The Horizon - Issue 4 - Lent Term 2015

EXPANDING HORIZONS

THE HORIZON •

Warm Welcomes • Outstanding University Offers • Creating Confidence • • Rossall Remembers • STEM Success • All For A Good Cause •

Spectacular Symphony!

A term full of inspirational talks, creative artwork, charitable fun and a glimpse at the solar eclipse!

ISSUE 4 - LE NT 2015

WELCOME Although the Lent Term is inevitably the coldest and darkest of all, we have been blessed with some wonderful events to warm and illuminate the winter months; from the choral Evensong at York Minster, through some incredible charity fundraising days and dazzling performances to some great games of Rosshockey on the beach, our students and staff have surpassed themselves with their energy and drive this term.We have also been incredibly busy with bumper applications to the school - it is wonderful to see the message of Rossall’s growth and success spreading so widely.

During the term, we also had a number of ‘I was there’ moments, most notably the solar eclipse and the moving service of thanksgiving for Dr Stephen Winkley. In years to come, these were events which we will look back upon and remember most fondly.

Our fourth edition of The Horizon looks back on a very busy and memorable term - thank you to everyone at school for their hard work, dedication and spirit.

Floreat Rossallia!

ELAINE PURVES Head, Rossall School 01253 774201

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THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

WARM WELCOMES Rossall has welcomed a number of new staff to the Common Room at the start of the Lent Term.

Mrs Isabelle Wallace takes up the role of Head of Modern Languages, with Mr Victor Sanchez Jimenez joining the department as a Spanish teacher.

Mr Graham Wallace is a new addition as a Business Studies and Economics Teacher, whilst Mrs Sandra Wilks strengthens the teaching team in the English department and Ms Siobhan Edge takes on the post of Head of Learning Support.

We are sure you will join us in wishing our new staff and their families a happy future at Rossall.

INTRODUCING OUR NEW DEPUTY HEAD, MR ROBERT ROBINSON We are delighted to welcome Mr Robert Robinson as he takes up his role as Deputy Head.

He has held a number of senior positions, including Head of History and Boarding Housemaster at his previous schools - Ardingly, University College School, Hampstead and St Edmund’s, Canterbury.

Mr Robinson kept students amused in his first assembly with humorous stories about how his career had brought him to his current post at Rossall, concluding: “It’s all about inspiration; that’s what I wanted to do as a teacher, to inspire people. Of course I recognised that caring and looking after young people was also part of what it meant to be a teacher, but the chance to inspire others was a real motivation.

Be inspiring – but more than that, take every opportunity to be inspired.”

We would like to extend our best wishes to Mr Robinson and his family and hope that Rossall will provide more inspirational stories for Mr Robinson’s future assemblies.

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THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

OUTSTANDING UNIVERSITY OFFERS Rossall students have been the recipients of extremely strong university offers this year. We are especially proud of Year 13 student Tom Morrison, who has been offered a place at Oxford University to read Economics and Management.

Tom has been a student at Rossall for 7 years and is currently studying for A Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Philosophy in order to achieve the A* and A grades required to take up his place at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.

Competition for places at the top universities is always fierce, and we are delighted that our students have proved themselves to be well-rounded as academics and individuals as they have travelled the country for university interviews, impressing the tutors and staff they have met.

We are also delighted that a substantial number of our Rossall applicants have impressed at their informal university interviews, receiving unconditional and greatly reduced offers.

We are proud to announce that Dan Robson has received an unconditional offer to study Geology at Royal Holloway, James Smith and Harry Andrews have been given unconditional offers from Keele in Computer Science and English respectively, whilst Ellie McFadden and Andrei Morgan-Short both have unconditional and greatly reduced offers from Lancaster.

OR JOE WATSON IS CHOSEN AS ORGAN SCHOLAR We are delighted to be able to announce that Joe Watson, a former pupil who studied at Rossall for 16 years has recently been awarded the Organ Scholarship at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral.

Joe now studies Music and Geography at the University of Liverpool and as part of the course receives music tuition from Mr Ian Wells, Deputy Organist at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. Joe decided to approach the Metropolitan Cathedral to see what opportunities were available to him there and was invited to audition for the organ scholarship

by Dr Christopher McElroy, Director of Music at the Cathedral. Following a successful performance, Joe was awarded the scholarship.

Joe plays organ in the Cathedral Crypt twice on Sundays and plays in the main Cathedral during services. On top of this, Joe also assists and tutors the Cathedral Choir rehearsals, frequently visiting the Cathedral Choir School.

University life is also keeping Joe busy: he has recently appeared in a production of Grease and has been chosen as Musical Director for the university’s next production, Rent.

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THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

STEM CHALLENGE SUCCESS A team of four Year 9 pupils showed off their engineering skills at a STEM Challenge competition held at Blackpool and the Fylde College.

Will Gair, Max Loboda, Casey Smith and Jack Williams took on the task of building a self-propelled vehicle to travel along a line with relish, and secured the fastest time in the qualifying round.

The pupils modified their vehicle in order to travel greater distances with each test, finishing with a distance of 15.60 metres, beating nearest rivals St Aidan’s by 5.75 metres.

The team, who nicknamed themselves ‘Proton’ because of their positive attitude returned to the college to compete in the final, where they were pipped to the top place, missing out to Millfield School by just over a metre.

Team ‘Proton’ received huge support at the Challenge from members of the Council, parents and the Head, who were delighted to watch their impressive performance.

MATHS TEAM CHALLENGE Four Rossall students, Mike Zhou, Jie Bao, Ron Xia and Kelon Huang had a superb time competing in the Maths Challenge Final.

