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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
NEWSLETTER
JUSTICE GROUP
Hannan Sarwar writes:
“This half term the students
have worked extremely hard to
organise a range of events. Still
under the Leadership of
Hannan Sarwar ( 3rd Year) and
Matthew Leigh ( 3rd Year) the
group has sold over £500
worth of fair trade stock
including a range of chocolate
bars and Christmas Cards
since the start of
November.The Traidcraft Shop
opens on Tuesday Lunchtimes
in the Central Atrium and
continues to promote fair trade
at the College as well as giving
students the opportunity to
develop their entrepreneurial
skills.
We are extremely pleased that
a number of students from 1st
Year up to the older years are
wiling to help and have joined
the team. Just recently the
Group has started to get
involved with the Edmund Rice
International Ambassadors
group and are hoping to
create some links abroad.”
The Head Master, staff and boys wish
you a happy and Holy Christmas.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Air Cadets
Michaelmas Term 2014
Newman House Prefects
At the recent annual squadron
dinner dance Tom Taylor-Jones
was awarded with the plaque for
the ‘Best New Cadet Recruit of
13/14’. We were very proud of him
as it was unexpected with him
having only been there since
April. The squadron could not
praise him enough.
He then departed at 06.30hrs the
following morning to RAF
Swynnerton where he participated
in a leadership weekend & his
squadron came 3rd out of 37
squadrons. He was highly
commended for his leadership
skills & overcoming a tough
challenge of getting his team
safely across a river.
Young Enterprise Group
Over the last term, the Young Enterprise group (a team of
seven L6th pupils), have spent numerous lunch times and
time after schools creating Christmas products which they
sold at the Ambrose Christmas fair and Manchester
Christmas Markets. The products consisted of a set of three
coasters (Santa clause, Reindeer and a Christmas tree) and
packs of Christmas cards which were designed and selected
by the team. Overall, the company named Ambrose
Enterprise, sold over £400 worth of goods in Manchester. It
was a cold day and trading was difficult but this did not
dampen the spirits of the boys, who sold confidently and
would have put many candidates from ‘The Apprentice’ to
shame.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Augustine House
On Wednesday 3rd December
Augustine House (2nd year to 6th
form) received their prize for
winning the House Competition
last year. The boys received a
‘goody bag’, with an assortment of
confectionery, whilst they were
also excused afternoon lessons. In
the afternoon the boys could
either watch a feature film in the
Lecture Theatre or participate in a
wide range of sporting activities.
The boys seem to have enjoyed
the day and hopefully it could spur
them on to try and succeed in
their efforts to retain the Cup this
year.
Michaelmas Term 2014
From all enterprises, total sales equals over £700. The money is
being split two ways, the first being re-invested into another
product which they will look to sell over the future months, the
second being donated
Music - Halle
GCSE and A level students went to the Bridgewater hall to
listen to the Halle Orchestra perform Shostakovich’s 5th
Symphony. Audience members were delighted to see a group of
boys attend a classical concert and made many positive
comments about how they could see the lads genuinely enjoy
such an impressive concert.
Mini-light project
Following the Cross Project, Mr
Krause's 1st Year pupils have spent
this half-term designing and
making a small torch. Boys have
worked very hard on this project
and pictured is a small selection of
the boys' torches. Congratulations
must go to boys on how
imaginative and innovative the
torches that they have designed
and made are.
Sale Sharks Rugby Game
Chamber Choir were invited to do some carol singing before
and after the Sale Sharks European Cup game against the
Saracens on Saturday 6th December. We were delighted to have
Sharky, their mascot, not only sing with us but also take on the
role of Mrs Cutler and conduct them whilst they sang.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
The History Society
The History Society continued to roll on at a great pace as
presentations came thick and fast after the half term. Such is
the diversity of interests around the society, topics have ranged
from the History of Football Kits to Jack Ripper. Jack Lee’s
presentation on the History of Football kits was particularly
notable as it was Jack’s first time presenting for the society. The
quality of this, and many of the other presentations from the
lower school show that the society has a bright future ahead of
it. Daniel McDonagh and Joe Kelly from the Lower Sixth
delivered a poignant lecture on the Troubles in Northern
Ireland, sparking a great discussion from the audience. This was
followed by an informative look at General Franco by Josh
Travers and an entertaining display of World War Two weapons
from Tom Richardson. The year will be concluded by Alex
Mackenzie’s and Michael Pearson’s talk on the History of the
Internet followed by our annual Christmas Quiz. We anticipate
that the excellent run of meetings will continue on long into
the new year.
