Semper Fidelis Spring Edition 2023

Edition 7

SEMPER FIDELIS His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh shares a joke with students during his visit to officially open the new Sports Hub in January. Full story page 62.

4. PIPES, DRUMS AND PARADES 8. AROUND THE HOUSES 30. CCF AND DOFE 32. CO-CURRICULAR 34. CHARITY 38. CREATIVE ARTS 52. ACADEMIC 54. NEWS FROM THE PEWS 56. EVENTS 66. SPORTS 74. INTER-HOUSE COMPETITION 78. SIXTH FORM 84. GORDONIANS 86. STAFF 90. ACHIEVEMENTS

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PIPES, DRUMS AND PARADES

WHITEHALL PARADE AND GUILDFORD CATHEDRAL

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he annual Parade through Whitehall in London saw over 200 students marching behind the Pipes and Drums for the start of their Memorial Weekend in memory of General Charles Gordon in whose honour the School was founded.

Dressed in their ceremonial Blues uniform, students formed the Parade in King Charles Street, before heading into Whitehall and past the Cenotaph to the General Gordon Statue in the Victoria Embankment Gardens. There, the School Chaplain, The Reverend Graham Wright conducted a short service to commemorate the death of the Christian soldier, hero and philanthropist.

Wreaths were laid at the statue on behalf of the Gordon family by Tom Gordon; for the Gordonians by Paul Ivory and for Governors, Trustees, Staff and Students by Colour Sergeant Ioan Wilson.

The School, which is the national memorial to General Gordon - is the only one in the country permitted to march along the central London venue – and commemorating General Gordon’s life has been an integral part of the School’s history.

Bugler Jess Fowler from the school sounded the Last Post and the Reveille, and The Lament was played by the Pipe Major Lucy Massie.

The annual Gordon Memorial Service attended by staff, students, parents and Governors of the school. The service was led by The Reverend Canon Chris Hollingshurst, Residentiary Canon and The Reverend Michael Parker, ChaplainGeneral to His Majesty’s Land Forces delivered the Gordon Sermon.

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PIPES AND DRUMS ROUND UP

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o kick-start the School’s partnership with The National Piping Centre, their Director of Piping Finlay MacDonald and Youth and Community Lead, Ailis Sutherland, came down to the School to conduct some piping exams, followed by a Masterclass and Recital. The Recital featured performances from Finlay and Ailis as well as snare drummer Rachel Thom, Business Development Manager of Jim Kilpatrick Percussion and World Solo Drumming champion in 2018. The drummers were very fortunate to have tenor drummer Morven Walker of Boghall and Bathgate. Students also gave performances during the Recital including a collaborative item they had worked on in the afternoon in the Masterclass with Rachel and Jim. Always an honour, the Pipes and Drums returned to Menin Gate once more in February. Pipe Major, Lucy Massie, played The Lament as part of the ceremony and the Band performed Amazing Grace while wreaths were lain. The performance was recorded and posted on The Last Post Leper Facebook page which has been shared 502 times and had 3.2k interactions as well as on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Facebook page which has had over 10k interactions and has been viewed 213k times.

Whilst in Ypres, Mrs Scotson managed to locate the Brookwood Last Post Association Colour in St George’s Memorial Church.

In March, the Pipes and Drums played at the Civic Reception of the Knife Angel at Guildford Cathedral. The Knife Angel made of over 100,000 seized blades is the National Monument against violence and knife crime and is travelling to various locations around the UK to promote awareness.

During the reception, representatives of the British Ironworks Centre explained the idea and story behind the sculpture. Also speaking was the mother of a victim of knife crime in Guildford. The Pipes and Drums concluded the Civic Reception by marching guests through the Cathedral and down the front steps to view the sculpture outside.

Also in March, Gordon’s hosted the Independent Schools Solo Piping Competition and our students had a clean sweep of all first places of the categories they entered!

Other events in which the Pipes and Drums have been honoured to perform were: the Centenary of the American Battle Monuments Commission at the American War Graves, Brookwood Military Cemetery, where they also helped to place tea lights on the headstones of all the graves; playing at Loseley House for the Surrey Police Pass Off Parade and opening the Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens, the world’s largest school rugby tournament and playing to crowds during the morning.

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The Pipes and Drums on the steps of Great Westminster Hall where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth lay in State. The Band had the honour and privilege of playing at 494 Fighter Squadron’s (United States Air Force Europe) Dinner Night at Parliament.

An exceptional evening all round was made even more special with all members of the Pipes and Drums being presented with a unique Commander’s Coin by the Commander of 494 Squadron, The Mighty Black Panthers.

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AROUND THE HOUSES

AUGUSTA HOUSE: FESTIVALS AND FEASTS (AS WELL AS A VISIT FROM KIM KARDASHIAN!)

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he lead up to Christmas was busy in the boarding houses with lots of festive activities on offer. Highlights for the girls were the shopping trips – particularly the Winchester Christmas market and Westfield, where the girls managed to stock up on Christmas presents for their families and return to the coaches laden with bags full of gifts.

The annual boarders Christmas lunch and carols was also a wonderful opportunity to bring together the boarding community for a fantastic meal, courtesy of the catering department, followed by a festive quiz and carols in the Chapel.

The Spring Term consisted of mock exams for many of the girls, yet they still managed to get some down time and enjoy the activities in place. Taskmaster was re-introduced across the Houses and the students were given a variety of tasks to complete throughout the weekend which included: • • • •

Making your knee look like a famous person Choreographing a dance routine to a standard ringtone Staging the most convincing paparazzi photo of a celebrity Building the biggest, most elaborate Rube Goldberg Machine

The entries were then judged by Ms Carruthers on the Sunday evening. We were fortunate enough to win a prize for our paparazzi photo, which saw Miley McCletchie transform herself into Kim Kardashian, dressed head to toe in black – literally! Miss Webster, with the help of Tia Job and a few other girls, spent most of Saturday creating a Rube Goldberg Machine, which was also very impressive!

The annual pancake race was also enjoyed by everyone as was pottery painting for Mothering Sunday, a pool party, cinema and shopping trip and there are lots of further activities planned for the rest of the academic year.

The new family tree system, introduced at the end of last academic year in Houses has encouraged the mixing of students across year groups and we have hosted a number of in-House events to promote this including family secret Santa, games nights and sweet and treat nights. The girls particularly enjoyed the treats and pamper night and had great fun revealing their new youthful skin!

As a House we have celebrated a number of cultural festivals this academic year, including Diwali, Dashain, Chinese New Year and Black History Month. Students celebrating these festivals were treated to an array of culinary delights and we look forward to celebrating more events as they occur throughout the year.

Angela Mathews, Augusta Houseparent 9

BALMORAL HOUSE: PANCAKE DAY PRACTICE PAYS OFF FOR SECOND YEAR RUNNING

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or the second year running, the Balmoral boys proved the ultimate champions in the Residential Pancake Race, coming back to the House with the trophy again!

The boys also smashed the Christmas spirit, turning up to every delicious Christmas Dinner suited and booted in festive outfits! We enjoyed the annual cracker challenge and this time much hilarity with the ‘poo head’ basket game!! Only the pictures can explain! The House Christmas party was the highlight (after the Sixth Form Christmas Dance Off - who knew our boys could pull off such moves and carry off the dresses and wigs so well!).

The In-House Karaoke at our party was possibly the best we’ve heard yet.....and the highlight of the night had to go to Year 11 who sang ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen.....it almost brought the house down! So much fun and laughter, and wonderful food provided by the catering team for us all to enjoy, after the staff quiz which the boys took part in within their ‘family trees’ in House.

Our first weekend back of 2023 was spent paintballing. It was possibly the wettest/ most painful but yet most fun trip so far! The Taskmaster weekend took some planning, and we were proud to win the ‘re-creation of a paparazzi celeb photo’! Linus took centre stage and looked incredible dressed up in Mrs Heathcote’s dress and heels!! He played the Diva to the end and we had lots of fun re-creating our photo! Well done also to our Inter-House Art team, who remade the painting ‘The Scream’ by Edvard Munch. Huge thanks to Zoran (Year 8) who took the lead role, and allowed the boys to smother him in face paint, and fifth place was a great result as the competition was outstanding this year.

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Other Inter-House events approached with the customary energy and enthusiasm have been the Drama, Football, Maths and Cooking in which our two-man team were awarded second place for their tofu.

It was the perfect weather for Whitehall again, the sun shone and our boys looked incredible as we marched through London and it was lovely to see many of our parents and exstudents there to support.

At the start of Spring, Mrs Heathcote took the Year 9s down to the local churchyard for their first ‘volunteering’ session for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. The boys worked hard in the sunshine, and we look forward to enjoying the difference we have made as we head down every so often.

We’ve enjoyed a new toy in Balmoral, the air hockey table, which we were incredibly fortunate to be given the funds for by the GSPA. The boys are having great fun at break and lunch times, and in the evening on this new equipment.

We have relished the first few fire pits of the year too. It is always such a lovely moment to sit and chat by the fire with s’mores at the weekend and we look forward to many more over the summer!

Danielle Heathcote, Balmoral Houseparent

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BUCKINGHAM HOUSE: SLICES OF INTER-HOUSE SUCCESS (AS WELL AS PIZZA!)

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e were so proud to see Year 13 student, Will Perera, leading the Memorial Weekend Whitehall Parade in January. His skills as Drum Major are superb and the honour of leading the Parade was the culmination of many hours of dedication and hard work over the last few years. A number of Buckingham students are part of the Pipes and Drums Band and the contribution from Oscar, Tom R, Will R, Han and Elijah was outstanding.

be back again next year with even more persuasive arguments. Well done Alex, Lucas, Hashim, Zarif and Aiden.

Inter-House Hockey was hotly contested amongst all Year Groups and we were thrilled when our Sixth Form boys secured the trophy for Buckingham. We had a huge squad of willing players. Well done, team!

Democracy in action was demonstrated by the election in February of our new Student Governor, Elliot W. The hustings were impressive and Elliot’s speeches proved to be the most persuasive. We wish Elliot luck with his new responsibilities!

When the boys are not busy with InterHouse events, they turn their attention to the dramatic arts. The Made in Dagenham production was enormously successful and we congratulate Noah, Zayed, Owen, Elliot and James W whose contributions were amazing.

Year 7 and 8 Debaters were in action at the end of January and for some participants it was their first taste of debating. Having to think on their feet to reinforce their viewpoints and come up with counter-arguments in a short space of time is a skill that takes time to develop. Mr Matthews encouraged the boys to form their arguments and we enjoyed hearing snippets from their practice speeches as they prepared for this popular event. The boys worked extremely hard and did so well to reach the semi-finals. We feel sure they will

Our Inter-House artists had fun recreating the Caravaggio painting St Jerome Writing. Under the guidance of Mrs Westgate, they put together a brilliant version which earned them a most creditable third place.

Congratulations to Lewis R, Harry B, Tom R, Kiran, Tobias and Kanishk.

Noah refined his leadership skills even further and ensured that Buckingham made another fantastic contribution during Inter-House Drama in March. ‘A Time to Celebrate’, focused on three funerals and a wedding and took our breath away. We congratulate the group for achieving fourth place.

First place success amongst boys’ Houses in Inter-House Shooting for Dom and Oscar was well deserved, and a creditable second place overall secured pizza treats for them, as enjoyed by all those who participated in Inter-House events. All these activities make our students very hungry!

