Young Curators - Exhibition Selection Panel

At our last meeting we had both the enjoyable and challenging task of selecting the new work to include in our upcoming exhibition based upon the developed theme of War & Conflict.

Following the success of the initial exhibition, the team developed a more approachable and open theme that could be responded to through a wider variety of potential media. The resultant selection process involved us carefully observing the pieces of work submitted as a group and evaluating it in relation to the criteria set and the artist statements provided. When choosing the art work to be included we felt it was necessary to attempt to select a body of work that would effectively cover all aspects of the theme as developed and specified by the group.

The artwork chosen had to reflect the criteria requested. It had to respond to the theme, it had to be original and unique in its materials and communication and it also had to display intellectual content. Another aspect that had to be taken into account as curators was how the work could potentially be presented in the gallery space; would it fit within the space? Could the work be presented well alongside the other pieces of work?

As this was the second time that the group had undergone this process, the group were much clearer in their priorities and the importance of remaining true to the brief and criteria originally set and the necessity of considering the space as a whole and the manner in which the pieces will interact with each other and establish a response to the theme as a whole.

Following the success of the first exhibition Appearance V Reality and the links that the gallery has since developed within the regional art community, entries were much more significant and a lengthy debate was necessary amongst the team in order to narrow the pieces on offer down to those that were felt to best represent the intended exhibition. After much discussion and several votes the group was able to successfully choose a wide breadth of work across various mediums that accurately reflects the theme across time.

---

War & Conflict

Following the official selection process for Evoke’s second exhibition entitled ‘War & Conflict’, we are excited and pleased to announce that a wide range of challenging and thematically experimental work is now on display. We proudly employ exhibiting artist Tony Blood’s photographic piece ‘Riot Helmet’ as the official marketing image of the event, as visible within the promotional flyer developed by the team.

Download Flyer

Post by Lucy Siviter

Guest Artist Workshop – Photograms with Laura Hickman

A small number of GCSE and A Level Art students, along with several members of the Young Curators Project were invited to an exclusive evening workshop with professional guest artist Laura Hickman in which they were to explore alternative artistic techniques.

Laura is a regional artist who specialises in the employment of vintage photographic and exposure techniques, resulting in ghostly and otherworldly x-ray like prints featuring layered objects and items. Her work is currently on display within Evoke Gallery as part of the current Appearance V Reality exhibition as developed by the Young Curators.

During a practical session Laura introduced the students to the background and history of Photogram techniques whilst providing varying demonstrated examples of the differing creative paths and avenues that students may wish to explore with the particular Cyanotype method being employed within the session. This particular technique required the use of a pre-prepared specialist paper, above which a range of oblique and translucent objects and images can be arranged and placed. When this paper is then appropriately secured and latterly exposed to light, these objects and images leave an impression upon the paper much like a print.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Top row: Students' experiments in cyanotype photograms exposing in the natural light of the classroom.
Bottom: Guest artist, and vintage photograph expert, Laura Hickman checking exposure levels.

Differing thicknesses of paper, levels of light, transparency of objects and speed of exposure along with alternate compositions can produce very different results, meaning a very experimental and creative process for the students.

Students were provided with a range of supplied natural objects, and were able to select their own additional images in order to relate their work to any in class projects. Following exposure outside in the summer sunshine, designs were brought inside, washed and hung to dry in order to finalise the photographic result.

The workshop offered a unique opportunity to explore the experimental effects and processes of photography in and organic manner that did not require the use of a dark room, and many participants hope to use the technique again following the provision of materials to the school.

Post by Mr. G. Weston

Highfields Sixth FC win the Wolverhampton Schools Cup

View fullsize

Highfields Sixth Soccer Team line up for the Wolverhampton Schools U19s Cup Final

The Highfields Sixth Form football team have enjoyed a very successful 2013-2014 season and deservedly reaped the rewards of some excellent performances, culminating in them winning both the League and Wolverhampton Schools U19s Cup.

The team have also represented the City of Wolverhampton in successive years at the Black Country Futsal Games where they competed against twelve other schools finishing  in third and fourth place.

