The Shine Media Awards

Recently, Sixth Sense, our college magazine, was crowned with various awards. Karen McCann, Editor-In-Chief of the nominated issue, reports on the award winning journey...
After we discovered the 'Shine School Media Awards' online, the day before deadline date, I rustled up some information about 'Sixth Sense' and quickly sent away the application.
A couple of weeks later, they contacted us, asking for more information about our work.
A couple of DAYS later, we were told we had been shortlisted in two categories: 'Most Enviromental' and 'Best Commercial Plan'.
To say we were overwhelmed is an understatement!
We didn't know if we would succeed towards the final, however, Steve received an email inviting us to the 'Stationers Guild' in London for the award ceremony!
WOW!
The day came of the awards and Abby, Jack, Steve and I all arrived bright an early, to Poulton train station, all dressed up and raring to go.
When we had completed the 3 hour journey to London, Steve took us on a sight seeing taxi tour until we reached the location: what an amazing place for the award.
The street in which printing first took place. Steve was so excited (not surprising since English A Level- Language Change, includes the original printing and how it was done... and Steve was at the home of it all!)
We were welcomed to refreshments and a personal tour of the building, seeing original stained glass and the first printed bible.
There was also numerous stalls which investors and supporters of the awards set up on and gave away freebies- the bamboo pen drive was my favourite. This gave us the opportunity to look over the other magazines in the final and get some inspiration and ideas about what competition we had.
Provided was a great buffet, with magicians (who showed us a tonne of mind-boggling tricks) and caricatures.
The awards started soon after.
It was exciting to see the winner and the work they had done, what the judges thought of their work and mostly, being all tense for when our sections were announced.
First was the 'Best Commercial Strategy', sadly we didn't get first prize, however we got a highly commended framed certificate.
Next, 'Most Enviromental', FIRST PLACE, beating 'St Paul's: Public school'- RESULT! I went up to achieve our Quark system and extremely heavy slate plaque.
We thought we were all done and dusted, being so proud of what we had already achieved...
But the Bronze award got announced: the presenter talking about the great content, business plan, college attitude and... ecological printing: WE HAD WON!
All 3 of us made our way to the stage, stunned! I swear I even saw Steve get a little emotional, or maybe my eyes were just blurred with shock!
Thats £1000 for the magazine kitty, basically refunding the funds we devoured over our years running- Johnny, you'll be please now! AND, a workshop at the Times Education Supplement- CRAZY!
We really were on cloud 9, so proud: the other schools came an congratulated us after the ceremony, saying how well we had done- and we really, really had done well!
The rest of the day was spent lugging around massive plaques (which were so back breaking, but was a good pain, because it proved our hard work.)
We celebrated over a bottle of bubbly outside St Paul's cathedral, ringing the other English faculty, families and updating our Facebooks!
Dinner at Maxwells, resulted in us being a minute too late for our train, having to wait a hour til the next one- we didn't care, besides the 29 degree temperature, leaving us with drips of sweat (attractive, eh?) we didn't mind the wait, it gave us more time to talk about our success.

Battle of the Bands

On Tuesday 24th of May, I was fortunate enough to attend this brilliant event, staged by the music students of our very own Blackpool Sixth Form in the Holland music room. Over the course of the night I met with parents, judges and students and even ended up sitting in the waiting room and feeling like a music student!

Before the first band set up, Matt Jones, teacher of performing arts, took centre stage and formally introduced the eager crowd to the nights events. 3 judges who would score based on their musical skill, stage presence and audience interaction. Matt also told the audience who these 3 judges were. Kerry Kirkwood- Deputy head of our college. Mr. Rapp- a music teacher with the best name for his job, visiting from St. Aidans high school. And finally John Robb- A T.V. personality, author, music journalist AND singer!

As if that wasn't enough, Matt told us that 2 local high schools, Palatine and Fleetwood, were supporting the event and also performing at the beginning, before our students, and at the end, after our students.

The supporting acts performed valiantly and really warmed up the crowd for when the real action started.

Then came the first contestants, Assignment Deadline, named after their inability to keep to one! After an impressive rendition of Fireflies by Owl City and Brainstew by Greenday, the band returned to the waiting room.

After 2 performances from The Winners (That was their bands name, not the outcome! Or was it?) a band called Einsteins Goldfish took charge who, in my opinion, were contenders to win...

The evening went on and we came to the interval, in which refreshments were available, including crisps for 60p. I didn't take any money so couldn't have any savory snacks, but that didn't bother me. Instead I talked to the audience. (Some may say harassed...)

