News

Staff and students in the art department are extremely pleased to hear that an acknowledgement and thanks is to be given to "Lynne Stephenson and pupils at the Colchester Sixth Form College" in Neil Cox's "The Picasso Book", published by Tate Modern.

Professor Neil Cox, who is widely recognised as one of the foremost authorities on Picasso's work, gave a lecture to the Art History students on Picasso's "Three Dancers", to support their second year coursework.

In recent weeks , a wealth of talent has been on display as college students pursuing a variety of courses in the Performing Arts Department have come together for a series of performances that have covered everything from realism to farce and Shakespeare to street dance.

Many of the students have developed pieces as part of their Extended Project, a qualification which allows them to research and develop their own responses to the work of established writers, practitioners of theatre and performers, by acting, directing or choreographing a cast of fellow students.

Some are working to meet the requirements of demanding A-Level specifications in Dance or Theatre Studies, others are pursuing an interest in Shakespeare or dance outside of their formal studies. All of them have contributed to a huge variety of recent entertainment events which have showcased the creative and cultural life of the college at its' best.

Indeed the teamwork and enjoyment and commitment even extended to former students, several of whom returned to work with the department that they have graduated from in recent years. For example, dancer Luke Jessop, who now dances professionally with Wim Vandekeybus in Brussels, treated his audience to a stunningly athletic, urban-tinged but music-free display of contemporary dance.

Also back with us are former students Armonie Melville, Josh Overton and Connor McBurney, who have been directing and devising music and choreography for Macbeth as this challenging play takes us into the world of satanic possession!

In something of a contrast to the dark themes of Macbeth, college musicians, singers and performers came together for the last time this term in the Drama Studio for the College Carol Concert: A well-attended annual event, which always ends the term on a high note.

As we finish off for the year of 2011 at Colchester Sixth Form College, fellow students may notice that the new Languages Centre which shall be opened soon, is looking well on the way to completion. Just how far along is the building, you may ask? My photographer and I spoke with site manager Ted Studd and here's what we learned:

Construction work is progressing quickly, with the building looking closer and closer to the final product each week. According to Gripping Construction, the work being done on the roof and brick-work is nearly completed, as can be seen from the photos. Work on the flat-roof is also underway and should be completed within the next few weeks. A particularly good spot to view the progress on the building, and on the roof in particular is the Lecture Theatre in room 630.

Over the Christmas break, more work will be done on making the building watertight. A protective membrane will be added to the building which will keep out most water. The building will also become more waterproof as more windows are put into place, as currently only 35% of windows are installed.

Over all, the building is looking good and should be completed in the spring term. I'm sure all of us who study languages at the college will be pleased with a new building to have classes in. This will also create more space in the Midsite and North Site buildings for other subjects. Read the updates and full story here.

A party of students have recently returned from a visit to Auschwitz- Birkenau and the surrounding area of Poland as part of the college's well-established Holocaust Awareness Programme.

As trip leader Ian Levinson explained: "The trip was part of a broader programme of activities organised with the support of the Holocaust Educational Trust, with the aim of imparting the history of the Holocaust to young people, to ensure that we honour the memory of those whose lives were lost and take forward the lessons taught by those who survived."

"The programme included a moving visit from survivor Harry Olmer to the college earlier on in the term. His testimony will remain a powerful reminder of the horrors so many experienced. The trip itself included a visit to the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, which aimed to increase knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust based on the premise that ‘hearing is not like seeing’ and to signal what can happen if prejudice and racism become acceptable".

"Clearly many parts of the trip were difficult for the students, but they responded with great insight and sensitivity and were a credit to the college. They also took the opportunity to forge strong links with fellow students in Poland, visiting their school and touring Krakow together. Hopefully the trip will encourage our students to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make a positive difference in their own lives.” To read an earlier news story linked to Auschwitz, please click here.

Head of Performing Arts Nigel Hildreth has, with a group of enthusiastic student performers, revived a rock opera first performed thirty years ago.

“The Damnation of Jonathan Fist” was written by David J Lee and Nigel Hildreth in 1979, when Nigel taught at Hedingham School and David was a lecturer in Sociology at Essex University. It takes the story of Faust and updates the ideas. At the time the show was also performed at the Mercury Theatre and Stanway School and whilst it has since been performed elsewhere in the country, it has now returned for the first time in thirty years to Colchester.

