The Dragon Magazine 2018-2019 | St George's Ascot

The Dragon 2018-19

1

2

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

The Dragon 2018-19

CONTENTS Fromthe Headmistress

4

Staff

5

Awards

10

SchoolNews

14

DofE

26

Activities Day

29

School Trips

30

Community,Outreach andCharities

42

PerformingArts

47

HouseEvents

53

Art, Photography&Textiles

62

Music

70

Sport

75

Design and Artwork Miss KHook Cover Image Scenefrom“Beauty andtheBeast”

The Dragon 2018-19

3

FROM THE HEADMISTRESS

During2018/19we have beenable to implement,with great success,manyof the things I have beenplanning since the start of mytimeat St Georgeʼs.Someofthese are obvious anddemonstrable-our best ever GCSE results last summer,andpublic examinationresults that placed usin the top4.5% of schoolsin the countryfor ValueAdded.Anexciting newICT strategy,an efficient, well organisedand cohesive Senior LeadershipTeam, TheSixthFormCafeTheView (with a far better coffee machinethan the staff room!) andour newswimming pool, to nameafew. Othersare far less obviousand takeplace behindthescenes;a lengthyreview and consultation onour lessonsand the shapeof ourday with the launcha newtimetable structurein September 2019,developmentsinteaching andlearning andstaff training, aswell aslots ofwork in ouradmissionsteam with recordnumbersof pupilsjoining St Georgeʼsin September2019.Thereisa great deal of invaluable momentumandpositivity fromour hard-workingstaff in the schoolwho supportmeasI strive to makeSt Georgeʼsthe best possible schoolto unlockevery ounce ofpotential inthe girls whereverthis maylie. In short,to bethe bestwe all canbe.

Overthe past 12months,wehave taken the opportunity to review manyof ourschoolpublications in aneffort to maximisethe information andstories we can share with all ourpupils,parents,alumnaeand friendsof the school,pastandpresent. With thisin mind,wemade the decisionearlier this yearto mergethis publications, TheDragon,with SnapDragon,our annual alumnae publications.Wehopethat youwill seethis asa positive changeasnot onlywill alumnaekeptuptodate with what is happeninghereat schoolin the presentday,but currentgirlswill alsobeable tohear thenewsof their predecessorswhich is very inspiring for them.

Governorsare an enormouslyimportant part of any school.Most peopleare notvery clear onthe governorsʼ role andmuchof their work goesunnoticed andunseen.

We are a charity andthey are the board.Theygive their time,share ideas andexpertise andthey provide an excellent support,challenge andsoundingboard for me andmySenior LeadershipTeam.Theseare challenging timesfor the independenteducationsectorwith threats to businessrate relief, the prospectof VATonschool fees, increased expectations of communityoutreach, great hikesin pensioncontributions, andthe governors role with meisto keepa steady ship,ensurethat we use our resourcesof the school effectively and continually lookto improveouroffering, while ensuringourlong termsustainability. Edward LukerbecameChairmanof Governorsin June 2008andhas beenin that postfor 11years. I rememberthe evening in November2015

4

whenEdward phonedmeto offer methis job as Headof St Georgeʼsandsince thenwe have workedveryclosely togetherin what hascertainly beenaninteresting, and also verysuccessful, journey.With his backgroundin propertydevelopment,investment andfinance, Edward hasbeen a keyplayer in ourrecent majorbuilding projects,firstly the Libraryandover the pastfew years, throughthe upsand downsof planning permission, drainageand detailed design,hehas beenaninvaluable part of the teamthat has seenour swimmingpoolcome to fruition. Edward is stepping downas Chairmanof GovernorsbutI ampleasedto sayis continuingin his role ofa governorandwethankEdward forall that he has given to the school over the years. Ournew ChairmanofGovernorsisAlistair Mackintosh.Alistair hadtwo daughtersat St Georgeʼsand hasa background in finance. Hehas beena governorof St Georgeʼssince 2009andChair of ourFinance andMarketing SubCommitteefor the past 3years.

Asa school,we continue to build ourpresenceonsocial media,onTwitter,FacebookandInstagram.Whilst this is aboutmarketing,andabout increasing the profile of the schoolandbeing involved in education debates nationally, ona dayto daybasis,it is moreaboutgirls, alumnaeandparents being,and feeling, part of the school communitysothey knowwhat is goingin and seeall differentareas ofthe schoolinaction.It islive, it isreal andit isfun too.Last yearit wasthe upper sixthcarpool KaraokeonYoutubethat is a permanent embarrassmentonmydigital footprint, this year it was the video of myrather unglamoroussledgingdown the hill ontrays fromthedining roomwith the First Yearsin the snowwhich has beenviewed over 7000times onmy twitter feedthanks to beingsharedbytheTatler Schools Guide!

Thegirls rather humourmewhenI sayʻ#SGAcapableʼ or ʻ#SGAconnectedʼ butin fact, lookingbackthroughthe postsI have made,liked andretweeted onTwittersince September,was an excellent way of getting a snapshot ofthe pastacademicyear at St Georgeʼs,alongwith our half-termlyeNewsletters. Tonamebuta few highlights, netball gotoff toa flyingstart aswe hadourfirst experienceofthe Girls SchoolAssociation tournament weekendat CondoverHall for SecondandThirdYears.

TherehavebeenModel United Nations conferences aplenty,includingourfirst overseasonein Bilbao. We hada successfulISI inspectionwhich hit usin the middle ofour excitingteaching andlearning week.We havehad girls taking their Confirmation,ski racingandlacrosse training before school in sub-zerotemperatures. Our FourthYearhistorians workedwith HolocaustSurvivors andtheir families onthelocal AscotHolocaustEducation Project. We havehadcollaboration acrosstheyear groupsinHouseArt, successinlocal art competitions andanother mind-blowingshowof the impressive GCSE andALevel examinationspiecesin art, photographyand textilesearlier thisweek.

We have hada busyprogrammeof challenge for our mostable pupilsincluding SGA Stretch weekand their miniTedTalks.We hadthe incredible andenergetic Sister Act, darkand uncomfortableALevel dramapieces,we have hadregular openmicnights anda new format showcasinga rangeof talents in HouseDrama.We have

hosted openmorningsand numeroustaster events and I metfamiliesof girls whoare joiningthe schoolthis comingSeptemberinNigeria andThailandover the courseof this year as we continue to becommittedto ourspecial andvibrant mixof dayand boardingpupils.

We have also seena hugeamountofgrowth in the work we are doingwith the local communityandourlocal partner schoolsincluding the LowerSixth girls running weekly literacy programmesat local primaryschools andMrHillier takingthe wholeof St MichaelʼsPrimary school(including the4 yearolds!) forsingingone lunchtimeeach week.

TheDukeof EdinburghAward continues to grow from strengthto strengthat St Georgeʼsandwe havehad girls canoeingandtrekking ontheir practice expeditions in the LakeDistrict in the summerterm.OurThird Yearshada poignantannual FrenchandHistory trip to Normandyoverthe 75th anniversary of DDayand our First Yearshave scaled rockycrags,gorgewalked and toppedout onpeaksin the Brecon Beacons.

Fulfilling eachgirlʼsacademicpotentialas well asgiving themthe opportunity for a wide rangeof co-curricular opportunities remainsa keyfocusat St Georgeʼsas we strive tohelp thegirls buildthecharacter traits that will helpthemto takeonlifeʼs vicissitudes.ʻBalanceʼ orʻ#SGABalanceʼ (we lovea hashtag!) hasbeena bigthemeofoursover the pastyear.It started with technologyin Septemberandwe have nowhad a year of the girls usingChromebooksfor their work, learning, organisation andcommunication.Thisis about the separation oftheir workdevices at schoolandwhen studying(without netflix, instagramor snapchat) from anyother social device suchastheir phone.We have Dragonfly,our online learning andcommunication environmentandhostto a whole wealth of information forgirls andstaff, andthis is beingrolled outto parents in September2019tooto further streamline ourcommunicationsand information sources.ThisICT journeyhas beena great successandwe have been usedas an exampleandcase studyto other schools byCLearning (one ofthe topIT Education specialist companieswhowork with manyschools) of howto successfully implementanew IT strategy andhave had a numberof visits fromother schoolslooking to usto learn howto taketheir technologyforwards.

We are continuing to enhanceand improveourcocurricular programmeandtimetable, enabling girls to beinvolved in manydifferent areas ofschoollife throughoutthe year groupssotheycan maintain that balance. In addition to all the sport,music,drama,dance andart opportunities, we have continuedto workonour Sixth Formprogrammeand bridging the gap fromGCSEs to Sixth Formlife. Thisincludesa resilience workshop, seminarsandtalks fromspeakersin all walks of life fromcharities, woundedveterans andformeraddicts.

Thereis publicspeakingtraining, visiting local primary school to read andtake dramaworkshopsona weekly basis, setting upandrunning their owncompaniesin the YoungEnterprise schemeand a busycareers programme that includes lunches,seminarsandmeetingswith alumnaeand manyparentswho have kindly given up their timeto sharetheir professionalareas ofexpertise and experience.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

Andof course,fromSeptember2019,we will have swimmingtoo andthe wonderfulopportunities that will bringto the girls in termsofperformance,participation andlots offun. I donʼtbelieve schoolsareall about facilities, theyare aboutthe peopleandwhat youdo, howeverfacilities doprovideopportunitiesandwith our newpoolwereally will haveexcellentfacilities across all areas of the curriculumandco-curriculum.Since Prize Giving in 2018whenthefoundations starting to take shape,there hasbeen lots of mudin the car park, snow andfrozenground, diverted paths, enormouscranes andnumerousheavylorries goingback andforth and Mrs Julia Wood, Bursar,andMr Philip Lewis, Operations Manager have workedexceptionally hardto keenontop ofthe project andmaintain a fully functioningschool aroundit.

Balance is also aboutgoodhabitsfor thefuture and aboutwellbeing, helpingthe girls to behappyand healthy.Thegirls have growntolerant of mytalks and assembliesaboutbalance duringthe year,“yes Mrs Hewer,SGAbalance” they reply with only the hint of an eye roll! But it appearsto be workingand I even had shoutsof “SGAbalance” fromthe slopeson the ski trip at Easter with girls fromFirst Yearto LowerSixthas the girls were trying to stay ontwo skisand lookglamorous while perfectingtheir parallel turnsin deeppowder!

I maintainthat forindividual successandfulfillment weneedthis healthy balance andI amdelighted to let youknowthat St Georgeʼshasbeenshortlisted for the IndependentSchool Parent ʻSchool of theYear2019 forWell-Beingʼ. Duringthepast year we also became oneof just two boardingschoolsin the UKto have

beenawardedthe Mental Health KitemarkforBoarding Schoolsfromthe Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schoolsat LeedsBeckettUniversity. This kitemarkprovideduswith a really usefultool with which to audit andbenchmarkourprovision for mentalhealth andwellbeing supportacross the school communitynow and movingforwards.

I hopeyouenjoyreading aboutall that hasbeengoing onat St Georgeʼsduring 2018-19,as well as newsof our alumnae,in the following pages.

Liz Hewer Headmistress

NEW STAFF AT ST GEORGE’S The following staff joined St George’s during the academic year 2018-19:

NEW STAFFIMAGES (left to right from the top): Ms Lauren Baker toteach English Miss Lucy Cordingley to beHeadof History ofArt Mr Joseph da Costa to teach History Miss Ellen Finnigan to beArtist in Residence Mrs Sophie Holloway to beAdmissionsAssistant Miss Hannah Johnson to beResident Tutor Mrs Lucy French to teach P.E Miss Lesley Stott to beAssistant Housemistress Mrs Alicia Sutton-Jennings toteach Biology

The Dragon 2018-19

5

FAREWELL TO LEAVING STAFF

MRS CHERRIELYN LILLEY Cherrielyn(Cherrie) Lilley hasbeenthe backbone ofthe Maths departmentforthe past 18years.

Shehas successfullytaught studentsinall year groupsfromFirst Yearto Lower Sixth every year, andso shehas beenable to get to knowalmost all ofthe pupilscomingthroughtheschoolduring hertime here.She hasalso beenan approachable andsupportive formtutor andmanypupils speak fondlyof heras their tutor in theFirstYear.She hasmademanygoodfriends amongstthe staff andis always willing andkeentotakepart in whatever social eventsare beingorganised.

Cherrie leaves usto spendmoretimewith her daughter.Sheis goingto betaking onchildcare dutiesat least onceaweek, lookingafter her granddaughters,andI donĘźt think there couldbe a prouder/happierGlamma.I amsure that a little bit ofgolf will alsofeature inthe yearsaheadas 6

Cherrie notonly enjoysthe gameitself butthe social sidealso. MymemoriesofCherriewill be dominatedbyher perseverancewith technology, which shehas usedmoreand moreto excellent effect. ThewonderfulatmosphereCherriefostered in herclassroom,ensuredpupils felt supported.

It hasbeena pleasurehavingher in theMaths departmentandwe wish hera longand relaxing retirement.

Mr P Wilson

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

MISS ANABELA FIGUEIRA Anabela Figueira arrived fromTonbridgeGrammar Schoolin 2014to takeupthe postof teacher of FrenchandSpanish. Shealso joined the Second Yeartutor teamand AlexanderHouse.In her timeat the school,shehas taught pupilsfrom First Yearto UpperSixth andhas beena member of the boardingcommunity.Indeed, duringthe last threeyears,shehasbeena residenttutor in Knatchbull,looking after theFifth YearandLower Sixthboarders.Sheis a reliable andconsiderate teacher whowill gothe extramileto helpher studentssucceedaswell asa kindheartedand bubblycolleague.Shewill bemissedinthe MFL departmentandaroundthe school.We wish her well forthe future.

MRS AMANDA SHEVILLS Amandahasbeena vital elementof St Georgeʼs since joining the schoolin 2002asExaminations Secretary beforegoingonto lookafter our ManagementInformation System.Thisisthe brainsof the school,handling everything from parents eveningsto reportsto the school roombookingsystem.She took onthe role of timetabling next,first with SueVanDerVeen andthen with Sue Moody.In 2013Amandawas askedto take oncover for two termsbyRachel Owens.Thiswas a temporaryrole which Amanda continued to dountil her retirement this summer.

It sayssomethingabout a personwhen you have to replace themnotwith oneperson,but three (Amandaʼsrole was brokeninto three on her retirement). ThiscouldexplanwhyAmanda sometimeslookeda little rushedoffher feet, preoccupiedora tiny bit stressed.

Amandajustgot onwith the jobin hand,never makinganyfuss.She rarely said no,although we are sureshewanted to at times,shewas very mucha solution person,nomatter howdifficult the problem.

Marina Johnston(Head ofLearning Support) commentedthat Amandaalways putthe girls at theheart ofeverything, ensuringthatthe examsran smoothlyfor those whofind them mostoverwhelmingandstressful. Amandahad the gift of remainingcalmin the moststressful of situations, evenat 7.45am,whenmostpeople arestill half asleep.

Amandais off to enjoya verywell deserved retirementwith herhusbandSteve andher two lovely daughters.We wishher all thevery best.

Mr J Hoar

Mrs H Simpson MR NICHOLAS LEE Nickjoined St Georgeʼsin 2009asHeadof English with someoversightof Religious Studies, whichwas anearly indication ofhis academic breadthandthe reachof hisintellect. Ashehad beenthe HeadofEnglish at hisprevioustwo schools,St Georgeʼsemployedanexperienced leader andone whowould goonto demonstrate calmness,considerationandcourtesyin all his dealingswith colleagues.Neverfailing tothank someonefor a Christmascard oranemail sent, Nickʼsinherent decencyisa quality recognisable to all whohave beenin hiscompany.His determinationto fosterin pupilsandstaff hislove of English wasseenin his bi-termlybookclub, which wasopento bothpupils andstaff. However, a vital requirementwastheuseofcorrect grammarandthe accurate useof language, highstandards with which hewould brookno compromise.Nickʼs strongsenseof dedication to thegirls andthe broaderlife ofthe schoolwas seenin hispresenceat all Houseeventsas well as in hisfamedmusicalassembles,which perfectly mixedsongsandhumourwith moralteaching.

Manywere surprisedwhenit wasannouncedthat Nickwasretiring at a relatively youngage,buthis commitmentto hisfamily, golf anda hostof other activities will keephimbusy.We wishhimwell in the yearsahead.

MRS ANNE LANGLOIS AnneLanglois joined usin 2014to take upthe postof Frenchassistant. Since then, shehasbeen responsibleforthe weekly oral lessonswith Fourth andFifth Yearsaswell astheA Level students, preparingthemfor the different elementsofthe Speaking examinations.Herwork with themhas beeninvaluable. Shehashelped themto improve their fluency butalso, maybemoreimportantly, to mastertheir nervesand enjoyconversing in French ona wide variety oftopics.

