Autumn 2017

St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College Coleg Catholig Chweched Dosbarth Dewi Sant

A RISE IN
A LEVEL
RESULTS
ONCE
AGAIN!
IN THIS ISSUE

AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS & CELEBRATIONS, BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIPS,

MODEL UN, COLLEGE TRIPS, ENTERPRISE UPDATES & MUCH MORE!
This publication is also available in Welsh
 As we progress further into our lives, whether that be
STUDENTS CELEBRATE AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS university, work, apprenticeships, or gap year, we will
remember how we got there. On behalf of all of us, thank
AS A LEVEL RESULTS RISE & CELEBRATIONS you St David’s for being supportive through social and
educational challenges, and helping us grow into young

ONCE AGAIN
On Thursday 7th September, approximately 300 students,
staff and family members filled St David’s Metropolitan
Building on the success of last year, St David’s Catholic Cathedral for our fourth annual Leavers’ Ceremony.
College has delivered yet another rise in A level results for
its students. The evening was a resounding success and highlighted the
achievements of the College’s 600 leavers during the 2016-
There was a 4% increase in A* to A grades, a 4% increase at 17 academic year. St David’s takes great pride in the role it
A* to B and 7% increase from A* to C. plays in developing and supporting its students. The strong
community feel which envelops the College was perhaps
best summed up by leaver Emily Farley’s Valedictory
A big congratulations to the three students have met their address:
Oxbridge offers: Bethan James, Christy Nganjim, and Anna
Wright. “I knew from my very first visit to the College, for a taster
day in the summer holidays of 2015, that this is where I was
In the College’s Honours Programme for gifted and talented meant to study. I was so enthralled by the enthusiasm each
students, an impressive 66% of students achieved an A* to A teacher brought to their lessons, mine being Psychology,
grade and 89% achieved A* to B. Geography and Drama, showing a clear passion for their
speciality which was immediately enticing, allowing me to
A Word from the Principal feel at home and welcomed.
adults who are mature, independent, and ready to face
the challenges that today, tomorrow, and the future may
bring.” (You can read Emily’s full speech on our website.)
The Leavers’ Ceremony was an evening of great joy as the
students celebrated their time at the College, but it was
also an opportunity to reflect and think of those who are
no longer with us. The College commemorated the life of
Alesha O’Connor who tragically passed away in 2015, by
presenting a scholarship in her memory.
The College gives scholarships each year to a selection
of new students based on their academic achievement or
their contribution to their community. These students were
invited to the Leavers’ Ceremony where they were awarded
their scholarships. Awards were also given to leavers who
demonstrated particularly outstanding studentship in individual
subjects and to those who made a significant contribution to
College life during the 2016-17 academic year.

We are really proud of the achievements of

all our students. We are confident that with
these results and the skills that they have developed
during their time at St David’s, our learners will be
prepared to face the challenges and opportunities
ahead.