This season, they have won all of their league games with a remarkable effort scoring of 18 goals whilst conceding a solitary goal.  In the West Midlands Cup, they made good progress before losing valiantly in the quarter final stage. However, it was in the Wolverhampton Schools Cup where the side have really excelled. They beat last year’s finalists, Heath Park, in the first round and this motivated them to go all the way. A victory over tough opponents NEWA in the quarter final set up a semi-final against local rivals, Smestow.  A resolute performance against a strong Smestow team brought a 2-1 victory and a place in the final against the cup holders, St Peters.

The Final

The final was a tense affair; Highfields were the underdogs having lost to St Peters 6-0 in the previous year but were determined to give a good account of themselves. The team arrived at Castlecroft Stadium, home of AFC Wulfrunians, in high spirits and determined to perform well in at such a quality venue. This was Highfields first Sixth Form final for 10 years and they were determined to regain the Alan Thompson trophy – named after a former Highfields Deputy Headteacher.

The game itself took place in what felt like every different possible weather type, ranging from blistering sunshine to torrential rain. The pitch became quite heavy in parts and the quality of both teams passing suffered but the effort and commitment shown by both teams was exemplary. It was St Peters who took the lead early in the first half and then proceeded to hit the crossbar towards the end of the half. Highfields absorbed the early pressure and had the better of the rest of the half, forcing the St Peter’s goalkeeper into several excellent saves.

The second half started in similar fashion with both sides creating chances, forcing both defences into last ditch tackles. Time was running out for Highfields and the breakthrough finally came in the last 10 when a long throw into the St Peter’s area caused confusion and was eventually bundled in to the net to equalise. Not the prettiest of goals but definitely the most important this season. The euphoria quickly turned, however, to despair two minutes later when St Peter’s were awarded a penalty with only 8 minutes left to play. Surely this was the end of the road for a resilient Highfields who had worked so hard the whole season. However, the footballing Gods must have been looking down on us as the penalty was saved by Dan Ward to take the match into extra time. A further twenty minutes were unable to further separate the sides, so we went into the dreaded penalty shootout. Highfields stepped up first and missed whilst St Peters scored; it looked ominous but the footballing Gods looked down on Highfields when St Peters missed their next two penalties whilst Highfields  scored theirs.  It was left to Cameron Binder to take the decisive penalty which would win the trophy. The time seemed to stand still as he made his way from the comfort of the halfway line to the penalty spot. There was no need to worry as he scored his penalty with aplomb sparking scenes of sheer delight amongst the men from Highfields.

The only thing left was for captain, Jamie Allen and vice-captain, Cameron Binder to raise the trophy in front of the adoring fans. A great day and a great finish to a great season. The team deserve all the plaudits they have a wonderful work ethic and have been a pleasure to manage. To all those who have represented the team this season – well done!

---

The end of season awards, as voted by the players themselves, were:

Players Player of the Season =  Mike Brookes

Young Player of the Season = Harjan Heer

Goal of the Season = Cameron Binder (vs Wednesfield)

Engineering Education Scheme (EES) National Celebration and Awards Day

During the last academic year, the Physics Department has been supporting a team of five Year 12 students, who have been chosen by the EDT (Engineering Development Trust) to take part in the Engineering Education Scheme.

The national scheme allows small teams from different schools to take part in designing, building and presenting an engineering project which will be of significant use to a locally based engineering company.
 

The Team is sponsored by MAHLE who are a leading global development partner for the automotive and engine industry.
 

In return, they have designed a cardboard collection system, which will significantly reduce the man hours required to collect and recycle cardboard packaging at the end of each working day.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Arandeep Singh, Ria Verma,  Hema Jassel and Hamza Akhtar at the EES’s national exhibition at Cranmore Park, Solihull.

On May 1st, Arandeep, Ria, Hema and Hamza exhibited their project at the EES’s national exhibition, held at Cranmore Park, Solihull.

Over 300 students took part in the event, where approximately fifty teams set up stands to display their projects, and also made presentations, which were assessed by a panel of judges.

The planning, design, and implementation of their project, during a three-day residential course at Birmingham University, also qualifies the students for their Gold CREST award. The CREST Awards programme is Britain's largest national award scheme for project work in the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

The Highfields Team had a great day and were all awarded their certificates following their presentation, and after fielding some probing questions from the judges at their display stand.

