Last updated at 19:17, Thursday, 19 November 2009

BARROW'S new secondary school has reached another milestone by selecting its first Head Boys an Head Girls for its two sites.
Furness Academy's student heads told reporter NATALIE CHAPPLES about their new roles

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FURNESS Academy’s first Head Boys and Head Girls say they are determined to make strong links between students and staff and show the community what their school has to offer.

Barrow’s new secondary school opened this term, replacing the former Thorncliffe, Parkview and Alfred Barrow schools.

The academy has just chosen four student heads for the 1,800-pupil school Rogan Devlin and Catherine Higgins have been appointed Head Boy and Head Girl of Furness Academy North Site, which was previously Thorncliffe School.

Alex Danson and Nyomi Woodend have taken up the same positions of responsibility at Furness Academy South Site, which was previously Parkview School.

The student ambassadors went through a rigorous selection process. After putting themselves forward the school’s prefects voted for who they felt were the best candidates.

The 12 shortlisted students were then interviewed by the academy’s Executive Leadership Team of Douglas Blackledge, the principal and chief executive, Kevin Gill,vice principal of school improvement and head of North Site, and Gordon Wilson, vice principal of school organisation and head of South Site.

The students heads are expected to form a vital link between the students, staff and the community.

They will have a number of responsibilities including leading the academy’s soon to be formed student council and they will represent the students at key academy events and meetings.

Rogan, 15, said he is really pleased after also being Thorncliffe’s last Head Boy.

He said: “It’s a privileged position, it’s not a given. It makes you realise all your hard work has paid off.

“I felt I wanted to have may chance to learn new things. My brother Blaine was the Head Boy at Thorncliffe and he said he got a lot out of it.

“I wanted to get that experience and the skills, And to work with people of all ages.”

Rogan hopes he can have an impact, he said: “I would like to make a bridge way between students and staff, and also bring the three predecessor schools together into more of a community and make them feel as one academy rather than three schools.”

Rogan said before the school opened there was negativity, but he said: “Once students got here they thought it’s not that bad, and some areas are actually better. There are more people, with more ideas.”

The Head Boy said people were worried about the new Year 11 group’s GCSE courses.

“I’ve still got the same teachers and I’m on the same courses,” he said.

He also approves of the uniform,“We feel a lot more grown up in these uniforms,” he said.

Catherine, 16, said: “I feel proud and lucky to have been the last Head Girl of Thorncliffe and the first Head Girl of Furness Academy North Site. It’s a privilege. I felt really pleased when I found out. I want to make my mum and dad proud.”

Catherine believes in a strong student voice, she said: “I believe everyone has an equal view and with a student body we will put those views across.

We will be there to support each other.

“The academy is new and some people are not aware of what goes on.

It has had some bad press and some people had a bad opinion of the school.

We want people to see pupils are doing well and being heard.

I play on the netball team. One of the best things is we can socialise with new people. For me the academy somewhere you want to be.”

Alex , 15, said, he was ecstatic and shocked when he got the role.

He said: “There is an obvious sense of pride.

“In the past I have seen previous Head Boys and they came across as caring and talent individuals and good role models.

“It helped that the other candidates were friends. I would have been happy for them if they had got this role.”

Alex said the new school has a “buzz”. He feels he wants to be approachable to all students, help create a community feel, and help build the reputation of the new school.

He said: “In my role I would like to ideally achieve a definite relationship between staff and students, as well as myself and the other students clearly purveying an aura of approachability so anyone who would like to talk to me about any issue can approach me and then I can go to the respective staff, question them and ideally sort out students problems.”

Alex recently led an Armistice Day assembly for Year Eight students, which gave students an opportunity to meet him.

Nyomi, 16 was equally pleased with her role. She said: “I feel very proud.

“It was a tough competition. I felt the others had so many qualities.

“I’d been a leading student and a buddy (at Parkview) and I wanted to take on the bigger role. I want to represent the other students.”

Nyomi said: “One thing I would like to achieve in the future is to get the student voice across and just make the school even better, improve it even more, and show the community how good Furness Academy is.”

The Head Girl said the students are gelling well.

She said: “We (Furness Academy) are the county netball champions. It shows we are bringing the best of each of the old schools together to be the best.

“I really like it here. It’s going so well. It has gone from a negative to a positive.”

She added: “I think all the students look really smart.”

Mr Blackledge, said: “Congratulations to the four students who have been chosen as our senior prefects. Their role, as student champions and key representatives within the community, is an important one that helps to shape the identity and personality of the Academy.

“The selection process was purposefully tough as these students now hold a very privileged position but each of them rose to the challenge and performed brilliantly.

“I look forward to seeing the positive contributions that Rogan, Catherine, Alex and Nyomi make to the Academy over the coming year.”

First published at 12:57, Thursday, 19 November 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk