BGS View Winter 2011

View The Bristol Grammar School Newsletter Winter 2011 Issue 19

Game on Qays tops the world in Russian

Scholarship boost

for Science and Maths

in Africa

Practice makes perfect in the Sixth Form

Let loose in Liddington

Saddling up • Valencia • Heroes • SUBZERO • Diwali

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View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

From the Headmaster

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News

hat I most love about the end of this Autumn term is the busy excitement that pervades the whole School: and it’s not just me that’s noticed it.

It is always a pleasure to showcase the School to potential new parents and students, but at this time of year it feels just that little bit more exciting. Visiting families routinely comment on the wonderful atmosphere they detect on their tours of BGS, saying how vibrant our School feels. How right they are: it does!

The Little Shop of Horrors, our School musical, has everyone humming on the stairs, the Great Hall resonates with inspiring choral and instrumental rehearsals, while end-of-term House netball and Rugby create both a spirited rivalry and an enhanced team spirit. Meanwhile BGS Infants sees

everyone buzzing with excitement as rehearsals take place for the Nativity play, and throughout the School students participate in seasonal treats and trips. As I write this, I am looking forward to our annual Carol Concert, the perfect way to round off a term full of achievements, successes and celebrations for students and staff, both within and outside of School.

Thank you to all who have worked so energetically to make this term at BGS such a good one, and also thank you for all that went in to ensuring that the start of this school year was such a positive one.

The coming Spring term will include

Lower-sixth students Emily William Lawrence Ben and Connor received one of this year’s prestigious Arkwright Scholarships. These are awarded to fifteen- and sixteen-yearold students in the UK selected for

their flair and ingenuity in solving engineering design problems and their potential to become talented young engineers of the future. Each has been awarded £300 a year for the next two years to assist with the purchase of materials and books.

One hundred years after sponsoring Scott’s and Shackleton’s Antarctic expeditions, BGS pulled together to support the Scott Centenary Appeal, with a little help from our greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Students completed a day-long charity sledge pull, hauling two sledges around the perimeter of the School. All were potential explorers themselves, planning to embark on the School expedition to the Indian Himalaya in 2012. Support from Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who completed his own unsupported Antarctic Expedition in 1993, was greatly appreciated.

BGS was one of only a few British schools to support the original Scott and Shackleton Antarctic expeditions in 1911 and 1914, paying for one Siberian husky for each.

The School hopes to be able to donate at least the cost of a husky to the Scott Centenary Appeal, around £1000. www.bmycharity.com/ BristolGrammarScottCentenary

the OB Centenary Dinner in March.

Along with a dinner, we shall enjoy a weekend of reunions that will include a number of social and sporting events.

I do hope you will join us.

May you all have a wonderfully peaceful, relaxing and very happy Christmas. After such a hard-working term, it’s only fitting to end in such good spirits.

Open Evening success Roderick MacKinnon

News

Fabulous five in Arkwright success

Pulling together

All five students will also get the support of an industrial sponsor to help them achieve their goals. Lucy (Upper Sixth) was one of three students selected for Arkwright Scholarships in 2010. Through the support from the McLaren Group, she had a chance to meet both Louis Hamilton and Jenson Button. “It has really added breadth and depth to my work experience, very helpful for a Personal Statement and CV.”

Winning moves Tom (Year 11) has become a national champion for the second time. He won the Welsh Chess Championship for his age-group at U16 level in February and extended this to become the U20 Welsh Champion, at the age of fifteen, defeating several highly-rated and experienced older opponents.

Record numbers of prospective students and their families packed into the Great Hall for what was one of the busiest ever Open Evenings at BGS. A great deal of buzz was created by students across all the year-groups, who succeeded in entertaining guests with their usual enthusiasm. Entrance tests for students joining in September 2012 will be held on Saturday 14 January for Year 7 and Saturday 21 January for Years 7–10. The next assessment date for children joining BGS Infants and Juniors is Saturday 28 January.

Fresh every day

Science and Maths get Scholarship boost Eight new scholarships have been introduced for GCSE and ‘A’ level students next year, encouraging continuing excellence across the Sciences and in Mathematics.

Four scholarships will be introduced for students starting Year 10 in September 2012, awarded to those who demonstrate outstanding academic ability in Mathematics and Science. A further four scholarships are available for students starting their ‘A’ level study in September 2012, one each for Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. All awards are available both for students already at

Bristol Grammar School and for those joining in September 2012; each is worth 25% remission in School fees for a two-year period.

These new Scholarships are being generously funded by the Pople Charitable Trust, set up in memory of Sir John Pople. A former Bristol Grammar School student, Sir John was a mathematician, pioneer in the field of quantum chemistry, and Nobel Laureate. He was said to have developed his passion for Mathematics at the School, fascinated by algebra and simultaneous equations from the age of twelve.

No one could have missed the delicious difference in School lunches this term.

BGS kitchen staff have been ringing the changes in the 1,200 hot and cold meals they produce every day.

With freshly prepared gluten-free soups, mains, sides, chef’s salads, drizzles and desserts, their focus is on quality, variety and choice, catering for all tastes and any dietary requirements.

Sandwiches, flat breads and wraps are prepared freshly every day.

Michele Milton (Catering Manager) has been spearheading the transformation.

“We’ve been listening hard to what everyone needs and likes, from Reception right up through the School,” she says.

“Thanks to everyone who has shared ideas.

We hope all our work is hitting the spot.”

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View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

News

News

On track in the race for zero emissions Greenpower is moving from strength to lower energy as BGS automotive engineers prepare to launch not just a second, but a third car in the spring.

A visit to the DT department at lunchtime, during Activities or after school, will find students from Year 10 to the Upper Sixth working on new solutions that are making their vehicles faster and lighter. Hot on the track of the first electric car, Megazord, is a lighter, faster Gigazord, to be swiftly followed by a first zero-emissions model, SUBZERO. Gigazord, with its gear drive system and lightweight components should give both our Sixth-form team, as well as our new Year 10 and 11 team, some extra pace. Student designer Daniel says, “The Goodwood circuit is 2.4 miles; Newquay is not bigger than a Rugby pitch. The ability to change ratio for different length tracks should really improve efficiency.”

SUBZERO is constructed entirely from recycled materials. Look closely at the rear of the frame and you may recognise the frame of a former Sixth-form chair and something that looks remarkably like a swimming pool staircase.

Many students have invested more than one hundred hours in the project, a few, more than two hundred hours. DT

teacher Phill Thomas explains, “What’s so great about this project is that it is led by the students. They may make mistakes but they learn from their errors and try again, building their cars and their confidence.”

Gigazord should be completed by Christmas and will be on the track by the beginning of April next year. SUBZERO has its first race scheduled for May. Please see Mr Thomas if you have any recycled solar panels to spare.

Keeping us posted

Congratulations to Matthew for this winning design in the Year 7 Science Poster competition. Jessica was second and Emma third.

BGS students top the world in Russian.

Olivia makes the England team

Students competing in a global language learning challenge this term proved they were the best in the world at learning Russian.

Qays (Year 11) became undisputed world champion in Russian when he answered nearly five thousand questions correctly, putting him ahead of every other participating student from countries all round the globe. Hot on his heels were Lower-sixth students Alice who came third, and Ellen twelfth.

Seventy-five students took part in the Language Perfect World Championships competing against more than two hundred schools in the UK and nine hundred schools and a total of eighty thousand participating students worldwide. Between them they answered a total of 137,895 questions in French, Russian, Spanish, German, Chinese, Italian, Latin and Greek, putting Bristol Grammar School top in its category in the UK, sixth in its category in the world.

BGS runner Olivia (Upper Sixth) was one of four Junior women selected to represent the English Cross Country Association at an International event in Northern Spain in November. After a race of 3.9km, she crossed the line in eighth place, a great result and preparation for the European Championships in Slovenia in December.

Going further in Maths Five BGS teams entered the local Inter-school Sixth Form mathematics competitions, facing some very challenging questions.

A team of Jon Jae Been Sam , Qays , Rachel (all Year 11) and Sushmita (Lower Sixth) was placed joint top with three other schools, a significant achievement for a team made up predominantly of students from Year 11.

The Lower-sixth team of Cecilia James Tom Gavin Tom and Jess then went one step further, taking first place outright in the Further Maths competition.