'Marvelous' screamed one parent, in between guzzling down her Coke. Another announced 'I have a bangin' headache'

As I am not a music student, I learned that I am incapable of rating the musicality of the evenings performances. In order to get a better insight into what was going on, I made a few 'back-alley' deals and had a few quiet words with the organisers, namely Jennifer Waterworth, the fabulous music teacher. To cut a harrowing story down, I took siege of the waiting room, which had an excellent side view of the stage!

The second half finally began.

The crisps left over from the interval were given to the performers in the waiting room and, feeling like Jack Sparrow, I was handed a packet for free! Savvy!?

The most notable performance (to me) was a rock version of Ke$ha's 'TiK ToK by Damnsure'. The waiting room went wild, and I hear from my friends, fellow students Sara Rothwell and Jennifer McCowen, that the audience also went wild! (While remaining seating, and merely tapping their foot to the heavy baseline...)

When the performers had finally finished, it was time for the winners to be announced. The atmosphere was tense and you could smell the excitement! (Or was that the salt and vinegar?)

Set The Night Alight won. Band members Lucia Rojek, Reece Clayton and Tom Wickenden had another go on the mic and Set The house Alight! Towards the end, their fellow music students took to the stage to cheer them on as they belted out their last song, an original composition of 1964.

Well done say I.

Written by Johnny Blackburn

Is cycling the new sliced bread?

Cycling. A healthy, efficient mode of transport, and a great alternative to the environmentally harmful motor vehicles that so many people choose to use. However, it is a concept that, at a place like Blackpool Sixth Form, is almost non-existent; it is like a myth that is only known to a diminutive minority of the college population. It was recorded that the biking bay contained just 25 bicycles during one day, meaning that 1.3% of students used a bicycle as transport.

           Understandable, considering how eager young people are to revel in their first experiences behind the wheel. But, in this current climate of extremely expensive insurance and fuel, now is the time to make cycling as appealing as possible. Not just for students, but for everyone.  

           I myself am part of the minority that chooses the route of cycling, since my hometown of Poulton is just a mile or so away. By doing this, I now understand why students might choose to neglect this mode of transport. During the whole journey, there is just one cycle lane that is available. Just when you think you are safe and comfortable in this designated lane, it suddenly vanishes and immediately the vulnerable cyclist is heading helplessly for a daunting, murderous roundabout, abundant in vehicles rushing to work. It reminds me of being caught in crossfire.  Along with this, there are the narrow, treacherous bends and to finish it off, right outside the college there is an array of parked vehicles on either side of the road, leaving precious little room in between for cyclists and two sets of traffic. 

          All this combined becomes a perilous journey for any cyclist, and it is not just this route that is lacking in cycle lanes.

           With cycling becoming an increasingly promoted prospect in England, hopefully Blackpool Council will change this issue of cycle lanes. Already they have introduced new regimes such as the so called HUBs, which contain available bikes for the public and are designated along the promenade. This is a brilliant new regime- for people who want to go sight-seeing on the promenade. But how about the majority of people who need to travel to work everyday? There is no doubt that a lack of cycle lanes makes this method of travelling a lot more dangerous and deterring, and hopefully action will be taken to change this for the better.

           

Written by Cameron Woodall.

Holland photos!

This easter, our music students, upper sixth and lower, took Holland by storm, where theyperformed at local concerts and even stopped off to relax sometimes. You can see the experience by these photos, taken by music and photgraphy student, Danika Sheals.

                             The girls take in the magnificent view from their hotel room

                                              Our students performing

                                                             More performing

                                                         STILL performing...

                                               Did they do anything but perform?

 

                                                            Solo time!

                                                     Finally, the're not performing!

                                                             ...I spoke too soon.

                                                       'I am the music man...'

                                                   Barbarshop quartet

                                                      Back to performing

                                            perform, perform, perform....

                                        Well at least they were productive

                                               ...and it looks like they had a great time!

Vampires suck!

              Fact: Evermore by Alyson Noel is the worst book ever to have been written.  I can forgive the ‘Twilight” series, and even the entire “Vampire Diaries” books. But I draw the line at these atrocious ‘novels’.  I understand that teenage girls crave a sense of fantasy now and again to escape the monotony of everyday life, I really do. But seriously, another one? It really would be more economical to just buy a copy of “Twilight” and read it copious amounts of times.  You’re not missing out on anything new, and you’re saving a few trees along the way. My point is this: there really is a limit to how much you can write about a vampire.

