Give An Hour – BBC School Report by Brad & Co from BillericaySchool on Vimeo.

Give An Hour – BBC School Report by Matthew & Co from BillericaySchool on Vimeo.

Who would you give an hour to?

 

On the 31^st of October 2011 a group of 6 year 11 students visited 3 Mills Studio in London to interview the head of the Olympic ceremonies, Mr. Martin Green. They all have said to have had a very enjoyable day and said the experience was amazing! And they even got to hold the solid gold Olympic torch for 2012- that was quite an honour. They was interested in how Martin got to be where he is now and after Martin’s long and hard career, including a job as a waiter, he has got where he is today, he believes by not who he knows or what he knows but     ‘’ sheer hard work’’ which was inspiring for 6 students currently studying their GCSE’s.

The students were very interested in the way that British public would be portrayed in the Olympic gGames 2012 and therefore asked relevant questions about this.

‘’If it’s made by us it will speak of us’’ said Martin.

The students were worried that with the massive production of the Olympic ceremonies it will not show off that it is in London but Martin assured them that he hopes to create ‘’something amazing and beautiful’’ and that the ceremonies will redefine what British culture is about, he also added that the whole event will define ‘’who we were, who we are and who we wish to be’’ which was a proud moment for everybody in the room.

The students pointed out that the British public and the press can be too critical and Martin’s words were, ‘’its ok to be critical if you are well informed” basically meaning he can take criticism if the person knows what they are talking about and not just making it up for the fun of it.

Overall the experience was amazing for the students and they are very grateful for the day.

Martin studied for a degree in theatre at Exeter University for he had always had an eye for modem visual art and staging many other art forms. Once Martin had finished his degree he then went on to get a job in a fashion cafe in London. After working for a long period of time in the restaurant he worked his way up to the top and eventually obtained the job as senior manager of organising regular fashion shows within the cafe. As much as he enjoyed doing this, he wanted something more and so moved on to work at Carlton TV there he helped organise political events. This job encouraged Martin to gain new skills in television production and other skills which would help him with the next job he got offered.

Ken Livingstone, who was mayor of London at the time, saw the natural flare Martin had for the job. He then got appointed chief of event organisation in London. This opened Martin up to a whole new range of experiences and challenges. However this also included many responsibilities which would really test Martin’s ability to be the best event organiser that Britain’s ever seen. Events such as the New Year celebration, the opening of the 02 arena and also coordinating all events in Trafalgar Square on the day that London won the bid to host the Olympic games in 2012, are some of Martins biggest successes to this day. All these events show his amazing talent and without him these events may not have ran as smoothly if he was not head of coordinating them.

Martin’s reputation for being one of the best event organizers in the UK did not just suddenly appear, it has been built up over the years and he has shown us that it’s not who you know it’s (as he quotes) ‘sheer hard work”. It is really clear not just to me or his team but to everyone who meets him, how passionate he is towards his job. This is because he has faith in his team in the office who are his eyes and ears and who also have a strong connection towards their job and with all of their knowledge and Martin’s I’m sure that they will produce something truly magical for the 2012 Olympics.

So in order to get in the position which Martin Green is in you need to have an open mind, a lot of patience, to be extremely patient and to have a good trust worthy team behind you. To make mistakes is crucial in the business of event coordination, because by thinking on your feet to recover from a bad situation and to get things to get back on track, is just one of the many things you will have to be prepared for in this profession. But no matter what never give up and keep trying, if things go wrong learn from them and take it all on board to help you become better in whatever path you take in life.

However I am more than certain that the team of organisers that are currently working with all the top designers in the business such as Danny Boyle who is a celebrated film maker around the world and the company who staged Take That’s Circus tour in 2009, will create amazing performances in the 2012 Olympics that the UK will be proud of and will show the world, as Martin says, “who we were, who we are and who we wish to be.”

Last week the Billericay School ran a workshop, aiming to share and interpret peoples past experiences through photographs and “pin” them to a website called Historypin. www.historypin.com

With Historypin you can scan the photos onto the site, and pin them to the place where it was taken. It’s an amazing site which shows the memories and stories behind the pictures and could include anything taking place from couples getting married, the first stages of drag racing or views from Naples Army Barracks from the men who fought there in World War II. This project works hand in hand with the BBC’s objective to help people use new technology, and not be afraid to use it on a regular basis. I, along with select other students chosen from their enthusiasm for history, thoroughly enjoyed our time with the people who came to share their stories, not only with the students who worked on this project, but with the world.

Personally I loved the Historypin workshop. It got the students to get to know some of the older members of the public, and we all got to hear some rare stories of the war, of what life was like in Billericay School 60 years ago, and how our town and country has developed over the years. For example, a common fact known to Billericay Locals, but unknown to many others was that during the end of the Second World War, a Zeppelin was shot down, and landed in the local meadows, and the dead Germans were put in the closest barn, which was forever more known as the “Black Barn” until it was torn down.  This is just a part of the local history that is being made as common knowledge as who is up for election, or when the local fair is on. This is what I liked and even admired about the workshop; it broadens people’s minds to what have been, and gives just a small glimpse of what could be in the future.

