Focus Autumn 2019

C OL L E G E

AU T U M N 2 0 1 9

CHURC HE R ’S alsO inside: Churcher’s Goes Green & Celebrates Modern Languages, Home and Abroad!

remembrance EVENTS

On Remembrance Sunday, November 10, at 11am, the Combined Cadet Force contingent of Churcher’s College and The Petersfield School, along with many other groups, paraded through the streets of Petersfield, paying honour to those from the town and its immediate surrounds who lost their lives serving their country.

The annual commemoration was jointly organised by Petersfield Town Council and the Petersfield branch of the Royal British Legion. The parade marched to the War Memorial where a bugler, Sixth Former Ben Brandon, played the Last Post, a two minutes’ silence was observed, wreaths were laid, and the roll of honour listing all those from Petersfield who have died in wars since 1914 was read out.

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FOCUS Senior Quantum Theatre

Remembrance Concert

The annual Remembrance Concert at St. Peter’s Church on November 6th featured all six of the school’s choirs as well as the Senior Orchestra.

Highlights on the programme included a stirring male voice choir performance of ‘The Parting Glass’, and a dazzling display of violin virtuosity from soloist Anna Lezdkan playing Henryk Wieniawski’s Polonaise in D Major. A retiring collection raised money for the Royal British Legion.

Remembrance Sunday was once again

Band provided music for the act of worship which included a performance of Rob Wiffin’s deeply moving ‘Evening Hymn and Sunset’.

Remembrance Assembly

On November 11, the school community gathered for the College Act of Remembrance with the laying of wreaths, Last Post and solemn procession by all present through the Memorial Arch. Music for this occasion included a rendition of Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ by the Senior String Quartet, and a selection of late Renaissance pieces played by a brass quintet.

Quantum Theatre returned for a fourth time to give our Third Year pupils a visual and entertaining hour of theatre and music on the First World War. They performed “Your Country Needs You” which drew on original source material that illustrated the politics, the war from both British and German sides, the propaganda and patriotism, as well as the gritty reality of trench life. They masterfully interwove songs, sketches, poetry and prose to examine the effects of war on those directly involved at home and at the front. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed it and it fitted in very well with their History curriculum this term. A Level Drama students also came along to see some Brechtian Theatre in action.

“It was really energetic to watch and recapped everything we have just studied!” Ela Hart

a well-supported occasion despite grey skies and a distinct chill in the Market Square. The Senior Wind

FOCUS • 3

CCF

BIENNIAL INSPECTION

On a cold, bright day in early November we were extremely privileged and proud to welcome Admiral Sir Philip Jones KCB, DL, MA(Oxon) to school to inspect our CCF on our Biennial Inspection. The day commenced with a full formal parade square inspection of our whole CCF contingent by Sir Philip and other accompanying dignitaries and special guests. This offered an opportunity for Sir Philip also to talk to individual cadets about their experiences as cadets and ambitions for the future. On completion of the inspection of all three sections, Royal Navy, Army and RAF, including our cadets from TPS, all cadets were led by Sam Rose and our banner party in a march past and salute to Sir Philip. Accompanied throughout by the splendid Senior Wind band, this was an impressive and stirring sight.

The afternoon was full of activity for all cadets and also represented a key part of the inspection process, offering Sir Philip and other officers and guests the opportunity to tour the many areas of our school site where cadets were fully engaged in their training.

Whilst the official inspection report will not be with us until later in the year, it was clear from verbal feedback that Sir Philip and other guests had all thoroughly enjoyed their day and were extremely impressed by our cadets and their training programme.

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SUMMER CAMP

This year’s CCF Summer Camp took us to Barry Buddon Camp, just outside Carnoustie on the Scottish East Coast. A busy week of activities including revision weapons lessons, honing and finessing their marksmanship, fire & manoeuvre and battle drills.

For our Adventurous Training day we made the short journey to Monikie Country Park for a great morning of watersports on the reservoir, kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddle boarding in the sunshine and practising deep water rescue and recovery. The following few days included a range day and battle exercises, working with other schools, with our sergeants and senior NCOs taking command roles within their sections, directing their troops and implementing the orders of the section commander, RSM Charlie Morris.

FOCUS Senior

TRAFALGAR DINNER SHOOTING DAY

On 8 October, 23 Fifth Year cadets enjoyed a superb day’s shooting at the Ash ETR (Electronic Target Range), near Aldershot. While some CCF officers provided background instruction and revision, others supported the CTT (Cadet Training Team) in running an intensive day of live firing. Having grouped and zeroed on a 100m range, the cadets then graduated to the adjacent ETR to fire at pop-up Figure 11 targets at ranges of 100m, 200m and 300m, from the prone, sitting and kneeling positions.

This year’s Trafalgar Dinner was a very special and extremely enjoyable evening for Churcher’s College CCF and the many guests who attended.

We were delighted and honoured to welcome Admiral Sir Philip Jones KCB, DL, MA(Oxon) and Lady Elizabeth Jones as our guests of honour. Sir Philip served as First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff from April 2016 until June 2019. In this role he was the professional Head of the Royal Navy and Chairman of the Navy Board. With over 90 dinner guests, including serving and retired officers from all three services, Sixth Form cadets and teachers, the evening progressed very much in line with Naval traditions, and included delightful music from string quartet of students Constance Batt, Ella Conder, Emily Sandberg and Lucy Thompson and wonderful solos on the piano from Augustus Tranter.

CHAMELEON

NIGHT OWL

In June, 44 Third Year cadets took part in Exercise Night Owl. The cadets were tasked to support the regular forces in monitoring the activities of the increasingly confident HFF (Hampshire Freedom Fighters) in their pursuit of county secession from the UK. The cadets deployed to Longmoor, where they established a harbour area in some secluded woodland and practised their field administration skills, bivvying between the trees and cooking Operational Ration Packs (ORP). As darkness fell the cadets left the harbour in order to conduct recce patrols to observe reported enemy activity along a particular footpath. The following morning, after an ORP breakfast, the Avarious sections constructed models using natural materials to brief officers on their patrol activity and intelligence.

Exercise Chameleon was a four-stand rotation introducing the new Third Year cadets to fieldcraft and field administration, focusing on not being seen. This included the construction of a two-man shelter (or bivvy) in a woodland harbour, camouflage and concealment, tactical movement and response to field signals. The 62 cadets were trained and assessed in their platoons, under the instruction of our senior NCOs (Lower Sixth) and supervised by the officers.

Despite the yellow weather warning, we managed to dodge the worst of the day’s precipitation and got in five good hours of training. The cadets stayed focused and engaged throughout and the competition was closely contested.

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HISTORY BATTLE OF HASTINGS

In September, the First Years put their knowledge of the Battle of Hastings into action! Pupils worked in groups to recreate key scenes from the battle and performed these to the class as tableaux. In order to do this successfully, they had to make weapons to use which clearly denoted whether they were a Norman or a Saxon. We had some excellent weapons created, including some highly impressive bow and arrow sets made entirely from card and tape!

