Reach Spring/Summer 2009

Spring & Summer 2009

If you are new to OCVC, a very warm hello. Ifyou’re an old hand, welcome back!

REACH is all about you, the students, the stars, thepeople who make our college what it is. This issueis bursting with success. Just how we like it.

These successes are as varied, vivid and delightfulas the students who made them happen. Theyrange from lively charity fundraising to academicbrilliance. From Oxford, Banbury and Bicester toShanghai and Geneva!

If variety is the spice of life, REACH is the bazaarselling it. OCVC boasts an enormous pool of talent.Our students are a talented bunch. In the followingpages you’ll find dancers, artists, poets, cooks,beauticians, engineers, signers, builders, historiansand more.

We thank everyone who has contributed andencourage you to keep sending us your news andpictures so we can continue to share and celebrateyour success.

Cid Carr – EditorMarketing Department

[email protected] or 01865 551856

Editor intro

2 Reach | Spring & Summer 2009

Welcome to the 5thedition of REACH!

| tel: 01865 550 550 | email: [email protected] | www.ocvc.ac.uk 3

Unlocking potential

Unlockingpotential,releasing successThis is the motto of Oxfordshire’s BullingdonCommunity Prison – and the title of a projectdevised by its Deputy Governor, NigelAtkinson in collaboration with Oxford &Cherwell Valley College and the prestigiousModern Art Oxford gallery.

The smiling faces here belie the lively debatethat ensued when our OCVC Art and Designdepartment grabbed the chance to take partin a competition to create huge artworks toenliven the space and lives of prisoners. Thegoal was to create uplifting and inspirationalimages to decorate the massive commonareas at the heart of the prison.

Overseeing over eighty entrants has been ademanding task for OCVC ProgrammeManager Laraine Jones but her enthusiasm’sbeen rewarded “I’m thrilled that the studentshave responded to the challenge sopositively. It was just such a great opportunityfor them to work within the restraints of atight brief, to get the chance to exhibit in afamous gallery, have their work onpermanent display in a public institution andlast but not least, earn some valuable prizemoney!”

The winning designs of Cat Spring, ChloeBunce and Jack Eden and the works of othershortlisted artists are now on display at thegallery’s cafe until 4th May. Look out forpictures of the final pieces in the next editionof REACH.

www.modernartoxford.org.uk


A student from The Rycotewood FurnitureCentre at OCVC has picked up a highlyprestigious award from NADFAS, the NationalAssociation of Decorative & Fine Arts. Givento celebrate ‘creative and fine crafted work’ itenables young talent to produce their owndesigns.

The winner was Dan Durnin, studying for aBA (Hons) in Furniture Design who snappedup the prize for a portfolio of work includingthe sleek avant garde plywood table andsolid American black walnut side boardpictured here. Dan was delighted “It’s great tobe recognised by NADFAS. I’m proud theychose me and even put me on their website

as it’s valuable publicity with this being myfinal year.”

See other great student work at therenowned New Designers show at TheBusiness Design Centre in Islington, London16th -19th July 2009

www.ocvc.ac.uk/rycotewood-furniture-centrefor more information on courses

Coffee table chic


In the competitive world of high streetfashion retailing Oxford & Cherwell ValleyCollege student Crystal Padmorecor, aged 18,from Witney has already got designs on theHigh Street, literally!

A scheme created by fashion course teacherMaria Skoyles, together with accessorybuyers at TOPSHOP, encourages students tothink about ethical concerns in fashionproduction and Crystal’s winning design fittedthe Fairtrade bill. It was launched atTOPSHOP’s flagship store in Oxford Circus andlater sold at OXFAM in Broad Street and StMichael’s Fairtrade shop in Cornmarket.

Meanwhile Crystal has successfully finishedher BTech National Diploma in Fashion andhas embarked on a BA in Fashion at LeedsCollege of Art & Design.

