundreds of photos! When we arrived in London,

we walked 10 minutes to our hotel, The German YMCA, where we all had twin bedded en suite rooms on the second floor.

We quickly unpacked and then went exploring and shopped before having a fantastic Chinese meal in a restaurant. We

ordered a range of dishes and Ms Malkin and Ms Smillie showed us how to eat with chopsticks!! Some

of us succeeded but others didn’t; it was very funny.

We then left to explore more of the sights of London.

Next morning, we

met with

H E A T H F I E L D G O E S

21

Mr Lowndes who had stayed home to be with his children for their birthday party.

We met Beth Knight, the as-sistant to Jeremy Browne ( our MP) and she showed us all round the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We noticed that the car-pets are colour coded : blue is for royalty, red is for the Lords and green is the

H E A T H F I E L D G O E S

L O N D O N

TO

Commons. The leather benches were coloured the same way too. Beth showed us how they voted and the system for “Aye” and “Nay” or the no vote if an MP wants to abstain.They go through voting gates so no-one can vote twice. We caught the tube back to the hotel and our lunch was waiting for us. We made our way to Paddington again and had a much quieter return journey.

It was a brilliant opportunity and we all really appreciated it.

Heathfield’s Amnesty International Team : Emily Warner, Emma Anderson, Georgia Ayres, Freya Fleming, Olivia Antonelli, Kate Stevenson, Freya Deeley, Elodie Fowler

fab facts

18 countriesvisited by Heathfield

students as part of International Links, including in Africa, Central

and South America, Europe

and USA

22

The Space is a superb facility on Heathfield’s campus which specialises in the performing arts. More than 70 students attend, coming mostly from the

Taunton area, but some come from much further away. In the last two years, students have gone on to study dance, drama, theatre, lighting and costume-design at leading universities and colleges across the country. Here is a snap shot of what goes on, from the students them-selves.

Why the Space? Asia Aldridge shares her experiences.

Choosing what I wanted to study after I left Heathfield was a big deci-sion - but I knew it HAD to involve

performing! In Years 7 & 8 at Heathfield, the drama I did was lots of fun. In Year 9 the drama became a little more complicated and that’s when I really started to understand the im-portance of performance quality. I went on to take GCSE Dance and BTEC Performing Arts Acting.

My Year 11 play was ‘Dark of the Moon.’ I have to admit that I found it challenging at times, but you should always trust your teacher because they will definitely help you through the process. With GCSE Dance, I found it very enjoy-able and learnt something new every day. ‘Footloose’ was amazing and it was great to have all different years joining in the festi-val.

I have been at The SPACE since Septem-ber. By Jan-uary I had

already been in a musical, a contemporary dance piece and a challenging Verbatim theatre show. I realise how lucky I am to be at The SPACE taking me in exactly the direction I want to go.

Shakespeare meets War horse - a trip to the Old Vic, Bristol... Bronte Cheshire reports.

In March we had an eye-opening experience working with the Bristol Old Vic and some of their actors in the brilliant new production

"A Midsummer Night 's Dream".

This was created in collaboration with Hangspring Puppets - who created the award winning stage show War Horse. We were able to try out the techniques of the company in a special 2-hour workshop - starting with

very simple ideas and building to an unexpected, thrilling set of explo-

rations.

It was fun to bring a hairbrush to life (I named him 'Timmy') because, as the director said, "All objects have a right to life". In the evening we saw the produc-tion which included songs, original choreography, masterful puppetry, a bril-liant interpretation of the characters and an effective overall story.

In a dismal year for the arts when The Brewhouse closed down, we focus on one creative hub of our town that is thriving...

T H E S P A C E

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The most recent site-specific production performed by The SPACE Company was The Tempest, performed at

Brean Down, in a military fort on a rocky peninsular reaching into the sea, north of Burnham-on-Sea.

The piece played over three nights to sold out audiences, who were transported to the remote site on specially commissioned buses.

This ruined fort, owned by the National Trust, has the air and atmosphere of a prisoner of war camp, and allowed us to find echoes of the Holocaust in Caliban and Ariel’s imprisonment on Prospero’s Island. This project was one of our most challenging to date as there is no electricity on the peninsular.