Miss Swindells was particularly impressed by the pupils’ use of facial expression to emphasise the terror of battle.

OSBORNE HOUSE

The entire Second Year cohort enjoyed a delightful trip to Queen Victoria’s favourite English residence, Osborne House. Pupils were given the opportunity to explore the famous Durbar Room, a faithful copy of Indian princely architecture, constructed on the instructions of the monarch. Unable to visit India herself due to the extreme caution of her advisers, she appointed Indian servants, studied sub-continental languages and built an evocative oriental setting, appropriate to the court of the Empress. Pupils also visited the royal apartments, state rooms and the gallery of classical statuary.

The pupils were extremely alert to the many echoes of Empire in the royal clutter, in particular the charming portraits of Indian soldiers commissioned specifically for Osborne. They were fortunate to enjoy benevolent weather conditions, allowing us to explore the grounds and guzzle ice creams whilst enjoying Queen Victoria’s favourite vista of distant Pompey.

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Henry VII’s Foreign Policy:

HENRY VII LECTURE

Dr James Ross gave a fascinating talk to students, including visitors from St Catherine’s and Godalming College, on the limitations of Henry VII’s foreign policy. He challenged the current assumption in many of the school textbooks that, in fact, Henry was an inept king in the field of foreign policy. His paranoia with dynastic issues alienated him from the ruling elite who had nothing to gain from his exploits abroad.

Dr Ross shed a new light on the level of money spent on bribes to keep the peace and that this was the main cause of deepseated hatred against the King.

Having enjoyed the traditional tea and cake before the lecture, the students were then very busy taking copious notes and asked perceptive questions at the end.

an exercise in failure?

BY DR JAMES ROSS, SENIOR

LECTURER AT WINCHESTER

UNIVERSITY

AY 23 WEDNESD 9 OCTOBER 201 4.30 - 5.30PM

RE THEATRE

CHURCHER’S COLLEGE | LECTU

FOCUS Senior

SPEECH DAY

The Eagle Has Landed

Despite the frequent jokes as to whether or not he would arrive on skis, Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards flew into Churcher’s on Speech Day with a motivational message to the whole of the Upper School, that perseverance is key.

Witty and personable, Eddie shared anecdotes galore about his time on the ski jumping circuit. The diminutive Olympian was warmly welcomed by the audience of some eight hundred students, parents and staff and proved once again why the nation, indeed the world, took him into their hearts.

A History Masterclas

RUSSIAN HISTORY

The Sixth Form Historians attended a talk by prominent Sussex author and Kremlinologist Chris Corin.

The title of the lecture ‘How far was 1917 a watershed in Russian History?’ fails to do justice to its breadth and subtlety. The students were invited to compare the effects of the Bolshevik Revolution, not only with the earlier February coup, but with the economic changes imposed on the Soviet people in the 1930s. Most startlingly, the speaker outlined the apocalyptic impact of the ‘Great Patriotic War’ on the people of the USSR, comparing its significance as a turning point with the earlier traumas of revolution and collectivisation.

s

How far did 1917 repr

esent a watershed in

Russian History?

BY CHRISTOPHE R

THURSD

JUNE 2019 AY 2.30 - 4.00PM

CORIN

20

CHURCHER’S CO

LLEGE | NEW CO LLEGE RM 2

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geography Nettlecombe Court

In early November, the 22 Lower Sixth Geographers travelled west to Nettlecombe Court in North Somerset, a Tudor stately home now run as a study centre, for their three-day residential field course. The purpose of the trip was to introduce the students to a range of methods they could later use for primary data collection in their NEAs. Led by an instructor, the students worked in small groups to implement a number of established and more innovative data collection techniques. The course introduced a lot of innovative and contemporary methods, which the students can apply to their independent investigations next summer.

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FOCUS Senior

fieldwork

Topics finished, exams sat, A3 revision scaffolds filed away for future use, thoughts in the Geography Department turned to the fieldwork programme.

The weather gods were somewhat inconsistent this summer, with hopes of the continuation of a very amenable (classroom-based) May dashed by a more volatile June, peppered by Met Office weather warnings for high winds and torrential rain.

First Years The First Years enjoyed the best of the summer weather at Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, exploring 150 million years of geology, and the roles of continental drift and denudation processes in sculpting this particular section of the Jurassic Coast.

Second Years After the summer break the fieldwork cycle started again with the Second Years heading to Marwell Zoo to conduct an investigation into the biomes of the world. The students were exploring species that exist within the biomes and also attempted to collect some primary data around the park. However, the late October rain continued unabated throughout the day although the new tropical zone and reptile house provided some respite!

Third Years The Third Years in the New Forest narrowly missed the rain, and enjoyed an overcast but dry day investigating the landscape of Whitefield Moor, practising their data collection skills measuring footpath erosion, river channel geometry and bedload roundness, environmental quality, effectiveness of management and the relative importance of key landscape factors.

Fourth Years The Fourth Years bore the brunt of the worst weather at Highcliffe, evaluating the effectiveness of coastal management by contrasting the managed coastline at Highcliffe and its unmanaged neighbour at Naish Farm. Wet, in parts, and windy throughout, the pupils did well to substantially complete and hang on to their data collection booklets, which were all laid out to dry on return to New College.

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focus on: LANGUAGES

European Day of Languages

In Modern Languages (ML), once again we celebrated the European Day of Languages in style. Our Third Year pupils enjoyed a continental breakfast whilst pitting their wits against each other in a languages quiz. In a whole school assembly the message was loud and clear – be the change! Be the one who can communicate and who values languages, the message coming from videos sent in from former Churcher’s students. We also heard from members of staff who surprised everyone with their hidden linguistic talents. The European flags were up in the dining room as pupils tucked into a lunch with a wholly European flavour, served by ML teachers. Our LoveLanguages poster competition was won this year by Jessica Lin, highlighting the benefits of language learning. On Friday evening, we were treated to an array of poems and songs in our Poetry and Performance Evening in which over 60 students from both Junior and Senior Schools took part.

The audience were entranced both by the variety of languages but also the confidence and courage of our performers. A real treat for us all!

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FOCUS Senior Ola Barcelona!

40 intrepid Second and Third year linguists set off to Barcelona over half term for an actionpacked four days of fun and culture in the delightful Catalan capital. Gaudi’s famous landmarks of the Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera and Park Güell were the main focus for Friday and Saturday.

The next day saw a change of venue and the pupils were let loose to brave the biggest rides at the PortAventura theme park. For the football fans, a highlight was a trip to the hallowed turf of Camp Nou on Monday. All this interspersed with some fantastic tapas, ‘chocolate con churros’ plus many more local specialities made it an unforgettable experience for all.