For further information on Fashion @ OCVCcontact [email protected]

Bagging high praise


Students raise cash

Unhappily, child abuse is a hot topic neverlong off the pages of the national press. It’salso the type of injustice which young peoplefeel pretty strongly about and it won the voteas the most deserving charitable cause whenOxford & Cherwell Valley College hair andbeauty students organised a fundraiserrecently.

Designed to fulfil part of the Key SkillsWorking With Others programme, the teamorganised an energetic sponsored event. Apercentage of every hairdo and the proceedsof enthusiastic fundraising activities includingcake selling, guessing the name of the owl,tombola, raffle and, the biggest challenge ofthe lot, a sponsored silence, were totted up

and donated to the world famous children’scharity. Curriculum Manager Carole Nyssenenthused “The girls have shown great flareand determination, liaising with localbusinesses and drumming up support. It’salso a highly imaginative and commendableway of achieving a useful qualification.”

A delighted NSPCC representative RebeccaSteel visited the college and received acheque for £223.09, commenting “Thismoney will go towards our new nationwideinitiative ‘The Child’s Voice’, a campaign toraise 50 million pounds to develop our vitallyimportant free and confidential helplines overthe next three years.”

OCVC students raise cash for NSPCC


Nowwe’re motoring ..

OCVC student Vikki Glen is one of just elevennew apprentices from over 500 applicants tobe taken on by the Banbury based worldclass motorsport specialist, Prodrive. And thefirst female.

Leaving Didcot Girls School with three ASlevels, Vikki has embarked on a three yearadvanced apprenticeship in motorsport atOxford & Cherwell Valley College’s newPerformance Engineering Centre at Bicester.

Meanwhile, at the Shanghai Grand Prix, threeformer OCVC apprentices from Red BullRacing, Honda Williams and Force India paidtribute to our college lecturer andMotorsports Development Manager, EversPearce, who died tragically and unexpectedlyin September. It was their way of thanking adedicated and inspirational teacher.

www.ocvc.ac.uk/content/about-engineering

The street comesto campus

Passionate about dance since studying aNational Diploma in Performing Arts here, hisenergy is spinning into the community andbeyond. Teaching evening classes at the OCVCOxford campus, running dance workshops incommunity centres and breakdancing all overwith his troupe the Flaw‘R tists, Marcus isalso known by his B Boy name Mile High,earned we were relieved to hear for his highjumping ability!

But not to fear if you don’t know your babyfreezes from your battle rocks, there areplenty of other courses to pursue in mediaand performing arts.

Step up ..


Body popping, Capoeira, air flairs, windmills,if you know what we’re talking about you’reprobably one of the following: young, hip,interested in street culture, a student ofMusic and the Performing Arts, or all of theabove. Marcus Maurice, one of our exstudents is just such a man.

A Formula Onetreatwas the reward for three OCVC youngplumbers. Looking pretty chirpy in front ofsome Lewis Hamilton gear are Steve Kilby(21), Dean Wasilewski (20) and JamesCapewell (18) together with their Assessorand Trainer Brian Jones, who organised thetrip to Silverstone’s Formula One Testing Dayin June 2008, to congratulate the guys forcompleting their full framework three monthsahead of target.

Accompanied by Andrew Appleby,Programme Manager of Plumbing & Gas,Brian and the lads mingled with ex-racers,rubber-necked in the VIP Club House andwatched all the hurly burly of the tracksiderace build up.

But the greatest success story is the PlumbingDepartment itself. This year the Level 2Students qualified with 92% TimelyApprenticeship Framework achievement – astonking result which students and teachersin partnership have worked really hard toreach. The standards set are high, the team isdetermined to maintain them and, notsurprisingly, the lads are fired up to push forsuccess in the final leg of their training.

Plumbers racing ahead


‘A’ grade successfor legal eaglesOCVC A Level law students achieved trulyexcellent results this year, outperforming thenation’s average attainment by a whoppingmargin. With eight out of ten scoring an ‘A’grade, this is an 80% success rate, comparedwith a national average of just 13%!