Students at the Sixth Form College performed a revised version with an expanded orchestra and band and a reduced cast. As musical director, Nigel Hildreth explained: “the themes of youth unemployment and greed are still as relevant today, but they’ve been combined with music in a fresh orchestration. The students were fantastic and it was fun to work on, even though the technical demands were great.”

After first hearing about this rock opera, I was dubious as to whether it would work as a concept. However as I sat waiting for the show to begin, I saw the multitudes of people filling up the seats around me and realised that I may have got it wrong after all. Its’ theme music is still stuck in my head, proof of a good song! Its’ consideration of heaven and hell, religious viewpoints and the cruelty of the human condition were brilliantly conveyed through the lyrics and costumes of the performers. The cast were excellent entertainers and seemed to be enjoying themselves onstage. I saw the show on the second and final night, but they were all still fresh faced and enjoying every second of being there.

At first glance, The Damnation of Jonathan Fist looks to be for an older audience, as its values and lack of dialogue may have been too difficult for a younger audience to understand, but the audience encompassed a wide range of different ages. If this rock opera comes back to college in years to come, I highly recommend buying a ticket and going to see it!

Recently a number of staff and over 20 student volunteers were “gunked” at college during an event held for Children in Need.

Jelly, baked beans, custard, porridge or vegetable soup were poured over them in order to raise several hundred pounds for Children in Need. Some brave participants volunteered themselves and others were “sponsored” by their tutor group.

Recently 32 first year A-Level Politics students visited the Houses of Parliament, where they had a tour, followed by a question and answer session with three local MPs: Bob Russell, Bernard Jenkin and Priti Patel.

They also had a talk and Q&A session with Baroness McIntosh of Hudnal on the role of the House of Lords before visiting the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. As politics teacher Ian Levinson explained:

"This was an excellent opportunity for students to see at first hand processes that are discussed in the classroom everyday, as well as giving them the chance to discuss important issues with their local MP's"

The Chemistry Department here at The Sixth Form College are celebrating student success in a number of prestigious national competitions:

Sixth Form College student Lucy Dawson has won an award for her performance in the recent Salters Advanced Chemistry Individual Investigation Competition. Nationally Lucy gained the joint highest mark and has been invited to attend the Salters' Institute Annual Awards Ceremony at Salters' Hall In London on Friday 18 November 2011. As Head of Chemistry Madeline Robinson explains: "The award is recognition for the excellent independent laboratory research that Lucy undertook concerning catalysis and factors which speed up the rate of chemical reactions. We are very proud of her achievement and wish Lucy every success as she progresses onto further study at York University".

Current student Amy Parkinson is also celebrating having received a gold certificate in the prestigious Chemistry Challenge organised by the University of Cambridge. As Madeline explains: "Amy used her own time to prepare for this difficult exam, working closely with teacher Cathy Cox to extend her knowledge of chemistry well beyond the demands of the A-Level syllabus. She beat off nearly 3,000 other entrants to finish in the top 7% of students across the country - an excellent achievement which bodes extremely well for her future studies in medicine".

Principal Ian MacNaughton said: "The Chemistry Department do an excellent job every year, helping a huge number of students move onto further success in medicine, science and related fields at a wide number of prestigious universities. It's excellent to see our students, and the staff who support them, getting national recognition for their work in this way."

The Sixth Form College, Colchester has once again been awarded the British Council's prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.The International School Award is a badge of honour for schools that do outstanding work in international education, such as through links with partner schools overseas.

Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of this work, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need to live and work as global citizens. John Rolfe from the British Council, said:"Many congratulations to all the schools across the UK who have been successful in gaining the International School Award. We're very grateful to all the schools for their excellent commitment to the enriching, creative and innovative international dimensions of teaching and learning. Their inspirational work is vital preparation for all our young people, helping them to better understand their place in the world and supporting the development of their skills in an increasingly global economy."

Recently an audience gathered at the college for a unique performance of the play "Someone Just Shot Matthias Adler"; a 'political satire and absurdist tragicomedy' in two acts', created and performed by a small group of college students, including Harry Smithson, Josh Overton and Lewis Evans.