Classics trip to the Bay of Naples In October half term 30 pupils studying Latin or Classics in the Fourth Year and above enjoyed a four-day visit to the Bay of Naples. We were blessed with fantastic weather for the whole trip, taking in the magnificent ruins of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis, as well as the strenuous climb to the summit of Vesuvius! A bonus day included a visit to the ancient Greek colony of Paestum with its amazingly preserved Greek temples and collection of rare Greek paintings in the museum. We also managed time for an afternoon visit to a wonderful beach nearby for some much needed rest and the ubiquitous pizza and ice cream!

FRENCH TRIP

Our Fourth and Fifth Year trip to Rouen was a success! We saw the Monet gardens, Joan of Arc’s stake, markets aplenty, the magnificent cathedral of Rouen and it's Golden Clock. The morning lessons were productive and engaging and our long lunch in Honfleur was a particular highlight of the week. We are already looking forward to going back there again next year.

“Notre voyage en France était très amusant et divertissant parce que les professeurs étaient vraiment drôles et sympa. Chaque soir, nous sommes allés au restaurant et nous avons mangé du poulet, c’était très bon. Je pense que Rouen est une jolie ville.”

Jake W

FOCUS • 11

sixth form Teambuilding Day

This year’s teambuilding day was at Calshot Activities Centre, with their new and improved indoor climbing walls, including the speed climbing wall. The students took part in a number of activities designed to build trust and further relationships.

Despite the cold, the rain held off and an excellent day was had by all.

Haleln ocawmeeeenarly torm

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ADVENTURE

As seen on the cover, the Sixth Form Adventure Club ‘tipped the balance’ on the famous Cantilever, 3000 feet above sea level, on Glyder Fach, in Snowdonia.

14 Lower Sixth pupils and three staff ventured to Snowdonia for the weekend this summer.

A 12-hour day high in the mountains included some of the classic ridges and scrambles of Snowdonia, including the North Ridge of Tryfan, Bristly Ridge, and Snowdon itself.

Camping in the Ogwen valley over the weekend the group also enjoyed a contrasting challenge with gorge scrambling on Day Two.

FOCUS Senior

Biology

In October, Upper Sixth Biologists enjoyed a fascinating trip to the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) at Wakehurst Place in West Sussex. The students benefitted from expert tuition in plant taxonomy and classification, and were introduced to the ongoing conservation strategies of endangered wild plants and the role of the seed bank.

In the subterranean seed vault (the most biodiverse place in the world) we were privileged to gain behind-the-scenes access to the vast freezers and germination testing area to see how the MSB provides an insurance policy against the extinction of plants in the wild.

Safe Drive, Stay Alive

Arriba Arriba!

As is tradition, the Captains of College organised a Mexican lunch for early in the Autumn Term. It is an attempt to help the Lower and Upper Sixth integrate, and to welcome new members of the Lower Sixth who come to Churcher’s from other schools. The inflatable cacti, moustaches, Mexican hats and Mariachi band music helped set the scene for an enjoyable hour in the sunshine, and a delicious lunch.

In November, the whole of the Lower Sixth visited the King’s Community Church in Hedge End to see the Safe Drive Stay Alive presentation run by Thames Valley Police. It is an extremely hard hitting presentation involving people who have themselves been personally affected by road traffic accidents. The presentation forms an important part of the Sixth Form PSHE programme.

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careers & he Medical Ethics

Earlier this term, Professor BowenSimpkins treated us to an amazing insight into the world of medical ethics in our ‘Career Bite’ on ‘The Ethics of Creating New Life’. His talk initially focussed on the science behind this fast-paced area of Medicine; we then moved into the many ethical aspects of this and discussed key areas. Prof. Bowen-Simpkins delivered a fascinating talk and posed questions that we’ll be pondering for weeks to come.

work experience

Careers Convention 2019

The evening of the Careers Convention, ‘Shaping Futures’, fell on a typical cold and wet November evening. Not cold and wet enough, however, to put off over 60 exhibitors, representing over 40 organisations and companies, in addition to another seven guest speakers. These volunteers provided the foundation for an exceptional evening of information sharing, work experience contactfinding and discussion and the evening allowed pupils and parents to immerse themselves in this world for a couple of hours when the workplace came to us!

CAREERS CONVENTION 2019

Shaping Futures THURSDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2019 6.30 - 8.30PM

Sixth Former Sophie Davidson was one of ten applicants selected for work experience at Lloyds Banking Group at the end of August as part of the Women of the Future Ambassadors programme’s partnership with Lloyds. Sophie said “This was a fantastic experience; I spent three days at a different Lloyd’s office each day, shadowing people on the Graduate Scheme and meeting some of interns. I was lucky to see lots of different Departments and learn about what the various roles involve. I was particularly struck by how friendly and helpful everyone was and it has confirmed my ambition to go into Finance and Banking.”

MATHS, CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

Over 60 pupils and 30 adult volunteers attended a fantastic breakfast networking event ‘Coffee, Croissants and Careers’ on Friday 20th September in the Pavilion. The focus was on careers using Maths, Chemistry and Physics with pupils from the Fourth Year up spending five minutes per volunteer networker to learn all about careers using these degrees and hearing real-life stories of how degrees in these subjects carry into the world of work. In an hour and a half, pupils had gleaned lots of information, made great contacts and even arranged some work experience.

Politics and Government

Our second breakfast networking morning of the term gave pupils the opportunity to learn about careers in Politics and Government. It was another very well attended event with some great conversations and connections made. With networkers representing a vast range of roles and companies ranging from a Regional Director of De La Rue, Head of Corporate Finance at Transport for London, two Chief Executives of local Councils and a Senior Parliamentary Assistant for an MP, to networkers representing lobbying and housing, the sheer breadth of this sector was clear.

14 • FOCUS

FOCUS Senior

self defence

The Third Years enjoyed a day of hands-on activities related to the theme of bridges towards the end of the Summer Term. They completed a series of challenges set by the Science, Art, Design and Technology and Maths Departments designed to stretch their intellectual, creative and teamworking abilities and, on the same day, were given valuable instruction in self-defence.

The pupils tested their imagination while creating some beautiful architectural models and their engineering and construction skills when building and testing their own bridges. They also enjoyed exploring the maths behind networks of bridges and investigating resonance as a cause of bridge failure. In addition to the activities developed by our own departments, the University of Sheffield kindly provided a 9m long cable-stayed bridge, which our teams competed to assemble in the shortest time, without stepping or falling in to the (apparently) piranha and crocodile infested water below. Impressive teamwork brought victory to a team of Rodney pupils in a very closely contested challenge.

BAE SYSTEMS

In the Summer Term, the whole First Year took part in an exciting event courtesy of BAE Systems, the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, helping the visiting team of presenters to demonstrate and explain some of the technology that enables modern communication. The lively demonstrations covered the uses of different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, from infrared for night vision to microwaves for mobile phones and Bluetooth. The First Years also learned how robotic spheres could be controlled using these technologies, or programmed to act autonomously using algorithms linked to the robots’ own sensors.

