Churcher's College Focus - Summer 2017

C OL L E G E

Summer 2017

CHURC HER ’S alsO inside: STUDENTS GRILL PADDY ASHDOWN, DW DYNAMOS, and FAIRYTALES COME TRUE AT CCJS

Ramshill Records

A new enterprise this year has been the debut release from the school’s very own record label: Ramshill Records. One of our most talented singer-songwriters, Katie Evans, recorded, mixed and released her E.P. 'Silhouette' using many of our brilliant musicians, as well as our recording studio. It was fantastic for the students to see how a song, written with a few chords on an acoustic guitar, can transform into a lush arrangement that really magnifies the lyrical content of the song.

Joe James

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FOCUS Senior Junior Cabaret

Son Masterclass

The College Orchestra enjoyed a rare treat when a selection of musicians from a newly-formed professional orchestra from Southampton called ‘Son’ came to share their expertise. The musicians enjoyed some sectional and full orchestra sessions on their current repertoire, with the highlight for many being an improvisation session. Never has the whole orchestra played without music!

The Spring Concert

The Orchestra began with a mixture of numbers from ‘Les Miserables’, followed by the ‘Jazz Waltz’ by Shostakovich. The String Orchestra performed the whole of Corelli’s ‘Christmas Concerto Grosso’ with Hannah Moore and Madeleine Plummer as soloists. The Chamber Choir gave a stunning performance of the famous ‘Miserere Mei, Deus’ by Allegri, and the SSA did not disappoint with a performance of ‘Stars’ by Ešenvalds; the choir even used wine glasses as the accompaniment! The second half of the concert was devoted to the Senior Choir’s performance of Stainer’s ‘Crucifixion’ which included many tenor and bass soloists from the choir.

The Petersfield Festival

Our Junior Wind band and Jazz Band joined forces with other local schools to take part in the two Youth Concerts of the Festival. There were also solo opportunities for Isabella Herraman-Stowers and Iona Meechan together with many other instrumentalists who accompanied other items. A particular highlight of the concert were the performances of compositions written by Molly Moran and Katie Evans.

House Music Competition

The House Music Competition was a closely-fought evening with both Collingwood and Grenville jointly tied in the top spot after all the marks were added together. In the end, the adjudicator gave first place to Collingwood based on the excellent performance of their House ensemble. The winners of the other categories were: Junior Vocalist: Ella Guyer Junior Instrumentalist: Finn Fleming and Alice Hewett Senior Vocalist: Molly Moran Senior Instrumentalist: Freya Eddy Helen Purchase

FOCUS • 3

LANGUAGES

GERMAN EXCHANGE

During the Easter holiday eighteen pupils travelled to Warendorf for our German Exchange. Pupils stayed with their exchange partners and took part in a number of different activities during their stay. We toured the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund and then visited the Deutches Fußballmuseum – possibly a little too much football for one day! The highlight of the trip for many was the traditional outing to Phantasialand, where most of us braved the latest ride: Taron. It’s the fastest multi-launch roller coaster in the world, and also the longest of its kind. The pupils were warmly welcomed in an official ceremony by the Deputy Mayor of Warendorf, who spoke of the value of such exchanges today and the importance of understanding different cultures and customs. The German pupils returned in May to spend a week with their British partners.

The spirit of exhanges continued with the Department welcoming Herr Tobias Garcia Alonso, Head of English at a German school in Hagen, Nordhein Westfalen.

He prepared some poems for the 2nd and 3rd Years as well as contributing to Sixth Form lessons as we started to discuss the idea of collective guilt.

Philippa Sykes

malaga memories

Málaga was the place to be once again this Easter as some of our 3rd and 4th Year Spanish students spent five days immersed in the life of this fascinating historical town. In the heart of Andalusia, culturally-rich Málaga was the perfect place for them to hone their speaking skills as they got to know their host families, took part in specialist Spanish lessons and, of course, sampled the best of the local sights, customs and cuisine.

The astounding caves at Nerja were a particular highlight, as was the day spent in Granada admiring the majesty of the Alhambra. Tapas, flamenco, and churros con chocolate all went down a treat and the students returned with more confidence in their language skills, some great memories…and even a sun tan!

Penny Harper

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FOCUS Senior

Le Château de la Baudonnière

Thirty six pupils took part in the inaugural Churcher’s trip to a beautiful Château in Normandy. We were not disappointed and the visit was a huge success, aided by the beautiful weather and blue skies. Our pupils were guided through all activities by French animateurs who were friendly, and skilled at making everyone feel at ease. On site we enjoyed archery, fencing, aeroball, bread-making and the hugely popular (and incredibly muddy) assault course. We ventured out, firstly to Villedieu to visit the vibrant market, then to an organic goat farm where we petted the baby goats and tried our hand at milking. Finally, we visited the thought-provoking D Day Landing Museum in Arromanches.

The food was plentiful with a ‘taste of Normandy’ and the evening entertainment was fun. Needless to say, we have booked for next year!

Kathryn Shaw

FOCUS • 5

the italian job

Over Easter the Classics Department took 25 GCSE Latin and Classical Civilisation pupils to the Bay of Naples in Italy. As well as visiting the famous sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, we went in search of other Roman villas around the Bay, including the imperial Villa of Poppaea, a wife of the Emperor Nero, and the clifftop residence of the Emperor Tiberius on the island of Capri. Despite the hectic schedule there was just enough time to enjoy a few pizzas and gelati!

Jon Hegan

History club

This year saw the formation of the first History Club of Churcher’s College, populated by enthusiastic and intrepid 2nd Year pupils. History Club has so far covered a variety of themes including the Holocaust and the abolition of the Slave Trade. Pupils had their most memorable History Club meeting on board HMS Brocklesby at the Commanding Officer’s invitation. Pupils spent the day learning about the Royal Navy and then got to compare the WW1 vessel M33 with her modern day counterpart, ‘Brock’. On board they handled weapons, were given a demonstration of the diving and minehunting equipment and took part in a fire hose exercise. Next up is a demonstration of medieval weapons and tactics by Mr Snowball and a trip to see a new movie based on Winston Churchill’s life. All are enthusiastic to continue their adventures and learning in History Club next year – new members welcome!

Lisa Roberts

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FOCUS Senior

history and classics Napoleon: genius or megalomaniac?

by David Andress Professor of Modern History, University of Portsmouth

Paris in the Spring

The History Department had a fantastic, sun-filled trip to Paris in the Easter holidays. Both Lower and Upper Sixth students saw many of the places they had studied during their course: France in Revolution (1774-1815). We had a day at Versailles, seeing the opulent splendour of where Louis XIV, XV and XVI resided. We walked all over Paris seeing where revolutionary activity took place, such as the Place de la Bastille, the Place de la Concorde, Notre Dame, the Temple Prison etc. and we visited the Place des Invalides to see Napoleon’s magnificent tomb. We also enjoyed a trip down the Seine on a ‘bateau mouche’, some shopping time around the Champs Elysees and walking up to Sacré Coeur in Montmartre. It was excellent to visualise the places that we had discussed in lessons.

Helen Jolliffe

Monday 8th May 2017 4.30 - 5.30pm Churcher’s College Lecture Theatre.

napoleonic wars

Professor David Andress gave a fascinating lecture on debating whether Napoleon was a megalomaniac or a genius. Not only was much of the material he used intriguing (there were some amusing cartoons from the period) but his presentation was superb revision material for our Sixth Formers who were about to sit their A Levels. Godalming College, Reigate School, Reading Bluecoats and St Catherine’s all came along too and enjoyed the cake and convivial atmosphere before the lecture began.

In summary, Andress adeptly put the case that Napoleon was fundamentally an egoist who couldn’t restrain his geographical ambitions; he described him as having ‘colonial dementia’ and as being a ‘diplomatic criminal’ who decimated the European male population. The case for ‘genius' was, unsurprisingly, lost!

Helen Jolliffe

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Churcher’s DW Squad Triumphs Again!

A great result in DW this year saw eight Churcher’s boats storm to Westminster (as opposed to last year when they were stopped short of Westminster by a storm) and win two trophies.

The two boats of Marianna Whistlecroft, Maddie Housden, Hannah Cordall and Lucy Jermyn were the first placed Junior Ladies’ Team, being the 3rd and 4th boats to finish in that category. The boys nearly equalled them, taking second place in the Schools’ Team Prize (which unfortunately did not get them a trophy), but third in the Junior Team category, which did! In both cases, it was Julian Greig, Sam Mullender, Will Jameson, Dylan Joseph, Angus Rushin and Joe Keohane who were the fastest three Churcher’s boats home, closely followed by Adam Smith, Tom Murphy, Adam Tutt, Tom Foster, Aidan Howes and Tim Higginbotham, any of whose times could have contributed to the team prize.

Well done to everyone, and many thanks to all those providing support, from Richard Cardwell, who has replaced Martin Hill on the staff side, to all the parents who performed tirelessly over the Easter weekend, and in all the build-up races before the DW itself.