SVP Christmas Party
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Head Master’s Newsletter
UKMT Senior
Mathematics
Challenge
UKMT Senior Maths Challenge in
October.
Joseph Tadman (Y13) achieved
"Best in School" and "Best in
Year" as well as a Gold certificate.
Michaelmas Term 2014
Ignatius
Members of Ignatius E were responsible for the planting and
tending of the school raised beds this year, which recently
produced a bumper harvest!
They planted many vegetables including: courgettes; broad
beans; peas; onions; sweetcorn; spring onions; lettuce and
sprouts.
George Taylor (Y13) David
Robinson (Y13) and James
Tavernor (Y12) also achieved
Gold. These boys have gone through to
the next round, we are waiting for
the results.
Dominic Costagliolaray, Samuel
Dempsey, Ayomide Arewa, Samuel
Hindmarch, Harry Slack,
Benjamin Hughes, James
Saunders, Dominic Butler, Alex
Gordan, Dominic Howarth,
Connor Keogh, Thomas Butler,
Thomas Nuttall achieved Silver.
Matthew 13:30 - Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the
time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the
tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into
my barn.
Samuel Entwistle, Jeffe Mathew
and Kieran McNally, Felix
McDermott, Shalab Thomas, Luca
Sanchez, Duncan Carter, Jereem
Kunnasry, Matthew Sullivan
achieved Bronze.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
Biology Society News
Cross Country
The Society has enjoyed a wide
range of engaging topics and
excellent speakers this half term.
Particular highlights were talks
from two visiting speakers. The
first, Dr Kath Gordon,
Admissions Tutor and Lecturer at
Liverpool University in
Radiotherapy, taught the boys
about the physics of medical
imaging, the treatment of cancer
and the priority of compassionate
patient care. The second visiting
speaker was Professor Laurence
Cotter, Consultant Cardiologist
for 30 years at the MRI.
Presenting on ‘The Heart and
Heart Conditions’, Professor
Cotter challenged the boys with
his quick-fire style of questioning.
He taught about calculating the
risk of treating heart conditions,
heart anatomy and techniques
such as angioplasty.
College retain the crown of Trafford Schools VI Form Cross
Country Team Champions through a stellar performance by
members of the College 6th Form on Wednesday 3rd December
at Sale Harriers' training ground.
Thanks must go to the boys and Mr S Aspinwall for his
continued dedication with running regular training sessions.
Boys were particularly impressed that Mr Aspinwall in fact this
year won the Teachers' and Parents' race at the final Altrincham
and District Cross Country fixture in November against some
very tough competition.
There has also been high quality
presentation by student speakers,
including Matthew Dowson on
Dinosaurs, Finn MacFarlane on
Gigantism, Thomas Butler on
Medical Imaging and Robert
Caldwell on Human Impact on
the Environment.
The Society continues to meet at
1pm on a Friday in Lab 2204. All
years are welcome.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
Speakers Required
Ignatius House news
The College runs various careers
events and we are always on the
lookout for speakers. In particular
our Careers Day is held in March
and we need speakers from
Engineering, Law, Journalism,
Medicine, The Forces, Police,
Aviation, Marketing, P.R,
Business, Retail, Travel & others!
“I would like to start by thanking all members of Ignatius house
for their generosity in the contributions that were made
towards our house stall at the Christmas fair on the 30th of
November as it helped us to raise £220 towards the Ebola crisis
that has closed down St. Ambrose academy in Sierra Leone.