Herexperienceas a Historyteacher in France hasbeena great assetespecially whenALevel linguists were studyingtheSecondWorldWar andthe FrenchResistance.Sheis a patient and knowledgeableeducatorwhoseskills, knowledge andmannerhave enabled herpupils to make progressandenjoytheir Frenchlearning. She wouldlike to find workcloser to home,including someFrenchtutoring, andalso looksforward to having moretimeto supporther3 children with their schoolwork(one is studyingforherA Levels andanother taking herGCSEs nextyear).

Mrs F Burrows

Mr A Wright

The Dragon 2018-19

7

MISS SUZANNE FLEMING When St Georgeʼsneededto golooking for a Maternity CoverPsychologyteacher in November we were nothopeful -little didwe knowthat SuzanneFlemingwould land in ourlap. Suzanne is notjust a Psychologyteacher.Sheis also a RubikʼsCubewhizzwith a personal best of 40 secondswho can even complete the puzzle behindher back, a skateboard star, a former cinemaattendantanderstwhile US college soccer player.

Suzannejoined usfromtheUSA via Norfolk andGuildford andis oneof the mostinteresting peopleyoucan sit nextto at lunchtime.Everyone saysit isdifficult tostart ajobin teachingin January orApril,Suzannecantell youwhatit is like to start in November.

MRS FRANCES RADLEY Since Franʼsarrival hereat St Georgeʼs,she has madea massiveimpact in the classroom, out of the classroomandin the staff room.As we know,Fran mightcomeacross as quite a mild-manneredperson, however, sheis a straight talker.Duringherinterview shewasdirect and to the point, askingthe DeputyHead“Are you wastingmytimeordoyouthinkI havea shot!”.

She didhave a shotand hasbeenteaching Chemistryhere ever since.

She hasdemonstratedthat sheis calmunder pressureandwill supporthercolleagues andfriends whenthe jobgets stressful. In the classroomsheis a verypatient teacher andprovidesattention to all pupilsandis an effective andcaring FormTutor.But it is beyond the classroomwhere Franhas hadthe biggest impact.Early onshebecameSt GeorgeʼsState SchoolLiaison Officer andhasinvited many little childrentoenhancetheir educationand learning. Shealso went to SpaceCampand hungoutat NASA andbroughtherlove of this experiencebackto schooland started a Space club.Franalsohelpedinitiate theWales trip for theFirst Yeargirls andthe highlysuccessfultrip to Borneo.

Thegirls loved working with Suzanne.They appreciated herinnovative teaching methods (including a PsychologyEscape Roomand kinaesthetic wraparoundrevision cards).

Suzannealways went aboveand beyondthecall of dutyand in eight shortmonthswasalso an EPQ supervisor,areader in public examinations andthe creator ofa colourful andinformative set of Dragonflypages for Psychology students.

We wishherall thebestin herfuturecareer as shemovesto Radnor Houseas teacher of Psychology.

Mr J Hoar

MR JOSEPH DE COSTA

Joe deCosta has madehis markin the History Departmentthis year with his dry wit, supportive nature andhis unassuming academicability. Hisconsistent support enabled the History departmentto develop areas of strengththis year.In particular developing the necessary independent learning skills of the UpperSixth. His personable andgentle approach, coupled with his strongacademic research skills, enabled the UpperSixth historians to excel in their coursework.His EPQ pupils show similar promiseandthey will definitely miss his careful yet passionate approachfor them to dowell andresearch beyondtheA Level texts.Not only have the pupils benefited fromMr deCosta, but the whole History department has knownhis care and support in all areas of school life and he will be greatly missed.We wish himmuchsuccess in his academiccareer andlook forward to greeting himas Drde Costa in the future, once he has completed his PhD. Mr A Wright

Franhas madea lasting impactduring hertime hereat St Georgeʼsand weʼll misshercan-do attitude, empathyand,above all, hersenseof fun. Franleaves usto take upthe postof Headof Chemistryat GordonʼsSchool.

Mr S Rhodes

8

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

MISS HANNAH JOHNSON

MISS ELLEN FINNIGAN

Hannahjoined usin Septemberas a Resident tutor.Hannahhas a broadskill set which has meantshehas workedeffectively acrossa numberof areas of the school. HannahĘźsmain role hasbeen within the boardingcommunity offering a supportiverole to boardinggirls and boardingstaff. Hannahis superefficient and active onboardingactivities and trips. She has supportedthe PE departmentacrossthe year andI knowherathletics expertisewashelpful whenreviewing the scoringsystemfor House athletics. Hannahhas helped NaomiTomsett in theHealth Centrewith regular supportfor girls attending medicalappointments.We havenever hadsuchanefficient lost property system,asHannahĘźsassertive organisation has ensured a smoothsystem. Hannah has done well to maintainthe busyresidenttutor role alongsidea veryfull training scheduleasan aspiring England athlete. We wish her well in herfuture athletics careerand thankherfor all the workshe hasdone.

Ellen joinedusastheArtist inResidencein September.Ellen hasbeena committedand reliable memberof the boarding community.She is popularwith the girls in the boardinghouseas sheis verykind spirited andhas a gentle nature.

FromanArt departmentperspective,Ellen is always cheerful, veryfriendly andenergetic. She hasbeenreliable andnot hada single dayoff duringher time with us.Thegirls warmedto her quicklyand shehasa goodrelationship with them.She hassupporteddifferent year groups during lesson time andencouragedthemto be experimentalwith paint, printmaking,clay and woodburningtechniques. She created a busy andexciting spacein theArt departmentfor girls to gaininspiration. Herafter schoolclubs have beenvery busyandpopularwith girls often workingwith clay. Sheis veryexperimentaland herwaxand plaster casts of handswent down a stormwith girls andthe staff alike. Herdisplay of artwork at the summerart exhibition wasa visual feast andacelebration ofall herideasand the skills that shedevelopedthroughoutthe year.

We wishEllen luckwith herfutureplans.

Mrs H Simpson

Mrs H Simpson

The Dragon 2018-19

9

AWARDS 2018-19 PREFECTS 2018-19 HEAD GIRL: CameliaJoel Davison DEPUTY HEAD GIRLS: SusannahAl-Naib Leila Bennett PREFECTS: Alexander House Captain: Catherine Sedgwick Becket House Captain: FionaAllen Churchill House Captain: Alice Hayward Darwin House Captain: Sophie Ross Admissionsand Marketing Prefect: Eleanor Robinson(Day) KaWai Kwok(Boarding) Art Prefect: RuthTaviansky Charity Prefect: Emily-LouisaBrett Library Prefect: FaithMutu Sports Prefect: Edina Green

PRIZE GIVING SUMMER 2019 UPPER SIXTH SUBJECT PRIZES EXTENDED PROJECT QUALIFICATION, POLITICS, RELIGIOUS STUDIES & BECKET AWARD FionaAllen DEPUTY HEAD GIRLSʼ AWARD SusannahAl-Naib DEPUTY HEAD GIRLSʼ AWARD Leila Bennett PHYSICAL EDUCATION Phoebe Clements BUSINESS STUDIES, PSYCHOLOGY & CHURCHILLAWARD Alice Hayward

FIRST YEAR COMMENDATIONS ART Beatrice Ryan COMPUTING TirnanGillard DRAMA Orla Smith ENGLISH AND GEOGRAPHY Olivia Wells FRENCH AND SCIENCE ChloeMoston HISTORY Gabriella CanoFierro LATIN & MATHEMATICS Mila Arbuthnott MUSIC Ava Marson-Day

DRAMA, SENIOR ACTING CUP, THE KAFENA CUP FOR MUSIC, SERVICES TO CHAPEL CHOIR & HEAD GIRLʼS AWARD CameliaJoel Davison

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Estella Dhanda

PHYSICS KaWai Kwok

HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ART, COMPUTING, ENGLISH, HISTORY, MATHEMATICS, RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND SCIENCE RosemaryDangerfield

ECONOMICS Catherine Lee GEOGRAPHY Eleanor Robinson BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS, SENIOR SPORTS CUP, DARWIN AWARD & DOUROUNTAKIS CUP FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Sophie Ross CHEMISTRY & MATHEMATICS Kalyca Samra CLASSICS, THE MIRANDA LEATHAM, SINGING CUP, SERVICES TO CHAPEL CHOIR & ALEXANDER AWARD Catherine Sedgwick

RELIGIOUS STUDIES Leila Mount

HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMPUTING, FRENCH, GEOGRAPHY, MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION MatildaWard

SECOND YEAR COMMENDATIONS ART Kathy Zhang COMPUTING FarahWalter

ENGLISH & HISTORY Virginia Sheckler

DRAMA HoneyPhaure

PHOTOGRAPHY TszChing Tang

ENGLISH & SCIENCE Annie Dripps

ART & TEXTILES RuthTaviansky

FRENCH Charlotte Coates GEOGRAPHY Luka Devaux

10

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

HISTORY & PHYSICAL EDUCATION Isobel Thomas LATIN Portia Smith

FOURTH YEAR COMMENDATIONS

MUSIC & RELIGIOUS STUDIES Milly Holdsworth

ART LucyKeddie

SPANISH TeniolaRaji

BIOLOGY & ENGLISH Madison Dunn

HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMPUTING, LATIN, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND SPANISH Carolina Heeschen

CHEMISTRY & PHYSICS KaMan Ng

THIRD YEAR PRIZES ART Isabel Gleasure CLASSICS SaskiaKotelawala COMPUTING VeronikaMaurus DRAMA DaisyBooth ENGLISH & GEOGRAPHY RubyWoodward FRENCH & SPANISH KendraJervis HISTORY HannahBeason LATIN& MUSIC LucyProctor MATHEMATICS TristaYen PHYSICAL EDUCATION LaraScott RELIGIOUS STUDIES Eliane Fidura SCIENCE Annabel Macpherson HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ART, COMPUTING AND MATHEMATICS LucyGrant

HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY, HISTORY AND LATIN Olivia Pryer

FIFTH YEAR PRIZES

MATHEMATICS AmyZhao

HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH, FRENCH AND GEOGRAPHY OonaGibbons

The Dragon 2018-19

HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH, HISTORY, LATIN, RELIGIOUS STUDIES, SCIENCE AND SPANISH Rosa Stanford-Harris

CLASSICS & GEOGRAPHY LeyanSun DRAMA MeganOʼHare FRENCH Charlotte Perucca HISTORY SummerMasood ICT MannatSahota LATIN Grace Smith MATHEMATICS Elaine Cao MUSIC Jacqueline Beaumont PHYSICAL EDUCATION Molly Robinson RELIGIOUS STUDIES Isabel Kardos-Stowe SCIENCE CartoonSuttipatarapan SPANISH ArianaRibeiro TEXTILES DaisyRhead HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN GEOGRAPHY, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SCIENCE Alice Kyle HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, MATHEMATICS AND MUSIC AmeliaMarriott

ART & ENGLISH June-Seo Chung BIOLOGY Shaina Lovell CHEMISTRY Ekaterina Tishchenko CLASSICS ElizaAgosta DRAMA JasmineKeiling FRENCH RubyCarty-Din GEOGRAPHY & LATIN Avah Rustomjee HISTORY & MATHEMATICS TabithaMacSwiney ICT Olivia Borthwick MUSIC DaisyTibbatts PHYSICAL EDUCATION AdrienneSilvano PHYSICS AliyaMillns RELIGIOUS STUDIES Celia Jackson SCIENCE Beau Clarke SPANISH Maya Torkington TEXTILES ImogenWigzell HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CLASSICS, DRAMA, HISTORYAND MATHEMATICS Olivia Clouting HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC, SCIENCE AND SPANISH Solana delAzar HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, ENGLISH, FRENCH, LATIN AND PHYSICS Aimee Thompson

11

AWARDS 2018-19 LOWER SIXTH COMMENDATIONS ART Millie Lewin BIOLOGY & GEOGRAPHY GraceWhitfield BUSINESS STUDIES Olivia Sweeney CHEMISTRY & FURTHER MATHEMATICS Site Li

SECOND YEAR PROGRESS PRIZE Anna Dripps THIRD YEAR PROGRESS PRIZE Ella Jackson FOURTH YEAR PROGRESS PRIZE LydiaWinchester FIFTH YEAR PROGRESS PRIZE AliyaMillns LOWER SIXTH PROGRESS PRIZE FatimahIqbal

SPORTS Isobel Thomas Charlotte Coates ALL ROUND SCHOLAR FOR ACADEMIC, DRAMA, ART AND SPORT OonaGibbons ART EXHIBITION Kathy Zhang

SIXTH FORM SCHOLARSHIPS Pre-existingscholarswho retain their scholarship for Sixth Form:

DRAMA Vasilisa Gagarina

EFFORT

ECONOMICS TejasviMuvvala

FIRST YEAR EFFORT PRIZE EmilyOʼNeill

ENGLISH & FRENCH Isabella Stanford-Harris

SECOND YEAR EFFORT PRIZE Ava Kyle

HISTORY KeshniVadivelloo

THIRD YEAR EFFORT PRIZE VeronikaMaurus

HISTORY OF ART SophieMacfadyen

FOURTH YEAR EFFORT PRIZE AmeliaMitten

MATHEMATICS & PHYSICS CarolineLam

FIFTH YEAR EFFORT PRIZE ImogenWigzell

INDIVIDUAL DISTINCTION AND HOUSE AWARDS

PHOTOGRAPHY AbiRickett

LOWER SIXTH EFFORT PRIZE Millie Lewin

THE GOOD COMPANIONS CUP Edina Green

POLITICS PoppySweetenham

ACADEMIC RubyCarty-Din AndnewAll RoundSixth Formscholarships to: ACADEMIC AND PERFORMING ARTS Olivia Clouting ACADEMIC AND ART June-Seo Chung

THE SPIRIT OF ST GEORGE AWARD Ava Kyle JUNIOR CO-CURRICULARAWARDS

PSYCHOLOGY Olivia Sweeney RELIGIOUS STUDIES FatimahIqbal SPANISH & TEXTILES Chiara Incisa di Camerana HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY, FURTHER MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS CiciFu HEADMISTRESSʼS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY, HISTORY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES LilyJones

JUNIOR ACTING CUP OonaGibbons

HOUSE AWARDS HOUSE WORK SHIELD FOR MERITS Winning House:Becket

JUNIOR MUSIC CUP LucyProctor

HOUSE CHAMPIONSHIP CUP Winning House:Alexander

JUNIOR SPORTS CUP DaisyBooth

13+SCHOLARSHIPS MUSIC Annie Dripps PERFORMING ARTS (MUSIC & DRAMA) Milly Holdsworth

PROGRESS

PERFORMING ARTS (DANCE & DRAMA) NyahMillns

FIRST YEAR PROGRESS PRIZE Olivia Wells

SWIMMING CostanzaCaldana

12

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

The Dragon 2018-19

13

SCHOOL NEWS TOP A LEVEL AND GCSE RESULTS Girls at St Georgeʼscelebratedafter achieving excellentALevel results.Manyindividual pupils gainedoutstandinggradesas well asentrance to top universities inthe UKandoverseaswith 35% of results gradedA*-A,against a national backdropof 25.5% A*-A.

GCSEs at 9/8/7),TabithaMcSwinney(ten GCSEs at 9/8/7),Solana delAzar (nine GCSEs at 9/8/7)and Avah Rustomjee(eight GCSEs at 9/8/7).Theseseven girlsʼ talents andeffortswerealso rewardedinJuly whenthey each received a numberof academicprizes andcupsincluding the HeadmistressʼsAwardsfor OutstandingAcademicAchievementat Prize Giving.

Kwok, Ka Wai (Bernice)

Thegirls producedstunningresults in a variety of academicandvocational subjects,gainingplaces at a rangeof prominentdestinations fromRussell Group universities suchasEdinburgh,Bristol, Exeter,Warwick, Newcastle andNottinghamto acclaimedinstitutions suchas RADA,CondeNast College of Fashion& DesignandNewYorkUniversity. Pupils went onto reada wide rangeof coursesincludingMedicine and Surgery,Criminology,Equine Sports Science, Business Management,History,Philosophy,Liberal Arts,Fine Art, FashionandActing, truly demonstratingthebreadth of a St Georgeʼseducation.Particularly impressiveresults this yearwere awardedin FineArt andPhotography (bothachieving100% A*), andPolitics wheretwothirds of girls were awardedAgrades,continuing the impressivetrack recordof these departmentsat St Georgeʼs.

Many subjectareas achieved veryimpressiveresults. Of particular note wasDramaachieving 56% grades9/8, English Language60% grade7 andabove,Spanish 55% grades7 andabove,History55% grades7 and above andBiology 53% grades7 andabove.

Mutu, Faith (Ebi)

Topmarksin the school went to Ruth, whowas awardedA*, A*, A,B, andKaseywhoachievedA*, A*, A. Othernotable performerswereSophie andFiona whobothachieved straightA grades.Sophiewill study Medicine andSurgeryat Newcastle University andFiona will studyPhilosophyat theUniversity ofEdinburgh.

HeadGirl, Camelia achieved academicsuccess alongside manyextra-curriculartriumphs,whilst providinganinvaluable link betweenstaff andpupils overthe pastyear.Camelia achievedA gradesinPolitics, GeographyandDramaandmoveson to read Liberal Artswith StudyAbroadat the University ofExeter.

Mrs Hewer commented:“I amimmenselyproudthat yet again a St GeorgeʼsSixth Formeducation hasopened the doorof opportunityfor its pupils.Thevast majority ofgirls are headingtoa variedlist ofRussell Group universities andprestigiousUSuniversities with a few choosingto pursueother impressiveopportunities.

Theseengaginggirls have workedvery hardover the past two years, supportedbyour committedstaff, to produceanimpressiveset ofA Level results.At St Georgeʼswe believe in encouragingthegirls wherever their talents andinterests lie. Therangeof degreesthat ourleavers are goingonto readthis year is remarkable, reflecting the ever-changinglandscapeof education andemploymentandthe exceptional andindividualised guidancetheyreceive at St Georgeʼs.I amexcitedto seewhat the future holdsfor thesecapable, confident youngwomen”.

Following a nerve-wrackingwait, there were smiles all roundasFifth Yeargirls openedtheir GCSE results.

Nearly a third of the cohortachieved sixormoreGCSEs gradedat9, 8or7 (equivalent toA*/Ain theold grading system).

Topperformersthis year were AimeeThompson(eight 9s,one8, andone 7) andEkaterina Tishchenko(one 9,five 8sandfour7s).Also celebratingwere Olivia Clouting (nine GCSEs at 9/8/7),June Chung(eleven

14

Economics,Maths, Physics Lee, Catherine Economics,History, Maths -Cardiff, Economicsand History

Chemistry,History,Biology -Iowa, Psychology andPre-Med Phan, Natalie

Commentingonthese pleasing results, Mrs Hewer said: “In thewakeof higherlevels ofrigourandchallenge with the newly reformedGCSEs,I amdelighted by theseresults.We are fortunate, asa smallschool, that we are able to offer suchanextensiverangeof GCSE subjectsandhaveinspirational staff whoexcite intellectual curiosityandprovidea stimulatingand happyenvironment.Coupled with small class sizes,an emphasisontheindividual andexceptional rangeof co-curricularactivities, it is notsurprisingthat pupils hereare able to achieve theseimpressiveresults.Girls suchasAimee,Ekaterina, Olivia, June,Tabitha,Solana andAvahinputgreatlyinto all theactivities onofferat St Georgeʼsandreally deserveto havedonesowell.

Ourreputation at St Georgeʼsis built onconsistency andI lookforward to thesecapable andconfidentgirls progressinginto the SixthForm– theyhave muchto lookforwardto”.

Business, Psychology,Economics Robinson, Eleanor Psychology, Geography,Biology -Hartpury, Equestrian SportsScience Ross, Sophie Maths, Chemistry,Biology -Newcastle, Medicine andSurgery Samra, Kalyca Economics,Business, Geography -City, Business Management Sedgwick, Catherine (Katie) Politics, History,Classical Civilisation -Nottingham, Politics& InternationalRelations

UPPER SIXTH DESTINATIONS Thefollowing list showsALevel subjectstakenandplans forhighereducation, asat September2019: Al-Naib, Susannah Drama,History, English -Glasgow, History Allen, Fiona History,Politics, RS -Edinburgh, Philosophy Bennett, Leila Politics, Drama,Geography-Exeter, Sociology Brett, Emily-Louisa Business, Politics, Geography-Lincoln, Events Management

Shao, Lijia Maths, Chemistry,Biology -Queen Mary London, Biochemistry Sheckler, Virginia English, History, RS -New York,History Shin, Hyein (Christina) Economics,Maths, Further Maths,Textiles Shirai, Suzune History, Psychology,RS -Warwick, Sociology& Quantitative Methods

Clements, Phoebe Business,PE, Psychology Green, Edina Textiles,Business, Economics-Conde Nast, Fashion Communication

Smith, Annabel English, Drama,Biology -Bristol UWE, PrimaryEducation Tang, TszChing (Kasey)

Hayward, Alice Business,Politics, Psychology-Bristol, Criminology Jennings, Millie English, Geography,RS

Art, Textiles,Photography -Regentʼs, FashionDesign& Marketing Taviansky, Ruth Textiles,Art, Economics,English -Arts Uni Bournemouth,

Joel Davison, Camelia Politics, Drama,Geography-Exeter, Liberal Arts Kumar, Khushboo English, History,Maths

Art Foundation Zeng, Zenan (Rebecca) Maths, Physics,Chinese

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

CHROMEBOOKS & DRAGONFLY Therehave beenmanyexciting innovations in technologyat St GeorgeĘźsthis year.Girls in the First to Fifth Yearshavebeenissued with Chromebooksto allow themto take advantage of the advancementsintechnology asa tool for learning, andSixth Formgirls

The Dragon 2018-19

continueto bringin their owndevices to supporttheir studies.Thisinnovation has enabledgirls to accessthe GoogleSuite of appsto store,create andcollaborate on schoolwork. In addition, the schoolhas a newVirtual LearningEnvironmentand communicationsystemcalled Dragonfly.This

enablesstaff to sharecontentfor teaching andlearning with their pupilsmoreeasily.All prepis nowset via Dragonflywhich means girls neverneedto worrythat theyhave not takendownthe correct instructions from the teacher,and the tasksand deadlines are clearly displayed.

15

ST GEORGEʼS GIRLS TAKE TO THE SHOWJUMPING RING Congratulations to FourthYearMolly whorepresentedSt Georgeʼsat the GordonʼsSchool showjumpingcompetition onSunday10March. Molly didfantastically in bothrounds andgot a doubleclear in the 70cmin a timeof 58seconds and 80cmin 55seconds.

Congratulations to Fifth Yearpupil Imogen,whowas not onlybusyrevising for herGCSEs this year,butalso tookto the showjumpingarena. Overthe Easter holidays, Imogen competedat the South Suffolk Showwhere shewent on towin andqualified forRoyal International, a remarkable achievementconsideringherhorse,Betty (Bowland Undercover) hasonly beenridden for just over a year.On Sunday12 May, Imogenrodeat the RoyalWindsor Horse Show in the 153cmWorking HunterPonyclass andcamea veryrespectable sixth.

ROYAL ASCOT SCHOOLS ART COMPETITION Entries floodedin fromSt Georgeʼsgirls forthe Royal AscotSchoolsArt Competition,nowin its secondyear andfor all schoolsinAscot.Over2,000online entries were submittedfroma numberof local schools,with St GeorgeʼsArt scholar Isabel (ThirdYear) beingchosenas the winner bothoverall andin the age13-14category.

Isabel wasinvited toattend theAscotVictoria Cup Racedayon Saturday 11May with herfamily andMiss Antolik, HeadofArt, wherethe artists werecelebrated andshereceived a £50Amazonvoucher,andchequefor £1,000forthe school.Isabel wasalso invited to attend the Saturday ofRoyalAscot whereshehadthe unique opportunity to have herphotographtaken with someof the jockeysandreceived a special jacket.

St GeorgeʼsFirstYearpupilLucia wasalso highly commendedinthe age 12category for herartwork. We are incredibly proudofbothgirls for their achievements.

16

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

YOUNG ENTERPRISE ArecordnumberofLowerSixthpupilssigneduptothe YoungEnterprise programmethis year,taking advantage oftheopportunityto start andruntheir owncompanies.

Thelaunchtookplace onTuesday2October at Hondaʼs newoffice complexinBracknell, with newadditions tothis yearʼscompetitionincluding theopportunityto arunaSocial Enterprisei.e. onewhereall profitsare distributedto charitable causes.Anew directorship rolewas alsoaddedtothe traditional list ofLeadership rolesthat includeFinance Director,MarketingDirector etc. Girls nowhavethe opportunitytoadopta Digital Directorrole whichincorporatesresponsibility for managingthe web-basedsideofthebusinessincluding the companyʼsInstagramand Facebookaccounts.The last newadditionis theSustainability criterion,oneof the measuresusedbytheYoungEnterprise judgesto assesseach companyʼsapproachto socially responsible businesspractice.

OurLowerSixthentrepreneursstarted thecomplex taskof raisingfinance tofundthelaunchof their final productideas.Thepupilsembarkedonthis process byselling arangeof itemssuchassweetsandsoft drinksat theschoolMusical production,SisterAct. One company,ʻBelles Lumieresʼ,alsodecidedtosell raffle

The Dragon 2018-19

prizedrawtickets tofinance thepurchaseofa rangeof scentedcandlesthat ultimately becametheir corefinal product.Theteamsquicklydiscoveredjust howdifficult it istogenerateadequatelevels offinance inbusiness andthis initself becameavital lessonintheirYoung Enterprise journey.

OnSaturday2March, thecompanieswereinvited to attend theannualTradeFairintheLexiconShopping CentreinBracknell. ThiswasanopportunityforYoung Enterprise companiestosell their remainingstock beforebeingfinally wounddowninMay.All theSt Georgeʼsteamsexcelled, andKiwi companywere awardedBest TradeStand bytheDutyManagerat the Lexicon.

Wednesday1Maysaw theannual area final of theYoungEnterprisecompetition.St Georgeʼsfour companiesworkedincredibly hard all yeartocreate trulyinnovative andsuccessful businesses.Thearea finals eventwastheir opportunityto presenttheir companyjourneytoa panelof judges.We aredelightedto announcethatʻCosmoʼ(pictured to theright) wasawardedCompanyof

theYearandprogressedtothe Berkshire Countyfinals.

Ourothercompanies,Koala, Kiwi andBelles Lumieres, also receivedawardsincludingʻBest CompanyReportʼ andʻBest CustomerServiceʼ.

Cosmoheadedto theOracleConferenceCentre in ReadingfortheBerkshire countyfinal onTuesday14 May,wheretheypresentedtheir companytoapanel of judgesandanswered somedifficult questionsabout the sustainability andethical credentialsof their product.

Cosmoperformedincredibly well against somevery stiff competitionandwecongratulateall thegirls in Cosmofortheir outstandingachievementin reaching theCountyfinals.

We wouldliketocongratulate all ourgirlsonan incredible yearʼswork.

17

ST GEORGEĘźS DAY CELEBRATIONS Thesummertermstarted with a bang, as girls enjoyedschooltraditions for St GeorgeĘźsDay includingthe chapelservice, GeorgianFeast and GeorgianGallop.

Luckwaswith usas the weather stayeddry forthe Gallop, whichthis yeartook theform ofan obstacle courseonthefield to avoid the swimmingpoolconstruction site. Pupils andstaff performedadmirablyaroundthe course,tackling the obstacles with determination andhumour.It wasfantastic to seethe effort therunnerswere putting in, andeveryone shouldbe very proudof their performances.

Thetop 3teamswere: 1st -Alexander HouseThirdYear -well done Daisy,Lara,Ella andAlice 2nd-Becket HouseThirdYear 3rd-Alexander HouseFirst andFourthYear Thefinal teamscoreswere collated byadding upall the teamstimesandthe results were as follows: 1st -Alexander House-61min 43sec 2nd-Becket House -64min 20sec 3rd -Darwin House -65min 30sec 4th -Churchill House-67min 6sec Well doneAlexanderHouse!

18

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK DuringNational ScienceWeek, the Science Department joinedin the funandheld ourownSGA ScienceWeek. It started with Mr Rhodesgivingan assemblylookingat the journey of becomingHomosapiens. Heshared the origins andrisky behavioursof ourdistance ancestors,along with the striking similarities between Homorhodesiensisand himself.

Thegirls in the FourthYearand selected ThirdYeargirls wereable totake partin theBiology Challenge,while the A Level Physics pupils completedthe Physics Olympiad.

TheScience Fair saw high-qualityprojects rangingfromthe obligatory volcano modelthroughto aninnovative project looking at usingmilk to makebiodegradable plastics.

Threealumnaewhoare currently studyingMedicine, PharmaceuticalsandArtificial Intelligence at University College Londonvisited the girls andgave inspiringand motivatingtalks abouttheir field ofstudyandthequalities neededtosucceedin STEMsubjects.In addition, Ben DraperfromKings College Londonspoketo ourA Level Biology pupils about his research into CAR-Ttherapy; a completelynewtypeof therapythat usesgenetically modifiedimmunecells to kill cancercells.

Oneach daypupils volunteered to belockedin a science laboratoryandwere challengedto usetheir scientific knowledge andproblem-solvingskills to escape.This provedto bequite difficult. However,thegirls whoworked bestas a teamwere able to solve the puzzlesandfind the keyto unlock the door.

DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATIONS Duringthe seasonof the Mexican Dayof the Dead,the SecondYearslearnt aboutthe festivities ofEl DĂ­adelosMuertos.Aftera presentationin Spanishaboutthe origins ofthis tradition, thegirls completeda quiz andthey enjoyedicing their cookieskull, creating decorationsfor the Ofrendasskulls (altar of remembrance)andsamplingat the chocolatetasting.

The Dragon 2018-19

19

BOARDING NEWS Theboarding communityhas been kept busythroughoutthe year with evening and weekendactivites including escaperooms, ice skating, pizzaandpampernights(and the newly introducedcheeseandbiscuit nightsin Knatchbull),a trip toWinterWonderland,the Inflatable ColourRun,andcelebratingvarious national andinternational eventssuchas Nigerian IndependenceDayand ChineseNew Year.

Aparticular highlightfor girlsin Markham Housewas Harry Potter Book Night onThursday 7February, when they descendeduponthe libraryfor festivities. Thefantastic evening offrolics first sawthe girls beingsortedinto their respective Hogwartshousesbeforethe competitionsbeganinearnest. Girls bravely sampledsomeofBertie BottĘźs Every Flavour Beans,recordedtheir favourite St GeorgeĘźs

20

memorywhile reminiscing around the memory basin, also knownasThePensieve,created elf profiles, designedsocksandfinished the eveningwith a goldensnitch huntaroundthe library.

It waslovely tosee thewhole boarding communitycometogether onThursday16 May to have an evening of funbefore some ofthe UpperSixthandFifth Yearleft usfor studyleave andtheir exams.Therewere gardengames,which endupgetting a little competitive,andice creamsgalore! Thefire pit drewthe girls together to toast marshmallows and makesmores,as well as keepingthem warmthroughout the beautiful summer evening.It wasa lovely opportunitytoget all thegirls togetherandfor theolder girls to switch off andrelax duringtheir exams.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES OnWednesday 12December,the whole school gatheredin the Chapelfor somefun(and noisy!) carol singing.Thiswasfollowed bya delicious Christmasdinnerin the dininghall; roast turkey andall the trimmings.Girls andstaff enjoyed the opportunityto cometogether to celebrate a successfulterm,andafter dinnerthe girls madetheir wayover to the SueCormackHall for a party and lots of dancing!

Thefollowing day,the annual Festival of Lessons with Carolsat WindsorParish Churchwasa magical endto theAutumnTermat St GeorgeĘźs.TheChapel ChoirandFirst YearChoirsangbeautifully andthe service combinedreadingsfroma numberof girls in eachyear group.Staff, parentsandgirls hada lovely timesinging andlistening to the choirsand readings beforeheading off to enjoythe holidays.

The Dragon 2018-19

21

AUSTRALIAN EXCHANGE PROGRAMME WITH ST CATHERINEʼS, MELBOURNE TheAustralian Exchangeprogrammecontinued this year, with threeThirdYeargirls,Annabel,ConnieandCharlotte, selectedto takepart intheannual exchangetrip with St CatherineʼsSchool,Melbourne.Thegirls weregivena send-offoverdrinksandbiscuits duringmorningbreakon Wednesday16January, andreceived awarmwelcome upontheirarrival inAustralia bygirlsfromSt Catherineʼs,

Melbourne.Aftergetting their uniforms,thegirls quickly settled intothenewenvironment.

Ontheir return, thegirls ledmorningassemblywherethe visitors fromSt CatherineʼsSchool, Melbourne,Holly,Pia andSummer,commentedontheir experiencesin the United Kingdomwith their highlightsincluding visits toScotland, Bath andthe excellentschoolfoodwhich compareswell tothepackedluncheswhicharestandardinAustralian

education.TheirSt Georgeʼsexchangehosts,Annabel, ConnieandCharlotte toldthegirls abouttheir timespent “Down Under” inthe SpringTermandtheirhighlights whichinvolved surfing,rowing andthe outdoorculture madepossiblebygreat weather.All thegirls expressedtheir gratitude totheir exchangepartnerʼsfamilies, howbeneficial theexperiencehadbeen,andtheir encouragementfor youngergirls toapplyforthe exchangeprogrammeinthe future.

CITY KIDS BEST SCHOOL MENU AWARD We werethrilled tobehighly commendedinthe “Best SchoolMenuSecondary”categoryoftheCity KidsSchool FoodAwardsthis term.Ourcatering teamwork tirelessly tooffer girlsandstaff alarge rangeof choicesforbreakfast, lunchandsupper,not tomentionbreakandtea timetoo! We wouldlike totakethis opportunitytothankthemfor all their hardwork,andcongratulate themon receiving this commendation.

22

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

SCHOOL LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR 2018 Congratulations to MsKennedywhowas honourslisted for theSchool LibraryAssociationʼsʻSchool Librarian oftheYearʼ Award. MsKennedywasone ofonlyfourschool librarians on the honourlist forthe national award, anddidusproudat the celebratory ceremonyon9October.Comingaway with a smileonher face, asalways, MsKennedywill nowbeworking closelywith theSLA to promotetheGreat SchoolLibraries initiative, whichaimsto producea national frameworkand securefundingfor schoollibraries acrossthe UK. Youcan find out more,andbecomea supporterof the campaignat: www.greatschoollibraries.edublogs.org

REMEMBRANCE SERVICE AND POPPIES INSTALLATION Tomarkthe centenary of the endofWordWar I, manyschools, churchesandcommunitiescreated prayer spaces.At St Georgeʼs this took the formof striking redribbons hangingfromthe chapel ceiling, whichwere in place theweek after theOctoberhalf term.

Asthe week went by,prayers,thoughtsandreflections were added to the ribbons,written onpaperpoppies,creating a powerful piece of art to which manyhadcontributed. At ourtwo Remembrance Services, these poppyprayerswere a visual reminderofour prayers of thanksgivingfor thosewhodied, of sorrowfor the lack of peacein ourownlives andrelationships, andof ourlongingsfor peacein the world aroundus,even to this day.ʻWe will rememberthemʼ.

The Dragon 2018-19

23

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY On10OctoberSt GeorgeʼsrecognisedWorld Mental Health Dayin association with YoungMinds.Aʻbalance treeʼ wasput upin the lower foyerof Luker,where girls were encouragedtothink abouthow theyachieve balance andaddtheir thoughtstothe tree.We saw somelovely responsesfromgirls andstaff, andheard lots of dicsussionsaroundschoolabout creating balance in ourbusylives.

AUTHOR ROBIN STEVENS VISITS ST GEORGEʼS OnFriday 7December,weplayed hostto the mistress of mystery,RobinStevens. Thepopularauthor of the MurderMost Unladylike seriesof booksenthralled uswith tales of murdermostfoul anddiscussedthe inspiration behindherbooks.What better place thana girls boardingschoolto stage a crime!

TheFirst toThirdYearsalso created their ownmurder mysteryscenarios; completedwith motive,murderer andvictim. Theexcitementinthe roomwas palpable asthe girls finishedthe daybygetting their books signedbyRobin.

24

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

TINKER TAILORCAREERS SEMINAR TheFifth Yeargirls enjoyedtwo newcareers learning sessionsthisyear delivered by trainers fromTinker Tailor.Thepupils were helpedthrougha series of exercisesto developanawareness oftheir ownskills and ambitions to allow themto makemore informedandrealistic decisionsabouttheir futures.Thework of each of the four groups of pupils was facilitated by a coach currently

The Dragon 2018-19

workingin the commercialworld andhelped the girls to considerthe rangeof jobs available in industry,how to makethe mostof work experience,how to marketthemselves successfullyand to useopportunities to network efficiently. Thepupilsgained a much greater insight into these crucial areas for their futureand developedskills usefulfor the planningof potential workexperienceinthe summerafter their GCSE examinations.

25

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD

BRONZE AND SILVER QUALIFYING EXPEDITIONS In Septemberourever-intrepidDofE Bronzeand Silver cohortssuccessfully completedthe assessment legs of their DukeofEdinburghAwards.

TheBronzegroupsmadeit their missionto camp in, andnavigate through,thebeautiful Forestof AshdowninSussex,fabled for the birth place of Winnie thePoohandhis friends.En routethey

26

played PoohSticks fromthe bridgeand encountered all mannerofinteresting wildlife andweather.

Althougha little soggytowardsthe end,andwith a few minornavigational detours,ourintrepid troop finished in highspirits andwere justly veryproudof their achievements,aswere weall.

Brecon Beacons inWales. Theyhadstunningviews andlots offun alongthe way,despite theincreasing onsetof rain that dideventually becomequite torrential. This,however,didnot dousetheir spirits, andthey finished ona highwith lovely memoriesto bothshare andcherish.

Ona similar weekendina remotepart ofthe country,ourequally intrepid Silver groupsoptedto crossPenYFanin thegloriousNational Parkof the

Well donetoall thegirls whoparticipatedin another truly triumphantDofE season.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

SILVER PRACTICE EXPEDITION ThisyearSt Georgeʼsgirls in FourthYear undertooktheir first ever hybridSilver Duke of EdinburghʼsAwardExpedition to the Lake District.

Thegirls set off bright andearly onThursday 6June to ConistonWater,arriving in timefor the rain cloudsto clear andthe sunto come out.Theyenjoyeda shortday walk with their instructorsin thebeautiful setting bythe lake,with theOldMan ofConiston(the local mountain) looking onfromabove.

Ondaystwo andthree the groupswere introducedto canoeing.Theywerekitted upin wetsuits andbuoyancyaids andwent out onto thewater to learn howto paddle,turnand reverse stroke.Theywere soonwhizzing upthe lake to lunchonan idyllic beachnearby.In the afternoon they played gamestohelp improve their paddlingtechnique. Ontheir secondday of canoeing,the girls were takenona journey downthelake to theisland that inspiredthe stories of the Swallows andtheAmazonsseries what an adventure! However,that night, the rain poureddownand the groupswere grateful for

the shelter of the schoolminibusas they drove acrossto Ulverston to stockuponsomefood supplies for the nextfew days.

Theexpeditionfinished with a two dayjourney onfootthroughthevalley ofElterwater, with stunningviews andbeautiful sunshine.

Congratulationsto all involved ona successful training andpractice expeditionandgoodluck forthe qualifying expedition.

GOLD EXPEDITION Duringthe May half termour intrepid Gold Duke of EdinburghʼsAwardgroupwent upto the stunningLakeDistrict fortheir practice expedition.

Theretheyembarkedontwo daystraining in opencanoesonLakeConiston, before heading off onfoot, trekkingacrosstheNational Parkto Langdale wheretheycamped,thenonwardto Easdale, to finish off their expeditioninAmbleside besideLakeWindermere.Despite somequite challenging Lakelandweather, the grouppulled togetherandkepttheir spirits high.Well done Golds!

The Dragon 2018-19

27

GOLD AWARDS Manycongratulations to 2018leaver Eleanor whoreceived her Gold DukeofEdinburgh Award at BuckinghamPalace on17May. Izzy andRaabia also receivedtheir GoldAwardsthis year,andawait their invitations toBuckingham Palace. We are veryproudofthemall.

BRONZE PRACTICE EXPEDITION Well doneindeedtoall theThirdYeargirls whoparticipated with enthusiasmandgreat determination in the Bronzeexpedition on Friday 17and Saturday 18May.Thegirls hadto showtrue grit and resilience toremainin (mostly!) goodspirits despitewet tents,wet clothes andgenerally wet conditions! Therewassomeexcellent teamwork,strongnavigation, great fire-lightingskills andexquisite andinnovative cooking.Thiscapable andconfident groupofgirls progressedonto the qualifying expedition in September.

28

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

ACTIVITIES DAY OnWednesday12Septembergirls fromacrossthe schoolspentthe daydoingvarious activities in their year groupstobondandlearn newskills beforegetting stuck into theyear ahead.

FIRST YEAR ThenewFirst Yeargirls went ona trip to Marwell Zoo.Theweather wasa little onthe miserableside butthe girls enjoyedseeing the tigers andleopards, as well asdiscoveringthe steamingtropical area andtaking part in a workshop about conservation, which madethemthinkof the world fromananimalʼs perspective.First YearsOrla andRosie said ofthe workshop“It madeus realise that we should protectthe world that we live in, not destroyit”.

SECOND YEAR TheSecondYeartrip to Little Marlow wasa bighit. Thegirls tookpart in a seriesof threeoutdooractivities; crate stacking,kayakingandraft building.

Thedaywas full of teamworkandfun, andthe girls hadto learn to trust one anotherand keepeachother safe, particularly in the skyhighcrate stacking.

Thegirls had an amazingexperience and manywished they could have stayed for longer.

THIRD YEAR TheThirdYearwent to HenfoldLakesfor bushcraftactivities andhad a fabulous day.Theywere taught howto find shelter andput upcoversto protect a fire. Theywatched an interesting demonstrationabout howto make a fire before their team skills were put to the test as they built fires of their ownonwhich a cakehad to bebaked! Thereweresomescrumptiouscakes andthe winnerswereAlice, Charlotte, Lottie, MeganandLily.

FOURTH YEAR TheFourthYearspentActivities Dayat SpyGames,a spythemedteam building andproblemsolving venuewhere the instructors putyou into teams andset a variety ofchallenges to completeinorderto gain SpyDollars.At the endof the day,the winning teamwouldreceive medals(andpride!) The girls workedexceptionally well together andshowedstrong communication skills. Lotsof funwas hadbyall andthe themeofthe daywas definitely laughter.

FIFTH YEAR TheFifth Yearenjoyedlunch at ZizzionTheStrand beforetaking their seats in the GrandCircle of theAdelphiTheatreto seea fantastic performanceof Kinky Boots. Thegirls contemplatedwhether the red, sparkly knee-highbootswould complimentthe St Georgeʼs red school uniformjumper.Theshowis heartwarming,at timeshilarious, andan extremelyfunwayfor the girls to catch up beforetheGCSE yearwas in full swing.

SIXTH FORM TheSixthFormgirls walkeddowntowardsthe pavilion, with little knowledge of what they were goingto embarkon.Theywere metbya team of enthusiastic instructors who gave them the title of the activities “A computerisedscavengerhunt”. Thegirls hadto completetasks andearn points.In tutor groupstheyset off in manydifferent directions to complete a whole rangeof challenges including; finding outwhen the racecoursewas founded,takinga pictureof a local celebrity andfilminga groupcelebration.

Theywere also taskedto bringback items,and bythe endof the daygirls were carrying everything fromanegg to stickers anda hat madefrom flowers. Thepointswere tallied upandMr Naeemʼstutor groupcameouton top,with Ms Morgan andMr Rhodestutor groupcomingavery close second.

The Dragon 2018-19

29

SCHOOL TRIPS

Dozens and dozens of school trips have taken place this year.

Here are the accounts of some of them.

30

MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE OnSaturday 22September twenty-onegirls set off for Reigate GrammarSchoolĘźs Model United Nations oneday conference. Formany of the girls, ranging fromThird Year to Upper Sixth,this wastheir first conferenceandthey were concernedabout the expectations on themand indeed what to expectfromothers at the conference.St GeorgeĘźsrepresented theviews offour countries;Jordan, China, Mexicoand Zimbabwein manyinternational issues.Thisincludeddebates onthe Iran Nuclear Deal, the issuesof bio-terrorism, child labour,protection of undocumented

migrants,the rights of prisoners andconcerns with regardto theover exploitation ofnatural resources.All of the delegates hadto have a policy statementfor their countryto be discussedin their different committees.It is a challenging but encouragingenvironment andtherefore all ourdelegates spokein their committeesat somepoint. Olivia andRuth spokeat the General Assembly,which is a dauntingprospecttosay the least. Katie won Highly Commendeddelegate for her role in the committeediscussingthe Iran Nuclear Deal.Additionally we hada numberof best delegatesin variouscategories.Well doneto Bella, Joanna andKhushboo.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

The Dragon 2018-19

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY VISIT TO FARNHAM SCULPTURE PARK Agroupof FourthYearFineArtists and LowerSixth Art andPhotographypupils visited FarnhamSculpture Park onthe sunny September morningof 13 September.Theywere instantly fascinated bytheresident dovesand wonderfularray of sculpturesondisplay.Girls tooka variety ofmaterials toworkwith and

hadprepared collage sheets to draw onto.The girls workedveryhardon their observational drawings, producinga numberof beautiful drawingsfor their sketchbooks.Lower Sixth photographypupils experimentedwith black andwhite film camerasandfocused on aperture andshutter speed.LowerSixth Fine Art pupilsusedthetrip asa starting pointand inspiration fortheir coursework.Girls were

fortunate to meetan artist fromZimbabwe ona 6monthresidency at the parkwho was installing andworkingonhis opal stone sculptures. Theythen sat and drew a number of his animal sculptures.FourthYeargirls respondedtosculptures they saw bycreating a clay sculpturebackat schoolin theArt studio.

YPRES SALIENT Thesombresilhouettes ofBritish soldiersdotting bywaysofthe countrythis year are designedto remindusof the lossandabsence of thosewho paidthe ultimate pricein fighting fortheir country in the First WorldWar.TheArmistice signedone hundredyearsagogave anaddedpoignancyto thesecondvisit ofthe St George始sLowerSixthto Ypresanda numberofsites in the area around thecity in September.Anearly start allowed the girls to gain anawareness ofthe lossincurredto

all sidesin the fighting. ThegroupbeganinYpres with a visit to theSt George始sMemorialChurch, whichcontains a numberofplaquesillustrating the appalling numberofyoungmenwhodied from1914to 1918fromsomeofthe country始s leadingschools.Oftenfilling thejunior officer rankswho were expectedto lead byexample, the proportionof thosekilled fromindependent schoolswasextremelyhigh.Aftera visit to the astonishing memorialtothe missingat the Menin Gate, lunchandsomefree time,the groupmoved onto EssexFarmCemetery andtheYorkshire

Trenchanddugout which gives a senseof what it mighthavebeenlikein thefront lines.After a visit to Langemark始sGermanCemeterytheday culminatedwith timeat TyneCot, the largest CommonwealthWar Graves Commissionsite in theworldand therestingplace ofnearly 12,000 men.Readingthe namesofthosekilled in the war gavethe girls a freshperspective onthose namelessfigures bythe roadsideandprovided imagesofthe lost whichwill remainwith them.

31

ʻAN INSPECTOR CALLSʼ AT THE NEW WIMBLEDON THEATRE OnThursday4October,the English Department tookFourthandFifth Yearpupilsto see“An InspectorCalls” at theNewWimbledonTheatre.

Thisisoneof the iGCSE set textsfor English Literature, sothetrip wasan ideal opportunity forthe pupilsto watch the play.

Thetheatre wasfull of schoolpupils fromall overthe southofEngland, sotherewas a lively atmospherearoundtheauditorium.When Sheila

Birling (oneof theprincipal charactersinthe play) struckGerald Croft, there wasenough clapping andcheering to reachWimbledonHigh Street.

Thestoryinvolves the uncoveringof various sorts ofvillainy in andaroundtheBirling family.Asthe respectability of eachmemberof the family was shownbytheInspectorto befalse, theBirling residencegradually collapsed into rubbleonthe stage.Allin all, it wasa strikingproduction,very muchenjoyedby all the girls.

TEXTILES VISIT TO KNITTING AND STITCHINGSHOW, LONDON OnThursday11October,Fifth YearTextiles pupilsvisited theKnitting andStitching show at AlexandraPalace, London.Theexhibition gavethe girls theopportunityto meetavariety offamoustextiles artists anddeveloptheir knowledgeof textiles. Theyenjoyedseeing all the different workproducedusing a mixture oftechniquesandwere able to interview the artists andgain first handinformationaboutthe designersʼ interests anddesign process.They also hadthe chanceto view selected graduatesʼ workandsee the fascinating piecesthey had produced.

32

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

SPANISH AND GEOGRAPHY VISIT TO TENERIFE OnSunday21 October,eighteen girls from theThirdtoFifth Yearsflew toTenerifein the CanaryIslands to learn moreabout Geographyand Spanish.

ThegirlsĘź first dayonthe island wasspent in SiamPark, votedthe bestwater park in the world! Girls spent the daygoing onexciting rides,lying in the sun,and speakingSpanishwhen doingall the important things suchas ordering drinks andice creams!

Ondaytwo, girls hadthe chanceto visit a renownedeco parkwhere they saw amazingbioclimatic houses.Theylearned howthe architects hadtried to design the buildings while makethemostof the natural benefits of the surrounding environment.Thegirls were also showna modelofthe site andwere told abouthow renewable electricity was supplied to the houses,alongwith the tricks the architect has usedto keepthe housescool during the summermonths.

In theafternoon, thegrouptravelled to a nearbyport for a catamaranride to explore the beautiful coastline ofSouthernTenerife.

Duringthis two hourexcursion,the girls were amazedbythe scale of the ancient cliffs ofTenerifecalled LosGigantes.They

The Dragon 2018-19

were veryexcited whenthe skipperslowed downandthey gotto seethe shortfinned pilot whales which were swimmingonlya few metersfromour boat.

