Supported by the Courier

2011

Branksome Bugle
Issue 9

Your magazine, your opinion, your school!!

Bugle helps Britains health

On the 2nd March 2011, 5 members of the Branksome Bugle assisted by Mr Tearney and Mrs Hickerson
and went down to London to hand in a petition to stop people from smoking in cars if there is a passenger under the age of 18. We were going on this trip because last June we went to Darlington Memorial
Hospital and we supported the launch of the British Lung Foundations children charter. Since then the
BLF have received over 15,000 signatures. Here is the story of our day at London:
After our long train journey, Rebecca did a Metro radio interview at Kings Cross station. After that we got
2 tubes to Westminster station where we were equipped with British Lung Foundation T-shirts. We then
walked to the gates of Downing Street. There were lots of press there including BBC London. We met
schools from Liverpool, Birmingham, Charfield and Surrey. It was then the time, 5 of us were chosen to
go into Downing Street and hand in the petition.
The walk down to number 10 was long and when we arrived at the huge black door everyone was very
nervous. We then knocked; a security guard answered and took the petition box off us. Everyone was
happy but even more nervous because we had a TV interview with Newsround. After that we were lead
back to the gates and had some more photographs taken.
After a short walk from Downing Street to Westminster we arrived for the British Lung Foundation reception. We walked down past Oliver Cromwell. After having a photo id taken, we had our bags scanned and
we were searched. We walked down through the great hall, which had fabulous detail, and collected our
name badges. We entered room A, which had been assigned to us. We then lined up for Westminsters
finest cuisine. After we were all stuffed, Dame Helena got up onto the plinth and said a touching speech
about why we were all gathered. Once she had finished The Health Minster got up and gave us all of his
and members of his teams support. Then when all the speeches had finished we had one last chant and
the seven of us headed to the train station for our Last stop, home.
Overall the day was a success and we all came away learning something new. We all had really good fun
and we nearly got stuck on the tubes. This brought back sad memories for Liam and he became teary.
We were all very tired on the train back home, even though none of us went to sleep on the way home.
Liam and James were customizing a toy they bought for their friend Ben.
For more info about the trip visit: www.branksomebugle.blogspot.com
By Elisabeth Davey, Liam Pape, Katie Appleyard, James Allison and Rebecca Parkinson

PAPERMAIL

Best
Blogs

In this PAPERMAIL I am going to be comparing 3 of the worlds best blogging web sites. I first came across this idea when Mr Sayers gave me the
idea to set up a blog for the Branksome Bugle; almost immediately I chose
Blogger to make the blog on. However now I have looked more into blogging websites I may have made the
wrong decision. The blogging websites I am going to review are Blogger, Posterous and Tumblr.
Lets start with Blogger, like Posterous and Tumblr they are easy to sign up to however unlike Posterous and
Tumblr you can sign in using your Google Account. As soon as you have logged in you are greeted by lots of
information, maybe too much information with Tumblr! To get started making your blog it is easy on Blogger
you just need to follow the steps to change the design, edit your posts or see how many people have been
looking at your blog. On Posterous I just didnt know where to start!
All 3 bogging sites can let you post pitchers and videos however it is very hard on Posterous. There are so
many small icons and little hyperlinks that you dont know what they do.
Every good blog has photos, music and videos. All 3 of the blogs have the ability to include these features
but, apparently, Blogger can only 10mb of videos and photos. Also when you update your blog it will update
your Twitter account if you want.
In conclusion I dont think I made the wrong decision because Blogger seems to be the easiest to use.

Feature on a
Teacher
Name:

Mr B Coyne

Subject:

Deputy Head

Years at Branksome:

Most memorable

Playing rugby for Yorkshire

at Ravenhill, Belfast
against Bulste during the
height of the Northern Ireland troubles and getting a
standing ovation when running onto the pitch.

moment:

Funniest moment:

Watching the staff make

making fools of themselves,
including me at Branskome
red nose day 2 years ago.

Pets:

Several goldfish in the garden pond.

Advice
(Words of Wisdom):

A team is only as strong as

its weakest person, never
let your team down.

