Heron issue 6

The

Heron The Newsletter of Loughborough Grammar School Edition 6 June 2013

June 2013

CCF Warms to Reviewer’s Hot Pace The 56th CCF Review took place on Saturday 27 April, the 250 very cold cadets on parade being grateful to the Reviewer, Group Captain Gillespie (Station Commander, RAF Waddington) for the hot pace which he set inspecting the lines.

Pipped at the Post The Annual Inter-Service Field Gun Competition was won by the Army team, beating the Royal Navy into second place by not putting a foot wrong.

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56 CCF th

REVIEW

June 2013

The Sword of Honour The centre-piece of the parade was the inaugural presentation of the Clive Priestley Sword and Prize to the Contingent RSM, Andrew Halliwell by Mrs Daphne Priestley OBE JP DL.

High Fives for High School Cadets Congratulations to all who contributed to a superb display of esprit de corps.

Especial congratulations to the cadets from the High School who were taking part for the first time.

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Charitable Acts

June 2013

The Point Foundation

Silence is golden On April 19th 2013 Year 6 spent the whole school day in silence. They had been sponsored by parents and friends to keep quiet: well you would, wouldn’t you? They had to rely on hand signals, mini-whiteboards and pieces of paper to communicate and raised £ 307.70 for the Save the Children Fund which was received by Mrs Nicki Dalton.

The Quorn Playing Fields are not the warmest place to watch sport at the best of times, but Saturday 23 February proved to be especially Arctic with a biting easterly wind cutting through even the best warm-weather gear.

Nevertheless, 7-a-side rugby teams from all the Year 7 and Year 9 Tutor Groups, along with a large contingent of parents, turned out to support a very worthwhile charity, The Point Foundation which does marvellous work caring for orphaned children in Rwanda and the £600 raised will certainly make the lives of many children more bearable.

On 6th March the Mathematics Department also ran a sponsored event to help the Point Foundation: the so called World Maths Day. The competition involved our Year 6, 7, 8 and 9 boys playing a series of one minute arithmetic challenges on the internet with pupils around the globe and over £700 was raised on the day.

The total of £1350 raised by LGS will be able to pay for three University students, all orphans of the genocide in Rwanda, to complete their degree courses.

Hold very tight, please Mr Peter Sergeant was also on hand to present a cheque for £700 to Mrs Dalton, the proceeds from an evening of entertainment in the style of Flanders and Swann presented

by Mr Sergeant and OL Mr Stephen Smith.

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June 2013

All the fun of the fair On the last day of Examination Week, Years 8 and 9 pooled their combined talents and ingenuity to devise a fair at which they and others could let off steam at the end of a gruelling week, whilst at the same time raising money for charity. Events were wide-ranging as can be seen in the images.

The chosen charity, and the focus of this term’s fundraising at LGS, was Rebuilding Sri Lanka.

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June 2013

“Return to the Forbidden Planet”, a “jukebox musical” based on The Tempest and the 1950s Science Fiction film Forbidden Planet is a formidable piece of theatre which was carried-off formidably by a superb ensemble cast supported by magnificent scenery, stunning lighting, extraordinary choreography, memoryevoking music and songs and extra-special special effects – in fact, it was out of this world.

Before the show took off, the passengers were ushered to their seats by the crew of the US StarShip Albatross and instructed how deal with the Polarity Reversal Procedure in case of emergencies . . . and then they were away,

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June 2013

Congratulations to everyone involved in this wonderful production but particularly to the Director, (Miss) Sally Boon, the Producer (Mrs) Louise Welsby, the Musical Director (Mr) David Morris and especially to (Mr) Peter Viccars and (Miss) Jackie Partridge whose set design and costumes lifted the show into the category of extraordinary. It was an outstanding show of which every single member of the company can be unashamedly proud.

transported to deep space by a very convincing simulated take-off, after which there was no stopping the young and extremely talented cast who clearly relished the wit and style of the show in which they were taking part.