Ondaythree, the groupset off for a guided tourof theisland, andspecifically Mount Teide,to learn aboutthe two verydifferent typesof lava foundthere.

After a fascinating morningonTeide,the nextstopwas a tour of the west coast of Tenerife,wherethe girls saw the impact of the islandĘźs manyeruptions,andvisited Icod deLosVinos which is hometoa famousdragontree thought to be1000 yearsold!

Onthe last morninginTenerife,the group exploredthelava tubesleft byprevious volcanic eruptionsandfoundout that the island is made upof 351 volcanoes. They saw evidence of ancient lava flows all over the mountainside,andthen were lucky enoughto gounderground and explore the inside of lava tubesformedduringan ancient eruption. It was incredible and a little spookyas the local fauna includes lizards andlots of spiders.

Thegirls had an amazingtime and everyone was very sadto say goodbyeto Tenerife,and to the sunshine!

33

BILBAO MUN CONFERENCE OnThursday24January, nine girls set off forBilbao andtheModel UnitedNations (MUN) Conference,wherethey hadfour daysof exciting speechesanddebates ahead of them.Therewas stimulating

34

discussionof important issuessuch as defendingfundamentalrights in Venezuelaand efforts to comeupwith sustainable solutions for issuessuchas the situation in Crimeaandreducing inequality.Thegirlswere all able to gain new friends fromaroundthe globe

andhada lovely timeat theBlack Tie Formaldinner onthe last evening.The girls also gotto enjoysomelocal culture in the CascoViejoand at Guggenheim in Bilbao. Thetrip wasa successand everyonehada great timein Bilbao.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

WESTMINSTER CENTRALHALL OnMonday3DecembertheA Level Politics pupilsattendeda Politics conferenceheld at Central Hall inWestminster.Theyenjoyed excitingtalks bywell knownMPssuchasUKIPʼs Nigel FarageandtheConservativeMP Jacob Rees-Mogg.Thegirls listened to interesting questionsfromother Politics studentsto the MPs ontopics suchasthe currentissueson

ECONOMICS CONFERENCE 2018 OnMonday 26Novemberthe A Level Economicspupils headedoff to Londonfor the annual EconomicsStudent Conference.

Thisfascinating dayof lectures seessome of the biggest namesinthe Economics andPolitics field cometogetherto deliver

The Dragon 2018-19

Brexit andcriticisms ofanti-semitismwithin theLabourParty,which MPs answeredwith confidence.Thegirls also enjoyedhearing ChukaUmunna(then ofthe LabourParty) speakandinteract with theaudienceover inclusivity in societyand reducingpoverty within constituencies.Overallthe trip wasa great successandveryusefulfor all thePolitics studentsfuture studies andexampreparation.

a sequenceoflectures ontopics of current economicinterest. Thisyearʼsroster included KamalAhmed,the BBCʼs Economics Editor,and John McDonnell,the Shadow Chancellor,whobothdelivered incisive and inspiringtalks onthestate ofBritain today.

Asone would expect,Brexit appearedas

a recurring themethroughoutthe dayas didthe UKʼsPublic Finance position.The St Georgeʼspupilshada fantastic day,and this conferencereally helpedto highlight thepivotal role that economistsplayin shapingboththe domesticandinternational economiclandscape.

35

ETON COLLECTION On28January membersof the History ofArt ClubandALevel Art Historypupilsvisited the EtonCollection. Lydiatells usaboutthetrip.

“We firstwent tolookat theincredibleantechamberof the chapel which, in size,was alittle underhalfof whatit wasoriginally plannedto be.Thechapel, a beautiful late Gothic style building, servesas a memorial for boysthat have diedserving in previous wars.Wehadthe privilege ofgoingto College Library andlooking at various books publishedfromthe medieval period to the twentieth centuryincluding a Kelmscott Chaucer andexamplesof chalk drawings fromtheTophamcollection. We were shocked to hear that someof theʻpaperʼ wasmade ofvellum(animal skinsusuallypig, calf or sheep).We headedtotheVereyGallery where therewere countless,beautiful watercolour

MATILDA THEMUSICAL OnWednesday21January, the First Yeargirls went to seea performance ofMatilda in theCambridge Theatre,London.It was very special asSt Georgeʼspupil,Olivia, was performingasthe lead that day.She dida fantastic joband madeusall veryproud.FirstYearpupil,Tilly, tells usall aboutit.

“First Yearsall headedoffontheir coachtoLondonwith what felt like quite a longjourneyahead, aswe couldnʼtwaitto seeMatilda! When we reachedthe theatre, we bought somesnacksand popcornfor the showand then sat downin ourseats.

We probablyhadthe bestseats as 36

paintings.TheHistoryofArt ALevel girls gave ussomeinsight ontwo different paintings; onebyTurnerofa rural countryside town and the other byGainsborough,of a haunting yetstriking woodlandwith a lonefigure wanderingthroughit. Finally, weviewed HughieOʼDonoghueʼs(RA) series of painting “Seven Haltsonthe Somme”.Hehadcreated someveryabstract yet emotionalpaintings andwe hadto interpret howwe felt about themand thinkabout what the artist was trying to showus,which meantthinking a little outsidethebox!Thetripwas full ofthe richhistory ofEton Collegeandbeautiful, special artworkwhich everygirl onthetrip enjoyedseeing.”

We are particularly proudofLower Sixth pupil,Sophie,whosebrilliant talk intheVerey Gallery wasfeaturedonthe EtonCollections blog.

we were right upcloseto the stage.

Theshowwas amazing! There were somanydance scenes,funny moments,great songsand incredible acting. Myfavourite partswere when MrWormwoodhad his hair dyed green, MrsTrunchbullduring the Physical Education sceneandwhen BruceBogtrotter hadtoeat anentire chocolate cake.

Everyone enjoyedthe show immenselyandgave a standing ovationat theend.Afterthat, sadly wehadto leave thetheatre andget backonthe coach. Olivia performed extremelywell andwe wouldall love to goand seeher performagain.” www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

BLETCHLEY PARK OnMonday29April theMaths departmenttookall ofthe FourthYeargirlstoBletchley Parkin ordertolearn moreaboutcybersecurityandbreakingcodes.Onarrival thegirls weresplit intotwogroups,onegroupstarting with acybersecuritytalk andtheother with sometimeto lookaroundthe site, beforeswitching. Thetalk focusedontheimpact theworkdoneat Bletchley Parkhashadonthe internet andcurrentproceduresusedto encodedata,while alsogivingthe girlsthechanceto seeanEnigmamachineinaction, codinglettersof thealphabet.Theygota feel forthe hugedifficultyinvolvedin tryingto

decodeanymessagethat hadbeenencodedusingthe Enigmamachine.Therewasalso a guidedtourofthesite forbothgroupsduringthedayfocusingonthe peoplewhocame toBletchley andthevariety ofjobstheydid,andthedifficult conditionstheyworkedin, especially keepingtheirworksecretfromfriends andfamilynotevendiscussingwhat theydidwith otherBletchley Parkworkers.Thepupilsreally enjoyedlearningaboutthe fact that twothirdsofthepeopleat Bletchley werefemale,doingmanyofthe jobsthat hadhistorically beenamalepreservebeforethe war.Thiswasa veryenjoyableday focusingontheapplication ofMathematicsandits historical impact.

ROMAN BATHS OnWednesday15May theThirdYearvisited Bath, whichthe Romanscalled ĘťAquaeSulisĘź.

Theyspentthe morningat the RomanBaths and in the afternoon visited the Museumof Fashion.

Theylookedaroundthe Baths with an audioguide,learning aboutthe archaeology,theLatin inscriptions andthe objectswhich hadbeen foundat the Baths, suchas amphorae,perfume bottles, broochesandoyster shells.Theyalso had a chanceto drinkthe bathwater whichhad iron init anddidnottaste verynice! Atlunchtime, they walked fromthe museumto a beautiful park wherethey enjoyeda picnic andafter lunchthey strolled throughBath in glorioussunshineto the FashionMuseum.Here,theyvisited the exhibition andlearnt aboutclothing fromdifferent eras.They wereable totry onall sortsofdifferent clothes andstaged their ownfashion show.Theyendeda lovely daywith ice cream.

The Dragon 2018-19

37

BERLIN At an unsociable hourof the morningonFriday 3May, a groupof FourthYearHistorians set off forBerlin. Theaimwas to enrichthe History learning experienceswith a focusonthe Cold War andtheNazi Period.Berlin is anexciting, dynamiccity with somuchhistoryit wasdifficult toknowwhereto begin.With a talk onthe beginningsof the GermanEmpireanda visit to theReichstag, thestage wasset fora whirlwind tour of GermanHistory.Keyvisits included the HolocaustWar Memorial, the 1936Olympic Stadium,whichwasbreathtaking, aswell as a sombrevisit to Sachsenhausen,which was a timeofreflection. Thegirls werea credit to St GeorgeĘźsas they engagedat every opportunity andnever complainedof the busydaysand manymiles walked.

READING BUDDHIST CENTRE TheThirdYearsexperienceda meditation session led bytheinternationally renownedBuddhist Teacher,Gen KelsangNyingpo at the Reading KadampaCentre onTuesday11June. The calmingmeditation experiencewasperfectly timedbefore the girls commencedtheir internal 38

examinationsthefollowing week.Thegirls had the opportunityto deepentheir understandingof Buddhismandfind out moreaboutlife as a Buddhist nunin the UK today.Gen Nyingpogave somethoughtprovoking answers to the insightful questionsthat the girls asked. www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

DIOR AND SAATCHI GALLERY Textilespupils fromacrossthe schoolvisited theVictoria andAlbert MuseumandSaatchi Gallery on23March.Theyvisited theChristian Diorexhibitionat theVictoria andAlbert museum,where there were multiple pieces of his workdisplayed in imaginative ways.There were roomscategorised byonly white outfits, wedding-likedresses,outfits placed in window holes in a houseand a roomdecorated by paper-like,hangingfloral designsamonghis creations. Somecelebrities whowore Diorʼs dressesincludePrincess Margaret, Marilyn MonroeandEmilyBlunt. Diorhadcreative directors to help himout in the Houseof Dior.

Thesedirectors took over his work whenhe died and are called Marc Bohan, Yves Saint

The Dragon 2018-19

Laurent, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf SimonsandMaria Grazia Chiuri. Therewas a ballroomwith projectionsof glistening sparkles movingnear the dressesand an outfit inspiredbyEgyptian godsʼheads,in the shapeof the sphinx.Heeven had a roomfull of dressesinspiredbyclassical English flowers.

He loved British tweed, jackets and flowing dresses.Dior also loved gardensand so incorporatedlots of flowers. Hewasinspired bytheEiffel tower andthe Frenchskylineas well andincorporatedthis into hiswork.

Thereweremanydifferent sections andas the girls walkedinto eachroomthere wasa new themeto discover andobserve. Each room wasfilled with manydifferent coloursand

interesting designs.Thedresseswere packed with detail andfundesignsfromdifferent cultures andcenturies.Thegirls drewpictures of the outfits of their choice.

Afterwards they visited the Saatchi gallery where there was a special installation inspired bya kaleidoscope.Thegroupwere fortunate to be able to walk inside the installation with its mirrorsinside a hexagonalprism,and projectionsmakingit colourful. By having theseprojections,the girlsʼ bodieswereonly shownassilhouettes, as pictured above.

Therewere manyotherpieces of artwork and photographyoncanvasesincluding a series of collages of faces with householditemsas facial features.

39

NORMANDY Thisyear markedthe 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandyandthe ThirdYearswere fortunate enoughtoembarkupontheannual trip in suchan important year.

After leaving theschoolat a veryearly hour,the groupheadedtowards Folkestonefor the journey by Eurotunnel to Calais. First stopwasArromanches, where the famous360cinemashoweda short film about NormandyĘźs100Days.After an exploration of the beachesofArromanches,completewithWorld War Tworelics, anda stroll aroundthetown, it wastime to checkin to the Centre Bon Sejour.

40

Daytwowas jampacked with activities asthey visited Bayeux, homeof the famousTapestry,Omahaand the D-Daylanding beaches, theAmerican Cemetery andCaen for the Memorial Museum.Despite somuch activity, thegirls still hadenoughenergyfora discoin the evening.

OnThursdaya moreleisurely breakfast was followedbya trip tothe Merville GunBattery, a decommissionedcoastalfortification that wasone of the first to beattacked bythe Allies duringD-Day.The afternoonwas spentenjoyinga beautiful dayin the sunat the seaside town of Cabourgbeforereturning to the Bon Sejour for swimmingandtime to cool off in the pool.At variouspoints throughouttheday they

were privileged to seeDakotasflying the exactroute taken onthat important day75 years ago.Thesight andsoundreally resonatedand madethehistorical event feel evenmorereal. Ofcourse,there was anotherdisco to enjoyin the evening.

Thefinal partof thetrip wasa visit tothe Pegasus Bridge Museum,site ofoneof thepivotal victories in the early stagesof D-Dayasit wasthe first taken bytheAllies inthe fight tofree France.While at the memorial,the girls were luckyenoughto meetwith a veteran whospokeof his experiencesof that time.On the journey hometheydiscussed,and reflected, upon all that theyhad experiencedandeveryoneagreed that this wasa oncein a lifetime trip to remember.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

BRECON BEACONS OnMonday17June the First Yearsset outon a marvellousadventure to the Brecon Beacons.

Theytravelled bycoachto MerthyrTydfil where they boardeda steamtrain to take themonthe remainderof their journeyupinto the highest mountainrange in SouthWales. Onceencamped at Plas Dolygaer,thegirls enjoyedafantastic programmeofactivities including kayaking, canoeing, hiking, geocaching,gorgewalking and climbing. In the eveningsthey played games,dida quizandhad a lovely campfirewith marshmallows andhot chocolate.Great funwas hadbyall!

The Dragon 2018-19

41

COMMUNITY, OUTREACH AND CHARITIES St George’s pupils and staff have engaged in a wide range of community, outreach and charity activities this year. Pictures and accounts of some of these can be seen below.

HARVEST FESTIVAL AND SUPPER ThisyearʼsHarvest appeal for theWokingham foodbankwaslaunchedat thestart ofthe year in a Chapelservice basedontheBible storyof Jesus feeding the 5000.Thethemeofcontributing somethingsmallto makea difference wasreally embracedanddonations quicklystarted appearing in chapel.By thetimeof theHarvest Festival on 23Septembertherewas a wonderfulcollection offood,cleaning productsandnappiesalongside themoretraditional fruit andveg.Ajoyful mix ofsongsandreadingsfocusedthe service in gratitude to Godandappreciation ofthe beauty ofthis season.Theconvivial spirit continuedat the HarvestSupperafterwards.Thefollowing Friday a groupofSixthFormgirls tookthe donations toWokinghamFoodbank,onlyjust fitting into the minibuswith all that hadbeengiven.The Foodbankservesjust under2000people a year in theWokinghamarea. Unloadingandhelping to sort goodsandseeing the whole set-upwasa rewardingexperienceandthose whoparticipated cameawaywith a renewedsenseofappreciation forall that cansoeasily betakefor granted.

MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING Cookies,cakes,muffins, brownies....mouths werewatering at thesight ofthe bakesalefor Macmillan CancerCare. So manygirls broughtin bakedgoods,and it seemedlike there mightbe too much-but no; St Georgeʼs girls roseto the challenge! Every itemwas sold, andthe charity repsworkedreally hardto makethe event a success.Thanksto Gwen andVasilisa, Miss Stepp andMrsMagill whohelpedto organisethe event andeveryone whocontributed. £120was raisedfor this worthwhile cause.

42

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY After a schoolcouncil vote forthis yearĘźsChristmas jumperdayto befull mufti,the schoolwas full of glitzy Christmasoutfits andfun jumpersonWednesday 12Decemberin aid of Save the Children.A special mentiontoVasilisa whomanufactureda Christmastree outfit froma hula-hoopandsomegreengarland tinsel.

We are delightedto haveraised overÂŁ250this year andthankall thegirls andstaff fortheir donationsto this great cause.

The Dragon 2018-19

43

FIRST YEAR FETE OnMonday20May the First Yearsoffered up anarrayof activities andtreatsfor theFirst YearFete.Thegirls startedwith a float with the goal to raise as muchmoneyaspossible.

Theyhada very busyand fun hourserving a lot of customers,andmostof the school came to support.Thisyearthe fete moneywent to thethree schoolcharities:Electric Eels,Mercy Shipsand Battersea DogsandCats Home.Stalls included spongethe teacher, snowcones and popcorn, bath products and muchmore.

Thefinal total wasa staggeringÂŁ605!A huge well donetoall ofthe girlsinvolved, andthank youtoall girls andstaff fortheir generosity.