Mark Adams

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FOCUS Senior Adventurous Training Thirty-three CCF Cadets headed off to North Wales for their annual Adventurous Training Camp during the first week of the Easter holidays. Staying at Oaklands Outdoor Education Centre, just outside of Llanrwst, they were perfectly placed to access all the adventure Snowdonia has to offer. Six days of activities included rock climbing, canoeing, gorge walking, coasteering and two ‘mountain days’ with an overnight wild camp. With only one evening of rain, and sunshine for the rest of the week, summits were bagged, cliffs conquered and the depths of gorges explored. Leadership, teamwork and camaraderie flourished, and great personal achievements were made with the support of friends and the encouragement of an awesome team of outdoor instructors. Plans are already afoot for a repeat performance next year.

Kirsty Verney

Ten Tors Our two Fourth Year Churcher’s CCF Ten Tors teams did exceptionally well on Dartmoor this year. A squad of almost thirty started training and selection for the event back in November, with hill training on Butser Hill, followed by night navigation in the New Forest, and two weekends of wild camping and walking on Dartmoor in March and April. The standard of the squad was incredibly high so, instead of entering one team, we entered two. Both teams had a twoday lead-up to the event at Okehampton Training Camp during which they worked incredibly hard to get through the vigorous kit checks in ‘Scrutineering’ and spent hours poring over maps planning their navigation. Parents joined us on Saturday morning to witness 2400 young people, in teams of six, cross the starting line to the echo of large military guns and helicopters flying overhead. The teams crossed the finish line on Sunday morning tired, but still smiling and proudly carrying the Churcher’s CCF pennant, to be greeted by cheering crowds and proud parents.

Kirsty Verney

FOCUS • 9

"Making rafts and sailing them was amazing!"

-Henry

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FOCUS Senior

"OSCA was really, really fun and a great experience!”

-Miranda "It was my first rabbit.

I liked the meat!"

-Will

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After hard work and many hours of effort we were delighted to revel in the impressive display of students’ work on show at this year’s Design & Technology Exhibition Evening. With more students than ever taking D&T, the Gym gave us the space to display GCSE, AS and A2 work. The range and quality was impressive, varying from a remote control aeroplane designed to deliver parcels, to E-Textiles and almost everything in between. The Private View Evening was a bustling affair, with parents and invited guests being wowed by what our students had achieved. Upon arrival the amazing coat made by Anastasia Wright stopped visitors in their tracks. One other project worthy of special note is that of William Birch-Tomlinson who is one of three students who entered projects into the prestigious Triumph Design Awards. Will’s Eco-kettle has been successful in reaching the national finals and he will be presenting his project to a panel in July; we are all keeping our fingers crossed for him.

Chrissie Lines

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FOCUS Senior

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SIXTH FORM East india dinner

A very convivial evening was had by all at the dinner this year. The event takes place in the magnificent surroundings of the East India Club in St James’ Square, London. It is a means of thanking the Captains and Vice-Captains for their hard work, but also a valuable opportunity for the school to stay in touch with the Old Churcherian network. This was the first year where the Captains of College, Frankie Hussell and Owen Tutt did their speech entirely in rhyming couplets!

Bill Baker

Stefan gets the call-up Oxbridge Nineteen students attended an enlightening Oxbridge Conference where they accessed workshops on how to make a competitive application, student finance, and careers, as well as subject-specific lectures. Speaking to them on the coach home there was a general agreement that it gave them excellent guidance on their chosen degree, an ability to discern between Oxford and Cambridge, information on the differing entrance exams and helped to narrow down the plethora of information on the internet to a more digestible format. All in all, a good experience!

Helen Jolliffe Oxbridge coordinator

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This year OC Stefan Younghusband captained the Hampshire U20 rugby team. After getting promoted to the Championship last year the County side anticipated a tough season, but the team won all of their group stage games against Gloucestershire, Cornwall and Berkshire. They then beat Surrey 41-24 in the quarter-final, eventually losing to the defending champions Yorkshire in the semifinal. Players from the Hampshire U20 side were selected to trial and a squad of 23 was chosen to play in the divisional festival weekend. Stefan played against the Midlands and won 36-10. Despite a recent injury, Stefan’s performances this year have seen him selected as a reserve for the England Counties U20 side’s forthcoming tour to the Netherlands. Well done Stefan.