This year’s success is just reward for the hard work

and dedication of the students, teaching staff and
support team at the College. COLLEGE AWARDS
Dom Bryon Award
As an over-subscribed college, we look forward Wiki Kowalska
to welcoming our next cohort of students in
September. We continue to work hard to maintain St David of Wales Award
the high level of achievement students of the Patrick Uriot
College have enjoyed. Stratford Caldecott Award
Claudia Perry
Mark Leighfield
Principal Georges Lemaître Award
Tiana Sivasuthan
Dante Alighieri Award
Anna Wright
St Thomas More Award
John Harrington
St John Paul II Award
Carys Allen
LEVEL 3 AWARDS
Amy Fogg - Physics
Bethany Crothers - Spanish
Caitlin Overton - Philosophy
Carys Allen - PE
Cerian Millin - Art and Design
Christy Nganjimi - Further Maths
2 ST DAVID’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE SPRING 2017 NEWSLETTER ST DAVID’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE SUMMER 2017 NEWSLETTER
Dencila Thomas - Religious Studies GCSE AWARDS
Eleanor Witcombe - Modern History
Emmanuel Ricalde - Physics BTEC Alex Dixon - H&SC
Emily Farley - Drama Amaral Carolino - IT
Emily Knowles - Early Modern History Anna Britton - Maths
Evan Moss - Music Eduarda Medelli-Cualhete - Maths
Eve Nentwig - Film Studies Jenny Kaur - Business
George Milburn - Welsh Marta Parreira - Media
Igbunu Oneyibo - Maths Michelle Wong - English
Joanne Hares - Biology Michelle Wong - Science
John Harrington - Politics Omaari Gibendi Ondondo - Maths
Kojo Asamoah-Kensa - French &
Maths SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Lauryn Dee - Law
Lavinia Thomas - Health & Social Care ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Lucy Ball - Literature Matthew Cusack
Megan Clyde - Geography Thomas Delve
Melita Jones - Media Amy Tilley
Nathan Eedy - Chemistry Annabel Foster
Niall Sheehan - Modern History Isabel Buckley
Oli Murison - Music Technology Christopher Lee
Ross Winter - Language & Literature Monika Behrendt
Rhian Casey - Applied Science
Sean Eedy - Economics CONTRIBUTION TO COMMUNITY
Sion Jones - Welsh Ginny Darke
Slawek Jankowski - Polish & Spanish  Daryl Johns
Tejan Sesay - Law Bruna Garcia
Tham Nyathi - Sport
Thomas Morley - Applied Science
Tom Coughlan - Early Modern History
Tom Kerslake - Biology
3
 STUDENTS RAISE £200
FOR LEUKAEMIA CARE
As part of blood cancer awareness month, Michelle Wong
and a team of her fellow students came together to raise
money for Leukaemia Care. We are very proud to announce
that they managed to raise £200. Here is Michelle’s account
of the events:
I decided to volunteer as a community fundraiser
for Leukaemia Care because I wanted to dedicate
some of my time to a worthwhile cause and help make a
difference. The main reason why I hold Leukaemia Care in
such high regard is due to the fact that it supports patients,
along with their family and carers, whose lives have been
greatly affected by Leukaemia, lymphoma and the allied
blood disorders. Volunteering with Leukaemia Care has
been enjoyable, as it welcomes anyone who is dedicated
and has a positive attitude to volunteer, and it is also very
flexible in the aspect that there are endless possibilities for
fundraising ideas that can be put into practice.
As September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted
to raise awareness and funds for leukaemia, and thus, I
organised the Leukaemia Awareness Week in our College.
But of course, I wouldn’t have been able to successfully
organise it if it wasn’t for the volunteers who helped out
with the events. So many thanks to Tyler, Sabina, Mollie,
Otilia, Nitzan, Amal, Samah, Coco, Elodie, Humayra,
Shahedah, Valeria, Nelusha, Alisha, Taylor, and Dina for your
contribution! I also wish to thank all of the students who
have donated their money in order to support the cause.
CAMBRIDGE HAS 100
LIBRARIES
AND OTHER THINGS WE LEARNED FROM DR.
PADLEY’S TALK
Thinking about university at the age of 14 sounds a bit
premature, but as we learned from Dr. Padley, choices
that students make in year 10 and 11 can affect their
options later on in life.
Dr. Padley kindly visited St David’s from Churchill College
in Cambridge in order to speak to our partner school
students about applying to Russell Group Universities.
He spoke about university life, gave advice on how to
choose your courses, and highlighted the importance of
achieving strong grades at GCSE.
Some things we learned about Cambridge
• You will be working alongside people who are at the
cutting edge of research and development, which
can be very exciting.
• You will have access to over 100 libraries!
• Field work at school may consist of a day trip to a local
place of interest, however, if your area of interest is
moss in the Arctic (and apparently, it is for some) then
you will be encouraged to spend a good few weeks
at on location, focusing on your area of interest.
Things to look forward to at university
LANGUAGES AND
YOUR CAREER 2017
On 28th June 2017, St David’s Catholic College invited
its partner school pupils, its applicants, and its current
students to attend our ‘Languages & Your Career’ event.
The evening was focused on the idea that knowledge of
more than one language can enhance career prospects
and open doors, in any industry or profession.
We invited representatives from ARUP, the RAF, Capital Law,
the Celtic English Academy, Cardiff University, GE Aviation,
Colleges Wales and the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office to hold stands and deliver talks on how being able
to speak additional languages had helped their careers,
and what opportunities there are for job applicants with
these additional skills.
Talks were delivered by Marlies Hoecherl from Capital
Law, Emelyne Burkhard from the Celtic English Academy,
Emma Williams from GE Aviation, and Claire Roberts from
Colleges Wales. Each was extremely motivational and
inspiring and it was so interesting to hear how languages
such as French, Japanese and Welsh had led to such varied
and exciting careers.
After the talks had concluded, students and their parents
had the opportunity to speak to the exhibitors again about
their experiences, this time with delicious pastries from a
local Portuguese bakery in hand!
We would like to thank all of the institutions who attended
the event for volunteering their time and for making the
event such a success. Many thanks also to Nata & Co for
providing the sweet treats. We hope that event has helped
students to make informed choices about their GCSE, A
Level, degree and future career options.