What could have been a piece of over-ambitious folly involving poetry, an albatross, several false moustaches and an avant-garde play-within-a-play, instead gelled into a riotously funny insight into the nature of political power. As drama teacher Ed Roles neatly explained:

"I was dreading it, if I am being honest, but it was actually genuinely entertaining on the night".

During the recent College Creative Arts Festival, several bands performed outside in the college grounds. Here's a review of the performances from college journalist Amy Fowler:

"It was a rainy afternoon at the Sixth Form College, Colchester, but the Arts Festival really brightened up the day. Starting off with some dance music from some assorted DJ's, a crowd started to appear. Ice creams in hand they were waiting in anticipation for the event to get underway. The first band to play were "The Great Excuse", an indie band from the College. They were very charismatic individuals who obviously were enjoying playing for the crowd. A mixture of influences comes across through their music such as; The Kooks, The Jam, etc.. "

"Their interpretation of Ellie Goulding's "Starry Eyed", is one that I haven't heard before but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Blending their indie style of music with a well-known pop song is a greatly enjoyable listen. This band are set for big things in the music industry and I for one am glad that I was able to see them on the "Grassy Knoll" at the Sixth Form College. After another dance music interval it was friends Dan & Molly's turn to take to the stage (or grassy bit where the microphone was...)."

"They started off with a cover medley, including songs from Lady Gaga and Pink to name but two. Another key part of their set was their cover of Ed Sheeran's (Singer/Songwriter from Suffolk) "A Team", which recently got to no. 2 in the charts. There was a final DJ interlude before our closing act of the day, Jack Howe, a local singer songwriter armed only with his electric-acoustic guitar and some brilliant songs. I hope that next year the arts festival has as much talent to showcase as it has this year".

A spaghetti bridge resists all attempts at destruction by Maths teacher Mike Flower - carrying an impressive 400 gms before collapsing - which all goes to prove the power of pasta, or of mechanics, depending upon how one looks at these things....

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A Colchester Sixth Form College student is celebrating after achieving the top score 42 points for her International Baccalaureate. Megan Kemp, who went to Thurstable School before college, is now looking forward to taking up her place at Oxford University to read Geography. Megan is not alone in her celebrations however, as an impressive five Sixth Form College students from a single year group all achieved scores of over 40, placing them in the top 2% of students, not just in the country, but across the world.

As College principal Ian MacNaughton explained: "We are delighted with another strong set of International Baccalaureate results, not just at the top end, but across the board. Our students have achieved an average score of over 32 points, which is well above the international average. Once again they have shown that this an excellent course for students from a range of GCSE backgrounds who are looking for an alternative to the traditional A-Level route through to university or employment". Megan also managed to put her celebrations aside for a moment to explain to us just why she had chosen the International Baccalaureate course:

"I think we are in a time when it pays to be different, when universities are receiving thousands of identical applications from equally gifted students; the IB allowed my peers and I to stand out and be more noticeable. The International in International Baccalaureate is definitely never forgotten in this course. The exposure to different countries through all subjects, not just languages, has widened my understanding of the world, probably more than jumping on a plane to visit the country on holiday. Also there is something special about studying the same topics as someone in Japan, India or America, despite all the cultural differences you are linked through what you are learning, something I never forgot during my two years at College".

Staff and students at the sixth Form College are celebrating the success of Nigel Hildreth, Head of Performing Arts at the Sixth Form College, who has been named in the Queen's birthday honours list. He has been awarded an MBE for his services to education.

Nigel started at the Sixth Form College in 1987, just as it was being established, and his role within the college has been as Head of The Performing Arts Department. He has also worked extensively in the town promoting opportunities for young people, especially in the Arts and specifically in Music. For the past 30 years, under his musical directorship, The Colne Valley Youth Orchestra has provided many youngsters with opportunities to play and perform in a non-auditioning ensemble. As he explains: "This introduces the young musicians both to the joys of performance and also to the experiences of tours abroad". Mr Hildreth also has led the team from the Colchester Colne Round Table in organising the Colchester Schools Prom Concert, involving most of the schools and colleges in the town. This concert has also helped to support a fund which was set up when Nigel was awarded the Arts Award by the Borough of Colchester in 1998, which helps young musicians in the town attend residential musical experiences. On a wider educational front Nigel Hildreth is currently a governor at The Gilberd School (where he has served for 14 years) and is on the Board of Trustees for the Royal Academy of Dance where he currently chairs the education sub-committee. College Principal Ian MacNaughton said: "We are all extremely pleased to see Nigel's excellent work for young people in Colchester recognised in this way. I'm sure that many of our students, both past and present, would agree that Nigel's MBE is very richly deserved."

