BGS View Winter 2012

View The Bristol Grammar School Newsletter Winter 2012 Issue 22

World Champions in the Sixth Form

Perfect Harmony

at House Singing

Top Marks

at GCSE and 'A' level

Out and About

with Infants and Juniors

OBs Memory Day • Sporting round-up Whyatt Pakeman AWARD • The Renishaw Competition

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From the Headmaster Here we are at the end of another term and my over-riding impression of it is a deep sense of admiration at the spirit of participation displayed by students and staff alike.

W

e estimate that, every weekend, no less than a third of our students are engaged in some kind of co-curricular activity, sport or travel with the School.

We do not require attendance on Saturdays so this demonstration of voluntary commitment speaks volumes about our students’ enthusiasm to take part – and, equally, about their teachers’ impressive willingness to support this desire.

But, if the quantity of activity being undertaken is impressive, then even more so is the quality and diversity of the output.

One of my particular highlights was the School production of Romeo and Juliet – a classic piece delivered with maturity and imagination, involving over 45 students from Years 10–13.

Thanks to Mr McKenzie, Miss Harbour and Mrs Willicombe for leading the various teams involved and to all of you who came to see it.

News Getting to know you Two Pot Luck Suppers were hosted this term by the Friends of BGS to welcome new parents to the School and to meet others with children in Years 7 and 9. It wasn’t so much a test of culinary skills as a test to find the JCR without an Open Evening guide. For all who managed, there was a delicious supper, a glass of wine and plenty to chat about.

A further two other events, which took place within a week of each other, stood out for me because of their stark contrast to one another.

Firstly, there was our annual Remembrance Service which took place on Friday 9 November in the Great Hall in the presence of many OId Bristolians who had seen active service or lived through the Second World War. The haunting strains created by our flawless Buglers, James and Edward were the climax of a sombre and earnest service which showed the deep respect which our 21st century students have for the sacrifices of their forebears.

By contrast, the House Singing Competition was a glorious exercise in anarchic teenage musical expression – and I loved it! This evening has become a firm favourite in our School Calendar and its warm atmosphere highlights the camaraderie and friendship fostered by our House system.

I am delighted that our School community can embrace such a rich variety of activity and that our students possess the maturity to know the appropriate time and place for each.

I am delighted also that they receive such support in this from their excellent teachers and from you, their parents and families.

May I wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year.

Roderick MacKinnon

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New students at BGS had plenty of opportunities to make friends and get to know their classmates with the Beetle Drive, House Parties and team-building activities helping them to feel at home in their new School. We welcome them all.

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News

Doing our Bit This term’s charity was Bristol and Avon Multiple Sclerosis Society and the combined efforts of Charity Week and the Christmas Market helped raise an impressive £3,000 for the cause.

ITs Fantastic!

Form 7.4 was the lucky class selected to trial the possible roll-out of iPads to students in the School. Along with each of their class teachers, every form member has had their own device this term. The IT innovation extends to BGS Juniors, with all pupils in Year 3 having access to Android tablets.

If the trial of one-to-one IT access is a success, it could eventually lead to all students having a similar device, allowing teachers at BGS to enhance individual learning, and provide an additional resource for teaching and learning in the classroom.

Movember The Rotary Club kindly donated £200 towards Education for All Morocco in return for the 2012–13 BGS Education for All Morocco team’s efforts clearing up Canford Park after the annual fireworks fiesta. BGS has been supporting Education for All for five years, raising over £25,000 in that time.

BGS staff have also been doing their bit, growing moustaches for Movember in support of prostate cancer charities, an international campaign which has so far raised £184 million. Almost £600 was raised, alongside some smiles at the altered appearances!

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News The Renishaw Competition

Top marks!

2012 saw another set of outstanding results for BGS students at both ‘A’ level and GCSE. At GCSE there was a 100% pass rate with an amazing 80% of grades at A* or A – the best results in Bristol! Seventeen students were able to celebrate being awarded ten or more A*s.

There was more success at ‘A’ level: again the pass rate was 100% and a massive 86% of grades were A*–B. No fewer than 54 students achieved a total of three or more As or A*s, including nine individuals who achieved three or more A*s.

We shall remember them BGS staff and students past and present gathered in the Great Hall on Friday 9 November for the School’s annual Service of Remembrance. Joining the service were twelve OBs who attended BGS during World War Two who shared their experiences of wartime life with our present-day students.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the local engineering firm Renishaw, 56 students from Year 8 to Lower Sixth entered this competition. Entrants had to produce a one thousand word article on an area of science or engineering of interest to them. All those who entered are to be congratulated as the standard of entries was very high and the judges were given a difficult task deciding on the prize winners.

On Tuesday 4 December, the winners were announced at the Renishaw Prize Giving. Dr Ian Carpenter, from Renishaw, presented the prizes. The winners shared a prize pot of £1,000 in PC World Gift Cards.

Year 8: 1st Benedict (8.2) Looking Forward To A Bright New Future. 2nd Jenny (8.2) A Real Cure For Blindness. Year 9: 1st Alfred (9.4) Brain – Computer Interface: Freedom For All. 2nd Aarabi (9.2) A Cancer Treatment Using Carbon Nanotubes. Year 10: 1st James (10.2) Autonomous Driving. 2nd Jono (10.2) Floating Cities. Year 11: 1st Isobel (11.1) Brain Cells From Stem Cells? 2nd Ramya (11.2) The Future Of Nano-Ears. Lower Sixth: 1st Rebecca (L6RAM) Tissue Engineering. 2nd Jonathan (L6LG) Claytronics. Merit Kate (L6DJS) Three Parent IVF and Qays (L6RAM) The Robotic Human.

HiSPARC update This term saw the installation of the particle detectors – on the roof of the Winterstoke Building – needed for our participation in the exciting HiSPARC project. The detectors will be officially switched-on in the Spring term and the data from them will be used in the Physics Department at the University of Bristol’s research into the origin of the cosmic rays which collide with our atmosphere.

Many thanks to the Friends of BGS whose generous grant made our participation in this project possible.