Teachers pet
Mr Greeves

Book of

the month

This book is
called double
or die it is a
really good
read, by Charlie Higson,
this book is your every day action and thrill book, I have read
it and I like it and I know you
will to, if you like action and adventure books. There are lots of
other book by Charlie Higson
and I know I you like this you
will like the rest of them!!
By Thomas Buchan

For F1 updates go to
www.buglef1.blogspot.com
And for constant
PAPERMAIL go to

On the 25th March 2011 the revolutionary

iPad 2 was released. The new iPad can now
connect to computer screens and it has a
longer battery life. It can also have a protection case which seems to have been
made by a magician it is so cleaver. As
soon as you put the case down it goes to
sleep and when you lift it, it wakes up.

Double
or Die

www.red-dimond.blogspot.com

I-Pad 2 is
released!

We will
Rock you
On the 9th 10th February 2011 drama
club pupils and people who are taking performing arts visited London.
The day started at 5:30 when we they arrived at school. The bus was set to leave for
6am, though everyone was there for 5:40 so
they set off early.
They eventually arrived in London at 12:40,
where they realized they couldnt check in
till 3pm, so they dropped their stuff off and
went to Drury Lane for a backstage tour.
Here they learnt some amazing things about
the theatre and heard a few ghost stories.
After this they went to Covent Garden for
about 1 hour and a half so they could kill
some time. Some of them went in the
Transport Museum, whilst the rest went
shopping.
Once we had finished shopping, they then
went to a burger and fries place for tea. Unfortunately some people didnt like the food,
though they did like the pudding, Vanilla
and Strawberry Ice cream.
At about 6:30pm, they got back onto the
coach and headed to the Dominion Theatre
to see a performance of We Will Rock You.
They got stuck in a traffic jam on the way
there, so they climbed out through the emergency exit and walked the rest of the way
there.

They reached the theatre about 7pm and sat

down to watch the film. It was full of brilliant Queen songs and then rather a lot of
lasers. There was a short interval at about
8:30pm and then the show carried on. They
got back to the hotel at about 11pm and
then went to bed, though most of them didnt get to sleep till way past midnight.
The next day some of them woke at 6:45am
but most of them stayed asleep longer.
At 8:35 they had breakfast and then went to
a organized singing workshop which was all
about one song. They go together, which was
a mouthful trying to sing that.
After this they went shopping in Oxford
Street, though after a while it started to rain,
even the people in waterproof coats still got
wet!
After this they got back on the coach and
headed back home. Halfway back, they
stopped at a service station for a break,
where they happened to see Paije Richardson from the X Factor. After this they set off
home and got back to school about 8pm.

Taylor and Hayden

Branksome held an impressionist show for red nose day
it featured 4 year 8 pupils. It included Hayden Thompson who organised it and wrote the script, Tyler
Hutchinson who did the show in a girls uniform for red
nose day, Sam Hutchinson and also James Alison. The
impressions included Big brother, Paddy McGuiness,
Baraka Obama, Michael McIntyre, an interview with
Shaun Ryder, all the main characters in Shrek and finally the big hairy angle Susan Boyle. We raised approximately 25 from the show. It was a performance to remember laughing and cheering. What a show.
Later on in the day there was a comic relief assembly which was amazing. Mr Burfard played the guitar to we will rock you and Miss Loughlin was the host of the hole thing. Even the editor of the Branksome
Bugle, Liam lived his life long dream of singing a Beatles song in front
of an audience. It was the most amazing assembly we have ever had.
Overall we made 500
.

By Tyler
Hutchinson
and Hayden
Thompson

Vibe Award
On the 24th January 2011, the 5 members of the Branksome
Bugle went to Darlington's Civic theatre to receive a vibe
award for their commitment to the community. The evening
started at 6:15 and ended at 9:10. Many people had turned
out to watch. There were 2 nights of the vibe awards and over
the 2 nights 715 people got an award. It is amazing how
many people are doing good things and achieving so much.

The Bugle had to wait until the second half to receive their
reward but they had support from Mr Coyne and Mrs Surtees.

