Overall Player of the Year went to Level 3 Extended Diploma Sport student Bradley Vaughan, 18, from Tilbury. Course Leader and Head of Football Academy at the Thurrock Campus, Paul Vaughan said: “Bradley has been a fantastic student for the past two years and his attendance has been second to none. As well as being captain of the team this year, he has been signed to the Tilbury First Team and been on loan with Southend Manor this year. He is an excellent footballer and has used this college experience to develop his skills as a player he’s done really well.”
CLASSICAL boyband Blake have invited the Karis May Darling Choir to join them on stage in order to promote the foundations charity single. The award winning choir from St Clere's school will be backing the "classical boyband" for a few songs but in a very generous move by the band,they will be given their own spot at the concert at the Towngate Theatre on Saturday June 4th.
St Clere's student Elizabeth Popoola is quite a performer. She combines public speaking with a highly dramatic style. Elizabeth was first on and really made an impression with the audience. If you thought Elizabeth was good, wait until you see the winner, tomorrow.
THE STANDARD of public speaking was so high at the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge that we thought we would show all the Thurrock speakers that rose to the occasion at Ormiston Park Academy. Here is Nathaniel Woo from Gable Hall extoling the delights of chicken and Jack Brice from Chafford Hundred on masculinity.
Ever wanted to be a costume designer, or compose your own music? Have a go at the Royal Opera House workshops during this half term at the High House Production Park The Royal Opera House will run two creative workshops for families during half term at the High House Production Park as part of Sounding Out week.
IT WAS a very proud night for Ormiston Park Academy as they hosted the regional final of the Jack Petchey "Speak Out" challenge. The very best of Thurrock's most eloquent speakers took on the cream of Castle Point in a night which the borough must be proud of.
THE BATTLE for £1.2 million between Ockendon School and Thurrock Council is now being played out on a national stage as the Times Educational Supplement has written a special report on the dispute between the two schools. The overcrowded school has been forced to convert cupboards into offices and has refused to hand back £1.2 million in unspent funding which it wants to use to build new classrooms.
Working in teams with students from around the country, the TGSMAC students tackled “real-life” challenges posed by organisations such as Aston Martin, BAE systems, Jackson Civil Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover and the Royal Navy. These included designing and building a bridge, car, submarine and war ship to meet stringent criteria.
These half-term workshops will consist of 18 hours extra revision, coursework sessions and general creative workshops that will engage the students to focus on the preparation for their Maths GCSE exams. Accompanied by 2 peer Year 11 students, (who have already gained their Maths GCSE) acting as mentors, the workshop has proved an outstanding success, with just over 90% of Ormiston Park Academy’s Y11 students already signed up.
Teams of four took to the College’s playing field for the tug of war tournament, but our student teams proved no match for the might of a very competitive quartet of Palmer’s sport staff who went undefeated. The event raised over £80 for the charity which cares for children and their families across Essex and London.
GATEWAY Academy prides itself on its reputation for reaching out into the community. Tomorrow night (Friday) there is a fantastic concert with a great variety of artists from the borough. But last week it was the senior citizens who took centre stage as a Tea Dance was held. It was a lovely afternoon as staff waited on their guests as well as taking to the floor for an afternoon quickstep, waltz and tango.
The keynote speech will be delivered by Paul Reeve, Director of Education at the Royal Opera House. An expert panel of guests from across the arts and education sectors including Diana Walton, Head of Arts Awards Development, Arts Council England, Pauline Tambling, Chief Executive, National Skills Academy Creative and Cultural Skills and Councillor Jeremy Lucas, Essex County Council Cabinet member for Heritage, Culture and the Arts, will also debate participation in the arts.
THE STANDARD of art work in Thurrock schools is always very strong . Recently, Ormiston Park Academy hosted a collaborative venture between three of the local schools as well as local artists. YT spoke to Year 11 student Hikmak Oyedele about her work especially the Photograms.
A year ago, 12 school staff were stranded around the world after the explosion of volcano Eyjafjallajokull. This year 30 students from The Grays School Media Arts College visited Iceland to find out why. Having seen so many natural disasters this year, Iceland is the closest place to see tectonic plates in action – at Thingvellir students literally stood in the no-man’s land between Europe and North America.
