Beyond Vision Exhibition by Sharon Wyper

Beyond Vision is a new exhibition of paintings by Sharon Wyper – who teaches Art at the Sixth Form.

Previously shown at British Association of Science festival in Liverpool, city of culture, the work is now being shown in Oxfordshire for the first time.

Concerned with seeking what is 'beyond', Sharon's work engages with subjects such as the cosmos beyond the clouds, the molecular world beyond that which we can see with our eyes, and the spiritual beyond the physical:

'In my sky paintings I show stars that would not normally be visible in the daylight. I use star maps for precise locations and times that correspond to the making of a particular piece of work so that the painting is also a record of the painting’s history. For me the sky’s layers are metaphors for revelation and for the constancy of a Divine light that appears through a turbulent world of flux.'

As well as teaching at d'Overbroeck's, Sharon is artist in residence at Diamond Light Source – the UK's newly-build synchrotron (a particle accelerator, and the country's biggest investment in science for more than 40 years).


Sharon Wyper's website

Dates: Wednesday 3 December to Wednesday 17 December
Location: The O6 Gallery, John Mason School, Abingdon, Oxon. OX14 1JB
Opening hours: 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday

d'Overbroeck's Staff Contribute to New Educational Software

The European Space Agency (ESA) recently released Spaceflight Challenge 1 – a 3D teaching tool for classroom use. Students work their way through several mission scenarios inside and outside the International Space Station, completing computer-based exercises related to the European curricula. Read more on the ESA website.

d'Overbroeck's Head of Chemistry Max Parsonage worked as a consultant in the development of the software, assisting in the design and construction of the educational components. He also designed many of the activities, and wrote or edited the text.

Also involved were Chris Carter (Maths) and Adam Johnstone (Biology).

The software has been translated into 12 languages, and is available to schools in all EU member countries.

Insight into dyslexia

Last week, Professor John Stein of Oxford University gave d'Overbroeck's staff a fascinating insight into his ongoing research into dyslexia. From tinted glasses to oily fish, Professor Stein told us about methods by which the condition may be addressed.

Professor Stein is a Professor or Neurophysiology at Magdalen College, Oxford, and is a leading expert on the neurobiological basis of dyslexia – having set up with Dr Sue Fowler the university's Dyslexia Research Trust.

Staff learnt about a number of pioneering diagnostic tests and treatments. Professor Stein's research compellingly suggests that visual treatments (such as the use of tinted spectacles) and dietary supplements (omega-3) may convey an enormous benefit to many dyslexic individuals.

Inspiration from record-breaking rower

Sixth Form students learnt on Thursday afternoon that there could no longer be a valid excuse for late homework other than near death – and perhaps not even that – after listening to the extraordinary story of Stuart Boreham and the obstacles he has overcome.

When Stuart was 20 months old he had not yet taken a single step. His parents took him to doctors to find out what was wrong. The doctors wrote in his medical records: 'Stuart refuses to walk'.

In fact, Stuart wasn't refusing to walk; he couldn't. He has cerebral palsy, a condition where messages from the brain do not communicate properly with muscles in, for instance, the legs.

As an adult, Stuart watched a Norwegian orthopaedic surgeon land at the end of a long-distance rowing race, and said, aloud: 'I think I'll row across an ocean.' The surgeon listened to his story, and to the details of his disability, and said, 'Forget it, you'll never manage.'

The fact that Stuart overcame not just these but other numerous difficulties and obstacles in his way, to achieve the extraordinary things he has, is an inspiration in itself. In a very understated way he told our lower sixth students about the hardships he faced as he rowed solo, unassisted and unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean – the first ever disabled person to row solo across an ocean.

Five and a half weeks without seeing a single sign of human life, five days and nights of tempestuous weather, and lips so blistered from the sun he had to wake himself every 10 minutes to smear vaseline on them to prevent their sticking together: none of this was enough to make Stuart give up.

One of Stuart's many mottos in life is: 'When an opportunity comes up, grab it; it may not come again.' We are glad to have grabbed the opportunity to hear Stuart come to speak, and hope he inspired our students to grab whatever opportunities come their way – including the opportunity to get their homework in on time!

Former student shares secrets of business success

Entrepreneur – and former d'Overbroeck's student – Claire Watt-Smith spoke to Sixth Form Business Studies students, yesterday. Claire's company, BoBelle, is an online retailer of fair trade fashion, babywear and gifts, with an emphasis on sustainability and ethical sourcing.

Claire spoke about the rewards – and the challenges – of entrepreneurship, as well as the strategies and tactics she adopted in the running and promotion of BoBelle. From 5am rises and haggling with traffic wardens to negotiating with billionaire businessman Philip Green, she gave an insight into the life of the small business owner.

Having studied A levels in Business Studies, Communication Studies and French, Claire has found herself using many of the skills she developed while at d'Overbroeck's – whether in budgeting, PR or international trade shows.

What does Claire feel was the most valuable legacy of her Sixth Form?

"Confidence, definitely. Having that belief in myself. And also self-reliance and discipline: not doing things because you're told to, but under your own steam. d'Overbroeck's started that spirit. If you turned up to a class late, you didn't get in – so you learnt to manage your time effectively and motivate yourself."

Outstanding exam performances: 12 top-ten results

Twelve d'Overbroeck's College students achieved the remarkable feat of ranking within the top ten marks nationwide in this year's exams.

Particularly impressive is the fact that three d'Overbroeck's students ranked amongst the top ten for AS Mathematics, and two for AS Politics.

Many congratulations to all these students on their fantastic acheivement. The full list of top-ten achievers follows.

• Piang Phanprasit
  Top 10 of 3380 in A2 Politics
• Boris Yarutskyy, Anastasia Colesnicenco and Aziza Dossumova
  Top 10 of 549 in AS Russian
• Song Wei, Val Saksornchai and Hanying Tang
  Top 10 of 33784 in AS Maths
• Chantawit Tantasith and Duangporn Darongsuwan
  Top 10 of 9846 in AS Politics
• Melvin John
  Top 10 of 19 in IGCSE German
• Ke Xin Zhang
  Top 10 of 2250 in GCSE Chinese
• Anna Sokolva
  Top 10 of 1922 in GCSE Russian

5 A's - and Japanese from scratch ...

Ali Mitchell left d'Overbroeck's this year, having gained five A's at A level – in Classical Greek, French, History, Japanese and Spanish. We caught up with Ali shortly after he received these results.

What are your plans for next year?
I'm planning to spend September to December in Paris – perfecting my French – and, with luck, December will be occupied with an Oxford interview (fingers crossed). I've been invited to spend some time in Australia in 2009, and I'd also like to go to Japan again, to put into practice what I've spent three years studying.

Tell us more about Japanese. How did you come to be learning it?
It all started with a dispute with a friend. We were watching a film, and I felt that the subtitles weren't accurate. My friend dismissively said, "Yeah, but what can you do about it? It's impossible for foreigners to learn Japanese".

... So I bought some CDs – and finding that I enjoyed it, sought out a real teacher. I eventually decided that I liked Japanese enough to do it to A-level, so I did GCSE in my own time allowing me to do the full As and A2 at d'Overbroeck's.

You studied an unusual selection of subjects at A level. Which did you enjoy most?
It's hard to say – I enjoyed all very much. If you twist my arm, I'll probably say Latin and Greek (although technically separate, they're really educational siamese twins). Setting aside the languages themselves, these two cultures are fascinating: they're simultaneously very different from and very similar to modern European cultures. What's more, without the Greeks and Romans, Europe – and the rest of the world that it influenced – would be unrecognisably different.