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June 2013

Sporting Chance Belated success The Under 14 Rugby XV overcame considerable odds to defeat Mount Grace High School in the final of the Leicestershire County Cup. Facing a physically much bigger side, the lads played fast, open rugby, scoring splendid tries after flowing movements, as well as defending resolutely to emerge victors by 29 points to 19.

So near, yet ‌ On 18 April the Under 15 Rugby XV lost a very closely-fought encounter with John Cleveland College in the final of the Leicestershire County Cup. Unfortunately, the final had to be held over from last term due largely to the weather and some teams not completing their fixtures up to the semi-final stage. Unlike their opponents, Loughborough had not played for six weeks; nevertheless we came very close, eventually going down by 20 points to 24 after John Cleveland scored a late try.

Cool Cricket After several wet and cold seasons when so many matches were not played, hopes are high for this year and an early success, admittedly in very cold conditions, for the Under 14s in the County Cup got the season off to a good start.

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June 2013

Cornered thrice!

A near gale-force wind blowing the length of the pitch seemed to guarantee that the 1st XI football match against Welbeck College would be “a game of two halves� and it certainly proved to be just that. The final score was 2-2, with three of the goals scored directly from corners with no little help from the wind.

Storming to success With an almost gale-force wind blowing across the pitch, the U16 XV once again secured the Leicestershire County Rugby Trophy for their age group on the 16 April. The conditions were not conducive to fast, open rugby, but that is exactly what this very talented team produced, with backs and forwards combining to score six magnificent tries in defeating Robert Smythe Academy by 34 points to 12.

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June 2013

Right on Cue from Q2 On Wednesday 20 March a group of intrepid Year 8 boys worked tirelessly, assembling news stories to be published on the BBC School Report website.

Working to a strict 4pm deadline to have their stories in place when the site went live, it was touch and go, with signs of stress appearing and tempers fraying, but they made it with minutes to spare!

They also broadcast live on BBC Radio Leicester, thanks to the station’s Helen McCarthy and her Radio Car.

ACAD Oxbridge Offers

Ten Year 13 students have received offers of places at Oxford and Cambridge Universities for September. Their chosen courses range from History to Engineering and Theology to Natural Sciences.

Teen Tech Team Triumphant Three Year 9 pupils, with the guidance of two Sixth Formers, have been building an app using the Apple Development Environment and have secured a place at the Teen Tech Awards Finals to be held at the Royal Society in London on Monday 24th June. The app is designed to help students recap their learning at Key Stage 3 and covers a variety of subjects.

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EMIA Bring me sunshine

What travels at over 80 kph and uses no more energy than a basic hairdryer? The answer is Daphne, the solar-powered car being developed

by Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER) team to take part in the World Solar Challenge.

June 2013

Star-crossed lovers Year 12 Theatre Studies students examined piece this year was “Romeo and Juliet”.

Two magnificently performed and thought-provoking interpretations of a cut-down version of the play, set in modern times, had the audience transfixed and emotionally involved.

We’re ready for you now Year 13 Theatre Studies students presented an innovative Devised Performance involving audience participation and look behind the scenes of a theatrical production.

On Friday 15th March OLs Andrew Zhao and Yang Lu, both now at Cambridge University, arrived to tell the whole school about the challenge to produce a car which could complete a gruelling 3,000 km marathon across the heart of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide in October 2013 – using only the power of the sun. They brought with them an earlier vehicle, Endeavour, which against all the odds for solar powered vehicles – dull and raining – was admired by enquiring pupils.

Wicked Words Halloween 2013 will come early to Loughborough in the form of this year’s School Book ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’

by Ray Bradbury.

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June 2013

Building Sights

Science Quad With the completion of the refurbishment of the Pullinger Building, seen here resplendent in its coat of many colours, Phase 4 of the LGS Science Park is complete.

This marks the end of a multi-million pound development which will ensure that the School’s remarkable academic record in the Sciences will be maintained ... or bettered!

Ready and waiting After completion of interior details, the extension to Denton House awaits the arrival of its new residents in September.

Forming a corner of the Science Quad, it is at the heart of the School.

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