Issue 1 - King Edward VI Sixth Form College, Stourbridge > Home
Issue 1 - King Edward VI Sixth Form College, Stourbridge > Home
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<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 1
Contents page<br />
My first day of college 3<br />
Does growing older... 3<br />
An interview with Andy Adamson 4<br />
Extreme Education 5<br />
Race for Life 5<br />
Annual Poetry Competition 6<br />
Mitch Iles 7<br />
Angela Eggleton 8<br />
Does fashion define friendship? 9<br />
DIY Shorts 10<br />
Arts Review 11<br />
Meet the team 12<br />
Hi Everyone!<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 2<br />
Welcome to our very first issue of Ked-It.<br />
We have worked so hard to bring you a<br />
magazine that is for the students by the<br />
student.<br />
Hope you enjoy reading about the interesting,<br />
exciting and let’s face it sometimes a little<br />
weird goings on at college.<br />
Be on the look out for our columns including<br />
art, fashion, sport and much more.<br />
See you next issue!<br />
Astra, Nana and Natasha<br />
(Co-Editors in Chief)
My first day at <strong>College</strong>...<br />
I've made a mistake. This sentence was going<br />
around my head for all of my first week at <strong>King</strong> Ed's.<br />
I've made a mistake.<br />
I felt so lonely. Despite being surrounded by over a<br />
thousand other students, I felt alone.<br />
However, even when I had bad days at college, I<br />
found myself looking forward to the next day,<br />
determined to prove to myself that it would get better.<br />
I was right; each day was better than the last.<br />
As I started to make friends, I found myself really<br />
beginning to enjoy <strong>King</strong> Ed's. Even now as the work<br />
is piling up, actually, I think I made the right choice.<br />
Laura Brown<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 3<br />
Does growing older create ignorance towards<br />
making friends?<br />
Joining a new college after being in the same school<br />
for 5 years is a frightening thought and whenever we<br />
have to face up to this new challenge and<br />
experience, the majority of students fret as well as<br />
lose sleep over the thought of making new friends.<br />
However, we have had a similar experience when<br />
moving from primary school to secondary school, so<br />
why is this change a more worrisome thought?<br />
Through surveying a select number of students in<br />
Year 12 at <strong>King</strong> <strong>Edward</strong>’s, I have discovered that<br />
growing up entails distress towards meeting new<br />
people as teenagers are often paranoid and<br />
sometimes trivial and select in terms of who they<br />
choose to spend their time with. These are only a few<br />
of the reasons as to why moving schools is more<br />
nail-bitingly stressful than when we were 10 or 11.<br />
Olivia Nash
In September <strong>King</strong> <strong>Edward</strong>s not only opened its<br />
doors to 800 new Year 12’s but also welcomed Andy<br />
Adamson. We thought we would find out more about<br />
<strong>King</strong> <strong>Edward</strong>s’ newest and highly enthusiastic<br />
Classics teacher…<br />
How are you finding <strong>King</strong> Eds so far?<br />
I’m enjoying everything so far and all the staff<br />
and students seem really lovely.<br />
How does the college rate in comparison to<br />
where you have taught before?<br />
The expectations are much higher here than<br />
anywhere else I’ve taught, that is mostly down to the<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 4<br />
students being more focused and interested and<br />
clearly want to be here. The college has a very good<br />
reputation in the wider community which encourages<br />
students to come here and do well.<br />
Why did you decide to be a teacher?<br />
I failed the intelligence test to be a milkman.<br />
What is the best part of being a teacher?<br />
No two days are the same and you are always faced<br />
with new challenges. I also like getting to know<br />
everyone and finding out about their lives.<br />
“I failed the<br />
intelligence test to<br />
be a milkman.”<br />
What are you most looking forward to this<br />
academic year?<br />
I am looking forward to finding my feet and<br />
establishing myself as part of the<br />
college…and…Christmas!<br />
What do you do when you are<br />
not teaching?<br />
I like to spend time with my kids,<br />
normally stopping them from fighting. I play Call of<br />
Duty and Football Manager online but I never go<br />
out, not when I have three small children to look<br />
after.<br />
Emma Stevenson
Extreme Education<br />
We've all had to work hard and make<br />
sacrifices to get to this college, given the<br />
academically selective nature of <strong>King</strong><br />
<strong>Edward</strong>'s, but some take the desire to get in<br />
to this college to a whole new level.<br />
Nathan Hatch of year 12 has moved from his<br />
life-long home in Canterbury, Kent to Kinver<br />
so that he can attend this college. Previously<br />
living in one of the most affluent areas of the<br />
country, Nathan heard the reputation of this<br />
place and realised he needed a slice of that<br />
education based pie, so much so that he<br />
persuaded his parents to move<br />
up here!<br />
Well done Nathan!<br />
(The names and locations have been<br />
changed according to “Nathan’s”<br />
wishes.)<br />
Toby Stone<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 5<br />
Race for life<br />
Thousands of women<br />
turned Himley Hall into a<br />