Car of the Month

Between awards there were performances, all of them excellent. We saw performances from Stagecoach, Push Chicago
and Pretty Little Sinners from QE college.
Overall the night was brilliant but exhausting.
Hopefully this will encourage pupils from all over Darlington
to try hard and achieve a Vibe next year.
By Rebecca Parkinson and Elisabeth Davey

Name: Ferrari F430

BHP: 490
Top speed: 196mph
0-60: 4 seconds
Rating:

Rebecca P
meets Sir Ian
Rebecca Parkinson met Sir
Ian McKellen when she attended his talk at Education
Village about his new Foundation Stone Walls. was
succulent, the stuffing was

Where are they now?

I left Branksome Comprehensive in 2007 and in the 3 years between then and
now I have met some of the most fantastic people and done some of the most fantastic things, but it wouldnt be fair for me to say that it has come easily. Im not
ashamed to say that I have worked really hard for what I have now and Id encourage anyone who has ambition to do the same thing.

While I was at school I was also working at Alpha 103.2 as a volunteer assisting the
production of the Saturday Sports Show, but in my spare time I had the opportunity
to familiarise myself with the station equipment and computer packages in their
spare production studio. I showed willing and commitment to the station and eventually they gave me an opportunity to present one of their shows. One thing led to
another and before I knew it I had a regular show and was interviewing some of the
worlds biggest acts like Coldplay and The Verve.
At this time I also began moving
around various other radio stations
in the local area and produced and
presented weekend shows back to
back over the stations. Some of
these were specialist shows, like
sports and dance music, and it
wasnt long before I was DJ-ing in
night clubs and making a good
name for myself on the local scene. When the community station I was
working for found itself in financial difficulties I started to look around for
bigger stations and went on to work for the likes of Signal Radio in Stoke,
Silk fm in Cheshire and TFM Radio in the North East.

Ive gone from a

young school boy
to a full time
commercial radio
presenter

I had to make sure I wasnt limiting myself to just the local area and when the opportunity came to move to North West
England and work for a station that was regularly pulling in 68,000 listeners per week I couldnt say no and I packed my
bags. And thats where I find myself now. In just 3 years Ive gone from a young school boy to a full time commercial radio
presenter who has interviewed Kylie, The Script, JLS, Robbie Williams and many others.
As well as this, I have set up my own radio school teaching young people how
the industry works and how to present and produce their own shows. Im really
happy with how things have turned out, but I know its because Ive shown
commitment and worked hard. I have a busy time ahead of myself and am still
We are looking for people who used
learning everyday, but Im really fortunate to be doing what I love for a living.
to go to Branksome Science ColIf you have a dream or ambition then just go for it. I did, and now I get to test
lege/School and are willing to tell
drive 50,000 cars and throw myself out of planes all in the name of entertainus their story. Tell us when you
ment! Im having a great time and wouldnt have it any other way. Just keep
attended Branksome and please
following in what you believe, work hard and listen to people who are in the
know and youll go a long way. And dont be afraid to make mistakes. I have,
send a brief account of your life
since leaving school and if possible but Ive realised its the fastest and most effective way of learning new things!
By Martin Lowes
a photo. Email to:

Where are they now?

surtees@branksome.org.uk

martin.lowes@2br.co.uk

Mount Pleasant Poems

Winter Poem by Katie
Winter walked wildly wearing a white
wardrobe,
Whispering, wintry weather.
Who has seen the wind? Neither you
nor I
But when the leaves hang trembling,
the wind is passing by.
Who has seen the wind? Neither I
nor you
But when the trees bow down their
heads, the wind is passing by.

Snow By Poppy H.
Snow cascading to the ground.
Swirling round and round.
Its coming quicker.
Its laying thicker.
In delight the children cry:
The snow is falling from the
sky!
It is becoming clear,
Christmas is edging near.
The snow is the colour of a
featherOhh what wonderful weather.

School Poem
by Chloe Richmond
School is fun
The teachers say we are done.
We dance, dance, all day
All we want to do is gout and
play.
Slop, Slop, stick down the
glue.
Tell Miss Telfer you need the
loo.
Saturday night I had a fight,
The teacher said its alright.

Gaming
Play Station Move
The play station move is a
pointless waste of time and
money and it is copying off
the Nintendo Wii even if
play station is bigger, so
what, the Nintendo Wii is
much better.

