Rave reviews for Little Shop of Horrors

Talented students wowed audiences with performances of Highfields’ latest stage spectacular, Little Shop of Horrors - with attentions already now turning to the next musical production.

The school’s Lyceum was transformed with stunning scenery - including a show-stopping mechanical Venus Flytrap - for three sell-out performances of the high octane musical comedy.

Students from Years 10-13 spent months rehearsing for the show, which follows the story of a florist shop worker who discovers his Venus Flytrap can talk, and their performances have received rave reviews.

Highfields’ Head of Extra Curricular Performance, Ms S Bishop, said: “Our musical productions have gained a fantastic reputation for their quality, and Little Shop of Horrors was one of our best yet.

“We had different casts performing each night to showcase the incredible wealth of talent we have here at Highfields, and every student involved was fantastic.

“They put in an extraordinary amount of effort in rehearsals over many months, and their hard work most definitely paid off. The feedback has been incredible, and all of the students involved should be very proud.”

Attentions are now turning to the next musical production, which is set to be staged in November.

Auditions for the show, which is yet to be confirmed, are likely to take place after the Easter holidays, with rehearsals set to get under way during the summer holidays. The next show will once again feature students from Years 10-13, with a separate musical production featuring students from Years 7-9 scheduled to be staged in February next year.

Young book fans celebrate love of literature

Members of Highfields’ Book Group celebrated their love of literature by taking part in the first ever Wolverhampton Children’s Book Award.

The group, made up of students from Year 7, were given the opportunity to meet a number of award-winning authors and nurture their own creative writing processes as part of the event, which was organised by Wolverhampton Grammar School.

Students were first asked to read five titles, before putting their knowledge of the texts to the test against other city schools in a quiz. After a respectable third-place finish, students were then invited back to a celebration event at Wolverhampton Grammar School, which was attended by all five book authors.

During the day, the young book lovers were given the chance to work with the authors on a number of creative activities linking to the subject matters of their books, including making light jars, creating their own languages and even taking part in science experiments.

The authors - including Christopher Edge, Jane Elson and Megan Rix - then gave talks about their working processes and inspirations behind their writing.

All students who took part in Wolverhampton Children’s Book Award had voted for their favourite book from the selection of texts they read, with the accolade presented to Jane Elson for her heartwarming book, 'Will You Catch Me?' on the day.

As she collected the winning trophy from the Mayor of Wolverhampton, she said: “I didn’t dare dream that I would win this award. Thank you to every child from Wolverhampton who voted for me.”

Highfields’ Lead Practitioner, Mrs K Allen, said: “The event was a fantastic celebration of the joy of reading, and the students and staff who attended thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Looking to the future for National Careers Week

Highfields will be urging all students to look forward to the future by hosting a packed programme of activities, workshops and trips to mark National Careers Week.

The event runs from March 4th-8th and will allow students from all year groups to get a greater insight into a range of professions and the pathways available to fulfil their career dreams.

The school has teamed up with a number of universities, businesses and apprenticeship providers to support the national event.

The programme of activities includes workshops in Film Studies, Art & Design and Animation at Gloucester University, a site visit to Jessup Brothers Construction, and a trip to Aston University Medical School for a ‘Pathways to Healthcare’ event.

Careers-based lessons and assemblies will be taking place throughout the week, whilst there will also be talks about apprenticeships, interview skills and CV writing workshops.

Mr P Rose, Highfields’ Head of Middle School and Careers Leader, said: “We’ve got lots going on around school to mark National Careers Week, encouraging students from all year groups to look forward to the future and learn more about the opportunities available to them to fulfil their career dreams after school.”

The week-long event comes after Highfields hosted its biggest ever Careers Fair, which featured dozens of exhibitors and was attended by hundreds of students and their families.

Click here to read our Careers Course Choice supplement.

Stage set for spectacular musical

The stage is set for curtain-up on Highfields’ latest stage spectacular, Little Shop of Horrors.

The school’s Lyceum has been transformed with stunning scenery - including a show-stopping mechanical Venus Flytrap - ready to wow audiences from Thursday (Feb 28th) to Saturday (March 2nd).

Talented teenagers from Years 10-13 have spent months rehearsing for curtain-up on the high energy musical comedy, which follows the story of a florist shop worker who discovers his Venus Flytrap can talk.

Tickets have been selling fast for the show, which Highfields’ Head of Extra Curricular Performance, Ms S Bishop, said is going to be one of the school’s best yet.

She added: “Our musical productions have gained a fantastic reputation for their quality, and our latest spectacular promises to be another knockout.

“Little Shop of Horrors is a fantastic musical and one that I have personally wanted to stage at the school for a number of years. The entire cast and crew is delighted that we’re now on the final countdown to showtime.

