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HillsReviewS p r i n g N e w s l e t t e r M a r c h 2 0 1 7

Ski Trip to Zillertal Valley

Students and staff travelled to the Zillertal Valley, Austria, for the annual ski-trip during the February half-term holiday.

HR5 Colour Fun Run

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Hills Road charity fun run. The annual HR4.5k Fun Run becomes the HR5k Colour Fun Run and it will take place from 3pm on Wednesday 26th April. Look out for the t-shirts and glasses which are on sale from the Bursary NOW! Once again, ARM are sponsoring the Fun Run and all funds raised will go to Teenage Cancer Trust. Around 700 students and staff will be wearing t-shirts displaying this year’s logo, which has been designed by Hills Road student Nayana Cheriyan.

Students launch this year’s HR5k Colour Fun Run

The logo has been designed by Nayana Cheriyan

Alongside the Fun Run, some students and staff will be cycling a 45kilometre route starting out from the College, passing through the Shelfords, Newton, Fowlmere, Ickleton, Duxford and Whittlesford, returning to the College. Judith Anderson from Teenage Cancer Trust said, “We are honoured that Hills Road have supported our charity this year.” Check out the Facebook page: facebook.com/HR5ColourRun/To make a donation go to:justgiving.com/fundraising/HR5k2017 or text HRSF50 along with your donation amount to 70070.

Laying a wreath at the Menin Gate

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the recent Biology, Chemistry and Physics Olympiad rounds. In round one of the Biology Olympiad Hills Road students achieved 5 Gold, 4 Silver and 5 Bronze medals; six students were highly commended and three were commended. Two of the Gold medal winners, Kitty Foster and Thea Fennell, went through to the next round of the competition. They sat a paper at the beginning of March to compete for a place on the International Biology Olympiad UK Team. Thea Fennell has been successful and has won through to the British Biology Olympiad national finals which will take place at the University of Warwick in April. The Biology medal winners have been invited to attend an awards ceremony at the Institute for Engineering and Technology in London on 7th July.

History trip to Ypres In early February fourteen historians set out for the battlefields of the First World War, namely the Somme and Ypres. Our first stop was Poperinge, 8 miles to the West of Ypres and a village of importance to the allied forces as it was as far as the troops could get to the front by train and a place of rest and recovery after a shift in the trenches. Of importance in this village was Talbot House, run by two chaplains who recognised the need for a place of sanctuary among the mind- numbing devastation of the First World War. We continued our trip, arriving in Ypres by early evening and were able to attend the nightly ceremony at the Menin Gate War Memorial. We laid down a wreath in commemoration of the missing soldiers whose names are on Menin Gate, their bodies never recovered or identified from the mud and chaos of war.

Olympiad Successes

Congratulations also go to Rosie Cates who received Gold in round one of the Physics Olympiad, Sebastian Shiers received Silver and Elizabeth Guest won Bronze! Rosie will be joining the top 20 students in the country at the selection camp in Oxford to decide the final four who will represent the British Physics Olympiad national final UK team.

In the classroom the figures of wounded and dead soldiers have a limited impact on our generation because we are too far removed from the event but on this trip the cost was evident in every site we visited. We were shown this on a road near the Thiepval Memorial. The road was noticeably sunken in the landscape and had been the front trench line from which the Cambridgeshire regiment had participated in the attack on the Schwaben Redoubt, a German stronghold. It was part of the battle of the Somme and had been attacked six times

previously with little success and large casualties. Lt. Riddle, who led the Cambridgeshires’, argued for new tactics in the battle like the ‘creeping barrage’ of artillery and utilised them to good effect. While a lesson in innovative military tactics, local pride and a British advance, the result was the same; a cemetery in the middle of what had been no-mans land - even if the British had gained six hundred yards of territory. The final day came too soon but contained a trip down the mines at Arras. Here we learnt that Canadian and New Zealand troops had

used original limestone mines as underground cover and then linked them to create an underground network that could store supplies and be used to excavate under the German lines to mine or launch a surprise attack. It is a little known area of the war and it was very interesting to learn about. Our trip was packed full of new information and was a very enjoyable educational experience. I would like to thank the staff who made the trip possible.

Oliver Bradbury

Thiepval Memorial

Chemistry students achieved fantastic results in the Chemistry Olympiad. Out of 51 voluntary entries, 15 achieved gold, 18 silver and 13 bronze – 90% received awards which will be presented in the Chemistry department in May. Well done to all students who took part and good luck to Thea and Rosie in the next rounds.

Politics trip to the House of Lords

The visit concluded with the chance to view a debate from the Gallery of the House of Lords (preceded by a glimpse of the back of the Speaker John Bercow’s head as he underwent his daily

procession into the Commons). The group was able to witness the commencement of the second reading (and first stage of formal debate) of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill – an event

so crucial to the future of our country that the Prime Minister herself made an appearance – the first time a Prime Minister has done this in 27 years!