Jamie Sinclair, Head of Buckingham House 13

CHINA HOUSE: GUARDING TOP SPOT IN CREATIVE ARTS COMPETITION

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n the lead up to Christmas, there were parties, quizzes, cake decorating, Sixth Form Dance Off and a delicious Christmas meal served by our fantastic catering team for all year groups. Our new Junior Prefects were announced and congratulations to Izzy, Maya, Charlotte and Emilia who were presented with their ties in the last assembly of the year. The girls came in joint first place with Victoria in the InterHouse Hockey competition, ending the year on a high, and were all excited for the start of 2023.

In January, the girls taking part in the Memorial Weekend were professional to the end, looking their smartest and marching perfectly.

It was very special to be at my first Whitehall Parade and the beautiful weather made the day even more special. After the service at Guildford Cathedral, Evie stepped down as House Captain and Cara took over the role. She is joined by Kaitlyn as House Sergeant and Nerys as Drill Sergeant. I think we have a strong leadership there, to possibly take us to a Longmoor win later in the year.

The girls, once again, fully embraced the Inter-House competitions. In Art they had to re-create a piece of work by Frida Kahlo and came in fifth place. Drama came next with 20 girls, led by Year 12s, producing a piece from the musical Chicago. Their singing and dancing was outstanding and it was so well deserved that they came in first place.

Football and Netball produced some amazing team work and the girls winning Player of the Tournament and first place for Netball! In the Inter-House Creative Arts, China is currently in first place with Buckingham close behind and only one competition to go!

The campaign to represent the House as our Student Governor, was well fought by Year 12 Lily-Ann and Year 10s Charlotte and Izzy. The girls came into House meetings, posters were put up around the House and doughnuts brought in. On voting day, we used a classroom as a polling station and all the girls were issued with a ballot paper. The results were very close, and Charlotte will now be our Student Governor.

March saw the start of the House trips, and Year 9, Year 11 and the Sixth Form, all went to Exciting Escapes in Basingstoke. Finding the clues to get themselves out of a variety of rooms was challenging, but they all escaped in time! Years 7, 8 and 10s trip to Jump In, will be in the Summer Term. Much to look forward to as we head towards the end of the academic year.

Heidi Doe, Head of China House

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GRAVESEND: CHESS BOARDERS

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023 kicked off with the annual Whitehall Parade for our Year 9 and 11 students. Ably led by our team of Karan and Jake, the boys put on a great performance and will have memories that they will look back on for years to come. The Spring Term has seen a new set of students take on positions of responsibility in the House. Coen was elected as Student Governor and Karan was awarded Student Head of House, with Jake and Cory taking on the roles of Inter-House Prefects. The new Junior Prefects have begun their tenure; congratulations to Ben, Harry, Kishoar and Hamish.

Since the last edition of the Semper Fidelis magazine, Gravesend achieved success in the Inter-House Rowing competitions, winning the Sixth Form event and gaining second place for the Lower School. This term has seen a variety of different Inter-House events take place.

Gravesend’s entry to the Drama was a celebration of the comedy of Monty Python. Our cast of Ben, Hamish, George, James, Sam and Ruben entertained the audience with their take on the Four Yorkshiremen and Camel Spotting sketches, finishing off with a rendition of ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’. The boys also did a sterling effort in the Art competition. The brief was to recreate a famous painting, being as creative as possible. Gravesend were given ‘A Bar at the ‘Folies-Bergère’ by Édouard Manet, which we recreated using a variety of different items of sporting equipment.

Chess has become increasingly popular over the last six months, with games taking place during every break time. The GSPA kindly purchased a new wooden set and board for the House, which was much appreciated. We have introduced a ‘family’ structure in the House this year. Students across all year groups have been divided into eight teams which will compete in a variety of different events during the year.

This will provide some healthy competition within the House as well as being a source of a lot of fun.

This term has seen us run a couple of successful House trips. Students in Years 10 to 13 went to Teamsport Indoor Go Karting in Farnborough.

In a competitive set of races the two final winners were Peter in Year 12 and Harry in Year 10. We also took the Year 8 and 9 boys to Laser Tag and Ten Pin Bowling in Camberley. Jake scored the top student score of 84, only beaten by a score of 101 from the combined team of Mr Knight and Mr King!

Gary Knight, Head of Gravesend House

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KENSINGTON HOUSE: DONUTTING AND PANCAKES FUEL INTER-HOUSE WIN

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he end of the Autumn Term brought with it the usual celebrations for Christmas, which for Kensington House included the House party with a dance off and sing off between each Year Group.

The party also gave us a chance to thank our Head of House, Lauren Kaye, and our House Captain and Sergeant, Mamie Griffiths and Connie Carr, for all their hard work this year as they stood down in January.

The Spring Term was packed with Inter-House Competitions and House events.

In the Years 7 and 8 Debating Competition Amber Oshiga, Maya Sinclair, Neela Iyer and Isla Bowden represented the House and performed with aplomb, narrowly missing first place.

January saw our new Head of House and Deputy, Elizabeth Bailey and Daisy McMahon take office, with Ciara Meaney and Isobel Wilson taking on House Captain and Sergeant roles.

February brought lots of of fun Donutting in the Alpine Snowsports Centre with Years 7, 8 and 10. It was also a first with formal hustings and voting for our School Governor when congratulations went to to Isobel Mosby, our new Kensington House Student Governor.

Inter-House Art proved interesting and the girls put an alternative, modern and fully dressed version of ‘The Birth of Venus’ into the competition.

The girls celebrated Shrove Tuesday with pancakes, creating their own toppings which inspired our baking competition the following month. The girls competed by creating an Easter bake which was judged by Dining Hall and Sixth Form staff before being sold for charity at break time. Winning bakers were: Chloe Dyer, Tilda Spink, Lily Duffy, Sitara Prasad, Katherine Ray Hill, Elodie McCargow, Emma Shaw Hales and Inez Shilbach.

We were delighted when Kensington House were Inter-House Maths Competition winners thanks to: Isobel Mosby, Kate Brazendale, Neela Iyer and Katherine Ray-Hill.

The Team of the Term was our Year 7 girls who won the Football and Netball competitions with Isabella Thercaj winning Player of the Tournament.

By the end of term the girls were ready for some fun out of school with visits to Escape Rooms and Jump In! We look forward to more fun and success as we head towards the end of the academic year.

Kate Connery, Head of Kensington House

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KHARTOUM HOUSE: SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON?

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hartoum radiates with positive attitudes and commitment, with boys not only keenly engaged with their studies but excelling in all the cocurricular activities on offer.

edited a video to promote the charity with the help of students from all years.

A special thank you to Sam Moreau, Ned Hewson and Anthony Lock for their brilliant performances in Inter-House Year 10s have been sitting their first set Drama and their quirky and comedic of mock exams in the Rec in preparation take on the birth of baby Jesus. for GCSEs and in Inter-House Cooking, Will Moss and Noah Hopkins served Drama, Maths, Football and Rugby all up a real treat in Inter-House Cooking have bled burgundy. whilst our Maths team comprising We won the Junior House Hockey trophy Hassan Rizvi, Rory Green, Tom Price and with victories in Years 11, 8 and 7, with Will Horton came second in Inter-House Year 10 edged into second place in the Maths. final minute of the competition.

Our Year 7s and 8s came out victorious Our Year 11s and 9s joined the Whitehall in the Inter-House Football whilst Parade, behaving and marching our other teams were unfortunately brilliantly. thwarted in their efforts. A very big well done to Ernie Schofield in Year 7 Khartoum won Inter-House Art with for Player of the Tournament and also our recreation of The Ambassadors. We one of our leading rugby players Luke are absolutely delighted to have our Whistlecroft in Year 13 for two goals! own masterpiece hanging in the House.

Special thanks to Mrs Mosdell as well The highlight of the term was when as Gabe and Santi who captured the Khartoum House took to the stage for essence of the painting with aplomb. our Garyoke hour. “Freed from Desire”, that classic dance hit from the 00s was Many of the boys have asked for a chosen and the whole House rocked.

House pet. Unfortunately a dog or It was one of those moments when all cat was impossible so there is now a the Year Groups came together and the House fish tank. The fish have multiple spirit and culture of the House pulled names depending on which Year Group through. is viewing them! Aquarium therapy is a concept I was keen to introduce, where As the exam season is upon us, we interacting with fish can have a positive wish our current Year 11 and 13s all the impact on a person’s wellbeing and best in what will be the biggest exams mental health whilst alleviating stress of their lives. The boys in both those and lowering anxiety levels.

Year Groups have matured dramatically and I have nothing but respect for the The Khartoum House charity CRY way they conduct themselves and their (Cardiac Risk in the Young) has been desire to succeed. voted to be one of the three school charities for the next year. James Gibson Jonathan Griffiths, our new Head of House created and Head of Khartoum House

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SANDRINGHAM HOUSE: DEMOLISHING PANCAKES

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he end of 2022 and the start of 2023 has been a mad one for us in Sandringham. The end of another calendar year was marked by various Christmas parties including our now annual Residential Boarders’ Christmas lunch and carol service which was enjoyed by all.

As the new year began we were back with a bang and a full set of activities that dominated the school calendar up to half term including a school highlight, Whitehall. All the boys involved enjoyed glorious weather as we took to the streets of London to commemorate General Gordon.

We have enjoyed various sporting delights and even success in the Year 10 Inter-House Hockey! The boarders enjoyed a Valentine’s Day disco and various outings including shopping trips and swimming!

Pancake Day was fun in House when we made 150 pancakes that were demolished in under 15 minutes by 70 hungry boys!

We are now enjoying the summer weather and using the school grounds as well as House outings.

Natalie Webb, Sandringham Houseparent

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VICTORIA ON ICE AND IN ESCAPE ROOMS

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s always, the end of the Autumn Term was filled with celebrations.

We hosted House parties for each year group which saw the girls play seasonal games, test their knowledge in a Christmas quiz and show off their skills with yule log decorating.

Following a well-deserved Christmas break, the girls returned to a fun packed and exciting Spring Term! Inter-House competitions, mock exams and House trips have certainly kept us busy. Our Years 7, 8 and 9 visited Jump In trampoline park, our Years 10 and 11 went ice skating and our Sixth Form girls found clues and solved puzzles to complete their escape room missions.

In-House, we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a pancake bar, Easter with a chocolate eggs quiz and highlighted Mental Health week with a series of daily activities. We also introduced an in-House families structure with the aim to encourage integration between the year groups and establish an informal reward system that rewards and reinforces the behavioural expectations of the school. The girls have earned points each week for their family with their volunteering hours, Inter-House events, classroom commendations and participation in one of our many weekly challenges which have included a scavenger hunt, Mario Kart races, a Connect 4 and air hockey tournament.

Some of our Year 11 and 12 girls have taken on roles of responsibility in House and they are doing a great job supporting the House staff whilst gaining hours towards their voluntary service. With each Parade, we see our Year 7 and 8 girls grow in confidence with their marching skills and we are super proud of our new House Captain Mimi, House Sergeant Keira-Nell, Drill Sergeants Evie and Isla and School Sergeant Major Sophie, helping to make sure the girls look amazing on Parade days. Our new Junior Prefects Amelie, Sophie, Indi and Sophia and our Senior Prefects Lyla and Mimi have also started their new roles and the whole House was thrilled when it was announced that the new School Head Girl for 2023 is our lovely Libby.