“Our students have put in an extraordinary amount of effort in rehearsals over many months, and their hard work has paid off with another fantastic show, which they can’t wait to perform to live audiences.

“We have different casts performing each night to showcase the incredible wealth of talent we have here at Highfields and we would love as many people there as possible supporting them.

“Tickets have been selling really well but there are still some available, so it would be great to see everyone there cheering on our incredibly talented young performers.”

Little Shop of Horrors is the second musical production to be staged by Highfields in the 2018/19 academic year. The hugely successful Wizard of Oz was staged from November 7th-10th and featured students from Years 7 to 9.

Tickets for Little Shop Of Horrors are available from the top floor LRC, costing £6 (£4 concessions). Shows start at 7.30pm.

We’ve been in the news! Read our article in the Express & Star below:

Challenging activity days put students to the test

Youngsters are getting to grips with the great outdoors as part of activity days in Wales, which allow them to test their teamwork skills and build confidence over a number of challenges.

Dozens of Year 8 students have already spent an action-packed two days in Mid Wales as part of the initiative, which aims to provide students with new experiences and life skills to support them through their school life. It also prepares students wanting to enrol on to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme in Year 9 for the challenges they will face.

More groups of Year 8 students will complete the activity days over the coming weeks.

The first day takes place at Lake Vyrnwy, in conjunction with Bethania Adventure Activity Centre, and sees students working together to build a raft. They are also given the opportunity to canoe along sections of the reservoir to explore the history and geography of the area.

The second day sees students based from Llandrinio Outdoor Education Centre, where they are given the chance to attempt rock scrambling over Moel-Y-Golfa, the highest peak in the Breidden Hills.

Mr C Moody, PE teacher and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Manager, said: “The students were able to look back at where they were last year, as Year 7 students, at Admiral Rodney’s Pillar, with many commenting on how they were enjoying the greater challenge this year.

“Their final afternoon on the second day is spent at the centre taking on a fresh set of team-building exercises.

“The two days allow the students to experience opportunities in a safe but challenging environment, which helps improve their self-confidence and resilience, but also their enjoyment of the outdoors which will hopefully lead to their enrolment on the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme in Year 9.”

Premier League rewards trip for young football fans

Football-mad students scored some world-class training as part of a thrilling behind-the-scenes trip to Manchester City FC.

Around 30 students took part in the training weekend, which kicked off with a tour of the grounds, football museum and Etihad Stadium, including the 5* facilities in the Players Lounge, circular home changing room and pitch-side dugout, complete with heated seats.

Students also enjoyed two sessions at Manchester City’s training ground, posed for photographs in the press conference room and watched Man City Ladies draw 2-2 with Chelsea.

They rounded off the football-focused weekend by watching Manchester City’s remarkable 6-0 thrashing of Chelsea to reclaim their position at the top of the Premier League.

Mr C Brickwood, Highfields’ Head of PE, said: “It was a wonderful opportunity for students to enjoy world-class coaching at an incredible training ground.

“All of the students on the trip have taken part in at least 15 hours of extra curricular activities, so this was a fitting reward for their dedication and commitment to sport.

“It was an amazing experience, and one which has really inspired our talented young footballers of the future.”

Tickets on sale for Little Shop of Horrors

Tickets have gone on sale for the school’s upcoming musical production, Little Shop of Horrors.

Talented performers from Years 10-13 have spent months rehearsing for the showcase, which will be staged over three nights to a live audience in the school’s Lyceum Theatre from February 28th to March 2nd.

Little Shop of Horrors is a musical comedy horror about a florist shop worker who discovers his Venus Flytrap can talk.

Ms S Bishop, Highfields’ Head of Extra Curricular Performance, said: “It is a fantastic musical and one that I have personally wanted to stage at the school for a number of years.

“Rehearsals started in October and are going really well. We have different casts performing each night to showcase the incredible wealth of talent we have here at Highfields.

“It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to be part of our productions, with weekly rehearsals and some weekend rehearsals taking place over a number of months. Our cast, band and technical team will be continuing this hard work over the half term break, putting the finishing touches to what promises to be another fantastic show for the school.

“We’re delighted that tickets have now gone on sale and can’t wait for curtain-up. Please come along and show your support."

Little Shop of Horrors is the second musical production to be staged by Highfields in the 2018/19 academic year. The hugely successful Wizard of Oz was staged from November 7th - 10th and featured students from Years 7 to 9. Tickets for Little Shop Of Horrors are now on sale from the top floor LRC, costing £6 (£4 concessions).

