St Mary’s CollegeNEWS Issue 19

January 2016

Mathematical ChallengeThe United Kingdom Senior Mathematics Challenge is a prestigious, national competition aimed at all 16-19 year olds, studying mathematics. It involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in college under examination conditions. Forty two of our keen mathematicians participated in the competition in November 2015 and have just received their certificates.The top 60% of students nationally receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze Award. Each institution also receives three additional awards: Best in College, Best in Yr12 and Best in Yr13 Certificate. Students who do not qualify for these awards are presented with a Certificate of Participation.

Congratulations to our 3 Silver award winners, Curtis Chesterton, Yahya Hussain and Yoosuf Patel. Curtis Chesterton, currently studying A2 Mathematics, is now a Silver Award holder having previously achieved the Bronze Award in November 14. Curtis was also the top performer in his year group and was awarded the Best in Yr13 Award.Yahya Hussain, currently studying AS Mathematics, not only scooped a Silver Award but also picked up the Best in Yr12 Award for being the top scorer in his year and the Best in College Award for being the top scorer in the College.Congratulations also to our nineteen students who gained Bronze awards, they are: Mohammad Abdullah, Muhammed Ali, Iby Bahadur, Thomas Boys, Thomas Brookes, Hania Buttar, Harry Davies, Zoe Hargreaves, Rachel Hulme, Charlotte Keigher, Samuel Kirk, Ted Mott, Khizra Nasar, Ella Ragen, Joseph Rebello, Aasiyah Rokad, Sara Sheikh, Sufyaan Suleman, Ubaid Ugradar.Mr Ibrahim, Head of Mathematics Department, commented, “I am pleased with the number of students that expressed an interest to participate in this notoriously challenging national competition this year. Over 50% of our students achieved a Bronze or Silver Award and this is testament to our students who prepared for this challenge alongside their AS/A2 Mathematics course. Well done to everyone who participated.”

Another busy month at the College starting with examinations the first week back for all students.

Full term dates are available on the College website: www.stmarysblackburn.ac.ukwww.facebook.com/stmarysblackburn www.twitter.com/smcblackburn www.youtube.com/stmarysblackburnuk

Friday 12 Feburary 2016 - College closes for half term breakMonday 22 Feburary 2016 - Study Day for all students, Staff INSET trainingWednesday 2 March 2016 - Admissions InterviewsWednesday 23 March 2016 - College closes for all students, Easter breakMonday 11 April 2016 - College re-opens for all students

BE CONNECTED Dates for your diary

Admissions EveningOur second Admissions Interview evening took place on 20th January. Another really busy evening and it was lovely once again to meet more of our potential students. We have one final evening which takes place on Wednesday 2nd March.

Hair RaisingPhysics A Level students learn about electric charge and potential (voltage) every year. We always do a number of dramatic demonstrations which includes the expected ‘hair-raising experience’. A Van de Graaff generator charges a large metal dome up to a voltage of 5000 V and more. A student standing on an insulated base acquires this voltage and with positive charge hairs on the head repel each other strongly and stand up on end.

Graduation DaysSt Mary’s College has worked in partnership with Liverpool Hope University for over 15 years offering evening degree courses to adult learners across East Lancashire. Many of its graduates progress on to post-graduate study as they look to further their careers in their chosen field.On Tuesday, 26 January 2016 Liverpool Hope University’s Winter Graduation took place. The event saw five St Mary’s adult degree students officially awarded their Honours Degrees at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in addition to the 33 final year degree students who attended the same Cathedral for their graduation in July 2015.St Mary’s is proud to note that adult students who studied full-time in the evenings at the College over a three year period, achieved excellent results with 85% gaining a 2:2 or above with nine students being awarded a First Class Honours Degree. The College celebrated again during the summer at Preston’s Guild Hall, when 23 of its daytime Foundation Degree students graduated following their Health and Social Care courses which are awarded and validated by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). A number of those students have successfully gained places to continue their studies in Nursing, Occupational Therapy and also to top-up to a full degree.The achievements of our degree students are made even more exceptional as the majority have combined their studies with work and family commitments. We wish all of our graduates good luck and a successful future!

Tennis Ace CharlieCongratulations to St Mary’s College student Charlie Hutchings who has successfully made it through to the Tennis National Championships.Charlie, 18, from Blackburn, participated in the British Colleges Tennis Tournament in December of last year and battled against 15 other competitors to win the whole competition. Next he will be pitted against players from across the UK in the National Championships, which are to be held in Newcastle in April.Charlie started playing tennis when he was 6 years old, mainly due to the fact that his father was a tennis coach. Due to his determination and tough training regime he quickly made it up the rankings in the under 16 category and was often placed within the Top 20 in Great Britain. He was the Lancashire County Champion in both the Singles and Doubles.Charlie was also awarded the Donald Race & Newton Sports Award at our annual Prize Night due to his sporting achievements. The prize was a monetary donation to help fund his travel expenses while competing, coaching fees and new kit.Sports teacher Ms Reynolds said on his achievement, “Charlie battled well throughout the stages of the competition. The final was a thriller with Charlie dominating the match, demonstrating some fantastic tennis. All of us at SMC congratulate Charlie’s amazing achievement”.photo courtesy of Lancashire Telegraph