The girls never cease to impress and make us proud with their commitment, enthusiasm and diligence. They have continued with their sporting and creative arts success finishing in first place in the InterHouse Debating, Hockey, Rowing and Cross-Country and second place in the Arts, Christmas Cake Decorating and Pi Day competitions.

With hope of sunshine, exam success and enjoyable end of year celebrations that come with the end of the Summer Term!

Marie Jones, Head of Victoria House

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WINDSOR: PANCAKES AND POTTERY ADD TO BUSY TERM

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t’s been a busy Spring Term in Windsor House. We started the year with our annual Memorial weekend. Our Year 9 and 11 girls marched at Whitehall, whilst the remainder of Windsor attended the Guildford Cathedral Service.

We have enjoyed a range of activities in House this term. Our girls have been shopping in Westfield and enjoyed pottery painting, a game night, film night as well as making their own Easter decorations. We had our annual pancake race in which we finished second place!

Our staff and students enjoyed watching our school production of The Tempest which starred two of our Windsor girls, Nicole and Adekunbi.

Both girls were exceptional - so much so that a group of us returned to watch on the second night!

It was a term full of Inter-House competitions with our Years 9 and 10 coming first place in Inter-House Football and first place overall, Diya getting Player of the Tournament and scoring a cracking goal from a corner kick. Windsor did a great job at Inter-House Netball with Eloise winning Player of the Tournament. Jess and Megan took part in the InterHouse rustle up, the secret ingredient was tofu and the girls created a tofu burger with homemade fries. Inter-House Art was also this term and a group of our girls took part painting Ella blue (rumour has it she is still washing paint out of her hair)!

Year 10 and Sixth Form have had mock exams this term and the girls continue to impress with their hard work and resilience.

Miss Saint, the House’s Newfoundland/St Bernard cross, has been hard at work, looking after the girls taking roll call, undertaking her day to day administration and tucking the girls into bed at night.

We finished off the term with Garyoke, our slot was 00:00-01:00, with full investment singing some classic tunes.

Nicole won our bleed green award. Well done Nicole!

Lastly, we said goodbye to House Tutor, Miss Wilson after four years at Gordon’s and wish her all the best in her new role as an Assistant Head of House.

Now we’re looking forward to the warmer weather with lots of sports and trips.

Katie Masterson, Windsor Houseparent 27

WOOLWICH: WELCOMING ROYALTY AND SNOW! Spring Term has been as busy as ever in Woolwich. A group of our students hosted royalty as His Royal Highness Prince Edward visited to officially open the Sports Hub; he declined the offer of dodgeball but did take time to share a joke with our students.

In House we marked February’s Mental Health Week by connecting with Miss Fairbrass’ mother’s school in New Zealand.

The students made a film about life at Gordon’s and in Woolwich, which was then sent across the world. We are all excited to hear a response.

To celebrate different cultures, we have marked the Hindu festival of Holi with a colourful display marked with snippets of information about the festival and what it means. In addition, students have been showing off their culinary skills concocting cultural cuisine on Friday nights in our Cultural Cooking exchange.

So far we have been treated to Butter Chicken, Bibimbap and Jollof rice, all dishes went down a storm in the House. Next up… chatpate, a delicious Nepalese snack. Beats Haribo.

Another activity that’s experiencing some popularity in House is the renaissance of chess. Students have been pitting their wits betwixt one another in pursuit of bragging rights. The House now has an ornate Harry Potter chess board. Fun. In the wider school community, the Woolwich team have been honing their marching skills in preparation for the Sunday Parades and competing together in the Inter-House Football all the while showing true grit and enthusiasm.

Finally, we had snow. Mrs Cooper was woken early one morning to shouting and commotion coming from a boys’ dorm. When asked in a very teacher voice why they were making such a racket they pointed to the window. Mrs Cooper looked out to see me, Tommy and Rose all throwing snowballs at the boys’ windows to wake them up. Normal service was resumed shortly after.

Roll on lighter evenings and the inevitable sunset on their time in Woolwich next term.

Sam Cooper, Woolwich Houseparent

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ARMY, NAVY AND RAF ROUND-UP

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he Army Section Cadets have carried out two night training exercises on the local training area at Deepcut. The first was a night stalk and reconnaissance patrol where cadets practised their camouflage and concealment skills to try and get close to a camp and gather information.

The second was a section ambush where cadets tested their night patrolling skills and fired the cadet rifle for the first time using blank ammunition.

In February the cadets had a live firing range day at Pirbright ranges which enabled those who had passed their weapon handling to test their marksmanship skills and fire the cadet rifle live.

CCF AND DOFE

The Navy section has worked on their Navy basic training syllabus. The training includes; map reading, shooting, navigation and leadership tasks.

The Navy Section visited The Historic Dockyard for their field day and received tours around several historic naval vessels giving them a greater insight into the history of the Senior Service. The section have also started training on the Navy field gun which has been recently acquired.

The RAF Section have been busy working on passing their part 1 examinations which enables them to have air experience flights in fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and gliders. Unfortunately due to inclement weather their planned flying days had to be postponed.

Some of the hardy souls that are at school before dawn, whatever the weather, to take part in their early morning training with Mr Fox to ensure they are at the peak of fitness for Ten Tors.

For over half a century, Gordon’s has sent teams to the Ten Tors Challenge, organised by the Army. The event, which last year saw some 2,400 teenagers participate, is a highlight of the Gordon’s CCF calendar.

Students begin getting ready for the event in the Autumn Term, attending early morning training three times a week to ensure they are at the peak of their fitness by May. Sadly this year the Gordon’s CCF teams learned they had not been given places at this year’s event. However, they weren’t going to miss out on Dartmoor!

As the rest of the school broke up for the Easter holidays, they headed to Devon to experience the moor, battling torrential rain on their first day and then stunning blue skies and scenery.

Pirbright ranges for the Army Cadets to test their marksmanship skills and fire with live cadet rifles.

A highlight in the Army CCF calendar – night exercises. Firstly there’s the camouflage applied at school before they head off to a training area in Deepcut where they use their concealment skills to edge towards a camp and gather information.

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CO-CURRICULAR

Parkrun with Mr Sinclair is now firmly embedded into the Saturday morning activities offered to students. Extra special run at the end of March when Mr Sinclair completed his 100th Parkrun. This group, who clinched first place at Homewood in the women’s run and third in the men’s celebrated with cake!

Springtime paddling for the cross country runners, who marked the first day of Spring by stopping off at the ford in nearby Lovelands Lane. Cross country running is just one of 128 choices available to students as a co-curricular option every day.

Some great results at the Haileybury Model United Nations (MUN).

The annual conference, the largest of its type in the country, attracting some 500 students from across the world, saw Hamish Donaldson-Sinclair and Elliot Watson awarded Most Distinguished delegates and Harry Gordon, Highly Commended Delegate.

New to the amazing line up of co-curricular activities offered each day of the week, spinning. The Tuesday afternoon P7 option at Lightwater Leisure Centre is a great way of exercising and improving stamina, strength and endurance.

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SUPPORTING A LOCAL CAUSE

CHARITY

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ear 9 students participated in the First Give Charity competition during the Spring Term. Each class went through a process to choose a local charity to support then ran a social action to raise awareness.

Actions included a silent march, collecting donations for a homeless restart group, and an awareness-raising netball match.

One group from each class was then selected to receive a presenting masterclass from a First Give expert, before the grand final in front of the whole year group and a panel of judges including Tony Henderson, Chair of West End Parish Council, the Head Boy Sam Moreau, and Assistant Heads Mr Butler and Mr Lewis. Representatives from two of the charities were also in attendance and in an incredibly close judgement the group advocating for anti-knife crime charity ‘Knives Not Lives’ won the competition and £1000 for the charity.

Kristina James Talbot, Operations Manager of the York Road Project in Woking said: “Despite narrowly missing out, it was really touching watching the students put so much hard work and passion into their presentation about York Road Project and learning about other charities selected. So glad we could be a part of it”.

Hampers bursting with food and children’s toys were taken to The Lighthouse in Woking and the Camberley All Night Cafe for the Homeless at Christmas by students in the Sixth Form. The Sixth Form students decided to hold their own collection for their favourite local charities.

Over 100 students and staff took part in a walk around the Front Field in March to raise awareness for the mental health charity MIND. Year 9 students researching for their PSHE First Give project found that 16 million people suffer from undiagnosed mental health conditions every year in the UK. Each lap of the 40 they completed was for those who are suffering.

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GARYOKE 2023

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tudents and staff at Gordon’s School sang their way through a whole 24 hours of Karaoke to end the term on a high note and to raise money for the School’s charity, the Camelthorn Foundation.

The event, masterminded by Head of Gravesend House Gary Knight took the form of a Garyoke, raising hundreds of pounds for the charity and for the building of Gordon’s House, a girls’ boarding house at the Ngamo School in Zimbabwe.

Livin’ on a Prayer – Support staff adding their voices, along with School Chaplain the Reverend Graham Wright for the Bon Jovi song Livin on a Prayer.

The main school hall, the Rec, was rocked to its core, beginning with students paying to see their teachers take the microphone and sing to their favourite songs.

Then it was the turn of the students, who supported Mr Knight throughout, boarders setting alarms to wake up during the night for half hourly slots to add their voices to the mammoth fundraising attempt.

Popular songs included the rugby anthem Sweet Caroline, Let it Go (from Frozen) and Backstreet Boys I Want it That Way, but also featured were The Hills are Alive (from the Sound of Music) and for the School Chaplain, the Reverend Graham Wright, Bon Jovi’s hit Livin’ on a Prayer!

Loud, colourful and energetic, everyone gave their all, whatever the time of day (or night!).

Afterwards, Mr Knight said: “Every performance from the students and staff was joyous and packed with enthusiasm, meaning every rendition was unique (even if they were heard many times). When planning the event, my aim was to unite the School and get as many students and staff singing throughout the 24 hours, as well as raising a substantial amount of money for the Camelthorn Foundation. The 24 hour target seemed ambitious, however the time whizzed by due to the energy produced by the students, which helped to sustain me during the wee small hours”.

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A duet with Houseparent Natalie Webb and Gary Knight with their rendition of Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now.

Giving it their all in the small hours of the morning, boarders who set their alarms for their half an hour stint to help the whole-school charity the Camelthorn Foundation.

With just minutes to go until the end of the 24 hour karaoke marathon, Gary Knight takes the stage for Frank Sinatra’s My Way.

CAMELTHORN FOUNDATION UPDATE

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he vision of building a girls’ boarding house at the Ngamo School, Zimbabwe is now a reality. Land has been cleared at the school and breeze blocks are beginning to arrive to construct the single storey dwelling, to be known as Gordon’s House.

In January 2022 Gordon’s launched the charity initiative, linking with the Camelthorn Foundation, a UK-based charity which supports global community and conservation projects including the one based in Zimbabwe, Southern Africa.

Boarders are expected to bring their weekly evening meals when they come to school on Monday mornings. They sleep in rudimentary facilities, which at present is on the floor of a teacher’s accommodation. They must cook their own evening meals and wash their clothes.

While the school has some access to water, it does not have electricity or solar power.