Highfields Rugby

View fullsize

Our Under 15 Rugby Team (Years 9 and 10)

Rugby is a developing sport at Highfields and whilst soccer remains the most popular team sport there is a small but growing number of students dedicated to improving their rugby skills. Finding appropriate fixtures is always a challenge, as schools who play rugby as their main sport are always well established with strong and experienced teams. Nevertheless, our combined team of Year 9 and 10 students enjoyed a successful run in the Staffordshire Under 15 Schools Rugby Cup beating Hagley Park, Rugeley and Stafford Grammar to reach the quarter finals where they lost to King Edward’s, Lichfield with a very creditable score line of 20-5.

The Under 14 team also competed in the Staffordshire Cup losing 15-12 to Wodensborough. Two of our rugby players, Connor McCormack and Ethan Cole have been awarded trials with the Leicester Elite Development Programme.

The Official Opening of EVOKE

Thursday 1st May marked the official opening of the Appearance Reality exhibition at EVOKE, which marks the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth.

Amongst the many guests invited, were the artists who created the artwork for the exhibition: Steve Evans, Anna Grabowska and Laura Hickman. The Curation Team also invited their families, along with a friend each, to attend the event.

The event, which began at 7.00pm, opened with a group of Highfields' Drama students performing the prologue to ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Afterwards, all of the guests made their way to the gallery, where speeches were given: first by Mr Capel, then by Christos (Head Boy) and lastly, by Beth (Deputy Head Girl). Guests were then given the opportunity to look around the gallery, where they could view the artwork and talk with the Artists, Curators and some staff members.

The Curation Team with Headteacher, Mr Capel, and Project Co-ordinator, Mr Weston.

To ensure that the evening was a success, the Team has spent the last few months organising and planning every last detail. Lewis, Sofie, Christos and Lily were our PR and marketing team, and worked on developing the main event ideas. Lewis also worked with the school catering team to plan a canapé menu, and designed the invitations to send out to guests. Lily and Sofie found a harpist, to perform throughout the event.

We arrived early on in the evening to complete our final preparations. We organised everything: from putting the canapés out, to checking that the gallery was presentable. During the evening we all spent time talking to guests about the exhibition, and made sure they were enjoying the event.

Wolverhampton Today attended the event, and we were featured on their Facebook page!

Now that the gallery is up and running, part of our role, as Young Curators, is to care for the gallery. We are already looking forward to planning the next exhibition!

Post by Amber Jarrett

Year 11 Presentation Evening

Presentation Evening was held in January to congratulate last year’s Year 11 on their success in their GCSE's.  As a Year group they achieved Highfields' best ever set of results. Rear Admiral Steve Lloyd, a former student of Highfields, attended as our Guest of Honour to deliver their Certificates and Achievement Awards.

Sophie smout collecting her scroll.

Jassimran Dhaliwal

Rhianne Brown collecting her scroll.

William Weston

Navdeep Kular

Post ceremony photographs in the Restaurant

Dilesh Patel

Rear Admiral Steve Lloyd inspired the audience by relating his time at Highfields to his career experiences in the Royal Navy.  In a very accomplished speech he demonstrated to students the relevance of their studies at school to their future lives and careers.

To learn more about Rear Admiral Steve Lloyd, download his profile. (PDF)

A display of this year's photographs can be found by the Lyceum Theatre. You can also view this online in our Photo Gallery.

Students' photographs should have also now arrived in the post.

Barcelona 2014 - Geography

Keep up to date with all the latest news on Barcelona here! 

Day 1

A successful arrival in Barcelona for Highfields today! After a long coach journey we have booked into the hotel, sampled the local cuisine and walked along the sea front, preparing for a long day of field studies work tomorrow! All students are in good spirits looking forward to the exciting times ahead! 

Day 2

After a good night's sleep students and staff have been to visit Garraf National Park in Stiges, twenty minutes from the hotel we are staying in.

The National Park is well known for its natural beauty. We had a challenging walk, climbing up a steep cliff path and down again, taking in stunning views along the way. 