We lit the production with fire, with burning torches, braziers and candles. This, as you can expect, made for a magical and atmospheric piece. It culminated in an outdoor scene in which Prospero encircled the other characters in a visually impressive circle of fire. The experience proved to be unforgettable for cast and audience alike.

Look in the Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre listings for all first and second year productions in the forthcoming year.

The Tempest - did you say on Brean Down?

Fab fact

2 state of the art performance facilities (Tacchi Morris arts Centre and The Space)

24

No more getting up at half past five,To finish that homework you had to re-do.

No more riding your bike in the rain,Waiting at red lights until you’re wet through.

No more dreading that person you hate,And have to sit next to and sit through the flics.

Read homework commentsOut-of-focus hieroglyphics.

Moving on up to the better life,And leaving behind all the soggy packed food.Moving away from the freakish instructions,

And persistent revision, unhelpfully reviewed. Moving towards the money en masse,

And freedom to use it in the ways you choose.Moving out of the family circle,

And finding new friends that don’t give you the blues.

No more getting up at half past five,And working so hard to get your best grade.

No more riding your bike in the rain,And trying to think of the impression you made

At college, you want to be more independent,But let them help you with stuff you can’t do.

Remember your days in our school family,You won’t know you’ll miss it, until you do.

Last Days

-by Tom Larcombe--10t-

Fab fact : Heathfield students exhibit their work as part of Somerset Art Weeks 23 Sept - 4 Oct 2013 in the Tacchi Morris Arts Centre

25

Love and Loss Opening of a short story by Alex, year 10 writing workshop

I don't remember love. Can't recall it - haven't felt it in so long, it's like a ghost or a forgotten legend of mermaids from the south. A mother's love for

her offspring is one of the strongest. As was mine. Independence steals that love, and morphs it as I found. I believed that love had become a list of wom-en to be conquered, but my princess never turned up at the castle. Under the glaring sun of Italy, I found some-thing new. Rebellion. Freedom. Oh, how I relished it. The women, the wine, the villainy. But I never found love. Sure there was lust and passion, some things key to love, but never the tender adoration from a

person I desired. Until that time. Strolling back from a job, pistol concealed in harness, lollipop in mouth (I had a serious sweet tooth) I followed the cobbled street. My leather gloves stuck to my sweat-beaded hands. When a small figure brushed my shoulder, I thought nothing of it until she started to lose balance. Reaching out to grab her, I held her, took her hand by the edge of her lace glove. Her sparkling blue eyes met my hardened, soulless irises. That trust, that hope she had already messaged me, gave me a tingling of the lips and a fluttering of the heart. I had never felt it before. I knew she was the one. But nothing is ever so simple, is it?

My trip to the X FACTOR fi nal!!!

I was really thrilled when dad told me and my brother, Sam, that he had been given tickets to go to the X Factor Final in Manchester!

Unfortunately, my mum was unable to come. We only had three tickets so she stayed at home and looked after our dog.

The day soon came and we travelled by train to Manchester. We didn’t have very long before the show, so we caught a taxi and headed off to a luxury hotel where we were staying. We glammed up and excitedly walked over to the Manchester Central where V.I.P badges were waiting for us! We were treated to drinks and party food.

After sampling the delicious nibbles, we ventured into the Arena. We found our seats and noticed that we had a fabulous view. I could see that Olly Murs and Caroline Flack were warming up on the stage. We were very lucky because we were sitting right behind Jahmene’s family and friends. At that time I found out that Sam and I were

going to be on T.V, so I started to text my friends!

The show soon started and I was loving every bit of it. The finalists were Jahmene Douglas and James Arthur. The guest performers included One Direction, Rihanna and Emeli Sande. During Rihanna’s performance, we all held LED light boxes, the colours of the lights changed and we waved them around, which created an amazing spectacle!

Another major highlight was when Caroline Flack came to interview Jahmene’s family. As Sam and I were standing behind them, we saw ourselves on the big screen and appeared on LIVE TV!

Finally, the results were announced and James Arthur had won.