Charity Week Charity Week has currently raised more than £3,000 for PEAS, Promoting Equality in African Schools. Nonuniform day was a big fundraiser, along with Soak the Teacher and the staff netball match, where once again the men took the prize.

Going for gold at the Palace

Winning words Turning ancient into modern, Derek (Year 9) has been highly commended in this year’s The Times Stephen Spender Prize for his translation into English of classical Chinese poem The Ballad of Mulan.

The competition commemorates the achievements of Sir Stephen Spender as a poet and a translator of poetry.

Derek chose the poem because it tells the story of Mulan who takes her father’s place in war. “She was brave and courageous at a time when only boys were allowed to fight,” explains Derek.

“The hardest thing I found about the translation was that in ancient Chinese the words sometimes didn’t make sense. A bit like ‘hath’ instead of ‘has’ in older English. Also rhyming doesn’t always turn out the way you want it to, forcing me to the internet to find some homophones!”

Anna n (Year 11)’s writing has also been well-received. Her review of a poetry reading by Simon Armitage has been published on The Poetry Can website www.poetrycan.co.uk. It was written, in part for her Silver Arts Award qualification.

Shabba Me whiskers! Showing just what can be created with a pencil and a bit of paper, David Tazzyman, the illustrator of the crazy Mr Gum books, visited BGS Juniors this term, sharing his own inimitable drawing style with Years 3 and 4.

Having demonstrated the secret of how to create his most popular character step-by-step, he challenged our students to bring their own Mr Gums to life on paper.

“You start with the eyes, then the eyebrows, nose, nostrils, beard, mouth, rotting teeth and finally the funny hat,” explained India Year 4. “He looks like an angry pirate.”

David Tazzyman’s advice for budding illustrators is simple, “Just keep drawing. Buy a sketch pad. Take it with you everywhere. Draw your friend’s silly hairstyle or whatever makes you laugh.”

Sounds like success for Daniel Double Bass player Daniel (Year 8) became the youngest member of the prestigious Senior Symphony Orchestra at Junior Trinity when he was invited to join last year. He was also awarded Best Newcomer, having completed a tour to Switzerland with the orchestra over the summer. What a fantastic achievement!

In print

Picking up her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, BGS teacher of Physics Louise Glenn joined former Head of School Esther Carter at Buckingham Palace.

A fine line

New History teacher Paula Worth started the term with an article published in Teaching History. She focused on how different methods of teaching can be used to help lowattaining students learn History.

Top talkers Congratulations to our debating team of Craig and Jon who won their first round in the English Speaking Union Schools’ Mace, the oldest national debating competition in the UK. They beat Redland High School and the Royal High School in Bath, and head through to the next round after Christmas.

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Experimenting with Mehndi (ours was organic black paint!)

Infants A warm welcome

Discovering DiWali

It has been a great privilege to join the BGS Infants’ and Juniors’ community this term. The children’s infectious enthusiasm energises me on even the busiest of days. I value the opportunities I have had to develop strong links with parents. Their partnership with the School is so vital for our success.

There is a wonderful family feel about BGS Infants and Juniors, a great tribute to Dr Alison Primrose, my predecessor, and to our team of talented staff. The family feel was immediately apparent at the new-joiners’ picnic at Failand, held in glorious sunshine, where we were delighted to welcome so many new children to our School.

The children have been kept busy with a rich programme of sport, outings, performances and learning activities.

Share some of their news in View and you’ll see why they may need a good rest over the Christmas holidays!

Diwali celebrations were a bright spot on the Autumn calendar for our children in Reception. Shruti, a BGS Infants parent, shared the story of Sita and Rama. Children lit candles and talked about things that were special to them.

Peter Huckle – Headmaster of BGS infants and Juniors

Forest in focus Failand and the forest are at their best in the Autumn, a season of colour and crispness, offering much excitement for our young explorers.

Our Reception children enjoyed their first forage in the forest, inspired by a treasure trail, the challenge of making squirrel dens and making snazzy nature crowns. Keeping their studies firmly on track, they also hunted forest minibeasts, acquainting themselves with worms, beetles, woodlice, centipedes, spiders and slugs.

Year 2 used the forest to discover more about their eyesight, listening to forest sounds, and using magnifying glasses to examine fallen leaves.

Shaking it up

In the classroom, they drew pastel eyes on sugar paper. They were brilliant in Braille, writing their names in dots.

In October they collected elder wood, identifying their target by its leaves and berries. The children worked hard to whittle the elder, hollowing it out with skewers for their forest house-building project. They constructed a collection of homes for their own mini-beasts.

In November they used the forest to practise their Nativity play.

DEM BONES

in Reception

Children in Reception have been learning lots about letters and enjoyed discovering all about the letter ‘m’.

They mixed up milkshakes, inspired by the story of Oliver’s Milkshake. They worked together to chop bananas, add the honey and milk, and blend.

Dem bones were all over Reception at the beginning of term, the children working hard to assemble skeletons of their own. Nothing too gruesome though. They used paper and art straws and giggled lots at the story Funnybones.

Spot the difference Children across BGS Infants and Juniors spotted their opportunity to dress up for charity, sporting dots and spots to raise money for Children in Need. In the Infants’ assembly they talked about where the money would go and thought they were pretty lucky compared to many other children. They took part in a Pudsey colouring competition and made Pudsey or Blush masks.

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Maths made magical

Reception discovered jet propulsion and practised their subtraction techniques using 3D rockets, carefully crafted from recycled materials. They counted down from ten to blast-off while enjoying the sunshine in the garden.

Colouring in Rangoli patterns

Making Diya pots using clay and sequins

Fantastic fireworks The week building up to Guy Fawkes Night saw a firework fantasia in Reception. Making Catherine wheel lollies, the children rolled dough to create swirly shapes. They learnt a new game called ‘fire crackers’ and spent a morning creating firework paintings with glitter and chalk. It was a great way to practise the ‘f’ sound, lots of fun and very messy!

All aboard for keeping fit BGS Infants and Juniors enjoyed a visit from the Life Education Bus. Children in Year 1 were among many who learnt how to keep healthy through exercise and diet, helped by Harold the giraffe and his friends.

Harvest festival Harvest festival studies culminated in a fantastic celebration, a joint assembly with songs, readings and prayers. Helped by Dance teacher Miss Aldred, Years 1 and 2 rehearsed and performed a harvest dance to a song from The Lion King. There was a special performance from the choir. Reception also read The Little Red Hen and talked about how crops are harvested and the ingredients needed for making bread.

In a season of fruitfulness, Year 1 children enjoyed painting and glazing their clay houses in the style of Handa’s Surprise.

Out and about Full steam ahead

Toys are us

A long-awaited trip to one of Bristol’s legendary Victorian landmarks opened new vistas for our Year 2 children.

They spent a happy day discovering their sea legs on the ss Great Britain.

They contrasted the first-class sleeping quarters and dining room with the rotten stench of the kitchens and the confinement of the second-class decks. The toilets were not popular. In their morning workshop they swapped pencils for ink and feathers, asked some excellent questions about what life would have been like for a Victorian child, and imagined what a sailor, a first-class passenger or a child might have packed for a long sea voyage.

The high point was undoubtedly the low point: a visit to the giant rudder and propeller at the very bottom of the ship.

Our Year 1s enjoyed the chance to dress up as Victorian children during their visit to Blaise Toy Museum with its eclectic collection of toys gathered from more than a hundred years ago.

The highlight for the children was the ‘hands-on’ play with the sorts of toys their Victorian counterparts might have enjoyed, and talking about the differences between the ages.

Roll models As part of their harvest festival experience, Reception children took a trip to the Cotham Hill bakery where Bernard the baker talked about his bread, cakes and pastries and treated children to two large loaves. They very much enjoyed these with butter and jam later in the day. Back at School they worked in teams to make their own bread rolls.

Delicious.

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View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

. made of this Memories are has seen BGS Juniors heading

The Autumn term their teamNorth, South and East, develotheping water resilience building skills and testing l iradcold ures. and enjoying some wonderfu vent

Juniors

Juniors

Let loose in Liddington

Racing ahead in Maths

A crisp autumn morning did little to cool the enthusiasm of Year 5 on their visit to PGL Liddington as Daisy reports.

Walking across the field I crunched the frost under my feet. After the archery talk I took my first shot: only two points but at least I hit the target. Will got a bullseye almost every time.