Having achieved success as outright winners of their North West Team Challenge, we were very proud to see the team proceed to the National Finals.

The team only dropped marks in a couple of questions during Round 1 and scored full marks in Round 2. The boys were pitched against top mathematicians from around the country and the calibre of the competition was very high indeed. Although the boys did not come home with the trophy, it was a superb experience; Mike and Jie who are currently in the lower sixth are already preparing themselves for the 2016 competition!

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THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

County Symphony Concert We were delighted to be joined in Big School by some of the county’s most talented young musicians for an evening of music and song, taking in composers ranging from Beethoven to Bacharach.

The prestigious Lancashire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra (LSSO) and the Lancashire Youth Symphony Orchestra (LYSO) performed with pupils from the Rossall Choir and Orchestra for the special concert which covered traditional, classical and modern works.

The Choir sang choral classics including For the beauty of the earth and Be thou my vision before moving on to Burt Bacharach’s much loved Carpenters’ hit Close To You. Year 6 student Samuel Ayoma, who plays violin with the Orchestra said it was a huge thrill to be part of the LSSO

Led by our Director of Music, Margaret Young, the concert also featured performances by Helen Harrison, the Music Director and Conductor for Blackpool Symphony Orchestra and Lancashire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra and celebrated musician and conductor, Howard Lorriman, who led the Lancashire Youth Symphony Orchestra.

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for the evening: “I started playing as part of a club at infant school. I’ve never played with a full orchestra before, so it was a really great experience to play second violin and see how all the different instruments work together.”

THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

A RIGHT ROYAL DAY WITH THE RAF MARCHING BAND It was fabulous to host the RAF Marching Band for a full day of activities in February.

The band, who played at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, performed for the students, held a workshop with the Rossall CCF Band on Marching Drill and Mace Drill and ended the day with a fantastic concert in Chapel with the Choir.

Two of the biggest highlights of the day were a rousing rendition of Let It Go and seeing Mr Pryor take charge of conducting the RAF Band.

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THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

The Holocaust Remembered

As part of their study of the Holocaust

The pupils went on to learn more about

for their cross-curricular History and

the impact of the conflict during learning

Religious Studies enquiry ‘Diversity

sessions and a tour of the Imperial War

and Persecution’, our Year 9 pupils

Museum North.

went on a field trip to the Jewish

Following on from the museum visits, Year 9

Museum in Manchester.

and 10 History students attended a Holocaust

The pupils had the opportunity to talk to

Arranged by the Holocaust Educational

Holocaust survivor Chaim Ferster, who was

Trust, these lectures educate schools, colleges

incarcerated at Auschwitz and Buchenwald,

and communities across the UK about the

a moving experience which had a noticeable

Holocaust and its contemporary relevance and

impact on their understanding of this dark

look at how we can combat anti-Semitism,

chapter in European history and helped them

racism and prejudice in today’s society.

to connect and empathise with the victims of

Guest speaker and Holocaust survivor Harry

Nazi persecution.

Bibring told the pupils about his family’s

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Survivor Testimony Lecture at Rossall.

experiences in Austria during World War Two. Following the Anschluss in 1938, Harry, still barely in his teens, and his family were arrested and forced to live in a house with 50 other Jewish women and children. In 1942 his mother was deported to the Sobibor death camp in Poland, whilst Harry and his sister managed to escape to England on the Kindertransport.

Harry explained to the students what drove him to share his story: “The reason I do this is because I want a promise from you: that when you come across people differentiating against others because they are different, you actually do something about it. You stop it, stop any kind of prejudice against people and others.”

THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

CREATING CONFIDENCE We were delighted to welcome inspirational speaker Ross McWilliam to Rossall to talk to our ISC, Year 10 and Year 11 pupils about confidence.

The author of The Winning Mindset, Ross firmly believes we have no limits and whether our aim is to pass exams, be better at sport, win the dream job or to be happy in life, it is a case of turning potential into talent.

Year 11 student Rachel Rosenthal, who attended the presentation said: “It really was a talk with a difference – Mr McWilliam interacted with us, engaged with us and wanted to know our opinions and thoughts.

“We were attentive and interested because although no one would admit it, we could all relate to what he was talking about and were eagerly hoping for some answers and advice about being more confident. Mr McWilliam understood how we felt and shared his own experiences of seeking self-confidence.

“He encouraged a really lively debate and we looked at a number of newspaper articles and discussed media influences on body image and extreme plastic surgery. We all gained a great deal from the experience and on behalf of the Year 11 students I’d like to thank Mr McWilliam for sharing his time and his wisdom. I’M SPARTACUS!”

Amanda Murphy, teacher and tutor for Wren House said: “Although the pupils were initially reticent to speak, the discussions we had in tutor time afterwards showed how impressed they were with Ross’s talk and how much they gained from it.”

STUDENTS LEARN HARSH LESSONS OF PRISON LIFE Students from Years 11, 12 and 13 heard first-hand about the dangers of getting involved in drugs and crime when former stock-market millionaire and Ecstasy supplier, Shaun Attwood gave a talk.

Shaun, who served 6 years in the notorious Maricopa County Jail in Arizona after being convicted of drugs offences, told pupils how his involvement in the US rave scene led him to be targeted by the Mafia and imprisoned for running an Ecstasy ring.

After moving to the United States from North West England in the 1990s to work as a stockbroker, Shaun started to organise raves part-time and was arrested by a SWAT team for importing drugs.