Gordon’s has committed to changing that and through fundraising, providing the money for a purpose built boarding house as part of a longer term project to encourage children, particularly girls, to continue with their Gordon’s has a particular interest in supporting education. the education arm of the Camelthorn Foundation and the Ngamo Secondary School The initiative ties in with the School’s ethos of in Ngamo village, close to the world famous being a symbol of what can be achieved by a Hwange National Park. community united in making an outstanding contribution for the good of global society.

The school educates around 147 students from 13 to 16 years old from a 50k radius.

Ngamo School teacher Mr Chename sent a video to students at Gordon’s thanking them With no public transport, the children must for the money raised so far, of which almost walk at least seven to ten kilometres every £2,000 was collected during the Garyoke event. day to school with some children living as far He said: away as 20 kilometres. Their journey to school is arduous, and involves walking through thick “This is an invaluable investment in the Kalahari sand with the risk of encountering lion education of our children. The children will be or elephant on the way. So those living further able to concentrate on the core business of afield - nine girls and six boys - are weekly learning and the teachers on the core business boarding at school. of teaching. In a nutshell, we want to thank you so very much for this investment.”

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Rachhya Gurung

Swarnim Gurung

CREATIVE ARTS

Rutvi Lakkoju

ABSTRACT STILL LIFE ARTWORKS BY YEAR 7 STUDENTS.

Lucas Wallace

Duan Viljoen

Maisie Ho

Aadee Gurung

SELF-PORTRAITS POP-ART STYLE BY YEAR 8 STUDENTS.

Neela Iyer

Nathanial Teeton 39

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Artist Steve Burden came back to Gordon’s to work with Year 12 students and selected KS3 boys.

Steve gave a presentation about his own practice as an artist, gave a short art history lesson, and explained why art is so important to study further. Students were exposed to careers within the Arts, and created their own abstract portraits and landscapes, using both photographs and paint.

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Trips and workshops have continued this term with students enjoying the Dali Immersive Experience in London, pottery painting at Mrs Potts Place in Camberley, and a two day pyjama sewing workshop. It is great to see such a range of students across every year group taking part in these opportunities to develop their skills beyond the curriculum.

Some incredible creations using zigged wire, produced by Year 10 GCSE Art students during a visit by Darcy Turner of Artists in Schools.

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Year 11 Art and Photography students started their GCSE Externally Set Assignment in January, and visited Tate Britain to explore paintings, sculptures and installation art to inspire their projects.

For her snowman, complete with red scarf and hat, Darcey Bailey was chosen as the winner for the 2022 PTI Christmas card competition. The competition attracted entries from all over the country and Darcey’s winning design was sent to supporters of the PTI. In the Gordon’s Winter Arts Competition Pia Gordon’s village scene was voted the winner, followed by Emily Hunter’s trees and Morgan Wery’s robin.

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MADE IN DAGENHAM

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irl power stormed Gordon’s with pink-apron clad students taking to the stage to tell the true story of the Ford sewing machinists of the 1960s who brought the Dagenham factory and workforce of 55,000, to a standstill and paved the way for the Equal Pay Act of 1970.

Transporting audiences back to an age of inequality, misogyny and the difficulties faced by women, Made in Dagenham centres around the women whose skilled job of sewing car seat covers was classified as unskilled. They were paid just 87 per cent of the unskilled male rate. The women stood up for their rights, bringing their fight to the notice of Parliament and ultimately proving a vital force in women workers’ rights.

Gritty and compelling, Made in Dagenham was also humorous and touching and demonstrated the exceptional ability of those singing, acting and dancing. Many of the production team were also students.

Director Robbie Olden said: “Their approach to the production has been professional and mature from the outset. The show tackles difficult themes and the students have shown a genuine desire to learn about the history and context behind the show.

He added: “We have had great fun in rehearsals since September and the students have worked tirelessly tackling difficult text, intricate songs, some dodgy accents and some occasional strong language”.

Describing the rehearsals as “amazing”, Emily Hallett, playing alongside her brother Ben and recently judged Most Promising Singer for 2022 by the Woking Music Festival Committee, said: “Everyone is so supportive of each other. The experience has been educational and has helped me with my confidence. My favourite moment definitely has to be the weekend rehearsals with the cast working with each other and seeing the production coming together.”

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Machinist Rita O’Grady (Emily Hallett) who leads her friends in a battle against the might of Ford and the corruption of the union supposed to protect them.

Labour’s Trade and Industry Secretary Barbara Castle (Faith Kurzberg) standing up to the Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

Providing a sympathetic ear to the pink apron-clad machinists, shop steward Monty (Leo Dicks-Scantlebury).

Harold Wilson (Noah Schollick)

Standing up for the female workers’ rights against the Ford management, Clare (Georgina Fowler).

Ford America attempts to solve the problem of the militant women by sending one of their executives, Mr Tooley (centre). Pictured (front left to right) Ben Hallett, Elliot Watson and Owen Knight together with the Stetson wearing Mr Tooley (Edward Reed).

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SPRING CONCERT

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elcoming in the Spring, Gordon’s talented musicians performed a fantastic array of music in their Spring Concert.

Musicians from the Concert Band, Orchestra, String Groups, Jazz Bands, Semper Fidelis Singers, Junior Boys’ Choir, Junior Girls’ Choir, Honk! The junior jazz band, piano trio and soloists provided a glorious medley of music from Bruno Mars to J S Bach. Performing solos were Wei-Yee Zhou, Max Scannell, Zoe Legge and Faith Kurzberg.

Over 100 musicians in the school played a part in the celebration at Christ Church in Woking, from those beginning their journey on an instrument to awardwinning instrumentalists.

Among them were the Gordon Trio of Gordonian Music Award Winner Jason Cave, Max Scannell and the current Gordonian Music Award winner WeiYee Zhou. The three, who are through to the semi-finals of the Pro Corda national competition, played the second movement from Mendelssohn’s Trio No 1 in D minor.

Over 200 individual music lessons take place every week at Gordon’s with students taking part in weekly music ensembles which provide the framework to enable them to improve incrementally over time.

Many of those taking part in the Spring Concert will be in action again for the Summer Arts Evening.

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Practically perfect in every way, Mary Poppins triumphed on the stage with students performing to capacity audiences over two nights. The family favourite showcased the incredible talent in the Lower School and provided all round entertainment that was much enjoyed by an appreciative audience.

Delivering a contemporary twist to Shakespeare’s tale of The Tempest, drama students brought the play to life with their eerie, sombre and beautiful interpretation, performed with incredible professionalism.

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Selected to dance for the England team in the Dance World Cup in Portugal this Summer, known as the Olympics of dance, 11 year old Betty Walden will perform in two categories, ballet and acrobatics (acro) along with other students of the Classical Ballet Centre in Lightwater.

She will travel to Braga for what is now the largest all-genre international competition for children and young adults, competing against over 60 national teams.

Their irrepressible energy, charm and talents had the audience singing and clapping along as Oxford’s Out of the Blue gave a performance of their a cappello singing in February. Earlier in the day, the internationally acclaimed group gave a masterclass to students.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED

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tudents and staff met members of the PTI (formerly Princes Trust Institute) to tell them first hand about a three year project to transform music at Gordon’s. The project, masterminded by Head of Academic Music Rachel Brazendale, was nominated for the PTIs Bernice McCabe Award. The annual award, which promotes and celebrates excellence in subject leadership, recognises departments that put quality subject teaching at the heart of the classroom.

Over the past three years, Mrs Brazendale has been responsible for introducing a range of instruments and events into the Music Department. She has collaborated with the Careers Department to stage events for students at Gordon’s and others in the area, to make them aware of careers in the creative arts; launched academic enrichment competitions; introduced a music ‘Dine and Discuss’ Society to discuss topical issues and is responsible for a subsidised orchestral instrument scheme for students. Mrs Brazendale was one of three members of staff from schools around the country to have been nominated for the award and received Highly Commended.

In October, Gordon’s learned that the PTI had awarded the school all eight of the possible PTI Subject Leadership Marks which recognise outstanding teaching in Art, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages, Music and Science.

You never know what you might find at Gordon’s – tortoises in Buckingham, fish in Khartoum, friendly dogs in Woolwich, Augusta and Windsor and of course a camel on the Front Field.

However an injured cat decided to seek help in a music classroom, surprising Head of Academic Music Rachel Brazendale who was teaching a class! The feline music lover had been missing since the beginning of March but was soon reunited with his owner!

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if i were a doll

all poised and polished in my neat little cardboard box

sat on a shelf, frozen smile

and pretty bows on my slippers

i would not understand politics or the woes of the world

there would be no need for knowledge of words or language

Awarded the ‘Most Promising Young Singer’ at the Woking Young Musician of the Year Concert, Sixth Form student Emily Hallett.

or the intimacies and intricacies of love and friendship between one person and another

instead i’d be selected and bought by a doe-eyed youngster and a tired father

and i would sip imaginary tea from tiny cups and saucers

manhandled by well-meaning children in their chattering play

finally relieved of pressure when the children grow and leave me behind

and eventually ending up in an attic in a box marked ‘old toys’

what a charmed existence it must be Our school trumpeter and trumpet sergeant (Ben Hallett and Jess Fowler) represented the School again at the Woking Music Festival, coming first (outstanding) and second in the intermediate brass category!

Zoe Legge’s poem ‘doll-face’ was included in the top 100 commended poems for the Foyle Young Poets 2022.

The Gordon Trio of Jason Cave, Max Scannell and Wei-Yee Zhou are through to the semifinals of the Pro Corda national competition.

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ACADEMIC

Writing on the theme of ‘peace’, Gordon’s students were finalists in the local heats of the Rotary Young Writer competition. The group of Marco Ferdinando, Rory Green, Benjamin Platt and Owen Knight were presented with their certificates and vouchers at a special event hosted by the Rotary Club. Jasmine Sherpa, also from Gordon’s, the intermediate winner and Owen the senior winner in the local heats will go through to District level. The competition seeks to promote and encourage the work of young, talented people and the winning writers will be published in Rotary magazines.

National Pi Day saw students collecting as many digits hidden across the school (and in lessons as prizes if able to remember multiple digits of pi).

Houses then had to arrange them in the correct order. The most correct consecutive places of pi won, with China amassing 235, the highest number in right order – ever! In second place were Victoria with 218 and third place Khartoum with 157.

An inspirational day at Wellington College for Year 10 Maths students, who engaged in sessions on cryptography, ‘Maths in Wonderland’ and a quiz! The event, Taking Maths Further, was aimed at students considering maths as an option in their A Level studies.

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NEWS FROM THE PEWS

What better way to really understand the marriage part of the GCSE Religious Education syllabus than by being taken through an actual wedding ceremony by the School Chaplain the Reverend Graham Wright? During the mock ceremony, complete with a veil, flowers and top hats, students learned about every aspect of the marriage service and meaning of the words used.

The Chapel’s Quiet Room was used for prayer and faith discussions by some of the school’s Muslim students observing their Friday prayer time at the beginning of Ramadan. In Buckingham House, students were able to break their fast during this period before the start of the school day.

Double MOBO award-winning rapper Guvna B (Isaac Borquaye) shared from the heart some valuable insights about life, love and faith in a talk, during which he also treated students and guests to some of his rapping!

Broadcaster, podcaster and author on Christianity, Justin Brierley returned to school in January for a fascinating debate in which he and Jeremy Rodell, Dialogue Officer from Humanists UK gave their views on a series of questions such as ‘Is Humanism more ethical than Christianity?’ and ‘Can we rely on humanity to be good? Do we need God?’ before answering further questions from the audience.