Alongside Kieran and myself, two other Ignatius sixth formers
helped to operate our ‘Conscience stall’ throughout the day (as
well as convincing visitors who aren’t affiliated to one of the
college’s houses to put their neutral tokens in our box) and to
make us not only on par with the competition but the most
successful of the houses. We were able to arrange our items in a
most eye catching and attractive manner due to magnificent
contributions from house members.
If you feel that you may be able to
spare an hour to speak to our
students about your career/
industry then please contact Mrs
Bigley at [email protected]
Our U6th students are now well
underway with their UCAS
applications, some require
interviews, if you feel that you
would be able to help with “mock
interviews” we would also love to
hear from you.
The fun atmosphere that we would attribute to Christmas was
definitely present at the school fair, so shout out to the PTA
and all that took part in its organisation. I hope everyone that
went enjoyed themselves.
Ignatius House had so much stock to sell that at the end of the
day we had numerous items left over. These were mostly luxury
gifts such as scented candles, fancy shower gels and biscuits. We
took these unsold items as presents down to the Revive refugee
centre in Salford where they were hugely cherished, as the
young men and women there can’t really afford luxuries that we
often take for granted and do not appreciate.
In addition we took a huge contribution of winter clothes.
These had been donated by boys and their families a
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
cross all four house groups. They were massively welcomed as
the weather is starting to turn fresh, which is made even more
severe for people not used to a cold climate.
These are people that have often been torn away from their
home countries and families for various reasons. Remember
how lucky you are to be able to enjoy your time with your
families over the Christmas holidays. I hope you all have a great
holidays, see everyone back in the New Year.
Thank you all again for the tremendous effort.”
Nik Moore Ignatius house captain.
Remembrance Sunday
Around 500 people gathered at Hale Barns war memorial for an
interfaith service that brought together Christians, Jews and
Muslims for a Service of Remembrance, demonstrating the
strong bonds in the local community.
A normally busy main road was brought to a standstill as
members of the different faiths stood as one to remember the
fallen from the last century.
The service is particularly important for today's young men as
they remember those who were little more than boys
themselves who lost their lives in a barbaric conflict. It is up to
us to the older generation to ensure we minimise bloodshed but
stand form against those who would do us harm.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Newman House Captain
It has been a good half-term with a
particularly strong focus on Advent
Fundraising by Newman House.
Following an inspirational visit from Mr
Gorman, our chosen charity is Aid to
the Church in Need and I would ask
boys who are able to donate even a
small amount of money to go to this
most worthwhile charity to please do
so; there really is no amount that will
not be helpful. We have also diligently
collected warm clothing for the Asylum
Seekers and their children supported by
the ‘Revive’ organisation in Salford and
I would like to say thank you to all the
teachers, parents and boys who donated
as it made a real difference to their lives
. And last but by no means least we
have raised money for the Edmund
Rice Ebola Fund via the Christmas Fair
Newman Stall. This was a great day and
I heartily recommend it to any
Newman pupils who might fancy going
next year. From myself and the rest of
the Newman Senior Team I wish all
Newman Pupils a restful Christmas
and I hope that the 5th Years of the
House are pleased with their
forthcoming Mock Exam results. I
would like to share this appropriate
prayer that I found:
Lord, in this holy season of prayer and
song and laughter, we praise you for
the great wonders you have sent us: for
shining star and angel's song, for
infant's cry in lowly manger. We praise
you for the Word made flesh in a little
Child. We behold his glory, and are
bathed in its radiance. Keith Turita – Newman House Captain
Michaelmas Term 2014
Rabbi Amir Elituv said the fellowship seen in Hale
Barns was a fitting example for the nation: “This Act of
Remembrance has great inspiration for the wider
country, showing how communities can live in harmony
and peace understanding each person's individual
identity but moulded together as a country through the
worship.”
Councillor Bernard Sharp” I remain incredibly proud of
this ward especially when I see so many faiths come
together and have full respect for one another.”
Nasser Kurdy, who was representing the Muslim
community, added: “It is very important to remember
the sacrifice of those who have gave their loves, because
we are enjoying what they created for us today.”