        I say ‘novel’ with a particular sense of sarcasm, because if you are fortunate enough to have ever read any of the delightful “Twilight” saga, then a read of Evermore will not come to much of a surprise to you. The ‘novel’ follows Ever, a teenage psychic, who has tragically lost her family in a freakish accident… where only she survived. (Shock, horror)

Ever, trying to drown out her new psychic powers by listening to loud music and covering herself with hooded sweatshirts and sunglasses, feels a sudden and overwhelming connection to Damen, the too-good-to-be true new guy at school. Unlike the other people she has encountered since the accident she somehow survived, she cannot see his aura or hear his thoughts. It is clear from the start that something is not quite normal with Damen.

He does not seem to eat or sleep, conjures flowers, and has the uncanny ability to seem to know what Ever is thinking. (Sounds conveniently like “Twilight” to me)

       If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you’ll almost certainly know about the vampire craze that’s hit the globe. At first I could tolerate it, but now it really is becoming boring. You can’t walk into a shop without being bombarded with mugs, t-shirts, and shoes, with all the faces (and other parts) of Robert Pattinson and

Taylor Lautner: the guys that the whole world are in love with after their appearance in the “Twilight” movies. 

      I may be wandering slightly off the point here, but what I’m trying to say is that authors like Alyson Noel and L.J Smith (Vampire Diaries) are all leeching glory off Stephenie Meyer, and avoiding any originality whatsoever in their own ‘novels’.  If you don’t believe me… check this out:

And I gazed at the guy leaning over me, looking into his dark eyes and whispered, 

 “I’m Ever,”

Before passing out again.

Wow. Genius. I don’t know what impresses me more, the enigmatical vocabulary used by Noel, or her original plot line.

        If you really insist on obsessing over the un-dead, then why not at least read a classic? Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a perfect choice. It’s an enthralling, epistolary novel with enough antiquated language to get you lost in the book for days. It’s a bit more challenging to read, but surely that’s a good thing? It’s better to feel a sense of accomplishment and wonder over a novel, than being a bit disappointed. Take a look:

When the attendants rushed in, and we turned our attention to him, his employment positively sickened me. He was lying on his belly on the floor licking up, like a dog, the blood, which had fallen from my wounded wrist. He was easily secured, and to my surprise, went with the attendants quite placidly, simply repeating over and over again, “The blood is the life! The blood is the life!”

         See. No wasted words, just great succinct writing. What’s great about Dracula, is that Stoker focuses more on the primal urges vampires have about blood. Whereas Noel rambles on about pointless psychic abilities, that as readers, no one really cares about. Let’s be honest.

       I read this book from beginning to end. And now, as I flick back through the book, desperately trying to find something positive to report to you I find myself exasperated by my conclusion… there isn’t anything. Well, maybe that’s not true. In all truth, this novel does have one thing going for it: it’s dreadful. So dreadful in fact that it’s almost comical, so don’t worry. After you’ve read this phenomenal piece of literature, there are another 5. I don’t know about you, but I just can’t wait.

       

Written by Steph Rawlinson for her English Language coursework.

Tangerines on tour- Roma 2011!

In March 2011, together with my fellow tangerines, who study Humanities courses at Blackpool Sixth, we embarked on our fact finding trip to Rome.

We travelled through the night on our luxurious coach to our destination, Bristol international airport, where we were to catch our flight to sunny Ciampino airport in Roma!

Over three days we were lucky enough to savour the atmosphere and visit many world renowned historic sites, for example, on the first day we saw Bernini’s ecstasy of St. Teresa, I think I speak for everyone when I say it was truly angelic. We had a three course meal at the Archi Romani restaurant and afterwards we witnessed the beauty of the Trevi fountain at night!

On the second day, we travelled to Vatican City where we had a tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, gazing at Michael Angelo’s “The last day of judgement” and “The creation of Adam” was surreal, it was simply astonishing! Later we saw St. Peter’s Basilica, Bernini’s 98ft canopy towered over us tangerines leaving us awestruck!

Later we visited the Parthenon, a must-see for any Classics enthusiast, signing my name in the visitor’s book made me feel like I was part of history!

On the final day, we visited the Coliseum, gazing upon the rubble which was once the battle ground I could almost imagine the gladiatorial combats that once took place in the arena. The Palatine Hill, home to Romulus and Remus, was very memorable as the remnants of a bygone era were still visible.

Finally, we attended the Angelus in St Peter’s Square on the Sunday. We received a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI which was a tremendous experience.