Bill Baker

FOCUS Senior

TALK TUESDAY We recently introduced ‘Talk Tuesday’: a day when we don’t want to see the Sixth Formers using their phones. Instead we have provided lots of games for them to play and we are pleased to report that conversation and friendships are booming. It was nice to see a recent article by Lisa Salmon, published in a number of magazines and newspapers, outlining a range of reasons why games are important: learning to lose and win; improving memory; boosting organisational and strategic thinking (including what to do when things don’t go to plan), as well as improving social skills and cognitive dexterity. Despite what the article said, chess is trendy in these parts!

Bill Baker

TRAINING DAY

The Lower Sixth Captains, Vice-Captains and Prefects who were elected to their posts at the end of the Spring Term undertook their training at the end of the Easter holiday, to prepare them for their roles leading the school next year. An enjoyable and largely sunny morning was had at Battlefront Games at Lee-on-the-Solent where leadership, teamwork and strategic skills were developed. Classroom activities in the afternoon focussed on different styles of leadership and their pros and cons, explored through role-play. We wish the students every success in these important roles next year.

Bill Baker

END OF AN ERA

This year’s U6th Leavers’ Day was another fantastic occasion. Not even the prospect of exams after the half term break could dampen the spirits; that was left to the ‘slip and slide’ which this year measured a whopping 20m x 4m! A BBQ in the sun on the Ramshill lawn followed a final assembly with the Headmaster and the highly-anticipated Pupil Concert which, for the first time ever, featured a stand-up routine, by Rebecca Norkett and Sarah Peters. There was much talent on show and presentations were made to our fantastic housekeepers: Maggie, Sharron and Jeannie.

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IN OTHER NEWS...

cORRIDORS OF POWER The Lower Sixth Government and Politics students decamped to Westminster for a day stalking the corridors of power. There was a sombre atmosphere amongst the throngs of tourists in Parliament Square; the trip came only a few days after the attack on the Houses of Parliament which killed PC Keith Palmer. The students had a moment of quiet reflection amongst the vast number of floral tributes, before heading over to the Supreme Court. Inside they were treated to the full force of the legal system, exploring its history and sitting-in on an active case. After a short hop across the road, they took a tour of Westminster Palace, taking in debates in both the Commons and the Lords. This was followed by a workshop on Democracy in the UK and a Q&A with East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds, who was given a real grilling.

Patrick Cheshire

MUN

There were exciting times for MUN members this year! First up was a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the first meeting of the United Nations in Westminster. Pupils represented Australia and even got to meet MP Mhairi Black en route to the conference. Next was the London Oratory School one-day conference where pupils represented Pakistan and Italy, and took part in an assembly to sort out the emerging crisis of an invasion resulting in the building of a wall (!). Just recently pupils were invited to Wycombe Abbey school for a two day American-style Conference, similar to those held in universities. Pupils represented Germany and the Republic of Congo and debated the issues of women and girls in wartime and the participation of women in politics.

Lisa Roberts

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splash!

As part of the post-exam celebrations, the whole of the First Year got the chance to let off some steam and make some waves at the New Forest Aqua Park. The students donned wetsuits and leapt, bounced and dived off the trampolines, monkey bars, flippers, rockers and even a giant iceberg. When words such as ‘awesome’, ‘unreal’ and ‘amazing’ are all that can be heard on the coach home, you know it was a hit!

Penny Harper

FOCUS Senior court order Fifth Year and Lower Sixth pupils had the opportunity to attend an informal talk by local magistrate Annette Burgess, about the role of magistrates and the function of magistrates’ courts as part of their careers sessions. The next day they had a guided tour of Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court and sat in on the morning session. All agreed it had been a highly-informative and eyeopening experience.

Kirsty Verney

tomorrow's world Third Year teams got the chance to visit Microsoft Research HQ in Cambridge to take part in the national finals of the Microsoft STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) Student Challenge. Competition was fierce as all twelve teams from schools across the country had to present their ideas to a panel of three judges and a lecture theatre full of people. The students were then given a tour of the Microsoft labs and shown some emerging technologies including the Microsoft Hololens, the Torino coding system and music production using a system of coding called 'Sonic Pi'.

Karen McCathie

hot topics Evie Fleck and Imogen Bowley achieved the honour of being the first Churcherians to progress to the regional final of the English Speaking Union Schools’ Debating Competition during three rounds of debating.

The first was a debate about salary caps in professional sport, and we were speaking against the Royal Girls’ School, Haslemere. In the second round, hosted by Churcher’s College, the girls were against the eventual winners of the regional final, Winchester College. The motion was, “This house would ban doctors from striking”. Drawn against Guildford High School in the final, Imogen and Evie opposed the argument, “This house would not use private military contractors in combat”. Although the girls did not progress to the national finals, in performing so well at the regionals they have established that Churcher’s can compete with the best debating schools in the area.

