Friday Headlines
the weekly newsletter from EHS
The Magic and Maths of Disneyland
27 October 2023
On Tuesday 17 October, Year 10 were lucky enough to visit the wonderful city of Paris! After an extremely early alarm and a 5am arrival at EHS, our suitcases were loaded and we were ready to go. With Mr Rees on the microphone giving us his hilarious "Bing Bong" updates we knew we were in for a wonderful time. Many snacks were consumed, service stations visited and after a very long day of travelling we arrived at our hotel. The first fun was being treated to a trip bowling, where we had a competitive evening playing against each other. The teachers had an exciting evening too, playing pool and Mrs Lambert even got a selfie alongside the England Rugby Captain, Owen Farrell.
Everyone was looking forward to our day out in the city of Paris on Wednesday. We first went to breakfast and stuffed our faces with pastries, pancakes, sausages and of course pain au chocolat. On the way to Cite des Sciences, we snapped different sights across Paris and began to read up and research our Maths project. Every group having a different mathematical puzzle to complete. Our coach sadly lost a wing mirror due to the busy French crossroads and spent the rest of the day being repaired. However, resilient as ever, a new plan was created by Mrs Norman and Mrs Newling and we still had an amazing day, just now enjoying the experience of travelling spontaneously by Metro too.
At the Cite des Sciences, we went to the maths section where we learnt all about Pythagoras Theorem, regular and irregular polyhedrons, how maps were made and many more interesting topics. Everyone in Year 10 was delighted when we found a Burger King and McDonald’s nearby for a well-deserved lunch afterwards. In the rain we walked and navigated ourselves to the metro, seeing the Eiffel Tower "en route" and we eventually arrived at the Bateaux Mouche River Cruise. Even though we were all a bit soggy, we thoroughly enjoyed the sightseeing hour all around Paris and we all got beautiful pictures from the river cruise, seeing amazing architectural designs along the way.
Later that evening we enjoyed a traditional French dinner at the Monte Carlo restaurant and then made our way to the Montparnasse Tower. A huge, high skyscraper, where we were lucky enough to see the whole of Paris’ skyline and the Eiffel Tower twinkling with the 9 o'clock nightly switch on. This was simply "fantastique!"
The next two days were spent exploring the magic of Disneyland and going on as many rollercoaster rides as possible. Whether we liked the thrills of Big Thunder Mountain or
the fantasy of Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy
Ratati there really was something for everyone to enjoy. We watched Disney Halloween parades all day long, ventured into the Mickey Magic Show and lots of us, including Mr
Stopps, voluntarily flung ourselves upside down and back to front on the scariest, adrenaline-fuelled rides. Some of us even choose to fall 223ft out of the sky on the Tower
of Terror. A particularly funny moment was watching Miss O’Hare and Mrs Lee scream their heads off on Big Thunder Mountain – sorry, but we found this hilarious!
If that wasn't busy enough, we then went and shopped until we dropped at Val D’Europe, not once but twice! We practised our French, with a little help from Mrs Harpwood, speaking to the staff in all of the shops and designer outlets, spending a fortune in Sephora and Starbucks. Miss Stephenson and Miss Wood also gave us great shopping advice about the best places to go. We stocked up on snacks via a French hypermarket, enjoying some more unusual treats and French delicacies. Our final night in Paris was spent watching the Halloween firework and lights show in Cinderella's castle in Disney Land which was absolutely stunning. It was also probably the quietest we have been all trip as we sat in awe of the mesmerising display.
Thank you Mrs Newling for arranging this absolutely amazing trip for all of us and for giving us the opportunity to create memories with our friends that will last a lifetime. Thank you to all the other staff who took us to Paris: Mrs Lambert, Miss O’Hare, Mrs Lee, Mr Rees, Mr Stopps, Miss Wood, Miss Stephenson, Mrs Norman and Mrs Harpwood.
And finally a big thank you to the coach drivers, Harry and Ben, that took us to France and back - we hope you can forgive our singing!
Written by Holly Willson and Niamh Crosbie
The Magic and Maths of Disneyland
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