The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus – Presented by Hayes School Productions 2009

Few schools would have the staff, students or ambition to stage a play as demanding as Dr. Faustus. Fewer still would be able to present it in a way that made it so enjoyable, exciting and accessible to people of all ages. Hayes Drama department and students took on this challenge and were triumphant in producing an outstanding play that impressed audiences on all three nights. Rarely have I ever received so many emails or contacts congratulating the school and students and recognising what an achievement this was.

There were outstanding performances from all of the cast, but special mention must be given to Henry Smith, who as Dr. Faustus, was on stage for almost the entire performance and he deserves immense praise for learning and delivering a really challenging role in such a dominating manner. This was also true of so many others in the cast, all of whom deserve to be extremely proud of their performances.

Praise and recognition is also due to the ‘crew’ for all their work on staging, costumes, lighting etc. It was an ambitious production delivered in the round with a cast of over 40, made successful by the creativity and hard work of the crew.

Finally thank you to all the staff involved. As with the students they have put in months of rehearsals and given up countless evenings and many weekends. The play reflected this dedication as well as the staffs’ teaching skills and their belief in the students.
Well done and congratulations to the Drama department and especially to the Director, Mr Eden and Miss Higgins the Assistant Director.

Mr Osborne, Headteacher

Hayes Graduate Plays for England

Sports enthusiasts may wish to look out for Lydia Greenway, a recent Hayes graduate, who is playing for England in the women’s cricket World Cup Final against New Zealand in Sydney on Sunday (Sky Sports 2/Radio Five Live Sports Extra).

Year 11 Hayes Students Visit Kent University

On Friday 27th February, 50 Year 11 students headed off to Kent University to see what university was all about. They were given a talk by a university representative outlining the reasons for studying and what student life was like. At the end of this they were guided around campus by existing students and shown the various facilities available on campus – such as the
huge library, sports complex, cinema end entertainment venues. We then had lunch in the stunning Rutherford dinning hall which overlooks Canterbury. In the afternoon the students had another talk about how students survive – especially the first few weeks away from home, looked into finances and how to organise their priorities. Just about every student said that the
day had inspired them to go to university.

Mr Veldtman, Year 11 Achievement Coordinator

Carbon Road Show

All Year 9 students took part in the BP Carbon Road Show event last week which was presented by BP. The Carbon Challenge is a high-impact Science, Maths and Enterprise road show for students. Students worked together to examine a school’s carbon footprint and learn about carbon reduction through a variety of activities using film, websites, interactive calculators, 3D-style mats and other visual material.

All students carried out a two-hour session which involved an introduction from BP. This was followed by an interactive voting session where students put their current view points on ‘carbon’ related challenges in their lives.

Students were then divided into three groups. The groups were:
• The Environmental group who looked at where carbon emissions come from in a school. Students worked in small groups and carried out presentations.
• The Economic group were given a budget and asked how the school could reduce carbon emissions.
• The Social group looked at how various people in a school could make a difference. The groups looked at were students, teachers, senior management and support staff. Students acted out small dramas to highlight how these people can influence a school’s carbon footprint.

Students then carried out a plenary session in which presentations from each of the groups were given to others. The interactive voting session was carried out again to see how student’s votes had changed over the session. In the future students will then carry out follow up sessions in school to see how Hayes and individuals working in the school can reduce the carbon footprint. Some suggestions made by the students were to include more recycling options e.g. for plastic rather than just for paper and cans, using energy saving light bulbs, not leaving appliances on standby and making sure double glazing is used. More information can be found on www.enterprisingscience.com where Hayes will have there own school page. All the results from the surveys and photographs of the event can be found on this website. An article highlighting the event will be in the local Newsshopper paper in the next couple of weeks.

Extra Curricular Clubs at Hayes School

As part of Hayes School’s commitment towards providing more opportunities for learning, better relationships and more self esteem amongst students, we have scheduled a list of over 60 extra curricular clubs! We are delighted that over 50% of Year 7s, 35% of Year 8s and nearly 38% of Year 9s have all tried at least one of these clubs this year. However, that still leaves a proportion of students yet to take advantage of the opportunity to really make the most of their time at Hayes School.

Find out for yourself why so many students have taken this chance… check out the latest clubs menu (displayed in all tutor rooms) for more details! The brand new Summer Term Clubs menu will be launched during the first week after the Easter holidays.

Mr D Hazlehurst

Hayes Prayer Group

We are a group of Christian parents who meet up every half term to pray for Hayes School children, families and staff. We meet on a Friday afternoon from 1.45-3.00pm. The next two dates will be 24th April and 5th June. New parents are always welcome. Please ring Jan on 07879425042 for more details or with any prayer requests.

Year 9 Options Deadline

The deadline for completing your options form is Wednesday 18th March. If you have already finalised your decision then please hand your form in. The collection box is based in the PE office.