At the climbing wall it was colder. I was worried my fingers would not climb at all. After I saw Joe shoot up I felt more confident. I was nervous but excited, and in about three minutes’ time I was half-way up, and stuck. Joe told me where to put my feet, then I was off to the top.

We did initiative exercises, balancing the seesaw and the tyre swing. Then it was up a shaky pole for the zip wire. I felt a bit scared but was sad when it ended. I had two goes.

Children in Need

High jinks at Hillcrest Wet Wet Wet No mountain was too high for our Year 4 pupils visiting Hillcrest in Herefordshire this term.

They were able to overcome the challenges of six fast and furious activities in their two action-packed days at the PGL Centre: archery, canoeing, raft-building, fencing, climbing and the ever-popular zip wire.

On the coach to Hillcrest everybody was really excited.

Learning from experience, they faced individual challenges and teambuilding tasks, not without incident and some healthy rivalry. India Elizabeth Nicola and Evie girl-powered their way through to a stunning victory in the canoe race.

Campfire stories and songs were universally popular and the food got a

big thumbs-up from Sam who highly recommends the ice-cream-filled chocolate cake.

The freezing waters of the Congresbury Yeo did not dampen the spirits of the Year 6 pupils determined to wring every last bit of fun out of their sojourn at Mendip Outdoor Pursuits in September.

Taming unruly barrels with poles and ropes to create a fleet of serviceable rafts presented few problems for our talented teams.

There were no sink-or-swim catastrophes, although a communal dunk in the river at the end ensured everyone finished the first day wet and muddy.

Plenty more mud was to follow on day two, as the teams toiled to complete the assault course. Some were, however, shaken off course and off the river rope, surprisingly by their own team-mates. The result was a re-acquaintance with the water and a long walk back with waterfilled welly boots.

BGS Infants and Juniors was a riot of colour in November, everyone dressing up in spots for the day and donating to Children in Need.

The School raised close to £500 for charity: £292.62 came from mufti, £108.75 from the scrumptious cake sale which Harry and Issy (Years 6 and 4) helped to organise.

Anoushka (Year 5)’s sale of Children in Need merchandise raised a further £95.50, which was fantastic.

The Year 6 Inter-School Maths Challenge was hosted by The Red Maids’ School this term. Matthew and Sujan with Maurice joined fiftyand Elliot eight other pairs from local schools.

They completed a mental maths challenge, a countdown event and a problem-solving event. The trick, for the last two, was not only to get the answer right but to be the first to race around the aisle, hand in the paper and get back on your seat. Fortunately Matthew was as quick on his feet as both boys were with their answers. Matthew and Sujan raced to fifth place overall. The icing on the cake for all four contenders was the endof-the-day doughnuts.

A topping day out

Worth singing about We are a ‘Singing School’, awarded a prestigious Gold Award from Sing Up, the initiative that puts singing at the heart of learning.

More pupils than ever took part in the BGS Juniors’ Autumn tea-time concerts, singing songs from Oliver and My Fair Lady. Glee Club has been singing at the Children’s Hospital. Our ninety-strong Junior choir participated in the national Young Voices Concert in Birmingham.

Year 3 have been mixing it up at Pizza Express, learning to make pizza and choosing their favourite toppings.

Jack thought it was great fun and put cheese, ham, peppers, olives and pepperoni on his pizza.

Emily enjoyed using her fingers to get the crust of her pizza. She chose pepperoni.

Charlie liked smearing the tomato sauce over his pizza.

Lydia spotted her Nan on the way to Pizza Express! She was given a chef’s hat.

What’s in a name?

A chance cycle through the woods in Ashton Court Estate set Year 6 Noah on track for an exciting prize this term. He entered a competition to name the newly refurbished cycleroute and won a ride with international mountain-bike champions for his efforts.

Noah explains, “It’s a great new track, so we suggested it be called Nova, which is also Avon written backwards. I thought it was a good name because it allows some of the best bits of track to be named things like Supernova or Stella Nova.”

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Game on in Africa

Hello, hello, hello…

It’s been a whirlwind first term for all the new students and staff at our School who have been busy exploring the corridors, making friends and discovering new experiences and opportunities at BGS.

Exploration Stepping out in style

Roman revelations

Things looked a little different for students starting back this term at Bristol Grammar School, where girls and boys were sporting the new school uniform.

A new, bespoke BGS tartan has been introduced for girls right across the Infant, Junior and Senior Schools.

Year 7 students were surprised by the discovery of Roman ruins on their doorstep when they visited a local archaeological site, the Kings Weston Roman Villa in Bristol.

Bonding at Biblins

And the winner is….

Totting up possibly one of the highestever scores recorded in the history of BGS Beetle Drive, there was one undisputed winner of this year’s bugfilled welcome extravaganza. Our new Year 7s packed the Great Hall with shouts of ‘Beetle’ as they vied to take the title of 2011/2012 Year 7 champion.

Ben reports, “After ten rounds

of high-adrenaline beetle driving, there were many contenders for the award of ‘least amount of luck’. When the top three places were judged, The Hall tensed with excitement.”

First place went to Jemma the worthy winner of a large box of chocolates.

Party people

The House party season at BGS provided a colourful start to the year. New Year 7s joining Jakobek’s House discovered a new meaning to Green Tea at their welcome House Party, dining on green cake, drinks and other green delicacies.

Gunawardana’s Hussain quickly found the party spirit, getting to grips easily with the ‘picking up the cereal box with our teeth game’. Edwards’s Magnus enjoyed the balloon games, sketches and chocolate. Scott’s House celebrated with a pirate-themed party and Phoebe won best fancy dress. Diamond’s House had an extra reason to celebrate as they welcomed new Head of House, Ms Diamond.

Coming from a small school, Rachel had felt a little nervous about her new environment. She said, “Catchpole’s Party and the whole Catchpole family were there to welcome me in. I feel part of everything already.”

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Biblins, a Forestry Commission campsite in the beautiful Wye Valley, was the perfect location for Year 9 to explore life under canvas and welcome new classmates.

Demonstrating their resourcefulness and newly-learnt survival techniques, they built shelters using leaves and branches, although resorting to canvas to ensure a good night’s sleep.

Lighting a fire without matches was one of many activities that sparked new friendships. Megan said, “I had a really good time, despite gutting a fish.”

Pot Luck for Parents More than eighty BGS parents enjoyed the popular Pot Luck Supper, the first parent social event of the school year.

There was advice from our more seasoned parents on being a parent at Bristol Grammar School. Tips were also given to our Year 9 volunteers, fundraising for their Morocco trip by doing the washing up.

Pitching in The enthusiasm of their supporters and some excellent captaincy by Thayyab took the undefeated team of Form 7.4 to victory in this term’s toughly-contested inter-form football contest. The talent shown by young players across Year 7 bodes well for the future of sport at the School.

Summer 2011 was an unforgettable one for the sixty-five BGS students and seven members of staff who enjoyed the thrills and spills of the nineteen-day Sports Tour to South Africa.

There were tough games driven by enthusiasm on the field and relaxing game drives in the Mabula reserve, a combination that made the trip both exhilarating and action-packed.

Fielding five teams, two Rugby, two netball and one hockey, the tourists faced some powerful opposition against strong and well-structured host sides. In their opening game our second netball team found it impossible to combat the statuesque host shooter and her height of six feet five inches.

A trip to the Voortrekker Monument en route ensured our students were looking forward to their fixture against Garsfontein High School.

Built to recognise the brave and difficult journeys made in the nineteenth century by the Boere, it was an eye-opening experience: the viewing gallery at the top offered views of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Bravery was needed on the pitch at Garsfontein where, despite defeat for our Rugby and netball teams, our hockey team battled valiantly to a 2–2 draw.

After three matches in six days they headed for Mabula, for a well-earned rest, despite the 6.00am game drive wake-up call. The first evening outing brought out elephants, rhino and buffalo and one group enjoyed the first sighting of the lions. Despite two more drives, the leopards remained elusive, creating the perfect reason for everyone to return.

By Cape Town, all the hard work, training and team-building was starting to pay off. Our players were warmly welcomed into the community of our second host school, spending a day relaxing with host families. They visited the coast for a pre-match walk before returning to play a successful programme of fixtures with no defeats, and excellent postmatch hospitality.