Thanksalso to Sixth Formgirls Grace, Erika and Annawho helpedthe First Yeargirls.

44

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

CLASSICS THEATREWORKSHOP Pupils fromCharters School joinedThirdand FourthYear Classicists onFriday 3May for a theatre workshop.Leyan andTheatell usabout the workshop.

“When wefirst walkedintothe CormackHall wewere greetedbyKerry,whosepersonality wasvery lively and dynamic.We started off doingwarmupexercises which helpedus get to knowthe pupils fromCharters School.

Kerrytold usto standin a line in heightorder without

speaking,aswell asstanding in groupsin silence trying to find peoplewith the samebirthdaymonth.After that we hadto pair upwith someonewe didnʼt know.

We choseonepersonto standon the stage whilst the other stoodat the top of the Cormack,andKerrytaught usdifferent actions which camefromGreektheatre, which we later includedin ourgroupwork.Nextwe hadonepersonbeinga director whilst the otherwas the actor andwe were givendifferent themesincluding strength, power andmoney.Thedirector chosethe

position the actor shouldstandin andonephrase to say.Later all groupsjoinedtogether to makelarger groups.Thismadeit easier to performa section of a story basedonAgamemnonwhich we later performed.

We then performeda poembyTedHughesalso called “Agamemnon.”

We learned a lot aboutdramatechniques,Greektheatre andmostimportantlyabout the play“Agamemnon”. We all hada verygoodtimehaving funandlearning.”

VOLUNTEERING IN CARE HOMES In the SpringTermtwo groupsof girls, accompanied bymembersof staff, usedtheir clubtimeto visit care homesin the local area ona TuesdayandWednesday evening.Having preparedfortheir visits bythinking throughwhichactivities wouldbe mostappealingto the residents,the girls havebeento three different locations inAscot. ReverendSamiWatts, School Chaplain, whojoined visits onaTuesdayevening commented,ʻThegirls have really risen to the challenge with eachdifferent home,andhave shown lots ofwarmth,gentleness,compassionandinitiative in varying andsometimesdifficult circumstancesʼ.The pupilsalso enjoyedmeetingresidents suchasHilda whospoketo themabout herfatherʼs service in the FirstWorldWar andleaving schoolat fourteen.We hopethat theseexperienceswill bethe springboard for increasing workin the local communityoverthe comingterms.

The Dragon 2018-19

45

ASCOT HOLOCAUST PROJECT Duringthe year the FourthYearHistorians workedonindependent projects about Holocaust survivors.Thesesurvivorswere liberated from the deathcampsinEastern Europe,in particular Belsen. In 1945,thirty-fourboyswereevacuated toAscotand settled into their newhomein Woodcote House.TheFourthYear have been workingwithRosieWhitehouse,aBBC journalist, to producepresentationsabout the different survivors.Theirwork was displayed inAscot

46

Library on20January, whena numberof local dignitaries,as well asJewish representatives, gatheredwith the girls fromSt GeorgeĘźsto rememberthose whodied in the Holocaust, andthose whohad survived andcometoAscot.

Ivor Pearl andSamFriedman,two survivors whohad cometoAscot at the endof the war, metwith the girls andspokewith themabout their experiences,a humblingandemotional experiencewhichis unlikely to beforgotten.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

PERFORMING ARTS OPEN MIC NIGHTS OnWednesday3 Octoberwe welcomeda wonderful audienceto ourfirst OpenMic Night ofthe year.The girls andstaff were encouragedtoget upandhave a go, andwe sawa rangeoftalents ondisplayfromviolin to a percussion,guitar andvocal trio, aswell aslots ofthe schoolʼssingersgivingit their best.

Tuesday12February saw the secondOpenMic Night, and,as always, we were wowedbythe talent onshow, which includedrenditions ofAdele andAmyWinehouse songs,aswell asa flute soloanda vocal, percussionand pianotrio!

Girls andstaff putonanother wonderfulshowat the final OpenMic Night ofthe year onThursday2May. Performancesincluded a wonderful drumsolo fromLaila andensemblepiecesincluding“Just Give Mea Reason” fromSecond YearsElodie, Gemma,Grace, Kinza,Milly and Nyahand“Use Somebody”fromThirdYearsEllie, Lucy, Emma,RosaandAmira.Ahighlight, andsurprise, came fromMr Merry,whobravely gotupto performtwo ofhis original pieces;a real #SGACapablememberofstaff!

Congratulations to everyonewhoperformedthroughout the year.

A LEVEL DRAMA Thisyearʼs Lower Sixth Dramapiece wasoneabout kidnapping.LowerSixth pupilAbi reviewed it forus.

“The waiting audiencewereinterrupted bya deafening scream.Intrigued, wefollowed theflashing lights which lead usto the DramaStudio.Aswe entered, the performers askedusif we hadseenʻChristopherʼ. Thepieceopened in a psychiatrichospital with theparentsofʻChristopherʼ, playedbyLiv, Millie andKiera, quicklyfollowed bya scene ofMillie disappearingfromthe beach,which wasoneof myfavourites asit waseffective andalmost dream-like.

Theaudienceimmediatelyfelt upsetand scaredfor the child andhis parents.Theteddybeingtakenfromthe

The Dragon 2018-19

child wasparticularly clever asthis wasan experience wecouldall relate to.ThenextsceneinvolvedLiv playing youngChristopher,whichwasfrightening becausehe was playing with a musicboxwhich broughtbackchildhood memories,butin a creepy,disturbingway.Next, Millie and Vaswalked behindthe audience, brushingeveryoneʼsheads ornecks,makingeveryone feel uncomfortable.Thiswas followed bya sceneportrayingthe controversial kidnapping of ChloeAyling. Amovementsequencebeganwith small yet uncomfortabletouchesfromVasand Millie while Kiera, playing Chloe,sat ona blockas thoughpreparing fora photoshoot,with the touchesslowly progressingto moreaggressiveones.VasandMillie pulled upa sheetin front ofKiera, resemblingthewhite backgroundusedin photoshoots,andshadowsof Liv, playing Christopher,and

Kiera wereprojectedonto it, with Christopherleaningover Chloe.After a restaurant scene,Christopher,playedbyKiera, killed hisaunt whilst shewas watching aTVprogramme, which cleverly hada countdownto symbolisethecount downto herdeath. Oneofmyfavourite scenesfollowed, with Liv playinga cleanerandKiera still asChristopher,in whichthe cleaner wasdrownedbyChristopher.Aplastic sheet, bluelighting andmusichelpedthis scenecometolife, andits simplicitymadeit standout butstill beverypowerful.

Thelast sceneechoedthefirst, wherethe three girls sat with their backstooneanother,discussingfrantically, how theyare goingto escape,as it emergesthat theyhave been kidnapped.Acagewith a sheetoverit left uswith a feeling oftension andunease asthe performancefinished.”

47

SISTER ACT Another year,another outstanding whole school musical fromourtalented girls. This year,fifty-three St GeorgeĘźsgirls tookto the stage to performSister Act, a joyous anduplifting musicalbasedonthe original screenplay.With musicto makethe audience goaway dancing, ourgirls shone bothvocally andin their acting, andthe whole cast dance numbersprovided the icing onthe cake.We are incredibly proud of all the girls involved and congratulate themonthe hugeachievement of putting together sucha successfulproduction in just seven weeks.

48

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST -FIRST YEAR PANTOMIME Thisyearsaw anotherfantastic FirstYear pantomime,with the girls taking onthe famous storyof Beauty andthe Beast. Agoodfairy, a nastywitch, Beauty, herfather,the prince,an entertaining dog,andof courselots of songs, hilarious gagsandmuchaudienceparticipation all cametogetherto create a memorablenight!

Congratulationstoall ofthe girlsinvolved.

The Dragon 2018-19

49

SHOOTING TRUTH On19and 20March, girls fromtheThirdand FourthYearimpresseduswith somefantastic performancesin their playʻShooting Truthʼ.

Theplayfollowed the storyof a groupof schoolpupils workingon a film project about Freya,a younggirl drownedforwitchcraft in 17thCentury.Thepiecewas bothhilarious

50

in partsandyet veryintense andterrifying in others,showingoff the bestof the girlsʼ incredible and diverse talent. MissJohnson andMrsGregan, with the helpof Mr Pearnʼs amazingtechnical skills, produceda piece whichwas highlytechnical andcurrent.

Projections oflive videostreams,Facetime video calls, textmessagesandsilhouettes

addeda very impressivedimensionto the piece.After the performances,Miss Johnson saidʻThegirlshave workedtirelessly all term andhave beena pleasureto rehearsewith; we are extremelyproudofwhat they have achieved. Thisplayreally displayed someof the highest standardof performancesat St Georgeʼs.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

SECOND PERSON NARRATIVE SecondPerson Narrative byJemmaKennedy exploresthe life of onewoman,frombirth to death. OurSecondYeargirls successfully produceda performancewhich explored manycrucial momentsof a womanʼslife, with innovative physicaltheatre andsuperb characterisation.

The Dragon 2018-19

Themaincharacter ofʻYouʼ was portrayed by a numberof girls, each of whombroughttheir own unique performance,evoking humourand creating poignant momentswhich resonated with the audiencetremendously.It wasan original, creative andmemorableperformance, a just rewardfor the girlsʼ enthusiasmandhard work. It was a pleasure to seethe year-group

worksocollaboratively andto witnessthe incredible talent the girls possess.

51

JAZZ AND DANCE SHOW Ourgirlsʼ talent shoneinthe annualJazz and DanceShow onThursday9May, with musical anddance performancesfromvarious groups andsoloists.

TheJazzBand kickedoff the eveningwith renditionsof“Hallelujah” and“City ofAngels” before performancesthat included a tap duo,

52

a GCSE dancepiece, a Kpop(South Korean pop)danceandclassicalballet, aswell as contemporaryand modempieces.We also saw performancesfromSt Georgeʼsʼ first ever acro group,the flexibility andagility ofwhomwas greatly envied bymany.

Congratulationstoall girlsinvolved forcreating a true spectacle andprovidinguswith a very entertaining evening.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

HOUSE EVENTS

ALEXANDER HOUSE PARTY AlexanderHousehosted their annual party on Friday 16 November.Thetheme was the 1920sand manypupils and parents dressed upas flapper girls andgangsters.Welcome drinkswere followed bydinner where The Dragon 2018-19

everyone enjoyeda delicious roast chicken.

A chocolate moussefinished off the meal before guests movedto the Sue Cormack Hall for a concertin which there were many groupand solo performances of both music and dance.Theconcert endedwith the whole

houseperforming their housesongĘťSuddenly I SeeĘź byKTTunstall.It wasa veryenjoyable eveningwith bothparents andgirls getting fully involved.

53

BECKET HOUSE PARTY Becket HousePartythis year wasABBA themedandthe Dining Roomwasfilled with vinyls andvibrant colours.Thecatering staff provideda delicious 1970sthrowback mealwhich consistedof Spaghetti and meatballs for the mainand knickerbocker glory for pudding.Parents, girls andstaff were then entertained bywonderful performancesfromEllie, Joanna andAmira, Vasilisa, Milly, Kanyinsola and Jacqueline whoall sangandJoyce whoplayed the piano.Thenight concludedwith the Becket Housesong -ABBAʼs “Take a Chance on Me” -and all girls performedamazingly.

Thankyouto everyone who was involved in makingthe HouseParty sospecial.

54

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

CHURCHILL HOUSE PARTY Churchill Househosted their much awaited party onFriday 26April. Thiswas a joyousday as the celebration hadbeen scupperedontwo previous occasions; first byinclement weather conditions andthen bythe tyrannyof calendrical constraints.

Thethemethisyear wasʻSafari/Wildlifeʼ andit was lovely to seeso manyparents and family membersmakean effort to showoff their ʻwildʼ side.Churchill House girls were,as usual,full oflife andgood cheer.Welcomedrinks were followed bya formal mealwhich set things upnicely for somefantastic entertainmentlater on.It always meansa lot to the girls to showcase their talents to anaudience of loved ones.

Thisdelightful evening would not have been possible without the commitment, participation and teamwork of all the girls whogive their timefreely andhappily to makeit the successit was.Theevening concludedwith a speechbyMr Naeem encapsulating the spirit of Churchill House and thanking everyone who helped make this party a roaring success.

The Dragon 2018-19

55

DARWIN HOUSE PARTY ThisyearĘźs Darwin HouseParty was a MasqueradeBall andtook place onthe evening of Friday 22March 2019.Asgirls, parents andstaff mingledat a welcome drinksreception, part of the funwas trying to figure out whowas behindthe mask! A sumptuousdinner was followed 56

byan array of entertainment put onby the talented membersof Darwin House.

Theitemswhich featured in this termĘźs HouseMusic competition were included in the programme,as were two additional dance performancesand solo vocal pieces.

It is clear to see why this is a highlight amongthe Houseevents calendar. www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

HOUSE DEBATING Theannual HouseDebating revealed, as ever,newtalents in the field ofdebating.

Passions ran highand topics were hotly contested. Alexander andChurchill Houses went head to head onwhether the #MeToo movementhadgone too far. Rosie, the youngestcompetitor,wasarticulate in arguingthat it hadnot gonetoofar and indeedthere were still issuesto tackle. The seconddebate was between Becket and Darwin Housesover the issue of whether the UK governmentshouldgive aid to other countries. Daisy andDara argued with clarity for their houses.It was a close competition which was decidedby a final debate between Churchill andDarwin Houses considering whether e-commerce companiesshouldpay a fairer proportion of tax.Thewinners were Darwin Houseably led byTejasvi, andthe best speakeraward went toAvah. Thanksgoto MrWright and Mr Hoarfor beingfair adjudicators andto Camelia for ensuring a smoothrunningof the debates ably assisted bythe timekeeper Leila.

HOUSE DRAMA ThisyearĘźs HouseDramacompetition took place onThursday27June and was enjoyed bystaff andgirls acrossthe school.We sawfantastic individual, pairedand group performances fromeach house,including pieces fromThe Gut Girls, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins andA MidsummerNightĘźs Dream.

Congratulations to all girls whoperformed, directed andcreated artistic programmes for the competition.Well doneto the winners in each category:

Individual performance:Maia Individual performancein a group:Meri Programme:Alexander House Overall: Alexander House

The Dragon 2018-19

57

HOUSE ART Theveryfirst St Georgeʼs HouseArt competition was held this year,for which each Housewas askedto select a small creative team,comprisingof onegirl from each of the First to FourthYearand one SixthFormgirl, to create a large painting/ mixedmediaartwork ona canvas. Each teamwas given oneA1canvas andbasic art materials suchasacrylic paint.Artwork could be a painting or mixedmediapiece suchas incorporating photography,material orcollage.

In this inaugural year,the themewas water, and houseswere askedto meetprior to the start date to discuss,plan andsketchtheir designs.Thecompetition went smoothly andall the Sixth Formgirls in chargeof each houseorganisedtheir teamsvery well.

Theyounger membersof the teams learnt a great deal fromtheolder girls in their groupand everyone workedwell together andseemedtoenjoy it. We were delighted to welcomeback Mrs Fidler, the previous Director ofArt at St Georgeʼs,to judgethe competition.

Congratulations to the winners,Darwin House,for their creative andimaginative interpretation of the theme.

HOUSE MUSIC COMPETITION Wednesday13 March saw the annual HouseMusic competition, in which every girl took part andperformedin an attempt to help their Housewin the coveted trophy.

Theevent brings every House member together to performtheir Housesongand a special item, andencouragesgirls across year groupsto performindividual and ensemble pieces. Amongsta numberof outstanding vocal performances,we were also treated to a trombonesolo andpiano concerto.

Thehighlights, as always, were the choreographedspecial item pieces from each House,which this year included ʻGrease Lightningʼ fromGrease,ʻRunaway Babyʼ byBruno Mars,ʻFabulousʼ fromHigh School Musical, and ʻCruisinʼ for a Bruisinʼ fromTeen Beach Movie.

Congratulations to Becket Housewho werethe overall winners,andto Jacqueline whowas awarded the bestindividual performance.

58

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

HOUSE NETBALL Thegirls took part in HouseNetball on Thursday6 December.Everyone was in high spirits andkeen to competefor their house regardless of the light rain. It was lovely to see the girls all supportingandencouragingeach other,and celebrating their successes.Some of the matcheswere very close, but Churchill Housewere crownedwinners after a strong Junior andSenior performance.