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Infants & Juniors Mr Huckle writes …

The start of a new school year is always an exciting time and particularly so this year on account of all the new developments and refurbishments completed over the Summer holidays.

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he Infant School now has a splendid learning space/play area/reception at the front of Moore’s and Avery’s which means that, in combination with the rear gardens of the two houses, we now have excellent provision of outside space for the children to learn and play in. All-weather learning has also become possible for the Infants with the erection of two attractive timber shelters in the rear garden. The Junior School has been completely redecorated with all the classrooms being equipped with new furniture, notice boards and storage.

As a result, the Juniors now enjoy the same vibrant learning environment that typifies the Infant School. The children’s toilets have also been refitted and the staffroom has been brought into the 21st century.

All of these developments have played

an important part in fuelling the “buzz” around the Infant and Junior Schools that visitors so often comment upon.

A buzz of engaged activity has been evident in the classrooms and in the full range of co-curricular activities the children so enjoy. Examples this term have included our Family Picnic, an Infant School disco, our Children in Need Day, the South West Regional Rugby tournament at Failand, the IAPS Regional Hockey tournament at Millfield, Teatime concerts, the Young Voices concert at the LG Arena in Birmingham and our full range of regular Infant and Junior Clubs. In addition, the children have enjoyed trips ranging from outdoor pursuits days for Year 6 to residential PGL trips for Years 4 and 5, pizza-making trips to Pizza Express for Year 3, an SS Great Britain trip for Year 2, a trip to St Fagans for Year 1 and a visit

to a local bakery for Reception.

Activities always build to a climax around Christmas time with our Infant Nativity, Junior School Christmas Service, Christmas Bazaar, Christmas Crafts days and trips to various pantomimes around the South West.

There is so much for the children here to learn from and to enjoy being part of – all of which is thanks to the tremendous efforts of our dedicated staff who, like me, have their spirits lifted every day by the responsiveness of the children.

Peter Huckle Headmaster, BGS Infants & Juniors Photo courtesy of The Post

A very warm welcome The sun shone down on our Family Picnic making it a very warm welcome for new families joining BGS Infants and Juniors this term. With the chance to make new friends as well as have a lot of fun, the afternoon was enjoyed by parents and children alike.

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Infant Disco

The youngest members of our School community got the chance to show off their groovy moves at this term’s Infant Disco, kindly organised by JISPA. A big thank you to all those who gave their time to organise and run this fabulous event.

A very grand total There was plenty of evidence of BGS Infants and Juniors' work to help others this term as three separate charities each received a cheque for £1,546.32, which was a third of the total raised

by BGS Infants and Juniors last year in support of their three chosen charities: Help for Heroes, Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal and the WWF. Collecting the cheque on behalf of Help for Heroes, Laura Hughes said it was the

largest cheque she had ever received from a school! Well done to all our pupils for this fantastic effort.

Children in Need

On Children in Need Day, the Infants and Juniors arrived at School in an array of colours which was most uplifting on a slightly grey day. The cake sale was exceptionally well-supported – so much so that a second cake sale was held on Monday after school too. The total amount raised from the Mufti day and cake sales was £583.40. This splendid amount includes the money raised by Anoushka who sold Children in Need merchandise which totalled a magnificent £136!

Well done to everyone for being so supportive and generous! A special well done to Anoushka!

Harvest Assembly Parents joined children from throughout BGS Infants and Juniors in early October for a special Harvest Assembly in the Great Hall. The children spoke and sang beautifully as they gave thanks for the food that we have, and thought about those whose lives are not so fortunate.

Infant Nativity This year’s Infant Nativity was Little Angel Gets Her Wings – the story of how Little Angel, determined to see the baby Jesus, travels to Bethlehem on foot as she doesn’t yet have her wings. All the children from the six Infant classes played a part in telling the story of Little Angel’s journey, with lots of music and singing to go along with some very accomplished acting and speaking. For many of our youngest pupils this was a first taste of performance and, if you saw it, we are sure you will agree that they did themselves proud. Our thanks go to the staff and parents who gave time and effort to support this performance.

Make some Noise

Junior School children have been finding some unusual ways to make music this term in their activity inspired by the junk percussion group Stomp. Wooden spoons, tins, plastic containers, broomsticks, plastic, metal and cardboard tubes have all been turned into musical instruments with each week focussing on a different material for some very noisy fun.

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Infants & Juniors

t u o b a d n a Out

Year 5 at Liddington There was outdoor adventure for Year 5 as well, with a trip to Liddington PGL centre in Wiltshire. Formerly a conference centre and hotel, the bedrooms proved almost as much of a hit with the children as the activities!

Even a late night (well 9.30pm) fire alarm couldn’t dampen the children’s enthusiasm with the treetop trail, aeroball, canoeing, zip wire, low-ropes course and tunnel trail all very popular.

On their return to School, the children had to design and write postcards about their trip; there were very few mentions of missing home, but a lot of claims to be having ‘the best time ever!’

Year 4 at Marchants Hill

In September, Year 4 enjoyed a residential trip to the PGL centre at Marchants Hill in Surrey, where they enjoyed all that the centre’s 45 acres of grounds had to offer. Fencing, climbing, camp fires, abseiling, archery, exploring the woods and, of course, the zip wire and getting muddy on the obstacle course were all enthusiastically undertaken with the children finding new skills and forging new friendships.

Reception at the Bakery Our Reception classes had an exciting trip to a local bakery this term where they met Bernard the Baker. Bernard was very kind and showed them all of the delicious breads, cakes and pastries in his shop and answered lots of questions.

He also gave everyone a gingerbread dinosaur to take home! Back at School, the children made (and ate) their own bread and set up a bakers shop in home corner in the classroom.

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Year 2 explore Bristol The first topic for Year 2 this term was all about Bristol. The children went to visit two of Bristol’s best known landmarks.