Cape Town was the chance to visit the Goedgedacht Trust, the charity supported in parallel with our tour fundraising campaign. Our students met some of the youngest children and visited two Path out of Poverty centres, after-school centres offering education, meals and friendship. In a memorable few weeks, this was somewhere which touched everyone and few will ever forget.

Unearthed by builders in 1947, the ancient villa offered a glimpse into the foundations of domestic life, including under-floor heating systems, baths and mosaics.

Year 8s had their own voyage of discovery in a visit to the Roman Legionary fortress at Caerleon. The decidedly Welsh weather added to the flavour of life in an outpost of the Empire.

The Legionary Museum revealed treasures such as a frying pan with a folding handle, once part of a soldier’s kit. Milo enjoyed trying on the armour. Alfie Thompson and Jacob were fascinated by the reconstruction of the barracks. “To visit the barracks where Roman soldiers actually lived was amazing,” said Jacob.

Having escaped the Roman doctor who threatened to saw off their legs, the group visited the Amphitheatre and the Roman baths, where they learnt about the cleansing properties of olive oil.

Pippin Year 7 were excited to see BGS students from further up the School when they went to see Pippin at the Redgrave Theatre in October, performed by Bristol Musical Youth Productions. Rio enjoyed the tale of a prince who discovers fulfilment through the simple pleasures of home and family. “It was a brilliant performance and I would definitely go to see it again,” she said.

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Exploration

Exploration Going Greek in Oxford

Eastern Promise made good Bamboo forest, ‘blendy sticks’ and turtle soup for breakfast; Japan never ceases to surprise our visiting students and this term’s trip was no exception.

Arriving in the ancient former capital of Kyōto, there was the first taste of the contrasts that make up Japanese culture, as Rex explains.

“The bustling yet peaceful, ancient yet modern landscape of Kyōto, with vending machines on every corner, felt alien to us westerners, as was the idea of egg and bacon with miso for breakfast.”

The Bullet Train sped our group to Hakone where, on a perfect day, two cable-cars transported them to a perfect view of Mount Fuji. Rex continues, “It had come as a surprise to come face-to-face with landmarks made familiar through postcards, such as the Heian shrine in Kyōto. Nothing prepared me for Mount Fuji, without a single cloud obstructing its peak, a sight many Japanese would have envied.”

On Fuji, ‘black eggs’ were sampled, cooked in the local sulphur mine.

Accommodation was a traditional Ryokan hotel in the foothills with tatami floor, futons, paper walls and a breakfast of fish, turtle soup and other more challenging dishes. Travelling from Fuji to Tsukabi, the train entertained with the first of many mistranslations, the ‘Blendy Stick’ (coffee powder), soon to be followed by ‘Meltykiss’ chocolate.

For Natalie a high point was the time spent

with Japanese students at Tsukabi’s Meikei High School. “The students were the most excited people I have ever seen, screaming and waving at us; thanks to Facebook many of us are still in contact,” she said.

They shared a PE and classroom lesson, school lunch and a trip with their hosts to Mount Tsukabi before heading off to experience the unique hospitality of a Japanese home.

Tokyo – with Meishi Jingū shrine, the Emperor’s Palace and a Moomin café – didn’t disappoint. The towering buildings were covered in vibrantly-lit banners. No trip to Tokyo is complete without a shopping trip visit to Harajuku, the centre of youth culture. On the day before Hallowe’en, there were plenty of outlandish costumes.

“Waking up each morning thousands of miles from home, in a country so different to our own was so energising, despite the little sleep we managed to get!” said Natalie.

“I loved visiting the temples: the Japanese gardens were beautiful and we had to respect the culture in many ways. Even in the School we had to wear slippers. We saw traditionally-dressed geisha in Gion, Kyoto. Our luck didn’t end there. We even managed to watch a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony in the Meiji shrine in Tokyo. I really don’t know how we managed to fit so many things into fewer than ten days but it’s an experience I will never forget!”

Classics students from Years 9 to the Upper Sixth teamed up to watch a production of Clytemnestra at the Oxford Playhouse, performed in Ancient Greek. A morning trip to the Ashmolean Museum helped set the scene, home to the Felix Gem carved with figures of Ulysses and Diomedes.

It also houses the reconstructed throne room of Knossos. Before the show our students listened to a talk on the psychology of Clytemnestra and visited Jesus College, taking in the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera, completed in 1748.

Mild and sunny weather ensured this, the seventh and biggest, annual BGS trip to Berlin was relaxing and enjoyable.

Alongside tours of iconic buildings and places such as the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and the Television Tower, new to the itinerary this year was a visit to the Museum of Technology. The Sixth-formers also walked around sites relevant to their ‘A’ level studies, like the East Side Gallery and Karl-MarxAllee.

There were many opportunities to try some German speciality foods at Brauhaus Mitte, and to enjoy some of

Kids’ Lit Quiz down under the Asian food that multicultural Berlin is also famous for. Not to be missed was Nocti Vagus, now a regular fixture on Berlin trips, and where we ate in complete darkness.

The BGS Year 9 Kids’ Lit Quiz team, England Champions Jack Rose , Elisabeth and Tej headed halfway around the world to compete in the World Championships in New Zealand, where they gained a very creditable fourth place.

As well as the excitement of the competition and the international camaraderie, they visited a thermal village, marveled at the fossils and stalactites in the Waitomo underground caves and survived a traditional Maori Hacka.

“My favourite was the glow-worm cave,” said Elizabeth. “We travelled on a raft down an underground river, lit only by glow-worms, like green stars. It was a magical and relaxing experience.”

Bristol to Berlin

City sight-seeing From Montmartre to Mickey Mouse, Year 7 students packed culture, cuisine and roller coasters in to a busy five-day trip to Paris this Summer.

The students absorbed the atmosphere in a local French market, and were challenged to buy and prepare food for a healthy lunch, based on an attraction they had seen in Paris.

They saw the sights of Paris on a river cruise and had a bird’s eye view from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.

A day in Disneyland was a wonderful way to end a magical trip.

Science Live Building bright futures Back from their trip to the Asni area of Morocco, a region approximately two-hours drive from Marrakech, BGS students now have a real insight into how the money they are raising is being used to change the lives of girls in rural Morocco. £2,500 has been raised to support the Moroccan Education for All charity in just two terms, and the girls could see it has been well spent.

During their eight-day trip, they visited two of the four boarding houses built and run by the charity, essential in providing young girls from rural areas access to secondary education.

They met more than thirty local girls, whose university and career aspirations are very similar to BGS students.

They also spent three days trekking to villages where the girls live, seeing first-hand the sort of terrain that makes a daily commute to school impossible.

There was also time for a trip to a Hamman (steam bath) and some shopping in Marrakech.

The buzz from last year’s GCSE Science Live trip clearly inspired many new students. This year numbers tripled, and nearly ninety Year 11 students enjoyed the event at the Colston Hall.

Among the high-powered speakers were Dr Iain Stewart, presenter of BBC series How Earth Made Us, who explained how modern society and not Mother Nature is responsible for many of our planet’s natural disasters; Professor Steve Jones, leading research geneticist, author and presenter from UCL, gave us an insight into human evolution and physicist Steve Mould captivated the audience with his audio illusions and fiery standing waves.

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those t no are e av br the at th nt We lear those who are but , id ra af el fe t no who do conquer their fear.

Literary events

View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

Exploration Learning from experience

Summer in the city There can be few better destinations than St Petersburg with its beautiful, eternally light summer.

Six Lower-sixth and twenty Year 10 students along with seasoned visitors Diana Swain, Claire Kent and for the first time, the widely-travelled John Knoop enjoyed the family hospitality of students from our Russian exchange school.

For most, this meant living in a flat in a high-rise block, all of which, thanks to the recent Russian craze for DIY, were modern and comfortable. The students were visited by BGS staff who, on each occasion, experienced the full weight of Russian hospitality, tea, cakes or maybe a three-course meal – no chance of losing weight in Russia!

The families demonstrated incredible generosity to their guests, driving them willingly on excursions or to meet up with one another, and were keen that they should enjoy Russian food. Every day our students exchanged details of what they had eaten, often “borsch” (beetroot soup), “pelmeni” (a Siberian version of ravioli) and “shashliki” (kebabs cooked over an open fire).