Mike Murray

cardboard city

In order to support the homeless charity Centrepoint, 4R decided to ‘sleep rough’ for a night in their ‘Instant Cardboard City’.They wanted to get a feel for what it might be like to be living on the streets and exposed to the elements. It was a cold experience, and we had the luxury of a campfire and Dr Glasspool’s South African-influenced ‘Bunny Chow’, consisting of half a loaf of bread used as a bowl, and curry as the filling. Everyone was tired and grumpy the next day, and as one member of the group said: “It hit me the next evening as I laid my head on the pillow, that I had actually felt homeless. I never want to feel like that again.” The group raised £1150 for Centrepoint. Thank you for all who supported us and the charity.

Dr Glasspool and Mr Ostersen

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success stories Emily and Izzy Jupe (5R and 1R) regularly compete with the Portsmouth and District synchronised swimming club. In the Club Championships in January, Emily won silver in figures and solo, as well as gold in her duet. She was also awarded the prestigious ‘Golden Duck of Glory’ for the swimmer who shows the most enthusiasm, endeavour and determination. Izzy was fourth in figures, won a bronze medal for her solo, and a gold in her duet. In March, Emily and her partner won silver medals for their routine at the Calne Duet Competition. In May both the girls enjoyed success as their team won gold for their routine at the Reading competition, with Emily picking up a bronze medal for figures. The next stage is the regional competition and National Combo Cup which are both in September.

GCSE Art student Alysia Gibson (5N) has a passion for windsurfing and this has influenced her art a great deal. As a competitive windsurfer, Alysia was inspired to choose the title of ‘Extreme Weather’ from the twelve theme options which are set by the exam board. Students interpret the theme as they wish, developing a personal and creative response.

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Lowri Hegan’s (2G) gymnastics trio won silver at Grade 5, representing the South of England in the Inter-Regional Acrobatic competition at the end of April. Meanwhile Mia Furneaux’s (4G) pair was also celebrating after securing bronze at Grade 4.

FOCUS Senior Junior School pupil Isobel Reed (6M) has been praised for her fundraising efforts by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. She decided to sell her toys to raise money and awareness of the need for funding at the hospital after personal experience of knowing patients of the fantastic facility.

James Troughton (2R) has now been learning Taekwondo since he was seven and over that time he has amassed over thirty medals. In the last year James has competed regularly in a number of international competitions, enjoying success in Italy where he won gold for sparring, and bronze for patterns. More recently he travelled to the Netherlands to compete in the Holland Cup where he won a bronze in patterns. In October he also competed in the World Cup in Budapest, the biggest Taekwondo competition in the world. In the UK he won a gold in sparring at the 2016 PUMA International event. He also won gold in sparring and bronze in patterns at the UKTA English Open, and gold in sparring at the LTSI English open.

Spin Glancy (6G1), George Renshaw (5N) and Adam Tutt (6N3) have beaten off fierce competition from across the UK to win places at the National Youth Theatre’s Summer Training Programme.

Five thousand audition each year and only five hundred places are awarded on this intensive course run by the industry’s leading practitioners.

Tom Bloomer (5D) has been selected for the U16 Lambs National Rugby side. The Lambs exists to create openings for boys to showcase their rugby skills at a representative level when they have been unable to do so due to other commitments or lack of selection opportunities. Tom played fantastically in a recent match against Worcester Warriors Academy, which the Lambs won 27-26. Tom follows in the footsteps of his brother Sam who represented the Lambs last year at U18 level; they are only the second set of brothers to represent the side.

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SWIMMING

The swimming galas have continued to come thick and fast with the Lower School comprehensively beating King’s school Winchester on two separate occasions. For many it was the first time they had represented Churcher’s and they competed amid a great atmosphere with plenty of parents in attendance. The older years have had galas against Wellington College, KES and Hurstpierpoint with the latter too strong for all but our formidable U15 team comprising of Matt Mason, Ben Williams, Tom Parmenter, James Arnold and Rory Plewes.

Water Polo continues to have more fixtures than ever, and the rivalry with Winchester College is still thriving.

This time Winchester gained revenge for their previous loss. Churcher’s took on Cranleigh School who, earlier that week, had drawn 3-3 with Eton, a renowned strength in water polo.

The boys played excellently in what was a very closely-fought match with Cranleigh edging it by seven goals to six.

