6102 MRET GNIRPS
fitzgerald fortiores qua feminiae
Edited by Ellie Rushforth
House Reports Despite being a very short term, the girls have excelled in a wide range of activities and every single member of the House has remained positive. There has been a wonderful sense of well-being in Fitz, and as always, the girls have spontaneously supported one another or gone the extra mile to look out for anyone in need of a kind word. It is heartening that very little goes unnoticed and that any amount of worry or unhappiness is brought to our attention, often by girls who have simply noticed that someone might be a bit below par. Smiling faces and a lot of laughter is a hallmark of the House and I commend the girls on the way they conduct themselves every single day. Articles written by the pupils in this newsletter cover the amazing successes that Fitz girls have achieved and we celebrate their hard work, their commitment and their sheer enjoyment of everything they do. One of the highlights of the term has to be the Fitz House Concert which provided an evening of entertainment and humour and gave an opportunity to some of those pupils who do not participate in competitive sporting activities, to showcase their talents. These included singing, dancing, music making, a Mamma Mia tribute and a quiz. The annual tombola and cake sale, which was incredibly generously supported by parents and pupils, provided us with a fantastic sum of £440 which was donated to the Keech Hospice. Of course, the all-important academic rigour continues throughout the year with Fitz girls working hard; across the board high standards have been maintained. University offers and mock exams and results have dominated many conversations but I can confidently say that all the Sixth Formers are delighted with their university offers. I wish all the girls, their parents and staff a very happy Easter and a relaxing and well deserved holiday. BARBARA MURRAY Housemistress
This Spring Term we were busier than ever. With the House Concert to organise, the pressure was on to keep the standard high. Thanks to Beth and Abbey Farrow, we were able to motivate the Fitz girls to get involved to raise as much money as possible for Keech Hospice, in aid of children with life-threatening illnesses. As usual, the girls stepped up to participate and helped me put on a fantastic show, raising over £400 on the night! To our great excitement, this year’s school play was Les Misérables and as per usual there were many Fitz girls who auditioned and who were given leading roles. A huge amount of hours were spent at rehearsals and their hard work certainly paid off, as the play was a huge success. Well done to all girls who took part and those who supported their friends. Mocks were sat and the Fitz girls achieved very pleasing results across the board, which I hope will give them confidence for the exams ahead in the Summer Term. As for myself, this term has been the most challenging since I started Sixth Form. However, with the overall morale and support the girls have given me, I feel we have become a great team. I look forward to seeing how we fare in the House competitions as it would be a great end to the term. EVE HOLDER Head of House
ACADEMIC ACADEMIC NEWS NEWS Maths
Oxbridge Conference
Culford’s senior maths team competed in the national final of the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust senior team maths challenge in London, placing within the top 25 in the UK.
On Tuesday the 15th of March, a group of 6th Form pupils headed to Edgbaston near Birmingham to attend a conference, which entailed a series of talks about the courses available at Oxford and Cambridge universities, as well as the application processes and potential career paths.
Siqi Fang (U6), Riana Harvey (U6), Chloe Xu (L6) and Alex Zheng (L6) battled to reach the final becoming regional champions at the end of last year. This term, they have all practiced hard alongside their studies, anticipating a greater level of competition at the final. 86 teams competed, some from much larger schools than Culford, but the team was strong and placed well, and emerged as one of the top 25 teams in the country.
All of the pupils found the specific subject talks extremely helpful, particularly those who are aiming to apply for courses at these prestigious universities next year. Examples of subject talks attended were Economics, Human, Social and Political Sciences, Medicine and Engineering. The students from both Cambridge and Oxford were friendly, approachable and happy to answer any questions that we had about any aspect of university life. The event was attended by thousands of year 12 students from around the country who are considering applying to Oxbridge for 2017 entry. Mrs Byrne, who also attended the event added:
Dr O’ Riordan, Assistant Head of Mathematics, said:
“This is an impressive performance of which the pupils can be justly proud and, as importantly, the team really enjoyed the experience and had a great time in London!”
"Despite the early start and the long minibus journey, Mr Tomalin and I both found the conference especially helpful this year, as we get used to the new A levels. We listened with interest to the new advice being given by the Oxbridge admissions directors and we are delighted that the pupils found it a worthwhile event. " We would like to thank Mr Tomalin and Mrs Byrne for organizing and attending this trip.
Ellie Rushforth
HOUSE CONCERT On Friday 29th January we hosted our annual House Concert in the Studio Theatre. The evening began with a bumper cake sale and tombola with a fantastic top prize: the chance to win a flight, donated by parent Mr Simmons. This was followed by an action packed concert including two beautiful songs from the musical Wicked sang by Scarlet Simmons (U6) and Sophie Jamil (U6), a brightly-coloured Abba tribute from U5, Bollywood dancing with an element of participation which was thoroughly enjoyed by the whole audience, a stunning solo dance from Tash Desmond (L6) and some entertaining videos, including the Dub Smash contribution from the new 4th Form who all had a great time at their first House concert!