Soon after the show, we had a few drinks, returned to our hotel and collapsed into our comfy beds at midnight. It had been an incredible night and an experience I’ll never forget!

by Hannah Sharpe

26

Snow isn’t something we get much of in this country, although it does occasionally

show up to cover the land in a white blanket. As well as providing great fun it also shows a contrast with its natural beauty and provides many photographic opportunities, whilst each individual snowflake forms differently as it floats to the ground to settle. But alongside the calm and tranquillity, there lies an extreme sport that goes by the name of skiing! It is an amazing feeling. To begin with, as you go up to the

mountain tops, it just takes your breath away. You travel to the peak via a chair or bubble lift and you feel as if you are on top of the world because there is nothing above you, just below you. Subsequently the adrenaline starts to kick in as you see the pure steepness of the slope you are about to go down, and you just stand there with your skis clicked to your boots. You think, right let’s ski this like never before and that comes with every run every time you do it! You push off. Your skis gradually pick up speed and you’re away, either bombing straight down the run with a few swish turns or smoothly perfecting your tech-nique; either way, it is an immense feeling. Or you can go to the sides of the runs and hit the jumps, gaining some air to your ride, whilst trying to pull off a few tricks to impress your mates. Then you hit the end of

the run, see the lift and hop straight back on for another ride whilst catching your breath, and maybe taking a few photos on the way. There are runs for everyone whether you’re a dare devil or just want to go for the experience, start-ing on the greens (really easy and not very steep) or blacks (for the dare devil). So have a go at whatev-er suits you! A few tips: be prepared with your clothing because, if the tem-perature drops or you get stuck in a blizzard, you end up feeling frozen and that really spoils the day. And make sure your insurance is up to date (as well as your passport!)as any injuries abroad will cost you a lot even if it is minor. Most importantly, enjoy yourself!

Gaby Fielding

On top of the world (literally)

27

The most inspiring thing is to watch someone pick up and play an instrument. The way

someone’s eyes light up when they are about to play a piece of music is just inspiring. To know that when they play those notes, they are filled with a different kind of happiness only achieved when you strive to play the best you can. In that moment your whole body is shaking, your heart is beating faster than ever before and then it’s all over. And you gain the confidence and determination to try all over again. A lot of people turn to music as an antidote, something that will make their mood brighten instantly within the first few notes of a song. When listening to a piece of music, it’s either the lyrics or the melody that often attracts you to that certain piece – often people listen to a song because the lyrics relate to what they are going through. You know that when that song finishes you will feel a sense of happiness and that you are

not alone in this. Right now in music, I am writing a piano composition. The way I feel when I am playing a piece of music I have created with my own emotions, my own ideas, is physically and emotionally uplifting. I wanted a theme of a boy and a girl surrounded by silence, looking into each other’s eyes with a feeling of never wanting to leave each other, that all the fights and disagreements don’t really matter because in the end they are perfect for each other and both know it. My left hand plays broken chords to keep some sort of stability within the piece, my right keeps introducing a repetitive melody. The four chords that the piece is based around are D, A, B minor and G. These chords are played around with a lot during the piece because I wanted it to represent human emotions, how they are pulled back and forth, twisted and turned but in the end we all carry on with life the best that we can. I feel I achieved everything I wanted, everything I’d

hoped for in this piece and could not be happier with it. Music is a doorway to another world where we can forget our troubles, our worries, and we can drift towards a place in which we feel comfortable. Whether you are walking down the street or staying at home, music will be a part of your day. Sitting down at the piano and letting your hands press ever so slightly on the black and white keys is a feeling everyone should experience. Learning the piano teaches you to be gentle, to know when to express your emotions as well as playing the right notes and achieving the dynamics to express them with. Not only does it make you feel good within yourself, you can show people what you can do, how you feel inside, when words aren’t good enough. The saying goes : ‘When words fail, music speaks’. That is the complete truth.

by Emily Hampson

... an inspiration

Music

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Christmas Concert

We had to make sure that, as this was Mr Furneaux’s last Christmas concert, we made it really special. The audience were so enthu-

siastic and joined in whenever they could. The orchestra included ex-Heathfield pupils which gave Tom Larcombe a chance to play with another horn player, something he had never done before in a concert situation, he said. Millie realised that the opportunity to sing with an orchestra doesn’t come around every day. Rehearsing and getting ready to perform with the Heathfield or-chestra and professional musicians who are friends of the school was incredible.