As an inmate in a jail with the highest death rate in the US, Shaun began writing in order to alert the world to the conditions prisoners

faced: dead rats in the food, cockroach-infested cells and regular murders by guards and gang members.

He also turned his attention to studying psychology and philosophy in order to understand his past behaviour and credits books for his rehabilitation.

Now a prisoners’ rights activist and public speaker, Shaun believes it is vital that young people learn about the pitfalls of getting involved in drugs and crime: “It’s easy to be impulsive when you’re young, but when faced with drugs and crime it’s important to stop and think about what the consequences of your actions might be. Facing the harsh reality of the prison environment was a real wake up call for me and I’d advise anyone tempted by drugs or crime to think twice.”

His thought-provoking and inspiring talk left a lasting impact on the students and the staff.

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All for a Good Cause THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE KYLE’S A CHARITY CHAMPION Year 7 student Kyle O’Keefe is continuing with his mission to raise awareness of the issue of diabetes in young people.

He took home two awards at the Diabetes UK conference in February – the David Mottershead Award for Best Volunteer of the Year and North West Region Young People’s Outstanding Contribution Award.

He also appeared on BBC Breakfast and BBC Radio with mum Annette to talk about paediatric diabetes care – a hot topic for Diabetes UK following the National Paediatric Audit Report.

To date Kyle has personally raised £500 for Diabetes UK and was the driving force behind Rossall’s own fundraising day for the charity, which raised an additional £500. On the last day of term Kyle was presented with a letter from the Prime Minister, David Cameron commending him on his ‘inspirational efforts’ raising awareness and money for Diabetes UK.

JUNIORS’ FUNDRAISING HELPS OUT HOSPICE Junior School Captains, Michael Mellon and Pippa Rogerson presented a cheque for £1025 to Lisa Martin of Brian House Children’s Hospice.

Lisa said the money, which was raised by our Infants and Juniors in a series of events during Michaelmas Term, will “enable one child to spend a whole weekend at Brian House, providing much needed respite for them and their family.”

Well done to all the pupils who took part in the fundraising.

SENIORS SUPPORT STREETLIFE Senior School students held a charity day to raise money for Streetlife, a charity working with vulnerable young people aged 16 – 25 in Blackpool.

A non-uniform day and a cake sale raised a total of £544.30 and the students also helped out by donating clothing to the charity.

Streetlife offers emergency accommodation and a wide range of support for young people at their night shelter and day centre.

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Red Nose Day We turned Rossall red for Comic Relief and raised £1172 in the process.

The day was coordinated by Year 7 pupil, Alex Fielden. Pupils sported red clothes (and noses!), sent their sugar levels soaring with a cake sale and took part in space hopper races, face painting and nail painting to help raise money. Mrs Lee even clowned around and joined in with the face painting!

A big thank you to students, staff and parents for their support.

THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

THE DEMON HEADMASTER In March, our Infants and Juniors took to the stage for two performances of their own adaptation of the popular book series and television show, The Demon Headmaster.

The Demon Headmaster, played by Chaz

in order to hypnotise his victims. It is up to the

Highton, is a strange being with the powers of

children of his school to thwart his evil doings!

hypnosis and a strong desire to take over the

The cast were superb and had two very

world. He hides his piercing light green eyes

successful and well attended shows. Well done

behind dark tinted glasses, only removing these

to the cast and crew for all their hard work!

SOLAR ECLIPSE In March, there was a great deal of media activity surrounding the highly anticipated Solar Eclipse.

Rossall School’s Lawrence House resident Astronomer, Dr Nick Lister was on hand to educate our Junior pupils on the science

SOLAR ECLIPSE

behind the rare phenomenon. Sky News, the Blackpool Gazette, BBC Radio Lancashire and Radio Wave flocked to Rossall to share the moments with the pupils throughout the week and on the day. Despite the overcast sky, pupils and staff were able to catch a glimpse of the eclipse thanks to some timely breaks in the cloud. A very memorable day!

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THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

PICTURE THIS We attracted a great deal of interest in the media when these stunning images, taken by year 11 student Rafail Khazigaleev were released.

Rafail joined Rossall in September 2014 to study Maths, English, Sciences, French, Music, PE and IT. He aims to stay on at the school to study for A Levels in Maths, Physics, Economics and Music. A very talented pianist, Rafail’s loves are music

and photography, and the striking Fylde coastline just minutes away from the school gives him plenty of opportunities to capture spectacular scenes such as these. Rafail is also a keen footballer and plays in the school’s second team.

When asked whether he aimed to pursue a career in photography, modest Rafail said:

“IT’S JUST A HOBBY OF MINE.”

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CCF THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

CCF MATTHEW COMPETES TO BE TOP CADET Sergeant Matthew Baldwin (RAF) could be on the way to the adventure of a lifetime in South Africa after being shortlisted for a prestigious national award for his involvement in the CCF.

a number of leadership, management

The 17 year old is one of just 24 cadets from across the country to be chosen as a semi-finalist for the Duke of Westminster Award for Cadet of the Year.

which was attended by over 30,000 people.

He will now compete to become one of nine military cadets to attend a special lunch in London where the overall winner will be announced. The finalists will then fly to South Africa in July to work together on a community project.

hopes to go on to read Military History at

An active member of Rossall School CCF since Year 9, Matthew has taken part in

We wish Matthew the very best of luck in

and public service courses, as well as representing the school at events including the Northern Festival of Remembrance and leading the Remembrance Sunday Parade in Blackpool in November 2014,

Matthew, who is studying A Levels in History, Music and Theatre Studies and the University of Birmingham said: “I’m delighted to be shortlisted and to represent Rossall School CCF. I’m looking forward to the next round of challenges.”

the semi-finals!