Peter Beard

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ATHLETICS AND CROSS COUNTRY

It’s been another great athletics season, culminating in Anya Pigden and Charlie Morris both receiving letters inviting them to represent Hampshire following their performances at the Hampshire Championships.

In the Chichester Road Running Challenge Tri Series Anya came second in the Senior Women’s 4.5km event. There were also strong performances from Thomas Parmenter, Thomas Briggs, George Williams and Thomas Steer in their respective events. The 1st Year boys also won the team challenge.

In the first round of the Hampshire Schools Track Knock Out the U14 girls outlasted the other teams and managed to make it through to the second round where they came fourth.

The South East Hampshire School Championships was a team event but also a chance for individuals to be selected. George Lucas, George Davis, Charlie Morris, Ben Burns and Archie Somers were all successful. Congratulations also to Alex Marx and Anya Pigden who went through.

Churcher’s competed in three events in the English Schools Track & Field Cup Regional Round (South West), with the Junior Girls coming fourth in their round at Basingstoke. New additions to the team for the county round were Mara James, Celia Jolliffe and Rachel Large. The girls were outstanding and improved their team total from the first round by nearly twenty points!

Emma Chambers

FOCUS Senior

Junior Tennis tour 2017

Cricket

With the summer sizzling away we have been treated to some exceptional cricket from both the boys’ and the girls’ teams, and not least in the triumph of the U14 Boys who clinched the Hampshire County Cup final with victory over King Edward’s School. This is the first time that Churcher’s has won this tournament and we now go on to represent Hampshire in the national competition!

JUNIOR GALA

Over 100 students from the First and Second took part in the Lower School Swimming Gala, competing to win the House Cup. Supported by their parents, grandparents and friends in an excited atmosphere, the pupils took part in twentyfour races, impressing the audience with some excellent swimming. The performances were so exceptional this year that ten of school records were broken. With some fierce competition it was eventually Collingwood who lifted the House Cup. Peter Beard

The U15s deserve praise for the way they fought through to the Hampshire Cup final and although they gave everything they had, they fell short to a very strong PGS team. To finish as runners-up in the county is a brilliant effort for a side that enjoyed an 82% win percentage this year.

Forty-four students and five staff set out for Estepona, Marbella for the annual tennis pre-season coaching tour. Staying at the magnificent Atalaya Park Hotel with six full-size tennis courts on site is the ideal scenario for the twelve hours of coaching received over the five days.

Coached by Antonio Troyano (ex-professional tennis player) and his family and friends, the pupils, ranging from 1115 years old, enjoyed sessions of 1:7 ratio coaching on both redclay and hard courts.

Finally, congratulations to all our players in every team for the way they have represented the school with pride, commitment and brilliant sportsmanship.

The different ability groups all showed an improvement in the range of shots any tennis player wishes to play well, from serving to volleys. Tennis was the primary focus of the tour, but we did also manage a day trip to the beautiful Puerto Banus to help celebrate Annabel Powell’s birthday!

Rob Maier

Matthew Kelly

At the time of going to press, the U13 A Team were poised to play in the final of the Hampshire County Cup. Check out the next edition of Focus to see how they got on!

FOCUS • 21

S R O O D T U O THE GREAT

Eco-Warriors

Reception'

s Spring W alk

Year 3 pupils spent a day learning about environmental issues at the Sustainability Centre in East Meon. They looked at preserving the environment for generations to come. Both Year 3 classes took part in many activities such as making clay tree spirits and wattle fences. They learned about solar energy and recycling, and composting rubbish. They also visited and saw a working yurt and met families leading an environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

day venture

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FOCUS Junior

Class 2 reveal their green fingers

Science in Selborne

Reception take time to smell the flowers in Rake

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WHO LIVES IN A HOUSE LIKE THIS?

Year One visited the Weald and Downland Museum to investigate houses from the past. We looked at the materials they used for building and tried our hand at constructing bridges, tiling a roof and arranging bricks to build walls. The pupils drew Asome super pictures of the houses and used watercolours to create some outstanding artwork, before getting very messy and ‘gluey’ building their own Tudor houses from cardboard boxes.

MEDIEVAL MIDHURST Year 5 combined history and geography into one expedition as they investigated Midhurst's past. Mr Paul Ullson was their guide as the children learned about the trees, plants, marshes and wildlife alongside the Causeway. At Cowdray, we began to follow the river and discovered the reason that this part of the River Rother has a right angle in it: it was all to do with the Tudors, of course!