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Broadcasting live from the Rec at Gordon’s, BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? Panel and Presenters (left to right) Transport Minister Huw Merriman, Editor in Chief of the Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes presenter Alex Forsyth, Feltham and Heston Labour MP Seema Malhotra and Paul Embery from the Fire Brigades Union.

EVENTS

Gordon’s student Nicole Mensah (centre) with Any Questions? Presenter Alex Forsyth (far left), Zanny Minton Beddoes and Seema Malhotra and (back, left to right) Huw Merriman and Paul Embery.

The Year 9 History trip to the battlefields of the First World War in February saw 40 in the year group visiting the Langemark German Cemetery and Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery as well as museums at Passchendaele and Ypres Salient. The group were also able to hear about and see the inscribed names of the three Gordonians, W Male, C Tancock and G A Lillywhite who died at Passchendaele. The following day, the Pipes and Drums arrived in Ypres where they performed the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.

Pamper sessions including face masks and soothing music, air hockey competitions, culture and buddy nights as well as setting personal goals were just some of the ways in which students took part in Children’s Mental Health Week. This year, the week centred around the theme ‘Let’s Connect’.

A chance to buy roses, teddy bears and chocolates from the Culture Society’s Valentine’s Day pop up stand. The student-led society deemed the event a huge success and admitted they had thoroughly enjoyed playing Cupid!

For her ‘Calm Band’, in soft, elastic cotton, which emits soothing scents, Libby Miles was awarded first place in the Design Ventura Mini Challenge.

The Challenge, open to students in Years 7 and 8, recognises creativity and ideas on the theme of wellbeing and is inspired by the Design Museum’s Weird Sensation Feels Good: The World of ASMR.

Fascinating discussions between the School’s local MP Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the MP for Surrey Heath and the student leadership team on a wide range of topics from Silicon Valley and the environment to the difficulties faced by students.

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Sharing their knowledge and enjoyment of their co-curricular activity CanSat, with children from Holy Trinity School. These Sixth Form students are designing and building a satellite the size of a drink can, which houses all the major subsystems found in a full size satellite, as part of the European Space Agency initiative CanSat. As well as being able to collect scientific data once launched, the satellite must also achieve a safe landing. After hearing about the challenge and space in general, children at Holy Trinity embarked on their own challenge, that of designing and building a capsule for an egg to protect it as it crashes back to earth. Some great results with one design surviving a drop of around three metres!

Demonstrating talents across a huge range of professions, our parent volunteers, who provided Year 10 students with an insight into their jobs through the careers speed dating. Students have just eight minutes in which to guess their profession by asking a series of questions. Among the parents ‘interrogated’ was a university lecturer; finance director; psychologist, airline captain, orthopaedic surgeon, pharmacist, actuary and search dog handler! Thank you to all our parent volunteers!

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ifteen bags of new toys and gifts made their way from Gordon’s to the Salvation Army in Addlestone at Christmas. The donations from staff and students, taken by the School Chaplain the Reverend Graham Wright was to help the Salvation Army towards their target of providing Christmas presents for 500 children from needy families.

Community Mission Facilitator Ali Scott in thanking the Gordon’s community said: “We are most grateful for all that your community has given to enable our work to continue, particularly at this time when there is so much financial pressure on all”.

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wonderful find by the Music Department – some hymns composed specifically for the school by Lord and Lady Tennyson in the 1800s!

The Evening Hymn was sung by the Choir at Evensong in February. It would have been sung by the boys from the Home as part of their daily worship, a tradition that continued well into the 20th Century.

The Tennyson family were loyal supporters of the Gordon Boys’ Home and the plan to establish the Home for ‘necessitous’ boys was based on one originally suggested to Alfred, Lord Tennyson by General Gordon himself, to carry on the work he had started at Gravesend.

One of the first committees to consider establishing the Home as the memorial to General Gordon was chaired by Tennyson’s son, Hallam.

Enterprising Young: Twelve products, all of them ‘must have’ items, were presented to a team of three ‘dragons’ for the Year 10 GCSE Business version of BBC TVs Dragons’ Den. From luminescent pet accessories to temperature changing pillows; hands-free portable mobile device carriers and all in one earbuds, the students produced compelling presentations and displays for their innovative products and services. The business most likely to succeed was deemed by the dragons to be TedTec for their environmentally-friendly phone accessories. Frutti Blendz, a new smoothie ‘to shake the market’ was voted to have the best display and the top team presentation was by Eternity, the wedding service with Elliot bagging best presenter award. Many thanks to our wonderful dragons – Gordonian Sammy-Jo Norsworthy, Vivek Rawal and Glenn Wooldridge.

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oung Chefs are Crème de la Crème: The School’s very own masterchefs, Henri Deane and Roisie Meaney both made it through to the Regional Finals of the Springboard Futurechef competition at Hammersmith and Fulham Catering College. The pair, who wowed industry judges in the local competition, had just one and a half hours to prepare and serve their delicious menus. Henri produced an open lasagne with a parmesan crisp and pesto oil followed by a lemon posset and shortbread and Roisie, fish and chips with a twist - battered mackerel with chips, minted peas and tartar sauce with a crème brulee to finish.

Prayers for the 72 passengers and crew killed in the Yeti Airlines crash, and the people of Nepal who are in national mourning, during the Chapel Service the following day on 16th January.

Students, many of whom are Nepalese, were also invited to light candles in the Chapel.

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T

wo rising stars in their disciplines of sport and music have been announced as this year’s Gordonian Award winners.

Nerys Tullett (sport) and Wei-Yee Zhou (music) will receive up to £1,000 over three years to further develop their talents and expertise in their areas.

Wei-Yee, is one of the most prolific musicians in the school, not only playing piano to Grade 8 but also the violin and bagpipes to Level 4 (she is Pipe Sergeant in the Pipes and Drums). The winner of this year’s Inter-House Music Solo competition, she holds a Pianoman Scholarship and won the Under 17 Bach Category at the Woking Music Festival in 2021 and is on her way to completing her Gold Arts Award. She is currently one of three students through to the semi-finals of the Pro-Corda national competition.

Nerys has excelled both on and off the sports pitches. A keen athlete, as well as setting school records, she has successfully competed in the District Championships and South East Schools Regional Finals. She also represents the school in hockey and cricket, as well as coaching younger students in hurdles.

Both students will have their names engraved on the Gordonian Awards Board in the Dining Hall in recognition of their achievement.

Even General Gordon gets a Spring clean!

The iconic statue, that has guarded the Front Field for over 60 years, underwent a full renovation in 2014 but needs twice yearly maintenance work. This work has been carried out by Bronze Sculpture Surgeon Jayne Meadows since then and involves steam cleaning and treating the stone work as well as waxing the bronze to guard against water damage.

No alarm clock needed for our youngest boarders, in Woolwich House, when they were woken up by snowballs being fired at their window by Houseparent Sam Cooper and his children Rose and Tommy! Soon they were out on the Front Field making the most of the snow before school started for the day.

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T

he new sports hub at Gordon’s School, serving both the students of the School and the local community, was officially opened in January by His Royal Highness Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh, who also met students and staff on site and unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion.

Completed in 2020, the Sports Hub, incorporates a sports hall, 3G pitch, changing rooms and café, and complements the already extensive sporting facilities at this coeducational state boarding school in West End, Surrey.

In addition to chatting to players and teaching staff, His Royal Highness enjoyed the opportunity to take on some of the students in a game of table tennis!

The Duke of Edinburgh, who last visited the school in October 2014 for the unveiling of the restored statue of General Gordon on a camel, also spent time with the School’s student Wellbeing Prefects and mental health first aiders and learned about how pastoral staff care for boarding students, particularly those whose families are in the Armed Forces.

Half of those boarding at Gordon’s are from The Duke was received by Gordon Foundation military families. The Duke also heard how Vice President and His Majesty’s LordHouseparents Sam and Daisy Cooper help the Lieutenant of Surrey, Michael More-Molyneaux, 11 year olds from these families as they start who presented Gordon’s student Leonor Nunes their boarding journey, and about the package a Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadet, Headmaster Andrew of support for their mental wellbeing that is in Moss and Director of Sport Jamie Harrison. place.

During his visit, The Duke met students who were using the equipment in the newly-built Fitness Suite, indoor rowing centre and sports hall as well as those playing rugby and football on the sports pitches.

Rowers, preparing for the National Indoor Rowing Championships explained to the Duke that as well as training in the mornings from 6.15am for an hour, they are also back in the ergo centre in the evenings after school. Three times Olympics cox Alan Inns, who coaches the students, said afterwards: “His Royal Highness certainly knows about boats and the positions in them”.

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Sport is a vital part of the School’s commitment to supporting students’ mental wellbeing as well as their physical and emotional development. Every student has the opportunity to take part in some form of sport or activity daily, with a choice of over 50.

Thanks to the new sports hall, further sports have been added to the list such as badminton, futsal, table tennis and indoor cricket and Year 7 boarders enthusiastically demonstrated one of their favourite weekend activities, dodgeball.

In 2020 Gordon’s formed a partnership with Harlequins, providing a DiSE (Diploma in Sporting Excellence) programme for talented 16 to 18 year olds wishing to pursue a career in professional rugby while receiving an excellent education. During the visit, His Royal Highness met students on the Harlequins Partnership Programme getting ready for their 7s tour to Portugal and hoping to emulate the two students who left Gordon’s last Summer with contracts for the Harlequins Senior Academy and more recently selections to play for their country.

The School also partners Aldershot Town FC, whose players train on the 3G pitch and use the sports hub between four and five times a week through the season. The Duke met some of the Vanarama National League’s U21s players and the club’s Chairman Shahid Azeem, a Trustee of the Gordon Foundation, Vice President of the Community Foundation of Surrey and former High Sheriff of Surrey.

Participation in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme is strongly encouraged at Gordon’s as a means of building skills in students such as teamwork, survival and leadership. This year over 100 Year 9 students have started their journey towards their Bronze Awards. The Duke of Edinburgh spent time talking to some of the Year 10 students taking their Silver Awards about their early morning training sessions and the command and leadership tasks they were demonstrating.

School members joined with Trustees, Governors and staff in the Sports Hall for the unveiling of the plaque by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Head Boy Sam Moreau and Head Girl Libby Lomas thanked His Royal Highness for the visit.

Libby said: “I hope the students have shown you what a privilege it is to have all these brilliant facilities and how they utilise them to ensure they have the best chance to succeed in one of the various sports Gordon’s has to offer”.

Sam added: “We’d like to thank you for visiting Gordon’s school and hope the opening today successfully showcased how the school has continued to improve its sporting facilities since your last visit in 2014. As a student body we are encouraged to develop our performance both on and off the field of play and with the official opening of the Sports Hub we are now able to excel in an array of sporting disciplines.

Sir, it has been an honour to welcome you here today and we hope that you get the chance to visit us again in the future.”

Afterwards, Gordon’s Headmaster Andrew Moss thanked The Duke of Edinburgh for his time and interest in the School and for unveiling the plaque, saying: “We were delighted to welcome The Duke of Edinburgh back to Gordon’s to officially open the new Sports Hub, which is already proving to be a well-utilised and much enjoyed addition to the school and community”.

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T

hirty one students from Gordon’s received their Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 2 awards, at an awards evening also attended by Woking High School.

Gordon’s School and Woking High School, both members of the Arete Partnership of schools, collaborated on the training for the course, which is designed to develop leadership and management skills for a recognised qualification.