Holocaust documentary created with help of former Highfields students

Two former Highfields students played a pivotal role in the creation of a poignant BBC documentary that brought a Holocaust survivor’s horrific experiences inside a concentration camp to life.

The Newsround special documentary, ‘Finding My Family: Holocaust’, was created as part of commemorations to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

It follows Holocaust survivor Steven Frank as he takes his teenage granddaughter Maggie on a journey to learn about his experiences.

They visit Amsterdam to learn about his happy life there before the war, and what happened to Dutch Jews during Nazi occupation. They then travel to Terezin in the Czech Republic, where Steven was held, to learn about the horrors of life inside a concentration camp, before travelling to Auschwitz, where members of Steven’s family died.

Two former Highfields students, Maeve O’Sullivan and Joe Twilley, were part of the team that brought the moving documentary to life.

Maeve left Highfields in 2008 and now works as an Assistant Producer on BBC Newsround.

Talking about her role in the documentary, she said: “I worked on the production from the initial casting process through to the final post-production phase. My role as Assistant Producer involved finding a family to take part in the documentary.

“I liaised with archivists and historians to help shape the documentary and set up permission to film in locations across Europe. I assisted on location during a week of filming across Amsterdam, the Czech Republic and Poland.”

Photograph: Holocaust Memorial Trust

Maeve was put in touch with Steven Frank and his family through fellow former Highfields student Joe, who works as Communications Manager for the Holocaust Memorial Trust, which runs the annual Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27th.

As part of his role, Joe encourages schools, workplaces, interfaith groups, councils, libraries and many more places to put on events and activities to mark the day.

He said: “It’s a particular privilege to be able to meet and speak with survivors of the Holocaust and more recent genocides as we share their experiences across the UK.

“I can’t claim too much credit for the documentary, but me and my colleagues at Holocaust Memorial Day Trust put the BBC in touch with Steven Frank. We’d worked with Steven before and he is a remarkable man who is so friendly and willing to talk about his experiences to educate others.

“I was with him recently doing some media interviews and he was full of praise for Maeve and the BBC team who travelled around Europe filming. It’s great to see the finished film and we know so many people have been watching it around Holocaust Memorial Day.”

To watch the film, click here

Packages donated to support city's homeless

Kind-hearted students and staff have donated packages of toiletries, food and clothes to support homeless people in Wolverhampton.

Members of Highfields’ H.O.P.E Charity Committee launched the appeal for essential items - including toothbrushes, soap, crisps, soup, socks and tinned fruit - following the Christmas break in support of The Good Shepherd Ministry.

The charity assists the homeless and others in need in Wolverhampton, providing practical assistance in the form of food and toiletries.

It also assists people with home starter packs, registering their details with healthcare providers and banks, and encouraging them to take up hobbies to turn their lives around.

Mrs C Hartshorne, Highfields’ Head of Citizenship, said: “Our Charity Committee selects a number of good causes to support throughout the year. Following the Christmas break, they appealed to fellow students and staff to donate essential items to support homeless people in the city through the Good Shepherd Ministry.

“We are delighted to have packaged dozens of boxes of goods for the charity, which will make a real difference to the lives of people who are suffering from homelessness and poverty in the city.

“Thank you to everyone who donated items for this incredibly worthy cause.”

Hundreds attend Highfields' biggest Careers Fair

Hundreds of students were inspired to make the right choices for their future when Highfields staged its biggest Careers Fair to date.

Around 50 exhibitors packed two floors of the school to showcase their services during the event, which was open to all students from Year 9 through to Sixth Form.

A number of colleges, universities, training providers and employers from a range of industries were represented at the Careers Fair, including Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, The British Army, The Royal Navy, Barclays, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Wolves Women and Gunnebo.

The event also featured Highfields’ annual Course Choice Evening, which saw presentations from Headteacher, Mr G Tate, as well as Mr P Rose, the school’s Head of Middle School and Careers Leader, to support Year 9 students in the process of choosing the correct subject choices for Upper School. Visitors were also given an insight into the the range of subjects on offer and what they involve with displays on the top floor.

Mr Rose said: “At Highfields School, we are fully committed to doing all that we can to ensure that all our students are fully aware and understand the possibilities open to them in every sector of employment and the huge variety of careers on offer to them.

“As well as providing students with the academic foundation to succeed, we pride ourselves on the wide range of opportunities we provide, from Year 7 through to Year 13, for students to explore future pathways and receive quality advice and guidance so that they are able to make the right choices, whether that be Further Education, Higher Education, an Apprenticeship or employment.

“The Course Choice Evening and Careers Fair were a great success and the school was packed with students, parents and carers who came along to pick up valuable advice, guidance and information to allow them to make informed choices about their future direction.”

For more information on the Careers support Highfields offers students, click here