Another favourite was All I want for Christmas is You, a difficult song to sing! This was a very exciting performance. It was an adrena-lin-pumping moment - you could see the audience singing along

and having fun. All the hard work finally paid off! Holly, one of two year 7s that joined the orchestra in September, enjoyed the concert - it was great to be part of something so big and Mr Furneaux had a really good send-off. Tom commented that in the finale, O Come all ye Faithful, everyone sang with so much energy, it really blew the roof off. It was an astounding end to the concert which received a standing ovation for the performance - and of course for Mr Furneaux. Hannah Vile said that during the evening, ‘We remembered all the fantastic things Mr Furneaux had done for the school and its pupils. Present and ex-students and staff came together to form a mass choir of over 300 singers to give Mr Ferneaux a proper farewell.’

ByTom Mc-Combie (Y9

Senior Choir)Tom Larcombe

(Y10 Orchestra, Horn)Hollie

Eccles (Y7 Or-chestra, Violin)

Hannah Vile (Y9 Senoir Choir)Millie Bishop (Y8 Singers)

Mr Breeze and orchestra, preparing for the Christmas concert

Mr Adams leads the singers

Music

at Heathf

eld

!

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Disneyfest

Not to sound too cheesy, but DisneyFest was magical. The atmosphere created by the music and the reaction of the audience is something we

will never forget. It was a showcase of classic Disney songs (including Aladdin,Toy Story and Mary Poppins), played by our very own Symphonic Wind band and sung by the year 7 and 8 singers and our friends from local primary schools. Cheddon Fitzpaine performed an energetic version of Under the Sea with harmonies; Ruishton sang and played Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da with ukuleles and kazoos; Creech St Michael sang Beauty and the Beast, and Stoke St. Gregory brought their own orchestra and performed Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Annabelle Seal, Guy Codrington and Molly Willcocks had the challenge of learning songs to sing in addition to performing as part of the Wind Band. Guy had the first three notes of A Whole New World. I had to do a lot of practice for the concert - it was quite hard and I had to really concentrate. Wednesday lunch-time is Y8 singers, and going straight into wind band after school makes Wednesday a music filled day, Guy said. ‘As the lights dimmed,’ Molly said, ‘I had amixture of excitement and nerves.

‘The first piece was Pirates of the Caribbean. I had to play crash cymbal, anvil and whip. I hadn’t got it quite right in rehearsal so I was determined; the piece starts with a big cymbal crash and after that we were all franti-cally running around in the percussion section changing instruments. I was really proud that the percussion sec-tion worked together and I got it bang on on the night!’ Annabelle explained that having the opportunity to sing and play flute in the same concert and to sing with primary schools was amazing. In total, over 300 students came together in a concert that was a sell-out. Everyone left with a smile on their face and a spring in their step - what a fantastic team effort!

By Annabelle Seal (Y7 Singer and only year 7 in Symphonic Winds - flute)Hazel Llewellyn De Galas (Y8 Singer)Guy Codrington (Y8 Singer, clarinet)Molly Willcocks (Saxophone, percussion)Dan Steed (Y11 Singer and Y7 singers prefect)

Music

at Heathf

eld

!

Fab music facts

14 dragons in music (Scorch, Fafner, Smaug etc) … have YOU seen them?

140 primary students take part in music concerts every year

250 pens ordered by Mr Breeze for music teachers each year (where do they go?)

Horrible factMr Adams is leaving this year and we

will all miss him!

30

Inauguration debate in the new library : ‘Does a god exist?’ draws in year 10 and 11s

31

In Bangkok it was still very warmAs the night drew in.But the massive circus tent was heaving

As the crowd trundled in.

Inside, Od, the tiny dwarfWas performing his trampoline act.He jumped up and down on his trampolineAs the material started to contract.

Hilda the hippo was standing nearby,But she started to frown.She had glimpsed a tasty morsel from the corner of her eyeWhich was what made her frown.

For Od the tiny circus dwarfHad jumped so clear of the ground.He flew through the air like a wingless birdWith a tremble running through his limbs.

Poor old Hilda was just yawningBut Od — he flew straight in.For Hilda’s giant gaping mouthWas just like an open bin.

The noise from the crowd was deafeningAs they all cheered and clapped.They thought it was part of the actAs Hilda struggled and flapped.

Soon there were paramedics and vetsRunning to the scene.The crowd died down as they realizedWhat had just been.