Travelling by bus and metro, the group covered the city-centre sights; the Peter and Paul Fortress, the three cathedrals and Nevsky Prospekt, the

main street in St Petersburg, which runs for five kilometres through the centre. They also visited the art collection in the Hermitage, the Winter Palace and enjoyed a delightful boat trip along the rivers and canals in “the Venice of the North”.

The School’s long history of Russian exchange, extending back twentytwo years has given BGS a rare and regular insight into Russian culture and developments. This summer, despite international economic uncertainty, the city was full of tourists and there was much debate about the approaching elections.

The Russians love the short, hot summer; they escape the heat of the city whenever they can, so at the weekend some students had the real Russian experience of visiting a country dacha with their families. Our students experienced the “White Nights” of St Petersburg, when the city has a carnival atmosphere and is continuously light during the high summer. Other outings took in the circus, a long-standing Russian tradition and some were lucky enough to be taken to the ballet.

How do you make a nail? What happens if you strike the white-hot link of a chain with a ‘Tommy’ hammer? How difficult is it to recite the alphabet backwards?

The answers to these and many more questions were unearthed when the History Department took Year 9 to the Black Country Museum in Dudley.

They met the crotchety glass engraver who took nine years to learn his craft, a resident, no-nonsense chain maker and an earnest nail maker.

Experiencing a Victorian lesson they now know that a reverse alphabet is tricky. They kept a respectful distance from the sparks generated by the ‘Tommy’, and admired the speed and skill of the nail maker whose end product now sits on Dr Robert Massey’s desk.

Epic tales of extraordinary courage In a sell-out event, Richard Smith joined Ranulph Fiennes in conversation with his editor, Rupert Lancaster.

BGS is gaining quite a reputation for providing the people of Bristol with opportunities to meet exceptional individuals.

Months of planning preceded our latest venture; supplies had been amassed; logistics pored over and section leaders appointed. On 17 October, a packed-out Great Hall welcomed an ‘über-earthling’, the world’s greatest living explorer Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham Fiennes (or ‘Ran’ to his friends).

It was difficult to know what would be a suitable opening line to a man who, among many other exploits, was the first to visit both poles by surface means and climbed Everest. Fortuitously I happen to share an acquaintance with Sir Ranulph and so I was put at ease by his fond recollections of learning to climb, with our own instructor Sam Mitchell, in preparation for an ascent of the Eiger in 2008.

Sir Ranulph was not, on this occasion, speaking of his own phenomenal feats of endurance but, in conversation with his editor, he treated us to his reflections on what it means to be a true hero. Drawing on examples from his recently-published book My Heroes, Sir Ranulph dismissed the idea that climbing mountains or even running into enemy machine-gun fire necessarily qualify as acts of courage essential for hero status. We learnt that the brave are not those who do not feel afraid, but are those who conquer their fear. Spontaneous acts rarely offer time for us to be wracked with fear to overcome.

The life stories of the eleven heroes featured in the book would captivate any audience, but to have some of their seemingly miraculous feats passionately described to us by Sir Ranulph was a real treat.

Home grown talent

Discovering Rossini Honours Students enjoyed a night at the opera, a performance of Rossini’s Barber of Seville. It was an exciting experience for first-timer Emma (Year 8).

Emma said “The opera was amazing, I don’t normally do things like that. The Barber of Seville was very funny, and my favourite character was the barber.”

BGS celebrated its own literary talent this term, recognising the excellent work produced in our Penguin Short Story Competition.

Writing to the title Burnt, this year students had to capture the attention of our judge, Penguin’s Publishing Director Tony Lacey, using just 479 words, one word for each year in the age of the School. Congratulations to Rebecca (Year 11) who won £125 in Penguin book vouchers for her first prize. Dunstan and Michaela

were close runnersup and Ed (all Year 11) was highly-commended. Alexis Kirschbaum, Editorial Director of Penguin Classics and Modern Classics presented the prizes in a special assembly.

View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

Heroes and heroines Charlie Fletcher, author of the Stoneheart Trilogy, visited Year 7 students to talk about his new book, Far Rockaway. It tells of a heroine, Cat, who wakes up in a world made from all the books her grandfather used to read to her, populated by some of the most memorable heroes of classic adventure fiction, brought vividly back to life.

Sam heard first-hand where Charlie had got his inspiration. “He was challenged by his daughter who said, “It’s always the boys who are the hero, never the girls,” he said. “The visit was inspiring for us and really interesting.”

A walk on the wild side How many wild flowers can you name?

Perhaps fewer than your parents or grandparents? Kate Jones discovered a few more.

As a child Sarah Raven spent her holidays chasing up hills, botanising with her father. As an adult, she realised that all this knowledge is being lost: not even passed on to her own children.

Sarah wants to bring wild flowers back into fashion. She shared her passion, which has led to the publication of her new book Wild Flowers, with Radio 4 producer Sara Davies and the audience over tea during an intimate and comfortable afternoon at BGS. Sarah’s vision in Wild Flowers has been to show each plant as an “opera singer on the stage of its setting”. It is much more inspiring to see the flowers in woodland or chalk down, than out of context as individual items on a page.

Sarah Raven is a woman with many passions. Wild flowers are just one; food, nutrition and gardening are others. I came away inspired by this woman and her ideas and, if nothing else, I must plant more dahlias: they are, she assures us, the answer.

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View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

Performing Arts House Singing

IN CONCERT Students of Gunawardana’s and Diamond’s Houses entertained family and friends this term, displaying a huge breadth of talent.

There were confident performances from Gunawardana’s pianists, Year 7’s Clarisa and Oscar through to Massi (Upper Sixth) with his highly professional solo.

Daniel (Lower Sixth) ended the evening with an entertaining jazz piece.

Year 11’s Emily Patricia Dillan Abi and Ellie choreographed their own group dance. Ed (Year 11) impressed on both classical and electric guitar and Tristan (Year 11) accompanied some excellent vocalists before performing his own improvised drum solo.

Hannah Grace and Bryony s game of Would I Lie to You revealed Mr Knoop’s Elvis

impersonations and Mr Bennett’s dislike of handstands.

Rachel (Lower Sixth) opened Diamond’s House Concert with a stunning rendering of Someone Like You. There were solo vocal performances from Rose and Max (Years 9 and 7); the brothers (Years 11 and 8) performed a joyous brass duet and the sisters (Years 9 and 10) produced some enchanting harmonies.

Robert (Year 7) stole the show with his monologue from Blood Brother; Samuel (Upper Sixth) performed one of his own compositions on guitar; the Yellow Section of the Ukulele Orchestra gave a rousing rendering of Forget You and Mr Carr made a magical guest appearance.

Although out of sight, Stage Crew also performed their usual behind-thescenes magic.

Little Shop of Horrors With music, mayhem and a bloodsucking plant, Little Shop of Horrors lived up to its billing as a hilarious way to spend a December evening and wave farewell to the Autumn term.

Set in the 1950s, fun-packed but not for the faint-hearted, it told the story of Seymour Krelborn (Mitchell Upper Sixth), a nerdy assistant at Mushnik’s Skid Row Florist whose life is transformed by the discovery of a strange new species of plant. The only catch is the plant’s craving for blood, leaving Seymour to struggle between his desire for success (and the heart of his co-worker Audrey, Louise

Lower Sixth) and the lengths he must go to, to keep the plant, Audrey Two, alive.

There were great performances and singing from all the cast including Bea (Upper Sixth), Sophie and Jasmine (both Lower Sixth). Blair (Upper Sixth) got his teeth into the role of Orin, the sadistic dentist, Jack (Lower Sixth) showed hidden talents as Audrey Two and Georgia (Lower Sixth) did an excellent job of transforming penny-pinching Mr Mushnik into his female namesake.

Feverish preparations filled the School with melody in the run-up to our enthusiastically contested House Singing.

The evening itself was a cheerfully rowdy affair, and the Great Hall had a carnivallike atmosphere. K’Naan, Queen, The Rembrandts, Kings of Leon, Adele and Abba were performed with gusto and expertly accompanied by House bands.

Adjudicator Brenda Stacey, a former member of the Music Department, had a hard task. She eventually took Edwards’s advice and chose them for their spirited rendering of Abba’s Take a Chance on Me.

Winning singing Performing at Nailsea Festival, Sam (Year 6) took first place in the Baroque class, Iliana (Year 4) won her Own Choice class and, with sister Clarisa (Year 7), was placed first for her piano duet.