The two-module course, taken by 40 students from the two schools, covers self-leadership and mentoring skills and is designed to develop selfleadership and resilience in young people.

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All Gordon’s Junior Prefects were encouraged to study for their ILM Level 2 Leadership and Team Skills qualification. They were presented with their certificates by Woking High School’s Headteacher Maiken Walter at a ceremony also attended by the Head of Gordon’s, Andrew Moss.

Mr Moss described the group as the “next aspiring leaders” and said that the ethos behind the awards was “leading for a reason, not just for yourself but to try and serve other people”.

The opportunity to study leadership and management skills, leading to professional qualifications through the Institute of Leadership and Management has long been

afforded to students and staff at both schools.

So committed were Gordon’s and Woking High to the programme of leadership awards, that they became an approved centre in 2015.

Mr Moss explained: “We became an approved centre a few years ago, offering ILM courses to all our staff – both teaching and support.

After seeing the benefits to staff we decided to extend the courses to Key Stage 4 and 5 students to enhance their profile for university applications and give them the edge when applying for apprenticeships”.

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SPORTS

A great day of sport for the U13A Rugby Team, competing in the Surrey Schools Festival. Mixed results against tough opposition but every game thoroughly enjoyed and they ended the tournament on a high with a 10-0 win against The Cedars School.

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ountain biking: Cycling is a growing co-curricular sport at Gordon’s with mountain biking on Saturday mornings and indoor training in the cycling studio.

Students signing up for the P7 activity enjoy forays of around 20kms around Lightwater Country Park and the trails around Deepcut and Swinley Forest as well as learning about pre-riding checks of bikes, clothes and equipment and preparation, to minimise the risks and improve performance. In addition, the necessary elements

of the bike check, the importance of clean bikes, the Highway Code, riding in a group and riding etiquette are covered.

Gordon’s now has an affiliate membership to Palmer Park Velo Cycle Club in Reading, which meets on Saturday mornings. The plan is to host race meetings at the velodrome and MTB race meetings locally against other schools.

This year the MTBs are heading for the hills, trails and beaches of Studland with four days of cycling.

F Another great run from cross country competitor Marcus Hibbins (above), who came third at the Surrey Cross Country Championships in the U15 Boys 4.3k race to secure a place for the county in the Inter-Counties at Loughborough.

Earlier this year, Marcus, a member of Aldershot, Farnham and District Athletics Club, represented the Surrey team of elite athletes in competing against 45 other counties in the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships.

our new boats for the Gordon’s Boat Club named in the traditional way, with champagne for luck. But nobody more surprised at the ceremony, than the rowing coach - former GB and Olympic coach and three times Olympian Cox, Alan Inns. As the Gordon tartan, was removed on the new main launch, the name was revealed as Alan Inns! Head of Boats James Gibson explained why Mr Inns had been honoured in this way – “He has been the coach that has kept rowing going since it started and whose coaching is one of the main reasons behind our success in the past year”. The four new boats, three of which were named after people and items associated with General Gordon, are to accommodate the growing numbers of students taking up rowing at Gordon’s. In 2018 just four students were taking part in this co-curricular activity. Now 28 students are turning up before dawn for training.

Through to the Regional Finals of the British Schools Karting Championship, the Gordon’s karting team of Byron Hewitt, Alex Perry and Will Ross in Years 8, 10 and 12, competing in the U18s in Farnborough last night. Next stop Watford for the Regional Finals!

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reserve at last year’s World Kayaking Championships, Sixth Form student Sienna Edwards has now made the team and will compete for the GB Freestyle Kayaking team in the World Championships in America later on this year.

Lasting only 45 seconds, freestyle kayaking involves twisting and turning under and over whitewater. Freestyle kayakers are awarded points for the different rotations they perform, along with spins, somersaults and cartwheels.

Propelling their kayak out of the water results in the most points. Among the tricks Sienna has mastered are spinning 360 degrees, and air screws. The news of her selection for the ICF Kayak Freestyle World Championships in Columbus, she described as “very exciting!” and she is now training in earnest for October and will attend GB training sessions as well as heading to the States and Canada this Summer to practise.

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n inspirational talk was given to our sports scholars by England Rugby Union player and Gordonian Ellie Boatman. Ellie spoke about her sporting journey and time at Gordon’s, in which she was a member of the Netball 1st VII, Captain of the Hockey 1st XI, as well as playing rugby and achieving Sportswoman of the Year. She has progressed from club rugby at Camberley (where she started playing aged four years old!) to Harlequins and selection for England in the rugby sevens at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and is now training for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

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FOOTBALL ROUND UP

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ootball has had another productive season which, for the Seniors, now runs throughout the Winter and Spring Terms, with competitive fixtures for the Ist and 2nd XIs on Wednesdays and Saturdays. With a strong influx of players, this was always going to be a good year, not just for the 1st XI but also the strength and depth of the 2nd XI, and this added to competition for places. It has also allowed for both teams to train regularly and travel to fixtures together.

There were some strong performances throughout the season, the highlight being the 1st XI making our inaugural County Cup Final at Dorking FC. Both sides entered the ESFA Cup and had a good run into the new year. The fixture list consists of some of the best footballing schools in the South-East, and it is an honour for these schools to be asking for fixtures, and we regularly come away with positive results.

After Christmas the junior fixtures started on Saturdays, and on occasions we were beaten by the weather, but when able to, there was always lots of fixtures for a range of teams in each age group, and regular training if no game.

This is supported by our great football facilities which is still a highlight for many schools to want to visit. The Under 14 team had a great end of season game at Aldershot FC which was a reward for their commitment to training throughout the year which combined with lots of good results.

I would like to thank all the football staff, parents and students for their contribution to football this year, and hopefully this progression will carry on, as the future does look good again.

Paul King, Head of Football

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The equestrian riders spent the Autumn Term getting to know their new horses before starting to attend school half termly training and competitions. Millie Moreau (pictured) with her young pony Rio headed to Berkshire Agricultural College in October for their first competition riding for Gordon’s School and only their second ever show and although no placings they show great future promise.

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First place for discus athlete Teddy Gannon, who was competing for England in the Indoor Throwing competition in Vaxjo, Sweden. The Sixth Form student was competing in a field of 11 athletes from Scandinavia and the UK, throwing 50.66m.

He now has his sights set on the European Athletics U20 Championships and the U20s in the World Athletics Championships.

Ranked ninth nationally, 11 year old karter Kanishk Rao is racing around Europe, competing in the European Winter Cup in Valencia where he sped his way to sixth position.

In the IAME World Finals at Le Mans International Circuit, he finished third in his heat and fourth in the pre-finals against racers from all over the world, eventually taking seventh place in the qualifiers and is training hard for the IAME European Championship in Mariembourg, Belgium.

A fourth consecutive final place for our golfers (Millie Cottrell, Joe Gould (left) and Josh Gates in the Independent Schools Golf Association (ISGA) Nationals after they won 2-1 against LVS Ascot. Will the Gordon’s golfers, who won the Nationals in 2020 and 2021, bring the trophy back again this year? The finals will be held at Slaley Hall GC in Northumberland in April. Gordon’s B Team will play Charterhouse in the National Plate.

A win in the National Schools Golf Stableford competition for Gordon’s Golfers, who dominated the leaderboard with seven of them in the top ten! The U15 players were performing in an U18 event at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, each averaging 30 points.

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he Tennis programme at Gordon’s continues to grow, with aims of broadening participation and fielding more teams in leagues and competitions. A partnership with Woking Tennis Club has seen students attend weekly coaching on the artificial clay courts there, and an additional partnership with West End Tennis Club is being explored. This term there are more Period 7 tennis activities than ever, thanks to the addition of three new courts on the school’s astro turf hockey pitch.

On court, the Girls U18 team got their season off to a fantastic start, beating Reed’s 12-0 in the first round of the county stage of the Aberdare Cup, the LTA’s National Championships. The team will face Charterhouse in the next round, with the aim being to reach the national finals in

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Nottingham later in the summer.

The Boys U18 team also compete in the equivalent championships, the Glanville Cup, and will face RGS Guildford in the first round.

Players from both teams enjoyed a warm up fixture against King Edward’s Witley before Easter and further fixtures against Churcher’s College, Harrodian and King’s College School, Wimbledon are planned. The teams will also compete in the Branston and Rootham Shields, competitions run by Surrey LTA, with the girls aiming to better their semi final showing from last year. Lower down the School, boys and girls teams from Years 7 to 10 will compete in the LTA Youth Schools Leagues, in which last year the boys’ Year 7 and 8 team qualified for the regional knockouts. Another strong showing is expected!

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INTER-HOUSE COMPETITION

Windsor House

Buckingham House

China House

Augusta House

Inter-House Art was revamped this year, with Houses competing to recreate famous artworks. Congratulations to Khartoum for placing first, with China in second and Buckingham in third place. Look closely and you might just spot the difference between the original paintings and the final photographs!

Victoria House

Sandringham House

Balmoral House

Winning Entry: Khartoum House

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Engaging and thoughtful exchanges in the Rec for the final of the Year 9 and 10 Inter-House Debating. While Kensington proved worthy opponents on the motion ‘This House believes there should be more regulations placed on the use of smoking and drinking in music videos’, Buckingham House argued their way to a convincing win.

Devilishly difficult problems involving Tetris, a number crossword and number race, posed for the Inter-House Maths challenge but Kensington proved their mathematical mettle, adding a first place to their Inter-House tally. In second place were Khartoum and third Victoria. Team Kensington are pictured with Head of Maths Mark Eaden.

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The Inter-House Football came home to Buckingham House, who regained the title from Khartoum.

A win for China House for running with style in the Inter-House Cross Country Running competition but Victoria ended up overall winners for the second year running.

A hat-trick for Khartoum as they win the Inter-House Rowing for the third year running.

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he perfect combination for Sixth Form rower Emilia Hewetson, whose work experience was spent with one of the world’s most prestigious and successful rowing clubs, Leander.

SIXTH FORM

Mimi was given the opportunity to shadow the Women’s Squad Chief Coach, Ross Hunter, and Assistant Women’s Coach, Richard Chambers, accompanying them during training sessions on and off the water and at athlete briefings.

She met GB rowers, world champions and Olympians, all of

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whom took the time to answer her questions and give her plenty of rowing/career advice.

Many of the coaches there were trained by Gordon’s Rowing Coach, Alan Inns, a three times Olympic cox and former GB national and Olympic coach.

“It was such an incredible experience” enthused Mimi, “It was like a different world. Their training schedules are so intense. It has inspired me to want to get to that level.”

ational Careers Week 2023 covered a host of careers in a diverse range of professions. Quizzes and competitions as well as insight talks provided students in every year group with ideas and help on their next steps after Gordon’s. Healthcare, business, tech and IT, engineering and project management as well as careers in law and marketing. Steve Tibble (pictured) spoke about how a humanities degree not only benefits career prospects but paves the way for life-long learning. Dr Tibble, who specialises in medieval history, now writes books on the crusades and has an honorary role at Royal Holloway University. He explained to students how his academic work had benefited his career in strategy and planning in the corporate and financial communications sectors.

The opportunity to consider potential careers and opportunities in further education for scholarship students, who visited St Mary’s University in Twickenham for a seminar, lectures and practical sessions in physiology and sports rehab.