In recognition, a special awards ceremonywas held at the Banbury campus of Oxfordand Cherwell Valley College to celebrate. Theevent was sponsored by Brethertons LLP

Solicitors and the awards were presented byDiana Bagnell, Chair of North OxonMagistrates Court.

Shaun Jardine, Partner and Head ofCommercial Litigation at Brethertons, one ofthe region’s fastest growing practices, said“We have recruited several former OCVC lawstudents in recent years and were delightedto be asked to support the college and itsLaw department. It ensures that we maintainan excellent pool of local talent which in turnwill benefit the community. The standard thestudents achieved was commendable”.

Legal eagles


We’re alwayshappy to hear ofthose who stepstraight fromcollege into theworkforce, whichis exactly whatICT studentAndrew Toveydid.

Straight into work


When recruiting for a Junior SupportEngineer, David Dack, the Managing Directorof Banbury based Software Consultancy,Zafire, took the inspired initiative to contactOCVC. And, given that Zafire is an expert indeveloping IT solutions to manage thedelivery of time-critical services in theaviation and business sectors, Andrew nowhas daily contact with a variety of clientsincluding all the major airports in Australiaand the National Repair Centre of Vodafone.

So whilst about 60% of students who’vestudied Diplomas in ICT here at OCVC go onto University, Andrew has demonstratedthat, with expert guidance from his tutors JillCarr and Dion Van Overdijk and the help ofan enterprising employer, nothing stoppedhim from launching his career. In fact wehear that an early salary increase hasalready been secured in recognition of goodwork and he has agreed to participate in acollege programme that promotes thebenefits and rewards of conscientious studyto current students.

In a brilliantly appropriate way, students fromHealth, Social, Childcare and Counsellingplanned and executed a lively fundraiser forNovember’s BBC Children in Need. Dressedin the most eye-catching assortment ofcostume and makeup, the girls went on afriendly rampage from the Oxford campus toTemple Cowley shopping centre and back,with their specially decorated collectionbuckets and persuaded the great Britishpublic to part with £276.03.

They even cajoled BBC Radio Oxford and BBCOxford television news to cover theiractivities, an overall effort which Child Careand Education Course leader Denise Warnockdescribed as “terrifically apt and determinedand a fine example to the rest of thecollege”.


Pudsey pounds


The price of ‘bling’

Can jewellery be designed and madeethically? We’re all slowly having ourconscience pricked with increasing awarenessof issues such as so-called ‘blood diamonds’,where the desperate plight of mineworkers ispitted against the celebrity status of megabucks ‘bling’.

Which is exactly the kind of issue challengedby the Ethical Jewellery Design competition,organised by NiceFuture, a non-profitorganisation promoting sustainability andTransparence S.A. a network of jewellerydesigners and retailers producing jewelleryfrom ethically mined minerals and metals.Former OCVC student and artist jewellerytechnician Tamsin Leighton-Boyce was

selected as one of just eleven designers fromacross Europe to compete in the recent finalsin Geneva.

Her winning piece was a brooch made from‘clean gold’, mined without the use of toxicchemicals like mercury, cyanide and arsenic.

Now studying for her Masters in Jewellery,Silversmithing and Related Products atBirmingham City University, Tamsin reasoned“If destroying the environment and humanlife is a by-product of jewellery, then surelywe have to reconsider our working practice.”


How old do youhave to be tostart at Oxfordand CherwellValley College?

Well these enthusiastic Hospitality & Cateringstudents joined in 2006 on the 14-16 StudentVocational Provision programme and are nowfull time students, embarked on their trainingas professional chefs!

Joining us from Year 10, with understandablylimited catering skills, they came to collegefor just one day a week over two years.Given sound basic training, the studentsparticularly enjoyed the really practicalchallenges, including organising coffeemornings for school teachers and collegestaff and preparing and serving a threecourse meal for their parents and carers. It’sevents like these which have inspired themto train for a career in the industry.

Starting young

When former OCVC student and current OCVCteacher Chris Gould successfully completed hisCertEd to become a teacher in 2008, itsignalled an extraordinary achievement, asChris is profoundly deaf.