Hannah Mayhew, Assistant Housemistress in Fitzgerald, said: “We have raised a wonderful £440 for Keech. It was a great team effort from the whole House, and one of the best House Concerts I have ever attended.” This year was a particularly poignant occasion, as the chosen charity to raise money for is very close to the girls’ hearts. Two Fitzgeraldians sadly lost a young family member recently, and Fitz decided to raise money for the hospice that helped: Keech Hospice Care in Luton, which supports patients with terminal and life-limiting conditions. Thank you very much to everyone that came along to support the hospice and all the performers.
Les MisĂŠrables DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?
This year Culford pulled off an incredible performance of Les MisĂŠrables. The cast was rich with Fitzgerald girls, including Sophie Jamil who played Cosette beautifully, Megan Richardson in Fourth Form shone as Little Cosette, Anna Sutton was hilarious as Madame Thenardier and Scarlet Simmons brought the audience to tears as Fantine.
Huge amounts of fun was had by all involved, and it will be hugely missed.
The whole cast and crew really out did themselves, and members of the audience described it as 'the best rendition of Les Mis they had ever seen!' Many of those who came to see the musical left Centenary Hall with tears in their eyes, which is testament to the stunning performances of everyone in the cast.
We would all like to say a massive thank you to Miss Jackson and Heidi for allowing the production to become a reality, and also to Mr Burge for coordinating the musical accompaniment.
Putting on one of the most popular West End and Broadway musicals of all time in under two months was an impressive achievement, and shows the dedication of not only the cast but also the staff and everyone else who contributed in any way.
Thanks must also go to all the parents and students who supported the performers, as well as the wonderful band and backstage crew.
Sophie Jamil & Scarlet Simmons
AS/A LEVEL DRAMA This February, Drama and Theatre Studies pupils proved their acting skills in exam performances of devised and scripted drama. The A Level group performed their creative adaptation of Charlotte Perkin-Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper – the story of a woman undergoing a ‘rest cure’ in the 19th century. As the play develops, Charlotte begins to think that there are several women hidden behind the pattern of the disheveled yellow wallpaper in her room; these women then start to manipulate her, luring her into the paper before she joins them. With their seamless ensemble work, the girl shocked the audience by portraying the cruelty of the treatment and conveying the tragedy of the main character’s worsening mental state.
Luiza Walasczyzk
The AS students performed an extract from The Female of the Species by Joanna Murray Smith, a comedy communicating feminism in a ‘light’ way. The extract revolves around a disgruntled ex-student who chooses to visit her former lecturer, a devoted feminist novelist, in order to seek revenge. The relationships between the characters created a fun-loving performance, especially from the daughter of the eccentric novelist whose monologues sparked many laughs from the charmed audience. The play overall is a satire about celebrity feminists with the plot inspired by a real-life event in 2000, when well-known feminist author Germaine Greer was held at gunpoint in her own home by a distressed student.
L6
WELLBEING
CONFERENCE As part of Culford's Sixth Form Enrichment programme, the Lower Sixth had a day full of activities and workshops to help unwind from their recent mock exams. The day was designed to help the students understand the real benefits of wellbeing in young people in the short and long term, encouraging them to make this a part of their lives while still at Culford, and when they move on to university and employment. The activities included classes in Reflexology, Massages, Pilates and several different types of yoga. Although some were apprehensive at first, everyone got stuck in and really enjoyed the day. This is the eighth year that this Wellbeing conference has been run at Culford by Carole Baker, director of The Self Centre in Bury St. Edmunds. We are very grateful for her time and are all looking forward to using the skills she taught us in the future.
Tash Desmond
GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP Lower Sixth geographers enjoyed a sunny weekend in North Yorkshire this term, visiting Scarborough and Malton. Fieldwork is a compulsory element to the Geography A Level course, and involved the pupils studying how Scarborough is struggling to reinvent itself as a modern tourist destination. The pupils also spent time analysing the success of flood defences along the River Derwent; a topical subject since Malton has flooded a number of times over the last ten years. A highlight of the trip was visiting the Rotunda Museum of Geology in Scarborough; a grade II* listed building constructed in 1829 as one of the country's first purpose-built museums. It houses one of the foremost collections of Jurassic geology on the Yorkshire Coast.