U 15’s
Whether it is the Cheshire Wheatsheaf or the Red Rose
of Lancashire a record number of College rugby players
have won representative honours this year.
The under-15 year group have amassed an astonishing 13
players in the county squads this year with some hoping
to progress to the Northern regional side, which will be
picked in the New Year.
They are from left to right: Cheshire county centre Tom
Hughes; Cheshire Districts centre Luke Stone; Cheshire
County second row Jamie Munn; Cheshire Districts
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Head Master’s Newsletter
“Please sir, can I have
some more?”
“Please sir, can I have some
more?” says sorry Oliver prior to
the College production of the
Lionel Bart classic.
Michaelmas Term 2014
winger Joe Rispin; Cheshire County centre Connor Doherty;
Lancashire Districts scrum half Felix Egan; Cheshire County
full back Tom Walsh; Lancashire Districts centre Pierce Rispin;
Cheshire County number eight Ciaran Booth; Cheshire County
fly half Tom Jones; Lancashire Districts prop Will Cartledge;
Cheshire Districts second row Patrick Kearns and Cheshire
County hooker Nick Tumelty.
The performance drew packed
audiences with Oliver played by
Patrick Waldron melting hearts on
a winter's night. He is pictured
with Michael O'Brien as the
Artful Dodger; Sean GallagherGill as Mr Bumble and Jonah
Rzeskiewicz as Fagin.
Rugby Coach Mr Howarth said: “I don't think we have ever had
13 players from one squad wear county jerseys but they are
hardly a team of individuals, their success has been built on a
strong team ethic.” Oliver is one of the stand out
classics of British musical theatre,
with a timeless score and a host of
fabulous characters based on the
works of one of the greatest
writers in the English language.
Our pupils love it just as much as
their parents and, indeed,
grandparents before them.
Rory started writing his own music, which he describes as a mix
of 'indie, rock and punk,' aged only 11 from his bedroom in
Heaton Moor. Now with his own backing band, he has already
had a session on XFM and has been put on their XFM evening
play list.
Mermaid Avenue
GCSE student Rory Wynne has been signed up by an
independent New York record label Mermaid Avenue.
His single “Post Party Confusion' described by Mr Vaughton his
Music Technology teacher as 'Jonathan Cooper Clark meets the
Arctic Monkeys' is winning rave reviews from music industry
cognoscenti.
Rory said: “I have too many influences to list but they range
from The Beatles, Nirvana, Pearl Jam to Jack White and The
National. Post Party Confusion was lyrically a slapstick take on
what I envisaged as a nightmare party.”
His music can be heard on Itunes, You Tube and Soundcloud
and Rory said: “Although the quality of the song is most
important if you want to be successful and get your music heard
you don't just need to write good songs, but have a strong
online presence.”
He continued: “You have got to keep sending your music out to
DJs and journalists; even sending out CD’s which some might
think is old fashioned is still important.”
DVD for sale £5 payable to SAPA.
Proceeds to Ebola appeal.
Rory has been going to the music technology club after school
for the last two years and has impressed his teacher, whose own
band Onions, plays across the North-West.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Space Agency
When Tim Peake becomes the
first British astronaut to launch
with the European Space Agency
next year he will be wearing a
mission badge designed by College
pupil Troy Wood.
Michaelmas Term 2014
His music has a definite edge and real quality and we think he
really has got something extremely special and has a very bright
future in front of him.
Troy won Blue Peter's biggest
competition of the year to design
the mission badge, bearing the
name of the British element of the
mission 'Principia.'
The mission will launch from
Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan in November 2015
with the ex Army helicopter test
pilot bearing Troy's imagery.
Competition veteran Troy who has
won nine top Blue Peter badges
and astonishingly 72 of the Scout's
Association’s 74 main badges, one
of the best ever collections by any
scout, explained the secret of his
success.
Rory though was content to be patient: “I am looking forward
to going into the St. Ambrose College Sixth Form and studying
music and some other subjects then who knows either on to
music college or an music industry apprenticeship, but I am still
at the stage where I want to learn as much as possible.”