sea of pink on September<br />
23rd to raise money in the<br />
fight against cancer after<br />
the event was cancelled<br />
due to the weather months<br />
ago.<br />
Amongst the runners was year 12 student Emma<br />
<strong>Edward</strong>s who had been inspired by family members<br />
to take part. Emma completed the 5k route in just 35<br />
minutes and although exhausted said "I am really<br />
satisfied with my achievement as well as being<br />
rushed with adrenaline, I'm really chuffed I raised<br />
money for a very important cause that means a lot to<br />
me."Emma intends to take part again next year and<br />
is encouraging friends and family to join her so that<br />
more money can be raised. Race of life in the<br />
Midlands will raise about £1.5 million this year for<br />
Cancer Research UK.<br />
Abbie Blackford
Annual Poetry Competition<br />
Following previous success, the English department<br />
has once again run its poetry competition to tie in<br />
with National Poetry Day which took place on<br />
October 4 th . This year’s theme was ‘Stars’, and over<br />
200 budding poets entered, following in the footsteps<br />
of William Wordsworth and Carol Ann Duffy. Anyone<br />
interested in reading the students’ fantastic poetry<br />
should head over to C Block where a display<br />
showcases the entries. With many different<br />
interpretations of the theme and various styles of<br />
poem, there’s bound to be something to interest<br />
everyone. Congratulations to Jenny Bullas for her<br />
winning entry:<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 6<br />
Ode to a Stargazer<br />
Stop watching me when I'm trying to pull shapes with<br />
my friends,<br />
We came here together for a good time.<br />
Didn't ask for some parka-clad weirdo to check us<br />
out.<br />
Ogle us with his wide-angle lens.<br />
Give us pet names -<br />
I take particular exception to "Great Bear".<br />
You take photos;<br />
Blow them up, pin them up.<br />
Slip them into albums with the time and the date and<br />
where we went.<br />
Some nights I hope it clouds over.<br />
Creep.<br />
Carys <strong>Home</strong>r
Mitch Iles<br />
Picture this, a brave knight going to battle for the first<br />
time. He has his new shiny armour; he has his new<br />
sword and his new helmet. He is prepared to fight, he<br />
has trained for this, he has worked hard, just to get<br />
this far. He is ready to step on to the battlefield.<br />
Now swap that knight for Mitch Iles, one of our year<br />
13 students. Swap the battlefield for a cycling road<br />
race, the sword for his brand new Specialized S-<br />
Works Tarmac Sl3 bike and his shiny new armour for<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 7<br />
the purple of the Halesowen cycling club uniform.<br />
The scene is set; he is ready for his first race.<br />
Mitch Iles (Halesowen A&CC) completed his first<br />
cycling Solihull road race last Sunday. Unfortunately,<br />
half way around the first lap (of five), he crashed.<br />
Mitch didn’t give up though. As he saw the peloton<br />
disappear up the road, he knew he had to finish. He<br />
rode the last four laps on his own and finished the 62<br />
mile course in the cold, wind and rain while everyone<br />
else was inside getting warm having finished the<br />
race. That takes a lot of courage, determination and<br />
perseverance.<br />
Mitch is definitely one to watch!<br />
William Hier
Angela Eggleton<br />
Shortly after ex pupil Helen Scott, competed for team<br />
G.B in The London 2012 Paralympics, <strong>King</strong> Ed’s<br />
welcomes a new national cyclist Angela Eggleton to<br />
the student body.<br />
Angela is balancing her studies of Music,<br />
Psychology, P.E and English literature alongside a<br />
tough training and racing routine. Angie has enjoyed<br />
recent success winning the national ‘Scratch Race’<br />
as she made a phenomenal performance, streaking<br />
ahead to seize the win from the previous champion.<br />
Angie describes feeling ‘overjoyed’ at a win she had<br />
‘trained so hard for’.<br />
‘It’s all about getting into the<br />
zone; I listen to music, eat<br />
some energy gels and get<br />
myself pumped up’.<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 8<br />
Often an independent traveller Angie has cycled in a<br />
range of countries including Majorca, Lanzarote,<br />
France and Italy. Her experiences and day to day<br />
life, certain differ greatly from the average year 12<br />
student, as whilst the rest of us are enjoying the last<br />
blissful hours of our night’s sleep, Angie is up and on<br />
the bike, often attending gruelling pre-college training<br />
sessions.<br />
Angie describes her pre-race preparations, ‘It’s all<br />
about getting into the zone; I listen to music, eat<br />
some energy gels and get myself pumped up’. She<br />
also emphasises the importance of careful thought<br />
rather than just raw fitness in a race ‘it’s all about<br />
tactics, especially when we’re working as a team’.<br />
With long term Olympic dreams Angela can certainly<br />
look to Helen Scott for inspiration- <strong>King</strong> Ed’s appears<br />
to be the perfect place to pursue both academic<br />
studies and Olympic cycling goals side by side.<br />
Sarah Collins
Does fashion define friendship?<br />
Throughout the years it has become increasingly more<br />
acceptable to express your individuality. This is evident<br />
around college as each sudent carries an air of confidence<br />
whilst proudly showing off their latest outfits and fashion<br />
