Muhammad-Usmaan Ali (8A) has taken part in the Helsinki 2023 Wrestling Competition.
Not only did he have an amazing experience out in Helsinki, he also finished in 3rd place, winning a bronze medal!
Congratulations Muhammad-Usmaan!
During the competition Muhammad-Usmaan had 5 matches with competitors from various countries. Muhammad-Usmaan won 4 of these matches with just one loss.
We wish Muhammad-Usmaan the best of luck with future competitions!
Despite the rainy and chilly weather, our experience at the Cranedale Centre was one to remember. Our day was jam-packed full of activities. On the first day, after a 4-hour journey, we visited the coast of Hornsea. At Hornsea, we got to see the efforts of hard engineering at the coast and how it was stopping waver from eroding due to the high energy of the coastline. At the coast, we were tasked with measuring the beach profile using quadrants. The eleven of us were split up into groups and collected data about sediment from the north and south of the groynes, learning vital methods that could be used in our NEA.
The second day, we were off to the city of Scarborough for our human field work day. Using various data collection techniques, such as word pictures, observations, and emotional mapping, we collected data from the coastal city. It was a long day in town, with a lot of walking up hills. But after a full day, we were back in the centre just in time for dinner. Then, we spent some time putting all the primary data collected together into geolocated data just before a few hours of free time playing table tennis and board games.
On the final day, we spent it overviewing what we had done previously. We were tasked with a bucket full of resources to make our own mini-NEAs. Using various equipment, we ventured around the Cranedale site and started collecting our own evidence. We then put it all together and used statistical tests to analyse whether the data collected was significant or not. Finally, after wrapping up everything we learned, we set off on a long journey back to Birmingham, glad to be back in the city!
“Remember, remember, The fifth of November,
Gunpowder Treason and plot.
I know no reason Why Gunpowder and Treason
Should ever be forgot.”
No one could collect assorted screws and nails like my father. We’d be working together on a DIY project and my father would be carefully organising and safely keeping screws and nails so that we could reuse them. I’d say, don’t worry Dad, I’ve got a thousand new nails and screws, just take one of those. But he’d say, no son. You keep those for what you need. My father always tried to reuse materials because he hated waste; he hated to think that time was wasted or that he had wasted an opportunity.
I do not think anyone knows who wrote the poem Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot which you may well have heard recited last month, just as you may well have heard or seen fireworks. Hindu families celebrated Diwali, and the festival of lights often includes fireworks but, for some, the weekend nearest to November 5th was an opportunity to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. The gunpowder plot was a plan by a small group of young Roman Catholic extremists to blow up the House of Lords, together with King James I and the entire Protestant government during the opening of Parliament on 5th November 1605. Roman Catholics at that time were persecuted for their faith, and hoped that the Gunpowder Plot would trigger a change in regime to allow them the freedom to practise their religion. The plot was thwarted, Guy Fawkes was captured and the others in the group fled – including Robert Catesby who returned to Coughton Court, the stately home not too far away in Worcestershire.
But why is it that so many of us remember the poem, Gunpowder Treason and Plot; why is it so familiar to us when we hear it spoken on the radio or on TV at that time of year? Some things seem to stick in our minds without effort whilst others are so hard to commit to memory.
As we know, GCSEs and A levels test our knowledge and understanding in the subjects we have chosen. The approach will vary from subject to subject but every Year 11 and Year 13 student will be studying for assessments that will, when they come, test, whether we can recall and apply what we have learnt through the course, regardless of whether we will continue to use that knowledge in whatever we choose to do next. Also, we will each be finding ways of studying, including committing facts to memory, that work most effectively for us.
I hope that through our education here at HGS, we learn how we learn best, as well as learning which subjects best play to our strengths. Some of us hear material time and again and it sticks in our memory – rather like the gunpowder treason and plot poem; we might devise mnemonics of the kind Roman Men Invented Very Unusual Xray Guns or TV MANS RED PRAM (hopefully those two examples might mean something in a science and languages context). We might find that colourful diagrams of very condensed summaries are helpful and most of us find that drafting essay plans or tackling past questions test whether we can apply our knowledge. The more time that we put into our work, the more we grapple with challenging topics, learn from mistakes and particularly engage with feedback, the better we will grasp the material and develop a secure, lasting understanding. But, occasionally, however hard we try and having tried all the various approaches, it doesn’t seem to stick. What should we do then?
