PARACHUTE JUMP
FOR CHARITY
It's strange the things people do for charity. Some do sponsored walks, some give money, others, like me, fall out of a perfectly good plane from 10,000 feet (writes Ben Craig, of Year 12).
On Saturday, July 14, I sacrificed watching the British Grand Prix in order to fall out of a plane for the Meningitis Trust. Pembrey Airfield was to be the scene for the day. Myself, fellow jumper Wayne Ormonde and an entourage of supporters arrived at 11 o'clock in the morning. Whilst we went to sort out preliminary details, the supporters went and dealt with a far more important matter: tea and coffee.
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After signing various forms with big words and declarations of health, we attended a briefing with one of the instructors. Here we went through such things as jump position, exiting the plane and any questions were answered. It was then time to get kitted up.
With only a few jump-suits left, I was lumbered with a small one. It was one which I had difficulty getting in to, but thankfully, someone managed to find me a bigger one, which I could actually move in!
After viewing the aircraft, it was a case of waiting for my turn and watching other jumpers. Eventually, after some dark clouds had passed, my instructor told me that the time had arrived. I walked across the tarmac to the Cessna, which was to transport us up to 10,000 feet. I received a final exit briefing and climbed in.
It took about 15 minutes to reach 10,000 feet and in those minutes, I was able to confirm my thoughts that even with three seats removed and everyone bar the pilot on the floor, five people in to a normal four-seater aircraft is not easy. Or particularly comfortable.
We reached 10,000 feet and my instructor opened the door. The temperature dropped. A solo jumper left the aircraft. The camera girl left the aircraft. Unless the pilot was going to leave, it was me next. He didn't; I did. Surprisingly, I left the aircraft in the correct way, and remember thinking "Correct Jump Position, Correct Jump Position!"
Thankfully, mine was correct, and I was able to enjoy, albeit briefly, the 5,000 feet freefall in approximately seven seconds as well as waving to the camera. After freefalling for 5,000 feet, my instructor opened the parachute, and after a short while he handed me the controls! Funny, couldn't remember that in the briefing. I was now being told how to steer the parachute at around 4,000 feet above the ground. The instructor re-took control, and brought us in for a very smooth landing.
I would have to describe this as possibly one of the most amazing things I have ever done. I was grinning like a maniac on the way down, and didn't stop for a while afterwards. If anyone reading this gets the opportunity to do a jump, make sure you take up the opportunity.
I'd like to thank Blueberry's Restaurant in Tenby, The Swan Inn at Jameston, Penally's The New Overlander Inn, Ysgol Greenhill School and http://www.doubleonothing.com">www.doubleonothing.com for their support and everyone who donated money to the cause. Thank you !
CREATIVE ARTS
Supporters of Greenhill Orchestra reflect upon a busy year: they have held five meetings which have been attended by the same few people dedicated to raising funds and generally helping the music staff. At the beginning of the last year, sponsors were sought and 18 pledged money. In January the Orchestra recorded a CD, which has proved extremely popular, and sold to raise funds for the Chamber Orchestra's recent visit to San Francisco. Supporters fronted house and ran raffles for the Christmas and Easter concerts, a concert in February when the Orchestra and County Jazz Band teamed up, plus a three-night stint for the school production of Oklahoma and recently a joint concert with Tenby Male Voice Choir in the De Valence Pavilion. They have passed on financial gains to Mr. Rapi, both for the Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra.
SOGO wish to thank everyone who has helped their cause in any way and look forward to another successful year. New members are always very welcome and the first meeting of the new school year will be on Wednesday, September 5, at 7 pm in the Music Department. We look forward to seeing you there.
ULTIMATE SOCCER
Over the summer holidays, Summer Soccer Fun Days will be held at Ysgol Greenhill School for girls and boys aged between eight and 14 years. Fun soccer activities and mini tournaments will be organised for all abilities of football. Awards will be given for the player of the day and certificates will be presented for attendance.
The Soccer Fun Days will take placce on: August 6-8; August 24-25; August 30-31.
Coaching will begin at 10 am, and finish at 3 pm, and will be carried out by UEFA qualified coaches. The cost of the Fun Days will be £8 per day, but a reduction is offered if more than one day is booked.