First was a trip to Clifton Suspension Bridge where they learnt about the bridge and how it was made. The

Year 6 in the Mendip Mud Sunshine rather than showers (or the more usual torrential rain!) greeted Year 6 on their trip to the Mendip Outdoor Pursuit Centre at the end of September. Arriving clean and dry, they left happy but tired and very, very muddy. The children tackled the assault course with enthusiasm, working

together when required to help each other around. Although even the best teamwork wasn’t enough to save them from the mud created by the previous week’s heavy rain, no amount of mud could dampen their enthusiasm for this fantastic outdoor adventure.

Year 1 at St Fagans Year 1 enjoyed a wonderful trip to St Fagans open-air museum this term, stepping back in time to visit old homes, shops and businesses. The children explored a row of miner’s cottages, each from a different time period and were able to identify the differences as the houses got newer.

Then it was even further back in time as they entered the Iron Age village to see the Celtic round houses. Inside the houses it was extremely smoky so the children had to stay very low, just like the Celts would have done. They came out saying that they would definitely not like to live in one!

After lunch the class took part in a workshop led by one of the staff. They went inside a Gwalia store (an oldfashioned shop) and learnt how the shopkeeper collected everything for

the customers from the shelves and weighed lots of items like tea, cheese and ground coffee. It was fascinating for the children to see how much things have changed and the museum gave them a real feel for what life was like in the past.

children were inspired to try to make their own bridge models from plasticine when they got back to School.

The next week, it was down to the floating harbour to pay a visit to the SS Great Britain. The guided tour of the historic boat was incredibly informative, and the children also had the opportunity to use the actual tools used to make the SS Great Britain. At the end of the workshop the children had to dress up as Victorian passengers and wave their British flags to send off the SS Great Britain on its first voyage.

Year 3 at Pizza Express Year 3 visited Pizza Express in Clifton Village as part of their Science topic ‘teeth and healthy eating.’ 36 very excited (and hungry) children arrived at the restaurant eager to discover how pizzas are made. Given a ball of dough and a choice of toppings, the children were expertly guided through how to make a top quality and healthy pizza.

They then got to take them home for their tea – yummy!

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Sixth Form

Bright Green Futures Brothers Marcus and Alex may still be in the Sixth Form, but they are already making an impact in the world of wildlife conservation.

Both were invited to join the judging panel of the 2012 Bristol Green Volunteers Awards, which celebrate the work of volunteers across the city and aim to raise levels of interest in environmental volunteering. It was through their volunteer work that they came to the attention of Savita Custead, Chief Executive of the Bristol Natural History Consortium which oversees the awards. Both Marcus (U6) and Alex (L6) have taken part in BioBlitzes around Bristol: timed biological surveys of sites which rely on members of the public to cover the site and record their findings with Marcus helping to organise a BioBlitz in Abbots Leigh. In addition, the brothers are regular volunteers in the Biology Collections of the City of Bristol Museum.

Both also have their own specialist interests; Marcus carries out moth trapping – recording moth species by attracting them with special MV lights – both on his own and for public

Best in Bristol!

Senior Team Maths Success

Photograph, Alex demonstrations, while Alex is a keen ornithologist and trainee bird ringer.

This summer Alex received a grant which enabled him to spend two weeks at the renowned Fair Isle Bird Observatory in Shetland, volunteering alongside the warden taking part in sea-bird monitoring. He has also been invited to speak at the British Trust for Ornithology’s conference about his ornithological experiences and his impression of the BTO as a young ornithologist, addressing an audience of over 500 fellow ornithologists!

Unsurprisingly, both Alex and Marcus plan to continue their interests beyond School. Next summer the brothers will spend three weeks volunteering with a biological research and conservation project in the Peruvian Amazon: Alex will be helping with monitoring and mist-netting birds while Marcus will be working with butterflies and dung beetles. A GAP year, working on nature reserves in the UK and, hopefully, the USA and Canada is also in Alex’s plans and he hopes this experience will translate into a career, be that as a warden or, following his other passion, a wildlife cameraman. Marcus also hopes to continue his interest in the natural world, possibly in the area of biological research or conservation.

With their passion and dedication, it is very likely you will hear more of both of them in the future.

On Tuesday 13 November, our team of four ‘A’ level Further Mathematicians – Gavin and Thomas from the Upper Sixth and Qays and Jae-Been from the Lower Sixth – competed in the regional heat of the Senior Team Mathematics Challenge at the University of the West of England.

BGS took an early lead in the first round, answering nine of the ten questions correctly. To the organisers’ considerable surprise, they then proceeded to score 100% in both the remaining rounds, also gaining the bonus points for quick completion of all the relay puzzles. This placed them first – with 170 points out of a maximum of 176, nearly twenty points ahead of their nearest rivals – out of a wide field of twenty schools from the Bristol area.

As regional champions, they now look forward to the national finals, which take place in London in February.

Ilaria wins in Wellington

During the half-term break Sixthformer Ilaria competed in the inaugural Wellington Piano Competition. Taking part in the Advanced Class, Ilaria was selected as one of three finalists after a day of competition. Her performance of pieces by Hayden and Rachmaninoff saw her awarded the overall prize, with the judges praising her sophisticated musical understanding and depth of expression. In addition to her trophy, as winner of the Advanced Class, Ilaria will also perform in a recital at Steinway Hall in London.

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Sixth Form

World Champions!

Who’s that girl?

BGS Sixth Form can currently boast not one but two world champions, thanks to students Guy and Ben .

Over the weekend of 15–16 September Guy (U6) and his partner Mercedes won the Under 17 World Pairs Title in the Mounted Games at the Newark and Notts Showground for the second year running, something no pair had ever previously achieved.

It is all the more impressive as Guy had

Whatever next?

Members of the Lower Sixth had an excellent opportunity in November to find out more about the careers they are considering at our Old Bristolians Careers event. The event ran for the whole morning, with over thirty OBs in School to share their expertise and real life experience in a whole range of fields, from high finance in investment banking, to high drama in the world of theatre. As well as specialist breakout groups, there were discussions on career journeys and the chance to network over refreshments in the Great Hall. We are immensely grateful to the OBs who gave their time to speak with our students and give them such a valuable insight into their chosen careers.

changed to a new pony at the start of the year and to claim victory they needed to beat the world number one (who rides for the USA) and her partner.