On 22nd June, the College staff cricket team played their annual fixture against East Begholt High School. Despite four overs being lost to a heavy downpour, play was able to continue and a spectacular double rainbow delighted players and spectators.

Unfortunately, the College players were unable to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, despite the notable efforts of Ian Fraser with the bat and captain David Charleston with the ball. After the match, both sets of players paid tribute to Charleston who is retiring as captain this year, having played for both sides in his career and he promised to return as a player this time next year to help College regain the Ted Wragg Trophy.

A school in Peru is to be renamed "El Colchester Sixth Form" College. The school, previously named 'Escuela Pedro Pablo Castrillón school' will be re-named in recognition of the work of students from Colchester Sixth Form College, who have, over several years, raised thousands of pounds to support the school. As teacher David Huggon explains:

"Over the years our main aim has been to raise funds so that they could build a new kindergarten for the smaller children, who come from very poor families in the valley nearby. The children have to walk for about an hour every day to get to school. In many cases the parents opt not to send them there, but send them out in search of work instead. The building of this centre, along with the computer centre we paid for in 2004, has encouraged more children from the area to go to school. The students worked very hard to raise the money for the school, and it was very gratifying for us to see the building go up whilst we were there last year. It's also very pleasing for the students to hear of the school's new name, which is fantastic recognition of all their efforts." In July 2012, more students at The Sixth From College, Colchester, will be given a similar potentially life changing opportunity, as part of a further expedition to Lima, Peru, this time to the Manuel Duato School which caters for those with special needs including physical disabilities, autism, deafness, blindness and Down's Syndrome. A group of twenty two students (including three from The Girls' County High School) and five staff aim to raise £20,000 to adapt three classrooms for the children at the school and a minibus to transport the students. The San Benito district on the edges of Lima is particularly poverty stricken and the students will donate money towards the health campaigns for the families to raise awareness and provide treatment for anaemia, parasites and malnutrition.

Anyone who would like to donate or help with fundraising can contact David Huggon by email at:  huggond@colchsfc.ac.uk

On 5th January Charter Hall was filled to capacity with former students and their families, who joined staff and governors at the Sixth Form College Annual Reunion and Awards Evening, held to celebrate the outstanding successes of the students who left us in June 2011.

L-R (Back)
Megan Kemp Departmental Award for IB Geography and College Award for Academic Achievement
Charis Holmes Holbrook High School Award for Academic Achievement
Matthew Farthing The Gilberd School Award for Academic Achievement in Sixth Form Study
Jack Tooze College Award for Academic Achievement in IB
Bryony Goodwin St Mary's School Award for Academic Achievement in Sixth Form Study
Loyd Steward Departmental Award for Chemistry and College Award for Academic Achievement

L-R (Front)
Bronya Meredith College Award for Academic Achievement
Yasmine Permaul Essex County Standard Award for Communications
Sarah Ayton Colchester Hospital University Foundation NHS Trust Award for Personal Achievement
Thomas Imber College Award for Academic Achievement, Department Award for English Literature and Departmental Award for History
Josh Overton College Shakespeare Award

The event included speeches both from the Principal and from guest speaker Luke Wright, who is a former student of the college. Every year Luke produces a new poetry stage show and tours it across the UK and even to far-flung places such as Australia and China. His current show, called "Luke Wright's Cynical Ballads", just completed a sold out run at The Edinburgh Fringe.

Further details of the Principal's speech, outlining in more detail the outstanding successes of the students who left us in June 2011, as well as details of all award winners, can be found here.

A document detailing the awards can be downloaded here: Student Reunion and Awards PDF 962 KB

Students from across the Sixth Form College have recently worked together to provide approximately 140 Christmas hampers for those in need in Colchester and the surrounding area.