Thefull results are asfollows: Junior netball: 4th -Darwin (9 points) 3rd-Becket (14 points) Joint 1st -Alexander andChurchill (22 points) Senior netball: 4th -Alexander (10 points) Joint 2nd-Becket andDarwin (20 points) 1st -Churchill (22 points) Overall: 4th -Darwin (29 points) 3rd -Alexander (32 points) 2nd-Becket (34 points) 1st -Churchill (44 points)

HOUSE LACROSSE HouseLacrossewas a spirited and energetic event onMonday 25March. There were someamazingperformances from our team players who pushedeach other in every game-there were noholds barred and every goal was hard fought! There were also somewonderful performances fromgirls whohave not played lacrosse muchbefore -notable appearances came fromMeriel andSigho whobravely stepped into goal for their Senior Houseteam.Lucia also played in goal for herteamsand Liv scored someamazing goals for her house, including the tournament-winninggoal. The Juniors playedwith grit anddetermination and there were someamazingattacking anddefensive skills ondisplay. Alexander Housetookthe Junior Lacrossetitle, Churchill Housewon the Senior tournament andwith Churchill HouseĘźsJunior team comingsecond,this meantthat Churchill Housewon the HouseLacrosse Cupfor 2019.Well donetoall the girls whotook part.

The Dragon 2018-19

59

HOUSE ATHLETICS With a wet andwindy weekleading upto House Athletics, there was somedoubtas to whether the competition would take place. But the sunshoneand warmedthe pitches andHouseAthletics got off to a crackingstart! Every girl in every housetook part in an event which meantthat every run, throw andjump

earnedpoints for their houses.Medals were awarded for the top3 in eachevent andthe girls roseto the challenge. Therewere someoutstanding achievements andgirls pushedeachother to achieve their very best.

All fourhousesgave their all butthere was onehouse that really surgedahead onthe scoreboard.Alexander Housewon bya comfortable marginto give them

valuable pointsonthe overall leaderboard, Becket Housecame2nd, followed byDarwin Houseand Churchill House.Thepointsdifference between Becket, Darwin andChurchill Houseswasincredibly close showinghowtight the competitionwas.Well doneto all ourcompetitorsandthank youto all ourstaff and pupil helpers.

HOUSE ROUNDERS Tuesday2July, brandedĘťSuper TuesdayĘź, saw lots of excitementsurrounding the endof termHousecompetitions. After the HouseQuiz andTennis,the day was finished off with HouseRoundersfor the junior girls, which hadbeen rearranged dueto the badweather earlier in the term.

Thegirls were excitedthat the competition wasable to takeplace andwere very enthusiastic aboutplaying. All houses entered two teamsfromFirst, Secondand ThirdYears,and excellent team work was onshow through out.

Results: 1st-Becket House 2nd-Alexander House 3rd-Darwin House 4th-Churchill House

60

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

HOUSE TENNIS After the excitementof the HouseQuiz, Super Tuesdaycontinued with HouseTennis, in which the senior andjunior teams workedexceptionally well andplayed some fantastic tennis. Congratulations to all girls whotook part.

Results: 1st -Alexander House 2nd-Churchill House 3rd -Darwin House 4th -Becket House

HOUSE QUIZ ʻSuper Tuesdayʼwaskickedoff with the HouseQuiz, and we loved welcoming back ourFifth Yearand UpperSixth girls to join the fun.

Thequiz, run byMr Hoar,was a test of the girlsʼ general knowledgein academic areas, with a numberofʻbeat the teacherʼ roundswith questions ranging from English grammarto historical andreligious buildings, and morelight-hearted areas, of which theʻName that Disneymovieʼ round wasa firmfavourite with thegirls.

Amongstthefun, the closely contested HouseChampionshiptitle couldnʼt be forgotten, andgirls were keento win the quizfor their house.Well donetoAlexander whowon overall, andthe top three teams, Alexander4 in 1st, Becket 5in 2ndand Alexander 5in 3rd.

The Dragon 2018-19

61

ART, PHOTOGRAPHY & TEXTILES

TEXTILESWORKSHOP OnTuesday18 September the Fourth Year and Sixth FormTextiles pupils spent the day with therenownedartist andauthorJanet Edmonds.She showed thema wide range of herincredible artwork andtaught them several new techniques.Thiswas a super kickstart to their GCSE andALevel courses.

CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION Congratulationsto all girls whoenteredthe St GeorgeĘźs Christmascard competition. Thequality was outstanding, with commendedentries from Millie and Carmen,and highly commendedfrom Oonaand Dara.Thewinner of the competition was Abi in Lower Sixth for her gouache, snowyred door.

62

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

THE LIONS OF WINDSOR TheLionsofWindsor & Maidenhead 2019publicart event sawa giant prideof supersizedlion sculptures displayed across the Royal Boroughto celebrate the 200th anniversary of QueenVictoria. Thisraised fundsforlocal charities andhelpedraise awareness for the increasing endangerment oflions.ʻGeorgeʼ thelion cub,arrivedat the schoolthree weeksbefore the endof term,and the Sixth Formart pupils worked ona collaborative designthat represents

SUMMER ART EXHIBITION OnMonday1July St Georgeʼsheld a SummerArt Exhibition for girls and parents,consistingof a variety of work fromTextiles to Photography toFineArt.

this yearʼsALevel girls.Ahighlight wasexperiencingthefantastic work displayedby ourArtist in Residence, who,withgreat talent, hascreated beautiful ceramics,paintings and sculptures.

Thosewhoattended were able to observea wide rangeof pieces, varying fromyoungeryears to GCSE students,aswell asbeingable to view outstanding pieces madeby

Thegirls thoroughly enjoyedbeing able to exhibittheir work,and wewere delightedto havethis opportunityto portraythe highlevel ofart ofwhich thegirls are capable.

The Dragon 2018-19

theschool.Thelion waspainted with acrylic paint andhad an extendedtail designmade frommodrock. Thedesign composedof three St Georgeʼsgirls linking armswhilst watching theAscot races.Theamazingly painted, intricate horsewaspaintedby MissFinnigan, theArtist in Residence.On the otherside of the lion a reddragon waspainted to representSt Georgeand the dragon,andgold leaf wasaddedto emphasisethehighlights onthe scales.

63

A Level Artwork byKaseyTang

GCSEArtworkbyPippaMiles 64

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

GCSEArtwork byEliza Agosta The Dragon 2018-19

65

A Level Artwork byRuthTaviansky 66

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

A Level Artwork byKaseyTang

GCSETextileswork byPolina Goldobina

The Dragon 2018-19

67

GCSETextilesworkby Isabella Murphy

ALevel TextilesworkbyEdina Green

68

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

A Level Photography work byKaseyTang

A Level Textileswork byRuthTaviansky The Dragon 2018-19

69

MUSIC In a year that was as busyas ever and full of great successesandnotable performancescamemanyinformal occasions,suchas the ever popularʻOpen Mic ʻ nights which draw ever increasing audiences,and coaxfrom the girls ever moreamazingperformances.Elsewhere there is a special report onthe stunningʻSister Actʼ production.Therewere special Chapel Services for Harvest, Remembrance,Confirmation, Advent, Christmas, Candlemas,Whitsun and St Georgeʼs Dayand daily remindersof what a musical communitySt Georgeʼs is.

Many thanksto all girls andstaff whogive somuchof their timeand talents to ourmusic.Hereare a few of the yearʼs highlights.

CHAPEL CHOIR AT ST PAULʼS CATHEDRAL Monday 19Novembersaw the Chapel Choirmakeits annual trip to sing EvensonginSt PaulʼsCathedral.It is alwaysa greatprivilege forthegirls to singat St Paulʼs,andthe buildingʼs atmosphereneverfails to inspire.The choirsanga settingof “The Canticles” byHerbert Sumsionandthe anthem “King of Glory” by SirWilliamHarris.

TheChoir madea magical soundand the service was enjoyedbyeveryone present.It waslovely alsoto seea formerHeadmistress,Mrs Anthea Griggs, joining MrsHewer in the congregation.

AUTUMN CONCERT OnTuesday13November,following ourMusic SchoolParents Evening, the AutumnConcertdrew ongirls fromall yearsshowingagreat arrayof talent.

Lucy,Milly, Lydia,Gemma,Milly and Cameliaall sangsolos.Maia played trombone,Carmen,piano andAnnie, flute. SecondYearPop andRock Choir sang“Rewrite the Stars”, the flute groupplayed“The GoodShip Lollipop” andthe First YearChoir,directed by Miss Mason,sang“How Far Iʼll Go”, “A ThousandYears” and“A Million DreamsʼfromThe Greatest Showman.

Anenjoyable evening which promises great thingsfor the future.

70

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

JUNIOR CONCERT -AUTUMN TERM Hoton the heels of theAutumnConcert, the Junior Concerttookplace onFriday23 Novemberjust before the Exeat weekend.

Kendra,Mika, Erin andSaskia all playedpiano pieceswith flair andmusicality.Alice, Milly,

CHAPEL CHOIR SING AT COWORTH PARK Forthe Chapel Choir,Carols at CoworthParkHotel really is the start oftheir festive season.On Friday 30November,just before ourownlovely candlelit Advent service andpreparationsfor a very

Olivia, HoneyandGemmaall sangsongs confidently andwith goodtone,Lucia played a violin piece byTelemannandLucy“The Swan” bySaint-Saenswhichroundedoffa delightful hourof music.

Christmassyendof term,the choir sangat Coworth surroundedbythe spectacular decorationsand trees.

Thegirls sangthe bestpart of twenty carolsto guestswhowerecaptivated bythesinging,and felt their Christmashad also just begun.

JUNIOR CONCERT -SPRING TERM Thefirst concertof 2019wasa great one.Erin played“Cool” byStephenWood, Luciaplayed “Take Five” on the violin, andVeronikasang “Walking intheAir”. Therewerealsogreat performancesfromEllie andLucy,Lizzie, Gemma, Elodie andAmalie.Amira,Hannah,Lucia, Annabel andAngelina formedagroupto perform“I DonʼtKnowMyName” whichtheydidreally well, asdid the First YearChoir,busyfromtheir appearances at OpenMornings,who sangtwo songstoendthe evening. Many thanksagain to MissMasonfor all hertimewith theFirst Year Choir.Thebestperformanceof the evening was AvaplayingofElgarʼs“Salut dʼAmour”.

The Dragon 2018-19

71

SPRING CONCERT Toendthe SpringTerm,a concert with oneor two items fromHouse Music but muchmore besides.Theprogrammeincluded the Orchestra, conductedbyMiss Mason, performing“Mamma Mia” andtheStarWarstheme.Amazingsolos camefromOlivia, Maia, Kendra,Carmenand Isabel. Amagical performanceofVaughan Williamsʼs “Air” was playedon thepiano by Milly, andan enchantingperformanceof“Two Miniatures” byFrankBridgeplayedbyDaisy (violin), MissMason(cello) andMrHillier(piano).

TheChapelChoir sangthree pieces byIreland, Hillier andCesarFrankandthe First YearChoir sangJohn Lennonʼs“Imagine”, TheMonkeesʼ “Iʼma Believer” andOneDirectionʼs“Story of My Life” especially arrangedby Ellie and Lucy.

MUSIC FOR A SUMMER EVENING Thisyearmarkedourthirty third ʻMusic for a SummerEveningʼ, which took place onTuesday 2July. Theevent is essentially theChapel Choirʼs summerconcert, andprovides an opportunity to saythank youto ourleaving UpperSixth musicians.Theweather waskindto us– a lovely evening with pre-concertrefreshments inthe marquee– deliciousfoodwith great strawberries andcream! TheChoirstarted the

72

concertwith Harrisʼs“Collect of St George” and otherfavouritesfollowed, includingRutterʼs“For theBeautyoftheEarth”, Campbellʼs“Praise to God”, “Love Divine” by Goodalland“Prayer of HenryVI” byHenryLey.TheJazzGroup,directed

by Mr Smith,included“Hallelujah” by Cohenand “Mama Who BoreMe” with Ellie as soloist,and “City of Stars” and“Mercy” with Cameliaas soloist.TheChoirsang“I WouldBeTrue”,“The CelebrationCanticle” byIan Hillier and“Love

OneAnother”, this summerʼsnewpiecewritten for Camelia andKatie whohave bothbeen outstanding Headsof Chapel Choir this year.This yearouraudiencedidreally well joiningin singing “LoveWalksIn”, “SomeEnchantedEvening”, “Moon River”, “All theLoveI Have” and“The Rhythmof Life”. Agreat endtoa great concert anda great year.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

CHAPEL CHOIR HEADS OF CHAPEL CHOIR Camelia Joel-Davison Katie Sedgwick UPPER SIXTH Camelia Joel-Davison Katie Sedgwick LOWER SIXTH Olivia Bromilow AnnaEwens MeriNolan GraceWhitfield

FOURTH YEAR Jaqueline Beaumont TillyCayton Isabel Kardos-Stowe Milly Marriott MaiaWilson LydiaWinchester THIRD YEAR Ellie Fidura ImogenHillary KendraJervis ConnieMarriott Erin Smith LilyWoodward RubyWoodward

SECOND YEAR Milly Holdsworth NyahMillns HoneyPhaure FIRST YEAR Katie Hewer Ava Marson-Day AnyaMaCall Orla Smith AmeliaWells Olivia Wells

FIFTH YEAR Olivia Clouting Isabelle Murphy Avah Rustomjee Alexandra Townsend LydiaViney

The Dragon 2018-19

73

Music Examination Results 2018-2019 ABRSM Examination Results NAME

GRADE

AWARD

GemmaDripps

Grade1 Singing

Merit

KendraJervis

Grade1Piano

Pass

ElizabethMacaulay

Grade1Violin

Pass

ElizabethMacaulay

Grade1Singing

Pass

Carolina Heeschen

Grade2Flute

Pass

Mila Arbuthnott

Grade2 Singing

Pass

Kathy Zhang

Grade2Flute

Pass

AmiraAxmark

Grade3 Singing

Pass

LuciaBerger

Grade3 Singing

Pass

RosemaryDangerfield

Grade3 Singing

Merit

Lucia El-Bacha

Grade3Violin

Distinction

Serena Heeschen

Grade3 Singing

Pass

SaskiaKotelawala

Grade3Piano

Pass

HannahBeason

Grade4 Singing

Pass

Katie Hewer

Grade4 Singing

Pass

AvaMarson–Day

Grade4 Singing

Merit

Orla Smith

Grade4 Singing

Merit

Mika Cai

Grade5Clarinet

Pass

Anna Dripps

Grade5Flute

Pass

Milly Holdsworth

Grade5 Singing

Pass

HoneyHolder

Grade5 Singing

Pass

AmeliaMarriott

Grade5Piano

Merit

LucyProctor

Grade5 Singing

Merit

LucyProctor

Grade 5Theory

Distinction

Erin Smith

Grade5Piano

Pass

Alexandra Townsend

Grade5 Singing

Pass

AmeliaMarriott

Grade6 Singing

Merit

CarmenNg

Grade7Piano

Merit

LCM Music Theatre Examination Results NAME

GRADE

AWARD

GemmaDripps

Grade2

Merit

Olivia Hand

Grade2

Distinction

Sophie Cuthbert

Grade3

Merit

VeronikaMaurus

Grade3

Distinction

HoneyPhaure

Grade3

Distinction

ElodieStacey

Grade3

Pass

MeganCale

Grade4

Pass

Milly Holdsworth

Grade4

Distinction

Olivia Clouting

Grade5

Distinction

LydiaViney

Grade5

Distinction

Eliane Fidura

Grade6

Distinction

Alice Grant

Grade6

Distinction

74

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

SPORT We have enjoyed an exciting 2018-19sporting seasonat St Georgeʼs.Theyear has seena lot of change– new staff, new sportsand new challenges!

Thegirls have beenas positive andas enthusiastic as ever to get involved in sport, andnumbersat practices andin teamsare veryhealthy.Thestatistics tell it all -65% of the schoolhave participated in 9 schoolsports, across46teamsin 162fixturesacrossthe schoolyear.This65% is an increase of 5% over the last two years andour missionis to growthis. Every single girl in First Yearhas representedthe schoolin a fixture, and almost90% in SecondYear and 75% inThirdYear regularly competefor the school.Thesenumbers are impressive, and with swimmingabout to becomeone of our majorschool sports we can see these percentages rising further.

Ourfixture results are promising,andwe are laying the foundations for somestrongteams and exciting performancesin the future. OurU16and U14 netballers enjoyedsuccessat the South East Berkshire and Ascot Schools Netball tournaments,andour athletes have producedsomeoutstanding teamand individual performancesagainst a very strongfield this summer.Weare particularly strongin the throwing events – javelin andshot– andwe are keento build onthis nextseason.Our1stLacrosseteamreached the semifinals of Division3 at National Schoolsandjustlost outona place in the final at National Small Schools.This has only whetted their appetite for nextseasonand shownthemhowcapable they are -there is muchto look forward to whenthe lacrosse seasonreturns.

We have introduced new sportsincluding TagRugbyandCricket into the curriculumandgiven all year groupsa range of different sports to try, suchas CrossCountry and Badminton. OurFitness Roomis everevolving anda popularchoice with the older girls whodesigntheir ownworkouts,makingfull useof the new equipment.