House Plays

Encounters with the Bard

Jakobek’s House Play, Caught in the Act

by Pat Cook, was performed just before half-term, which is no mean feat, by a large cast from a variety of year-groups.

Set in a theatre, it tells the story of another company of players who, while preparing for their next production, become the focus of attention from a murder threat.

The production was a great way to welcome new House members. The cast was headed by Katherine who had only recently joined the Sixth Form.

Wiktor (Year 10) had also only just arrived when he put himself forward for Mr Habershaw. Actor and director Mitchell (Upper Sixth) did an exceptional job, ably assisted by Ross (Upper Sixth).

This year saw a new departure for Edwards’s House. Rather than doing just one House Play the House undertook six (albeit shorter) plays, all written

by American playwright David Ives and sharing the same quirky stream of humour. There were monkeys in a zoo trying to type Hamlet, Leon Trotsky dying at his desk, not once, but eight times, and two mayflies out on a date – to mention just some of the scenarios. The productions involved students from Year 9 to the Upper Sixth. Most impressively each group directed themselves, with a few invaluable words of wisdom from Drama teacher Eric Levy. All six House plays were excellent and showed the depth of dramatic talent in the House.

Shakespeare has been in sharp focus both in and out of School this term.

Solo success Jan Crawford and Nick Sutton had a difficult task adjudicating this term’s Solo Music Competition, where the standard of musicianship was extremely high in both the Junior and Senior classes.

The Junior repertoire extended from Handel to Fats Waller: however Marco took the prize for a piano performance of his own composition, Frustration. Alex won the senior category playing Asturias by Albeniz on the guitar.

Successfully condensing Richard III from three full hours to a short thirty minutes, eighteen students from Years 8 to Year 10 took part in the Shakespeare in Schools Festival, performing their unique tragedy at the Tobacco Theatre.

Jennifer Harbour, assisted by Martha (Upper Sixth), directed an extremely innovative performance set in a circus ring. Richard was the ringmaster, while the rest of the cast, including three tutu-clad queens, were the circus performers who stepped in and out of role with the help of a crown or other item of costume.

Richard’s descent into madness was matched by the mood in the circus, which became darker as the plot progressed.

Murders were managed as scene transitions, silhouetted on a backlit sheet.

The end for Richard was death by pies.

The fact that this was the first taste of Shakespeare for many students made the quality of the performance even more exceptional, as Jennifer Harbour explains. “John (Year 10) totally captured the essence of Richard’s character. His monologue was wonderful, delivered in two different voices to match the confusion in Richard’s head.”

In the round The warmth of a sunny autumn day added to the brilliance of the performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing enjoyed by Year 11 students in the atmospheric open-air surroundings of London’s Shakespeare’s Globe.

The opportunity to experience Shakespeare’s popular comedy, as it would have perhaps first been performed in 1559, in an authentic copy of Shakespeare’s theatre, made this performance even more special. Dan explains, “What struck me most was how picturesque the theatre is; it has the same wooden beams as the original, with deliberate cracks in. The wood creates excellent acoustics and the seating layout allows you to see the faces and reactions of the rest of the audience.”

Trevor Nunn’s latest Shakespearean production, The Tempest, with Ralph Fiennes as Prospero, captivated Year 10 English students on an outing to London this term. John commented on the powerful use of lighting, a colourful multilayered wash of blues, greens and yellow. He said, “The smooth change of lighting for each different setting lets you know where you are better than any other piece of semiotics in the play.”

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View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

Sixth Form Sixth-formers have Biology bug

On tour in the Tate Forty-one Sixth-form Art students visited Tate Modern in London in November, taking the opportunity to gather research and dissertation information for their ‘A’ level course work.

Brie Barnacle and John Lever guided the students through a range of modern art, sculpture and installation work. Branching out, they headed off on a foot tour of historic London landmarks, including Borough Market and Shakespeare’s Globe, looking for further source material for their individual work. Brie explains, “It was a great opportunity to see some of the work by artists we have been researching. It’s helped the students consider their own work within a broader contest.”

More than half the Lower Sixth have chosen Biology for AS level, so staff have been busy organising fieldwork courses to support both AS and A2 students.

Making the most of our Failand facilities, AS students studying Biodiversity enjoyed two days of fieldwork at the School sports grounds.

Says Zoë from the Lower Sixth, “Failand is a great place to study, the playing fields contrasting with the wild growing grasslands and young forests.”

The Lower-sixth students had the opportunity to try out many sampling methods employed by ecologists; sucking up insects in potters, using sweep nets and the trusty quadrat frame.

Practice makes perfect

There was a return to the field for Upper-Sixth biologists, who took a short jaunt over the bridge to Merthyr Mawr to see the process of succession first-hand. Area Warden Duncan Ludlow introduced them to the extensive dune complex near Bridgend, before a fascinating walk through the changing landscape.

Says Calum from the Upper Sixth, “In one panoramic sweep you can witness how life develops, evolving from the colonisation of a barren landscape to a dense woodland in just sixty years. You really see ecology in action.”

When Lucy finished her interview at the University of Birmingham she was pleased to be offered not just one, but two places for Mechanical Engineering, on both the BEng and MEng courses. She was also happy with how the interview went: it included exactly the same questions that she had run through the day before in her mock interview at School with engineer and university interviewer, Jonathan Hicks.

All BGS Upper-sixth students prepared for crucial university interviews this term. Stuart is hoping to secure a place to study Veterinary Science, a subject where interview is mandatory. He was put through his paces by Cathy Fuller, formerly on the interview panel at Bristol Veterinary School.

Stuart explained, “I was challenged to see just how much I’d learnt through my work experiences. It went well. I’m now feeling a little more confident and a lot better prepared.”

Olympic dreams come true Anastasija is training hard following her selection for a place at the 2012 Olympics, representing Great Britain in the synchronised swimming team. She’s now taking a break from her ‘A’ level studies to concentrate full-time on her fitness and preparation, working to reach peak performance in time for the Olympic competition next year. We look forward to hearing all about it when she returns to BGS in September next year.

Guy takes world championship in his stride Guy (Lower Sixth) saddled up for success this summer, taking the U17 World Pairs’ Champion’s title in the Mounted Games. Guy and his longtime team-mate Melanie sprinted to success in a sport that tests rider and pony and demands agility, coordination and speed.

Guy explains, “We thought we had a good chance of winning but our elimination from one race in the final really put us on the back foot. From

then on we had to fight all the way and the title decision came down to the very last race. We decided to throw caution to the wind and ride for it, and it paid off. It was a great way to win.”

Guy’s success in the World Pairs follows his win as part of the England U17 team in the Mounted Games European Championship in August. He’s now hoping for a repeat performance in next year’s World Championship.

Talking transport at the House of Commons

Students clean up for charity

Nine of the 2012 Morocco Education for All charity team were up unusually early on Sunday 6 November, collecting litter in Canford Park following the North Bristol charity fireworks display.

The girls and two boys got the job following the excellent work their colleagues had done cleaning up Redland Green after the May Fair celebrations earlier this year.

As well as being great School ambassadors, they earnt a £175 donation to the charity.

In Britain, on average we each spend one working day a fortnight travelling to and from work. Congestion is economically wasteful, environmentally damaging and impacts on health and performance. This is the view of the Government, and students from Bristol Grammar School were invited to share their opinions with Lords, engineers and academics in a debate in the House of Commons in November.

Maxine James and Ozan (all Upper-sixth students) went with Dr Carrie Rosser to discuss how transport data and communication technology could reduce congestion.

They discovered how real-time trafficflow data is used to recalculate traffic signals and minimise delays and explored a vision for the future, the possibility of seamless travel on one Smartcard which could spread demand more evenly throughout the day.

“The experience gave us much food for thought,” said Maxine. “We felt privileged to see how government debates such difficult issues.”

Designs on a dream job Alice and Connor (both Lower Sixth) were two of six BGS students who seized a rare opportunity to spend five days with the team of engineers and designers at independent consultant firm Arup this term at their flagship Cardiff Bay office.

They were able to learn new skills and put them into practice. They used geotechnics to analyse soil in a contaminated quarry, to assess the potential for a housing development; they learnt about geomapping to assess wind speeds and visibility, to determine the optimum choice for a wind turbine site, and they analysed the structure of a bridge to see whether it would support the weight of a crane.