I hope the answer is that we keep going, but seek help and advice – particularly given that we have teachers who have seen student after student succeed. We might well seek those teachers out at the end of a lesson, or at lunchtime or go along to a support session. Hearing pearls of wisdom from a member of staff might sometimes make everything clear or it might well be that they suggest that we try working in a slightly different way – a way that works a bit better for us.
So, as we move towards the end of term and this year, having had our first set of Progress grades, all of us will have an idea, I hope, of where our strengths and weaknesses lie. Many of us are performing really well, others will simply need to work harder and more carefully…but there will be some who are doing their absolute best and the results are not yet coming. If that is you, keep going; don’t give up and do be prepared to try a different approach. Use all the resources at your disposal including the help of your teachers who do of course want you to fulfil your potential and remember that we don’t all work in the same way – but we do need to find the way that works for us.
Stay well and safe.
Be kind to yourself and others.
Best wishes,
Dr Bird
We are launching our collection for the Trussell Trust Foodbank slightly earlier this year due to the extremely high demand across Birmingham (and indeed across the country) for donations of food due to the devastating impact of COVID-19 on families and their communities. Please give as generously as you can.
Every day people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. Trussell Trust Foodbanks provide a minimum of three days’ emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis in the UK and specifically in Birmingham.
Over 13 million people live below the poverty line in the UK.
Foodbanks feed some 1,200,000 people nationwide. Of those helped, approximately 500,000 are children.
At HGS we can do something to help, if every student in the school brings in just one item we will be able to donate more than a 1,000 items to the Trussell Trust’s FoodBank in Birmingham.
Tins and packets are the best items to donate. Please see the list below for ideas about what to donate.
| Milk (UHT or powdered) | Rice pudding (tinned) |
| Sugar (500g) | Tea Bags/instant coffee |
| Fruit juice (carton) | Instant mash potato |
| Soup | Rice/pasta |
| Pasta sauces | Tinned meat/fish |
| Sponge pudding (tinned) | Tinned fruit |
| Tomatoes (tinned) | Jam |
| Cereals | Biscuits or snack bars |
We will be collecting items as above from Friday 1st December until Thursday 21st December.
Please bring your donations to your Form Tutor or to Dr Bird’s Office. Please give as generously as you can.
We can make a real difference and be a force for good by working together to help other people who are less fortunate than ourselves.
Thank you.
The assembly that David Graham performed for us was very fun as he gave out gifts/prizes and sang songs, but it did get a very important message across. We should never do drugs. David told us about the damage that they could cause and that we should not even go near them.
The song that David showed us was a song he made himself called ‘Natural High’. The song teaches us about why we should get happy without putting harmful chemicals into our bodies and create a natural high.
David has been teaching children this important lesson for over 12 years.
Deon Jose 7H
The year 7 students were happy to see that they were visited by David Graham, a person who helped find their “natural high”. The year 7’s found out about finding your natural high without using drugs or alcohol.
In the end, everyone loved David Graham’s assembly and even learned about their own natural high. Everyone was laughing and smiling and happy to be there. I think my eardrums exploded after the amount of enthusiastic singing in the hall!
Amaar Badre 7H
Our Texas exchange trip began with group video calls between our class and theirs, discussing anything from hobbies to food, politics to education; before we finally got the fantastic opportunity to visit them in Houston, Texas.
We visited so many different places – some of my favourites being the police station (where we got to get in a police car, a tour of the buildings and meet the officers), the rodeo (where they had actual cowboys and carnival rides), Johnson Space Center (where NASA is based and real space rockets), the Gulf of Mexico (where we went on the pier and amusements as well as go on the beach) and the Lone Star Flight Museum (they had flight simulators, planes and even a tour of a military base).
In the school, we attended class with our Texan partners and were treated like celebrities! They kept asking for our autographs, for photos with them and even to get us say phrases in our accents. Alongside this, we played them at soccer, watched their performers in a play and attended their American Football games.
Overall, it was an unforgettable experience and truly one of the best weeks of my life – a big thanks to all the teachers who helped plan it, either side of the Atlantic!
Mr Sanders, Mr Thaper & Miss Macilwraith
You can read more about the Texas Trip from the following student articles:
Day 1:
I arrived at school at 3:30am and arrived at London Heathrow airport two hours later. On the coach, we were given our trip jumpers to wear and I was very energetic, more than most people around me! After arriving, we made our way through check-in and security before having a bit of time to explore and get some breakfast. After a 10.5-hour flight, which was full of films and snacks, we finally arrived in the USA.