A chance for students to immerse themselves in a day of Mathematics as they visited the University of Oxford’s Mathematical Institute for ‘It All Adds Up’. The annual conference, featuring workshops, lectures, problem sessions and meeting some of the university’s undergraduate students, is designed to encourage female students to continue with Maths education.

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Taking the award as the most acrobatic of all Sixth Form Dance Offs, the energetic students produced spectacular displays for the panel of judges who bestowed the coveted first prize on the dynamic double act of Sandringham and Windsor Houses.

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Ends

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MEET SAM MOREAU, THE HEAD BOY

I

am a diligent, hardworking student who has a passion for sport and academia. I believe that I am a friendly, approachable individual that tries to maintain morale and keep everyone in a good mood. However, when it comes to a competition of any sort, big or small, I will be there ensuring that whatever team I am on, we will win. My A-Levels are Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Geography and I am aiming to play 1st team rugby in Year 13 after a long ACL rehab process.

Why did you apply for the role of Head Boy?

The reason I wanted to apply is because Gordon’s school has given me countless opportunities over the past six years that I have been a student, and therefore I felt that this position would not only be a way for me to give back to school, but also put me in a position whereby I can try and assist all students in making the most of their time here. Furthermore, I also felt that this role would offer me the chance to improve many of my own skills, such as public speaking.

What are you hoping to bring to the role?

I am hoping to bring several new initiatives to the school which are all based around the theme of ‘camaraderie and inclusion’ to ensure that every student who attends Gordon’s School has the opportunity to experience everything that it has to offer. I believe that it is important that we, as a student body, feel comfortable enough to flourish and grow into who we want to be and I want to make sure that this is the case for all students.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?

I am most looking forward to hopefully returning to sport and being able to train during the pre-season period, along with the several responsibilities that come with the position of Head Boy. I am also looking forward to (hopefully) passing my driving test and having the freedom that comes alongside that.

When did you arrive at Gordon’s and are there any particular favourite memories?

I arrived at Gordon’s School in 2017 and have made countless memories since then, with some of the highlights being Year 11 prom and numerous significant rugby matches. However, a particular favourite was during our DofE practice where we decided to take a ‘shortcut’ which resulted in us getting extremely lost and having to walk through a river!

What do you most like about being at Gordon’s and would you recommend it to others?

It is hard to select what I like most as there are so many things to choose from, however I especially like the range of opportunities that the school offers, both in sports and the creative arts which I feel is not matched by very many other schools. I would also like to mention how much I like the House system as it has allowed me to make friendships in both my own year group and other year groups, which I hope to maintain in the future. So therefore, Yes, I would definitely recommend Gordon’s school to others.

What are you hoping to do after you leave?

After I leave Gordon’s School I am looking to take an Economics and Maths course at either Oxford University or London School of Economics, with the intention of going into a career in finance, preferably in investment banking. At some point in the near future, I would also like to take a gap year travelling the world.

Do you have any interests outside of school?

I have been a proud member of Chobham Rugby club since the age of six and have developed a love for the game which has stayed with me to this day, and will continue to stay with me into the future. After I have recovered from my ACL injury, I intend to play again in Year 13 to fuel my love of the game.

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MEET LIBBY LOMAS, THE HEAD GIRL

I

am a very hardworking, friendly and enthusiastic person who loves a challenge. I am a keen netball player and have been fortunate enough to represent Surrey Storm and play for Gordon’s first team in both hockey and netball which has been an amazing experience so far. My A Levels include psychology, business and PE and after school I wish to go to university and study Criminology and Psychology.

Why did you apply for this role?

Gordon’s has given me an array of experiences and opportunities, so I have applied for this role to give back to the school and help the younger students to gain the same amount of opportunities. The role will build my confidence for public speaking allow me to be a role model to the current students and help them to express their view in meetings.

What are you hoping to bring to the role?

My aim is to build Gordon’s connection to the community and to use period 7s as a way to give back (for example, in DT use the materials to build toys to give to local families that are unable to buy any). This will educate the students on the issues of society and encourage them to continue to give back throughout their life. Allowing the students to socialise and form new skills with their friends will boost their knowledge of careers choices and allow them to have fun around formal lessons.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?

I am looking forward to carry on playing netball with my friends throughout the year alongside the commitment of being Head Girl When did you arrive at Gordon’s and are there any particular favourite memories?

I started Gordon’s in Year 7 and have created various memories throughout my time here. One of my favourite memories from Gordon’s is the ski trip because I was able to ski and be with my friends the whole week. I have always enjoyed Inter-House competitions as they allow me to be competitive against my friends who I usually play with (but I also enjoy playing with new people!).

What do you most like about being at Gordon’s and would you recommend it to others?

I love the inclusiveness in the school, with houses and period 7s you are always with others. It also sets students up for life by giving them opportunities to try an array of skills and qualifications. The high standard of education and range of co-curricular activities sets Gordon’s apart from the other schools.

What are you hoping to do after you leave?

I would love to study Criminology and Psychology at University and to become a criminal psychologist while continuing to play netball at a high level. During the long summers I hope to travel abroad to experience different cultures and volunteer in communities across the world.

Do you have any interests outside of school?

My main interest outside of school is netball, I have been playing since Year 3 and with the same club, Bracknell B’s, for eight years, which created my love for the sport. This and the gym is an easy but effective way to clear my head from all the school work. I also thoroughly enjoy going to concerts with my friends and listening to music regularly.

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GORDONIANS

To commemorate the Gordon Boys who died in World War I, a plaque has been created to be placed in St George’s Memorial Church, Ypres. The dedication to the plaque will be in July 2024 when our Pipe Band visit Ypres to play in the Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres.

Not only selected for England Roses, but Gordonian Jayda Pechova was also one of ten young sports people to be shortlisted for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. She follows in the footsteps of Gordonian netballer Eboni Usuro-Brown (nee Beckford-Chambers) and Paralympic swimmer Hannah Russell.

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ewly-elected Trustee of the Gordon Foundation, the school’s charitable arm that provides the boarding and extended day activities, is former Gordon’s Head Girl Jessica Kruger.

Jess left Gordon’s in 2016 to read Geography at the University of Exeter with a particular interest in climate modelling and renewable energy production. After graduating, she took on various roles at a primary school including managing their childcare facility before moving to her current position in April 2022 with Sweatcoin, leading on the company’s global CSR partnerships and initiatives. Jessica who has also been appointed member of the Gordonian Advisory Panel, said: “Gordon’s School is more than a place to learn - it is a place that nurtures growth, pushes for excellence and values every single child that walks through its corridors. As a student, I embraced the endless opportunities, both academic and extra-curricular, that helped me

grow into a confident, empathetic and resilient person. I will forever be a Gordonian and I continue to welcome any opportunity to give back to the community that built me into who I am today, whether it be through being on the Gordonian Advisory Committee or as a Trustee of the Gordon Foundation.

She continued: “The simplest way to understand how the school has positively impacted the lives of all of its students is to witness how many go back to visit. Gordonians young and old take time out of their lives to re-experience the spirit of the school year on year at parades, performances and sports matches, simply to remain involved in what is the Gordon’s community. Walking across the Parade Square during the school day or after a parade, a sense of electric excitement and happiness can be felt radiating from students and staff alike, a feeling that cannot be put into words or replicated, but is noticed by everyone”.

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mong the many coaches, physiotherapists, managers and players that made up each team competing in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in December, was Gordon’s Head of Rugby Chris Davies.

STAFF

Mr Davies flew to Dubai for the second tournament in the series, where he was the assistant coach for the Men’s Spanish 7s side when they took on Ireland.

The Welsh-born coach who played his junior representative rugby in West Wales before joining the military, has enjoyed stints at London Wasps, the Abu Dhabi Harlequins and the Hong Kong Rugby Union and is former skills coach for the Fiji Men’s 7s team. At Gordon’s, he heads up the school’s RFU ACE partnership with Harlequins and in the Summer, saw two of the original five students starting the programme, progress to the Harlequins senior squad.

Two stalwart members of staff, laundry assistants Deanne Matthews (left) and Cindy Mullaney retired in February with a combined 25 years of working at Gordon’s. Cindy arrived at the school in 2004 and Deanne spent six years in her role.

A prolific photographer, Pastoral Mentor David Cherry seizes the chance to snap away during the school day. But his aren’t the usual photographs of school buildings but the more obscure crevices, corners and equipment. Here are some of the familiar sights around the school taken by Mr Cherry.

The proof’s in the pudding for our catering team. Not only do the students give their food the thumbs up, but the Environmental Health Officer has again awarded the kitchen with a five star rating. The rating, which is the

highest grade possible, recognises that in all three areas inspected, hygienic food handling, cleanliness and condition of facilities and building and management of food safety in the kitchen are ‘very good’.

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he’s been the gateway to Gordon’s, the first person any prospective parent speaks to and in her hands have lain the hopes and dreams of around sixteen thousand children.

Sue Tozer finally left Gordon’s after 26 years of dedicated service, first as assistant to the PA to the Head, which involved admissions, and then dealing with admissions for both school and sixth form together, as well as all the year groups inbetween, and lastly as Admissions Registrar (Main School).

But for those that know her and have worked with her, leading the sedentary lifestyle of some retirees is certainly not in her nature. A prolific folk dancer and adventurous traveller (Galapagos, Australia, the Caribbean to name but a few! Also Machu Picchu as sighted guides to blind holiday makers!) alongside husband of 41 years Mike a Jubilee Sailing Trust volunteer, she is also a newly-made grandmother and plans to add to her extensive list of activities by joining walking groups and days out lunching with friends and visiting further countries . Retirement, she says, will enable her “to have a bit more energy for other things we do. I’ll be able to have a snooze on a Wednesday afternoon before dancing in the evening with a bit more vigour!”

Early school reports speak of ‘…her reliability and common sense have made her an example to the class’. Later ones spoke of her ‘quiet sense of humour’. Certainly, her teachers knew her well! Hers is a wicked sense of humour,

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with softly delivered quips that have all those around her guffawing.

Her office overlooks the Parade Square so for Friday Drill she has a ringside seat. “I think I won’t know how much I miss it until it’s gone.

I can always put the videos on!” As to what else she will miss, she quickly answers: “Active children and the buzz about the place. The fact is, Gordon’s is not just the brochure and lists on the website. It happens. It is real. Under the leadership of Andrew Moss, Head Teacher, the school continues to go from strength to strength.”

“I’ll miss the people. Colleagues to work with and parents as customers to deal with.

Whatever the outcome, whether they get a place for their child or not, they should be left with a warm, fuzzy feeling about Gordon’s.

I can’t promise them a place, because there are procedures and policies for that but I want them to feel they were dealt with fairly and had a good experience visiting. Customer service is the thing.”

In his book ‘From Children’s Home to CBE’ former Headmaster of Gordon’s Denis Mulkerrin wrote this fitting tribute to Mrs Tozer: ‘The hardest working person in all of this was the indomitable Sue Tozer, who did all the vital administration and communication with parents. Her attention to detail was outstanding and she never got flustered. She also loved her job’.

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E Teacher Emily King didn’t just run the TCS London Marathon, she smashed it! The regular runner, with a lifetime ambition to complete the world’s greatest marathon completed the gruelling 26 mile run with more than 48,000 others in what was the biggest ever London Marathon in just four hours and two minutes.

