Another one captured for posterity!
After all the snow, I am pleased to finally be able to welcome students and staff back to Furness Academy. We've made a great start to 2010 by choosing the new names for our four houses. Students from across the Academy were involved in the decision-making process, which will see us replace the names Blue, Green, Yellow and Red with Armstrong, Kennedy, Ramsden and Tomlinson.
I am pleased that the students have chosen four truly inspiring figures as house namesakes. Ramsden House, named after one of the founders of Barrow-in-Furness, celebrates the pride that our students have in their hometown. Award winning cyclist Lance Armstrong and athlete Jane Tomlinson have been honoured with houses named after them, recognising the students' keen interest in sport and our status as a specialist sports centre.
It makes me very proud to see the students take it upon themselves to raise money for the charities Jane's Appeal, founded by Tomlinson, and DEBRA, the skin charity that Jonny Kennedy supported in his lifetime. Students were particularly moved by Kennedy's brave battle with skin cancer, and will also name a house in his honour.
The names of Ramsden, Armstrong, Tomlinson and Kennedy embody the qualities that we value at Furness Academy, namely bravery in the face of adversity and an emphasis on kindness and benevolence. They also contribute to our community spirit and the development of a strong identity for Furness Academy.
I wish all of our staff and students the best of luck for the term ahead, especially in their thoughtful charitable endeavours.
Mr. Blackledge
Enough of the propaganda Dougie, when can we expect any form of communication. Not everybody gets the Evening Mail especially after its lacklustre efforts with regard to FA. Totally one-sided and laden with lies.
Uncle fester truly has the ability to string together an over long collection of words to say exactly nothing. Strength in the face of adversity is a quality needed by the leadership team never more so than right now!
What I would like to know is why the naming of the houses is far more important to Mr Blackledge than the introduction of a new item of uniform clothing and especially the impact this expensive but boring grey woolly pully will have on the business community who cannot help but congratulate Mr Blackledge whenever he is on their premises, which is more often than most people in Barrow realise due to the Evening Mails lack of objective reporting, on getting the children of the Academy looking smart even when they have been excluded for the day!
See it's not hard to come up with a "great message" is it?
Is he taking the pee?
"an emphasis on kindness and benevolence"
Of course benevolence!! how else is he going to spend his £2596 per week!!!!!!
Oh and mrs aveyards salary too! I nearly forgot, silly me.
Is Mr Blackledge a card carrying Labour Party member by any chance or does he follow their mantra simply for the money it brings in?
House systems are idiotic in the extreme because all they do is create a pretence of competition within the school. Most kids simply take no notice in my experience.