Ben Summer

Government & Politics students outside the Houses of Parliament

Students of Latin in London for the lectures

On 7th February Year 13 Latin students visited London to listen to some interesting lectures by various prestigious Classicists. A particular highlight was a lecture about Religion in the Aeneid, which gave an invaluable insight into what they have been studying this year. Other lectures included: Homeric elements in the Aeneid, Women in the Aeneid (especially Dido’s role) and the Ending of the Aeneid. The lectures provided a useful overview and gave the students an opportunity for further discussion in class on their return to College.

Latin Lectures A group of Politics students visited the House of Lords on 20th February where they had a full tour of the Parliamentary estate, watched a debate about Brexit in the House of Lords and had both planned and unplanned meetings with MPs. The group was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected appearance of Dennis Skinner – the Labour MP for Bolsover, famed for his impassioned rants in the Commons and annual jibes at the Queen’s speech to Parliament. Mr Skinner greeted the group with one of his iconic speeches, in which he recounted his days working within the NHS. The students also had an hour-long question and answer session with the MP for Cambridge, Daniel Zeichner, where they discussed various issues including the controversy of his rejection of the government’s ‘Brexit Bill’, the importance of mental health services in Cambridge, and the difficulties of serving as a Labour MP under a Conservative county council.

Ruby’s Silent Disco Year 12 student Ruby Aronsohn organised a silent disco and raised an impressive £600 for the local charity Mind in Cambridgeshire as part of her Extended Project. A silent disco is an event where people dance to music listened to on wireless headphones. Rather than using a speaker system, music is broadcast via a radio transmitter with the signal being picked up by wireless headphone receivers worn by the participants.

Ruby (centre) with two friends at the silent disco Ruby said, “I decided to organise a silent disco as I felt it reflected the silence around the issues of mental health. The theme of the event was to dance to your own tune. I aimed to bring together students from Hills Road and other locals from our generation.” The event took place on 4th February at Fairycroft House in Saffron Walden. Over 100 young people (aged 14-19) attended, with tickets costing £5. Zoe Doherty, Fundraiser for Mind in Cambridgeshire said, “We are extremely grateful to Ruby for organising the event and for everybody who bought a ticket and took part.”

Student Services Zone This new facility is up and running and brings together some key student facing services in the heart of the College. The student services team is on hand to offer help and support to all

students. Opposite the Student Services desk is the relocated careers team with a new careers library and interview rooms plus a bright new space housing the Supported

independent Learning Service (SILS) staffed by the SILS Officer who is there to assist and support students with their learning.

Student Services Area

In February, a group of 19 students went to Hamburg as part of the annual exchange. We spent 10 days with a host family and did some work experience, which was really interesting. Placements ranged from being an assistant teacher in a primary school to helping out on a dairy farm. My placement was in an engineering firm, responsible for street and transport planning, among other things.

Travelling to the office meant that I had to take the bus and the train - the public transport system in Hamburg is very good. During my time in the office, I learned some basic AutoCAD skills and got to experiment with the software they use when planning streets and traffic management. While I was in Hamburg, I also got to experience daily life, going shopping at Aldi and Lidl,

watching game shows on TV, eating foods they don’t have here in Britain and much more. On the last day, we went to school with our exchange partners and experienced some Geography and Art lessons in German! We’re looking forward to our partners coming back for the last two weeks of this term, doing work placements locally in Cambridge. Sophie Peng

German Exchange trip to Hamburg

Sophie Peng at her exchange placement in Hamburg

International Women’s Day

The Careers department arranged for a group of students to attend a Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group event held on on 8th March to mark International Women’s Day. The event showcased the career journeys of three remarkable women in the fields of Project Management, Engineering and Aerospace. Year 12 student Charlotte Day said, “I’m really glad I went, I had such a lovely time and it has made me all the more interested in getting a career in engineering! I am very thankful.”

Hills Road German exchange students in Hamburg

Speakers included, Sara Drake, Chief Executive of the Association for Project Management, Yvonne Chaplin, Engineering Manager at Marshall ADG and Elizabeth Payne, Engineering Director and Head of Design at B/E Aerospace. Student, Alice Smyth said, “I went to Marshalls with the hope of finding out more about engineering as this is the career that I thought I wanted to follow. However, it has also opened my eyes into looking into a career in project management. Looking around Marshalls was extremely interesting and has made me very interested in aerospace. It’s also made me realise that you don’t need to stick to one career.”

Charlotte Day and Amy Reed at the event

National Flash Fiction Competition Two Hills Road students, Charlotte Chapman 18 and Eve Clarke 17 have received ‘highly commended’ in a writing competition organised by the University of Chester and the Interna-tional Flash Fiction Association (IFFA). The National Flash Fiction Youth Competition 2017 was open to all 16-19 year old students studying in the UK. Entrants were asked to submit stories of no more than 360 words. Charlotte’s story was entitled Brown Hair, Blue Eyes and Eve’s story was entitled The Monster. Charlotte Chapman Eve Clarke

A scene from Brontë

Brontë A compelling literary detective story about the turbulent lives of the Brontë sisters dramatised by Polly Teale. In 1845, Branwell Brontë returns home in

disgrace, plagued by his addictions. As he descends into alcoholism and insanity, bringing chaos to the household, his sisters write… Polly Teale’s extraordinary play evokes the

real and imagined worlds of the Brontës as their fictional characters come to haunt their creators.