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MUSIC

Orchestrand and Jazz BTaour Summertrment ended theazz

a and J sic Depa The Mu uperb Orchestr Taking in s a a v . h year wit r to Lake Gene nd the Lake, u to ro ery a u val Band rful scen beautiful medie e d n o w t, a e e the th h in e gre yed they pla f Yvoire in 38-de rain in the village o in the pouring re, with s è as well a quare at Argenti s in in village s apped mounta The first outing of the new academic year snow-c background! the was by the Rock School, who entertained the runners as they embarked on the gruelling Butser Hill run.

Butser Run rocks

A Level Music Enrichment

The new academic year has already involved the A Level Music students in two academic enrichment events. The first was a Composition Skills workshop led by one of the UK’s most successful up and coming young composers, Robert Laidlow. The students enjoyed an intensive three-hour session analysing scores and receiving feedback on their own work.

The second event was a trip to the Minerva Theatre in Chichester to see a production of ‘The Butterfly Lion’ by Michael Morpurgo. The students received a fascinating insight into the evolution and staging of the show in a question and answer session before the performance with the show’s producer.

GCSE Musicians

Despite only having just started the GCSE Music course, our Fourth Year pupils entertained residents at two local nursing homes, the Stroud and the Downs. They performed a solo each, ending the session with an arrangement of a Beatles classic!

Phantom of the Opera

A coachload of enthusiastic musicians set off to the West End to be inspired by the talented cast and musicians of ‘Phantom of the Opera’, one of the longest running shows in the West End. We were all especially excited as not only was a family member of one of our students playing in the band that night but the Phantom himself joined us for a photo!

Lunchtime concert

October saw a delightful lunchtime concert in St. Peter’s Church. There were pianists, singers, flautists and recorder soloists together with the first outing of the year for a couple of our chamber groups - the recorder and clarinet groups, all enjoying the wonderful acoustics and appreciative audience.

16 • FOCUS

FOCUS Senior

Music 4 Lunch

The first in our series of informal lunchtime recitals took place in October.

It was a varied programme of singers, flautists, pianists, guitarists and bassists – all of whom were showcasing their latest pieces. Some were airing performances in preparation for exams, such as Harry Marden’s slick take on ‘Slam Dunk Funk’ on guitar and Amy Browne’s syncopated bass performance of ‘Do Balanco’ on the bass guitar. Others were seeking a relaxed atmosphere and a friendly audience to whom they could perform. One of our newest discoveries was Ed Jackson who played two fantastic pieces on the piano and delighted the audience with the most elaborate bow of the year so far!

Senior Recital

Our Senior musicians were out in force for the Senior Recital, which included a whole host of impressive solos, together with various ensembles including the Senior Guitar Group, String Quartet, Senior Jazz Group, Jazz Band, Brass Quintet and the SSA Choir. This made for a very varied and entertaining evening.

Grand Summer Concert

A wonderful evening of music and entertainment was enjoyed at the Grand Summer Concert at the end of the Summer Term. Performers were a mixture of ensembles, including the Junior & Senior Chamber Choirs, the Junior & Senior Choirs, the College Orchestra, the Senior Jazz Quintet, the U6 A Cappella Group, the SSA Choir, the Rock School Band, as well as the Senior Wind Band, solo singers and musicians.

JUNIOR RECITAL

WOODW

IND

Th Woo e Fourth have dwind Quin Year tet, w formin played h visite g in the F together s o in d Kin ir ce s t Year, gscou perfo rec rm r They in their mt Junior Sc ently pla hoo or Flints yed every ning assem l to t t h o in n e g medle s’ to a from bly.

‘T y H Mupp to the them arry Potte he r et Sh e f r om o was v ery w w’. The qu ‘The e in tet all the ll receiv ed by pupils in the schoo l.

Just after half term, the Assembly Hall was once again full of the sound of applause for our stunning Junior performers. The packed house was treated to a number of ensemble performances from the Junior Strings, Flute Choir, String Quartet, Junior Chamber Choir, Guitar Ensemble, Junior Wind Band, Junior Brass Group and the Junior Choir. On top of all that, we had some superb soloists, with Toby BaynePowell performing equally impressively on the piano as on the saxophone, and Isaac Tope rounding off the soloists for the evening with the mesmerising Waltz in E Minor by Chopin on the piano.

Alexander Way was one of many electric guitarists who wowed parents and pupils alike with his mind-blowing skill and ensured that the programme really had something for everyone!

FOCUS • 17

sport

butser run

The Butser Hill Challenge was taken on by 45 students earlier this term in aid of the charity FitzRoy, with the money raised going to support those with learning difficulties to do the things that make a difference to their everyday lives. Between two kilometres and five miles with a lot of ups and downs, it is a punishing run, but all finishers can be rightly proud of completing this challenging fell race taking in the highest point in the South Downs. Supported by the Rock School, it was a fantastic event and it was encouraging to see so many students out on the course.

18 • FOCUS

FOCUS Senior SWIMMING ROUND-UP

Churcher’s swimming once again impressed at the Hampshire Relay Championships at St Swithun’s School in October. Our Inter boys team were crowned Hampshire Champions in the 4x50m medley relay and both our Inter Boys (M Cropley, F Brockdorff, L Jordan and A Paton) and Senior Boys (B Williams, M Mason, T Hogg, K Jackson and J Arnold) achieved qualification to the National Relay Championships held at the London Aquatics Centre in both the 4x50m freestyle and 4x50m medley relays.

Sadly, our Inter boys were unable to compete this year due to illness and injury but on Saturday 16 November, our Senior Boys were up for the challenge. A fantastic day at the Olympic Park ended with the boys moving up the rankings, finishing 21st in the country for both relays.

We have so many enthusiastic and committed swimmers in our First and Second Years and they have shown their talent in a couple of galas this term already. A particular highlight was the first home gala of the year against Alton, where we had 32 swimmers competing.

HOCKEY NEWS

The Senior girls have welcomed some students new to the school who have settled quickly and really added to the squad. A Senior 1st XI squad went to the Lord Wandsworth College 7s Tournament in November, which had lots of different rules purely for this event, such as the introduction of Powerplays. The Senior 2nd XI competed at the Hampshire Trophy and came second, which ensured qualification for the South regional rounds. After a terrific day out at Woking Hockey Club, unfortunately we didn’t progress any further, but we were playing a lot of smaller schools 1st XIs so the competition was stiff.

All age groups have competed in their respective House Hockey tournaments with Collingwood winning three of the six. We have welcomed internationals Brett Garrard and Susannah Townsend, as well as Argentinian Manuel Silvetti, for masterclass coaching sessions which was very well received and concluded with the Senior 1st XI playing the U16As in a really competitive internal match.