In a closely fought competition which went down to the last race in the final, Guy and Mercedes eventually won by six points.

Ben (U6) became the School’s second world champion when he won the World Powerlifting championships which were held near Boston in the United States during half-term. Ben achieved personal bests in all three lifts and a European record in the bench lift of 120.5kg. His total across the three lifts was 510kg, placing him ahead of the competition by a wide margin.

Not every teenage girl would voluntarily walk around with a moustache above their top lip, but that is just what Sixth-former Alice did for the month of November. Alice wore the rather dashing pencilled-on number every school day to show her support for Movember, the campaign to raise awareness of and funds to fight male cancers. With her campaign catching the attention of not only her school friends but also Heart FM, Alice raised not only money but also understanding and awareness with her campaign. Well done Alice.

Whyatt Pakeman award Congratulations to Upper-sixth Economics student George who has been awarded an annual scholarship courtesy of Clifton-based chartered accountants Whyatt Pakeman Partners. George was presented with his scholarship by Roger Pimblett, a partner at the firm, at a ceremony last term. We thank Whyatt Pakeman for their generous sponsorship of this award.

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Literary Events

I wouldn’t normally read a book about football, but because Paul Watson is an OB I’d taken a copy of Up Pohnpei on holiday with me.

Horrible Histories

Martin Brown

What do you get when you take a combination of weird, wonderful and gruesome facts, add to it some interesting and unusual cartoon characters and combine it with great enthusiasm and personality?

Answer: the successful recipe to keep an audience of Year 5, 6 and 7 children spellbound for an hour, as served up

by Martin Brown the Horrible Histories’ illustrator in an enthralling talk given on Thursday 4 October in the Great Hall.

From the very first moment Martin plunged in with a gruesome fact about the botched execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. He went on to talk about how, once shown the manuscript of the next book in the series by Terry Deary, he considers what to illustrate and where it will fit. This was expertly demonstrated by his drawing that revealed just how awful Tudor roads were: take one man falling off his horse into something unpleasant left by another horse, add attire (suitably researched) and there you have your humorous sketch.

The audience was then given an insight into how Martin approaches drawing, surrounded by an array of pictures rather than attempting to use imagination. As he said, “It is impossible to draw a horse from memory!”. He also said that no one is

rubbish at drawing: we get better by practising. We do things because they are good fun. This was exactly what he had done as a child. He used the analogy of Wayne Rooney, who, at six years old, probably played football because it was fun!

We finished with the creation of some weird and wonderful cartoon characters whose characteristics were enthusiastically suggested by the audience. Martin then signed copies of his books, impressively taking the time to talk to every single person in the queue.

Steve Marsh

My thirteen year-old daughter Bella picked it up and began reading me laugh-out-loud snippets about toads on the pitch, and regaling me with the “offside” rule and the ins and outs of FIFA. I was strongly encouraged to read this hilarious book and I, too, was soon captivated by Paul’s story of his epic journey to Pohnpei to become player-manager of the national side – “the worst team in the world” as he himself says.

Bella and I were not going to miss a chance for us to meet our new hero ‘live’, and his literary event at BGS was everything we had hoped for: scandalous anecdotes about FIFA, indepth locker room footage and clips of the toad-infested pitch.

The dénouement of Up Pohnpei is the team’s tournament in Guam. Like Paul at the talk, I will not do a ‘spoiler’ and reveal whether he took his team to victory or not. You’ll just have to read his book, which I cannot recommend highly enough to football fans young and old (and to middle-aged mums and their teenage daughters!).

Sara Bassett and daughter, Bella

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A Picture Paints a Thousand Words BGS Infants were lucky enough to have a masterclass in illustration to kick-off the Autumn term with a visit from a picture-book writer and illustrator, Thomas Docherty. He promised to take us on a magical journey and introduce us to the world of telling stories through pictures, and this is just what he did!

The children listened eagerly to the adventure story, The Snorgh and the Sailor, with all the beautiful illustrations projected on the screen.

They enjoyed making spectacular sound effects to accompany the storytelling and help bring it to life.

With the children warmed up, it was their turn to tell stories using pictures.

They did a brilliant job creating a pair of squabbling cats on either side of a locked door. I loved the way Thomas questioned the children to encourage them to develop characters, feelings and locations with each of these taking the story a step further: what could happen next? It was great to see the

children’s imaginations engaged and heartening to hear him tell the children to practise and draw. Just as everyone is unique, so too will be the stories they create.

After enjoying two more of Thomas’s brilliant stories, the Infants left incredibly excited and fuelled by a newfound love of drawing. Thomas encouraged us to remember that things often happen in real life that could be the start of a wonderful story. We all need to look around us, in readiness.

Inspired by this idea, we left wide-eyed and ready!

Rekha Mamuda

An Evening with

Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer came to BGS to talk about his new book, Artemis Fowl and The Last Guardian, to a packed house in the Great Hall. The Artemis Fowl series runs to eight books of which Artemis Fowl and The Last Guardian is the final one.

The books are loved by both girls and boys because they contain characters that everyone can empathise with and relate to, from Captain Holly Short, the inimitable feisty fairy guardian of the peace, to the eponymous Artemis – resourceful and cunning boy genius.

The thesis expounded by Eoin on the evening was that if you want to be a successful writer then you must ground all your characters in reality and base them on people you actually know. The blueprint for the characters of Artemis’s little brothers, Myles and Beckett, are Eoin’s own two young sons and he delighted the audience with tales of their naughtiness… how his oldest had broken his arm diving headlong into a ball pit at a soft play centre in an attempt to pounce on a smaller child, and how the younger one had managed to slither along the floor to blow on a trumpet he had been expressly forbidden to touch. “Look, no hands, Dad! I’m not actually touching it. You should be proud!”

The evening came to a close as audience members dressed variously as Holly, Artemis and Mulch Diggums were judged to have the best costumes and awarded lovely goody bags kindly donated by Puffin. Many people queued patiently to have Eoin sign their shiny new copies of his book and all went home very happy indeed.