After the grilling by the US border protection officers, we left the airport, sleep deprived and all. Due to the time difference, we still had most of the day ahead of us – it was 10pm back in the UK when it was 3pm in Texas! Our coach pulled up at our hotel, where we were greeted by Principal Stewart and Mrs McMahon. They welcomed us with goodie bags, our IDs for school and a big banner. Then, we unpacked and went out for food and shopping at Target. Then, after over 25 hours awake, we got back to the hotel and went for a well-deserved sleep.
Day 2:
With a 9am start and some breakfast, we were going to the Brazoria County Fair! We arrived with perfect sunny weather and we saw some amazing things like pig weighing, cowboy hat making, petting zoos and all the other classic activities at a county fair. After a little time to explore, we went to the rodeo! We got there just as the sheep-back riding had started. This is where 3-, 4- or 5-year-olds rode on the back of sheep around the ring to see who could stay on the for the longest! It was fantastic and very funny to watch!
The time came for the main rodeo, which started with the first of many doses of classic Texas patriotism, with them honouring their troops, the rodeo, the flag and the country. We held a 2-minute silence and the national anthem was then sung… by someone who could not sing. The rodeo got underway with men and women getting thrown around the ring on the back of horses, them lassoing a bull’s horns and tying its feet up, then sprinting after bulls with a lasso and RKOing them. It was brutal but so entertaining! Once that had finished, we returned to the main fair and bought some food and drink before going on some rides. Eventually, we got back to the hotel before changing and then venturing out to Lupe Tortilla, a lovely Mexican restaurant, to end the day.
Day 3:
We had to be up bright and early at 5:30am for a day of school! As we left the hotel, we were greeted by a great sight – a classic American school bus. We were all extremely excited to get on as it was something we had seen in all the American films. We met Major Hawn, who was our bus driver for the remainder of the week, who drove us to John Foster Dulles High School, once again being met by Principal Stewart and Mrs McMahon.
Upon arriving, hundreds of eyes were staring at us as we walked through the main reception of the school. We met up with our partners for the school day, I was paired up with Jennifer, who I would be following for the next three days, and we got to know the dynamic in American schools. It is worlds apart from the dynamic of a British school! It was so eye-opening to see how the American pupils behaved, such as being on their phones while the teacher is talking or no-one stopping talking in class. It was also surprising that the people there were lovely, very welcoming and loved my accent!
After meeting teachers and participating in more lessons, we headed back to the hotel for a quick change before going to Main Event Entertainment. It is similar to Star City with arcades, laser tag, bowling and pool. My group and I mainly did laser tag before playing pool. Finally, we went back to the hotel to a needed sleep.
Day 4:
The fourth day started out the same as the previous day with me following my partner, Jennifer, around the school to attend lessons. However, after the school day, we played the Dulles High School football (which they call soccer) team in two friendly football games. In the first game, we conceded goals very quickly, initially because of me but we rallied and ended up winning the second game! After this, we returned to the hotel for a shower and relax before visiting the nearby First Colony Mall and then the Cheesecake Factory, which was so good.
Day 5:
On this warm day, we went to NASA Johnson Space Centre. As usual, we got on the yellow school bus and picked up the American students on the way. When we arrived, we passed by several rockets and replicas and I was surprised by how big the complex was – it was huge! Once inside, we split up into groups to explore the different exhibitions available. We learnt about the different space programmes such as the Apollo programme to the Moon and the International Space Station. Also, we saw the actual mission control consoles, a sample of real Moon rock, rocket parts and the best of all, a full-sized space shuttle! This space shuttle was on top of a real plane that was used to carry it from the shuttle’s landing site to the launch site, ready for its next mission. After this, we walked through the NASA Hall of Fame, a tribute to famous astronauts. We also visited the memorial that commemorated those who lost their lives doing their jobs at NASA, which was very eye opening.
After exploring the main exhibits, we went on a tram tour of the private NASA buildings. Along with a tour guide, we were taken around the grounds to our first stop, the astronaut training complex, which is where real astronauts train for their missions to space. We saw a mockup of the International Space Station and as we moved along, we saw engineers working on different things and it felt very official!
We left the NASA Johnson Space Centre to go to a Texan favorite, Buc-ees! It is basically a huge petrol station that sells everything, from drinks, to clothes to fresh cakes, you name it, Buc-ees sells it. Finally, we finished the day by going to an American diner for dinner.