FOCUS • 19

adventure

First Challenge

"Wow! I don’t even know where to start!

Mostly because I was so nervous, I didn’t want to go but I was told that I would regret it if I didn’t. Well, everyone was right because the number of laughs and smiles I saw was extraordinary. When we arrived, we took a day to recuperate.

The following day we went on an acclimatisation hike, just as a warm-up, but nothing prepared us for what followed!

I don’t think anyone was prepared for the three days ahead of me: it was walking, pure walking and I was not the only one struggling as I slipped over at every given chance!

Afterwards, we went canoeing for two days and camped on an island on the first night. When we got back, we spent a nice cosy day around the fire: someone’s shoes ended up a tad burnt.

On our last day at TrollAktiv, we went paddle boarding or climbing. Paddle boarding was particularly tricky, probably because I broke my glasses trying to build a tower of boards, but it was hilarious. We then explored Oslo and stayed for a night, going for a celebratory dinner.

Although it pushed me way outside my comfort zone, I highly recommend First Challenge because I will treasure those memories forever.”

Grace Preston

20 • FOCUS

FOCUS Senior

D OF E

Over two weekends in September and October a total of 118 Fourth Years completed their Bronze DofE Practice Expedition. The wet, windy and wild weather didn’t dampen their spirits or enthusiasm as all teams hiked for over six hours, carrying full kit, to the campsite at Stedham. Let’s hope the weather is warm and sunny when they travel to the Isle of Wight for their Assessed Expedition in June.

Navigating in the New Forest over three days and camping overnight was the challenge facing 85 Fifth Years to fulfil the requirements of the Silver DofE Practice Expedition. The students are training for their Final Assessed Expedition to take place in Exmoor in June.

Meanwhile, 36 Upper Sixth students completed their Gold DofE Practice Expedition in Snowdonia in August. This was in preparation for their Final Assessed Expedition which took place in the Lake District over October half term.

OSCA

The snap of kindling, the crackle of fire and the pop of popcorn! All these noises could be heard in the cold night air, around Stedham Campsite, near Midhurst, on the 15 and 16 November, as Second Year pupils cooked their own meals on the flames of an open fire, following their first OSCA expedition hike through the beautiful South Downs countryside. All ‘Oscaneers’ did an exceptional job in completing a 7km expedition walk, erecting their own tents and putting essential camp craft skills to good use, including lighting their fires using fire strikers. Tortilla calzones and popcorn in a can, cooked on the fires, helped to round off a busy day and keep the pupils warm in the chilly November weather!

FOCUS • 21

environmental news "WE DO NOT INHERIT THE EARTH FROM OUR ANCESTORS WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN" NATIVE AMERICAN PROVERB

art block artwork

For 2020, the featured artwork to adorn the end of the Art Block is Lizzie Bunker’s fantastic A Level piece. Including the Native American Proverb “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”, it was chosen as a fitting representation of Churcher’s ongoing efforts to improve its environmental awareness.

Stop Press……

Damian Hinds Q&A

In October, school council enviromental representatives Jude Franklin and Eva Ihezue chaired a Q&A session on climate change at school with the MP for East Hampshire, Damian Hinds. Among the questions asked by students during the lively exchange were: “Do you acknowledge that climate change is real and poses an immediate threat to the environment and our health and safety? What specific goals and measures do you support for reducing the UK’s carbon emissions?”

William Lall (First Year) “In the wake of Brexit, how realistic is it that a Conservative government is going to prioritise tackling climate change and be able to fund mitigation and adaptation strategies?” Molly Steele (Upper Sixth) “How do you feel about Extinction Rebellion? Do you support the move this week to prevent them from protesting in London?” Jackson Wilks (Third Year) “How do you feel about Greta Thunberg and the ‘Fridays for Future’ school strike movement? Do you think that children should take a stand or be in school?” Millie Cooke-Priest (Third Year)

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At the end of November, Churcher’s held a mock General Election for students, with Sixth Formers adopting the roles of the five main party spokespeople and campaigning via posters and hustings (assemblies!). The Greens triumphed as the largest party, winning 19 seats, but falling two short of the 21 needed for a majority. Therefore, we have a Hung Churcher’s Parliament.

Turnout was also healthy at 87% which bodes well for the future of student political engagement.

CHURCHER’S HAS GONE GREEN! Results

Seats

% of vote

Greens

19

35

Lib Dems

12

29

Conservatives

8

25

Labour

1

7

Brexit

0

4

Total

40

FOCUS ECO

#PassOnPlastic

In the Summer Term, First Year Isaac Wetzel entered a Sky Ocean Rescue #PassOnPlastic blog and his fabulous entry about a 75-year-old turtle called Johaca was chosen as one of five runners-up! Well done to Isaac and in Johaca’s words, “Stop being selfish and think about your children, about my children, about my friends’ children”.

ECO-SCHOOLs AWARD

The Junior School and Nursery has successfully achieved their Bronze ‘EcoSchools Award’, by creating and carrying out an action plan to make the school as environmentally conscious as possible. They are now actively working towards the next award level of Silver. Activities have concentrated on the following key areas:

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Plastic Pollution. We have collected finished toothpaste tubes and pens though the Terracycle scheme, with a further plan to start recycling batteries in the near future.

Plastic-free snack time. The biggest achievement this term so far is that the school is now plastic-free at snack times! Instead, children arrive at school with creative snack ideas, such as beeswax wraps and traditional brown paper bags.

Twitter. The school has been increasing their eco twitter messaging by using the hashtag: #churchersecowarriors on the @ChurchersJunior channel.

Gardening Club and ‘Rewilding’. Gardening Club has recently planted approximately 50 extra bulbs – all plants which pollinating insects will enjoy. They also have a rather grand bug hotel planned and hope to go on lots of bug hunts and pond.

WILLIAM LALL

First Year William Lall attended a World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) lecture at The Royal Institution in London earlier this term. The talk ‘Where the World Turns’ was hosted by naturalist Steve Backshall and included speakers from the British Antarctic Survey and the CEO of Sky Broadcasting. He had great discussions with Steve Backshall and Jack Harries, the founder of Extinction Rebellion, about raising the profile of the issues around climate change. William is passionate about nature and works with the WWF, providing a young person’s perspective to their campaigns.

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in other news...

Has Brexit broken

British politics?

BY JONATHAN ISABY

THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2019 4.15PM

CHURCHER’S COLLEGE | LECTURE THEATRE

BREXIT LECTURE

Jonathan Isaby, Editor, Brexit Central, spoke to a number of Sixth Formers and staff in the Lecture Theatre on 7 November. Jonathan, a former student of Rick West, Simon Williams and Andy Rowley when he was a pupil at KCS, Wimbledon, provided arguments in favour of Brexit. Jonathan spoke passionately about the new freedoms to be enjoyed by leaving the EU and also stated that the dire warnings of economic damage from a Brexit vote had not come about. Several students enthusiastically challenged Jonathan on many of his assertions regarding Brexit. It was a lively evening and we were very grateful to Jonathan for clearly stating his position even if some in the audience remained unconvinced about being positive regarding Brexit.