Students have studied the impact of extensive quarrying in the park, taught through both staff at Highfields and Richard and Dutch at The Barcelona Field Studies Centre.

Many students for the remainder of the afternoon played on the beach, relaxing after our energetic (some might say quite strenuous) walk! Other students decided to explore the town. 

Students have eaten at a local restaurant and have gone to bed early ready for a 7 am start tomorrow! 

View fullsize

A stunning view from Garraf National Park! 

Day 3

Today we have visited Garrotxa National Park, studying the impact of volcanoes on the landscape. Staff from The Barcelona Field Studies Centre have given life to this rich topic, ensuring that all main points from various key stages have been met. Students climbed into the crater of a dormant volcano! 

Harkrisham has been teaching himself Catalan, successfully communicating with the local community; we are very proud of this achievement! Students have enjoyed immersing themselves in the local culture. 

We are looking forwards to the busyness of Barcelona tomorrow. Students will be given a guided tour of the city! 

Day 4

The final day was spent in Barcelona City Centre! We caught a train from Stiges into the heart of this amazing city. Students went on a guided tour of Barcelona, taking in many sights along the way.  Students visited la Sagrada Família, a stunning Cathedral built by the famous arcitect Gaudi, visited a medievil hopsital and walked down  Las Ramblas.

Students commented on how much they enjoyed being in the heart of Barcelona, experiencing the life and vibrancy of its amazing culture.

At the end of the day we all gathered in The Harbour of Barcelona, awaiting our long journey home!

Staff feel incredibly proud of the HIghfields children on this trip. Well done to all involved!

View fullsize

Garrotxa National Park.

View fullsize

Just before boarding our coach before the journey back to The UK!

We are due back to school on Tuesday 29th April.

Highfields Cross Country

Students Hannah and Paige Campion have been working hard this term to raise the profile of Cross Country at Highfields and increase participation in the sport. The sisters both represented Staffordshire in the Inter-Counties Cross Country Championship held at Cofton Park, Birmingham on Saturday 8th March.

Hannah, a Year 12 student, has also played a major role in leading and coaching students every Monday after school in preparation for the Wolverhampton City Cross Country Championship at Aldersley Leisure Village on Tuesday 25th March. 

A tremendous team effort achieved two individual gold medals for Adam Saul-Braddock, Year 7 Boys, and Hannah Campion Senior Girls. 

Adam Saul-Braddock with his Gold Medal

Hannah Campion with her Gold Medal

The Cross Counties Team

Hannah Campion, Emily Kilmister, Hannah Griffiths, Kacie-Leigh Evans, Shannon Ratcliffe, Emily Walker, Harpal Khela, TJ Mullings, Destiny Williams, Ameika Smith, Eloise Jones, Luke Payton, Georgie Harris, Karisma Bhattia and Adam Saul-Braddock.

Hannah Campion

Paige Campion

You can find out more about Hannah and Paige's success in Cross Country and why they have been so successful by reading their profiles on PE’s 'Pursuit of Excellence' display wall.

First World War Centenary 1914 – 2014

On Tuesday 18th March 170 Year 8 students attended a screening of War Horse performed by the National Theatre Company.  This marks the start of a series of events planned by the History department in commemoration of the 100 year anniversary since the start of the war in August 1914.

The award winning show was recorded and screened at Wolverhampton’s Lighthouse Cinema.  The trip, arranged by Miss Tappenden, Mrs Hall and Miss Bishop, was a cross curricular event benefitting the study of History, English and Drama.  Year 8 students have studied the First World War in their History lessons this term, and are familiar with Michael Morpurgo’s moving novel from their English lessons.

The trailer for the original stage production of War Horse, which was screened at the Lighthouse Cinema in Wolverhampton.

A new display in the Humanities LRC includes two reconstructions of the First World War trench system. These were built by Reshma Rahman and Danielle Grimley, both Year 8 students, as part of their recent study of the war. Future events are planned including a residential visit to the battlefields in Flanders and France and wreath laying at the National Arboretum  in Alrewas, Staffordshire.

Reshma Rahman and Danielle Grimley with their fantastic models.