Us tangerines had participated in a once in a life time experience, that we shall never forget!

On behalf of my fellow students, I would like to thank our tutors Louise, Ben, Charlie, and Lee for making the trip possible!

You can view a photo gallery from the visit on the Sixth Form Website by clicking here.

Report by Lucy Mudie
Student Council Member and student of Classical Civilisation, Religion, Ethics and Philosophy, English Literature, French and Critical Thinking

World Book Night

On Wednesday 9th March, the avid readers of the Book Club rec were visited in the Fyi by a young aspiring writer with a passion to share reading and to encourage young people to read. Her name: Danielle Rose. 

Danielle started the session of Book Club by telling us about herself and what she does for the World Book Night event. 

Danielle is currently studying English at university. She enjoys creative writing, especially poetry, and she belongs to Blackpool’s Dead Good Poets’ Society where she and other members perform a selection of poems. Danielle’s kind of poetry, as she herself described it, is “ A copy of Cosmopolitan magazine digested and then thrown back up” in which she tells the world of stalking boys and living as a shop-a-holic.

Danielle then went on to tell us what World Book Night does and how she became involved with the national event. Danielle got involved with the group almost a year ago and helps distribute books to local schools and colleges. The books are then passed on and can be tracked with a unique number on the BookCrossing website. 

To release your own book into the old world of book sharing then head to:
http://www.bookcrossing.com and get sharing. “Our community is changing the world and touching lives one book at a time.”

Written by Sara-Anne Anderson



The book club and their guest. (From left Danielle Rose ex-pupil of Blackpool Sixth, Cerridwen Lee, Kyle Hayman, Laura Fairclough, Johnny Blackburn, Sara-Anne Anderson, Tricia McCallum, Lewis Kelly, Andrew Whitehead, Sam Armistead, Kelsey-Marie Wilson, Jonathan Ratcliffe)

Cabaret, the photos (Part 2)

Sally (Alice Tripp) teaches Cliff (Jordan Atkinson) how to dance in 'Perfectly Marvellous'.

Cliff (Jordan Atkinson) twirling Sally (Alice Tripp) in 'Perfectly Marvellous.'

Cliff (Jordan Atkinson) being shown his new lodgings by Fraulein Schneider (Shirley Richmond)

Sally (Alice Tripp) flirting with Cliff (Jordan Atkinson) at the NewYear's party

The Telephone Dance (From left Sam Dickinson, Luke Hutchinson, Gabrielle Smith-Hart and Chloe Spinks)

Sally (Alice Tripp) and Cliff (Jordan Atkinson) in his room.

The Kit Kat girls posing in Mein Herr

(From left top to bottom right Melissa Stevens, Bridie Daniels, Alice Tripp, Jemma Bunce, Jenny Love, Vicki Riley and Jessy Marsh)

                                                  Cliff (Jordan Atkinson) after the fight

Photos by Danika Sheals

Cabaret, The Photos

                                         The Emcee opens the show (Andy Dixon)

  Sally Bowles (Alice Tripp) performing 'Mein Heir' and the famous chair routine. (from left Chloe Spinks, Vicki Riley, Jessy Marsh, Jennifer Love and Melissa Stevens make up the                                                   fabulously trashy Kit Kat Klub girls)

 Sally weedles her way into staying with Cliff (Jordan Atkinson) and they both decide it is 'Perfectly Marvellous'

 Sally and the Kit Kat girls perform 'Don't Tell Mama' (From left Bridie Daniels, Jennifer                                       Love. Alice Tripp, Jessy Marsh and Chloe Spinks)

                            'Would you like to buy a girl a drink?' - Telephone Dance

Fraulien Kost tries to ramp up business. (Jordan Atkinson as Cliff  and Sarah Deacon as                                                                       Kost)

The girls decide which of the men they want in 'The Telephone Dance (From left  Jessy Marsh, Sarah Deacon, Gabrielle Hart, Melissa Stevens and Chloe Spinks)

Cliff meets Herr Schultz for the first time (From left Jordan Atknison as Cliff, Steve Spencer as Schultz and Shirley Richmond as Fraulien Schnider)

               Sally Bowles acting innocent for 'Don't Tell Mama' (From left Bridie Daniels,                                                Alice Tripp and Jennifer Love)

The engagment party descends into a passionate affair for 'Tomorrow Belongs To Me' (From left Jemma Bunce, Vicki Riley, Melissa Stevens, Sarah Deacon as Fraulien Kost, Peter rugman, Joe Prestwich as Herr Ludwig and Luke Hitchinson)

Herr Ludwig (Joe Prestwich) makes an American friend called Cliff (Jordan Atkinson) on the train.