To reserve your place, please contact Ultimate Soccer on 07974 962317, or write to: Ultimate Soccer, 5 Hampton Street, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 0RR. The closing date will be one week before the commencement of each course.
INFORMATION SKILLS
Over the past half-term, Year 7 students of PSE have been taking part in information skills lessons in the school library. The lessons have been designed to encourage the students to become confident users of the library, and to be able to look for information and story books for themselves. The students completed the programme by working in teams to present a project on their chosen topic, the research for which had to be carried out in the school library. The only absolute was that they had to provide the bibliographical information of the source of their information. To encourage the students, it was decided to print the best projects in the Newyddion Greenhill News.
Many projects were handed in, on a whole host of topics ranging from horses to horticulture, torture to typhoons ! Here are the best.
DRAWINGS THAT
WALK AND TALK
(by Natasha Sutton-Williams, Harriet Smith and
Sarah Davies)
Most people donít know that movies don't actually move. In one second of film there are 24 photographs, which when we run them through a projector appear to move. To make Bugs Bunny run around, an artist has to draw 24 pictures just to get one second of running! It's much easier to film a real person. So an artist has to draw at least 30 drawings a day to stay in their job. It takes four years to make a movie, two years to plan it and two years to animate it! It seems to me, that is too long to make a movie, but once they've made it (and it's good), everybody buys it and that's where they make their money!
In every house, there's at least one film like Snow White, Dumbo, Lion King, Bambi, Tarzan... I name it, you've got it!
Apart from having to do lots of work, you need to have good animators who can move things so it looks real, so you believe it's happening even if it's impossible. So, for instance, in Road Runner, Wily Coyote always falls off cliffs and survives, unlike us who would die instantly.
You can do anything in cartoons. One of the ways to make them appear real is to make the drawings look as though they have weight, so they don't just float around. Ally McBeal weighs nothing (like 90 pounds) and a sumo wrestler weighs at least 250 pounds! So you have to draw it to look right.
So making impossible things look real is what animation can do. They tell me it's hard, but not boring at all. They say it's a lot of fun if you're good at it because you can do anything and make it look real. At the end of the day, all animation is is drawings that walk and talk.
('Cartoons and Animation', edited by Matthew Parcelle, class number 741.5)
SNOWBOARDING
(by Edward Sutton
and Ben Scott)
Snowboarding is fast becoming a cult leisure activity in today's world. Everybody associates boarding with being cool, as many of today's boarders influence the younger generation, with their laid-back attitudes and awesome tricks. Snowboards started off with very basic designs, but as the sport has progressed the boards have become more complex in their designs and materials. Many 'labels' have erupted from this and have been selling ever since, giving boarders the chance to create their own unique image and sense of style. Boards have changed allowing snowboarders to go faster and develop new tricks impressing the many crowds that come to watch the various snowboarding events.
Safety: One of the most obvious and most vital things to think about before you start is your own health and safety. The first thing you should do before attaching the board to yourself is to make sure the boots you wear fit you and that the board is about your height, maybe a bit smaller. Once you have put on your board, make sure the bindings (these attach your boots to your board) are secure and will not come off. Before starting to go down the slope, make sure you have wrist pads, or something soft under your jacket (trust me, I found all these things out the hard way!), and that someone is watching you so if you do happen to injure yourself the person supervising can get help.
The Basics: The first thing you need to know about the basics is obviously how to brake for reasons you probably know: to avoid injury, to avoid anybody else getting hurt, and to ensure you have a good time. To do this, you must face towards the bottom of the slope. Then you must gently tilt your feet back so that the board digs into the ground causing you to stop slowly. You can also do this when facing up the hill, only you tilt your feet forwards, otherwise it's pretty much the same principle. As this is one of the most important things to learn you must master this before trying anything else (it's just as well it's quite easy to master). Then you must learn how to turn, which you do by looking in the general direction you want to go and then with any luck your board should turn the direction you are facing. This is the same as when you are facing up the hill.
These are the most important bits: now go and try it for yourselves!
('Snow-Boarding' by Lesley McKenna, class number 796.9).