The crowd was tense and completely silentBecause of what they had seen.There were ‘oohs’ and gasps As everyone tried to make old Hilda hurl.

But it all came to nothing in the endbut still they tried and tried.So Od the tiny circus dwarfHad entertained just as he had died.

The Bal lad of Od and the Hipp o, by Wi l l Maunder (7Y)

Year 10 writers workshopWork in progress...

Untitled opening to a short story by Sam

It was a cold and wintry De-cember as Francesca and I first climbed Violet Hill together,

hand in hand. Two lovers, lost in the mists of time and the depths of winter. Snow had not yet fallen on the frost-gripped pines or spikes of grass spread out in a crisp blanket across the hillside. As we neared the top, our footsteps silent and unnoticed, we paused and looked out across the bleak, cold valley which unrolled before us. Amid the tiny iced snowflakes, we drew our bodies in closer until we could feel the warmth radiating off our necks. And there, standing on top of what felt like the highest peak in the world, arm in arm, we kissed.

Alexander by Isabel

I can remember when I was young - twenty, twenty-one ... Not very young to you, is it?

When you’re my age, fifty years is a long time. She was a pretty lass, she was. Long brown hair - below her shoulders - rosy cheeks. Not tall, not short. Nowadays you’d ’a called ’er petite. Beautiful though. I was reading; some long Shake-spearean thing my professor told me to read. Hated it. But... all the other tables were full. Girls. Pretty ‘n’ that. By myself, I was. She came over. A slow motion wander, hair flowing back... opposite me. Not a glance. No “Hi”. Nothing. My hope. My ... will.Don’t judge me. Too scared, I was. How would you feel? Don’t tell me you’d have said summat. You wouldn’t. Never. I never did nothing. She left eventually ... went to work someplace. I never saw ’er again. Never loved like that again. Never will, I doubt. Too late for that now.

Energy, commitment, team work, lead-ership, time man-

agement, working inde-pendently, resourcefulness, not giving up, enthusiasm, loyalty, generosity with time, empathy, going the extra mile, presentation skills, co-operation, stami-na and creativity...

All these skills are demanded by employers of the 21st century. All these skills are demanded by Dance. The outcome: two fantastic evenings of dance.

FootlooseYear 11 GCSE Dance Assessment evening

51 year 10s will study Dance in 2013-14

32

interview

Isla

Fab fact

6 foot 6 inches

Height of Mr Hoare

33

When you were younger what did you want to be? A: A footballer for Ipswich Town.What was your favourite subject at school?

Answer: Music and English.Best and worst things at Heathfield Community School?Answer: best = students and staff Worst = Litter.What can we do about litter?Answer: Have more bins have litter picking duty, charge 10p extra for a pasta pot and if you hand it back in you get 10p back.What are the best and worst things about being a head teacher?Answer: Best = supported by colleagues when making difficult decisions. Worst? (remains unan-swered... Ed)What is your favourite film?Answer: The Colour Purple.What was the last book you read?Answer: Engelby by Sebastian Faulks. It kept me hooked until the end.What was your favourite Christmas present last year?Answer: New briefcase from Holly and Jim-my (my son and daughter who are 2½ years old).

;;What do you think of the library?Answer: Love it - good design and lots of books.What is your favourite weather and why?Answer: Autumn, because it has different colours and the right temperatures.What do you think of the new canteen?Answer: Improved quality, more consistent, good col-our, students involved in the mural.How do you get to school?Answer: Drive.What do you call your car?Answer: Mozart.What was your worst fashion faux-pas? Answer: Turned up in an evening dinner party wearing

a dinner suit with slippers.What instruments do you play?Answer: Piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone and Melodion.Who is your favourite author and why?

Answer: Ian McEwan because he’s interesting and the plots are good.What did you think of Disneyfest?

Answer: Fantastic, especially the Ukuleles playing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious by Stoke St Gregory.

interview M rwith H o ar e

Chloe Bellam y

and

by

IslaEmmett

portait by Robbie Sloan

34

Dominic Taylor (Year 10) , Mat-thew Powell (year 7) and Evan Smith (Year 9) all competed in the National Schools Biathlon semi fi-nals at Millfield School in January. All 3 finished in the top 30 in the South West.

Dominic (top left) won a medal for recording the fastest time for the run discipline (1000m) in his age group. A fantastic achieve-ment.