Since it was my first time organising a fundraising event, I

had no idea where to start or what to expect. It was only with
some suggestions from the community fundraising officer I
am in contact with, Sara Johnson, and Mrs Kowalska, that I
was able to come up with different ideas, which eventually
ended up being the activities we held for Leukaemia
Awareness Week. Those of which included a cake bake sale,
guessing the number of sweets in a sweets jar, guessing the
name of a teddy bear, and an old book sale. I have to admit
that everything was organised in quite a rush and there
wasn’t sufficient time to get the word out about this event,
so I am honestly quite proud of my team for raising a
total of £198.85 under such rushed conditions.
Michelle Wong
•
•
Meeting new people
Living somewhere new USW ANNUAL MATHS SKILLS CYMRU 2017
•
•
Meeting people who have the same interests as you
Joining clubs and taking part in activities (they have a QUIZ AWARD This October, St David’s College exhibited at Skills Cymru
Tea Society, yes, really!) Cardiff for the first time. Skills Cymru are Wales’ largest
careers, jobs, skills and apprenticeship events. The events
We are very pleased to announce that the St David’s team
How do I choose a course? are aimed at students in years 10-13 and their parents.
came third in the annual Mathematics Quiz, held at the
We exhibited alongside dozens of other companies and
University of South Wales. Students had to tackle a variety
• Consider what you like and what you’re good at. educational institutions, and spoke to hundreds of students
of mathematical puzzles, competing for cups which were
• Consider the financial implications but try not to about their sixth form options.
awarded to the top three teams. The St David’s team,
let this worry you too much, Cambridge (and other
Aishwaria Benny, Christian Evangelista, Ieuan Reed, Gordon
Russell Group universities) have big bursaries on offer. Some of our own students also attended the event, taking
Tsang and Emi Ortiz Mayen, came in third place, narrowly
• Consider your post-GCSE choices carefully (this is the opportunity to speak to universities and employers
missing out on first place by a deciding question.
where St David’s comes in – once you apply you will about the options available to them after St David’s.
have a chance to sit down with our staff and discuss
the best course choices for your career aims).

What do universities want?

First, they want to see that you are seriously interested in

the subject you have chosen. This can be demonstrated
through your choice of A Levels, your personal statement,
and your references from teachers.
Next, they will look at your grades. A strong grade profile
tells a university that you are hardworking, dedicated and
determined to succeed.

A big thank you to Dr. Padley, and to our Corpus Christi

and Mary Immaculate students for such an interesting
morning.
4 ST DAVID’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE SUMMER 2017 NEWSLETTER ST DAVID’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE SUMMER 2017 NEWSLETTER 5

