During the last week of February, a group of students from Aquinas and
Emmanuel took part in a retreat at the Kintbury retreat house. Along with
students from St Charles 6thform, they spent 3 days examining who
they were as a person, searching deep their own relationship with God
surrounded by the beautifully picturesque Berkshire countryside. Hosted and
facilitated by the excellent Kintbury volunteers, the students had a truly
fantastic experience. As one attendee said
“I think it was amazing. It was a chance to relax and take a break from
your life outside of the retreat. It gave me an opportunity to make friends and
meet amazing people.“
Last Thursday a group of CTK English Literature students went to
see Tony Kushner’s musical masterpiece ‘Caroline, Or Change’. It tells
the story of Caroline, a black maid struggling to provide for her family on her
wage of $30.
She has developed a hardened persona due to the adversities she
has faced and this is reflected in the refrain that runs throughout the show
‘and I am mean, and I am tough, but $30 ain’t enough.’ Caroline works
long hours in the basement tending to the needs of a wealthy Jewish household
and, despite her hard exterior, the young boy in the family befriends
her. Taking pity on Caroline, he leaves loose change in his pockets in
the hope that she will take it to enable her to look after her family.
This poses a dilemma for the protagonist, what is more important: her pride or
feeding her children?
Our students were engrossed in the production and it really
enabled them to see how to analyse plays in performance (which is a requirement
of component 1 of their A Level). The motif of change running through the
play was intriguing: the literal change left in the boy’s pockets and the rapid
societal change that was happening in 1960s America, which was causing Caroline
to feel left behind. Indeed, A Level English Literature student Funmi
found the context fascinating, she said the musical: ‘gave [her] an insight
into the lives of people of different races and how the death of John F.
Kennedy affected people in America at the time’. Another student Natasha
really focused on the staging and she said the director used ‘clever stage
positioning to show the class differences between the characters.’
Nadirah commented that the show was ‘vibrant and highly enjoyable’ and whilst the subject matter was serious, there were also moments of humour. This was largely down to the magical realism of the piece; the singing washing machine in particular was an excellent vehicle for providing a commentary on Caroline’s life and internal thoughts. It was great to catch ‘Caroline, Or Change’ at the end of its West End run and we are already looking forward to our next theatre trip!
Trevor AQUINASProgressed to: University of LancasterCourse: A Level Business, ICT and English Language and Literature
“My tutors at CTK were fundamental in my academic success. They were always approachable and willing to go the extra mile. I enjoyed taking part in extracurricular activities, including leading the sixth form band and being Director of the Business Enterprise Group, Student Governor and Student Head of Hall. ”
BradleyAQUINASProgressed to: University of NottinghamCourse: A Levels Maths A*, Physics A* and Chemistry A*
“At Christ the King I discovered I was resilient. My teachers really pushed me to be my best, I am in their debt, thank you for believing in me.”
RoseAQUINASProgressed to: The University of WarwickCourse: A Level History A, Politics A, Sociology A*
“CTK was a great environment for me to learn in. I’ve really enjoyed the teaching – all my teachers have been encouraging and supportive. They put in the extra time to help with workshops and revision to ensure we did well.”
OwenAQUINASProgressed to: Royal Holloway UniversityCourse: A Level Maths A, Psychology B and Biology A
“I would recommend coming to CTK as the level of support offered by the subject teachers is exceptionally good. The best thing about CTK is being part of the friendliest group of students I've ever met. I'm applying to Oxford to study Psychology. ”
EsosaAQUINASProgressed to: De Montfort UniversityCourse: A Level Biology, Chemistry and Maths
“My form tutor at CTK was exceptionally supportive every day. I value the freedom and independence of controlling my own learning, staying motivated whilst also having fun. The and people and sense of community provide a great environment. I have enjoyed extra opportunities such as joining summer schools and widening participation programs and becoming a student governor. I received lots of help from the careers guidance counsellor to help me realise what I want to do after sixth form.
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