NEWS & CONGRATULATIONS

THEO NAMED IN QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS

Huge congratulations to Theo, who was the youngest person named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for the contributions he made to the community during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. 16-year old student Theo Wride from Sunderland, will receive a British Empire Medal (BEM) “for services to the community and keyworkers in Sunderland during Covid-19.”

Theo gave hundreds of hours of his time designing and creating protective face coverings for his parents, both medical professionals, and their colleagues as well as care home staff up and down the country.

Theo used the 3D printer he had at home to produce the face coverings. The not-so-simple task involved melting plastic and then extruding this into the face visor shape. At the start, Theo was making four visors a day, before fine-tuning some of the settings to allow for production to increase to six/seven. With demand for his visors increasing due to the PPE shortage across the NHS and Care sectors, Theo successfully raised £3,000 through a crowdfunding campaign enabling him to increase his production to 70 visors in 24 hours thanks to the addition of new materials and printers.

Theo, who hopes to have a career in engineering, was also recently honoured with an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship.

Speaking about Theo’s inclusion in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, Geoffrey Stanford, Headmaster, said: “It was a great delight to hear that Theo had been awarded a British Empire Medal for his extraordinary efforts in the creation of much needed PPE for the local community of Sunderland and beyond.”

“We are extremely proud of Theo; he really does exemplify the sense of community we work so hard to promote at RGS.”

HONOURING THE FALLEN

Recognising Old Novos lost in service since 1945

One of our Old Novo’s, Christopher Dean (45-53) who is also the son of former Second Master George Dean (24-67), suggested that the school considers adding the names of Old Novos who have died whilst serving in HM Forces since 1945, to those already listed on the school’s war memorial in the main hall. We believe that Sir Arthur Munro Sutherland (1878-83), the benefactor of the school’s organ, would certainly approve of this initiative. We do not hold a list of such Old Novos who lost their lives in more recent service, so we would be very grateful if the RGS community could let us know of any individuals whose names should potentially appear. We are specifically looking for any Old Novo serviceman or woman who died whilst serving. Please

contact us at development @rgs.newcastle.sch.uk with any feedback.

VIRTUAL OPEN MORNING SUCCESS

On Saturday 14 November, we held our very first Virtual Open Morning. While there will never be a true substitute to an on-site Open Morning, where prospective families are guided around by enthusiastic, proud Year 7 students, we were delighted with the feedback we received from those who attended the event. The Virtual Open Morning was a combination of pre-recorded and live sessions showcasing all that is great about the RGS. If you would

like to take a look for yourself, follow this link: http://bit.ly/ RGSvirtualopenmorning

NORTH EAST INDEPENDENT SCHOOL OF THE DECADE

In December 2020, we were delighted to be named The Sunday Times North East Independent School of the Decade by Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide.

Parent Power is widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s best schools.

Geoffrey Stanford, Headmaster of RGS Newcastle, said: “To be recognised by The Sunday Times as a much coveted ‘School of the Decade’ is an incredible honour; we are amongst exceptional company alongside the very best independent schools in the country. We are rightly proud of our consistently outstanding public examination results, the product of our students’ hard work and determination plus the expertise and encouragement of our staff.”

It is so important for the prosperity of the region, that the North East has such a high performing school which has produced Old Novocastrians who are making a huge impact on the region’s economy, health and culture. Not only is the North East one of the most beautiful places in the country to live, it is also one of the best places to learn, to build businesses and to make a difference in the world.

Perhaps most important, is the Sunday Times’ recognition of RGS Newcastle’s commitment to social impact, through bursaries, partnerships with state schools and philanthropic ethos.

Geoffrey Stanford added: “It is right that independent schools are celebrated for doing good, as much as they are applauded for doing well.

“We are indebted to generations of pupils, parents and staff, who for almost 500 years have contributed a component part to establish RGS Newcastle as the North East Independent School of the Decade. As proud Headmaster, I very much look forward to building on this phenomenal heritage, and continuing to drive achievement, ambition and impact in our amazing region.” Julie Malpas retires after 32 years as a biology teacher. Earlier in her career she also served as Assistant Head of Lower School and as the first Head of Learning Support. An amazing educator who will be remembered with fondness by the many students that she helped over the years.

Tricia Gill retires after seven years in the physics department, during which she ran the Nissan Engineering Project, assisted with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and initiated a large increase in the number of girls participating in rock climbing.

Michael Pitkethly retires after serving as Bursar and Clerk to the Governors for four years. During his time at the school, Mike oversaw the construction of phase three of the school’s ambitious plans to upgrade its facilities. This included a new state-of-the-art library, art studios, maths classrooms, a pastoral suite and assembly space. Mike also project managed the building of the new Sixth Form centre –a combination of the old Sixth Form and old library into a modern, and much larger area.

BOOK OFFER

The School has a very good stock of the School History RGS Newcastle upon Tyne. A History of the School in its Community edited by Brian Mains & Anthony Tuck (1986).

To obtain a copy at a special price (£7.50 inc. P & P) contact the Development Office.

PERSONAL DETAILS AND DATA PROTECTION

The school has a very special relationship with its former students and we very much wish to continue to keep in touch with you. To do this we would like your consent to keep basic details of your time at school, what you have been doing since leaving school and your contact details. A copy of the letter and consent form can be found at http://bit.ly/RGSConsenttocontact

Please complete the consent form so that we can continue to keep in contact.

Alternatively, to unsubscribe or change your preferences please contact us at development@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk or call us on 0191 212 8909.

STAY CONNECTED

Please join us by becoming a fan of the Old Novocastrians Association Facebook page and LinkedIn Group –Old Novocastrians’ Association (RGS Newcastle)

RGS TWITTER HANDLES

@RGSNewcastle @RgsArchives @RGSpac @RGSNewMusic @RGSEnglishNews @RGS_Library @NRGS_History