 

The EmCee (Andy Dixon) calls forth the Kit Kat girls to do their thing in 'Wilkommen'

 

The girls act cute and innocent in the opening number 'Wilkommen' (From left Jessy Marsh, Bridie Daniels, Andy Dixon as the EmCee, Gabrielle Hart, Jemma Bunce and Chloe Sprinks as the frisky Kit Kat Klub dancers)

Before turning the tables and becoming 'sluttier' - Quote from Graham Hamlyn, the director

All photos were taken by Danika Sheals

Cabaret, The Review

“There was a cabaret, and there was a master of ceremonies… and there was a city called Berlin, in a country called Germany… and it was the end of the world.”

Cabaret first hit the stage in 1966 when it had its first Broadway production. Since then it has continued to build up its fan base and has been shown continually in theatres around the world. The musical became so popular that in 1972 the script was adapted for film and starred the massively famous Liza Minnelli.

And then Cabaret was to be performed by our very own students at Blackpool Sixth, and the pressure was on. There were big shoes to fill and expectations to meet. I was lucky enough to catch the Blackpool Sixth production on its opening night on the 2^nd March at Montgomery High School. I was not sure to expect and so I was prepared for anything!.

As the audience descended and the lights went out, all whispers silenced and all eyes were on the closed curtain. Silence. Then, as the anticipation was becoming almost painful, a single hand broke through the curtains and clicked rhythmically. On cue the band played, the curtains opened and the cabaret began.

I was impressed by what I had seen. So much so in-fact, that I was thankful to catch my breath during the interval; after which it was back to the marvellous madness. I was first blown away by the talent it we have at Blackpool Sixth. From the Emcee (Andy Dixon) and the Kit Kat dancers’ spectacular opening with “Wilkommen” to the beautifully sang sentimental number “Maybe this time” from Sally Bowles (Alice Tripp), the musical numbers were brilliant. Not only the singing and dancing was impressive, the largely impressive eleven-piece live band sounded brilliant too. The numbers were catchy and enthralling and the amount of energy put into them by the cast furthered this ten-fold.

The show seemed to go pretty much hitch free. Despite some minor issues with microphones producing startling bangs every now and then (it kept the audience on their toes) and some silences on stage, the performance seemed anything but “amateur” as the programme declared it was. The acting was emotive, full of life and full of personality from everyone, even those without speaking lines. It was nice to see that it was not only students getting involved; Blackpool Sixth’s own Steve Spencer and Shirley Richmond played the delightfully adorable Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider.

Having never seen Cabaret before the story was new to me. For those who have never seen it, go out and see it! A lot of stuff goes down! Set just before the start of Nazi Germany, 1929-1930, the play follows an American writer and his lady friend who he meets at the Kit Kat cabaret nightclub. The play unfolds as Germany starts to change with the politics and the times become more sinister. Cabaret has a dark and sinister undertone with a sprinkling of jazz hands and catchy songs.

I was very impressed by the performance and was surprised how drawn into it I became. Hardcore fans may be disappointed to hear that the number “Money Money” was cut from the production but it was still great without it. My three word summary for this production would be: sexy, sinister (and) superb”. Zehr Gut!

If you’re looking for a play with romance, lust, pineapples, knickers and Nazis then let it be this one! After all what else could you be looking for? Auf Weidersehn!

Written by Jack McCafferty

February Fashions

On the 15th of February, our business students finally got to see their masterpiece come together. Their project was a fashion show to be supported by local fashion retailers and our own fashion students.

Karen McCann reports.

The night was well received with staff, students and members of the public showing up in support for Trinity Hospice.
The show kick started with a fantastic performance from a small group of students from the performing arts department of Blackpool Sixth Form College, doing a tap routine fully choreographed by the dancers, to "Show Me How to Burlesque".
Swiftly followed by a truly inspired catwalk show displaying the recent range of 'Next' clothing; it really did feel like a professional show at London Fashion Week.
The photographer for the event was Abby Waylett and Johnny Blackburn, who took the role and  executed it with the highest of standards.
Everything from the music to the lighting was so well organised that the business BTEC students should not only be proud of their work, but also thanked!
After a brief interval, where a group of dancers all the way from Chester put on a lovely performance, before a selection of 24 outfits made by the fashion BTEC students from the college, mainly decorated blazers, were worn on the catwalk. This was closely followed by a short speech from a Trinity Hospice representative who gave thanks to the organised team for a wonderful evening, detailed what work the charity does and how nice it was to get money donated by the college.
The night concluded with a lucky winner of the raffle, receiving a meal for 4 at the Hilton; I am very jealous.
Congratulations to everyone who took part, I know I had a great night.

