Adeel Joins the House of Commons

14th November 2019Mrs D Curtis
On the 8th of November, I was invited to go to the House of Commons and debate on a range of issues from knife crime to welcoming refugees.
It was a day full of inspiration, aspiration and gratitude. The school have really supported me in my journey as a representative of Wolverhampton as a Member of Youth Parliament.
I aspire to go to a Russell Group University to study Politics and International Relations. I hope one day that I shall return to the Commons as an elected member.
Adeel Khan
Year 13

F Zero

4th November 2019Miss A Kane

F-Zero- The best racing game.

You probably haven’t heard of F-Zero, well this is because the series was discontinued in 2004, which was 15 years ago! This is before trash games existed, like Battle Royale. F-Zero is a great game, this is because of the futuristic-aesthetic and the futuristic style of music. 

Why it’s better than Mario Kart.

Yeah, Mario Kart is great and all, but F-Zero just has a better soundtrack, in my opinion. Another point is that it’s more realistic, because if you use too much power, the car will break down and it will be game over. However, in Mario Kart you collect coins and are there coins in real life on the road? I think not. Also, you do not break down in Mario Kart and if you go off the road it isn’t game over, but in F-Zero it is.

Finally.

In my opinion, F-Zero is just better because it is teaching kids how to drive unlike Mario Kart. The soundtrack is just better and it more realistic. WHEN DO YOU SEE A REAL LIFE CLOCK STAGE AND PEOPLE BOUNCING ON MUSHROOMS IN CARS IN REAL LIFE?

I know, I’ve destroyed you all with facts and logic.

By Sofia.

Wild Animal Racing- OLIVIER STOP BUYING BAD GAMES By Olivier

4th November 2019Miss A Kane

I thought that Crazy Frog Racer was the most horrible thing to have ever come to existence. It still is, but this game could be worse. But that’s what THEY say. Everyone takes the mick out of it. But not me. I am here to shed light on this hidden gem, and to express my eternal love for the pinnacle of human creation: Wild Animal Racing.

Wild Animal Racing is, like I said, the magnum opus of gaming as a whole. After 50 years of gaming, Paul Bird has finally stepped out of the shadows to deliver the greatest thing ever. This game features the sickest characters in gaming: the hippo, the giraffe, the rhino, the elephant, and the lion. This extensive choice of characters delivers a sense of refreshment to the usual suspects when it comes to regular racing games such as Mario and *shivers* Captain Falcon. 

The game features 4 cups. The Roads, The Magical, The Rally, and The World Tour, featuring such classics as Holland and Egypt. This provides an awesome experience for your friends, your friends’ friends, and your ex-step-dad Frank that comes to visit on Thursdays to argue with your mom. And maybe Uncle Joe if he comes back from Mexico after being deported. Alternatively, you can play with Uncle Joe if he has it on his 2009 Toshiba! This game has split-screen and online so you can play with everyone, including your ex.

The graphics are just a bit bad, but this is overshadowed by the amazing unlockable movies, including a disco featuring the cast of characters. Amazing, truly amazing.

 

 9/10 Amazing Game

Year 8 Eating Out in French Style

4th November 2019Miss A Kane

   

On Friday 11th October twenty Year 8 students went to Olive Grove Pub in Hednesford and had a French restaurant experience ran by JLH Languages. Students spoke only in French for the duration of the three course meal and had to order all of their food and drink in French. Students also had puzzles to solve and games to play whilst there.

Everyone ordered and ate a three course meal, set at a traditional dining table. Some of the food included soup as starter, roast chicken or vegetable lasagne for the main course and a warm french crepe or creme caramel as dessert.

All students had a wonderful time and enjoyed practising their French in a real life situation. Marcel Tombura said “I enjoyed the trip, it was a very exciting opportunity. Overall it was fun, educational and tasty.”

 

Harry Potter: The Philosopher’s Stone

30th October 2019Miss A Kane

As we all know, J.K Rowling wrote seven amazing “Harry Potter” books.  It all started off with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the birth of the Harry Potter series.

It all began when the author, J.K Rowling, created a brief summary on a paper napkin on a ride home. The first book was published in 1997 on the 26th of June and it swa the start of the HP Fandom. 

As you start reading/watching the film, we are introduced to Petunia Dursley, Harry’s Aunt, but you should take into account, they don’t really care for Harry, he’s only in their possession because he didn’t have any other family to go to. 

I don’t want to bore you with my description, so why don’t you get yourself onto Amazon and buy the 7 book set?  You won’t regret it!

 

By Abbigail

Basketball News

30th October 2019Miss A Kane

On Wednesday 16th October Roy Aneke, Raymond Aneke, Kurt Capuno and Chibuike Ojeli represented the academy very well at the Wolverhampton Schools Basketball Competition at St Peters. They performed very well and won three out of their four league games. This will see them through to the finals night which is provisionally scheduled for the 13th November. Well done gentlemen and keep up the good work. Mr Selvey.