CONGRATULATIONS, CADET BEN!

WARCOP WARRIORS

A huge well done to Ben Bradley who recently completed the Senior Cadet Instructors Course.

Seven of our CCF cadets visited Warcop training camp, accompanied by SSI McCleary and Captain Gartside.

Sixteen year old Ben is the first member of Rossall CCF to take

Despite the wind and rain, a warm welcome ensured the cadets

part in this course for senior cadets. Speaking about the experience,

were ready for a weekend packed with activities. They learned

Ben said: “I really enjoyed my time on the SCIC course. I met lots

about close quarter battle and navigation, were introduced to the

of new people and learned many new skills which will be useful in

target rifle and took part in a session on the climbing wall.

cadet and school life. I learned how to instruct cadets – a large part of the course focused on improving confidence when instructing.

The SCIC is great for anyone who wants to learn new skills and

Staff and cadets had a spring in their step and a smile on their faces despite the cold March weather.

meet new people – I would recommend it to anyone.”

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Sport THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

SPORT

Senior Round-Up FIVES In February, Rossall’s Fives team hosted Sedbergh for a Fives tournament, playing a total of 32 games.

The Rossall senior side overcame Sedbergh comprehensively in both doubles and singles, whilst the juniors were narrowly defeated in a tight encounter.

Nevertheless, Rossall were victorious, winning the fixture overall by a margin of 15 points. Well done to all those involved and in particular to Sam Alderson, Philip Wilkinson and Vladislav Sosnovskiy who were all playing their first competitive Fives matches for the School.

GIRLS’ NETBALL This season, our girls’ netball teams had a challenging term of fixtures.

Despite losing to strong Giggleswick and Sedbergh teams, our Under 12s scored great victories over St Aidan’s (8-0) and Austen Friars (5-2), and managed to win 3 out of 5 matches in the Wyre and Fylde Netball Tournament placing them 3rd overall.

Our Under 13s demonstrated excellent team work throughout the season , scoring high against the likes of Millfield School, winning 18-4, St Aidan’s, winning 18-3 and Austen Friars, winning 14-3.

Like our Under 12s, our Under 13 side struggled against very strong Sedbergh and Giggleswick teams, eventually losing both fixtures.

Elsewhere, our Under 14s continued to improve as a team, winning their match against Austen Friars, in a spectacular 20 – 10 victory.

The Rossall 1st Team had a very mixed season with great wins over Ripley St Thomas (15-13) and Giggleswick (19-18) and losses to very experienced Stonyhurst and Sedbergh sides. The girls worked immensely well together as a team throughout the season.

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BOYS’ BASKETBALL The boys’ basketball team saw two great victories in the Lent Term.

The boys dominated proceedings at Giggleswick, scoring an impressive 57 goals to Giggleswick’s 34. They also played St Wilfrid’s School in the Lancashire Cup, which saw both teams refusing to give up throughout their neck and neck bout. Eventually the Rossall side sealed the win when the game went into overtime, winning 42-41.

ENGLAND HOCKEY BOYS UNDER 18 SCHOOLS’ CUP Throughout the Lent Term, our 1st hockey team competed against 126 other schools in the England Hockey Boys Under 18 Schools’ Cup. The first round began in early January; Rossall had drawn Neston High School in their first match which they won with ease, 6-3.

Rossall then drew local rivals, Windermere School for their second round match. Windermere withdrew and Rossall were handed the walkover victory.

In early February, Rossall faced Sandbach School for their third round match. Rossall dominated proceedings, failing to concede any goals against them with a clean 4-0 victory.

The fourth round saw a nail-biting fixture against Adams’ Grammar School. Both teams worked tirelessly throughout the match, however, it was Rossall who were declared the winners by 7 goals to 6, as the full time whistle blew.

This meant that the boys had made it to the Quarter Finals - an astounding accomplishment, considering the number of schools competing for the cup. Unfortunately, Rossall faced a very strong Exeter School side, who dominated the match, eventually winning 4-0.

We are immensely proud of the team for making it to the Quarter Finals of such a prestigious tournament. Well done to all players and their coaches for a fantastic performance.

Sport THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

19TH BIENNIAL INDOOR AND OUTDOOR HOCKEY TOURNAMENT In March, the 1st team travelled to Taunton for the 19th Biennial Tournament which consisted of an indoor and outdoor tournament.

The 1st team faced Warwick on Friday afternoon in an outdoor match.

Rossall showed their skill immediately with a 7-1 win. The indoor tournament began on the Friday evening with games against all the schools. The first match was against hosts Taunton and Rossall made their intentions clear by winning 4-0. Next up were fixtures against Royal Belfast

(RBAI) and Calday Grange, which saw Rossall winning 6-1 and 5-1 respectively. Rossall then faced a very strong Warwick team but managed to remain undefeated with a 3-1 win. With the title already retained, the boys went on to face King’s Macclesfield, which they won with ease, 6-1.

The next day saw Rossall dominate proceedings against King’s Macclesfield, winning 3-1, RBAI, winning 3-0, Taunton, winning 4-3 and Calday Grange, winning 2-0. An excellent undefeated tournament for the boys, which saw them scoring an impressive 44 goals, whilst only conceding 11. A special mention must go to Liam Ganose who was voted player of the tournament by the umpires.

Well done, boys!