The Cabaret Files

Once again we have a student of Blackpool Sixth profiled to coincide with our production of Cabaret

In The Chair: Andy Dixon

Character: The Emcee

Andy is in upper sixth and wants to direct when he’s older. He comes from Luton and isn’t naturally an A* student and puts effort into whatever he does.

What do you like about Cabaret?

I really like the storyline, how it’s not your stereotypical happy-go-lucky musical where everybody has a happy ending, I don’t want to spoil it but no one ends up marrying their true love!

I think the nature of it will appeal to everyone due to the debauchery. It’s like Skins in the 1920s

What do you think of your role?

Well it isn’t like what I normally play. I usually play a very straight acting part, no singing or dancing. I like how ambiguous the character is, you never see him off stage, and he is permanently the showman.

Is there anything you don’t like about our production?

Well, the only thing would be the commitment of others. Everyone signed a contract saying they would be there and I understand people being annoyed with having to wait 2 hours in rehearsal to say 1 line, but when that person doesn’t turn up, the show really can’t go on.

What is your favorite thing about Cabaret?

I really enjoy working with Graham (The director) as I think he really manages to do a good job and gives it his all. When everybody has contributed as well, the feeling of self-pride that you get, can’t beat it!

What is the hardest thing about the live show?

Staying calm!

Do you and your role share any traits?

We both share the same kind of erratic behaviour and the biggest difference is I am not, ever, a showman.

Do you think there is anything/ anyone to look out for on the night?

The chemistry between Alice Tripp and Jordan Atkinson is really something. Her acting, dancing and singing is magnificient. Jordan however, I have never seen him do a serious role so that will be good to see.

We look forward to seeing you in Cabaret on the 2nd 3rd and 4th of March and have our fingers crossed nobody actually brakes their legs!

Written by Johnny Blackburn

Blackpool Sixth eagerly awaits its brand new theatre

The Blackpool Sixth Campus’ face lift is soon to be completed. It has been assured that the newest addition to the Campus Redevelopment Programme, which has already begun and is progressing quickly, will be completed in the summer of next year, ready for the start of the academic year starting in 2011. Our Vice Principal, Alan Lloyd, thought he would have a look see and contribute to the effort to fix the huge steel framework together.

Alan Lloyd explained, “This is the third fantastic building I have been involved in.  This time I wanted to get hands-on and it has certainly increased my respect for those that have to brave the Blackpool weather to build it.” Personally, I find it questionable as to how this got past health and safety but it’s nice to see our senior management team contributing to the cause. 

As a student, it has been a beautiful thing to see my place of education grow and improve – as beautiful as steel girders and construction machinery can be. The new building will house a professional standard, fully fitted, 300 seat, super special awesome theatre along with two drama studios and a couple of classrooms thrown in too. And that’s just the ground floor! The £5.5 million building, in its entirety, will hold eighteen brand new classrooms.

It comes as no surprise that the performing arts students are pretty excited. This year it has been down to Blackpool’s high schools, Blackpool Sixth’s partner schools, to host the college’s performances and music events. In March of next year our production of Cabaret will take place in Montgomery High School from the 1^st to the 4^th.  

With the new building on its way it seems that now is a good time to reflect on the old “new building”. The £20.5 million campus has already brought us a top of the range set of science labs, IT classrooms, a learning centre and a brand new library. Also, the introduction of the Medlock building gave us a brand new open plan art department, media suite and social science department not to mention the student services and welcoming reception we trudge through daily. We’re a lucky bunch really!

Unfortunately, this years upper sixth may not get the opportunity to fully take advantage of the new theatre when it is completed but for those lucky lower sixth and prospective students, we hope you enjoy it.

Written by Jack McCafferty

THE CABARET FILES

To coincide with our production of the Broadway musical, we present a series of cast profiles.

In The Chair: Joe Prestwich

Character: Ernst Ludwig

An ex-student of the college now working in the FYI. We were very grateful for Joe to give us a few minutes of his time to discuss his role in the upcoming Blackpool Sixth production of the musical Cabaret.

So Joe, could you tell us exactly what Cabaret is all about?