Sixth Form 60s Party The vibrant atmosphere and classic 60s hits of the 6th Form party on the 5th of February really created a night to remember, from the dressing up to the wild dancing in the dance studio. Peace signs and banners covered the walls containing classic hippie slogans. It was clear to see that the organizers had gone all-out in creating a fun and exciting night. Everyone was able to bust-out their moves on the dance floor as well as have a cold drink or a snack in Paddy and Scott’s where we were able to relax and take a break from all the dancing. The U6 and L6 integrated well forming new friendships between the years. I thoroughly enjoyed this terms 6th Form party and I am excited for the next one. Personally, I would like to thank the teachers who supervised the evening as well as the committee who organised this fantastic event.
Anna Sutton
NETBALL Culford’s U19 netball team played some fantastic netball against some of the top teams in the region, reaching the semi-finals in Essex, and narrowly missing out on a place in the Nationals against a team who went on to qualify. Losing only 1 match out of 5 in the quarter finals, Culford showed their ability on many occasions. Great Baddow played aggressively, which threw the girls in the first half leaving them 2 goals down at half time. However, in the second half Culford regained their calm control, forcing the other team to play their way, and dominated the rest of the match drawing 7-7. The team knew they needed to win their next matches, which is exactly what they did, beating Wootton convincingly 17-2, and Norwich High 12-7. The Perse were on good form, but Culford came out on top with a fantastic 8-4 score. Through to the semis after some tough competition, the girls were up against Norwich School who they had met in their first match of the season drawing 2626. Armed with knowledge of the opposition’s tactics, the girls led the match 43 at half time, even with the addition of an England player on the other side. However, Norwich School managed to turn it around despite strong teamwork for Culford, the final score 10-6. Mrs Reynolds said:
Many of the girls in Fitz have enjoyed playing netball this season, which has lead to a great win over Jocelyn in the House Matches. The 1st team has had a wonderful season, winning the Western area tournament, becoming finalists at the counties and semi-finalists at regionals, narrowly missing out on the nationals in January. The first team consisting mainly of Fitz girls; Saskia Crawford, Beth Keswick, Jemma Andrews, Marie Owino, Liv Mayor, Abbie Farrow and Issy O’Brien-Miller and Milly Haydon have continued to perform with enthusiasm and passion, winning almost every game. The U14 A team, captained by Fitzgeraldian Beth Farrow, also went to the regionals where they finished 3rd in the group stages. They too have had a successful season, with one of their highlights being beating Framlingham 27-23. Congratulations and a massive thank you to all the girls in Fitz who have made this year’s season so successful; it has been an absolute privilege to captain the first team and I wish all the girls every success for next season.
“The team were so incredibly close to reaching the final, and will have gained invaluable knowledge and experience from this tournament. With more practice and belief they will reach the Nationals next year, which they truly deserve to do.”
Milly Haydon
HOCKEY We are delighted to announce that Lucy Holder (U6) has been selected to represent England U18 Hockey as part of the 2016 National Age Group Training Squads (NAGS). This is a fantastic achievement for Lucy and a deserved reward for her hard work and determination in a busy academic year. She has been working extremely hard at school, club and regional sessions on her technical skills, mental attributes and strength and conditioning in order to gain selection in a very competitive age group. Lucy, who is a Culford sports scholar and part of the Culford Hockey programme, will now be invited to attend training days and camps totalling up to 35 days over the next few months and have the opportunity to feature in junior international matches in the Summer against opposition such as Scotland, Ulster, Holland, Germany and Belgium. Alex Blumfield (Cornwallis) has also been selected to represent England. Head of Hockey, Mr. Blake Burrows said:
‘We are very proud of Alex and Lucy’s achievement. This is the next step on their journey and we are looking forward to working with them both on their specific targets to ensure they play their best hockey over the next few months. It is an exciting time for them and for Culford Hockey’.
It has been a privilege to captain such a dedicated, committed and talented group of girls this year. The hard work has paid off, as the squad has achieved something that hasn't happened in 25 years here at Culford; we qualified for the U18 National Hockey finals which was held at Lee Valley National Hockey Centre in London. After a bus journey of singing , laughter and pre-match nerves, we were all up for our first match against Queen's College. After just 15 mins, the weather wasn't on our side and hail was crashing down onto the surface where unfortunately I was ruled out with a knee injury. However, the team continued and gave a hard fought battle until the end with the help of a strong defensive unit of Milly Haydon, Liv Mayor, Abbie Farrow, Saskia Crawford and Katie Shea. The next game was against Cranleigh, the favourites to win. We knew this game was going to be tough, however, under the flood lit pitch, with the roaring support of Culford parents, we shocked the opposition after Jemma Andrews slotted in a goal off a rebound from Maria Andrews’ mighty drag flick. Cranleigh got straight back in the game with a goal making it 1-1. With 5 minutes to go, Eve Holder executed some nifty skills and with the help of Issy O’Brien Miller's tireless running, Culford managed to go forward where Katie Farrant deflected a beautiful ball into the bottom right corner, however much to everyone's surprise and disappointment this goal was disallowed for reasons we are still questioning! In the last gruelling minutes, Cranleigh went up one more goal and we conceded a penalty flick. With silence throughout the stadium, it was Cranleigh’s England U21 player vs the 14 year old Beth Farrow. With a mighty dive Beth saved the goal which lifted the crowd and team once more. In the final minute, a short corner was awarded to Cranleigh who unfortunately slotted it away to win 3-1. They then ended up placing 2nd in the competition. To my mind, the score did not reflect the pure hard work and determination of the girls plus the sportsmanship and the etiquette the girls had that evening. Day 2, and the girls had one game left with one thing in mind; to have fun. Being 3-0 down at half time we thought we would give it one last try and came back 4-3, just losing out to GSA Leeds. We are now ranked the top 8th team in the country! What an experience, what a journey, what a team.