Sara Bassett and daughter, Bella

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Literary Events

The Allen Lane Prize, 2012

Caroline Lawrence On a grey Wednesday afternoon in October, Caroline Lawrence, author of the brilliant Roman Mysteries and, recently, the Western Mysteries, enthused Year 7s with tales of plot beats, quests, characters and time machines, in a talk that took in not only her books, but also movies from Star Wars to Up.

The first question to the audience was “Ok, who’s a nerd?” and the eager hands thrust into the air – especially from some of the teachers – showed that she was going to be popular. The whole afternoon saw Year 7s desperate to capture the diamonds that she was scattering among them, and at the end, we were all left wanting more.

The advice for budding writers was indispensable. Plunder the Greek myths if you want a good storyline. Steal ideas from others. Give your hero a flaw. Have a mentor who gives the hero a talisman.

It may well be that at least one of the gathered throng will end up as a published author, and I imagine that they will tell others that it was Caroline Lawrence that inspired them, just as

she credits Mary Renault’s The Last of the Wine. “Be careful what you read – a book could change your life.”

It was a pleasure and privilege, as always, to be able to learn from Caroline Lawrence. If you want to know more, you can e-mail her via her website www.carolinelawrence.com

Andy Keen

Owing to the generosity of Penguin Books, whose founder Allen Lane was a pupil at Bristol Grammar School, aspiring authors in Year 9 and above have the chance to compete in an annual short story competition with over £100 worth of Penguin books on offer for the winner. Entrants are invited to submit an original short story, of precisely 480 words (a word for each year of the School’s history), written in response to a given title. This year’s title was Mine.

The winner and two runners-up were presented with their prizes at a special assembly by Penguin editor (and Picador author) Simon Winder.

Congratulations to competition winner Vanessa and to runnersup Will and Seb who received £30 in book vouchers.

Those assembled also enjoyed hearing Vanessa read her winning entry, a story the judge, Penguin Publishing Director Tony Lacey, described as “modern (and literary rather than genre); convincing; suited to the title without any straining; and effective within the length.” Lacey also observed that Vanessa “sets up, and then very neatly sidesteps, a sentimental ending.”

Former winners of the prize have also gone on to enjoy work-experience placements and brief internships at Penguin’s Head Offices in London.

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Performing Arts

Between the Pages

On Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 December, 85 BGS students from across the School took to the stage to perform Between the Pages. With performers from Year 1 to Upper Sixth, this was a genuine wholeSchool dance production. From Little Red Riding Hood to Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel to Beauty and the Beast, the show fused together thirteen different pieces which explored the themes and stories found within the fairy tales and fables that we know so well. Well done to everyone who took part in this wonderful whole-School celebration of dance.

On the Fringe

Sixteen ‘A’ level Theatre Studies students, four Stage Crew, Miss Harbour and Mr Levy travelled to Edinburgh this August to perform at the world famous Fringe Festival. Two weeks of intensive rehearsals were followed by ten nights of performances of Town: A Spirited Story by Chris Walker, adapted from two of Edgar Allan Poe’s short gothic stories and directed by Miss Harbour.

The students said it was the best trip they had ever been on: they enjoyed leafleting on the Royal Mile, watching other performances and most of all the experience of being part of the incredible Fringe Festival. The play was well-attended and received a four-star review from Broadway Baby which concluded: ‘This show is executed with utmost professionalism, made all the more impressive when one considers the young age of the cast.

It is a thought-provoking and chilling piece of new theatre, and is definitely worth seeing.’ Read the full review at: www.broadwaybaby.com/listing. php?id=14160

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Performing Arts

Stars in the making

Romeo & Juliet This year’s Main School Play was Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare’s famous tragedy was given a contemporary context with the cast, crew and director working to create a modern interpretation to win over a new generation. The characters are young, rich and free – the Montagues in modern tweed representing old money and the Capulets in High Street fashion – helping to create a fresh backdrop for the production.

More than 45 students from Year 10 to Upper Sixth worked incredibly hard, both on stage and behind-the-scenes, to bring this production to life and its success is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the cast, crew and staff involved.

Shakespeare in Schools BGS performed a thirty-minute abridged version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Tobacco Factory as part of the Shakespeare in Schools Festival this term. 26 students from Years 7 to 10, plus two Upper-sixth students, James Gilmore who designed and operated the lighting and Jack West who was the assistant director, were involved. They were an extremely talented cast, directed by Miss Harbour and Miss Vincent. The students all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and much fun was had by all involved.

Year 8 at BGS is a hotbed of acting talent with not one but two TV stars in its midst. Year 8 students Olly and Max have been cast in two very different TV productions.

Over the summer, Olly was filming the second series of the CBBC programme The Sparticle Mystery playing Liam, one of a group of children who band together to try to discover what has happened to make everyone over the age of fifteen disappear. The first series was filmed in and around

Bristol, but the second series was filmed in Leeds, meaning Olly spent Monday to Friday in a hotel, only returning to Bristol at weekends. The nine weeks of filming took up the whole of the holidays (and the start of term, leading to school work on a Saturday!) but, with a child-only cast, there were plenty of friends to be made and fun to be had on set. With two series under his belt, Olly would like to continue acting, although he is yet to get used to seeing himself on TV. Meanwhile Max has had a busy six months filming for the new series of the hit BBC drama Call the Midwife, which will return to our screens with a Christmas Special in December.

After his performance in the Bristol

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Old Vic production of Coram Boy last Christmas, Max was asked to audition for the part of Timothy Turner, the son of the show's regular character, Dr Turner.

Max was nervous arriving for his first day on the production, as it was his first-ever day on a TV set, but he needn't have been. The crew and cast have been incredibly welcoming and Max has enjoyed the whole experience, especially the opportunity to learn just how much is involved in making such a successful show.

School Concert at St George’s This term our School Concert took place at St George’s on Brandon Hill showcasing the range of musical talent in the School. Performances ranged from Senior Orchestra to the Jazz Band, and Cantata to the Joint Junior Choirs. It was an evening not to be missed and greatly enjoyed by all those who attended.