BOYS’ HOCKEY The boys’ hockey season saw some excellent runs for a number of teams.

GIRLS’ SPORTS TOUR In March, twenty five Year 7, 8 and 10 girls travelled to Wrexham for a Sports Tour weekend of fun-filled activities and some fantastic sporting opportunities.

On Friday evening the students and teachers teamed up to play two competitive games of bowling, with Mrs Williams snatching the win! Saturday was an early start, with the girls travelling down to King’s Chester School for a triangular fixture of netball against King’s and Abbey Gate School. Rossall were victorious, winning 4 out of the 5 matches. The girls then travelled to Bowdon Hockey club to watch the professionals in action; an enthralling game, with some outstanding talent on show! The girls also got the chance to have a question and answer session with some future England stars and Olympic medallist and England Captain, Tina Cullen. On Sunday, the girls travelled to Alderley Edge Hockey Club for an extensive coaching session, which included a goal keeping master class. It was a great weekend for all involved and all students were great ambassadors for Rossall School. A special thank you must go to: Miss Evans, Mrs Williams, Miss Shillaw and Miss Hall for driving, organising activities, umpiring and supporting the girls throughout the whole weekend. The girls are looking forward to the next sports tour!

Our Under 15s had a phenomenal season in which they went undefeated! The boys claimed victories over every team they played, including: Giggleswick (1-0), Sedbergh (3-1), King’s Macclesfield (1-0), Calday Grange (7-1), Bolton School (9-0) and Merchant Taylor’s (1-0). A special mention must go to James Amor who was relentless as the Rossall keeper!

Elsewhere our Under 12s recorded excellent wins against Giggleswick (5-1) and Merchant Taylors’ (6-1), whilst our Under 13s also enjoyed successful bouts, winning Giggleswick 5-4, Merchant Taylors’ 7-1 and Calday Grange 4-3.

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Sport THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

Junior Round-Up ROSSALL INVITATIONAL UNDER 11 HOCKEY TOURNAMENT In February, Rossall hosted twelve schools for the Invitational Under 11 Hockey Tournament.

In the knockout stages, Rossall had a very mixed affair, winning their match against St Mary’s Crosby 3-0, drawing against Queen’s School Chester 1-1 and losing against King’s Macclesfield 1-0. This meant that the girls had secured a semi-final place for the plate. Rossall faced Liverpool College for a spot in the finals and had an excellent match, winning 3-0. They then faced local rivals, AKS in the final.

This was a very close match from start to finish with both teams working tirelessly. In the last few minutes of the match, Rossall managed to score after some very well worked team play, to claim the victory and win the plate.

Well done, girls!

UNDER 11 ST MARY’S HALL HOCKEY TOURNAMENT Rossall had another successful tournament at the Under 11 St Mary’s Hall Hockey Tournament.

The knockout stages saw another set of mixed results for Rossall, as they won against Liverpool College 2-1, drew against AKS 1-1 and lost against Sedbergh 2-0. This placed the girls in the plate semi-finals where they faced Belmont Grove. The nail-biting fixture remained goaless throughout the match, which meant that the girls had to play extra time. The golden goal rule applied and it was Rossall who scored first, sealing the victory and proceeding to the finals, where they faced King’s Chester. After a solid performance, Rossall won the match 2-0 and were declared the winners of the plate.

ROSSALL JUNIOR INVITATIONAL RUGBY SEVENS The 38th Rossall Invitational Rugby Sevens was a huge success with sixteen teams travelling from all over the North West and as far afield as the Isle of Man to compete for the prestigious trophy.

The Rossall Rhinos started their campaign impressively with a convincing victory against St Ambrose, scoring four tries to one. Their second match was against Birkenhead which saw the opposition clinching the match in the final few seconds, two tries to Rossall’s one.

Rossall’s final game of the group stages was against The Grange ‘B’ team, which they impressively won. This set them up for a quarter final against AKS. This was always going to be a tough encounter against a strong AKS team, who progressed through to the semi-finals.

AJIS FOOTBALL CUP QUARTER FINAL The U11s Football Team beat Abbey Gate 5-2 in a thrilling match, which saw them going 2-0 down at half time.

The boys came back in the second half and displayed a fantastic team performance, with goals from Michael Mellon and Ollie Leggett, and great defence by keeper Harry, this means that the boys now face Stockport School in the semi-finals.

ROSSALL SWIMMERS SPLASH TO SUCCESS AT THE ROSSALL INVITATIONAL GALA The Rossall Swim team were delighted to host children from AKS and St. Mary’s Hall in a triangular swimming gala.

The atmosphere was electric, as the children swam in individual races and then in team relay races. The standard of swimming from all the children was very impressive. The final standings were: 1st St Mary’s Hall, 2nd Rossall, 3rd AKS

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THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

OUR WALL OF CLOWNS During the Michaelmas Term, some of our Year 4, 5, 6 and 7 students worked hard to produce a Pictorial Wall of Clowns.

The final piece consisted of 12 clown faces, some jolly and others rather sinister, which were exhibited at the Showzam Showroom Schools Show at the Grundy Art Gallery in Blackpool in February, for their ‘Circus, Theatre and Magic’ theme. Rossall was one of only 25 schools across the Fylde Coast to be selected to exhibit their work and we were further delighted to see the Rossall artwork used to promote the exhibition.

THE GAZETTE YOUNG SEASIDERS ART AND CRAFTS COMPETITION Sponsored by The Gallery, Blackpool and the Fylde University Campus, Bennett Avenue in Blackpool

Rossall entered the Young Seasiders competition again this year, as the theme and category lent itself to a collaborative piece of work and tied in well with work covered in the various Units Of Inquiry.