Skyrim
Skyrim is a fictional region in The Elder Scrolls
series of games. It is the
home of the Nords. On
December 11, 2010 It was
announced by Bethesda's
Todd Howard that Skryim
will be the setting of the
next Elder Scrolls game,
The Elder Scrolls V:
Skyrim set for release on
November 11, 2011.

Nintendo Wii

Mario

Yes Nintendo have done it again

(except four years earlier). Nintendo
have perfected their new way of
gaming (four years earlier). You can
now play great games like tennis,ice
hockey and even monopoly. You can
swing a racket or even role a dice
just by flicking your wrist. If you
dont have a wii but you have a
playstation three, dont get
playstation move get a Wii.

Super Mario bros Wii: Super Mario bros Wii is a great multiplayer game
that is fun for all the family. It is probably the best Mario yet and it has a
new feature 4 player mode where you have a choice of Mario, Luigi, blue
toad and yellow toad. For anyone who doesnt know who Mario is, he is Nintendo biggest name. In this game you must progress through levels in order
to save Princess Peach. There are various power ups in order to help you as
well as several new ones.
Super Mario galaxy 2: Super Mario galaxy 2 is another great way to play
Mario, in 3d. You must progress through harder and harder levels the further you get. There are eight worlds each with many levels to try and take
away your life total until you reach zero where you get game over and must
load back to your last save. It is the same as every other Mario, collect power ups to help you but you now have a selected life bar so you know how
much life you have left.
Mario Kart: Mario Kart is yet another great game from the Mario franchise
where you race head to head against other Mario characters in different
cars and bikes. You also have thirty two different tracks to race on and lots
of different power ups to help you win.

Halo Reach
Halo reach is an epic shooter
where it is the year 2552 and
the human race is at war with
the covenant, an evil alien race.
The game is based around
planet reach, the heart of all
humans best technology and
weapons. You play as a Spartan super soldier along with
another 5 Spartans also known
as noble team. You are a new
recruit, noble 6, and must help
to stop reach from falling into
the hands of the covenant.
There are 10 great campaign
levels to tickle your fancy and a
great new way to do matchmaking. Every time you play a
game you earn credits to rank
up and customise your Spartans armour. Have fun! 15cert.

Game of
the Month

Bow master is a great game of

skill were must shoot evil people in order to progress to the
next level. You earn gold pieces
to upgrade your army and bow
arrow. You use w, s, a and d to
move and mouse to aim. One
child said its fun and enjoyable,
and another child said its exciting. There are many different
options to make the gaming experience more enjoyable. Each
level has a different map and it
is more and more enjoyable as
it progresses. If you would like
to cheat use a magnifying glass
to read the next line.
Press # while holding shift.

Sport
Darlington
Sports
Partnership

By Ewan Barr, Tyler Hutchinson, Hayden

Thompson and Sam Hutchinson.

Tutor Football

Quakers on
the road to
Wembley

On the 20th January 2011, 9

students from year 9 and year
10 went to the Dolphin Centre
to umpire the first of the four
competitions for the year 3s
tennis finals. 8 pupils from
Heathfield, Alderman Leach
and Reid Street attended and
each school played 5 skill
games and then they played
matches. Mr Hillary helped organise the event and the results
were as follows; Alderman
Leach was last with 48 points,
Reid Street came second with
49 points and Heathfield won
with an impressive 59 points.
Well done to all schools taking
part.

It was a must win game for the Quakers they could concede 2 goal or
they were out. Darlington dominated the possession in the first half.
Then just as half time was coming up, a well hit free kick from brown
just tipped over the bar. The second half begun with gates head
pushing just missing a chance on goal but Sam Russell made a good
save sending it wide. Darlo progressed with Liam Hatch just shooting
wide. There was 4 minuets to go there was no real good chances . the
ref blew his whistle. DARLO WERE GOING TO WEMBLEY. The fans
ran on the pitch, hugging the player shouting and singing.

Branksome Bugle
Visit www.branksomebugle.blogspot.com
Or e-mail is at
branksomebugle@branksome.org.uk
Or read the Bugle at: www.branksome.org.uk