Perfect Harmony Massed choirs and musicians from the six Houses took to the stage in the Great Hall on 14 November for the annual House Singing Competition.

As ever, the enthusiasm and energy of the performances made it a difficult task for our adjudicator, this year Matthew Bale, Director of Music at Badminton School.

The evening began with Gunawardana’s House performing Can you Feel It? before Edwards’s Ed Club 7 Medley (unsurprisingly, a medley of S Club 7 songs). There was another medley to follow, this time from The Lion King courtesy of Scott’s, and then Diamond’s performed the Coldplay song Viva la Vida. The last two Houses to take to the stage were Catchpole’s, singing The Captain by Biffy Clyro, and Hilliard’s House with their Pie Mix – a unique take on American Pie and Brown-eyed Girl.

Tension rose in the Great Hall as the adjudicator deliberated, before news of Hilliard’s victory was greeted with a huge cheer and an enthusiastic reprise of the winning performance. Well done to the winners Hilliard’s and to everyone who took part, making it such an enjoyable and entertaining evening.

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View Winter '12 Issue 22

Exploration

Into the wild

Bonjour Paris!

At the start of the Summer holidays a group of Year 7 students set off with their teachers for a French adventure.

The group was based at a PGL camp just outside of Paris and, as well as trying some amazing activities on the four-day trip, they had plenty of opportunities to practise their French, see the sights and even had time for a visit to Disneyland, Paris.

26 students from Year 11 and Lower Sixth undertook the trip of a lifetime this summer, travelling to Ladakh in Northern India.

They undertook a seven-day trek through a tributary of the Nubra Valley, which has only been open to tourists since 1996 so is an almost unspoilt wilderness. Their walk took them into a mountain range that spans India, China and Pakistan, with a view of all three countries possible at one point.

The Lower-sixth team also climbed the 5,800m Samgyal Peak, which has only been tackled by a handful of other people in the world due to its remote location.

After the trek both teams spent a day with primary school children at the Lamdon School in the tiny village of Sumur, and enjoyed visits to the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri, the UNESCO World Heritage site of the 16th Century Mughal Emperor Akbar. An afternoon was spent at Phyang Monastery, where they saw Tibetan monks worshipping and were shown around shrine rooms dating back to 1515 – before Bristol Grammar School was even founded!

Home from home This year’s French Exchange was to Bordeaux where BGS students were able to experience life with a French family and enjoy the Mediterranean climate. Although many had been to France before, staying with a French family, speaking the language outside the classroom, and eating nothing but French cuisine for over a week was a whole new experience! In return our students welcomed their new French friends into their own homes, showed them the wonders of Bristol and taught them about English life. Both French and English students benefited from the exchange, gaining stronger knowledge of a foreign language and making a firm new friend.

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Perfect St Petersburg Going • Dutch Fourteen players travelled to Holland in July, hoping to escape the rain which had disrupted so much of the cricket season in Bristol. Based in Scheveningen, the team faced a tough schedule of five games in five days.

Eight Year 10 students travelled to St Petersburg this summer for the annual exchange with our link school, Gimnasia 192. There were plenty of opportunities for sightseeing in and around the beautiful city, with visits to Tsarist palaces, the Hermitage, the Peter and Paul Fortress and a delightful boat trip along the rivers and canals of St Petersburg. Staying with host families, our students experienced the warmth of Russian hospitality: for some this included the real Russian

experience of visiting a country dacha with their families; others a picnic and the time-honoured Russian tradition of shashliki, kebabs cooked over an open fire; some even had the considerable privilege to be taken to the ballet at the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre. Over the years more than 400 BGS students have travelled to Russia as part of this long-running exchange, having the opportunity to experience Russian life and culture first-hand, as well as putting their Russian skills into practice.

Bowled over in Berlin

Berlin wall and the Stasi Museum.

There was also time for a spot of tenpin bowling, where our students were wowed by the bowler in the next lane and discovered he was the German army and European Union bowling champion! Sadly none of their skills matched his but, like on the trip overall, a great time was had by everyone.

Seven students from Year 9 and Upper Sixth visited Berlin over the October half-term. For the Year 9 students this was a useful introduction to German culture while for the Upper-sixth students it was a chance to see at first-hand some of the sites associated with the former GDR and the fall of the Berlin Wall, which they study as part of their A2 course.

Crisp and clear autumnal weather, with fine sunshine and clear blue skies, accompanied their visits to landmarks such as the Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial, the remains of the former

The matches were against a mix of club sides (occasionally supplemented with our players, leading to BGS bowling at BGS on several occasions!) and the Netherlands U17 team who provided much stiffer opposition. There was also the experience of playing on Astro Turf and the return of the all-toofamiliar rain delays. Despite the rain the games were played in great spirit with BGS recording victory in two of the five matches.

The final day was spent visiting Amsterdam; the weather was kind and the rain held off for the day. With gifts and souvenirs purchased, the last night was spent enjoying a group meal and a final evening spent on the beach before the long journey home.

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Sport

GIRLS’ HOCKEY

There have been some excellent performances and obvious improvements in both individual skills and teamwork from all the hockey teams this term.

The U11’A’ squad has taken part in several tournaments; at Clifton College they played really well and drew all of their pool matches to get through to the plate competition, losing two games and winning one. In the Avon County tournament the team progressed through their group to the semi-finals, losing to The Downs and finishing third out of the six teams who participated. It was then on to Millfield for the initial round of the IAPS tournament where some tough competition meant BGS could only finish fifth in the group of six. Their trip to KES Bath, in defence of the shield won last year, was more successful.

With four wins and three draws, BGS was placed joint first on points, but Colston’s School received the shield as they had scored more goals.

The U10’A’ team was also in

tournament action this term, at Badminton School. The squad of eight girls played superbly and were unlucky not to win more of their matches.

They did secure victory against the hosts Badminton and finished third in their section – a good result for a first tournament.