Our route then took us to St. Anne’s Hill where we examined the Norman castle ruins. This was the site of a motte and bailey castle at one time. Our travels had so far ‘unearthed’ information about the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Romans, the Saxons, Medieval England and the Tudors.

The final stretch of our walk took us through the Georgian and Victorian areas of Midhurst before we clambered back onto our 21st Century coach to return to school, tired but full of interesting information.

HEART OF HAMPTON

Year 5 were lucky enough to explore Hampton Court Palace, King Henry VIII’s beautiful home. In the Royal Chapel the children were quick to discuss the fact that Jane Seymour’s heart is buried under the altar and the ceiling is decorated with real gold leaf! Our visits to various areas of the palace were interspersed with two organised sessions: one to the Royal Kitchens and one called ‘Mathematics Mayhem’. The children learned all sorts of facts about the way hundreds of people were catered for every day and how the food was stored and cooked. During the Mathematics Mayhem session we were ‘employed’ by the Earl of Suffolk’s wife, Lady Beth, to measure and calculate the area of the Great Hall and the number of tables that could fit into it. We had to work in ‘knots’ because metres and centimetres were unknown in Tudor times. We calculated that 744 people sitting down at 124 tables could eat at one sitting . . . if they didn’t mind being a bit squashed together!

Everyone enjoyed the trip and one highlight - that cannot go unmentioned – was the sighting of Queen Catherine Howard’s ghost in the Gallery near King Henry’s private prayer room above the Royal Chapel.

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r2

ale assembly Yea

Florence Nighting

FOCUS Junior

Walk Like Egyptians!

Year 6 came face to face with Ancient Egyptian artefacts, mummies and sculptures when they visited the British Museum as part of their History Curriculum.

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CCJS enjoyed an evening of considerable talent as the Year 5 presented their version of ‘Cinderella and Rockerfella’. The singing took the audience from foot-stamping, disco fever one moment to tear-jerking emotion the next. Resplendent in towering wigs, the Ugly Sisters poked, pinched and sneered their way into everyone’s bad books.

Cinders, Buttons and his dog Teaser railed against the unfairness under the tyranny of the Sisters. Thankfully the audience had the Fairy Brigade Boys, clad in tutus and Wellington boots, to save the day! Were these wingless fairies up to the job? Was the Elvis-like Rockerfella ever going to find his Cinderella? Was Fairy Nasty Boots ever going to stop interfering? All was resolved in the rip-roaring final song ‘Happy Ever Afters!’

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FOCUS Junior

WHAT BIG TEETH YOU HAVE...

Year 3’s production of ‘Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf’ brought the house down in May. Based on one of Roald Dahl’s ‘Revolting Rhymes’ this musical adaptation was humorous, visually stunning and professional. Set in the forest and Grandma’s cottage, the action switched effortlessly between the two, with woodland creatures blending into the wooded landscape. All 39 children remained on stage throughout, and acted with such enthusiasm that there was much foot-tapping and clapping along by the audience. Simply dressed in leggings and tee-shirts but stunningly facepainted by extremely willing and able parents, the children were able to add dramatic actions to all their songs. The whole production had a very polished feel and was impressive for 7-8 year olds. All round it was a fantastic team effort and very much enjoyed by all.

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Vocal Evening More than 85 performers took part in our Vocal Evening, singing everything from gospel spirituals to English folk songs. The newly-formed Churcher’s Ukulele Group or ‘CHUG’ kick-started the evening with a fun mash-up of several songs all performed over a classic four chord sequence. Several solos, duets and trios followed, each superbly sung and with great confidence. The evening finished with the debut performance of ‘The Big Sing’. This vocal ensemble is a brand new addition to the school’s Music Department, catering for the ever-increasing number of pupils wanting to sing in a group. ‘The Big Sing’ performed a three-part-round on the spiritual ‘Good News Coming’. It was also the perfect way to end the concert: with the audience on their feet and joining in.

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Infant Concert

One of the highlights of the school calendar, the annual Infant Concert is a chance for some of our youngest pupils to perform solo, ensemble and whole class pieces to friends and family. The Infant Choir rose to the challenge in a simple round and Polynesian echo song. Ensemble performances were also given by our beginner recorder players in Class 1 as well as our more advanced players in Class 2. There were wonderfully assured and confident solo performances by Zach Greenaway (Drums), Amy Hart, Kitty Shine, Emilia Maton, Georgina Webb, Holly-Louise Gibbs, Cian Sitch-Oliver, Ben Taylor (Piano) and Paddy Bridger on J-Sax. Class 1 gave an action-packed performance of ‘Down there under the sea’ and Class 2 took the audience on a voyage to the New World, singing about Columbus’ preparations for his voyage. The evening closed with all the Infants on stage giving an energetic and rousing group performance.