Connor discovered that Civil Engineering is much more fascinating than he originally thought. He said, “I

loved the work ethic, the people and the positive atmosphere.”

Alice enjoyed seeing real-life problem-solving and Maths in action in an everyday work environment. “It was interesting to see the synergy between the different disciplines on each project,” she said.

Expert advice A visit by ecologist and presenter Mike Dilger provided our Sixth-form students with a rare opportunity to discover some of the trials and tribulations of a natural history presenter.

Mike’s revelations covering ‘everything you may have wanted to know about filming wildlife but were afraid to ask’ was just one in a series of twelve talks in the Sixth Form’s Autumn lecture series, which also included a discussion on stem cells and some inspirational advice about taking a Gap Year.

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View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

Sport

Sport Girls go first in football BGS took three teams to a successful day at the annual Independent Schools’ Football Association (ISFA) Girls’ six-a-side tournament in Taunton, the first-ever time the School has been represented in girls’ football.

The U18s with Captain Jess Georgie Ashley Molly (all Upper Sixth) and Arolape (Lower Sixth) finished third in their competition and Molly and Ashley were selected to attend the South West regional trials as a result of their performances.

Our Year 9 U15 team tackled teams mostly composed of Year 10s. Nancy captained the team of Aoife Isabel Annabel Grace Emily and Lucy The U13 team of Captain Ellie Ellie Imi , Eloise Anisha and Hannah (all in Year 8) and Ellie (Year 7) won their trophy with ease. Congratulations to Eloise tournament top-scorer with seven goals.

Saddling up for our first event

Talented young riders took BGS to its first National Schools’ Equestrian Association competition in September, a one-day event with dressage, showjumping and cross country.

Holly (Year 10) came home ninth out of 37 in the U14 section and Zoë (Year 11) was placed fourth in the Over 15 section. Both riders were clear in show-jumping and cross country without time faults. Although not placed, Agatha (Lower Sixth) completed all three events successfully and smiled the whole way around. Commiserations go to Anya (Year 7) who had to withdraw just before the event.

Triathlete of the Month

Netball qualifiers Achieving second place overall, after a great day of netball, the U16 squad of Hannah Ellinor Ella Annie Harriet Alice , Emily and Eleanor has qualified for the Netball South West Regional round of the National Schools Championships.

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Although one of the youngest in his club, Year 6 Noah has twice this year been named Triathlete of the Month, and gained a medal for competing in the annual triathlon. He trains every week, an hour cycling or running and an hour swimming. He likes all the equipment used for quick changes, such as elastic laces and goggles. “If you want to be quick, you need to get your bike and clothes perfectly organised,” he explains. “It’s a bit like doing a pit stop.”

Hockey highpoints Congratulations to our U18 hockey team, County Champions after a successful tournament at Clifton College. They won five of their six matches, and were the highest-scoring team, with seventeen goals: Abi (Upper Sixth) scored nine of these. The team voted Head of School Hannah their player of the tournament.

Junior Hockey champions The U11 ‘A’ hockey team competed in the annual King Edwards’ School hockey tournament, coming home with medals and a trophy, a first-time win for them in this competitive event.

There was fine goal-saving from Amy and good solid defence from Jordan Charlotte and Poppy The four midfielders and attackers Sophie Ellie Lottie and Tasha played good, fast attacking hockey. Outstanding in all her matches Ellie was player of the team.

In the regional round of the Avon County hockey tournament the girls qualified as runners-up for the next round in March next year.

Viva Valencia

England U16 girls’ hockey for this season. This follows her appointment as a Centrally Contracted Coach by England Hockey in January 2011.

Wind in their sails

It’s only right to learn from the best, so at half term seventeen Sixth Form and Year 11 footballers left for Spain to study with the coaches of Valencia CF at their state-of-the-art training facility.

“The sessions were brilliant. We learnt to play ‘the Spanish way’, by keeping possession and showing more patience than we are used to,” explained Connor (Upper Sixth).

There were two matches against Spanish opposition and our teams had to adapt rapidly to the Astroturf surface.

Adds Connor “Suffice to say the scores did not reflect the close nature of the matches. Our solitary goal, a Sam Khavandi penalty, was richly deserved.”

The teams toured the city and watched a convincing defeat of La Liga by Valencia in the 55,000-capacity Mestalla stadium.

Coaching success Busy leading our own netball teams to success, BGS netball coach Leanne Lewis is also in demand outside School, developing some of the top teams in the country.

Leanne is now coach for the U17 Welsh netball team, helping to take them to silver medal position at the Netball Europe tournament. She is also Head Coach at the Talent and Performance Centre in Bath and Assistant Coach for the Excel Academy – part of the England player pathway.

And on top of that, she is Apprentice Coach for the Team Bath Netball Talent League squad, which sits below the National Super league.

Congratulation also to BGS’s Fran Ripley, who has recently been appointed as Assistant Coach for the

BGS competed in its first-ever sailing fixture in November against Clifton College and Millfield.

Captain Henry (Year 10), Lawrence (Year 10), Alexander (Year 11), Emily (Year 11), Ollie (Year 8) and Olivia (Year 7) managed a convincing win in their Fireflies over Clifton College, placed first, second and third to Clifton’s fourth, fifth and sixth.

There were tough races against Millfield, who fielded their strongest sailors from Upper Sixth and Lower Sixth compared to our younger team.

BGS nevertheless won the first race, placed second, third and fourth and then fought hard to be overcome in the last two.

Mrs Kate Jones explains, “Our sailors were new to this format so it was a great result. Henry Martindale was an excellent captain, keeping a clear overview of the race, while guiding and supporting the rest of the team.”

King of the off-road Luke proved his pedal power in the Bristol Run Rider Offroad Duathlon in October, winning his class, the Men’s Classic Open Solo. He finished the 10.8km run, 27km cycle and final 5.4km run with a time of 02:38:16, nineteen seconds ahead of the nearest contender.

Rugby round-up BGS Rugby had a strong start to the season, the First XV squad being unbeaten at Macclesfield, and the U13 squad faring almost as well at the Colston’s Festival, winning their group without conceding a point, although falling to Dulwich in the final.

First matches against King Edward’s School in Bath brought eight wins from nine games. The First, Second and Third XVs maintained their winning streak against Blundell’s School the following week and against Christ College Brecon the week after. The junior teams had less success at the beginning of term, but started to gain ground against Clifton College; in a great result, the U12 ‘B’ team won 50–0.

There were strong wins against QEH. The U13 teams were most impressive, scoring 85 points between them without conceding any. The U16 ‘A’ team was involved in a thriller which they eventually won 8–5 thanks to a Carew try and a Ben drop goal. Our junior teams really found their stride against King’s Worcester, the U13 and U12 teams all securing solid victories.

In the RBS DMC U18 Rugby fourth round play-off, the First IVs secured a strong win against Marling School, Stroud beating their opponents 22–3.

Juniors winning streak BGS Juniors’ Rugby goes from strength to strength with excellent results from the Year 3 and Year 6 teams. Year 3 have beaten all their opponents at the time of writing, demonstrating excellent teamwork. They were successful at the Clifton College Festival, winning their matches against QEH, Clifton High and Butcombe Prep.

The Year 6 team has also performed well, defeated only once, by King Edward’s School Bath. Victories have been against QEH, Colston’s, Millfield, Dulwich College London and Clifton College.

P.T.O. for Sporting Snippets!

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View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

Old Bristolians

Old Bristolians

Sporting snippets Congratulations to: Fencer Oli Year 11), selected to represent the Great Britain U17 team at the European Cadet Series, despite being a year younger than most of the team.

Our cricketers Harry and Rishi (Year 9) have been selected to take part in the Gloucestershire District Winter Performance Programme. Harry (Year 10) and Ellie (Year 7) have been asked to be part of the Gloucestershire County Programmes for their age-groups.

Year 6 Badminton players Siddharth and Henry who were part of the winning U11 Avon Badminton team against Dorset.

Ned (Year 5), first in the U10 section of the Gloucestershire Amateur Fencing Union’s Junior Foil Championship.

Golfer Alex (Lower Sixth), selected by EGU/EWGA to be a member of the South West Regional AASE (Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence) Squad.

Rugby player Jonny Year 9) who has a place on the U14 Elite Player Development Group at Bristol Rugby Academy.