“You have to do your research,
cover all possible elements of the
brief but also thinking creatively.
You just have to do something out
of the box.”
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
Rugby
Troy's design, which will be in
space for six months when Tim
docks with the international space
agency, and form a key part part of
the branding for the mission, pays
tribute to Isaac Newton. It
features an apple; includes one of
Saturn's rings; has a perspective
looking backing on planet earth;
all with the colours of the Union
Jack around its perimeter and an
emblematic Soyuz rocket.
Troy said: “I think a lot of the
other 3,200 designs concentrated
only on the rocket and there were
only two designs which made a
reference to Isaac Newton, with
an apple logo.”
Troy travelled to London to shoot
15 minutes of film from the British
Science Museum with Tim Peake
and was interviewed by the latest
in a long line of Blue Peter
presenters Lindsey Russell with
the programme aired (Thursday
today November 27.)
Troy said: “Ultimately I would love
to go into television and be a
presenter myself so it was an
invaluable experience. But more
importantly I am just honoured
and amazed that my design will be
on the first British astronaut’s suit
to fly with the European Space
Agency and will be orbiting the
Earth for ix months. It's quite
mind blowing to think that
something I took three hours to
design in my bedroom in
Timperley will end up in space.”
The 1st XV have continued to have a tough season with a very
competitive fixture list. The cup exits have been difficult to
take exiting the Natwest Vase to Stockport and the Cheshire
Cup to Cheadle Hulme. Players will be targeting the Old Boys
game on the 17th Dec to finish 2014 in good spirits.
The 2nd XV have continued to battle well with many U16
players getting plenty of game time as the injuries have
mounted up. Only 1 defeat this half term to Denstone College
shows how strong the 2nd XV is which is encouraging for next
season.
The U15 side continue to impress and still remain unbeaten.
They have reached the last 16 of the NatWest Trophy beating
Merchant Taylor’s School 50-0, Queen Elizabeth Kirby
Lonsdale 54-0 and in the last round near neighbours Altrincham
GS 28-3. They face a tough test in Yorkshire to reach the
quarter final where they will face QEG’s Wakefield.
The U14 team sadly lost their unbeaten run to Wirral GS,
however, continue to do well. They have reached the semi-final
of the Cheshire Cup with an impressive win over Caldy Grange
GS 42-5. Mr Howarth continues to emphasis to his squad the
need for strength and depth and training numbers need to
increase if this squad are to reach the successes of previous
years.
The U13 team continue to impress and are unbeaten in this half
term. They are eagerly awaiting their Cheshire Cup opponents.
They enjoyed a trip to Twickenham in November to watch
England v Samoa and played 2 matches on the way down versus
Coundon Court School, Coventry. They will be looking to
continue their unbeaten run for the rest of the season.
The U12 team have continued to follow in the footsteps of the
age groups above them. The A team suffering only 1 defeat this
half term to Lymm HS (only the 2nd of the season). They too
enjoyed the trip to watch England. The B team remain
unbeaten having scored over 300 points in only 11 matches.
Numbers are still very impressive at training and it is no
coincidence that both teams are very strong with every player
pushing each other for a place.
The future of St Ambrose rugby looks bright with U15s down to
the U12s making exceptional progress this half term.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
Auschwitz
Basketball
Recently we represented St
Ambrose College on a trip to
Auschwitz as part of the Lessons
From Auschwitz program run by
the Holocaust Educational Trust.
The day itself consisted of visiting
Auschwitz One, Auschwitz
Birkenau and a Jewish Cemetery,
followed by a touching tribute
given by a Rabbi from London.
The Trafford basketball league is well under way with all teams
making impressive starts. The U12 team remain unbeaten so far
and look certain to finish in the semi-final playoffs at their first
attempt. The U14 team also had a good start losing just one
match so far this half term. They too will be looking to secure a
semi-final place. The u16 team have also only one defeat so far
to favourites ACA but again a semi-final place is a strong
possibility. Special thanks most go to Mrs Whittle and her
coaching and refereeing team of Mr McConvey, Sam Dempsey,
Kieran McNally, Jeffe Matthew and Matthew Chandler for all
the time and assistance they have given this half term.
