A school community, about to close its doors on one chapter and begin an exciting new one, is asking people to share their memories.
In December 2011, Moorside Community Technology College will close its doors to students and staff for the last time with The Consett Academy opening in January, a merger between Moorside and Consett Community Sports College.
Moorside Secondary Modern School opened its doors in 1959 to new students, under the headship of Mr W Ellison. Through the years the school has remained on its current site, on Dunelm Road in Moorside, Consett – although it has been a Comprehensive School, Community School and Community Technology College since those early days.
Staff and students are planning a series of events celebrating the life of the school, and are seeking help from ex staff members, students, former governors and anyone else who has memories of Moorside they’d like to share.
Linda Rodham, acting headteacher, said: “We need to look back on the history of the school, the students and the staff, to remember the thousands of people who have come through the doors at Moorside.
“We’re really eager to get as much detail as we can about the early life of the school, and to celebrate in style with events for alumni and current students alike.”
“If you can help with photographs, reports, news stories, or memories you are willing to share to help us create an exhibition remembering the life of our school, we’d love to hear from you.
“And if you know any of our alumni who have travelled to far flung parts of the world, we’d love to hear from them too.”
Elaine Robinson (01207 507001) and Lindsey Bell (01207 588440) are working on the project and members of the public are invited to contact them with anything of interest.
A Medal for Stacey!
One of our year 9 students was a medal winner in a national athletics competition.
Stacey Gibson made it to the Nationwide Junior Athletics Championships in Blackpool on July 9th. She is an accomplished all rounder in athletics and has competed in throwing , jumping and running events up to county and regional level. However, Stacey excels in the 100 metres and it is in this event that she raced in Blackpool and was delighted to receive a bronze medal.
Her journey of success started when Stacey went along to the Derwentside District Disabled Athletics Talent Identification Day and she hasn’t looked back since then.
Moorside’s School Sports Co-ordinator, Ailsa Johnson, has been a key figure in Stacey’s sporting career. She is justifiably proud of what Stacey has achieved:
“Stacey Gibson has always been a keen participant in PE since she started MCTC in year 7. There has not been one lesson in her time here that she has brought a note excusing her from taking part. The college is so proud of her achievements and it is all due to her determination. Stacey is an inspiration to everyone.”
Excellence in ICT: An Award for Moorside
Moorside has received a prestigious award in recognition of its excellent use of new technology.
An important event in the regional education calendar is the Northern Grid ICT in Education Awards Ceremony. On Thursday June 23rd a group of staff and students was invited to attend this glittering event at the five star Gosforth Park Hotel. To great acclaim, the Moorside contingent was called up to the stage to receive a special award for Excellence in Embedding Learning Platforms – richly deserved recognition for our ground breaking virtual learning environment or VLE.
Headteacher, Jonathan Morris, who leaves Moorside this term, is delighted with this very welcome accolade:
“Winning this award marks the culmination of several years of ICT development at Moorside. For us, using new technology is all about making learning easier, more flexible and much more exciting. Our students have 24/7 access to an incredibly rich variety of resources and activities on our virtual learning environment. They tell us that it makes them more independent and more keen to study in their own time. Not only that but it has vastly improved communication and brought our school community closer together. Our state of the art parental portal is a prime example of that. I'd like to dedicate our award to our innovative and hard working staff who have made the VLE our own under the inspirational leadership of Jeff Wilson, Director of ICT Systems.“
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