Destinations for the goodie-packed hampers included Haven Mental Health Centre, social services and a range of young people who have just left care.

As Principal Ian MacNaughton explained:

"This is something that our students have been doing for about 20 years now. Each tutor group fills and decorates a hamper, donating a huge range of food and gifts in the process. The College Charities Committee do a great job of co-ordinating the hamper collection and it's a fantastic site to see them all piled up in the college reception area".

This year the Arts Committee wanted to get as many students as possible involved in decorating the college Christmas tree.

Using origami doves as a theme, they worked closely with a number of other societies and college groups including the International Society, Christian Union and Amnesty International Group.

The Arts Committee members taught the origami skills to their tutor and subject groups and some staff also came along to a lunchtime workshop.

The fact that the doves were not straightforward to make, (with a general agreement that it often took until the third attempt for the process of folding to fully sink in!) only added to the experience and made for a beautifully and originally decorated tree on the college concourse.

If you spotted a student wandering around college dressed as a huge cigarette recently it is because The College Health Advice Team (C.H.A.T) have launched their Alcohol Awareness and Smokefree Campaign.

As part of the events, students were able to see exactly what is in their favourite alcoholic beverage and then feel the effects with a small obstacle course undertaken whilst wearing ‘beer goggles’.

As well as a lot of fun, students found out facts which made them think about their nights out, to help make sure they come home in a taxi, not an ambulance.

After generating nearly thousands of views on their YouTube Channel, In September 2011, Colchester Sixth Form Students Duo “DougandPhil” released their debut single "Too Slow, So Fast" on iTunes and it reached number 52 in the UK iTunes singer/songwriter charts. Brothers Doug and Phil Panton, both A-Level music students, wrote and produced the track themselves, accompanied by Henry Hopkinson on drums.

After the success of their initial release, they have started a band "The Natives", which combines a popular music feel with an indie/ rock sound. The band are currently working on an album, which they hope to co-produce with a recording studio. They are also booking gigs all round Essex, playing a mixture of covers and originals.

They have been featured in numerous newspapers such as Colchester Gazette, Braintree and Witham Times and Weekly News and they’ve been played and mentioned on local radio stations including heart, BBC Essex and Leisure FM.

Also celebrating musical success is college student and singer Sophie Nixon, who has reached, and successfully completed, the area finals for the “Open Mic” UK singing competition. She is now hoping to get enough public votes to reach the final, to be held at the 02 Arena in January. Sophie is a ‘wildcard’ entry – an extra person chosen by the judges at the last minute to compete to join the heat winners in the final, so she is a true plucky underdog, who is now apparently in 2nd place!

Earlier this term the Sports Committee held the annual Dodgeball competition, which took place over two weeks. Seven teams of six entered the knock out competition, playing in their break times to try and win a cash prize.

Interest was considerable, both from second year students and new first years eager to participate. The matches were played in a 'best of three' format with each team aiming to get the other team out. The winning team from each match proceeded through the knock out stages.

'A.W line up' met 'Charwee's Friends' in the final, having both won their respective semi-final matches. It was a closely contested match which saw over 50 students flock to the Sports Hall and the surrounding area to watch. Having won the first game, 'Charwee's Friends' faded as 'A.W line up' dominated and emerged 2-1 winners, taking home the £60 cash prize.

‘The English department and The Social Committee arranged for a visit from poet and broadcaster Luke Wright.

Luke is a former student of the college, and every year he produces a new poetry stage show in which he tours across the UK and even to far-flung places such as Australia and China. His current show, called “Luke Wright’s Cynical Ballads”, just completed a sold out run at The Edinburgh Fringe.

Students at the college were lucky to catch him during a break in his hectic schedule . As Creativity Co-Ordinator, Suzanne Conway, explained:

‘We are keen to open students minds to all sorts of art forms. Luke’s work is political, irreverent and arresting. He writes about things that matter and stands up for things that count. Luke has managed to make a career out of being a poet, that’s quite inspiring for the students here who write.’