THE LIBRARY
Finally, a project which was based on the school library itself, and had to be included. This is written by Zoe, Rachel, Emma, Jessica M. and Jessica R.
Greenhill School Library is run by the librarian Miss James, who sorts out all the books so that students find it easy to use the library. All books have a code in which they are arranged on the shelves: either Dewey number, or alphabetical for fiction books.
There are a whole range of books from fiction to non-fiction, history to geography. Reference books are not allowed to be borrowed from the library, but most other books are allowed to be issued to students. The maximum amount of books allowed to a student is two. The books have to be brought back to the library after two weeks or you have to pay a fine of a penny a day, which all adds up.
The upstairs of the library is used by the Sixth Formers to study or to research information.
There are also computers with access to the Internet and a photocopier, which costs 5p a sheet if you want to photocopy from a reference book.
We would like to say thank you to Miss James for such a great library.
Many more excellent projects will be on display in the library in the autumn term. Thank you to Mr. Alun Rees and Mr. Huw Thomas for their support of the library with this programme.
GOODBYE AND
GOOD LUCK
Mrs. Carwen Harry and Mrs. Margaret Hurle are both retiring this year. The school would like to thank them both for their invaluable contribution over the years, and wish them every happiness for their future.
Good luck also to Maureen Bennett who is leaving to take up the post of Head of Modern Languages at Milford Haven School; to Margaret Phillips who has been working in the Welsh Department this year and to two Special Needs assistants who are also leaving us. Georgina Ravenscroft is leaving to train to become a teacher and Leon Povey is leaving for Japan to spend a year teaching.
ATTENDANCE
The following students achieved 97 per cent or more attendance:
Year 7: Philip Lewis, Sophie Merriman, Robert Beynon, Adam Morgan, Matthew Bedford, Paul Dalling, Laura Evans, Rebecca Harries, Cheryl John, Georgina Tranter, James Dick, Daniel Griffiths, David Sanders, Jacqueline Sutton, Sarah Griffiths, Kayleigh Cavill, Jessica Roberts, Natasha Turton, Linzi Andrews, Rosie French, Robert Whitfield, James Day, Jade Evans, Dan Harries, Kirsty Keane, Jake Roberts, Rachel Sturdy, Sophia West, Emma Reynolds, Ieuan Rowell, Katie Thomas, Thomas Jones, Charlotte Ratcliffe, Danielle Bolas, Joe Diment, Edward Merriman, Robert Tuttle, Sam Webster-Smith, Joe Rodham, Bethan Rowe, Bobby Briers, Samuel Davies, Nicola Jackson, Ruth Blazey, William Pudsey, Robert Storer, Joseph Varallo, Tessa Colquhoun, Lloyd Ayris, Sophie Tran, James Powell, Emily Wilkins, Ashley Murdock, Oliver Powell, Colton Ree-Thomas, Tom Ferguson, Rebecca Gray, Stephen Rowe, Stephan Paxton, Natalie Lintern, Camilla Beck, Jade Brodie, Lauren Wright, Christian Nicholas, Russell Foley, Kathryn Morgan, Alexandra Powell, Louise Welch, Abigail McCringle, Nathan Proctor, Aran Torok, Louis Evans, Tomas Jones, Suzanne Lewis, Edward Sutton, Elizabeth Nicholas, Lauren Richie, Samantha Dowler, Sam Foster, Matthew Tebbutt, Rachel Theseira, Geraint Thomas,
Year 9: Sean Carreras, Thomas Dinan, Angharad Heard, Emma Jones, Matthew Merrison, Christopher Morgan, Ricky Rees-Thomas, Victoria Simms, Marcus Fielder, Sophie Evans, Nicholas Griffiths, David Hart, Christopher Hughes, David Jones, Deborah Nicholas, Daniel Rowe, Kelly Smith, Charles Upham, Beverley Ward, Ceri Worcester, Amy Reynolds, Carly Skyrme, Nicola Aston, Matthew Birch, Christopher Birkett, Issac Colquhoun, David Nicholas, Dean Reynolds, David Schooling, Kristian Lucas Morgan, Philip Ratcliffe, Matthew Bonnaud, Daniel Preston, Robert Price, Liam Robson, Christopher Webster-Smith.