The theme was My Planet from the group work section. Miss Marta headed the project and each child in the Junior School contributed to the final product. The resulting piece was visually stunning!

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Tr ips & Voyages THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

TRIPS & VOYAGES THE VIKINGS ARE COMING! Dressed in full Viking attire, our courageous explorers from Year 4 set sail for Lancaster in search of knowledge and wealth.

They returned battle scarred but jubilant and far wiser, bearing the craft items they had made and the souvenirs they had pillaged (well, bought in the gift shop!).

The pupils were fascinated to learn about the Viking invaders, their weapons, battle techniques and beliefs. They experienced life in a Viking home, carrying out the daily chores of rope making, weaving and grinding grain to make bread.

Taking this step back in time really roused the children’s enthusiasm and they were full of questions for the experts at Lancaster City Museum.

The voyage home to Rossallia was entertaining: the people of Lancaster have probably never seen so many Viking invaders waiting patiently at a pedestrian crossing!

After an action-packed day of marauding, looting and pillaging, everyone agreed that being a Viking is exhausting - but great fun!

GERMAN EXCHANGE In March we welcomed a group of German students to Rossall for a week, to experience life at a boarding school for the very first time.

The students were paired with a Rossall buddy and thoroughly enjoyed exploring their new surroundings, including visiting Cleveleys, Liverpool and Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach! A good time was had by all; a constant flow of electronic communication is now connecting the Gymnasium Dionysianum and Rossallians, who are looking forward to their return visit to Germany, details of which will be announced shortly after the Easter break.

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Tr ips & Voyages THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

ALL ABOUT ART In February, our Sixth Formers enjoyed a busy weekend on their Art, Photography and Graphics trip to London and Oxford.

They gained inspiration from visits to the Saatchi, Tate and National Portrait Galleries before moving on to look at artefacts in Oxford’s Natural History, Pitt Rivers and Ashmolean Museums.

GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP The Geology Department’s trip to the Natural History Museum in London got off to a surprising start when students, Lauren Stephens and Dan Robson bumped into World Superbike Champion and I’m A Celebrity’s King of the Jungle, Carl Fogarty at Preston Railway Station.

The museum visit offered the students a deeper insight and understanding into their geological studies and proved useful preparation for their upcoming A Level examinations.

Lauren said: “It was amazing to see all the displays – especially the dinosaur in the main hall for the last time before he is dismantled ready for his world tour.”

EVENSONG AT YORK MINSTER The Rossall School Choir have had the privilege of singing Evensong at York Minster.

It is not the first time the Choir have been invited to perform at the prestigious Minster, but it was a wonderful experience and real honour for the Choristers to perform in such a beautiful venue.

York Minster tweeted after the event: “@RossallSchool Wonderful service.

Thank you for coming down :)”

BACK IN TIME AT BLETCHLEY PARK A group of 13 Computing students and three members of Common Room had the chance to experience how technology has evolved over the last 60 years during a trip to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.

The site is renowned for being at the heart of the Government’s efforts to crack enemy codes during World War Two. The students got to see the small huts used by celebrated mathematicians, Alan Turing and Bill Tutte to crack the Enigma Code and the more sophisticated Lorenz Code, used by German high command during the war.

After taking a look at a Tunny Machine (designed to simulate the actions of a Lorenz Machine), the students got to see a recreation of the world’s first digital computer, Colossus.

They then traced the history of computing, from a WITCH machine used by physicists to develop early nuclear power stations (and later donated to a school in Wolverhampton), to the giant mainframe computers which required whole offices just to be able to create a display on one screen.

The students’ trip through time also took them back to the 1980s where they tried out coding on BBC micros, which were commonplace in schools at the time. OR Matthew Oakes who now works at Bletchley writing computer programs also stopped by to say hello.

Alex Bryce, one of the students who took part in the visit, said: “It was an amazing trip and absolutely incredible to see how much technology has changed in just 60 years.”

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Amazing Alumni THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

AMAZING ALUMNI MARTA MIDDLEBRO Marta Middlebro’ attended Rossall’s Sixth Form from 2000 to 2002 and was a member of Rose House. After her studies, Marta was awarded a place at Oxford University, where she read Philosophy, Politics and Economics, before completing her postgraduate degree in European Politics. Marta currently works for the European Commission in the International Trade Department and is responsible for EU trade relations with China. a big shout out to Mrs Lee who was my Housemistress back then and who still teaches and is now Head of Junior School at Rossall - she was always very encouraging and took me under her wing throughout my time at Rossall. I did a lot of music - I was in the Chapel Choir and in the Orchestra and some of the performances or just simply playing music with my friends are some of the best memories.

What was it like to be a Czech student studying in the UK at that time?

There is no tradition of boarding schools in the Czech Republic, so I had no idea what to expect. It was a steep learning curve for me, as I went through the adjustment of going from studying English as a foreign language to studying other subjects in English.

Cultural exchange is one of the objectives of the HMC Scheme, so I was keen to tell them about the Czech Republic and in my second year I helped organise a choir tour in Prague.

What did you study at university?

When were you at Rossall?

I was in the Rossall Sixth Form from 2000 to 2002. I originally came for one year under the HMC Central and European Scholarship Scheme and was then able to stay on for another year and take my A Levels with the very generous help of Rossall and of the Trapnell Scholarship.

What are some of your favourite memories of your time at the school?