Kids’ Lit is a big hit!

The ‘sport of reading’ was the challenge for two teams of Churcherians as they competed in the Kids’ Lit Quiz 2020.

Questions on famous novels fell into categories such as ‘Enchantment’, ‘Cetaceans’ (look it up!) and ‘Finances’, with 20 teams battling out to be the book brains of Britain. It was a closelyfought fight at the top, with Churcher’s Team 1, comprising of Ruby Chiduza, Phoebe Davidson, Alice Fimpel and Chloe Macpherson, scoring an impressive 72 points. Rather frustratingly, had they played their joker (for double points) on the Pot Luck round, they would have won! Churcher’s Team 2 also put in a strong performance earning 63 points as well as managing to bag some bonus questions and a free novel each. It was a fun afternoon and a chance for them to flex their literary muscles.

SLEEPOUT FIRE WALK

In October, an intrepid Churcher’s team of Mr Lofhouse, Mr Ostersen, Counsellor Jenny Yeates and Sixth Former Zoe Blackburn walked through 20 feet of burning embers (over 600 degrees Celsuis) in aid of FitzRoy. Between them, the team raised more than £1,000 to contribute to the evening total of £10,120.52.

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More than £700 was raised when 5R braved the elements to sleep outdoors in aid of Centrepoint at the start of this term.

FOCUS Senior

PETS AS THERAPY

Nelson House staged a series of dog-related events to raise money for Pets As Therapy (PAT) who provide a visiting service in hospitals, hospices, nursing and care homes, special needs schools and a variety of other venues all across the UK. Nelson pupils held a ‘bark sale’, ran a competition to name the giant dog (he was called Digby), and staged the highly-anticipated ‘Dogathlon’. Lower school members of the House swam or ran the distance from Churcher’s to Battersea Dogs Home in London (54 miles) to support PAT. Their efforts across the year raised £1,300 for the charity. When asked how he felt about their achievements, Mr Hoe said he always knew they were barking.

CyberQuest 2019

GOODFIELD UPDATE

In July, work commenced on the Goodfield Project with the demolition of the former D&T building. Over the course of this term, the foundation groundworks have been completed and concrete pads installed for the 'Phase One' building. The steel frame is the next element of the project and is scheduled to commence in early December. The 'Phase One' building will comprise new workshop and practical space and facilities for D&T on the ground floor, with nine additional classrooms on the first floor. The temporary D&T home adjacent to the Gym will remain on site through to next autumn when the move into the new building will take place. 'Phase Two' will comprise of the demolition of the existing Music School to be replaced with a new building and integrated performance space that will be constructed ready for use in the autumn of 2021 when the whole project will be completed.

For the second year running, we entered this competition with our A Team of Sam Mearns, Josh Coates, Tom Milner, Oliver Fogelin and Tyler Ward. We had a title to defend, having won the UK competition held at Lockheed Martin in Whiteley, coming seventh in the world! This year it has grown in popularity and we came a very impressive second, ninth out of 72 teams across the world. Indeed, our team beat the remaining schools by a very large margin. They each won prizes including a Raspberry Pi and it proved a great experience, great challenge and great for their CVs!

BIOLOGY SUCCESS

Five GCSE Biology students have successfully won gold medals at the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) annual Biology Junior Challenge competition. The victorious students are Josiah Wilson, Mara James, Jack Foremen, Oliver Fogelin and Jasper Jones. Nearly 50,000 students from across the world take part in the RSB Junior Competition and only the top 5% achieve a gold medal. All gold medal winners are invited to apply for one of only 40 tickets to the RSB Awards ceremony at the Institution of Engineering and Technology in London, and this year Josiah was the only Churcher’s student lucky enough to get a ticket.

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ir es

s s e

o t s

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henry tasker Kai & Lottie Jackson

The siblings competed in the Swim England National Championships in Sheffield in August. Both made the final, Kai coming 7th overall in the 200m Backstroke, Lottie 6th in 100m Butterfly, the result of much dedication and hard work training six days a week with Guildford City Swimming Club. Lottie was then selected to represent Surrey in the National County Team Championships in October, swimming 100m Butterfly and competing in the medley relay. Surrey came 10th overall, a great result swimming against some of the fastest swimmers in Britain!

During the recent summer holiday, Fifth Year Henry Tasker visited a school in Misindi, Uganda with Hampshire Scouts. He was selected to be part of a team of 20 people who went out to Uganda. During the visit, they painted an entire local school, Kabalega Primary School, as well as visiting some water wells which they had sponsored to be constructed. As a part of his fundraising, Henry bungee jumped over the lake at Bray!

oscar & Lockie mann

Brothers Oscar and Lockie played exceptionally well this term in the National Schools Squash fixture against Lancing and Charterhouse. First Year Lockie lost 1-2 in close fought matches to Fifth Form boys, which could easily have gone either way. Although neither were victorious on the day, they put in excellent performances which will stand them in great stead for future competition. They were two of six Churcher’s pupils who competed at the event; Toby, Jamie, Joel and Elliot all played well, putting in a fantastic effort in their matches.

liv busher

Fourth Year Liv started javelin competitively three years ago with Winchester and District Athletics Club and was then invited to train with a national coach in Andover. A member of the Hampshire Talented Athlete Scheme and U15 girls South of England Champion, she came fourth in the Nationals this year, finishing the year ranked 6th in GB. Liv has attended the International Javelin Carnival in Finland for the past two years, where she spends a week training. Next year’s goals are to try and climb higher in the rankings and still qualify for Nationals, even though she will be moving up to the U17 age group.

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matt bloomer

Congratulations to Fifth Former Matt Bloomer on receiving a prestigious award from Hampshire RFU. In notifying him of his achievement, Hampshire RFU wrote “Brian Short, former County President, was an enthusiastic supporter of County Youth rugby and wanted an annual award to go to a young Hampshire player who best epitomised the spirit of Hampshire rugby; not necessarily the best player, but one who put in the effort and was a team player.

Your dedication and commitment this season have been first class and you are a most worthy winner.”

FOCUS Senior

GEROGE WHITTLE

Sixth Former George Whittle did extremely well at the Bournemouth Music Festival in June. He won the A Level age group with Rachmaninoff Moments Musicaux op.16 No4 and was graded outstanding by the judge. Not satisfied with this success, he also came third in the contemporary (distinction) and joint second in the recital class (again outstanding!) with Moonlight Sonata & Rachmaninoff Prelude op.32 N12 (competing against a few pianists in their 30s!). As a result of this success, he was invited to take part in the BSO Young Musician of the Year competition (15-18 years) at Bournemouth Pavilion.