Sport is a big part of many of our lives in and outside school. There are so many sports to try at

Heathfield and many of us relish the variety of opportunities we are given. Sport brings me both pleasure and a way of keeping fit. It is by far my favourite lesson; not only because I love sport, but because the lessons are far more relaxed. I feel that PE is a must in the school curriculum because as well as keeping active, we students need a time to run around, have fun and get a little competitive in a controlled educational environment. It is a struggle to fit in your homework with the sports fixtures (or as the teachers would prefer: to fit the fixtures in with the homework!), but this is a challenge 100s at Heathfield have taken on. One sporting opportunity we had was the sports tour in Holland! I am proud to say 50 of us were part of it. We played hockey and football. We had a lot of success this year. The girls year 9 hockey team got through to the county cup semi-final but unfortunately lost 3-1. We don’t

want to make excuses but our goalie was hit in the head (with a door) and so couldn’t play. Luckily Olivia Poole stepped in and did a great job, consid-ering that it was her first time ever in goal! We will come back fighting next year. As well as this we went a whole netball season unbeaten. This was, and still is, an achievement we are all proud of. We have just start-ed the Netball season and hope to maintain early success throughout the season, as well as progressing our skill and ability along the way. There are so many of us at Heathfield that find delight in sport so I asked some people what they like about sport. “I think sports are great and fun and I am now more confident in leading a team.” Joe Clark 9L. “Never lost a game - love it!” D’Arcy Rowlands 9E. “It’s amazing, enjoyable, I have a good time with friends and learn new things.” Gracie Stevens 9EThis confirms how superb sport is. By Lucie Waddon 9L

Sport - a huge part of HeathfieldDistrict Basketball Champions :Year 7 BoysYear 7 GirlsYear 8 Boys (also county champions)Year 9 Girls (also county champions)Year 10 Boys (also county champions)Year 10 Girls (also county champions)

Badminton :U15 Girls County runners up

Heathfield Community School also won the Soropti-mist Anniversary Trophy for the school team swimming the most laps.

So, overall this year, we had :

10 district and 6 county chanpionshipship winners !

423 matches played, in 5 counties and 2 countries

35

The 20th anniversary of the Heathfield Drama Fes-tival kicked off with 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' directed by Head of Drama, Mr Ryan - who

has seen every show in all those twenty years! The play follows the plight of Randle McMurphy who, upon arriv-ing at a mental institution, rallies the patients to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more dictator than nurse. At the beginning of the play a weird feeling came over me as the effect of some creepy music intensified the delusional speech of the Chief but as the play progressed the humor started to come around more and more and I was able to relax. The funniest moments came in the sec-

ond half including the inmates hosting a drunken party. As Mr Ryan's talented cast took me from one extreme to another I was in one moment laughing along and in the next shocked by the Nurse's mistreatment of her patients. The craziness peaked when one character committed suicide offstage, his hopes and dreams smashed. Surprisingly, this hilarious play ended not with comedy but with murder and suicide! The actors were great: they were confident, concentrated and expressive. The body language of the inmates was brilliantly shown. There were only a few stutters from the actors (one char-acter was supposed to and the actor did so excellently). If I could see it again I would! Ben Powell

MURDER AND SUICIDE GCSE shows kick off

Our GCSE drama feature starts here ...

Fab Fact

14 shows in Drama and Dance EVERY YEAR!

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Coram Boy

I was really proud to be a part of Coram Boy. It was a real eye open-er seeing life behind the curtains.

Every time our cue came, there was a buzz of excitement. The experience has given me confidence in my acting. Leilani Turner 7RIt was amazing! It was so much fun joining year 7 drama club. The experi-ence was thrilling! Jade Adone 7R

Everyone was tired but we managed to survive three nights. The year 11s were amazing! Lily-Mae HattonAlthough scary, I’m glad I did it because now people know that year 7s aren’t just a pain in the butt! Rosey Richardson

... the single best experience I’ve had at Heathfield. It made me closer with my cast ... Dom Maher year 11

Lesson after lesson, we ran over the scenes trying to get them perfect. I worried – would it be any good? But ... when I walked on stage, with 250 pairs of eyes fixed on me, it was amazing. Standing in line, with all the people I know and people I don’t, bowing because we had come to-gether, as a unit. We had successfully performed Coram Boy. It was inde-scribable. Joe Chorley year 11