finds. Clothes can tell alot about a person’s identity, can we<br />
give hints regarding their personality and are a fantastic<br />
way of expressing yourself. However, are people drawn to<br />
those dressed similarly to them? Often people become<br />
segregated due to their choice of clothing and will form<br />
friendships with those who share their preferences and<br />
opinions.<br />
Despite this, students at <strong>King</strong> Eds are significantly less<br />
segregated. The friendly college community allows people<br />
to accept each other, ignore barriers and form friendships<br />
despite contrasting views. So, ignore the sterotypes.<br />
Instead, accept and commend people for their fashion<br />
choices, see past the clothing and judge someone by their<br />
personality. Open yourself to new possibilities, and dont<br />
allow fashion to define friendships!<br />
Lauren Day<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 9
DIY FASHION: Shorts<br />
Denim shorts are really in fashion at the moment,<br />
especially with a high waist. Shorts are not just for<br />
summer they look amazing in the winter with thick tights<br />
and cuddly jumpers, but they can be so overpriced. Here<br />
is a step by step guide into making a pair of old out of<br />
fashion jeans or a cheap pair of jeans from a charity shop<br />
into a brand new pair of fashionable shorts. The best part<br />
of it is its super easy and anyone can do it.<br />
1) Take your pair of jeans, put them on<br />
and mark with a pen an inch longer than<br />
you want them to come and then cut<br />
along the marks you have made,<br />
slanting them slightly upwards, but not<br />
too much, only a little. Make sure you<br />
don't cut them too short, if there too long<br />
you can cut more off!!!<br />
2) Try them on again and if they are<br />
now the correct length fold them in half<br />
and cut the other side this will insure<br />
that they are the exact same length. Try<br />
them on again to make sure that they fit<br />
well and are still the preferred length. At<br />
this point they will still look unfinished<br />
but don’t worry.<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 10<br />
3) Throw the shorts into the wash<br />
and see how much they fray. Now you<br />
have three different options...<br />
If you think they have frayed enough,<br />
just leave them and they are ready to<br />
wear.<br />
If you don’t think they have frayed<br />
enough, use a large nail file, open<br />
scissors or sand paper to rub against<br />
the edge to give them even more of a rough, relaxed<br />
look. But remember they will continue to fray a little more<br />
for the next few times you wash them so don’t overdo it.<br />
If you think the frayed look doesn’t fit your style, simply<br />
fold up the edges and sew them upwards as tight as you<br />
can using cotton that matches your shade of denim (if<br />
you don’t know how to sew try watching a YouTube<br />
tutorial to help you).<br />
And there you have it, a brand new, one of a kind pair of<br />
shorts!<br />
Paige Bayley and Katie Christopher
Arts Review- The Electric Cinema- Birmingham<br />
Subtly concealed<br />
between a chain<br />
of downtown<br />
Cantonese<br />
restaurants and<br />
shabby karaoke<br />
bars, along Station<br />
Street within the<br />
cityscape of<br />
Birmingham lies<br />
the entrance to a<br />
cinematic wander<br />
way back. Way<br />
back to when the<br />
magic of cinema was encapsulated within art deco<br />
walls and accompanied with a glass of gracious,<br />
green Absinthe. The Electric Cinema is the UK’s<br />
oldest cinema, holding its first cinematic performance<br />
in 1909 and is a highly authentic and popular spot for<br />
the artistic community of Birmingham. The venue has<br />
maintained its art deco interior and charm within its<br />
stylistic theatre whilst interpreting two high-tech<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 11<br />
digital screens, where you can catch brand new<br />
mainstream films such as; Skyfall, Looper, On the<br />
road as well as a selection of classic, independent<br />
and foreign film screenings. In the upcoming months<br />
the cinema has a range of exciting special events,<br />
such as a unique Halloween extended screening of<br />
Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’ with 20 minutes of<br />
unseen footage. Along with several stand up<br />
comedy nights and a showing on Oct 12 th of the<br />
classic 60s zombie film ‘2.8 Hours’, promoting the 2.8<br />
hours real-life interactive Zombie chase game which<br />
will be hitting the streets of Birmingham on Oct 17 th !<br />
I recently went to see Joe Wright’s ‘Anna Karenina’,<br />
starring Keira Knightly and Jude Law at The Electric,<br />
which was a fantastic stylistic film by itself, however<br />
complimented with the cinema’s home-made cake,<br />
watching our glasses of traditional Parisian green<br />
Absinthe pour from an antique silver fountain and the<br />
gloriously comfortable sofa seating within the theatre,<br />
it became an experience I’d highly recommend to<br />
any film enthusiast or film studies student.<br />
http://www.theelectric.co.uk/page.php?page=30<br />
Ellie Jones
Sincere thanks to all for their contributions. In the next issue we intend to introduce other columns including a Good Deed<br />
Feed, so if you have anyone you wish to nominate, or indeed any stories you would wish to include, or comments you<br />
wish to make, please get in touch.<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 1 October 2012 contact us at askedit@kedst.ac.uk Page 12