Monetary Policy MastersA team of four A Level Economics students from St Mary’s College have come second in the regional heats of a prestigious competition organised by the Bank of England. The team comprising of; Shouab Alli, Thomas Boys, Zakee Mehta and Adam Sheriwala gave a 15 minute presentation about the current economic situation and the implications for monetary policy, before answering a series of searching questions from two North West Bank of England Agents.The team from St Mary’s beat off competition from Cardinal Newman College, Great Sankey High School, Holy Cross College, Kirkham Grammar School and Rossall School.Captain of the St Mary’s team Tom Boys said, “It was a great experience to apply economic theory in a real life application. We learnt about monetary policy outside of the textbook theory and developed our own presentation and independent study skills”.The North West Regional Agent for the Bank of England, John Young said, “All the teams showed a real understanding of economics and monetary policy and were particularly well informed on what is happening in the UK and world economies”.

WITAS Theatre students went to see the Pulitzer Prize winning play “Wit” starring Coronation Street legend Julie Hesmondhalgh at The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Director Raz Shaw said, “Wit, the Royal Exchange and Julie Hesmondhalgh have one thing in common, a huge and palpable heart. The unique and thrilling immediacy of the theatre is a perfect match for Margaret Edson’s beautiful story of grace and transformation. Throw Julie into the mix and you have a magical theatrical triumvirate. I am thrilled to be at its helm.”

The students will write about this outstanding performance in their examination in June.

Salford Diocese Holy DoorPope Francis has announced that from December 8th, 2015 until November, 2016, a special ‘Year of Mercy’ will be celebrated throughout the Catholic Church. This is a call to all people of good will to come together and to show mercy to one another. In the Salford Diocese, Bishop John Arnold has blessed a portable “Door of Mercy” and this door is visiting each school and college starting in January 2016.The Holy Door arrived at St Mary’s College on Monday 1 February. Pupils and staff from St Albans Primary School presented the door to Frank Dixon, Principal, Christine Macauley, Chaplain, Steve D’Arcy, Head of Religious Education, and to college students in a ceremony in the College’s chapel.Frank Dixon commented “We are truly blessed and honoured to host the Holy Door on its journey throughout the Diocese. Its arrival has given staff and students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Mercy and to further highlight the importance of treating all people with the respect and dignity that each person deserves”.The door will then be presented to the staff and students of St Joseph’s Primary School in Darwen on Tuesday 2 February 2016.Once the “Door of Mercy” has visited each school and college in the Diocese of Salford, the Year of Mercy will be brought to an end with a large gathering and celebration in the Macron Stadium, Bolton, on 25th November, 2016.

Alumni LinksOur growing Alumni network is enabling us to invite former members of the College community to return to deliver inspirational talks to our current students. Most recently the College welcomed back former student, Tony Boobier who is now the IBM European Industry Leader for Insurance. Tony delivered an interesting and informative talk to students about the Big Data Revolution and the role Mathematics plays in probability and predictive data. Tony explained the impact this will have in terms of career pathways and everyday life from health informatics to finance. Mr Altaf Ibrahim, Head of Mathematics commented, “St. Mary’s College was delighted to welcome Mr Boobier who delivered an inspirational talk on his journey from being a student at the College to becoming a Worldwide Executive with IBM. Mr Boobier explored career opportunities in Analytics and Data Science and explained the important role of Mathematics in this area of work”.

Above; Yahya Hussain, Silver Award and Best in Yr12 Award Below; Curtis Chesterton, Silver Award and Best in Yr13 Award.

Religious Studies ConferenceReligious Studies students attended a Sixth Form Conference hosted by the Religion, Culture and Society Department at UCLAN on Wednesday 3rd February. They had a taste of university life and attended lectures delivered by experts in their respective fields. The first lecture dealt with the possible ethical dilemmas proposed by the latest developments in technology and how they challenge our concept of what it means to be human. Dr Carl Morris’s lecture on ‘Religion and our Post-human future: Cybernetics, Genetics and Artificial Intelligence’ made us all think and really question the impact of technology on our understanding of who we are. Dr Mahmood Chandia took us through the issues of the end of life and the issues raised by an increasingly secular society negotiating the moral needs of faith communities. A discussion was led by a postgraduate student of the university. All the students found the day engaging and it gave them a real insight into higher education.

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For further information please contact The University Centre on 01254 580464 or text SMCHE to 88020St Mary’s College, Shear Brow, Blackburn, BB1 8DX www.stmarysblackburn.ac.uk

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