Day 6:
With another early start, this was our last day at the school. We said goodbye to all our friends and then watched a musical called Clues, which was performed by some of the students. They taught us a dance routine and played some group games with them. Upon leaving the school early, we visited Houston Police Department, where we met the officers, who let us see their handcuffs and tasers. I recommend not wearing them because they have blood, sweat and tears on them because the officers cannot be bothered to clean them – their words, not mine!
Later on that day, we visited the Houston Galleria Mall and went in a diverse range of shops. It was incredibly fun and my friends and I enjoyed wandering around. After that, we went to watch a high school American football game. It was very entertaining and I was surprised how none of them ended up in the hospital, considering how aggressive their tackles were.
Day 7:
It was the last full day! We woke up at around 9am to go to the Lone Star Flight Museum. As before, we boarded the bus and picked up our American friends, before making our way to the museum. When we arrived, we were split into 3 groups to do a variety of activities! We firstly did some basics of flight training, where my partner and I learnt about navigation; we also learnt what is the optimum speed for a plane to fly at and what angle is the safest. From there, we moved on to learning how to perform an exterior check of an aircraft, checking to make sure no bolts are missing, no parts are blocked and that everything is free and correct. We also stepped inside the flight deck of a plane and checked that out before my favourite part, the flight simulator! We performed a 45-minute ‘flight’ around the Houston area and towards the coast on a simulator and it was so immersive. Afterwards, we had a tour of the different aircraft the museum had before heading to the interactive exhibits, where we could participate in some aerodynamic games, based around physics.
Then, our time at the Lone Star Flight Museum was over (or so we thought) as we boarded the bus again and were taken to a nearby US military base. Major Hawn, our driver, served in the US military and therefore had access to the base, providing the teachers could get approved. They all did and so, we got to explore what a live US military base had to offer in case the USA was attacked. While there, we visited the shop at the military base, which had everything on offer – the usual food and drink all the way to cases to keep your grenades in… After this, we travelled to the coast and the Gulf of Mexico, where we visited the Galveston pier, which was very relaxing and a fantastic way to end our time in Texas!
Day 8/9:
This was our final day in the USA, and after a quick shopping run in the morning, we sorted out some final things, weighed our bags and left the hotel. It was quite a sad day to be leaving after such a fantastic trip! Once we have checked into the airport and cleared security, we had some time to relax in the airport. Finally, we boarded the plane back to London Heathrow, before catching the coach back to Birmingham upon landing, where my parents collected me.
Conclusion:
This was a very memorable trip and it was definitely worth the money as I got to see and spend time with people who I never thought I would ever meet! With my friends, we laughed and enjoyed every bit of this trip. I would 100% go on this trip if it were available again!
Suhaib Ahmed (10A)
Day 1:
I woke up at 2:45am and made my way to school to be collected by the coach, ready for the long day ahead. Most of us were talking the whole journey about how amazing the trip was going to be! We checked in at the airport, went through security and had some time to spare, so most of us went to get food and snacks for the plane. The journey was 10 hours long, most of us were watching films or sleeping; we had access to unlimited snacks and drinks during the flight, which was great. Finally, we landed, went through the border and customs guards and were on the coach to the hotel.
Upon arriving at the hotel, we were greeted by Mrs McMahon and Principal Stewart. We were given goodie bags, cookies and our ID cards to enter the school. After that, we unpacked our bags and settled into our huge rooms (2 people per room). We went out for food and some shopping; we bought all the necessities for the week – drinks and sweets, before finally going to bed.
Day 2:
Waking up at around 8:30am, we ate breakfast, and got on the coach to go to the Brazoria County Fair. The fair was definitely one of the best moments of the trip! We went on a few rides and all ate deep fried Oreos – they were delicious. After initially exploring the fair, we all went to the main show, the rodeo. During the rodeo, which they call a ‘sport’, there were little children (5 years old) trying to stay on a sheep the longest. It was brutal! Also, there were adults wrestling bulls and trying to stay on top of a bucking horse the longest, with those staying on the horse for the longest winning prizes.
After the rodeo, we went back into the fair, where we competed on whoever could stay the longest on the mechanical bull the longest would get a prize. Barun ended up winning, by staying on for at least 45 seconds! Eventually, we left the fair and went out to eat at Lupe Tortilla, a Mexican restaurant, where we go to make our own tacos.