SYNCHRO team

There was continued success in the pool for Churcher’s girls across the year groups in this Summer’s Swim England Synchro Combo Cup, a national competition held at the London Aquatic Centre in which 114 teams and 1000 athletes from around the country competed. The 15-18 team (including Emily and Isabelle Jupe) won silver medals, and the 13-15 team (including Lucy Mackay and Millie Morris) came 5th in their age category.

This follows on from great success at the SE Regionals at K2 Crawley in June when both teams won gold medals.

OLIVER FOGLIN

Fifth Year Ollie Fogelin formed part of the winning team at the HM Government-backed Cyber Discovery Elite event in London this October. In a tense Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge, students in mixed school teams brought together all the skills learnt in previous stages of the programme to attack systems against the clock. Students encountered web attacks, digital forensics, cryptography and binary exploitation during the CTF, learning and testing skills needed in a reallife cyber security expert’s job. He was one of just 170 out of 25,000 to reach the final, a platform for students to showcase their abilities, helping to pave the way for future successful careers within the cyber-crime and wider digital sectors.

James Medley & Henry Plewes

James Medley and Henry Plewes competed this Summer in the South Central England Triathlon Series. Both boys finished the series ranked in the top ten for the region, with James coming seventh and Henry eighth overall. Both boys also competed in national ranking events and are beginning to rise to the challenge of the elite triathlon fields. Rory Plewes also competed in the Open Water Dart 10km Swim, an endurance event considered as one of the classic British events in the open water swimming calendar. Rory swam in the elite wave and came 18th out of a field of over 800 swimmers.

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l o o

h

c s r

io n ju

wellbeing day

Year 5

A day off-timetable and Year 5 filled their time being creative and learning a new skill. Great fun was had making miniature gardens and there are definitely some potential garden designers in the offing. Chelsea watch out! Our new skill was juggling and at any time during the day we tried to hone our skills and juggling was seen about the school from morning until home time.

new skills

Promoting the wellbeing of students is always high on the agenda at the Junior School & Nursery and this was especially true one Friday in June when the entire day was devoted to it. There was much to experience throughout the day, such as learning a new skill, spending time sharing, learning and playing together and of course those all-important mindful moments. When we’re active we’re thriving, and so much of the day involved dance, sport and much merriment and play too. Some of the many highlights included learning to juggle, gardening, outdoor artistry in nature, wand making by the campfire, positive touch massage, meditating and a sensational flash mob at lunchtime.

28 • FOCUS

FOCUS Junior

year 4 explore

ancient greeks

Year 4 travelled back in time to the Ancient Greeks this term when they visited Southampton City Art Gallery. They learnt all about the story of Perseus and Medusa through the paintings in an exhibition. The children used drama to look carefully at the pictures and retell the story.

They also had a practical workshop to make a Medusa head out of clay.

mini beasts

4R took advantage of some lovely autumnal sunshine and went outdoors for a mini beast hunt. They were looking for invertebrates in different habitats. We had to work in teams and record our findings.

We found lots of slugs, snails, beetles, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, a small frog and lots of maggots!

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school trips cosbt nfaontarstic e n i 5 r a e Y had the mo s Centre. Th d

Year 5 nor Activitie rmination an own dete t Cob e tim a all showed y faced their many n e e e r childr erance as th . There we sailing s persev l challenge ren including rafts, g d ua individ for the chil ing and racin mbing ts li d h c il g u li g b h gin at, hig e can hallen wn bo their o ing and the c ay from hom but canoe wo nights aw it daunting, b wall. T times be a very well! some ey coped th

Year 3 at Selborne

In June the children enjoyed learning about the local environment on a walk.

They examined different soil samples throughout the day, both in the lab and around the village. It was a great opportunity to develop their knowledge of rocks and soils as part of their summer Science topic work.

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FOCUS Junior butser ANCIENT farm

Children from Year 3 transformed into two tribes - the Celts and the Romans - when they visited Butser Ancient Farm this term as part of their History topic. They sat on animal skins in the Great Round House and learnt about the way people lived in the past. They also made Celtic jewellery and learnt about the construction of both Roman and Celtic buildings.

The pupils made ‘clunch’, which involved getting very messy with straw, chalk and water. They then had enormous fun building a wall from what they had made.

The glorious weather of an early October day helped the children have a productive day and make the most of all the activities on offer.

Year 5 at selborne

Year 5 had a fantastic day at the Selborne Study Centre learning about plant life cycles first-hand. Through outdoor learning, the pupils explored plant life, undertook flower dissections and used microscopes to observe plants in beautiful detail. Staff from the study centre acted as guides, revealing some of nature’s secrets as we walked the paths and gardens! The children also hypothesised the ideal growing environment for ferns and ascended the zigzag path to test their hypothesis. The children thoroughly enjoyed their time at the study centre seeing and experiencing plant life cycles in the natural environment.

The have certainly cemented their first term’s scientific knowledge and understanding.

Year 4 visited the D Day Museum

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BUSY BEES!

Recepti been bu on have this term sy settling in an change d have already they start d so much since e all about d! We have learn families, ourselves and o t ur au witches tumn, the harve an st, and bon d wizards, Diwa fire night li as w learning to read, ell as write and coun t! Phew!

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FOCUS Junior

YEAR 1 Learning to care for pets

Cooking up a storm!

Craft Work

Happy!

s!

Secret den

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arts week supporting uws mude

This year for Arts Week, the children wanted to support their partner school in Nepal, UWS Mude.

They were keen to learn all about the culture of Nepal and what daily life is like for the children there.

The children spent the week immersed in all things Nepalese, starting with an assembly by a visiting music workshop and culminating in a fantastic art exhibition of children’s work, raising over £500 for our partner school.

We have received pen pal letters from Nepal and they warmed all of our hearts as the Nepalese children shared information about themselves.

Lessons in class saw children learning about the culture of Nepal, both in terms of art and religion. The children have thought about the geography of the country and considered differences in our lives to theirs. The children shared their thoughts on celebrations with their Nepalese friends as each child in the school wrote a letter to a Nepalese child and we will wait to hear back from them in about six weeks to find out how their celebrations differ to our own.

34 • FOCUS

Year 5 thought about Madhubani paintings and produced these beautiful examples on canvas using acrylic ink.

mountain art 4R have enjoyed Arts Week and have created a part of the Himalayas in their classroom with this beautiful mountain range.

They used a variety of mixed media including paint and tissue to create a layered effect.

FOCUS Junior nepalese music

Earthsong Workshop introduced Arts Week with music and artefacts from Nepal. There were musical instruments and scarves, as well as arm dancing and plenty of fun in our assembly and the children learned a song that our friends in UWS Mude would sing.

The children then all had music workshops and the opportunity to handle Nepalese instruments.