WELSH LABOUR AM &
HONOURS STUDENTS
TACKLE THE WELSH
POLITICAL INFORMATION
DEFICIT
STUDENTS VOLUNTEER
AT ANNUAL TŶ HAFAN
RAINBOW RUN
As part of their obligations to the Religion & Life
Programme here at St David’s, all our students are
encouraged to take part in at least 22 hours of
volunteering per year. This allows students to be active
members of their community, by engaging in local
events and activities.
A group of our students volunteered to be stewards
at Tŷ Hafan’s annual Rainbow Run on Coney Beach in
Porthcawl. Runners were showered with vibrant multi-
coloured paint at every kilometre check point, as they
made their way round the 5km course.
The event, open to anyone aged five and up, was held
to raise money for Tŷ Hafan, a children’s hospice which
supports children with life limiting conditions, and
their families, across Wales. Over 1,300 people took
part and raised around £50,000.
6 STSTDAVID’S
On 23rd October, local Welsh Labour AM, Jenny
Rathbone, was invited in to College by a group of our
Honours students as part of their new independent
Welsh Political Media outlet called ‘The Beacon’.
The aim of the debate, and part of the aim of their
new media outlet, was to address the Welsh political
information deficit.
Keep an eye on how their project develops by following
them on Twitter: @thebeaconwales
DAVID’SCATHOLIC
CATHOLICCOLLEGE
COLLEGESUMMER
SPRING 2017 NEWSLETTER
ST DAVID’S STUDENT WINS BASKETBALL
SCHOLARSHIP TO PRESTIGIOUS
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Upper sixth student, Emily Stradling, is celebrating her recently
awarded full scholarship at the renowned Mercer University in
Georgia. After a busy summer playing for Great Britain’s under-18
women’s basketball team, Emily was invited to visit Mercer
University where she received a full scholarship to play division 1
college basketball in 2018.
Emily is now set to move to America next year when she completes
her A Level qualifications with St David’s Catholic College.
“Being offered a scholarship is such an amazing feeling and one I
feel very privileged to have,” said Emily.
“Basketball has long been a sport close to my heart but my
parents have always emphasised the importance of gaining a
great education as well. Playing basketball has definitely been
of huge advantage to me at this time when people my age are
looking to apply to university because it has added yet another
string to my bow.
“A full scholarship anywhere would have been unbelievable but
simultaneously being able to carry on growing as a player in the
sport I love is simply something else. My aims for the future are not
set in stone however, I do want to capitalise on the opportunity I
have to excel in basketball and see how far it can take me.”
Emily has a strong academic profile too and is currently on the
Honours Programme which is comprised of the College’s top
10% of academically-achieving students. Emily is currently
undertaking three A Levels and the Welsh Baccalaureate
alongside six to seven days of training per week.
Emily continued: “Aside from basketball, I am
hoping to major in biomedical engineering.
During the past two years at St David’s, I have
studied Maths, Product Design and Biology
and I believe that this course brings them
together perfectly.
“I would love to positively impact the lives of
others in need and it is my aim to one day invent
something that completely changes the quality of life
of disabled people.”
College principal, Mark Leighfield, said:
“We’re very proud of Emily and all that she has achieved both
academically and through basketball. She is an exceptional
student and she very much deserves this scholarship which will be
an exciting next step for her when she leaves College next year.
“As a College, we pride ourselves on providing our students with
as much support as possible, helping to nurture individual talents
and helping them achieve the best outcomes for their learning
paths and future.
“Seeing these results become a reality for students like Emily is
incredibly rewarding.”
ST DAVID’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE SUMMER 2017 NEWSLETTER 7 7
ENTERPRISE - SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGTS
Freshers’ Fayre
Once again the fresher’s fayre was a great success.
St David’s had the support of the fantastic role
models Justin Maunder and Annette Gee to help
to promote Enterprise within the College as well
as upper sixth students who have been involved
in the number of projects done throughout the
last academic year. A total of 191 students were
spoken to about enterprise.
A Level student, Nitzan Baybus was volunteering
on the stand and gave us her account of the event:
On the 6th of September, at St David’s
College Fresher’s Fayre, I had the
opportunity to tell new arriving students all
about the enterprise activities available to them.
I was able to discuss this from my own personal
experience; as someone who took part in some of
the activities last year.
One of the most memorable things I took part
in was Trading Places, a three-day course aimed