I had a fantastic time boarding and really enjoyed the close community and friendship at Rose House. Here I would like to give

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I gained a place at Oxford to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics and went up in the autumn of 2002. I then stayed on at Oxford to take a postgraduate degree in European Politics.

What is your career now?

I currently live in Brussels and work for the European Commission as a civil servant. I work in the International Trade Department and I am part of the team responsible for EU trade relations with China. My job involves international trade negotiations, economic analysis and policy development. Within the European Commission, I had previously focused on relations with Sub-Saharan Africa

and on making international trade work for developing countries. I first came to Brussels as a diplomat with the Czech Foreign Office.

What difference did coming to Rossall make to your education and to your career?

This is a total cliché but the experience has changed my life – there is no other way of putting it. Oxford has opened a lot of doors for me and I cannot imagine getting in without the excellent teaching I got at Rossall. It really made me flourish intellectually and sparked my interest in academic study and research.

What’s the best part of your job?

The variety of issues that I deal with, and in particular working with so many different people and constituencies - a job in trade policy means that I get to be in daily contact with diplomats, parliamentarians, business representatives, civil society groups etc.

How do you feel your education at Rossall prepared you for the role?

My teachers at Rossall encouraged independent thought. This is what I appreciated the most about my UK school experience: being asked to analyse, to think critically, to argue for one’s position. I think these are skills that stand you in good stead in any job.

What would you say to any student considering coming to the UK (and to Rossall) to study?

Go for it!

How would you sum up your time at Rossall in one word?

Empowering.

THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

Rossall Remembers THE PÖTTINGER DINNER The annual Pöttinger Dinner, in honour of Florian Pöttinger, was held in the Dining Hall on Saturday 24th January.

Florian was House Captain of Spread Eagle, 2009 - 2010 and got involved with all kinds of extra curricular activity, leading by example. He was sadly diagnosed with cancer at the age of 22 and died, January 2013. Whilst attending Florian’s funeral in Germany, Florian’s sister commented to SSI Ian McCleary: “Florian was not afraid of dying but was afraid of being forgotten”. That message struck a cord with SSI McCleary and after various conversations with Florian’s parents and friends, Spread Eagle decided to hold a dinner each year in remembrance of Florian and all he did for the school and his fellow pupils.

The Pöttinger trophy is presented each year to the Spread Eagle House member who has overwhelmingly thrown themselves in to school life. OR Nik Wietlisbach, who received the Trophy in 2014, presented the Pöttinger Trophy to 2015’s recipient, Robert Schultz.

Yet again it was lovely to welcome Florian’s parents and sister to the school and the £400 raised on the evening will go to Cancer Research UK, the charity chosen by Florian’s family.

DR WINKLEY COMMEMORATED Heartfelt thanks to all the staff, students and ORs who were able to join us for the Service of Thanksgiving held in the Chapel to commemorate the life of our former Head, Dr Stephen Winkley.

The service, which was attended by Dr Winkley’s wife, Jenny, and Mungo, Imogen and Leo, three of his five children, included tributes to his outstanding contribution to the school and hymns including Love Divine All Loves Excelling by Charles Wesley.

Commenting on the service, Leo Winkley said: “The music was beautifully delivered, the tributes compelling in conjuring up the man and his work on the Fylde, the singing wholehearted and the shape of the service thoughtful and inspiring.

“It was an occasion when all the fine aspects of Rossall School were in full and hearty evidence.”

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Floreat Rossallia THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

FLOREAT ROSSALLIA!

OLD ROSSALLIAN WEEKEND We were blessed with a day of glorious sunshine when over 200 Old Rossallians visited the School for our annual OR Weekend.

Guests enjoyed an action packed day which included tours of the School, a clay pigeon shoot, seminars and sports fixtures including Rossall’s unique game of Ross Hockey. The highlight of the event, the OR Dinner in Dining Hall, was a huge success and we were delighted that so many ORs were able to join us.

UNVEILING OF SPREAD EAGLE WW1 HONOURS BOARD As part of the OR Weekend events, a replica of the WW1 SE Honours Board was unveiled in Spread Eagle House.

This board commemorates those 33 ORs from Spread Eagle who lost their lives during the Great War; the original board disappeared some time ago but a beautiful replica has been painstakingly made by former DT Technician, Gary Passam. Old Rossallian Commodore Jeremy Rigby, Commander, of HM Naval Base Portsmouth, came along to perform the official unveiling and gave a moving speech about the importance of remembrance.

OR JAKE GOES TO THE END OF THE EARTH TO GET HIS GIRL! We were delighted to welcome OR Jake Thompson back to Rossall to talk about his trek to the North Pole, which he successfully undertook last year.

Jake, who was dating fellow OR, Hannah Bennet, asked his future father-in-law for Hannah’s hand in marriage. There was only one condition – that Jake joined him on a trek to the North Pole to raise funds for the Colourful Life Foundation.

During assembly, Jake gave a very motivational speech to pupils about ‘stepping outside of their comfort zone’ and pushing themselves, even when they think they have no more to give. Jake then set up a display of equipment used on the trek, along with a slide show, which he shared with pupils in the Sumner Library. Jake was inundated with questions throughout the morning by our intrepid Rossall explorers and he showed them the Rossall School flag which he had taken with him to fly when he reached the North Pole. Despite sub-zero temperatures, he even managed to sing The Carmen (our school song) whilst there. Our congratulations to Jake on this remarkable achievement and many thanks for coming in to share your experience with us.

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Floreat Rossallia THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

LEGATORS DINNER On the eve of the Old Rossallian Weekend, the 1844 Society members were invited to dine in the Common Room with the Head and representatives from the School’s Governors.