The Historypin website in is part of a non-profit based organisation called We Are What We Do. www.wearewhatwedo.com

They made Historypin in order to get generations talking and to create an alternate virtual world of history, and not just major events either, family tales and long lost memories are shared through History Pin. Historypin really is where a picture paints a thousand words.  The entire purpose of the site is a clever way to spend time together with either your own family, or totally new people and introduce them to the user friendly digital map of the world.

The Billericay School are running Historypin workshops all year that are based around the students getting to know the public who have come in to talk and share their stories, as part of our community work with We Are What We Do. In doing so we are helping to “Get Someone Offline, On” (a WAWWD action) and our last workshop was just our latest successful endeavour to be an active part in the community. It was immensely fun, intriguing and satisfying and you can do it too! On the last weekend of October when the clocks go back and the daily grind of life takes an hour’s break, you can help introduce someone to the internet. It’s easy to do, free and it could change the way they think of everything. Help offline people get online as part of the BBC’s Give An Hour campaign, as its whole purpose is to get 1 million champions of the internet. Visit the BBC to pledge an hour and find lots of ways to do this or go to We Are What We Do and use their Internet Buttons tool: http://www.wearewhatwedo.org/pages/internetbuttons/

By Danielle

Sports day is an annual event for the school, this year the weather was favourable not being too hot or cold and also stayed dry.

Each student took part in at least one event. When not taking part in a race, pupils provided support and encouragement for their house. Students were allowed to support their house by wearing a top of its colour to signify which house they belonged to.

The track events started at one o’ clock and each house was separated into different sections for their houses. Once everyone was in the correct places the teachers started the afternoon with a dance as a surprise to the rest of the school. The theme was getting ready for the 2012! Time has been spent by the teachers to practicing a flash mob dance, to mark the countdown to the 2012 Olympics, and it was well received by the students. This has not been done before on sports day and was shock to all the students but it was greatly enjoyed!

Once the dance had finished the races began, the first race that commenced was the 800 meters descending to the 100 meters. This year it was decided that students had the option of participating in running of the track events but had to take part in an event in the morning. The sporting activities ranged from tug of war to seven aside football. This was different to last year when everyone was required to take part in a track event. This made sports day more enjoyable for those who prefer not to partake in track events.  General senses of opinion from the winners that the new format of the track events gave them more competition and drive to win. With students reporting that they felt more pleased with their result of winning.

Overall scores from the morning’s activities and events were added to the final scores from the track events. The announcement of the results concluded sports day; Edison took the title as overall winners this year. The winning title was passed from Curie, who had been the winners for the last two years. Disappointment was felt by Curie for the loss of their winning title but they will endeavour to win back their title next year. Edison was elated at their victory and would like to continue this to next year.

By Lucy

The Billericay School’s annual sports day took place yesterday. The sports day was split into two parts, the morning events and the afternoon events. The morning events were rounder’s, table tennis, badminton, bench ball and long jump and high jump as a joint activity.

In high jump and long jump, 4 students from each year and house competed. Two girls and two boys. They split the groups so that it was year 7 and 8 on high jump, and year 9 and 10 on long jump.

The high jump height started at 1.45 metres. Each person had 3 attempts at each jump and had a total of 3 jumps all together.

The person who jumped the biggest height was William Holland, a year 8 student from Scott house, who jumped 1.45 metres!

In the second half, students participated in the long jump. Each student had 5 jumps each. The longest length was Daisy Pointing, from year 8 who jumped 3.45 metres and Alfie Cobden, also ion year 8, who jumped the longest length of 4.60 metres for the boys team.

The PE teachers said “Sports day has always been my favourite day, because all of the kids can get involved. It’s also a fun day for the teachers!”

The atmosphere was very positive and not too competitive, as most people look at it as some fun. Everyone was cheering each other and encouraging everyone.

The PE department changed sports day this year and didn’t have an A and B team, so it is much fairer on all of the students, and the afternoon events had a much better atmosphere as a result.

By Kieran, Chloe, Sofia and Rebecca

Wednesday 20^th July was Sports Day at Billericay School. Students had previously picked the sports they wanted to play, which were a choice between 7 aside football, Benchball, Rounders, Tug of War, Badminton, Table Tennis, Long/High Jump (as one event) and boules. Students chose one event for before breaktime and one event for afterwards. Then in the afternoon, the whole school sat in their house groups (Curie, Newton, Scott, Keller and Edison) and watched the running events. Each house had their own song which was played after every race depending on what house the winner was from. The Curie song was Stronger by Kanye West, The Keller song was Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO, Newton had We are the Champions by Queen, Scott chose Jump around by House of Pain, and the Edison song was Pig Bag by Perfecto Allstars.

Isabella High Jump

We interviewed people during their first event. We interviewed Hannah, year 7, during benchball and she told us she was enjoying sports day so far as she felt her house(Keller) had a good chance of winning that day.

Year 7 Keller Benchball

Rebecca from Year 7 told us “Table Tennis was my second event. I hadn’t played before but my friend Chloe taught me a bit. We came last but I still enjoyed myself. Good luck to Chloe in the 200m later today!”