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U10 Netball Tournament Ten teams participated in our annual U10 Netball Tournament. Each team played nine matches.The CCJS B team had some great matches and performed extremely well against some tough teams. Throughout the tournament the A team’s performance improved, losing only to the eventual tournament winners, St Swithun’s, and earning themselves a silver medal. Well done to all the girls who participated!

Tri-a-Tri Triumph!

Over seventy CCJS pupils took part in a charity triathlon, the second event in the series ‘Millie’s Sportive Masterclasses’.

Under the guidance of Barney Gray, Founder & Chairman of Tri-High Multisports Club in Liphook, Millie Cooke-Priest inspired her peers to have a go at swimming, cycling and running to raise money for the Liphook-based ‘Dreams Come True’. Following on from her hugely successful GB Hockey Day led by international hockey stars, Millie’s Tri-a-Tri offered Years 3-6 an exciting and fun introduction to the world of triathlons. Hosted at the Senior School, the children learnt to rack their bikes, prepare their transition area and undertake the rules of the sport. The young triathletes embarked on a pool swim ranging from 4-6 lengths, then several laps of a cycle route that navigated around the extensive playing pitches, culminating in an exciting final run with a crowded finish line of cheering parents and the reward of an engraved medal.

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Sail away...

Poppy Kilpatrick and Ollie Williams enjoyed sailing success after coming an impressive tenth out of forty boats at the IAPS Regatta (under 11s category). This was particularly impressive given that the pair had never previously raced together. They are looking forward to competing together again.

in-synch!

Outside school Lucy Mackay trains with the Portsmouth and District Synchronised Swimming Club and recently participated in two synchronised swimming competitions: a duet competition and a solo figures competition. In the former she came 4th, narrowly missing out on the medal places. In the most recent figures event she came 21st out of more than 100 girls. Lucy has only been doing synchronised swimming for just over a year and has progressed enormously in a relatively short space of time.

IN THE SWIM A group of twelve pupils from the Elite Swimming Squad represented the school on Friday 10 March at the Hampshire Primary Schools Relay Championships. Both the A and B teams produced some fantastic swims! The A team received bronze in the Freestyle Relay with the B team placing sixth in the same event. The Medley Relay was unbelievably tight and the B team actually touched cleanly first, just pipping the A team, gaining all Churcher’s competitors bronze medals. The quality and sportsmanship of the pupils was tremendous and both teams remain very closely-matched in speed and ability. This is testament to the hard work and dedication they have been putting into their training.

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The first week back after half term was to be filled with 'food for the mind': books! The annual Book Week this year was a Roald Dahlthemed celebration of reading, and all that books can bring into our lives. Events included parents and grandparents coming in to read to the children and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' workshops using drama to tell stories. Author and actor Chris Connaughton visited, and there was our Grand Book Swap where all the books were free!

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FRENCH TRIP The trip started well with Year 6 getting to Nausicaä in Boulogne in time to see some performing sea lions and learn about the rich heritage of France and its territories’ sea life.

On Thursday, the children wandered around the market in Le Touquet with their teachers and went into a bakery where they practised their French and spent some of their Euros. They also visited a local primary school taking part in activities in French.

Other highlights of the trip were bread-making and wheat-plaiting, followed by a delicious crêpe lunch; going on a tree trail; visiting Etaples cemetery; walking along the estuary in Le Touquet; playing on the sand dunes near our accommodation, and sand-sailing.

The big smiles on the children’s faces during the trip were proof that by working together, seeing and using the language in situ, and absorbing the culture, was very worthwhile.

C’était formidable!

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this little piggy...

There were some piggy visitors to CCJS during this term. The school has joined others in the area in taking part in a project called ‘Haslemere Hogs’.

Working with local artists, the project has seen sixty decorated fibreglass pigs displayed throughout the region.

CCJS pupils decorated their hog using ‘Bong-Tree’ flowers, and named him ‘Piggy Wiggy’ after the pig in the Edward Lear’s ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’. The hogs have now been sold off in aid of charity.

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C OL L E G E CHURC HER ’S Libby Gervais’ artwork ‘Untitled Self’ has been shortlisted for the 2017 Saatchi Gallery Art Prize for Schools. The Prize received over 24,000 entries from 66 different countries, and only 20 works were shortlisted. They are currently on display at the Saatchi Gallery, London.