In the Senior School the U13 girls’ hockey team became County Champions in November. With five wins out of five in the group stages, the girls progressed as group winners to play a semi-final match against

The Downs, winning 2–0. In the final against Monkton Coombe the score remained locked at 1–1 after extra time, but BGS claimed victory 2–1 on penalty strokes, scored by Rachel and Emma The team now progress to the regional finals in March.

The First XI has also been enjoying

success. Thanks to strong performances in the Avon County Schools’ tournament, with four out of five wins in the group stages, a penalty flick victory over Clifton College in the semi-final and a narrow 1–0 defeat to Prior Park in the final, the team were well placed to reach the regional finals. Qualification was secured with a subsequent 7–0 victory over Hereford Cathedral School. This is only the second time in the School’s history we have qualified for the regional round of the National Schools’ competition so is a great achievement. BGS was the only Bristol school and the only day school to qualify, and the tournament was always going to be challenge for the girls who played some excellent hockey, albeit for a losing cause.

Congratulations to the whole squad, particularly keeper Nicole who is playing in the First XI despite only being in Year 10!

View Winter '12 Issue 22

Sport

RUGBY

NETBALL

It has been a great season so far with the BGS Juniors’ teams recording some excellent results against strong competition from schools such as Millfield, KES Bath and QEH, including clean sweeps of victories for the BGS sides against Taunton, Clifton College and Colston’s School.

Performances of note include wins for the U9’A’ and U11’B’ teams against previously unbeaten sides from The Downs School.

On Sunday 18 November BGS hosted the National Schools’ Rugby tournament, South and South-West of England Regional Qualifiers at Failand.

The U11’A’, U10’A’, U9’A’, U8’A’ teams were all in action with the top two winning teams from each age group going on to represent the region at the finals in March 2013 at Epsom College, Surrey. In all three of the age groups our teams did well and demonstrated the progress they have made in their play during the season to date.

In the Senior School the teams got off to a steady start and, across all the ageranges, have been putting together some good results as the season has progressed. The First XV has begun to produce results which reflect the effort and hard work of the team, including excellent victories over QEH (25–5), King’s College, Taunton (5–8) and Wellington School (38–5).

The U13s enjoyed a four-match winning streak which included a 41–0 victory over QEH with hat-tricks for Dan and Will From the U14 squad Tom Alfie Andrew Jamie and Chris have all been selected for the Bristol U14 School of Rugby.

The U15 team enjoyed a good run in the Daily Mail Cup with victories over Katharine Lady Berkeley’s and Castle School. The next round, against Millfield, proved a match too far for the team who lost 5–24, despite the try-scoring efforts of Captain Jack U15 squad members Jonny Jack and Alex have all had their good form recognised with selection for the Bristol Schools’ squad.

The netball season has started early as the National Schools’ competitions began in the Autumn term. The U19 squad played really well, finishing third in their pool and narrowly missing out on the semi-finals. Both the U16 and U14 teams qualified for the county round of the National Schools’ netball tournament on Saturday 1 December with qualification for regionals at stake – watch this space for an update.

SWIMMING

On 7 November 26 BGS students took part in a swimming gala against Clifton High and The Red Maids’ School; it was a great success and the BGS teams were the overall winners after winning three out of the four categories. All the students swam fantastically, showing real promise for the future of swimming at BGS. Thank you to Matt Jono and Fraser who were our time-keepers for the evening.

SAILING

There was success for the BGS sailing team in their only fixture this term, against Millfield and Clifton College at Chew Valley Lake. In the first match BGS claimed victory against Millfield in two closely contested races with Lawrence sailing through after captain Ed successfully sailed one of the Millfield boats off the course. In the second match against Clifton College, a misjudgement from the BGS team in the second race allowed the Clifton College team to win, forcing the match to a deciding third race, which was won by BGS. Well done to the team.

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Sport

CRICKET

Congratulations

Congratulations to the U13 and U14 cricketers who became County Schools’ Cricket champions in September.

In the U13 final BGS scored a very impressive total of 155 for the loss of only one wicket with Ben scoring a brilliant 92 not out. We then held The Ridings Federation to 112 for 4 to win by 43 runs. We go on to represent the

EQUESTRIAN

The season got off to a good start at Stonar, where Anya enjoyed a sixth-place finish in the 11–14 year old 80cm class and Holly took third in the 15–18 year old 90cm class.

Success continued in November when Dauntsey’s hosted an NSEA Inter-

BGS v OBs Hockey

Thank you to all the OBs who braved the rain back in September to take on the BGS First XIs in matches to celebrate the opening of the School’s relaid hockey pitch. In the men's match, the OB team won 1–0, while the OB ladies beat the BGS XI 4–1.

county next season in the national cup.

In the U14 final BGS bowled and fielded well to restrict KES Bath to 82 for 5. A fine innings of 55 from Ed then saw BGS pass their target for the loss of only four wickets. schools’ Show-jumping competition.

In Class 1 (75cm) the team of Emma Anya and Tara all rode very stylish fast, clear rounds to come second as a team with Emma placed ninth individually.

Zoe and Holly joined Emma and Anya for Class 2 (85cm) and with some superb clear rounds they were delighted to win the team competition with Holly gaining first place in the individual results as well.

George and his new horse joined Holly, Zoe and Anya in Class 3 (95cm) and they rounded off a fantastic day by edging into fifth place as a team against some very tough competition.

Thank you to team organiser Corinne Waugh and to all of the parents for their support.

Alongside great team performances, there have been some outstanding individual achievements in a wide-range of sports.

Congratulations to:

James who represented Bristol Orienteering Klub (BOK) in a national competition.

Joe whose pony club team beat 19 other teams to win the U14s North West region inter-branch show-jumping. Tom and Edward who have been selected for the U11 Bristol District Cricket Squad.

Om and Alex who played very well in the Avon Badminton Tournament at on Portishead. Rosa achieving her Skate UK Gold level.

Jay who is the Avon U8 tennis champion. Issy who has been selected for the England Schools’ U14 Ski Squad for 2013. Rishi on selection for the U15 Gloucestershire County Cricket Winter Performance Squad 2013 and the South West Region Futures Squad for Badminton.

