Issue 57 Autumn 2016
ST
ALBANS
SCHOOL
HIGHLIGHTS
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF GIRLS IN THE SIXTH FORM The 25th Anniversary of girls coming to St Albans School’s Sixth Form was marked with the traditional OA Girls v Sixth Form Girls Netball Tournament at Woollams, followed by high tea back in the School. Twenty five girls from the last quarter century gathered on a blustery and cold Saturday afternoon for the tournament, which was held this year in memory of Sue Barnes, the School’s long-serving secretary and netball coach, who sadly ‘The tea was really lovely. I really died in 2015. We were delighted that enjoyed the tour round the school, members of Sue’s family were able to remembering classes and teachers join us for the day. The girls played a and pupils we’d forgotten.’ round robin tournament, with three OA teams competing against two Fiona McCartney ’06 Sixth Form girls’ teams. As one OA commented, ‘It was great to play a few games of netball,
Mini Madness Over the summer term, pupils at the School were invited by Stephen James Enfield to take part in an exclusive competition, to ‘Design a roof that rocks’ for the new MINI Clubman. The brief required pupils to channel their imagination and creativity and produce an eye-catching roof that would reflect the car’s fun, dynamic and sporty spirit. Pupils were given absolute freedom, so that they could produce a truly original and engaging design. The judging panel included MINI Brand Manager, Dan Beddow, and Gary Calvert, Head of Design & Technology. After much deliberation, Fourth Former Sam Jarman’s entry, entitled ‘MINI Madness’, was chosen as the winning design. The judges were very impressed by his artistic skill and creativity, with Dan Beddow commenting, ‘Sam’s winning artwork represented the fun and dynamic feeling of the car and we are excited to see his design appear on the MINI.’
Ashburton Triumph even though I haven’t played in years.’ Despite some very strong play from the OA ladies, the St Albans School 1st team proved final victors in the tournament.
After the strenuous netball tournament, tea Refreshments were served in the Refectory, which in the Refectory several of the OA girls has never seen before, being more was a much more accustomed to the space as the hall where they sat their relaxed affair A levels. They enjoyed a fabulous afternoon tea with prosecco. About 40 guests joined the group and shared fond memories over sandwiches and cake. This was a highly successful event, reuniting the OA girls, and one likely to be repeated in the future. ‘I hope to see more girls soon,’ said Fiona McCartney. ‘The event definitely made me think a reunion is overdue.’
The School’s marksmen were on top form at the Ashburton shooting event this year, achieving their highest ever position in the prestigious competition. A squad of nine cadets took part in the week of shooting over 300, 500 and 600 yards as well as competing in the 1 kilometre and clays supplementary competitions. They relished the challenges and improved on last year’s position on the scoreboard by two places, rising to 14th. Simon Brooks was a particular star, appearing on 12 different scoreboards, demonstrating his wide range of skills. Matt Crossley featured on six scoreboards and promises much for next year’s competition. Joe Pattison, meanwhile, excelled at the long distance event, scoring 24/25 when shooting at a target a kilometre away, winning that individual event.