Black History Month at St Edmund’s.

30th October 2019Miss A Kane

We were visited by Gazebo Theatre Company who delivered a workshop to our Year 11s to explore Black History Month. The focus of the dramatisation was focused on the Windrush Generation, their arrival in Britain through invitation by the British Government, their experiences of their new life in England compared to what they had been taught and the hardships and racism they faced in trying to find work, housing and opportunities.

Pupils spoke about racism in Britain in the 20th century and defining migration and immigration. Both actors spoke about their own experiences of being Black and British and the stories of their own successes and their families. Student’s were left with much more clear knowledge on migration to Britain in the 20th century and the positive impact on the Britain we live in today.

Parents and pupils drive environmental changes at St Edmund’s Catholic Academy 

14th October 2019Mrs D Curtis

In the last academic year, the Principal of St Edmund’s Catholic Academy was faced with a challenge. Staff, pupil, and parent groups have all met with Maggie Hazeldine to ask what St Edmund’s could do to become a more environmentally friendly community. 

 

Inspired by the work of Greta Thunberg,  the academy’s recycling and eco committees have been busy addressing this question. “Listening to parents and pupils I was horrified to realise that at lunch times we were throwing away 88,000 single use plastic food containers a year!” said the Principal.

 

Mrs Hall , the school’s  catering manager was quick to make a change by redesigning the lunches to return to reusable resources and the reduction in waste has been dramatic! Not only is the academy improving the environment but also encouraging a return to healthier eating, with delicious meals and less “takeaway” food. 

 

Mrs Hazeldine said, “ I am so proud of our students and their sense of social responsibility is to be commended. We have  further ideas to establish a swap shop and have also been nominated to receive 30 trees in collaboration with CGI (the multinational IT and Business Consultancy).  Once again this opportunity was driven by one of our parents who works for the company and we are delighted to support their mission to offset their carbon footprint.”

 

“Our Eco committee are now busy discussing  ways in which we can achieve our other goals of global citizenship as we work towards the final steps towards achieving the  Eco Schools Green Flag award.”

Super Mario Galaxy: A Review of My Personal Greatest Game of All Time By Olivier

14th October 2019Miss A Kane

You don’t care about my personal opinion. Actually, no one does, but since you’re still bothering to read this, why don’t you learn that this game is the one to beat them all?

Super Mario. You’ve seen him. You’ve heard of him. You’ve played him. And if you haven’t, you’ve either been dead for 50 years, or just don’t exist whatsoever. But thankfully, you’re neither of those things. 

Super Mario Galaxy. It’s only a month younger than me, and while that should be a downside, it really isn’t. This game has aged like good wine, with a 97/100 on Metacritic and a Metacritic Must Play badge, it really deserves the title of this review. 

So. Immediately, you might object to this game, and mostly because of the disgusting looking controls, but once you get used to them, they work like a dream. The game itself looks astonishing, with many galaxies to explore your socks off in and lots and lots of replay value. What I mean by that is that there is a lot of content that is unlocked after completing the game which makes you want to return to the game and carry on playing, even though it’s been completed. This is an important factor when reviewing games. 

Now, the game itself looks astounding, with many unique planets or “galaxies” to explore, the game’s colourful art makes it even better. And boy, don’t even get me started on the music. Oh BOY, the music is good. 

The music features an orchestral soundtrack, with realistically no computer input added to make it sound better, ironically making it sound EVEN better. The Super Mario Galaxy Orchestra did an astonishing job at creating just the perfect atmosphere for every planet. Club Nintendo had the soundtrack to purchase using points but you know, it shut down in 2016 so the only way to get it now is to SPEND £200 ON AMAZON so, if you genuinely are interested, then go ahead.

So, all in all, this game is great.

10/10 Legendary Game

University Visit for Design and Technology Students.

14th October 2019Miss A Kane

Friday 13th of September was an enjoyable day for Design and Technology students, who met a visitor who came to  to St Edmund’s to discuss University. 

The previous Student of St Edmund’s, Christina Montana,  gave an interesting speech about her work in University studying Architecture.  Her influential speech clearly showed students a range of ways to improve and also what to expect if preparing to take D&T for University. The unique but effective discussion clearly conveyed to students the importance of D&T and aspiring to achieve the highest grade. She also explained the different skills and techniques needed to impress universities that require portfolios.

Pictured are year 12’s: Zeeshan Iqbal, Akash Patel, Sam Emms, Emma Esedebe, and Hubert Wieczorek. All discussing the importance of working hard and thinking innovatively, and also getting an important lesson in how to improve their portfolios in their A-Level studies.