Hugh who came first out of sixteen competitors in the U13 group that took part in the Bristol Mile Races held on College Green.

Robert who has gained his black belt in Tae kwon do.

Tom on selection by British Cycling to join their Olympic Development Programme.

ORIENTEERING There have been three Avon Schools’ League events this term and BGS has been represented at all of them at both junior and senior level. BGS are currently third in the League table behind Redland High and Gordano.

View Winter '12 Issue 22

OBs

Emily with one of our Sports Scholars, Sophie on a recent visit to BGS

Memory Day

Elite funding for Emily

On Friday 9 November we were delighted to welcome several Old Bristolians who had been students here during the war, as guests at the School’s Remembrance Service in the Great Hall.

During the service Mr Richard Nosowski, OBE, spoke to the School about the life of his father, Stefan, who was a Polish airman. At the end of the service, the President of the OB Society joined the Head of School to lay the wreaths at the war memorial, and our guests then split into small groups to talk to some of our current students about their experiences during the war.

Some of the memories that particularly stood out were of fire watch on the Great Hall roof, making sure that any incendiary bombs which landed did not set the roof alight. John Higson remembered a particular night on duty on the roof of the Great Hall when, fortunately, there was no air raid. The boys on watch had brought with them a large hammer, and as the School clock struck midnight they waited for the last strike and added their own thirteenth bell! A number of Bristolians heard the bell and reported it to the Evening Post. When the Headmaster found out, he wanted to know who was responsible but the boys stuck together and wouldn’t tell him. This, and other memories shared during the morning, will be collated to produce a booklet which will be available from the

OB Office; other extracts will also be posted on the OB website. The event was a very rewarding experience for our pupils and we are very grateful to the Old Bristolians who gave up their time to make it possible.

Former BGS student Emily Diamond has had her athletic talent recognised

by UK Athletics with promotion to their World Class Performance programme.

Membership of the programme has been limited to those UK Athletics believe are genuine medal contenders for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, so inclusion is a real vote of confidence for Emily following her selection for the Team GB London 2012 4 x 400m squad.

Congratulations Emily – we’ll look out for you in Rio!

U21 Rugby Festival at Richmond The term started with some of our most recent OBs being invited to play in the Cronk-Cunis U21 Rugby Festival. The team was an amalgamation of recent leavers and students who are in their first two years of university education.

The BGS team was quite young but in our first game we defeated the Millfield team 17–5. With a sudden realisation that we weren’t that bad we had lunch before playing our next game against King’s College Wimbledon. Despite a great comeback the game was lost in the final play. In our final game we played Monmouth School and raced into an early lead. Unfortunately, a combination of an early start, injuries to key players and a lack of early season fitness resulted in Monmouth fighting back to win the game. It was a good day out and the proud tradition of BGS Rugby was upheld. If you would like to play in this competition next year, please contact Mr Jakobek or sign up through the Bristol Grammar School Old Bristolians’ Facebook page.

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Diary dates

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

January

Friends of BGS

Masked Ball

Monday 7 January: INSET Day Tuesday 8 January: Term starts Thursday 10 January: Whole School Open Morning, 9.45am-12.00pm Saturday 12 January: Year 7 Entrance Examination

The Friends of Bristol Grammar School are organising a Masked Ball on Saturday 9 March 2013 in the Great Hall.

Come along and enjoy:

Wednesday 16 January: External Sixth Form Interview Evening, 4.00-8.00pm Saturday 19 January: Year 7-10 Entrance Examination Monday 21 January: Literary Event, Picture Book Illustrator Rosie Flo with Years 1 & 2 Saturday 26 January: Reception and Year 3–6 entrance assessments 8.00am – 12.00pm Wednesday 30 January: BGS Infants & Juniors Little and Big Bird watch Literary Event, Children’s Author Simon Scarrow with Year 7

February Monday 4 – Friday 8 February: Charity Week Monday 4 February: School Concert, Great Hall 7.30pm Tuesday 5 February: Year 7 Welcome Drinks Reception for current Year 6 parents, Great Hall 6.00-7.00pm

a glass of champagne on arrival three-course dinner with half a bottle of wine per person dancing until 1am to the Love Vultures and DJ Top Rank Charity Auction in aid of BGS and Penny Brohn Cancer Care with star prizes of a week’s stay in a French chalet and a pair of tickets to see Manchester United FC play Chelsea FC ♦ a cash bar for anyone with two left feet ♦ the company of friends, whether BGS parents or not ♦ Masks would be fun, at least for the first hour

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Details of how to buy tickets (£45) have been sent via the weekly email to parents. If you have any queries, please email: maskedball@bgs.bristol.sch.uk

Wednesday 6 February: Charity Week Big Quiz, Great Hall 7.00pm Thursday 7 February: BGS Juniors, A Celebration of Singing, Great Hall 2.30–3.30pm Friday 8 February: BGS Infants & Juniors Performing Arts Day, Junior School Hall, 9.00am–3.35pm Monday 11 – Tuesday 19 February: HALF-TERM Wednesday 20 February: INSET Day Thursday 21 February: Year 7 Welcome Drinks Reception for external Year 6 parents, Great Hall 6.00–7.00pm Thursday 28 February: Literary Event, author Lucy Hawking with BGS Juniors

March Saturday 9 March: The Friends of BGS Masked Ball, Great Hall, 7.30 for 8.00pm Monday 11 March: Whole School Open Morning, 9.45am–12.00pm Thursday 14 March: BGS Juniors MADD Evening, Great Hall 6.00–7.30pm Saturday 16 March: Old Bristolians’ Annual Dinner, Great Hall 6.00–10.30pm Tuesday 19 March: Literary Event, Children’s Author Simon Mayo with Years 6 & 7

Keep up-to-date For latest news from BGS and to find out what’s coming up, you can keep in touch via our website www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk We also have a Bristol Grammar School Facebook page and you can follow us on Twitter @BGSBristol

Friday 22 March: End of Term Design: adartdesign.co.uk Printed on 100% recycled stock using vegetable inks

Bristol Grammar School is a Registered Charity No. 1104425