Lucy Holder
Bath Cup Relay Competition Culford’s swimmers won silver and gold at both of their events at the annual Bath Cup relay competition, held in London Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park at Stratford, London. On the 11th of March Hannah Brecknell and Olivia Nicolai, both in Fitzgerald, travelled with Lana Mo and Annabel Heywood (Jocelyn) to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic pool to compete in the Bath Cup. They competed in both the freestyle and medley relay. In the morning they swam in the freestyle heats and got through to the Aldenham Cup final, in which they came 2nd to the City of London Freeman's School. After lunch, they had the heats for the medley relay and qualified 2nd into the final. In the final, the girls all swam extremely well and came first meaning they won the Dunelm Cup.
Olivia Nicolai & Hannah Brecknell
CCF Inspection Day On 18th March 2016, the CCF had their annual inspection day. It started with a parade led by the band of the parachute regiment. Their music choices proved very popular amongst all of the cadets, especially their renditions of Bad and Wake Me Up whilst we were waiting to be inspected. However, the highlight of the parade was definitely the fly past by the RAF Tornado. After a quick lunch, the sections went to war. The first competition was a test of mental and physical strength; an obstacle course. Impressive feats of strength and strategy were shown, as sections battled to get their tractor tyres to the end of the course. However, you do not win a war just by having the best plans; you win it by having the best men. This was a hard fought competition as friends turned to enemies due to section loyalties.
Nonetheless the competition that had the most enthusiastic response was the Staff vs. NCOs tug of war. This was a heated contest, but in the end experience won out with the staff winning 2-1. During the afternoon there were also displays of what you learn in the CCF. The section attack display impressed, although at that moment the participants were more worried about the nettle stings all over their legs! The audience were also astounded by the impeccable first aid given out by cadets in the First Aid Display. Later that evening was the Mess Dinner. This is a chance for NCOs to have an evening with their parents, and for the officers to enjoy themselves. The food was very good and all the NCOs had a very enjoyable time. Overall, the cadets all had a great time competing for or cheering their sections on to victory.
Anna Hutchinson
CHARITIES 'All We Can' Committee This term on the All We Can Committee, we have been working hard to support two amazing charities; XLP and Dementia UK. XLP helps to create positive futures for young people growing up on deprived inner city estates and Dementia UK provides excellent care from Admiral Nurses for families affected by dementia. All We Can week this term was a very busy time for us; it started on 9th March with a Bake Sale in aid of Dementia UK and Clothes Swap for XLP in the Library foyer. The cakes were kindly made for us by pupils and teachers, many of which came from Fitzgerald House and the clothes were donated again by pupils and teachers. This allowed us to have a wide range of products to sell and we were able to raise, for Dementia UK and XLP, £146.58 and £135.50 respectively. This showed a tremendous effort on the part of both the pupils involved and those who came down to support the event. Next term, Charities Committee is helping to support Mountain Rescue and Project Trust. Project Trust in particular is close to us as a House, as two Fitzgerald Upper Sixth, Sophie Jamil and Eve Holder, are raising money through Project Trust to spend a year abroad teaching in Central and Southern America. Thank you to all who have donated over this past term and I hope next term’s fundraising will be as successful. .
Lucy Hollis
Project Trust Next year, current Upper Sixth students Eve Holder and Sophie Jamil are planning to teach English to disadvantaged children abroad for the charity Project Trust. After a rigorous selection process, Sophie is going off to Honduras and Eve to Peru, and they have both been tasked to raise money for their trips. They both have online Just Giving pages where you can make a contribution. The girls ran a fundraising stall in the Red Room in Old Hall during the interval of Les Misérables, where one could purchase delightful gifts for Mother’s Day, homemade preserves and bakes.Eve also bravely undertook a skydive on the 13th of March in aid of this cause. We would all like to wish both of the girls the best of luck in both their fundraising as well as on their gap years.