Award winning Chemistry student Lucy Dawson was recently presented with a prize by David Willets MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, at a ceremony at the Salters institute, in recognition of her performance in the recent Salters Advanced Chemistry Individual Investigation Competition

As Head of Chemistry Madeline Robinson pointed out: "It was a great day for her and her parents and we received some very positive feedback on how we run the investigations from the chief moderator and the Salters project director. Lucy is now at York university studying Chemistry so was able to meet Chris Otter from the Salters Project and professor sir John Homan who asked her to demonstrate her experiment in his Christmas lecture!"

The recent bout of warm weather has brought a smile to the faces of the student members of the College Conservation Working Party, who often head out on a Sunday to do vital work in the local area.

As teacher Michael Padmore explains: "Students visit nature reserves and other sites around North East Essex. and use tools such as bow saws, billhooks and loppers, as well as taking the opportunity to learn skills from conservation experts. It involves great exercise, beautiful places, good company, useful work experience and an important contribution to wildlife conservation".

Further volunteers are always welcome. For more information and to take part, contact Michael Padmore in room 114 or email him via the college.

Staff and Students of The Sixth Form College, Colchester took time out of lessons recently to complete a mile run around Castle Park in aid of Sport Relief, organised in conjunction with the PE department. Participants ran, jogged, skipped and found other less conventional ways to finish the two laps. The route included a variety of terrain including hills and slopes on both concrete and grass.

Having all contributed at least a pound to the cause, those students and staff who had chosen to run the course set off first. The winning runner was Nikolai Luck, a member of staff who sprinted home in a time of 5.19 minutes. This was closely followed by student Emile Du Toit who finished in 5.23. Also finishing quickly were Greg Vincent (5.50) Ian Thompson (5.59) Michael Burrows (6.06) and Matt Wareing (6.07). Leading the girls group were Pippa Morris (6.19) and PE teacher Shelly Johnson (7.29). All the runners completed the route in under 10 minutes

It was then the turn of the remaining competitors to start the mile. The change in weather meant there were also runners in this group, aiming to complete the mile before the rain set in, as well as power walkers and groups attempting to go around the course three legged, providing entertainment for the gathering spectators.

It's festival season but lucky students at The Sixth Form College, Colchester, did not need to travel to sample artistic delights; the art, music, drama and creative writing staff at the college brought it to them. The Annual College Creative Arts Festival was the idea of Nicky Johnston, Head of Art, and was established some years ago.

This year, the week began with the well-attended Shakespeare, Music and Poetry Evening. Students performed their own music compositions under the guidance of Nigel Hildreth and Fran East and creative writing students read their poetry fresh from a weekend writing retreat in a National Trust Windmill near Burnham Overy Staithe in Norfolk. Suzanne Conway, the Creativity Co-Ordinator at the college, compèred the evening and led performance workshops with the poets to ensure that they felt confident and poised on the night. As she explained:

"This week is a celebration of students' talent and creativity and a way of fostering all students' creativity. I tell students that if they cultivate a rich internal world, some outlet for the imagination then the more mundane and difficult elements of life are easier to navigate." The idea with this evening was that poetry and music can complement, illuminate and create its own harmony. An excellent adaptation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew filled the second part of the evening.

As part of their A2 Art History course, students at the college have curated an art trail to showcase some of this year's work from the Visual Arts department. The students learn at first hand the many aspects of how to mount an exhibition, from selecting, hanging and labelling the work to publicising and marketing the trail.

The works on the trail this year are all around the theme of "Identity", and are executed in various media, including a set of portraits executed by student Jordan Youpa in chocolate! He explained to us a little bit about how such a piece of chocolate art is made:

"The piece is made using chocolate icing, I had initially planned to use a chocolate and double cream based icing, but it began to melt very quickly, so I started working with chocolate and icing sugar, until I reached the consistency, and solidity that I finally used. It was piped onto plexi-glass, first broken down into sections and then filled in. My piece was made using £34 worth of chocolate.

It doesn't melt because of the sugar mixed with the chocolate. The way icing sugar and water solidifies is replicated with the icing sugar/chocolate mix, so that it solidifies within hours. To really ensure no melting, I covered the finished product with a sealing glaze, typically used for oil paints, or acrylics.The piece was inspired by Vik Muniz, a Brazilian artist who began workingin chocolate in 1997. From the end of the chocolate series Muniz experimented with pictures such as a Mona Lisa made of junk, caviar, diamonds and even peanut butter. In an attempt to replicate his style, where he uses chocolate sauce, I recreated his chocolate Walt Disney, and then went on to create my final piece".