He won’t thank REACH magazine fortrumpeting this, being extremely modest, butwe discovered that from the eight of his deafcolleagues who embarked on the trainingacross the UK, Chris was the only one tocomplete and pass!

Less than a year later the first crop of his ownstudents have passed their British SignLanguage exams with 100% pass rate.Pictured here with Tina Huyghe, ProgrammeManager for Part Time Adult Learning, thestudents received their certificates at Helen &Douglas House, where they will use theirnew skills to help deaf people spending timethere.

We think this is a fitting tribute to Chrishimself and the team at our college AssistiveResources Centre, or ARC, who help scores ofstudents with special training requirements.

www.ocvc.ac.uk/oxford-access-centre-arc

Signing success



OCVC students on the New Directions Coursehave been improving their English skills in aproject of particular local interest. This yearBanbury has celebrated the 400thanniversary of its Banbury Charter, awardedto the town by King James 1 and granting anumber of rights. Since 1608 entitlementsenshrined in law, thanks to the charter, havebeen varied and practical, from the postingof a Mayor to the provision of a gaol andgallows for hanging unruly citizens!

After researching its history, which included atrip to Banbury Museum, the group decidedto update the Charter to reflect some morecurrent and personal concerns. Unlike someof the original edicts which included the“power to punish all drunkards and others ofimmoderate behaviour” the suggestions ofour students were generally more mercifuland ranged from the creation of a newhospital to “free ice cream for everybody”.

If I were mayor

We’re so proud that OCVC has no less thanthree construction students who have battledtheir way through the renowned ‘Skill Build’heats towards the nationwide finals. It’s aboast but no other college in the UK hasachieved this!

Designed to showcase excellence invocational training, the competition, formerlyknown as the ‘Skills Olympics’ has itsinternational final in Calgary, Canada inSummer 2009.

And this is not just a bit of trowelling andwoodworking! Joinery students, AdamBushnell, 18, and Beau Hewlett, 20, togetherwith bricklaying student, Tom Coppock, 21,have displayed exceptional levels of skill,commitment, planning and the potential toachieve world class standards, whilstcompeting with hundreds of students acrossthe UK.

As we go to press Adam, Beau and Tom,pictured here with delighted principal SallyDicketts, are immersed in the final weeks oftraining, one of which is hosted at ourBlackbird Leys campus. The tasks are gettingharder and the temperature’s rising. By midJune we’ll know if anyone’s got a ticket toCalgary and we all have our fingers crossedsince this is quite an achievement, neatlysummed up by Barrie Roe MBE of World Skills“These young men are the future DavidBeckhams of the building world!”.

Contact Steve [email protected]

www.skillbuild.org

www.worldskills.org

Skillbuilding towards

calgary



Student poetry

Lost the FightI’ve lost trying to put

Things rightI’ve lost the war

And fightNow it’s just meTrying to surviveDon’t matter how

Hard I tryI got to try and earnMy stripes it won’tBe giving to you on

A plateYou can have good days

Or bad daysLocked in the systemLost in the mazeYou can have life

Full of hope and dismaySo I look to the sky

And just prayThat I would getFound don’t matterWhat I do I will be

Placed back in my hometownSo I think is it worth itLiving my life perfect

Living my life with no mistakesCause in life there’s always

Risks to takeMake the right choiceCause you could end up

Dead in the ditchWe all want toBe famous we allWant to be rich

Don’t matter whatWhat way the penny flips

Just don’t let yourLifeline slip

It’s your chance don’t letIt fall like aAvalanche

Think before youTake the knife to the dance

Cause next thinkYour be locked behind

Bars

By MC Yungstar

Knife Crime PoemWell I’m a rapper from Bicester known as MCYUNGSTAR Aka Danny Morrell I’m currently incollege studying performing arts first diploma Inthe future I would like to get into the musicindustry as a rapper. I’ve performed locally i.e.The big umbrella, been on local radio BBC Oxfordand at the Oxford Playhouse. I’ve also donesome work with the Thames Valley Police tofight against knife crime and keep knives off ourstreets in our society today. This is lyrics I wrotewhilst looking out the window on the bus tocollege. it’s called Lost the fight.