Well, it’s a great musical. It’s all about the nightlife of Berlin at the start of World War II, and the people involved. The characters are really fun and interesting, but at the same time its quite sinister, and the music really sets it all off.

And what character do you play?

I play Ernest Ludwig.  He’s a great character, I find him really exciting to play. At the start he seems a really nice funny guy, all about the parties and women. But what makes him a very good character to me, is that he has quite a dark side- He belongs to the Nazi Party, and because of this he becomes part of the bigger twists in the play.

So what’s the overall dynamic of the rehearsals like? Does everyone get along?

Well, I’ve not been there for all of them, but the ones I have been there for are usually a lot of fun. Everyone seems to get on very well, most of the time.

How are you feeling about the performance? Are you nervous?

Mostly I’m just excited, because I like Ernest so much (though I would be hesitant to say I identify with a Nazi.) At the moment, it doesn’t really feel like a proper show to me, because we’ve never done a full run through before. I think when we do, I might be a bit nervous…

How would you feel about doing future productions?

Yes, yeah, definitely. I did drama in high school, and when I was a student here, I always wanted to get involved. So to be doing it now… it’s great.

We are very much looking forward to seeing Joe in Cabaret, and we wish him and the rest of the cast a ton of luck with the upcoming rehearsals!

Written by Catherine Hindle


You can catch Cabaret at Montgomery High School on the 2nd 3rd and 4th of March.

In Profile: Chris Powers speaks to Sixth Blog on the IB

Chris Powers is a former student of Montgomery High School and is a part of the first group of students to study the International Baccalaureate Diploma at Blackpool Sixth. Chris has just received confirmation of a place to study History at the University of Cambridge.

We asked Chris to tell us about how he has enjoyed studying the IB. His response is below:

"Hi, I'm Chris and I am in the second year of the International Baccalaureate Diploma at Blackpool Sixth.

On the IB I study History, Psychology, English Literature, Maths, Biology and French. That’s 6 subjects and in addition to this I have studied Theory of Knowledge, a key element of the IB Diploma where we look at all the different subject types and how they combine and what we learn from them. As an IB student we also do the Extended Essay, a 4000 word essay on something of our own choice, mine is on History as this is the subject I want to do at University.

Just when you think that’s quite a lot of work we also have to complete 150 CAS Hours. CAS stands for Creativity, Action, Service and is really rewarding for us as we get to help the community, do sports (I do a lot of cycling!) and we also do creative things like blogging or playing music.

The IB is a lot of work but unlike A levels, we only have one set of exams at the end of the two years and the education is a lot broader. It’s perfect if you’re unsure of what you want to do, or if you just like everything!

Thanks to the IB I feel like I understand the world a lot better and it will give me an advantage in the job market. I believe that it is responsible for my recent offer to study History at Cambridge, (the best university in the world on some rankings!), as it makes me stand out from everybody else.

If you want a course which is a bit of everything then do something clever, do the IB!"

Watch the Cabaret Trailer

The next Blackpool Sixth Performing Arts event is our Broadway production of Cabaret, which will be hosted by Montgomery High School on Wednesday 2nd - Friday 4th March 2011 at 7.30pm.

This year many local high schools are hosting Blackpool Sixth’s performances and musical events as they await the completion of a new professional theatre in Summer 2011.

To book tickets for the Blackpool Sixth Production of Cabaret please call the college on (01253) 394911 and ask for Student Services.

Exciting visits in Visual Arts and Media

On Friday 26^th November, students from Blackpool Sixth Form College ventured to Harrogate to ‘The Knit and Stitch Show’; this event sees the gathering of influential artists, craft stalls and innovative workshops, which anybody can attend.

The day was extremely useful to VAM (Visual Arts and Media) students as reoccurring artists that have been studied through out the course of the year, were actually there! You could ask questions, view their work first hand, and interact with them… and all in front of your eyes. This opportunity is not only fascinating, but is beneficial as you can gain more marks in your chosen subject, by seeing your artists work in real life and referencing it in your sketchbook or in your essays.

Jan Beany and Jean Littlejohn, Lindsay and Di’s favourites, were there, discussing their work, selling their books and talking to anybody who wanted information.

I, particularly has an amazing time, being shown how to knit, how to spray paint my old clothes in order to create a unique, new outfit, buying way too much and seeing Gok Wan (there to film a new episode from ‘Gok’s Fashion Fix) from across the street, with camera crews chasing after him.

