The Cranleigh School Newsletter Issue No 38
Cranleigh School, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8QQ Tel: 01483 273666
Michaelmas 2010
Head s Up BEYOND CRANLEIGH Dear Parents,
This has been a mixed term, with some considerable highs, a few lows and one of the saddest events Cranleigh has had to deal with in a long time. I was unsure whether to highlight it here, but feel that, in what is effectively an overview of the term, it would be inappropriate to make no mention of the sorrow shared by the whole community at Tildy Curran s Memorial Service an unforgettable day attended by so many of her family and friends, and a testament to a truly special girl. Likewise, this term has seen two other Memorial Services held for two much-loved Cranleigh figures Vivian Cox and David Bluett both of whom gave so very much to the School over the years, and who will be sorely missed by all those who knew them. All three days were a reflection of the deep and lasting bonds that those who attend Cranleigh form something of which we are very proud, and which is a feature of the community spirit of the School. Even after pupils leave here, those bonds tend to remain for a long time often a lifetime and it is surprising how many Old Cranleighans in fact end up married to each other! And little wonder, looking back over this term and given the relative intensity of the time we share together, packing so much into just twelve or so weeks. The hard work, the dedicated sport, the inspirational music, the spell-binding drama, the extraordinary number of activities available each week, and even the downtime from snowball fights to the Foundation Christmas Fair. It has been another incredibly rewarding term on all fronts, and I would like to reiterate Andrew Griffiths words in Final Assembly in thanking everyone pupils, prefects, Common Room and Bursarial staff alike for the incredible effort you have all put into this term, and for making Cranleigh the warm, close-knit and successful community it is. Have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Guy Waller Head
At Speech Day, the Head introduced the prospect of an exciting new initiative, Beyond Cranleigh , to enable Cranleigh pupils to get involved more physically, and on a long-term basis, with overseas communities. As this now becomes a reality, we speak to one of its key co-ordinators (and soon to be trans-Africa and Europe cyclist), Stuart Block, to find out what it is all about
What was the idea behind Beyond Cranleigh? On Speech Day, the Headmaster outlined the broadening of the Cranleigh Ethos to include the wider provision of opportunities for service away from the local area, including more chances for pupils to do service in communities in the developing world. We already have existing connections in the Lebanon and Kenya. To complement these, Cranleigh is now partnering with Beyond Ourselves (www.beyondourselves.co.uk), a London-based charity that works to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people in both London and Zambia.
children, with limited resources and without being paid for their teaching. Having relayed our experiences to the wider Cranleigh community, there was an overwhelming sense from both the Common Room and the pupils that this was an excellent, and very welcome, opportunity for Cranleighans to make a difference Beyond Cranleigh whether by helping on a very practical, very personal level by going out to Zambia themselves, or by the initiation of a wide range of fundraising projects, some of which can be organised almost straight away.
Why Beyond Ourselves in particular?... Beyond Ourselves is a charity based upon similar principles to Cranleigh: those of community and teamwork. We liked the fact that Beyond Ourselves offers opportunities to help people both in the UK and in Africa; it underscores the need to be aware of people less fortunate than ourselves in a wide variety of situations, and it offers pupils the chance to get involved on both fronts, depending on where their personal interest lies.
When is the first trip out to Zambia, and what will the pupils be doing? The first trip is planned post A-levels in August and September 2011, for current members of the Upper Sixth and OCs, to start building much-needed classrooms at Kawama School, Kitwe. The school, currently consisting of 220 pupils, is run from a single building where five classes are taught simultaneously. Imagine over one third of the Senior School pupils, of varying ages, all being taught together! Following this, in the Michaelmas Long Leave, a group of current Fifth and Lower Sixth Formers will head out to finish the building and paint the classrooms, ready for use in January 2012.
You were one of the key brains behind the Beyond Cranleigh initiative. What is it that inspired you, and what do you think it offers to the pupils? Arriving at Cranleigh two years ago from the business world, I was hugely impressed by the quality of both colleagues and students, as well as the overriding sense of community. However, it was also fairly clear to me that we live a somewhat sheltered existence here. Having learnt a great deal personally from teaching at a school in Africa during my gap year, I hope that the project will help Cranleighans to gain a more balanced perspective, as well as helping them to make a difference in the wider world. What groundwork has been done so far? This summer myself and Richard Humes (Deputy Housemaster, East) visited Beyond Ourselves projects in Zambia, which work with several community schools in the Copperbelt region. It was an amazing and humbling experience, witnessing the passion of the local Zambians in trying to provide education for their
What are the longer-term plans for Beyond Cranleigh ? It is planned that there will be an annual trip to help with the Beyond Ourselves work at Kawama School, and potentially other community schools in the region. In recent years Richard Humes has led School trips to Tanzania and Ecuador, building classrooms and school facilities. They were excellent experiences for the pupils, and highly beneficial for the local communities involved. However, what excites staff and pupils alike about the Kawama School project is that rather than a one-off trip, as in the case of those mentioned above, this is going to be a continuous project, building a strong and long-term relationship with one school and Continued over.....
For full details of all School and House news, please visit the website at www.cranleigh.org/community
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