By arrangement with Nick Hern Books.

Geographers using GIS

Photo by Ian Cutting Photography

During the week of 6th February Geography students embarked on a new initiative to use GIS (Geographical Information Systems) to collect and record data. All 153 students participated in data collection using the 123 Survey App on their mobile phones, to assess differences in several variables across two transects of Cambridge. One transect ran from the College to Great Kneighton, and the other from the Green Dragon bridge, Chesterton to Orchard Park. Over 1,100 survey points were recorded and geolocated enabling the results to be easily displayed on an Ordnance Survey base map layer. This major project will enable students to understand the use of GIS in geographical analysis and to be able to replicate similar surveys themselves for their compulsory geography projects which make up 20% of the new A level course.

My Story: Boccia by Jason Rolph Boccia is a Paralympic sport of tactical strategy and accuracy, played individually or in teams of 3. It is centred on a white target ball ‘Jack’, similar to bowls but it is played seated and indoors. The winner is the side with most balls propelled closest to the Jack. I was first introduced to Boccia at Impington Village

College, where I joined the local Boccia club, Camboccia; and was talent spotted by Boccia England after winning in County Schools’ competitions. From there I attended the Boccia England trials and was invited into the Boccia England Talent Pathway – Talent Squad. In 2013, my progression

was noticed after achieving Silver at the individual National Championships, which led to my Boccia England Team selection. Since developing my skills further, I have been selected to be a member of the Boccia England Academy and Sport England TASS Athlete. This huge commitment involves attending training camps in various parts of the country, where skilled athletes are trained and continuously assessed. From these camps, Boccia England selects athletes to represent the country in international competitions. After a lot of intensive hours of training, I am absolutely delighted and privileged to have been selected to represent England abroad. Striking a balance between being an athlete and academia at Hills Road continues to be my greatest challenge as well as pleasure. It is pleasing to know that my efforts have been recognised and rewarded. I hope the Russian International at Alexin (just outside Moscow) from 6th - 9th September will be a great experience that I will cherish for years to come.

Jason Rolph Jason playing Boccia

Students out and about using GIS near Water Lane, East Chesterton

Calculating the Environment Quality Score around Cambridge

PRODUCTION NOTESArticles and photographs for this edition of HillsReview were produced by Oliver Bradbury, Vivien Brownlee, Ian Cutting, Ginny Hales, Ann Hemming, Nataša Kosanovic, Julia Paternain, Sophie Peng, Jill Phelps, Tom Roegele, Jason Rolph, Richard Shepherd, Benjamin Summer, Julia Thomson.

It has been a busy month for the Hills Road rowers. The two Women’s eights crews took part in the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race (WEHORR) on 11th March on the River Thames over a 6.8km course from Chiswick to Putney Pier. On 23rd March a record number of six Hills Road crews took part in the School’s Head of the River Race (SHORR) on the River Thames.

Despite the race almost being called off due to windy conditions, the race went ahead but it was decided to shorten the course. Two Women’s eights crews, two Men’s eights crews plus one Women’s and one Men’s quads crews took part in this national race. Both the Men’s 1st VIII and the Hills Belles came 12th in their categories. The Hills Road Women’s crew came 13th and the Men’s

2nd VIII crew came 14th. The Men’s quad crew came 13th and the Women’s quad crew came 23rd in their categories. Students taking up the ‘Learn to Row’ Enrichment course train on the ergos at the Sports Centre every Tuesday and also get the opportunity to train on the River Cam using the Cantabrigian Rowing Club boats on Wednesday afternoons.

Hills Belles crew - back row (l to r): Alice Haddow, Ellie Stephens, Kiah Conroy, Elise Burgess. Front row (l to r): Alex Howard, Anna Norgett, Rebecca Durrant, Fay Amstutz, Beth Bradshaw, Ben Whitelaw (Cox)

Men’s 1st VIII training on the River Cam Congratulations to the Hills Road Cross Country runners who helped Cambridgeshire win the Sussex Trophy at the New Balance English Schools’ Cross Country Championships at the Norfolk Showground recently. Julia Paternain earned a top-10 finish in the senior girls’ race, to finish off an excellent cross country season. Also competing were Belinda Dow and Alice Newcombe. Peter Cooke competed in the senior boys. The combined junior, intermediate and senior boys’ aggregate team results were enough to hold off Suffolk and Somerset to win the Sussex Trophy in the Group C (Small) County category for the second year in a row. For all match reports and highlights go to Facebook.com/hillsroadsport

Cross Country

Julia Paternain (wearing 1000)

Beth Bradshaw

Beth Bradshaw

Beth Bradshaw, 18 has officially broken the British rowing half marathon record for her age group (17/18) on an ergo with 21,097m in 1.39.55.5. An outstanding achievement. Beth said, “I feel extremely proud of myself having achieved the half marathon record and it’s great to be able to see just how much training can pay off when you’ve worked hard for your achievements!”

Sports News

Hills Road Women’s VIII training on the River Cam

Men’s 2nd VIII training on the River Cam

Women’s quad crew training on the River Cam

Men’s quad crew training on the River Cam