School Captain’s Blog: January – February 2013

The last half term is probably the hardest half term of them all, with Christmas still fresh in the memory of both pupils and teachers the mood at school was depressed and the weather was not helping either. The snow had begun to fall in Walsall during the first week of school, resulting in the closure of the school and another day and a half at home after our Christmas break, making my peers and I realise we were getting older when we didn’t get excited about the snow.

The oldest pupils at school were cursing the weather due to the January examination period. This was an important time for sixth form and one that saw sixth formers, including myself, trekking to school in the snow for their examinations. Once back in school after the snow days the sixth form got their ceremonial snowball beating on the field from the rest of the school, but for all the enjoyment we got out of the snow it took a devastating effect on the school rugby pitches thus meaning the house rugby competitions got cancelled along with all of the rugby fixtures.

Half way through the half term we saw the launch of the project horizon. Project horizon was a project that hoped to send a balloon beyond the realms of the breathable atmosphere into the outer atmosphere. The launch was a success and balloon went up a few thousand feet and floated away, eventually landing down in the Home Counties in a village near Reading. The space craft however could not be found and shot to fame in North Hampshire and Reading, as the BBC south team did an appeal on television for residents to help our school find the space craft. Unfortunately the search is ongoing and so do the conspiracy theories.

The end of term was one that the upper school needed with examinations really taking its toll, but in true Queen Mary’s style 6.1 pupils were not allowed to have a relaxing half term but ended the term with their post 18 pathways evening; an evening of UCAS talk, university talk and the dreaded A level talks, something my peers and I found rather amusing as we had been in that position the same time last year. The final few days of school saw Queen Marys undertook their ‘international in outlook’ prophecy once again with 6.2 mathematics pupils undertaking space camp in Alabama, America which was organised by Mr. Elsden. This saw them travel into Atlanta airport and become space cadets for a week, eventually passing out with their wings. Not only this but Mrs. Sharp led a languages trip to Morocco where pupils were able to indulge themselves in the Moroccan culture, experience camel rides in the Sahara and practise a bit of French as well. This term has already got off with a bang with a trip to Vigo, Spain and the last rugby game of the season and we have only been back 3 days!!

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