Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 5217 TRIPS AND VISITS UoB Master Classes & Taster Days UOB MASTER CLASSES & TASTER DAYS During the past year the Computing and Multimedia department have collaborated with the University of Birmingham on a number of initiatives including participating in the University of Birmingham’s Undergraduate Ambassador Scheme. This programme entailed a final year undergraduate Computer Science student visiting Handsworth Grammar for half a day per week for one term, primarily to support KS5 Computing students develop their Java Programming skills. ROBOT WARS – TASTER DAY During the summer, sixth form computing student Adreese Ashfaq attended an introduction to computing Taster Day at the University of Birmingham. The ‘hands on’ workshop began with the forming of small teams to create and program an armoured robot using Lego Mindstorms. Once the robot was assembled and programed to battle and defend itself, it was entered into a Robots War Tournament. Overall the day was very enjoyable and helped to increase the students’ knowledge of computer programming within a university setting. COMPUTER SCIENCE DECODED – MASTERCLASS Two KS3 students from Handsworth Grammar were accepted to take part in the unique workshops of ‘Computer Science Decoded’ at the University of Birmingham. These Masterclasses were hands-on and interactive extracurricular sessions led by top experts from academia and industry for talented computer science students across the country. The aim was to open the eyes of young people to the excitement and value of computer science and was the first of its kind in Birmingham. Congratulations to Ismail Hussaain and Danyal Iqbal, both of whom were awarded certificates from the Royal Institution of Great Britain Computer Science Masterclasses. If you are interested in attending a Computing Masterclass at the University of Birmingham or Aston University please see your ICT teacher or Mr King for further details. Mr Conway Oxford University Trip On Saturday 5th March, a number of students attended an English Literature Taster event at Oxford University. Students were given a wealth of information about studying English including the interview process, lectures and employment opportunities arising through study at Oxford University. We arrived at Oxford at around 11a.m., and from there we walked through the cobbled streets to St. Catherine’s College, stopping along the way to view some of the more colourful buildings that have become such a part of Oxford. Once we arrived at St. Catherine’s College there was a brief greeting from two students standing by the door before we received our name tags and some gratefully received refreshments. After half an hour we were led into the first Lecture Theatre which featured a talk on studying English Literature at St Catherine’s College, Oxford and what it would entail: mostly poetry and Old/ Middle English texts. We then attended a lecture by an English Professor, who gave each person in his lecture theatre a booklet which featured texts from playwrights such as Shakespeare, and guided us through each of the six texts and extracts. After the lectures, all of the attendees were split up into groups, and from there we were led around the college by an outgoing Oxford student (James) who had a lot of good advice and guidance. James’ advice came over lunch, which contained detailed discussions about nationalities and ethnic backgrounds, followed by advice on what to include on your CV. We visited the library (which was actually smaller than I expected it to be but it must have contained all of the relevant English Literature), dormitories and the gym. A final rendezvous took place in the Lecture Theatre where the tour began and we enjoyed a one and a half hour talk on preparing for the interview at Oxford and how to improve our chances of getting in, followed by a Q&A with some of the students currently taking English Literature at Oxford. A fascinating trip which gave us a good insight as to how English Literature is taught at Oxford University. We would like to thank Oxford University for inviting us to attend. I would also like to thank the school who kindly paid for us all and our thanks go to Mr Dubay. I look forward to making an application to Oxford University when I finish my GCSE exams – in English of course! Max Henry (11 Alfred) Remembrance Assembly 2015 Handsworth Grammar School held its annual Remembrance Assembly in Big School on Friday 6th November 2015. We were delighted to welcome a number of Governors and Old Boys to School to mark the occasion and share in this significant and important annual event. Mr Keane led the act of Remembrance and Mr Morgan delivered a very thought provoking address which drew upon his recent experience serving in conflict zones such as Afghanistan and Somalia. The Senior Prefect team of Adam Saleem, Priya Badhan, Arron Dalvair and Jardel Robinson-Hylton all took an active part in the Assembly by reading poems and reflections whilst Adam also laid a wreath at the stained glass window with Mr Ashley Winters the President of the Bridge Trust Society. Josef Feiven played the Last Post and Reveille to great effect which helped make this a very special event and a fitting tribute to the Old Boys whose names are listed on the memorial plaques in Big School.