Page 13 - Old Ratcliffian Magazine 2017

12 NEWS FROM THE COLLEGE NEWS FROM THE COLLEGE 13

ENGLISH AT RATCLIFFE CHAPLAINCY & CHARITY

The English Department staff are immensely proud of their The first Ratcliffe Public Speaking Championship also took place The role of Chaplaincy is threefold: to help inspire our students
students, who rose to the challenge of the new GCSE and A Level this year. Students from Year 10 to Year 13 from St Martin’s, by exploring our traditions and shared values, to celebrate our
specifications so magnificently last year. Despite the increased De Lisle and Ratcliffe College spoke to a packed house on the faith in community prayer, and to build a culture of service to our
demands of the examinations, they achieved an outstanding set topics of ‘Luck favours the bold’, ‘Media represents women as brothers and sisters in need, both near and far. In each of these
of results, with 70% attaining A* to A grades at A Level, and objects’, ‘Dishonesty gets results’, ‘Life after Brexit’, and ‘Social areas, we hope that our students meet God and respond to his
17% of students securing the elusive top grade 9 at GCSE - five media is not social’. The championship was won by Dalila Watson, call to ‘have life, and have it to the full’.
times the national average. a Year 10 Ratcliffe student, who spoke superbly to young and old
generations alike. Her contemporary topic of social media had MEETING GOD IN FAITH TRADITION &
This year also saw the Department’s first entry into the national the audience on the edge of their seats, enchanted by her clarity PERSONAL WITNESS
competition, ‘Poetry By Heart’. Luke Gyesi-Appiah (17) won of diction, apt vocabulary and vivid imagery. Congratulations,
the school round and went on to represent Leicestershire Dalila! Learning about our faith tradition and hearing personal
reflections helps us to understand God’s presence in our world.
in the National Final. He chose to recite ‘The Destruction of Every week, the Senior Leadership and Chaplaincy Teams lead
Sennacherib’ by Lord Byron and ‘Harlem Shadows’ by Claude Luanda Stannard assemblies to inspire our community. Every second week, year
McKay. Although he did not win the National Final, his place as Head of English group assemblies include a presentation and prayer. Several
one of the last nine contestants in the country was a fantastic students and staff, as well as outside guests and governors of
achievement. the College, have addressed us this year. Particularly impressive
have been the assemblies composed and presented by students, Beatrice Findley of CAFOD receives a cheque from the Chair of the
ranging from Year 9 to Year 13. Retreats also offer pupils an Parents’ Association, Jenny Howling, with Headmaster, Jon Reddin
opportunity to think about and build their relationships with
self, God and others. Years 7, 8 and 9 have made retreats at
various locations, and they have been enjoyed by all. throughout the year. Thanks to the generosity of all members of
the Ratcliffe community, we were able to raise almost £33,000
MEETING GOD IN COMMUNITY this year.
CELEBRATIONS
In addition, a number of community service clubs run during the
Central to Christian life are fellowship and communal prayer, year, such as the St Vincent de Paul Club, the Mother Teresa Group
and we gather to pray daily. Feast days are celebrated with and the Voluntary Service Unit, and many students contribute
Mass, Remembrance Day and Easter are celebrated with special to their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award through community service
services, and the seasons of Advent and Lent are heralded by programmes. During Activities Week in the Summer Term,
Reconciliation Days across the whole school. Class Mass, regular the Year 12 students participate in a Community Service Day,
Boarding Community Weekend Mass and Night Prayer, and Tutor helping local organisations and charities. We were pleased to
Group Prayers all contribute to the fabric of our liturgical life. be of assistance at the new premises of the Carpenter’s Arms at
Luke Gyesi-Appiah (17) performing in ‘Poetry By Heart’ The Public Speaking Championship contestants Those students wishing to progress their sacramental journeys Six Hills, the ‘Loughborough in Bloom’ Community Garden, the
are instructed for First Holy Communion and Confirmation, and LOROS charity shop in Syston, and the Syston Friendship Club,
our celebrations of these events were beautiful this year. We and we thank them for the opportunities that they offered.
THE NEW MEDIA SUITE were pleased to welcome Bishop Patrick McKinney to confirm our
students in May. We are most appreciative of the work and generosity offered by
all members of the Ratcliffe community. We are also grateful for
It has been an extremely exciting time of innovation and to educate the directors, cinematographers and marketers of the
development in the Media Department of late. In support of the future in such technologically inspiring surroundings. MEETING GOD IN SERVICE TO OTHERS the five years of Fr Ted Mullen’s (60) Presidency at the College,
and we wish him all the best in his new role as Director of the
outstanding results that the Department routinely achieves, a Rosmini Centre House of Prayer.
brand new complement of 21 Mac computers has been installed Charlotte Bennett In numerous ways, the students, staff and families of Ratcliffe
in the newly-refurbished Media Studies classroom. This has Head of Media Studies College contribute to the building of God’s kingdom of justice Paul Michel
allowed us to extend the excellence in practical production and peace. Every year group, as well as the boarding community, Lay Chaplain
(particularly in short film and short documentary) that the Media sponsors a particular charity, raising awareness and funds
Department is known for. The new room is bright, beautifully
decorated, and it provides each individual student in a class
with their own Mac to edit both print productions (using Adobe
Photoshop and Adobe InDesign) and video productions (using
Final Cut Pro X). This ably supports the showcase of work that
the Department holds at the end of each year, where students
are rewarded for their efforts in their very own glitzy ‘Oscars’
ceremony. Particularly exciting this year are an A Level short
documentary working with Huddersfield and Burnley Football
Clubs, and a highly original short documentary following real
paranormal investigators in their passion for the supernatural
- not one for the faint-hearted! Furthermore, a second Media
classroom has been introduced to cater for the ever-increasing
uptake in the subject, particularly in Year 10, where we currently
have 37 students across two classes. It is a pleasure and privilege A student editing her coursework on a new Mac Students helping at the LOROS charity shop in Syston Year 8 students testing their teamworking skills on retreat

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