Mrs King was introduced to running by former Director of Sport at Gordon’s, Steve Monk, who served in the Army PT Corps for more than 20 years. After his death last year, she decided to take the plunge in his memory to raise money for ABF, the Army’s National Charity.

She set herself a target of £2,000 but has raised almost £7,000 in donations from colleagues, students, former students and friends of Steve. During the 12 week training, colleagues and Steve’s wife Jackie joined her on runs.

“Steve was the one that got me into running”, explained Emily, adding: “I contacted Steve’s wife when the ABF offered me a place and she said ‘go for it, Steve would be so chuffed’. All I thought was ‘oh no I am going to have to do it!’.”

A PE teacher for 22 years at Gordon’s, Mrs King chose the charity not only for its connection to Steve Monk but due to the number of children attending Gordon’s from Forces families and the staff with links to the Services.

“ABF the Soldiers’ Charity really do make a difference to so many lives supporting our Army personnel and their families in so many ways” she said.

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ACHIEVEMENTS ART D Bailey - Winner of the Prince’s Teaching Institute National Christmas Card Competition 2022 ATHLETICS M Eastman - Selected for British Athletics Youth Talent Programme 2022-24 for ranking in the top 20 for high jump R Rowe - Discus Winner - English Schools Competition, 2022 F Rose - Discus Winner - English Schools Competition, 2022 F Allen-Dale - Discus Winner - English Schools Competition, 2022 BADMINTON A Shobin - Selected for U16 Surrey County Team, 2022 COMBINED CADET FORCE L Nunes - Appointed one of His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadets, 2022 L Nunes - Awarded the ACPS (Air Cadets Pilot Scholarship) by the RAF, 2022

R Knight - Offered a place at Leeds Conservatoire to study Musical Theatre, 2022 G Fowler - Selected for the National Youth Theatre, 2022 P Schollick - Guildford School of Acting (GSA) Junior Conservatoire, 2022. The Junior Conservatoire offers her classes in Acting/Musical Theatre, Singing, Ballet and Jazz.

Once in the Junior Conservatoire you have a place until you finish at 18.

EQUESTRIAN M Barnard - NSEA Southern Eventing Champion, 2022 M Barnard - NSEA Championships Finalist, 2022 FOOTBALL First XI - English Schools Football Association (ESFA) finalists, 2022 H Hewson - Offered a place at University of Alabama USA to continue his football career, 2022 H Hewson - Member of Woking U18 Academy, 2022 M Ferdinando - Reading FC U14, 2022 FREESTYLE KAYAKING S Edwards - Selected for GB in the Freestyle Kayaking World Championships 2023

GOLF M Cottrell - Winner of the HMC National Strokeplay Girls’ Individual 2023 Gordon’s Golf Team - Runners up in the National Schools Golf Finals in the Team Gross and Stableford events, 2022 CREATIVE WRITING M Cottrell - Finished in sixth place and highest placed home Z Legge - Highly Commended and in the top 100 finalists for competitor in the Wales Women’s Open Championship and the international Foyle Young Poets of the Year award, 2022 awarded a World Amateur Golf Ranking, 2022 G Jones - First place in the 11-13 age group for Prose in the M Cottrell - National HMC Strokeplay Champion 2022 at The Rotary Young Writer Competition, 2022 Berkshire GC E Wilkins - First place in the 11-13 age group for a Poem in D Mumford - joint first place in Schools Golf Stableford at the Rotary Young Writer Competition, 2022 Berkhamsted GC, 2022 I Depoix - First place in the 14-17 age group for Prose in the Z Mathews - joint first place in Schools Golf Stableford at Rotary Young Writer Competition, 2022 Berkhamstead GC, 2022 Z Legge - First place in the 14-17 age group for a Poem in C Jean - Qualified for the World Junior Golf Championship, the Rotary Young Writer Competition, 2022 2022 C Jean - Finished in seventh place in the European Golf CRICKET Championship U14, 2022 T Norman - Awarded Surrey Cricket’s Bedser Scholarship, C Jean - Qualified for the World Junior Golf Championship, 2022 2022 F Rose - Selected for the U13 Surrey Cricket Club Winter M Cottrell - Selected for Wales to play in the Wales v programme, 2022 Ireland Challenge Match, March 2022 J Hill - Selected for the U14 Surrey Cricket Performance E Kircher - Girls U18 Captain at Windlesham, 2022 programme, 2022 E Kircher - Surrey U18 and South of England, 2022 J Kircher - Home Nations Final in Portugal, 2022 CROSS COUNTRY K Webb - Ranking of 41 in the UK (Under 20 Women) GYMNASTICS following Inter-Counties Cross Country Championship 2023 O Gill - Selected for the Great Britain team for the 2022 K Webb - Surrey Schools Cross Country Champion Senior European Championships in Luxembourg Girls 2023 M Hibbins - Selected for Surrey in the Inter-Counties event, HOCKEY 2022 S Mathur - Selected for Surrey U14 Hockey Squad, 2022 K Webb - Gold Medallist in the Senior 1500 at the English N Schollick - Selected for Surrey U17 Hockey, 2022 School Cross Country Championships, 2022 L Griffiths-Jones - Selected for South Wales Hockey COOKERY M Brock - Winner of the Regional Final of the Future Chef competition, 2022

DANCING B Walden - Selected to represent England in the Dance World Cup 2023 DISCUS E Gannon - First place at an international athletics meeting in Vaxjo, Sweden in 2023, representing England DRAMA M Campbell - Offered a place at Leeds Conservatoire to study as an Actor Musician, 2022

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Performance Centre C Falconer - Selected for the England DiSE (Diploma in Sporting Excellence) Programme T Kerr - Selected for the England DiSE (Diploma in Sporting Excellence) Programme M Cottrell - Selected for the Scottish National Emerging Girls’ Hockey Squad, 2022 C Falconer - Captained Scotland in the series against England in July 2022 C Falconer - Selected for the Scottish National Girls’ Hockey Squad, 2022 J Beard - Selected for Hampshire County Hockey Squad

ICE HOCKEY T Flannery - Silver Medal at the U12 National Ice Hockey Finals as part of the Basingstoke team, 2022 KARTING K Rao - Ranked 9th in the country for Karting following the British Kart Championships in 2022 KAYAKING S Edwards - Selected for the GB Freestyle Kayaking Team MODEL UNITED NATIONS (MUN) H Donaldson-Sinclair - Highly Commended at Royal Grammar School MUN Conference, 2022 H Gordon - Highly Distinguished at the Reigate Grammar School MUN Conference, 2022 E Watson, O Knight and A Torrington - Highly Commended at Reigate MUN Conference, 2022.

H Donaldson-Sinclair - Best Delegate of his committee at the Reigate Grammar School MUN Conference, 2022 MUSIC E Hallett - First place (Pop/Jazz U19) Woking Music Festival, 2022 E Hallett - Winner of the Hilliger Memorial Cup (U19 Solo) Woking Music Festival, 2022 A Kermeen - First place (Folk Song U19) Woking Music Festival, 2022 A Kermeen - Winner of the Ryde Cup at Woking Music Festival, 2022 A Kermeen - Winner of the Newman Cup at Woking Music Festival, 2022 MUSICAL THEATRE E Hallett - Winner of Pop/Jazz title and U19 Solo Cup at the Woking Music Festival, 2022 A Kermeen - Winner of the Newman Cup at the Woking Musical Festival, 2022 A Kermeen - Winner of the Ryde Cup (U19 for a musical after 1970), 2022 A Kermeen - Winner of the Newman Cup in Musical Theatre (U19), 2022 NETBALL J Robson - Selected for U13 Berkshire County Netball 2023 J Butler - Selected for U13 Berkshire County Netball 2023 A Griffiths - Selected for U13 Berkshire County Netball 2023 E Hill - Saracens Mavericks NPL and England Netball Roses Academy, 2022 S Bodell - Scotland U17 Squad, 2022 L Lomas - Surrey Storm U17 NPL Squad, 2022 A Lomas - Selected for U15 Berkshire County Netball Team, 2022 T Dlamini - Surrey Storm U19 Aspire, 2022 E Price - London Pulse U17, 2022 J Pechova - Captain for England U17 England Invitational side in the Europe Netball U17 Championships, 2022 P Dixon - Selected for England U17 England Invitational side in the Europe Netball U17 Championships, 2022 S Bodell - Selected for Surrey Storm U17s North Surrey Academy, 2022 L Lomas - Selected for Surrey Storm U17s North Surrey Academy, 2022 J Pechova - Selected for England U21 Squad for Europe Netball, 2022 P Dixon - Selected as Reserve for England U21 Squad for Europe Netball, 2022 J Pechova - Squad member of the England Roses National Academy, 2021-22 P Dixon - Squad member of the England Roses National Academy - 2020-21 and 2021-22

PUBLIC SERVICE R Roberts - Awarded a Girdlers’ Medallion, 2022 PUBLIC SPEAKING C Falconer, C Franklin and N Schollick - National SemiFinalists of the English Speaking Union (ESU) Public Speaking Competition.

ROWING J Clarke - Winner of the single scull in the Ball Cup at Dorney’s Olympic Lake 2023 I Spink and M Hewetson - Winners of the J16 double sculls at the Ethan Regatta, 2022 RUGBY Z Robb - Selected for the England U17s Development Training Camp, 2023 E Addai - Selected for the England U17s Development Training Camp, 2023 T Currie - Selected for the England U18 Development Camp South, 2022 C Ashworth - Selected for England U18s in Six Nations against France, 2022 T Golder - Selected for Wales U18s Training Squad, 2022 T Teriba - Selected for England U18s Training Squad, 2022 SAILING K Wyatt - Selected to represent Great Britain in the ILCA 4 Youth World Championships in Portugal, 2022 K Wyatt - Qualified for European and World Champions, 2022 SHOOTING H Chedd, Z Chedd and J West - Gold Medallists in the British Shooting Schools Competition, 2022 J West - Gold Medal in the Intermediate Section of the British Shooting Schools Competition, 2022 Z Chedd - Winner of the Junior 10m Air Rifle Category South East Region, 2022 J West - Winner of the Intermediate 10m Air Rifle Category South East Region, 2022 SWIMMING A Platt - Broke Woking Swimming Club’s ten year club record in the U12 50m Freestyle in 2022 with a time of 28.69.

J Thompson - Gold medal in the 100m breastroke in the Surrey Schools Individual Swimming Championships, 2022 B Platt - Silver Medal for the 50m Freestyle at the National Arena League, 2022 A Platt - Silver Medal in the 50m Freestyle at the National Arena League, 2022 TAE KWON-DO J Mostert - Silver medal winner in the Boys’ Light Weight Division in the TAGB Welsh International Open Tae Kwon-Do Championships 2022 WAKEBOARDING M O’Toole - selected for both the GB Boat and Cable Wakeboarding GB teams for 2023 for the World and European Championships 2023 M O’Toole - National Wakeboarding Champion. Selected for World Championships in Thailand, coming seventh in the Open Men’s Wakeskate, 2022 WRITING O Knight - Senior winner of the local heats of the Rotary Young Writer Competition 2023 J Sherpa - Intermediate winner of the local heats of the Rotary Young Writer Competition 2023

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Creating stunning wire sculptures using zigged wire under the direction of Darcy Turner of Artists in Schools.

GORDON’S SCHOOL

BAGSHOT ROAD, WEST END, SURREY GU24 9PT Tel: 01276 858084 WWW.GORDONS.SCHOOL