One thing we noticed was that
you're not prepared for the sheer
scale of the genocide. We were
half expecting a normal museum
with glass cabinets, but there were
mountains of human hair and
thousands and thousands of baby
shoes piled on one another. You
got the sense that it was an
industrial operation, that it was all
about creating the most efficient
way to kill and that not a single
thought was given to any of the
human lives and their own human
stories.
Cross Country
The cross country teams had more success this half term with
the U18, U16 and U14 Teams being crowned Trafford
Champions. Special mention to the u14 team who had all 4 of
their runners finish in the top 5 positions.
Swimming
Swimming galas begin on the first Tuesday back after
Christmas. Can all swimmers check the swim check the notice
board for team sheets and fix
You read about the Holocaust in
books, but you can't imagine the
sheer horror until you visit. It has
certainly inspired us to do more
research and make sure that it is
not forgotten through our ‘Next
Steps’ project, which will be
carried out as a joint effort
organised by ourselves and two
girls from Altrincham Grammar
Girls School.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
Continued..
Staff Cooking Masterclass
What we found really appalling
was that the guards applied to go
to Auschwitz in their thousands;
that it was seen as a promotion, a
way to get on in life and a way to
earn more pay, better than simply
maintaining order in a Polish town
or city, why not go to Auschwitz?
Seven teachers cooked their signature dishes to launch the new
St. Ambrose College cook book with a special edition of Master
Chef.
We know such terrible crimes
continue to this day and we wish
we could get more coverage so we
could know just what is happening
now in our own times. For us it
remains important to look into
Every teacher has been invited to submit their family favourites
for a charity cook book dedicated to home cooking.
For starters the seven chefs were given one hour to prepare
their favourite dishes before a blind tasting from pupils and
fellow teachers alike to judge the best bites.
Reflecting the modern British palette, the winners had a
distinctly multicultural flavour with Mrs Whittle crowned the
champion for her Spanish tapas, Mr Hutchinson coming second
with his Moroccan classic and Mrs Monk's Thai fish cakes
fascinating the judges' taste buds.
our heart and mind and search out
any sense of injustice, any sense of
prejudice and start with our own
conscience.
Even though thousands and
thousands of Germans were
involved in the Holocaust, I don't
think you can single out an entire
nation. There is a different mindset now and I think what we have
seen in the 70 years since shows it
could happen and does happen
anywhere. It could even happen
here
Cookery is definitely the ‘new rock n' roll’! There has been an
exponential increase in the number of boys now taking formal
classes and joining our lunchtime and after school clubs and we
want everyone of our boys to be self-sufficient by the time they
move on to university, able to cook healthy, nutritious meals low
in salt, sugar and fat.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
County selection
Michaelmas Term 2014
Food parcels receive by asylum seekers at
the Revive Centre in Salford
Congratulations to Tom Walsh,
Tom Jones, Nicholas Tumulty,
Jamie Munn, Ciaran Booth, Tom
Hughes and Connor Doherty who
have all been selected to represent
Cheshire at U15 Level. They are a
shining example all rugby players
at the college of what can be
achieved with continued hard
work, commitment and effort.
Well done!
Football
The first XI began their Trafford
football competition this half
term playing against the South
Trafford schools in a league
competition. They remain
unbeaten in the first set of league
matches which is made more
impressive as all but one were
away fixtures. They will be hoping
to continue their success in
January, with most games on home
soil, and make it to the Trafford
Schools Final.
Alongside these fixtures the 2nd
and 3rd XI have played our first
ever fixture against Repton
College. We also travel to Leeds
Grammar and King’s Chester after
the New year.
Sierra Leone
Our sponsored walk last summer was a hugely successful event
involving the whole school community completing a 5 mile
woodland walk in and the school environment.