Day 3:
For our third day, it was an early start as we had to be at John Foster Dulles High School for 7:30am. We had breakfast and met Major Hawn, our bus driver for the week. We then travelled in style on our private yellow school bus! When we had arrived at school, we were taken to the school’s library to meet our partners, who we would go with to lessons. After meeting them, we went straight to their lessons and I was shocked. Most of the students were not paying attention to the lesson, and were on their phones! When walking around school, we were treated like celebrities as students would ask to take photos and even ask for autographs. It was a very different atmosphere to a British school and felt like the film, High School Musical. Also, their school days are structured differently to ours – they have 7 periods with 1 lunch, which was 30 minutes long.
During lunch, we were warned that the food was not great; however, the chicken nuggets were actually not that bad. Throughout, we were all called over to many lunch tables and asked many questions and took many pictures as many of the student had never seen or spoken to a British kid before. We carried on with our lessons and finished school at 2.45pm. Afterwards, we rushed back to the hotel, got changed and went straight to Main Event Entertainment. At Main Event we had played pool, had a big game of laser tag, and went on the high ropes obstacles course. For the evening meal, we went to eat at a classic American diner; it had good food and was fairly cheap.
Day 4:
It was back to school again, we participated in the same lessons as the previous day. However, we got to spend time with our friends in the sports hall. After the school day, we had a football match against the American students. Despite the final scores, we truly enjoyed the experience of playing with an audience rooting for us!
After the match, we went back to the hotel to shower and change before walking to the First Colony Mall. The mall was huge but not as big as the Houston Galleria Mall, which we would visit later on in the trip. While there, we went to the Cheesecake Factory – the food there was amazing with most of us eating cheesecake for dinner, it was very filling.
Day 5:
Day 5 saw us not wake up as early as the previous 2 days as we were going to the NASA Johnson Space Centre. Firstly, we travelled to the high school to pick up the American students, and then on to the centre. We explored the complex and read about the history of NASA before going on a tour of all the work behind the scenes of employees there.
After that, we went to what felt like the largest gas (petrol) station in the world, Buc-ees. It was like a whole supermarket inside a gas (petrol) station. At Buc-ees, we had lunch as well as bought snacks and souvenirs to take back to the UK. We then left to go back to the hotel and have a pool party for Fabian’s birthday. We had cake and played games in the pool, led by Mr Sanders. Fabian and Josh won the games! For dinner, we went to Pacific Coast Tacos, which was both a sports bar and restaurant. The tacos were very spicy but tasty and there were many baseball fans watching the game with their friends, so we joined in too.
Day 6:
This was our last day at John Foster Dulles High School, so we had to say goodbye to all of our friends in the morning. We were only at school for half the day, so we had to make the most of it. Firstly, we all had a lesson with Major Hawn about the US military services, he showed us the shooting range that the students and staff can use. After this, the drama students showed us their routine of “30 step”, which was very confusing as they all have to be in sync and they have to memorise all of the actions. We had the privilege of watching a rehearsal of a theatre play performed by the students too.
After the last day of school, we made our way to one of the largest malls in the Northern Hemisphere, the Houston Galleria Mall. We all bought souvenirs and gifts to take home including shoes, clothes and basketball jerseys. We ate at either Raising Canes or Chick-Fil-A, which was again very tasty. Food in the USA is much better than food in the UK! Once we finished exploring the mall, we had the opportunity to go to the Houston Police Department. We got to see inside the cop car, the daily roll call and even got the chance to wear a police vest – it was amazing!
After this, we went back to the hotel to get changed to go to the American Football Game. I was very impressed as it was like a professional game, with cheerleaders, a half-time show, and even sponsors, JUST for a high school game. It was a fantastic experience with a great atmosphere created by us. Although I did not understand the rules of American football, it was great to watch people being wrestled to the ground. We grabbed McDonalds on the way back to the hotel as it was very late and we were all very tired.
Day 7:
By Friday, it had dawned on me that this would be the final day in Texas with a full day of activities. We boarded the yellow school bus for the final time to go to the Lone Star Flight Museum. We saw some of the planes and fighter planes as well as played on a flight simulator, which was great. After the museum, we had the opportunity, thanks to Major Hawn, to go to a US Air Force Base. It was amazing as we watched many fighter jets landing and taking off.
Finally, we had travelled to the coast and Galveston Pier, where we had the afternoon/evening to explore the pier and to go on the amusement rides. Galveston was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!
Day 8/9:
This was the day we left, we woke up, packed our suitcases and went down to breakfast. Then, we drove to the airport, boarded the plane, and off we went back to the UK!
Conclusion:
This was the best trip I have ever been on in my life! Massive thank you to Mr Sanders, Mr Thaper and Miss Macilwraith for organising the trip and making it enjoyable for all of us.
Jovan Singh Mann (10H)