Membership of the 1844 Society is for all those who have left a legacy to the School and this annual event is held to thank them for their support.

The evening was a huge success. After dinner, the Head updated members on what has been happening at Rossall over the last 12 months, highlighting all the major achievements. Henry Shepherd, Development Director, then explained how the Rossall Foundation was looking forward with a 5 year development plan as to how it could support the School’s vision for the future.

Should you wish to find out more about the 1844 Society, please contact Henry Shepherd, Development Director, on 01253 774284 or email h.shepherd@rossall.org.uk

STUNNING FRAME RETURNED TO ROSSALL A member of staff recently noticed this beautiful silver frame on an auction site which stated that it was originally from Rossall School.

The Rossall Foundation contacted its members to help retrieve this important piece of the School’s history and we were inundated with donations from Old Rossallians wanting to see this item returned to its rightful home. The Rossall Foundation, the Development Team and the School would like to thank all those who contributed and showed interest in this item.

This magnificent frame has the Royal Coat of Arms for Queen Victoria above the ribbon ‘Rossall School Cadets’. At the bottom of the frame is the School crest. Inside is an original photograph of Captain R E Pain when he retired from command of the Rossall School Cadet Corps around 1901. Captain Pain was a member of the School shooting team which won the ‘Ashburton’ competition at Bisley in 1899.

The Victorian Silver Frame Portrait is a wonderful piece of Rossall’s history and we are proud to have it back in school.

HOW TO KEEP IN TOUCH Contact our Alumni Officer, Sharon Potts on 01253 774 288 or email s.potts@rossall.org.uk

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS THE HYPOCHONDRIAC Tuesday 21st April, 7.00pm, Wednesday 22nd April, 7.00pm - Museum Theatre Tickets: £3 for adults, £2 for students/children.

The Hypochondriac is a scathingly funny satire on both hypochondria and the ‘quack’ medical profession. Argan is a perfectly healthy, wealthy gentleman, convinced that he is seriously ill. So obsessed is he with medicinal tinkerings and tonics that he is blind to the goings on in his own household. However, his most efficacious cure will not appear in a bottle or a bedpan, but in his sharp-tongued servant, who has a cunning plan to reveal the truth and open her master’s eyes.

Please email booking@rossall.org.uk to reserve your tickets.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Monday 20th April Art Exhibition by Dragon Students All week - Walkway Gallery

Tuesday 19th May Year 6 Play, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ 2.00pm, Museum Theatre

Friday 24th April Junior School Square Race 2.45pm, The Square Friday 24th April Rossall CCF Dinner 7.00pm - 11.00pm Tickets £30 adults, £25 under 18’s

Thursday 21st May Year 6 Play, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ 7.00pm – 8.00pm, Museum Theatre Friday 22nd May 4.00pm, Half Term Commences

Saturday 25th April Help for Heroes ‘An Evening of Music, Dance and Drama’ 7.00pm - 9.00pm, Big School

Friday 22nd May Summer Serenade 6.00pm - Marquee.

Please do bring along your own picnic to enjoy during the performances.

Sunday 3rd May Orchestra: Concerto Concert 7.00pm, Big School

Monday 1st June School resumes following Half Term.

Boarders return, 8.00pm, Sunday 31st May.

Saturday 16th May Mondos Annual Barbeque and Disco 7.30pm, Mondos

Thursday 18th June Infant Play 2.00pm, Infant Hall

SENIOR SCHOOL PRIZE DAY AND LEAVERS’ BALL

Tuesday 23rd June Junior ‘The Big Sing’ 10.30am – 3.00pm, Chapel Friday 26th June Infants and Junior Sports Day 1.45pm, School Field Saturday 27th June Year 6 Garden Party 2.00pm – 5.00pm, The Hall Garden Sunday 28th June Golf Day 11.00am, Fleetwood Golf Club Monday 29th June Infant and Junior Summer Concert, 5.00pm Wednesday 1st July End of Term Awards Assembly 9.00am, Chapel Friday 3rd July Junior Prize Day 11.00am, Big School

HARRY POTTER READATHON Wednesday 3rd June, 8.00am to Saturday 6th June, 4.00pm, Museum Theatre

By invitation.

Saturday 23rd May from 10.00am - Marquee The Senior School Prize Day will begin with a 10am Chapel Service, followed by refreshments in Big School, or The Square if weather permits.We will then make our way to the Marquee on the monitors’ Lawn for the Prize Day Ceremony at 11.20am.

This year’s guest speaker is OR, Stephen De-Wint (DC 80-90), who is the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary General for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation.The ceremony will be followed by the Prize Day Luncheon in the Dining Hall and Big School.

Finally the Sixth Form Leavers’ Ball will take place in the Marquee at 7.30pm. Please note that this is a ticketed event.

We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting a spellbinding Harry Potter readathon at our very own Hogwarts-esque campus.The event will see guest readers working their way through all seven of JK Rowling’s world famous books, about the ‘Boy Who Lived’.The event will start on Wednesday 3rd June at 8am in the Museum Theatre and finish at 4pm on Saturday 6th June.

During the event there will be plenty of witch and wizard-themed activities including a Harry Potter Day on Friday 5th June, where we encourage you to bring along your cloaks, wands and brooms to School for a bewitching time!

Rossall School, Fleetwood, Lancashire, FY7 8JW

Telephone 01253 774201 Fax 01253 772052 Email enquiries@rossall.org.uk

www.rossall.org.uk