We were all fascinated to see and hear the giant brass instruments and several children had a go creating an astounding sound from them.

prayer flags

The standard of artwork created by all years has been impressive from pasta mandalas in Nursery, Himalayan landscapes in Year 4 to Madhubani painting in Year 5 and silk suncatchers in Year 6. Prayer flags have been created and fluttered in the wind to welcome our visitors into school. On the final day of Arts Week we opened an art gallery featuring many of the projects that we have been working on this half term. Parents were given the opportunity to purchase a special piece of art work with all profits going to UWS Mude, Nepal and we were delighted to raise over ÂŁ500.

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focus on: computing The beginning of the year is an exciting time in Computing.

Each year brings a step up in terms of independence; Year 2 have been learning how to code each other using hand signals and then used that thinking to solve problems on code.org.

For Year 3 there is a very steep learning curve as the children learn to log in as themselves and begin a lifetime of trying to remember passwords! They are thrilled that armed with their Year 3 driving licence, they have begun to learn how to email each other.

Year 3 and 4 code club have been problem-solving using our very popular Wonder robots, which we also used when providing a coding event for Petersfield Infant School. They are also loving using Kodu to create 3D games on the computer.

A new addition to the Computing room, which is available during break and lunch for children to extend their learning, has been the Turing Tumble. This is a challenging game where pupils build mechanical computers powered by marbles to solve logic puzzles. It’s fun, addictive, and has been stretching the most determined computer enthusiasts in school.

Years 4, 5 and 6 have all been working on coding units of study using Scratch to understand simpler concepts of looping programmes through variables and conditional statements up to the use and functions of lists.

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FOCUS Junior

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TEAM BUILDING little canada

Year 6 ventured across The Solent to PGL’s Little Canada on the Isle of Wight for their adventurous activities trip. The children spent two days challenging themselves with activities including Jacob’s ladder, the giant swing, zip wiring and a teamwork obstacle course.

Their enthusiasm wasn’t dimmed by the appalling weather: it just meant more mud!

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FOCUS Junior teamwork is cool

‘Teamwork is Cool’ was the main message Year 3 children took from their Teambuilding Afternoon, on Friday 6th September. The pupils all made a very positive start to their year and enjoyed a variety of team activities including orienteering, a team assault course and problem-solving challenges.

They were then joined by their parents for delicious cakes and tea - always a highlight and this year the standard was especially high.

Building Challenge at Herne Junior School

On Wednesday 13 November a team of pupils from Year 6 took part in the ‘Building Challenge’ event held at Herne Junior School in Petersfield. An engineer from a local company gave the children an overview of the construction industry and the many jobs within it. Teams from local schools then competed to build a pre-determined structure as accurately as possible, within a time limit and at the lowest cost. Each member of the team had a different role to play which required them to use different skills from the world of work: leadership, teamwork, planning, communication, problem solving and finance. It was a challenging activity and the children had great fun working together. Well done to Lizzie, Phoebe, Chloe, Charlie, Noah and Felix!

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MUSIC & DRAMA

MACBETH

There was darkness, tragedy, humour and great singing; all the ingredients for a knockout show. Year 6 excelled themselves with their performances of Macbeth to the school community over two nights towards the end of the Summer Term. Each Year 6 class took it in turns to either be the supporting chorus or act, so they enjoyed a real breadth of experiences.

Very well done to all the children who gave such energy to the production.

40 • FOCUS

FOCUS Junior

Earthsong

We were so excited to welcome Earthsong to our school to give us workshops on the music of Nepal. We saw and played many interesting different instruments and learnt all about their musical culture. We created our own musical ensembles, danced, and sang Nepalese songs. What a fantastic day!

Tea-Time Concerts

This year we were very happy to continue with the very much-loved Tea-Time Concerts providing performance opportunities for our younger musicians. The children continued to be enthusiastic about these events and it was great to see so many parents and teachers supporting by watching. These informal concerts give the children a great opportunity to gain experience and confidence in performing.

School Orchestra

We have been working on building our school orchestra and we now have 25 members! Here is a photo from our first rehearsal when we had 17. We are growing! We have loved playing together, and look forward to performing all of our music soon.

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junior sport Swimming Gala Swimming

6 rs 5 and ght in The Yea lways a highli d the a n is a r la Ga lenda There rting ca the spo n’t disappoint! nd all a did children ny close races ance to a were m ere given a ch to all w s children ongratulation sitive shine. C n for their po g re in the child ation; the winn ip . ic n rt pa as Aru house w

Netball Tournament

We held our annual U10 versatility netball tournament at the Senior School on Wednesday 13 November. With 12 teams taking part, each team played five matches with the runners up and winners of each pool going through to the play-offs to determine the winner. The girls faced some tough competition and worked hard in all their matches, representing CCJS with determination. Amesbury proved to be the worthy winners of the tournament. The highlight of the afternoon, however, was meeting England netballer Yasmin Parsons, who gave her support and encouragement to all the girls.

Sports Day

Back in the Summer Term, a fun day was had by all and despite the inclement weather in the morning, rain did not stop play. We were grateful for parental support and thanks go to Mr Forbes for the meticulous detail in planning for the event; the positivity exuded by the staff throughout the day was also appreciated. Javelin, long jump, the traditional sports were all in place as well as the competitive edge needed to score points for the houses. There were some impressive individual results too and they can be viewed below. The final results were as follows: 4th Place – Arun – 108 House Points 3rd Place – Hamble – 125 House Points 2nd Place – Meon – 129 House Points (3597 event points overall) 1st Place – Rother – 129 House Points (3752 event points overall).

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Girls’ Cricket

The introduction of girls’ cricket proved incredibly successful and the girls really stepped up to the challenge of trying something new.

FOCUS Junior

Ultimate Frisbee

Ultimate Frisbee was introduced as part of the new format for Year 3 PE which proved a hugely popular addition and provided new opportunities for sporting success.

football

On Wednesday 9 October, the U11A team competed in the ISFA U11 Hampshire Region football tournament. The team played some brilliant football, with lovely build-up play and finishing in front of goal. A highlight of the day came when Heath scored a thumping volley into the top corner of the opposition goal in a 4-0 victory over Twyford School. Out of six matches, Churcher’s won five in a row without conceding a single goal, thanks to some fantastic saves by Felix. Congratulations to Teddy scoring in a 1-0 win over Downsend School in a tense and hard-fought match which meant that Churcher’s were the only team to beat the eventual winners. In the end both Churcher’s and Downsend finished top of the league on 15 points, but it was not meant to be for the Churcher’s boys and Downsend progressed to the National Finals on a superior goal difference with Churcher’s finishing as runners-up for the third year in a row.

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A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR’S STORY

BY Mala TribIch MBE

MONDAY 3

FEBRUARY 2020 7.00PM CHURCHER’S COLLEGE | SPORTS HALL

In support of the Holocaust Educational Trust