Cafod’s Harvest Fast on Friday 2^nd October saw over 150 Hagley Catholic High School pupils reaching out to those in need by going without a full meal and making do with a simple lunch of soup and a roll. The lunch was organised and run by the Sixth Form Lourdes group, with 20 Year 12 and Year 13 students working together to set up the lunch area and serve the soup. Although tickets had been sold in advance, many pupils arrived to pay on the door. The Sixth Form were soon overwhelmed by the demand and within 15 minutes had given out 136 bread rolls. Tomato proved to be by far the most popular choice, followed by chicken and then vegetable. The lunch was strongly supported by staff of the school and there was a good balance of pupils from every year group. In accordance with the school’s Green Flag status, all soup cans and paper table cloths were recycled. Overall organiser of the event, Deputy Head Mr.F.Mohan, commented “There was a great atmosphere and we were delighted with the response. This is a well-established event on our school calendar, but Friday was by far our most successful Hunger Lunch for years. We are now looking forward to doing even better at the Lenten Fast Day in March 2010, when Cafod will be celebrating its 50^th Anniversary.”

International links at Hagley were given a boost on Thursday 1^st October when the Eco Schools Committee hosted a visit from Carlos Arturo from Colombia’s ‘Ministry for Children’ charity. Psychology graduate Carlos told a packed Sixth Form Study Centre about his work with the poor inhabitants of the Colombian barrios. ‘El Comedor’  or ‘The Dining Room’ feeds 120 deprived Primary School-age children daily, spending £2.50 to provide a child with healthy meals for a week. Carlos spoke entirely in Spanish, with Fruto del Espiritu founder Rutie Stranack translating. Rutie, a long-standing friend of Hagley, together with Hagley Everjuice directors James Guy, Katie Warr and Aidan Goundry, presented Carlos with 120 friendship bracelets made in the colours of the Colombian flag by Hagley Sixth Formers. The bracelets, which had been blessed at Mass by Fr.Cecil, symbolised the solidarity between the pupils of Hagley and ‘Los Niňos’ of Colombia. During the afternoon 64 Year 7 pupils enjoyed hearing Carlos’  life story and learning about daily life for the poor of Colombia. As well as learning a good number of Spanish words and phrases, they were able to pray with Carlos and teach him the Prayer to St.Nicholas Owen.  You can learn more about the work El Comedor at www.inministrytochildren.org

Smart suits and new summer dresses were the order of the day as Hagley’s Year 12 students brought their academic year to a close with a special summer garden party. Organised by the Sixth Form Committee, the party featured Capriccio, a Worcestershire-based String Quartet with a national reputation for excellence. Refreshing drinks were provided by Everjuice, Hagley’s own Columbian fruit juice project, run by enterprising Sixth Formers James Guy and Katie Warr. Strawberries and cream provided the final touch to make this a perfect English summer event. The garden party was attended by Miss Evans and the Committee took the opportunity to make a presentation to her in recognition of her many years of service to the Sixth Form, as well as to the school as a whole. The afternoon finished with a group photo in the Sixth Form Memorial Garden.