Whichever year you are in, and especially if you are a boy, you probably would have heard of testicular cancer. All jokes aside, this disease affects 1 in 450 usually between the ages of 15 and 45. Year 10s in particular have been given talks about this sensitive issue this week due to the fact that have just entered this age range.

Although one of the most curable cancers, it has been advised that all boys do check regularly to see whether they have any of the symptons from a backache to an ache in their adomen. Whilst many think that personal health will not be restored after treatment for this cancer, many famous sportsmen have managed to get back to what they love doing after therapy. Lance Armstrong, Tom Green and Jimmy White have all been affected medically by this cancer  but not mentally and if you read their biographies you will read that they all have managed to overcome it.

Here are a few websites you may want to visit to find out more about testicular cancer:

www.keepyoureyeontheball.org.uk

www.carpetestes.org

Breast Awareness and Cervical Screening

Mrs Mayes asked Helen Dyer the school nurse to talk to year 10 and 11 girls about breast awareness and cervical screening. She gave us information, statistics and risk factors. For example breasts don’t develop until puberty. Most girls breasts starts to develop at the age of 9 to 11. Some statistics made the girls think about how lucky they are. Some of the girls realised that 3 of the people in their sets could have breast cancer in the near future. They were also told that 80% of breast cancer occurs in women over the age of 50, and the risk increases with age. Another shock to their system was that 300 men each year will develop breast cancer.

What risk factors were there?
If 2 or more relatives in the family history had breast cancer, your chance increases, even more so if it was your mum or sister before the age of 50. One of the biggest shockers that the contraceptive pill increases your chance slightly but once you come off it your chance lowers again.

Helen Dyer was surprised by the reactions of some of the girls when given the facts. Many girls included themselves in the discussion. Helen tried to make it fun but still serious by trying to talk like a teenager. This made more girls contribute because they felt more comfortable. The PowerPoint and video showed what we need look out for and how to prevent it.  We would like to say thank you to Helen Dyer for making KS4 girls more aware of this subject.

Natasha Catchpole and Georgina Kidd-  Year 10

Healthy Eating Talk Review

Before Christmas, Mrs. Mayes arranged for all year 10 and 11 girls’ P.E groups to be visited by two nutritionist representatives from Great Yarmouth to advise us on healthy eating. Mrs. Mayes’ group was visited by Becky, who took us through each of the food groups and explained the best options for eating healthily. These food groups were: carbohydrates, fibre, fat, protein and dairy. As well as offering examples of foods from each group, she discussed the recommended daily intake and portion sizes. She also explained their benefits and uses; for example, the recommended daily intake for fruit and veg was 5 a day as they provide iron and vitamins such as vitamin C, which is useful for the growth of teeth and bones. The daily allowance for sweet foods was, at the most, one a day as they often contain a lot of fat and are not good for your teeth or heart. We were also told that we should not consume too much fat or calories as they can clog up our arteries and even lead to heart attacks. We were told that it is good to eat plenty of fibre as it is good for our digestive system. This includes foods such as bran. Carbohydrates are examples of starchy foods and included things like potatoes and pasta.

Towards the end of the session, we were set an exercise of putting certain foods into their food groups. As we left, we were given an information leaflet and a copy of the food group table to review. Overall, it was an extremely beneficial experience for everyone.

By Patrice Bunter and Becca Foister Year 10