Posted on: 4/07/2024It's a bug's life!The garden created for the Alton Arts Festival by Amery Hill students was a collaboration between the Eco-Union and the Student Voice Community Committee. We wanted to make a garden that catered for as many insects as possible by creating different habitats. We also wanted to use as much recycled or surplus material as possible. Our ladybird house uses old bamboo canes for legs and pens due to be recycled for the antennae, while our bee drinker is an old lid from some laundry detergent. The birch tree and decaying wood (perfect for woodlice and centipedes) were donated from the owner of a local woodland. The plants themselves are mostly surplus from families associated with the school or from the bargain shelves of local nurseries. They have then been nursed back to a healthier state. Our aim was to strike a balance between beauty and practicality, in terms of creating a garden that caters for many different species, and we are pleased with the final result.View Article
Posted on: 26/04/2023London Mini MarathonOn Saturday 22 April, 45 Amery Hill School students from Years 7 to 11 travelled to London to compete in the TCS London Mini Marathon, a 2.6km race for school aged students, which took place the day before the full London Marathon. It was an early start, leaving school at 7am, but the excitement steadily built on the way to St James’s Park where students had final drinks and warmed up. The event took place on a closed, secure route with stewards and a dedicated welfare team on the course to make sure all runners had a safe and enjoyable experience. Waves of approximately 250 runners set off at five-minute intervals with students following a fantastic route that started at Horse Guards Parade and went past St James’s Park, Buckingham Palace and Green Park before experiencing the thrill of crossing the world-famous finish line on The Mall. All of the runners received finishers medals and were exhausted but very, very happy! Speaking about the event, Head of PE, Mrs Naomi Jackson, commented, “We have a very enthusiastic and talented group of runners at Amery Hill School and they had an incredible day in London. Experiencing an event on this scale, with thousands of young runners participating, was fantastic for our students.”View Article
Posted on: 11/02/2025Grease is the WordEarlier this month, Amery Hill School put on an incredible production of ‘Grease’, playing to sold-out audiences in the school hall for a week. Sixty cast members, ensemble and musicians put on a memorable show, with the finalé being a ‘singalong’ performance on Valentine’s night, for family and members of the public. There was lots of audience participation throughout this evening, with everyone staying on at the end of the night to belt out ‘Summer Nights’, ‘Greased Lightning’ and ‘You’re the One that I Want’ all over again! This show has been many months in the making – a collaboration between the school’s Music, Dance and Drama Departments. The standard of choreography and performance was exceptionally high this year, with a strong ensemble and brilliant live band supporting a cast of very talented actors. Amery Hill is grateful to everyone who helped put the production together including families and colleagues for their support with costumes – which helped take us right back to 1959! And the charity Livewire, who provided high quality lighting and sound equipment to help this musical positively burst off the stage. But above all, a huge well done to the students who performed with such skill and energy. Your commitment and hard work putting this show together really did pay off! View Article
Posted on: 17/12/2024Festive Fun!The Amery Hill Christmas Fayre took place this week with every student having an opportunity to attend with their year group friends during the school day. Completely organised and co-ordinated by the Student Parliament, with guidance from Mr Severs, the Main Hall was transformed into a festive fayre for everyone to enjoy! With home bakes, tombola stalls, karaoke, face painting, hand-made eco decorations, games and much, much more, the Events and Charity Committee, supported by the Community Committee, pulled off a fabulous day of fundraising, with the emphasis on festive fun! The origins of the Fayre go back to 2021 when the Student Parliament set themselves an aim to improve the sense of community at Amery Hill School, while at the same time, reaching out to support local charities and forge relationships with local businesses. They have certainly achieved that this week and in spectacular style! Our thanks to the many businesses who supported the event with incredibly generous prize donations. This year the majority of the money raised from the Fayre will be donated to the Salvation Army, with a small portion going towards funding the drama production of Grease. Last year the Appeal distributed more than 84,000 gifts and this year, the number of families requesting help is expected to rise yet further as a result of the cost of living crisis. Operating in over 650 communities across the UK, the Salvation Army provides support to those who are facing poverty, for struggling families and for older people in our communities seeking companionship. They provide food parcels to families and toys to children whose parents are unable to afford presents. Our students have again done us proud and reminded us how compassionate they are. A massive well done to everyone involved, and in particular our Events and Charity and Community Committees who have been busy for months to ensure the Fayre was a wonderful and successful event. View Article
Posted on: 27/11/2024Down on the Farm!The traditional annual Year 7 Geography visit to Stubbs Farm took place last week with students able to experience the sights, sounds and smells of a real working farm during a half-day tour. Stubbs Farm, near Kingsley, has been welcoming students from Amery Hill for over 40 years and Mr Stephens and his family made them all very welcome again this year. Situated in the beautiful countryside of the South Downs National Park, Stubbs Farm is a mixed farm with arable and pastoral parts and the teacher-led guided walk allowed students to ask questions about the site, landscape and machinery used on the farm and learn in more detail where their food comes from. The visit supplemented and enhanced the work the students have been completing on ‘Food and Farming’ in school. The highlight, as always, was the winter quarters of the beef cattle. Here, Mr Stephens took time to explain to the students how the cattle are raised and prepared for market. Students left the farm with a stronger understanding of farming in the UK, the challenges it faces in the future and how their food is actually produced. The students will be using the notes that they made on the day as part of their next assessed piece of work. A big thank you to everyone at Stubbs Farm who made us so welcome. View Article
Posted on: 3/07/2024ACAN Ambassadors Lead the WayThe summer term has been Eco-Union’s busiest yet! This term's main event was the Young ACAN Eco Conference. Eco-Union took 14 students down to the Maltings in Alton for a day filled with multiple workshops on environmental topics, all with a focus on protecting our rivers and oceans. Amery Hill was also represented by four of our Year 10 students who acted as Young ACAN Ambassadors, running one of the workshop sessions themselves. The day was a great success and our students were proud to stand on the stage and share their experiences and learning along with students from Eggar’s School and nine other Primary and Junior schools from the local area. The other focus for the term has been completing our application for this years' re-certification of our Green Flag status. The application involves providing evidence of our Eco activities as a school and the members of Eco-Union have put a great deal of effort into this. We have chosen to focus on three topics for next year; Biodiversity, Litter and School Grounds. Keep an eye out for any changes to the school site in the coming year as we aim to make Amery Hill as sustainable as possible. View Article
