Academics
WPS provides after-school and extracurricular activities, including rock climbing and sailing. Sixth form student Justin Visser recently won the 2005 29er Youth World Championship for sailing in San Francisco. The school produces a musical every year: recent shows include Hairspray (February 2012) Kiss Me Kate (2011) Beauty and the Beast (2010), Guys and Dolls (2009), South Pacific (2008) Bugsy Malone (2007),Grease (2006), Sweeney Todd (2005), Little Shop of Horrors (2004) and West Side Story (2003). Other arts connections include holding an annual Sixth Form fashion show in aid of charity, hosting the Oxford branch of Sands Theatre Arts School and hosting an annual film festival. The school consistently achieves art A-level results within the top 5 in the country. In 2010 GCSE results were their highest ever with 59% receiving at least 5 A*-Cs.
The school prides itself on the number of foreign trips it offers including annual excursions to Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Popular trips also include those to Russia, China, Iceland and the US. Wheatley Park also participates in the World Challenge programme - in July 2010, a team went to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Previous destinations include Vietnam, Morocco, Brazil, Tanzania and Peru.
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Famous quotes containing the word academics:
“Our first line of defense in raising children with values is modeling good behavior ourselves. This is critical. How will our kids learn tolerance for others if our hearts are filled with hate? Learn compassion if we are indifferent? Perceive academics as important if soccer practice is a higher priority than homework?”
—Fred G. Gosman (20th century)
“Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with a vested interest in stressing only some of the implications and falsifying others. The idea that academics should remain “above the fray” only gives ideologues license to misuse our work.”
—Stephanie Coontz (b. 1944)