On Tuesday morning this week, Year 8 had a guest at their morning assembly. Mrs. Sue Hunt came to receive a cheque for £100 on behalf of the NSPCC.

A group of Year 8 girls had seen an advert on TV for raising money for the NSPCC. After contacting the NSPCC, they decided to raise money by having a 'bring-and-buy' sale.

They organised this over four lunchtimes and raised £75.50p. The charity committee at the school donated the rest to make it up to £100.

Mrs. Hunt was delighted to receive the donation on behalf of the NSPCC and thanked the girls from Year 8. She also gave them badges and certificates from the NSPCC.

The girls who organised the sale were Jessica Ryder, Lucy May, Leila May, Amy Wood, Dionne Steward and Emma James. Well done - it was a lovely gesture.

Ty Hafan Hospice for Sick Children

As a result of students' generosity and ingenuity in raising money for charity, a cheque for £500 was presented recently to Mr. Philip Thomas for the Ty Hafan Hospice in Cardiff.

Congratulations to everyone who helped to raise such a magnificent sum.

Rotary Club Young Chef Competition

Congratulations to Luke Copley, of Year 10, who finished a very close runner-up in this competition held on St. Patrick's Day.

Luke and his assistant, Adam Wilson, together with Mrs. Thorpe, Miss Palmer and Miss Pike, travelled to Pembroke School for the final of the competition and presented the judges with a fantastic mouth-watering three-course meal fit for royalty.

The menu was crab, orange and avocado salad, followed by devilled pork tenderloin served with a ruby port sauce with potato and leek gratin and toasted almond layer, and strawberries and cream for dessert -yum, yum, yum!

Rugby tour of Southern Ireland

Fifty-five Year 8 and 9 boys enjoyed an action-packed weekend in Waterford recently. They sailed from Fishguard on Thursday, March 4.

On the Friday, three teams played Kilkenney College. The results were as follows: Year 8 A team lost 18-5; Year 9 A team lost 45-20 and the B team, made up of Year 8 and 9 boys, lost 28-17.

That afternoon, the boys visited an activity centre.

On the Saturday, they all went to a water park in the morning and watched the rugby international in the afternoon, followed by a trip to the cinema.

They travelled back on Sunday, March 7, exhausted, but very happy - a good time was had by all.

Diary Dates

Thursday, April 1: Easter Concert in conjunction with the De Valence Trust, 7.30 pm, De Valence. Tickets £5 (£4 concession) from the Music Department.

Friday, April 2: School breaks up (at normal time) for Easter holiday.

Monday, April 19: Summer term begins.

Science in

Health - Live

Bright and early last Friday morning, 15 immaculately behaved pupils and two members of staff from Greenhill School, Tenby, boarded the school minibus for a visit to the University of Wales College of Medicine in Cardiff. The occasion was an open day entitled 'science in health - live,' during which pupils interested in medical careers were treated to lectures, exhibits and a tour.

The first of these was a presentation by a research scientist mainly concerning a method developed by him for objectively measuring the speed at which subjects respond to a shifting light with his or her eye movements.

Such a measurement could be used to gauge the efficacy of drugs in treating ailments without producing unwelcome side effects such as drowsiness.

The test has also been used by the armed forces to determine how reaction times are affected by marijuana, with the conclusion being drawn that reaction time is not impeded by the drug, though judgement undoubtedly is.

Next came the biology of cell death with images resembling the implosion of a supernova as a diseased cell collapsed in a split second.

This was contrasted with the gradual packaging up and splitting apart of a healthy cell and the unregulated growth of cancer cells.

A scurry along the corridors of the teaching hospital then led to witnessing a whole host of medical personnel re-enacting a case study focusing on a lung cancer patient.

Nurses, doctors, radiologists, occupational and physiotherapists, an oncologist, and even a dentist, were involved in the treatment of the penitent patient who ended the performance sincerely regretting his many years of cigarette smoking.

Oscar winning performances, it was difficult to decide between the professional medical staff and the professional actors, unless perhaps the latter were a little too convincing.

An in-depth look at the study of leukaemia and the alterations in both DNA and RNA that give rise to this cancer of the blood came next.

Fascinating images were included of individual cells following chemical signals in their search of the best habitat in which to stop and "have babies," as the presenter said. Our cells behaving as microscopic versions of ourselves.

Finally, a sobering talk about HIV and AIDS. Effective drugs have been developed to inhibit the development of the virus, but the impact of taking these irregularly on the evolution of new and dangerous drug resistant strains of the virus were clearly shown.

No school trip would be complete without a spot of shopping, a posh coffee and an opportunity for hungry teenagers to fill their abdominal fuel tanks. In this way, with a stop at McArthur Glen, a very pleasant day was concluded.

All that remains is for the two teachers to hand in their notice and sign up for medical school next year.

POSITIVE

BEHAVIOUR

First certificates this week to: Laura Marquiss 7RH; Bethan Emlyn 8CW; John Mathias 8JCT; Laura Baker 7TET; Robyn Macbeth 7RBH; Joshua Taylor 7RBH.

Second certificates: Megan Lear 7RBH; Catrin Roberts 7JDM; Harriet Rees 7NJD; Sophie Batten 7JDM; Lily Cowley 7RBH; James Criddle 8CW; Claudette Pouton 7RH; David Griffiths 8CW; Laura Marquiss 7RH; Robbie Godwin 8CW; Victoria Brace 8CW; Leon Borrill 7SJE; Holly Thomas 7SAR; Joseph Kidney 8AMFD; Robyn Macbeth 7RBH; Joshua Taylor 7RBH.

Third certificates: Mark Davies 7LJR; Ashleen McDaid 7LJR; Mathew Smith 7TET; Carl Lewis 7NJD; Lily Cowley 7RBH; Luke Broadley 7NJD; Jasmine Barton 7TET; James Criddle 8CW; Danny Hinde 7TET; Sam Hinde 7TET; Claudette Pouton 7RH; Laura Marquiss 7RH; Robyn Macbeth 7RBH; Joshua Taylor 7RBH.

Fourth certificates: Mark Davies 7LJR; Emma-Jane Willcox 7LJR; Ann Doble 7LJR; Emily Jenkins 7NJD; Zoe James 7NJD; Mathew Dick 7NJD; Natalie Morgan 7NJD; Sophie Batten 7JDM; Laura Marquiss 7RH; Robyn Macbeth 7RBH.

Bronze: Ethan Law 7LJR; Shaylynn Griffiths 7NJD; Megan Brace 7NJD; Carly Hollins 7NJD; Carla Williams 7NJD; Sarah Birt 7RBH; Natalie Morgan 7NJD; Kane Thomas 7TET; Karl Baugh 7JDM; Heather Whittaker 7SJE; Tom Davies 7TET; Holly Thomas 7SAR.

Silver: Ethan Law 7LJR; Lucy Morris 7LJR; Rochelle Nickson 7SJE; Sarah Birt 7RBH; Jack Freeman 7NJD; Laura Marquiss 7RH.

And the first gold certificate to Rochelle Nickson in Year 7 - congratulations.