And more

Twilight LoveHe walks away

She watches him go

Once they danced

In heavenly snow

Dreams or reality

All is illusion

To stop all this pain

To end his confusion

Snow falls in her heart

She sleeps soft and sound

All thoughts fading now

On cold unloving ground

He looks behind to see

The boy fallen in tears

Running towards him

Realizing his true fears

Seeing her heart torn away

He begins to see

What she always felt for him

Wanting to be free

Now their souls shine away

All throughout the bitter night

She can finally feel

Never ending love in twilight

By Byllie Spencer



Tomorrow’schefs today

Fresh, delicious, innovative,affordable food!

Everyone welcomeBooking essential

Lunches every day during Term andDinner Thursday evenings @ Oxford &Cherwell Valley College

Waterside Restaurant Oxford

01865 551549

Cherwell Restaurant Banbury

01865 551651

Teens train tots

Bringing on footiejuniorsBecoming volunteer coaches at Oxford’syouth football club, the Summertown Stars, isproving to be an on and off pitch winner forOCVC students. “Teaming up with the FootballAssociation and local clubs is the best way togrow practical skills” says Des Buckingham,head of our college Football Development

Centre. “By coaching this four day soccercourse for 7 to 11 year old boys and girls inthe half term, they’re powering their waythrough coaching modules and hugelyimproving their chances of a career in thegame.”



Students’unionWhat does theStudents’ Unionoffer?OCVC has a brilliant Students’ Union, overseenby Students’ Union Liaison Officers, QueenieGoudie in Banbury and Bicester and AaronBlessing in Oxford and Blackbird Leys.

Not just a friendly place to hang out, wedevelop strong links between students andstaff. The officers act as a referral point.

We help you. Come to us for support,guidance and confidential and impartialadvice. We understand how important it is tohave someone to talk to, someone your ownage, experiencing real life as a student.

We’re pretty sociable too, with a diary ofevents, clubs and parties. Contact us anytime and come and join us!

Contact:

Aaron C. Blessing on [email protected] orQueenie Goudie on [email protected]

Officer role Oxford campus Banbury campus

President Cara Bennett Ruth Wilson

Vice President Kim Robinson Siobhan Anderson

Club & Societies Andrew Taylor Doyle Ben Stacey

Secretary Stephanie Punter Pasqualina Marcucci

Support Curt Pacson Bexy Raven

Welfare Lewis Cadey Alice Taylor

Entertainment Danielle Howard Rhys Roberts & Ed Smith

International Kawasuraz Zaman Charlotte Stacey

Communications Gareth Smith Harry Davies

Faith vacant Stephen Simmons


Don’t do cooking? This cracking crumble is simplicity itself. Try it!

Serves 4

FILLING

Cooking Bramley Apples 2 peeled, cored and roughly diced

Demerara sugar 50g

Ground cinnamon a few pinches

Whole cloves 1

Lemon ¼ zest only

Sultanas 40g washed

TOPPING

Plain flour 125g

Castor sugar 80g

Butter 80g

Demerara sugar for topping 1 tablespoon

1. Place all the filling ingredients into a pie dish, mix well and press it flat and evenly intothe bottom of the pie dish

2. Combine the topping ingredients in a ceramic bowl and rub together with the fingers asif making pastry

3. Continue rubbing in beyond the `breadcrumb` stage, until small round balls of pastestart to form

4. Sprinkle the topping evenly onto the filling, taking care not to press the topping down

5. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar for extra crunchiness

6. Bake in a moderate oven 180°C for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and crisp ontop

7. Serve with cream, ice cream or custard

Any fruit crumble can be made like this. Go wild with fruits and spices!

OCVCApple Crumble

Documents

Reach Spring/Summer 2009