The funds we raised, over £15,000, were intended for resources
for our sister school, St Ambrose Academy, in Sierra Leone, as
part of our ongoing efforts to assist the school we helped create
some four years ago. In addition, we were planning a sixth
immersion experience to the school allowing staff and sixth
formers to visit the school, teach and develop the excellent
relationships we have formed in recent years.
Then came Ebola. It has had a devastating impact on the school
which has been unable to re-open as communities in Western
Africa struggle to cope with the effects of this deadly virus.
Below is some recent testimony from one of the teachers in the
local area:
“We’re in our 20th day of quarantine here and the virus is still
raging through our communities, families and villages.
Unfortunately there is still no treatment centre or lab near us
and this means that test results take on average 48 to 72hrs to
reach these centres and those that are confirmed to have the
virus have to travel for over 5hrs to the nearest treatment centre.
There are quite a number of children at these centres who have
lost both their parents. There is this one case where four
brothers are admitted in the same ward and even though it is
good that they’re together, one of them has started showing
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
symptoms. So unfortunately these boys will all be in danger of being infected. When she was told
what had happened and sympathised with them, the boys just smiled at her and this nurse wondered
whether they really understood what had happened and was likely yet to happen. Can you imagine
the future of these children if
they go on to survive this
dreadful illness? Freetown the
capital city is now beginning to
see a very fast increase in
numbers of infected cases.
Their numbers have tripled in
the last four weeks. This is a
major set-back to this fight
because Freetown being the
capital city is the most crowded
and the spread will be faster. “
There is now more attention
being paid on the survivors in
terms of what assistance they
can receive on discharge. Most
of them return to find that all or
most of their family members
have died. Many don’t want to
go back to their houses and even
if they do, most of what they
have is destroyed due to the risk
most of these items could pose
to others. So as more survivors
(this is the hope) keep coming
from the treatment centres,
there will be a need for basic
items like mattresses, clothes, household/kitchen items and food to help them get settled into their
new life. There is also a great need for them to receive counselling as they face life without their loved
ones and broken communities among other psycho-social issues they will be facing. . The British
have now identified a site for a new treatment centre which has now been cleared and they say that
they will be up and ready in 8 to 10 weeks.
There is still a lot of unbelief within the communities and they say that the illness has been caused by
witchcraft. Burials like in any community are a big part of closure when a loved one dies and here in
Sierra Leone it involves the washing and touching of the body. This practice has proved most difficult
to end because of the belief that if they don’t attend the funerals and participate in these rituals they
will get a bad name and people will be offended. Changing people’s behaviour is proving to be the
hardest part of this fight as much as it is the only way to stop the spread.
The funds we raised on our sponsored walk will now go directly to helping those who are suffering but
we hope to do more. The plight of our Brothers and Sisters in Africa will form the basis of an Advent
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
appeal that we will launch and we hope to be able to tell you more about this in the second half of this
Michalemas term. We very much hope that you will support the appeal and offer your generosity and
prayers to those who really are suffering on the margins of society
DofE
In late October 12 upper sixth students had the opportunity to complete the expedition element of
their gold Duke of Edinburgh award. This involved 5 days of long distance walking over rugged terrain
with next to no support. Spending 5 days in the Welsh countryside, carrying all of their supplies on
their back is not for the light hearted especially when the weather turns sour under Hurricane
Gonzalo and threatens to put an end to the expedition.
"At times we were wading through knee deep
water."
Once the students returned to base camp on
the fifth day after just over 70 miles of
mountains and valleys, spirits couldn't have
been higher.
"It's been a fantastic experience and I would
strongly recommend it to anyone wanting
something different to do with their time!" Jeffe Matthew
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
Hope not fears gifts not tears
Every form has donated a Christmas gift and written a Christmas card for their fellow Ambrosians at
St Ambrose Academy, Sierra Leone
During this difficult time, with the Ebola epidemic they very much remain in our thoughts and
prayers.
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Head Master’s Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2014
Old Ambrosians Rugby Match
On Wednesday afternoon, watched by the College, the Old boys won the annual rugby match. They
result was 20-12.
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