Coram Boy Anything Can Happen

Caucasian Chalk Circle One flew over the cuckoo’s nest

Caucasian Chalk Circle

Oliver Twist

Caucasian Chalk CircleOne flew over the cuckoo’s nest

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Imagine how cool it would be if, when you’re at uni or out with mates, you can play a guitar and

everyone knows the song? Wouldn’t it be fun when you’re older to express yourself through music? Somerset Music School is at Heathfield every term-time Satur-day morning. You can learn to play instruments from electric guitar to trumpet, or you can be creative in other aspects through art, drama and voice. There is freedom for you to choose your timetable so that it suits you; there are different grouped activities where you meet new people

and can have fun. There are lessons for a wide range of instruments, such as piano, brass, oboe, clarinet and saxophone. It really is just your choice, whether you want to push yourself in an area you want to improve, or try some-thing new because you’ve always wanted play that guitar, or to play something with others, for example the ukulele. There is something for every-one, no matter how good or bad you are. Everyone is friendly and you can do as much or as little as you want. I have been going for about 5 years and now play three instru-ments and have started voice lessons; I attended Glee which is a teenage

singing group (always a laugh). That takes me the whole of the morning but others just come in for a lesson or two. If you’re nervous but are interested, have a free taster lesson and see what you think or join and get a friend to come along. For every friend you get to join, you get 10% off!! Every day, music is in your life whether you realise it or not. Imagine your favourite song. Now imagine you can play or sing it : im-pressive? Hope to see you soon. For more information, google Somerset Rural Music School or phone 01823 412416.

Rosie Smillie

DRAMA HAPPENS ON SATURDAYS TOO

This year marked the 20 year anniversary of the Heathfield Drama Festival. We started in 1992/3 with just three plays and the performances took place in what was then The Mary Smith Drama Studio (now the Music Suite) and the Drama Hut, situated near where the Year 7 playground now is. When The Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre opened in Jan 2000 we had the fantastic oppor-tunity to stage drama in a professional theate to audiences of up to 250 each night. We now stage six full-length Year 11 shows featuring more than a hundred students per year. We estimate around 1500 actors have performed on the Tacchi

stage during previous festivals and they’ve acted in every dramatic genre you can think of. Who wouldn’t want to give keen actors

the chance to express themselves to the max in a proper theatre - it’s an amazing buzz for per-formers - and directors - that money just can’t

buy! Massive congratulations to the Year 11s of 2012/13 - you acted your hearts out!

Mr Ryan (Head of Drama)

...FROM THE MAN HIMSELF

Oliver Twist123 year 10s studied Drama or Performing Arts in year 10

Fab fact : 70 young people aged 4-19 take part every Saturday

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The new library says goodbye

Mrs Osborne is retiring! She has shared her passion for literature with thousands of students over the last few years, with

countless reading groups, multi-cultural celebra-tions and reading weeks. The new library is a vibrant corner of the school, and that is in no small way due to Mrs Osborne’s untiring efforts. Above, she is pictured in front of the year 8s getting stuck into Ghanian drumming. Other events Mrs Osborne has hosted in the library or organised include : Shakespeare’s birth-days, a meeting point for international exchange students, debates with year 10 and 11, staff readings from their favourite books, visiting poets and writ-ers workshops, student quizes ... ‘I will really miss,’ she told Impact, ‘when a student says “I really loved that book - can you recommend another?” I won’t miss the ‘wet lunch-times’ (when everyone piles inside : Ed) though!’

Happy retirement!

T h e M a t h s r a p b y E s m e D a v i e s 8 T

FACT : there are 6,767 texts in the library!

How is Maths used in other subjects?Maths is something we all have to do.Although sometimes we don’t have a clue.

Maths can be used in different ways, different subjects, different days.

English, that subject to do with things like writing. Maths is used too, it’s very exciting. Date of poets, pages of books, even writing recipes just like cooks.

Science, the subject that explains the earthUses maths for times and dates of birth. Forming formulas has numbers involved. Maths has helped questions be solved.

Food Tech - something that’s scrummy, Uses numbers to weigh ingredients that make recipes yummy. Without the measures it would be a mess. Maths helps us not get into a stress.