Following this, a large number - 88 to be precise - VAM students went to Manchester to attend the UCAS Visual Arts and Media Day, where a lot of universities had gathered to discuss their courses… and give out freebies.

We all got to talk to so many different art-based universities and find out what they offer and what they require for entry, they told us all about university life in their area, about accommodation and about the work of graduates.

The day was a great success. Thanks to Lindsay Chapman and Di Morrison for making both events possible.

Reported by Karen McCann

Pink Friday comes to Blackpool Sixth

Its been Pink All Over at Blackpool Sixth as students and staff raise awareness for Breast Cancer Care.

Pink Friday has seen the Student Council arrange many different fundraising ideas to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month including wearing pink, fancy dress, pink themed food and a pink quiz. The majority of students in college had a Breast Cancer Care logo painted on them and representatives from Cancer Research UK were available to provide more information.

Every penny raised will help to make sure that the Breast Cancer Care free helpline, information-packed website and special face-to-face support services are free to use for anyone who needs them.

The charity provides a very important resource for people who have been affected by breast cancer which includes many of our staff and students.

Visual Arts and Media staff and students also dressed up today to raise money for local charity Brian House Childrens' Hospice.

Click here to view our Pink Friday photo gallery

Art Stars Lead the Way in a Fantastic Set of Results

Students and staff at The Blackpool Sixth Form College are celebrating yet another year of fantastic A level and BTEC results. With an overall pass rate of 98% and almost half of all students achieving high grades, there is certainly plenty to celebrate. 21 A level subjects and 16 BTEC subjects have had 100% pass rates.

The results for students in Art and Design subjects have been simply stunning. In both Art (Combined 3D) and Graphic Design one in three students achieved the newly introduced A* (A star) grade for their performance. A further 22 Art students achieved A stars in Fine Art, Digital Photography and Textiles. All this is clear evidence not only of the outstanding teaching and learning which takes place but also the excellent equipment and facilities available in the purpose-built art complex, “The Frame”, which was opened last year. The Sixth Form is continuing to develop its site with building underway for a new theatre and additional classroom accommodation for English and Modern Foreign Languages which will open at the start of the 2011-12 academic year.

Achievement in the highly regarded BTEC National qualifications has also been remarkable with 193 distinction grades awarded. The Sixth Form’s wide curriculum and flexible choices are allowing increasing numbers of Fylde Coast students to excel and set themselves on track for a brilliant future.

Principal Felicity Greeves commented, “We are delighted by these results which represent so much hard work by our students and their teachers. Our results once again confirm that Blackpool Sixth is a place where students succeed. We are very proud of them.”

Hero Enterprise Awards success for Blackpool Sixth

Blackpool Sixth students won a fantastic four awards at the Hero Awards 2010 last night which recognises young persons’ achievements in enterprise. Olivia Johnson-Allen won Most Enterprising Student (Post-16), Scott Wallace won a special award for Role Model for Enterprise, a group of students won Most Innovative Enterprise and the Sixth Form was awarded for Embracing an Enterprise Culture.

Blackpool Sixth also had a number of students nominated for awards including Team India 2011, EcoAction and Shamal.

Olivia Johnson-Allen reached the final stages of an Enterprise UK competition, Start Up: Travel and Tourism, giving her £1000 to start her own business. Only five groups nationwide reached the final stages of the competition, sponsored by Virgin Holidays, and two of these came from Blackpool Sixth. The other group, Shamal, were also nominated for a Hero award last night.

Michael Kimber is a part of the A Day in the Life of a Grown Up team which won the Most Innovative Enterprise Award. The group produced a package for primary schools to teach literacy and numeracy skills based on real life situations.

Michael Kimber commented, “Its great to win a Hero Award. I have really enjoyed taking part in a number of enterprise activities this year and I am looking forward to doing more of the same next year.”

Pictured above: A Day in the Life of a Grown Up Team are presented their award by Dancing on Ice's Daniel Whiston

Winner of the Role Model for Enterprise Award, Scott Wallace, has been working on enterprise activities with his former high school, St George’s High School.

Team India have been fundraising for a visit to Dharamsala in April 2011, They will be taking part in a teaching experience that hopes to impact positively on the deprived communities where the project will be carried out.

The EcoAction Team have been involved in a number of activities to raise awareness of environmental issues and the need for change including organising Blackpool’s first eco festival, EcoFest 2010.

In 2009, Blackpool Sixth Form received national recognition for the excellence of its work in enterprise being the first college in the country to be given the prestigious Excellence in Enterprise Education award from the Centre for Education and Industry at Warwick University.