Rebecca Table Tennis

Badminton player Amy had this to say: “I love badminton and have played it before at Centre Parks. I think that I have played well and I enjoyed playing too!”

Amy and Sofia Badminton

Students were allowed to dress in their house colour, and some students made a massive effort. Well done to Scott  for going all out to support his house (Scott) by dressing in head to toe blue (except for his shoes) and even painted himself entirely blue! Now how’s that for team spirit!

Ellie and Charlotte in Year 7 also supported Curie well by wearing orange top, face paints, hair coloring and shoes. 

 Ellie and Charlotte

 Eleanor,  “I did tug-of-war in the morning and benchball after break. However I really loved cheering on my friends especially Chloe who came second in the 200m running event.”

Chloe

 We interviewed the winner of the Y7 girls 800m and 200m, Emma, who told us “‘I won the year 7 girls 800m, everyone calls me an amazing runner but it’s not that hard. The days gone really well, EDISON TO WIN!’ Emma was absolutely magnificent in the 800m especially, storming across the finish line as the other racers were just nearing 700m. Her fellow competitor Danielle who came in 2^nd asked “How does she do that???”

                     Emma and Danielle

Other racers who did very well include Daisy who won the year 8 girls 200m, Year 8 girls relay and the Year 8 girls 800m. Other excellent performances include Rebecca in the Year 9 girls 100m, Jennifer in the Year 8 girls 300m, Eve in the Year 10 girls 100m and Nicola in the year 10 girls 800m, well done to all of those people.

Mrs Hammond said, “so far I have seen all of the sports for a little while, and I have enjoyed watching them seeing everybody taking part. Well done to every single person who took part today!”

 teachers going crazy doing a flash mob to launch countdown to 2012 Olympics

Fastest times

Why not see if yours is here?

 Overall Scores:

Curie House:

862 points

Edison House:

994 points

Keller House:

958 points

Newton House:

912 points

Scott House:

846 points

On a  hot day in June Barleylands had their annual event as we managed to get a quick conversation with the event manager  who said “over 2 days 33 thousand people turn up. There is so much do to from agriculture history, steam trains, vintage cars , family events  and helicopter rides. It is also a modern event which brings the old century with the new century together.”

The role play scenario was a helicopter had taken off but crashed into the barn. Iit had then set alight in which the crowds of people panicked, the emergency services were called but the toxic fumes had then set them an even bigger challenge of being careful as the fire spread quicker than expected. The emergency serviced had managed to put the fire out but leaving many people injured and the tragic family in the helicopter died.

After this story the year 10’s were then sent to risk assess the school and find out more from the emergency services who were waiting to be interviewed for questions.

Later on in the day they were set a task to see what they would do if they were emergency services and the winning team won a prize for some tickets the Barleylands annual event.

The students enjoyed the day and we got an quote from one student named Dylan who  said” it was fun day to learn about the emergency services”

Overall the majority of the pupils enjoyed the day not because they had no lessons but because they learnt about real case scenarios and what local police, fire, ambulance services to do and what a huge impact they have on peoples lives.

by Andie

On Friday the 24^th of June at the Billericay school the year 10 students had to take part in the risk assessing role play called Operation Windmill. This has been running for the last 5 years and has become very successful and the winning people got £50 worth vouchers for the Barleylands country show. The year tens missed periods 1 – 5 and they has to risk assess the Barleylands country show. They had to act like they were the police, the ambulance service, the town council and the fire brigade. They had to figure out how to warn people about the accident and find the best way to deal with this situation.

They started with an assembly to tell them that the helicopter had crashed at Barleylands country show. They then went to their house groups to find out what teams they were in and they were finding out a bit more about the helicopter crash. Mr Cass the organiser of the event said, “ it was great to see some many year 10’s involved in a very high level of learning and presenting information in mature and responsible manner.

Once they had finished the risk assessment they had to pretend that they were the emergency services and come up with a plan of how to protect as many people as possible. A year 10 student called Dylan said “It was a fun day and it helped us learn about emergency services”

I spoke to the ambulance service and they said that “it is important to know what we are doing so we can help them”

They were given information about a disaster where a helicopter had exploded in mid air. The year 10 students had to risk asses the school and then the scene of the explosion, at ‘Barleylands’.

Students had to develop a 5minute presentation about what to do and how to do it.

The teams had to decide how to deal with casualties, hazards, location, emergency services, present and type of incident; this is also known as C.H.A.L.E.T.

The house teams were awarded 1-4 points for each of these categories and the best pitches were awarded family tickets for the actual Barleylands.

 Dylan in year 10 states, “it was a fun day to learn about the emergency services.”

In total there are 300 students in year 10 and they were assigned to the school ‘A block’ They also had help form the emergencies who gave advice and support to the teams problem solving.

Year 10 student Frankie was heard to say, “it was a bit of an unusual topic but I really enjoyed working with the police I really enjoyed it.”

Emergency services attended to tell the students about what the do and how they do it. The students also received a number of items along the way such as stickers and wristbands for the emergency services.

 Reported by Darcy