at teaching students how to create their own
business. We spent the first two days going
through what needs to be done before opening
a business; we then pitched our ideas to a board,
had business meetings and worked on ensuring
our business would gain money. The third day was
when we handled our business, a shop, it was a
competition between the teams of who will make
the most amount of profit.
I think the enterprise activities are a great
opportunity for students who are interested in
being their own bosses because they teach you
what skills you need, both the social and financial
and overall provide you with a wonderful overview
of what to do to get there, along with a push
towards your aim.
8 STSTDAVID’S
Developing the student
shop
This is a new initiative with the students having
to develop and run their own student shop. The
students have their own CEO and are in the
process of developing a team who will be running
the shop, with goods they have ordered, while
making a profit. This is currently in its early stages
at the moment and we are hoping to launch the
shop in October once the roles and responsibilities
have been divided up between the students who
have volunteered to run the shop.
DAVID’SCATHOLIC
CATHOLICCOLLEGE
COLLEGESUMMER
SPRING 2017 NEWSLETTER
Millennial Marketing Student Events
Workshops - Big ideas Wales role Over the past term, our students have been involved in a
models large number of enterprise activities, with plenty more to
come before and after Christmas!
In preparation for the Millennial Marketing Challenge, two Activities include: Sports Workshop, Big Ideas Wales Talk,
separate classes have had workshops delivered by two role Role Model RASMA workshop, Harnessing the Power of
models, Sharon Williams and Oliver Page. These workshops Digital Technology for Business workshop, and much more.
covered such topics as understanding the marketing mix, on A big thank you to Welsh Government who make all of our
overview of digital platforms and using the digital platforms enterprise activities possible.
for marketing.
One of our former students was also put forward for a
Honda Champion for Change Award; a big congratulations
to Rhys Payne.
Big Ideas Wales sign ups
We are very pleased to announce that this month the
following students have signed up to big ideas Wales:
Mosab Bechit, Sabina Islam and Omar Khan Azizul Islam.
We look forward to hearing all about their business ideas
and seeing where these ideas take them!
IEEC conference
This year, due to financial support from Welsh Government
Enterprise Champion, Mrs Wigley was able to attend the
International Enterprise Educators Conference.
“The theme of this year’s conference was: ‘Enabling
Enterprise for All’ with the main theme to help to develop
enterprise and entrepreneurial skills for all, enabling more
diversity amongst those engaging with enterprise.”
Business Breakfast meeting
This month, our Enterprise champion has had the opportunity
to attend Busines Breakfast meetings. Mrs Wigley states:
“I’m very lucky to be able to attend these meetings in order
to help me develop relationships between College and
businesses. Building relationships face to face is far more
productive than over the phone as it allows the opportunity
to discuss all the work that is going on within enterprise in
St David’s College and breaks down the barriers between
education and the real world.”
ST DAVID’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE SUMMER 2017 NEWSLETTER 9
MODEL UNITED NATIONS LOCAL SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES UNITE TO
HOLD ST DAVID’S FIRST MODEL UN
In June 2017, St David’s College hosted its first
ever Model United Nations! A Model United
Nations (MUN) is an academic simulation of the real
United Nations (UN). 53 students from St David’s
College, St John’s College, Ysgol Dyffryn Taf, and
St Illtyd’s Catholic High School represented 25 of
the UN countries, and 10 students were chairs.
The councils addressed current affairs, giving the
delegates an idea of the complexity surrounding
by Madeline Davis
issues such nuclear disarmament and poverty in
developing countries. The aim of each council was
to come up with a solution, or solutions, to the
problem and then write a resolution similar a real
UN document. These resolutions were voted on
by the entire council, with a voting majority of 51%
being required for the resolution to be passed. The
councils could only pass one resolution, meaning
the delegates had to compromise to merge ideas.
During the Closing Ceremony, the chairs of the
councils presented a summary of their council’s
resolution to the entire MUN party. It was intriguing
to see how the delegates had approached their
problem, and how the political views of the different
countries had been interpreted. The solutions that
were devised, such as adapting the location of
aid distribution to refugees, were judicious and
sophisticated.
The Model United Nations was a wonderful
opportunity to debate, and to engage with politics
10