Make a date The OB Centenary Dinner on the evening of Saturday 17 March is at the hub of a weekend of reunion gatherings and special events organised by OBs and the School.

On Friday evening the School Concert will take place at Clifton Cathedral, an event sponsored by the OBs. After the Charter Day service on Saturday morning, the game is on. BGS Legends versus OB’s Veterans kicks off at 2.30pm on the First XV Rugby team pitch at Failand. There will be gatherings of several reunion groups on Sunday, tours of the School and lunch at Failand.

High achievers Pete Nunn, Tim Mellor and Neil Geoghegan

When school friends Pete Nunn and Tim Mellor were discussing their futures, little did they expect that ten years on they would be sharing the cockpit of a Boeing 777, gently bringing the 250-tonne airliner over the Manhattan skyline and into John F Kennedy Airport.

Pete Nunn and Tim Mellor along with fellow student Neil Geoghegan are three of the class of 1997 who succeeded in turning a teenage passion into a lifetime career; all gaining coveted places on the British Airways sponsored cadet scheme.

The three got their early dreams off the runway during Sixth Form at BGS. With the help of the Careers Department and the RAF careers liaison officer, they were awarded RAF scholarships which meant twenty hours of free flying.

Pete’s early ambition was to join the RAF. At Exeter University he joined the University Air Squadron but switched tack with the unexpected offer of BA sponsorship.

“I applied to BA initially just to understand the process,” he admitted.

“With tens of thousands of applicants and just one hundred and fifty places I was a little surprised to get through first time.”

Pete attributes a good deal of his success to the support he had from Form Tutor Paul Roberts and Head of Careers, Melanie Guy. “Paul and

Melanie were an invaluable source of help, particularly in terms of the content of my application. They were incredible and very thorough. In fact they still are. Paul helped me with another application just recently.”

At BGS Peter had secured his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award and his was the first year to be involved in a Diploma of Achievement. “Although there was a requirement of only five GCSEs to join the BA training scheme, I don’t think that would have got me the job,” said Pete. “The extracurricular activities at School really help you stand out, as well as giving you something to talk about in interviews.”

British Airways opened a new cadet training scheme the same day that Tim Mellor’s ‘A’ level results came out.

“I applied for it immediately,” said Tim. “There were a huge number of applications and I didn’t hear anything for four or five months. In the end I had completed a whole year of a degree course, also at Exeter University before the offer finally came. I asked Exeter for a sabbatical. I guess I’m still on it.”

Peter also left University to take up

the two year BA sponsored training course and ten years later, neither have any regrets.

“I’ve seen the world and have been paid to do it,” says Tim. “It is a truly fantastic job,” agrees Pete.

“Every day is different, the weather, the passengers, the destination. The Northern Lights, the Great Wall of China, the Grand Canyon, you see these every day at work but the first time I flew into New York was very special. I love the challenge and the job satisfaction.”

British Airways has recently launched a new flagship sponsored pilot training scheme, the Future Pilot Programme.

OB firm wins popular vote

Olympic dream a swim closer Rebecca Guy (OB 2010) is a swim closer to achieving her dream of a place on the Great Britain Olympic swimming team for London 2012.

Invited as part of the England Talent Development team, she was a member of the four x 100m individual medley squad which stormed to victory at the Canada Cup in Toronto this Autumn.

Rebecca also reached the 50-metres individual freestyle final, finishing in fifth place.

It rounds off a highly successful 2011 for Rebecca, who recently scooped a hat-trick of gold medals at the British Gas ASA National Youth Championships in the 50m freestyle, the four x 100 freestyle and the four x 100 medley with the City of Manchester Girls’ team.

Ernest Fasanya (OB 1980) and his fellow partners at Hopkins were on tenterhooks this Autumn. The Olympic Velodrome 2012 designed by the company was shortlisted from recent RIBA Award winners for British Architecture’s most prestigious prize, the Stirling. The Velodrome proved to be the overwhelming favourite of the nation, according to the online people’s poll, winning more than 60% of the votes.

On the run Celia Shiles (OB 2007) who is currently studying medicine at King’s College London is running a marathon in support of a charity that Celia and fellow student Tess Maddock visited during their gap year. Women in Need helps Indian women who have been abandoned on the streets due to leprosy, HIV/AIDS, mental illness or physical illness. The charity provides a safe haven with medical, psychological and social support. Celia’s inspiration for running a marathon is explained on her JustGiving site: www.justgiving.com/Tess-Maddock

First hand advice Students in the Lower Sixth had a unique opportunity to develop their future plans with more clarity after a careers morning supported by OBs. There were sessions on engineering through to media, finance, consultancy and self-employment. OBs of all ages and a wide breadth of experience visited the School for the event.

Polly (Lower Sixth) said, “The OBs opened my eyes to new possibilities. I now believe I can think outside the box and not just about jobs such as Law or Medicine.”

Melanie Guy was overwhelmed by the breadth of support. “This was an amazing careers event only made possible by the OBs who gave their time so generously. The impact on our Lower Sixth will be long-lasting. The atmosphere created was inspirational.”

Attention alumni Working hard to keep OBs new and old in touch with the School, Peter Jakobek has taken on a new role supporting alumni relations.

“BGS is supported by a very strong OB Society and alumni, who are closely involved with many events in the School,” says Peter. “I hope to build on this using a number of different events that we hope will be of interest to many, but especially to parents of OBs and younger OB members.”

Sports lunches hosted by Headmaster Mr MacKinnon at Failand have proved popular and informal settings for former players and parents of current players to stay in contact. Peter is now planning a netball dinner. He is also hoping to host events further afield in cities such as Manchester, Nottingham and Birmingham.

Also new this year is the Old Bristolians Facebook group. Created in September it already has more than 1200 members. Keep in touch with news, events and old friends at www. facebook.com/groups/OldBristolians.

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View Winter ‘11 Issue 19

Diary dates January Wednesday 4 January: Term Starts Tuesday 10 January: Whole School Open Morning, John James Room, 9.30am – 12.30pm Saturday 14 January: Entrance Examination (Year 7 only) Great Hall, 8.00am – 2.00pm Wednesday 18 January: External Sixth Form interviews Sixth Form Centre, 4.00pm – 8.00pm Thursday 19 January: Year 5 & 6 Parents’ Coffee Morning, Great Hall, 9.00 – 10.00am

Bristol Grammar School University Road Bristol BS8 1SR Senior School 0117 973 6006 Junior School 0117 973 6109 www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk

Forthcoming literary events Partners in Crime In conjunction with Bristol Festival of Ideas, crime writers, Sophie Hannah and Erin Kelly talk about their writing and the popularity of the crime genre with Carolyn Mays, Publishing Director (fiction) at Hodder on Tuesday 13 March. 7.00 for 7.30pm.

Tickets £7.00 (concessions £5.00). Book at: www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk/Events/Literary-Events.aspx

Friday 20 January: Year 5 & 6 LSPA Disco, Junior School Hall, 7.30 – 9.00pm Saturday 21 January: Entrance Examination (Years 7–10) Great Hall, 8.00am – 2.00pm Saturday 28 January: Entrance Assessments (Reception–Year 6) Infant and Junior School, 8.00am Monday 30 January: Senior School Drama club performance Mackay Theatre, 6.00pm – 8.00pm

February Saturday 4 February: BGS Model United Nations Conference Great Hall, 9.00am – 5.30pm Saturday 4 February: Old Bristolians’ Society Oxford Dinner St Anne’s College, 6.30 for 7.00pm Tuesday 7 February: School Concert Great Hall, 7.30pm Tuesday 7 February: Year 7 Literary Event: Children’s author Eleanor Updale JCR, 2.15pm – 3.55pm Thursday 9 February: Performing Arts Day, Junior School Hall, 9.00am – 3.30pm 13 – 21 February: Half Term Wednesday 22 February: Inset Day

March Tuesday 13 March: Literary Event: Partners in Crime with writers Sophie Hannah and Erin Kelly Great Hall/JCR, 7.00 for 7.30pm Thursday 15 March: MADD Evening, Great Hall, 6.00 – 7.30pm Saturday 17 March: Charter Day (Including Year 6) Bristol Cathedral, 10.00am Thursday 29 March: Term Ends Editorial: Jo Foster, Wide Blue Yonder Design: adartdesign.co.uk Printed on 100% recycled stock using vegetable inks

Bristol Grammar School is a Registered Charity No. 1104425