Geography is all to do with the earth. Maths helps us find out when the world was at birth. Rocks, volcanoes all measured with scales. Scales are from maths not from whales.

History involves learning about our past - So important, it’s moving fast. Dates, years and all the fears. The dates on the grave we cry out in tears.

D.T is practical and cool Measurements and rulers are great tools. Without maths, there wouldn’t beAnything in this wonderful subject D.T.

French, which none of us dread, Learning our numbers was the first thread, Un, deux, trois, quatre. The basics of language is where we all start.

Music, that subject you love not hate, Has beats in a bar, counting in your head, How else could you create a tune?I’m sure you’ll be a pop star very soon.

P.E gets you out and about, When the ball’s in the hoop, you scream and shout. In every match you keep a score, Using numbers, I’m sure.

Are you amazed how maths is used? As before I’m sure you didn’t have a clue, English, Science, History, French and Food. Maths is amazing just to conclude.

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Year 8 winner Cathlin Bottomley Extract

She was 14 the day it happened. Now she was 23. Her name was Rose Williams. Rose never used

to be called ‘Rose’. She never used to be called ‘Williams’ either. Her name used be Petal. Petal Willmott. But after that night … the night her life changed, her name did too. Her name had been Rose nine years ago, and yet she was getting used to it. Rose. She loved the name. To her, it meant she wasn’t just a pretty-faced defenceless flower any more. She had thorns. Her job was with the police, but she called herself a detective. She liked that word almost as much as her new name. When she thought ‘detective’, she thought mystery, excitement and

helping people who were in trouble …

Year 9 Amara ShattockChopping, slicing, dicing (extract)

The clear, black sky can be seen. They are preparing a meal for the house master. Chopping,

slicing, dicing. The candles light the stone kitchen with a warm glow and the fire flickers teasingly, casting shadows that laugh and dance around the room. They are happy, getting on with their jobs. Mother. Daughter. Mother leaves the room. He summons her; mustn’t keep him waiting. She’s alone now, poor daughter. Still she carries on; chopping, slicing, dicing. Now, it’s time. The curious look on the girl’s face is clear as the candles flicker, subtly at first but

growing more violent with each passing minute. Then, fear smothers her face as the fire dies and the door locks. Where’s mummy when you need her?

Year 7 winner Sylvie BakerThe Night Horse (extract)

It was a dead world. The sky stayed a thunderous grey and anything that moved was dead,

an empty body walking with its head hung low and moaning, not speaking real words. These monsters had no minds, organs or hearts. They were empty shells. They look alive but there is nothing alive inside them. These are the only residents of the land of the dead, the grey world, the empty world.

next year and also to act, sing and learn more about musical theatre. I would like to be an

all-round performer because, although ballet is my passion, I appreciate that I would be more

likely to gain employment if I am a more rounded performer.

People often ask how I manage to fit in all the lessons,

training, competitions and travelling along-side my school work and I always say, “with

difficulty, but I manage”. If you have a passion for something

then you find ways to make it work. I try very hard to keep up to speed with

my school work. I think I have done well considering I ‘ve been studying for GCSEs and

auditioning a lot.I also have two part time waitressing jobs which help to fund my savings for dance school; I will go through a lot of pointe shoes and plasters when I go to vocational dance school!

In the future, I would like to be dancing in whatever capacity suits me best and to just be

living my dream.

I began dancing ballet when I was 2 years old in the village hall at Creech St Michael. I realised when I was very little that I really enjoyed it.

I currently dance at the Trull School of Dancing in Taunton where I am due to take my last graded Royal Academy exam in July this year. I dance four nights a week, some nights until 10.00pm, and specialise in ad-vanced ballet, pointe, tap and modern.

I am also a Senior Associate with Ballet Cymru, the Welsh Ballet Company, and have learnt a lot from being part of such a thriving young ballet company.

I qualified for the All England Dance Championships in 2012 and have twice danced at Gala nights at The Bath Guildhall for the Lord Mayor and other dignitaries, having been chosen due to success at competitions. In 2012, my photo appeared in a book presented to the Queen to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee as she is the patron of the Bath Guildhall.

I hope to continue to dance ballet at my chosen school

Imogen Mansfield

Horror story competition