By College Student Jordan Youpa studying A2 Art History

During one of the recent Induction days at the Sixth Form College Colchester, potential first year students for the 2011/2012 year were able to look around at the courses on offer, as well as find out about an array of additional activities. The reception area of the Mid-site building played host to classical musical talent from a trio playing violins and a cello. The "grassy knoll" was given a taste of modern music with a live performance from electronic ambience duo; "Into the North Sea".

The main sports hall contained many attractive stalls displaying a wide selection of the additional studies that the college offers, from Creative Writing and Rugby, to Latin, the Debating Society and Storm Radio, the college's own radio station. None of these, however, attracted the attention of those looking around quite like the college dance 'flashmob' that appeared as if from nowhere, spread out in groups of two or three around the hall. As the intro of Cee-Lo Green's "Forget You" projected around the hall, I found myself surrounded by groups of dancers, causing me to do a 360º turn to suddenly try and understand what was going on. It instantly put a smile on my face, as well as the faces of everyone else spread around the hall at the different stalls.

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After the dancers were finished with their first performance of the day, and received praise from an amazed audience, they retreated back into a whole group and relaxed. I caught up with a few of them as well as their teacher, Head of Dance, Sarah Pritchard, who was the brains behind the operation. Sarah explained:

"We wanted to bring some excitement to the day and I can safely say that certainly happened". She then went on to say that she thought " The participants really enjoyed the occasion and that this was reflected in the marvellous reaction from the audience".

Later Sarah introduced me to the dancers. It was perfectly choreographed, so I was interested to see how long it took them to learn the moves in time with the music. Katherine Dove, one of the many dancers, explained "we had a number of rehearsals and went through the steps in our lessons" and the other girls went on to say "We were brought together by Sarah and told the plan to do a performance on the Induction day. As the number of participants grew so did our enthusiasm for the occasion." It was certainly very enjoyable to watch, especially seeing Sarah, as well as many of the other teachers, including much of the Chemistry team, joining in with such enthusiasm.

Report by William Hunt - Student Journalist

As student reporter Kyra Fitzgerald explains:

This included the whole college arriving either dressed as muggles or as the original characters under invisibility cloaks!

We hope to raise approaching one hundred pounds for St Francis Hospital in Zambia from this event".

Chess players at Colchester Sixth Form College were required to sharpen up their game somewhat recently, as they were challenged by a Chess Grandmaster.

Jonathan Levitt, who is the author of several books on chess, as well as a chess teacher and former International and Grand Master, was kind enough to visit the college and put several of the College Chess Club's keenest players to the test.

As teacher will Pierce explained: "It's great for the students to meet someone who can play at such a high level and, who knows, it may inspire a future grandmaster to emerge from our ranks!"

The College staff swapped classrooms for the football pitch recently as part of an annual staff training tournament. Forty members of staff were involved and divided into six teams of six, mixing both abilities and academic departments together.

The matches were played over three nights with group stages taking place over two consecutive nights after college hours, with the final following later in the week. Despite the weather making its presence felt, the semi-finals and final were played successfully on the Friday night. Team Four won their semi-final comfortably, beating Team Two 3-0. In the other semi-final between Team Six and Team Three it was a closer encounter with the match ending 0-0 at normal time (nine minutes each half). This meant that it came down to a penalty shootout which Team Three narrowly won (1-0), setting up a Team Three versus Team Four final. Unfortunately, Principal Ian McNaughton, who was playing for Team Three, picked up an injury before the final and was unable to aid his team in their push for victory. The match did not live up to any exciting expectations, finishing 0-0 after normal time. This meant the final was decided on another penalty shootout which saw the only member of PE staff, Mike Cura, miss his penalty and gift Team Three overall victory.Tournament organiser Ian Fraser, of theMaths Department, said the event had been a success and played in good spirits, noting that acting official Senior Tutor Neil Kelly did not have to use the red card.

Victoria Polley - College Sportswriter.