College and Community

• Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
• Hills Road radio show
• The Phoenix newspaper
• Voluntary work
• Young Enterprise
• HR4.5

The HR4.5km provides you with an opportunity to get involved in planning one of the biggest whole college events. You will be working with a team of students and will be involved in organising the event from start to finish (April 17th July 2013). This annual event has been running since 2008, raising over £40,000 for charity and attracting over 500 staff and student runners each year. Planning such a big event will help you to develop an array of skills including, teamwork, marketing and presentation skills. From pitching to potential sponsors to setting up cake sales, you will be involved in every aspect of planning the event. You must be dedicated to ensuring the success of this event across the year and be committed to the tasks set to you as part of the team. Planning this event will be demanding but extremely rewarding when you see the run come together on the day.

• Badminton
• Basketball
• Cricket
• Football
• Hockey
• Netball
• Rowing
• Rugby

A large variety of musical activities are offered as part of the Enrichment programme. These activities are open to all students regardless of subjects studied. Some of the ensembles are auditioned and some are open to all:

• Chamber choir
• Chamber orchestra
• College choir
• Jazz choir
• Jazz orchestra
• Music technology
• Symphony orchestra
• Wind orchestra

Languages and other subjects

• Anthropology
• Architecture
• Biotechnology
• Chinese GCSE
• Current affairs
• Forensic science
• Investigating health and medicine
• Italian for beginners
• Italian GCSE
• Japanese for beginners
• Psychology
• Robotics

If you don’t want to take a language at AS or A level, a number of other opportunities are available to enable you to try a new one. Beginners courses in Italian, Japanese and Chinese are all offered in the programme.

• Aerobics
• Badminton/Squash/Table tennis
• Ceramics
• Cooking
• Dance
• Debating
• DJ skills
• Drama production
• Fashion
• Fashion photography
• Film studies
• First aid
• Five-a-side football
• Fitness
• Golf for beginners
• Sports Leadership
• Life drawing
• Life drawing
• Photography (chemical)
• Photography (digital)
• Playtime
• Rowing for beginners
• Social netball
• Stress management
• Technical theatre
• Tennis

There are numerous opportunities to play sport just for fun, e.g. fun five-a-side football, badminton and basketball tournaments.

Drama in the Robinson Theatre has always been one of the College’s strengths, where students can get involved both on stage and behind the scenes. Through the Enrichment programme, performers, directors and technicians will be offered many opportunities to develop their skills. Dedicated technical training is offered under the guidance of our staff theatre technicians. A team of student technicians runs the theatre and its up-to-date, computerised sound and lighting systems. Some students may involve themselves with the administration of the theatre, while others, normally in Year 13, may be offered the chance to direct their own production. Last year saw a range of productions, including:

• A staff-written and directed production To Avoid Precipice Cling to Rock (returning from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival)
• A student-devised lunch-time comedy production called Goon
• A staff-directed production of Kinder and Ebb’s brilliant musical Cabaret
• A student directed performance of a touching and playful monologue play for women Bombshells
• A staff-directed production of Shakespeare’s witty exploration of love Much Ado About Nothing
• A student-directed musical production of hilarious sketch-show musical I Love You You’re Perfect – Now Change!
• A student-composed and directed musical production of brand new show Take the Fast Train!
• A staff-directed production of of Tanya Ronder’s brilliant adaptation of D B C Pierre’s scabrously funny Vernon God Little
• A student-organised cabaret event called Have a Voice
• A brand new play, written and performed by students Stains
• Student-devised work performed at Junction Youth Arts event Jump

Hills Road’s experienced dance teachers run a weekly jazz technique class and a performance group called Up and Running. These offer a fun way of getting fit, staying fit and developing your creativity. The class will offer a regular session in which to learn new skills and develop existing ones. Up and Running will provide keen students with a chance to learn about choreography and with opportunities to perform on stage. In recent years we have performed at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, The Junction, The New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, and Jerwood Dance House Ipswich, and we have been backstage at Covent Garden. Music, dance and drama staff and students often work closely together. Examples of work this year include:

• Aspects of Africa – student choreography and repertoire
• Revelations - danced by Hills Road Students at the Holocaust Memorial Day event
• Anka’s ballet - composed by a Hills Road student, tells the story of Anka, who gave birth en route to a Nazi death camp – original student choreography.
• Showcase of student and staff choreography and performance.

Hills Road offers a jazz technique class, open to all students, which provides general conditioning as well as routines. The class offers a regular session in which to learn new skills and develop existing ones. Students participate in dance performances whenever opportunities arise, including evenings of dance in the Robinson Theatre as well as other events. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the College facilities and often use them for extra technique and choreography sessions, as well as performances. This year students have performed in Moving On - a whole evening of dance; Dancing On – practical exam presentations, and have appeared at the Cambridge Corn Exchange at the Holocaust memorial event, as well as at various College events such as the fashion show.