from the perspective of a nation’s representative.
There were also lectures, and an interactive
workshop discussing President Trump’s real
policies. This event could not have been such a
success without the support from our fantastic team
of volunteers (who made the council rooms look
awesome!), our wonderful teachers, our brilliant
lecturers, and the delegates and chairs who made
the debates so engaging. Thank you!
Names and titles of the organisers:
Jazli Johari, Secretary General
Madeleine Orla Davis, Executive Director
Councils and their corresponding topics:
General Assembly 1: AID distribution to help
refugees from Syria
Security Council: The restriction and deactivation
of nuclear arms
Environmental Council: Sustainable energy to deal
with carbon emissions
Finance Council: Utilizing microfinance to tackle
extreme poverty
Human Rights Council: Abolishing child labour in
international cooperations
STST
DAVID’S
DAVID’S
CATHOLIC
CATHOLIC
COLLEGE
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SPRING 2017
2017 NEWSLETTER
NEWSLETTER
DELEGATE EXPERIENCE
I did a lot of background research into my allocated country
of Japan before I went to Model United Nations, giving me
new insight into the country.
When I participated in the Model United Nations, I learned
a lot of new things, such as how the debates in the
United Nations are organised, and how hard it is to satisfy
everyone. I attended the event with an idea of how to solve
my (assigned) problem, which was Nuclear Disarmament.
When we got into the debate, I realised that one idea
was not going to satisfy all of the countries because not
everyone was on the same page. Everyone brought points
to the table that weren’t relevant to my country, but made
perfect sense in the long run.
As part of the Model United Nations, I also dressed as my
country’s representative in a kimono. I did this because it
made me feel like the whole experience was more realistic.
Through the lectures and debates which took place
throughout the day, I felt that I learned a great deal about
the Model United Nations and how it is organised and run.
It was also very interesting to see the dynamic between
the other councils, during their meetings, and when we
all spoke about what we did through the final PowerPoint
presentations.
Overall, this was a fantastic experience and I would
encourage anyone who is given the oportunity to take part
in the future, to do so.
Bethan Linbourn
Delegate for Japan on the Security Council
A2 GEOGRAPHERS TAKE LEARING
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
On a lovely sunny day in September, our A2 Geographers
headed to Merthyr Mawr to undertake fieldwork as part
of their A Level studies. The trip was designed to help
the students develop key skills and competencies in
readiness for their A Level examinations.
St David’s offers lots of course trips throughout the year.
Please refer to our prospectus or speak to a member
of staff to find out more about what is on offer in the
subjects you are hoping to study.
ST DAVID’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE SUMMER 2017 NEWSLETTER 11
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A ST DAVID’S STUDENT
morning
My first lesson is at 9:15. It’s Psychology and
is located in the Annex, which is the home
of social science subjects and History in St
David’s. I arrive at college early so I decide to
treat myself to breakfast from the canteen. I
am crazy for the coffee and croissants here!
My Psychology lesson consists of undergoing
investigations and psychological experiments
around the college, and playing endless games
of Kahoot. The hours fly by and it is finally
time for break! I decide to meet my friends in
the LRC (Learning Resource Centre) in order
to talk, play board games and catch up on any
work before my next lesson, English.
For more like this, visit our new student blog!
https://stdavidscollege.wixsite.com/studentblog
12
by Zara Pereira
afternoon
With a classroom with
such a great view, I could never get bored of
English! I spend the two hours of my lesson
analysing an interesting play about the war
and learning new writing techniques.
Me and my friends decide to walk to Wellfield
Road at lunch. The street is full of cheap and
delicious places to eat and is only a 10 minute
walk from the College.
After our tasty noodles, we decide to sit on
the recreational ground near Wellfield Road. It
is a nice warm day to sit on the field and talk
about what has happened in our day so far.
My last lesson is Welsh Baccalaureate. After
weeks of research, I have found a solution to
a global issue which I present as a speech to
my class. I am let out early due to the good
completion of my work. I decide to go shopping
with my friends to celebrate finishing the
school day - The college is located in Penylan
and has reliable and frequent bus links for a
quick trip to town! Hopefully I can bag some
bargains using my student ID card - I heard
Topshop have a good student discount!
ST DAVID’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE SUMMER 2017 NEWSLETTER