OurHousesportsevents have beenhard fought as always and serve as a fabulous testing groundfor those consideringjoining a sportsteam– manya newteam player hasbeenrecruited froma Houseevent! The staff have beenas eager as ever to join in the competitionandour Staff v Sixth Formnetball matchwashotly contested! No oneheld backand the scorewas very tight with the Staff just edgingthe win. We addeda staff/Sixth Formrelay to HouseAthletics this year which provedvery popular,sowe plan to include morestaff involvement nextyear.

We look forward to the opportunities the new swimmingpoolwill give usfor competition,fitness, recreation andwell-being– notto mentionthe hostof water-basedactivities andsportswecan try.Thisis a very excitingtime for sportat St Georgeʼsandthe future of sportandphysical activity at the schoolis lookingvery promisingindeed.

The Dragon 2018-19

75

GIRLS GO GOLD SPORTS CONFERENCE Seven of ourkeenest sportswomenattended theannual GSA Girls GoGold Conferenceat TudorHall onFriday 14September.Thisis a day organisedbytheGirlsʼ SchoolAssociationto celebrate womenʼssportand to inspire, motivate andsupportgirlswhowish to follow a careerin sport.

Tokickoff theday,thegirls weretreated to an inspirational talk fromJames Shone,Founderof ʻI Can& IAmʼ,a charity setupto inspireand supportchildrento face challenges andset goals.

Coachingsessionsledbyinternational athletes providedthegirls with someinvaluable tips on howto improvetheir gameandthey learnt how to identify areas ofpersonalmovementstrengths andweaknesses in a fundamental movement session.Tofinish off anamazingday,which includedsomefabulousfoodandactivities when thegirls werenot in session,ClareBalding hosted a Q&Asessionwith a panelof international femaleathletes. Thegirls gotto hearhowthese athletes started their sportingjourneysandwhat their advice wouldbefor pursuinga career in sport.Showing how#SGAConfident ourgirls are, Sophiewas the first to putupher handto ask thepanela question!Afantastic dayforstaff and girls whichprovideda real boosttothe start of the newsportsseason.

GSA NETBALL TOURNAMENT AT CONDOVER HALL U13 Onthe first dayof the tournamentthe girls faced mixed oppositionandworkedhardto adapt their play to suit the teamsthey faced. Theyhadmanyclose games.By the endof dayonethe teamwere placed 7thandtherefore gotthroughto the middlesection, the Cupcompetition.

Thisisa great achievementandthe girls were excitedto play newteamsonday two.

Daytwostarted well with a win against Cranfordschool.

Thegirls communicatedandtimed their movementswell

76

in orderto intercept theball. Therestofthe opposition wastoughbut thegirls nevergave up.Overall thegirls came5thin the cupcompetition,andtherefore finished 13thout of 20schools.

U14 Thefirst dayat Condoversaw the U14sface some toughmatches.Thegirls approachedthe tournament with positivity anddeterminationwhichmeantthat the gameswere hardfought.Therewere someoutstanding performancesbyour girls andeveryone showeda highlevel ofskill. Therain set in andprovidedsome challengingplaying conditions,butthegirls didnʼt let it

dampentheir spirits andthey remainedcheerful to pull off somefantastic winsto finish theday.

Asa result ofthe dayoneresults, the teamwas seeded anddrawninto the plate competitionfor daytwo.

Theyfaced somehardgamesin even morechallenging weather conditions.Thegirls hadto digdeepin some close gamesbeforeplaying sometopnetball andpulling away to someconvincingwins. Thegirlswere consistently supportiveofeachother oncourt andnever gave up.

After winning all their gamesonthe secondday,the U14swere crownedwinnersof the plate competition.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

SCHOOL VERSATILITY NETBALL TOURNAMENT It wasa rainyafternoon ofnetball onWednesday17 Octoberasthe girls tookto the courtsfor the school Versatility Netball Tournament.Thetournamentis desgnedto bringtogether all ofthe St George始snetball teams,mixingagesand abilities within eachtournament team.Tenteamswere puttogether, each with subs,anda SixthFormnetballer wasgiven captaincy responsibilities.

Theteamsplayed oneanother in short 5minute games, rotating roundthepitches andensuringevery team

membergot to play, andpositions were randomly allocated foreach match.

Asthe rain set in aroundhalf waythroughthe tournament,the girls becamemoreandmoreexcitable for their teams,andthere wasmuchcheeringand supportfromthose onthe sideline. Thegirls worked harddespite the weather,and showedreal teamspirit throughout.It wasgreat to seesomanygirls involved andtheyall showedgreatflexibility intheir ability to playout ofposition andadapt to whatever positionthey

were putin. Thestandardof play wasexcellent andmany ofthe youngergirlsraised their standardwhenplaying against girls fromthe olderyear groups Therewere someveryclose matchesthroughout the tournamentwith somefantastic shootingand somegreat interceptions shownbythe defenders.Thefinal result went downto goal difference astwo teamswereon the sameamountof points. Thewinning teamwasTeamOne, followed veryclosely byTeamSix.Congratulations to all thegirls involved.

LACROSSE TOUR DuringOctoberhalf term,a groupofenthusiastic and capable St George始sgirls embarkedona challenging lacrosse tourofGermanyandthe Netherlands.Thegirls received two daysof highquality coachingfromour US coaches,both of whomintroduced newandexciting techniquesandtactics. Even in the shortsessions,thegirls improveddramatically andtook onboard manyofthe coachingpoints highlighted.

Thefirst gamewasin trying conditions against Dortmund Wolverines始 whoplayeda fast attacking game.Thegirls respondedwell andfoughthardfora positive result, onlyto lose outin the dyingsecondstoa winning goal.

Thesecondgamebroughta strongertest again Aachen Ladies始 LacrosseClub.Thegamewasphysical andtested the girls to respondwith mentalstrength andshowoff their ownphysicality. Despiteshowingdetermination, we narrowlylost outto a better team.

Thegirls also enjoyedsomedowntimearound the basein Valkenburg,along with tobogganingandlaser-tag.These activities, aswell astheHalloweenfestivities, allowedthe girls in different yeargroupsto bondandsocialise together whichcanonly helpthemin the future onthe lacrossepitch.

The Dragon 2018-19

77

SKI RACES IN FLAINE OnFriday25 January anexcitedgroupof girls headedto Flaine to competein theBritish Schoolgirlsʼ Ski Races.The girls enjoyedtwofull daysoftraining with their instructor in challengingconditionsonthe Giant Slalomand Slalom courses.Thegirlswere thenpreparedfor the raceswhich tookplace onthe following two days.

Ourteam,consisting ofLily, Ruby,Daisyand captained by Molly, were readyto face somestiff competitionagainst someveryexperienced ski racers, someofwhomeven

representGreatBritain. Thegirls attackedtheir events with determination andproducedsomewonderful performances,despite the very cold conditions.Thesnow storms,ice andtechnical delays,which meantthegirls wereheld at thetop ofthe racepiste fortwo hours beforeeventually racing, didnʼt hindertheir performances.

FollowingtheGiant Slalomevent, thegirls qualified for theʻParallel SlalomA Teamʼevent whichconsistedof the top32 teams,anachievement ofwhich the girls should bevery proud.

All fourgirls competedat least onceineither the

Giant Slalomor Slalomevents andwhenthey werenʼt skiing, supportedeach other with goodhumourand consideration. Unfortunately, dueto the snowconditions, theParallel Slalomevent didnʼttake place,butthis didnʼt takeaway fromthe experiencefor the girls.

Awayfromthe slopes,the girls enjoyedgoingbowling, playing gamesanddrinkinghotchocolate with Mr and MrsWoodward,whowere there to supportthegirls all weekend.Onthefinal nightthe groupwalkedpart wayupthe piste to a fonduerestaurant to roundoffa wonderfultrip.

PREP SCHOOLS NETBALL TOURNAMENT OnSaturday 26January, we hostedourannual Year5 Prep SchoolsNetball tournament.The sportsdepartmentwere impressedwith the incredible turnoutofnineschoolsfromBerkshire, Buckinghamshireand Surrey,andthe standard of netball wasimpressive.Thegirls playeda round robin, workinghardto competeineight gamesof eight minuteseach, onlyrunningin fromthe cold duringtheir onegameoff to warmup with hot chocolateandcroissants! All theschoolsshowed ussomebrilliant youngnetball talent, andthe tournamentwinnersthis year,winningall eight of their games,andtaking homelotsof prizesand medals,wereHoeBridge School.Well donetoall the players,anda bigthank youto their parents forcomingto support,andto the catering staff andPE departmentforrunningsucha fantastic event.

78

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

ASCOT SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT On15January the U14AandB teamstookpart in the AscotSchools netball tournament.

U14A Thegirls playedtheir bestnetball ofthe seasonwith someslick attacking play anddetermineddefensive displays.Thestandardof play washigh, butthe girls foughthard in everygameandgottheir rewardswith a well deservedsilver medal.

Outstanding performancesfromthe whole team,but particular mentionto GabbyandDaisy.

Results: vLVSA-won, vMarist A-lost, vRanelagh A-won, vSt MaryʼsA -won, vHeathfield A-won U14B TheU14B teamshowed fantastic grit anddetermination in the tournament.Theyhadfive matchesandworked

well asa teamto win everygameto becrownedthe plate competitionwinners.It waslovely to seeeveryone contributeto suchastrongset ofresults, butparticular mentionshouldgoto Erin andCharlotte whoshot fantastically andmadea real differenceto thescoreline.

Well donetoall whoplayed.

Results: vSt Maryʼs D-won, vLVSB -won, vSt Maryʼs C-won, v St MaryʼsB -won, vMarist B -won

NATIONAL SCHOOLS LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS OnSaturday 2March toTuesday5March the St GeorgeʼsU13, U14, U15and U19Lacrosse teams playedin the National SchoolsTournamentat Aldershot.

TheU19tournamentis held over two daysand the teammet sometoughopposition onthe first daybut held their ownand madesurethey scored in everygame.Manyof their matcheswerevery closewhich gavethema place in Division 3onthe Sunday.Theteamstormedthrough their matches, winningall andgiving thema place in the semifinals againstAbbotsHill. In a verytight andfeisty encounter,thegirls foughthard butcould nothold off their opponentʼsattacking drivesand theylost the matchbya small margin.

TheU13,U14 andU15 teamsalso foughthardin their games,putting their bestfoot forwarddespite toughopposition.Thefinal results didnot reflect the girlsʼ performancesandhardworkbut bodes well forthe future.All ofthe girls shouldbeproud ofhowhardthey foughtandhow well theyplayed intheir teams!Well done,girls!

The Dragon 2018-19

79

NATIONAL SMALL SCHOOLS LACROSSE TOURNAMENT OnSaturday 23March the Senior Lacrosseteamtravelled to Rendcombto defendtheir National SmallSchoolstitle whichthey haveheld forthe last three years.Theteam playedexceedinglywell, moving theball with intelligenceand fighting to win possessionin all areas ofthe field. Theywonall oftheir matchesbuttheir win againstlocal rivalsHeathfield wasparticularly sweetasthis wasthe first timetheyhad beaten themall season.They cametopin their section but hadto meetHeathfield again

in the semi-finals.In a very physical andfeisty encounter, the lead changedhandsmany timesandHeathfield just managedto edgeahead and holdonto thelead until the final whistle. Ourgirlsnever gaveupandfoughtuntil the end-there wasreally nothing to separateeither teamand althoughwe didnĘźt manage toholdontothe title, thegirls showedhowfar theyhave comethis seasonandhow muchthey have learnt. Their performancesreally were the bestof the seasonandthere is somuchtolook forward to fromthis teamin the next lacrosse season!

ATHLETICSMASTERCLASS OnSaturday 18May, SGA Sport welcomed coachDaniel whodelivered aninspirational and informative athletics masterclass,thesecondof theterm.ThePE staff werefortunate to beable to choosewhichdisciplines theywantedhimto focusonand chosehigh jumpandhurdles.After a thoroughwarmup,which included somenew stretchesandmusclerecruitmentdrills, the girls were taught the besttechniquesfor eachevent andwere able to try different waysto besuccessful.

It wasgreat to seehowengagedthegirls wereand howmuchencouragementcoachDaniel gave the girls anda great deal of improvementwasmade.

ASCOT SCHOOLS CRICKET FESTIVAL Ourtwoteamsplayedbrilliantly in theCricket Festival heldonthe 22May atAscotCricket Club, endingthedaywith a total of3 wins,4 losses anda draw.Aftera nervousstart, thegirls got the hangofthe scoringandtactical elementsof the gameandimprovedthrough the afternoon.

Thegamessaw somebighits fromKatie, Carolina andMillie, andan outstandingrunningcatchfrom Laila. Really well donegirlsforexcellentteamwork andeffort.

80

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

SPORTS REVIEW OF THEYEAR Closingthe yearin style, theSports Review of theYear broughtmuch entertainmentto girls andtheir parents onMonday1 July, aswe welcomed formerGB andOlympicswimmerMark Fostertocelebrate thegirlsʼ sporting

The Dragon 2018-19

successesover the year.Thisyearʼs new formatsaw aʻKahootʼ quizandaʻguess theteacherʼ pictureroundin between awards, which caused muchamusement forgirls andstaff alike.Congratulations toall girls ontheir wonderfulsporting achievementsthis year.

81

LACROSSE SQUADS 2018-19 1ST GeorgiaMorris SophieMacfadyen AmySelwyn AdrienneSilvano Aimee Thompson TabithaMacSwiney ImogenWigzell ImogenRodger AnnaEwens Edina Green Celia Jackson Sophie Ross Alexandra Townsend Olivia Gregory GraceWhitfield PhoebePantlin Avah Rustomjee Kiera O始Hare Molly Jenkinson LydiaViney Katie Sedgwick U15 Charlotte Perucca Alice Kyle IndiaWilliams DaisyRhead PoppyCarradiceBarnes Matilda Cayton ArianaRibeiro Molly Robinson MannatSahota LydiaWinchester Grace Smith Lala Khalu RosaBavington U14 EleanorMacPhee Alice Nicholson Ella Jackson LaraScott RubyWoodward AmiraAxmark DaisyBooth Isabel Gleasure LucyGrant Gabriella Brinn-Johnson Millie Hampshire AnnabelShaw ImogenHillary LilyWoodward Charlotte Pusey

Aleah Green Jessica Smith Joanna Emanuel Ellie Fidura U13 GemmaDripps Jessie Frost Charlotte Coates Isobel Thomas AnyaHarper Milly Holdsworth Leila Nicholas Carolina Heeschen HoneyPhaure Luka Devaux Maria Tutus Olivia Hand Laila Marples TeniolaRaji OonaGibbons CostiCaldana AmelieWalker FarahWalters LucyHall Grace Thompson ElodieStacey Kathy Zhang U12 TillyWard TirnanGillard Alice Grant DaisyMae Gratton RosieDangerfield Estella Dhanda Katie Hewer ErinMarshall AnyaMcCall Serena Heeschen PoppyCurrill Bea Ryan Mila Arbuthnott Lila Mitten Aanya Hyare MaddyRider AmeliaWells Lucia El-Bacha Orla Smith ChloeMoston AmarBhogal Leila Chiappe SummerClarke

CROSS COUNTRY SQUADS 2018-19 U15 DaisyBooth EleanorMacPhee LaraScott RubyWoodward AngelinaBowdery IndiaWilliams

82

U13 Estella Dhanda Katie Hewer TirnanGillard OonaGibbons Jessie Frost Charlotte Coates

NETBALL SQUADS 2018-19 U18 Sophie Ross Phoebe Clements GraceWhitfield Molly Jenkinson SophieMacfadyen Olivia Bromilow AnnaEwens Edina Green AbiRickett Kiera O始Hare Chiara Incisa di Camerana LilyJones Millie Lewin OmosighoAsemota U16 AdrienneSilvano ImogenRodger IzzyBrufal Olivia Gregory Solana delAzar Isabelle Murphy Celia Jackson ImogenWigzell Emily Thorne GeorgiaMorris Alexandra Townsend DaisyTibbatts Eve Hayward FleurLewis Olivia Borthwick PhoebePantlin Olivia Clouting U15 Alice Kyle Molly Robinson IndiaWilliams Charlotte Perucca Matilda Cayton MannatSahota SummerMasood ArianaRibeiro MeganO始Hare Milly Marriott MaiaWilson LydiaWinchester Kanwulia Ilombu CartoonSuttipatarapan PoppyCarradiceBarnes CarmenNg TheaScaddan Madison Dunn Lala Khalu U14 Ella Jackson LilyWoodward LaraScott DaisyBooth Gabriella Brinn-Johnson RubyWoodward Millie Hampshire Charlotte Pusey SaskiaKotelawala Alice Nicholson

Charlotte Simon Erin Smith ConnieMarriott LucyGrant AmiraAxmark EleanorMacPhee Isabel Gleasure AngelinaBowdery Maddie Kneen ImogenHillary Joanna Emanuel Jess Smith Aleah Green MeganCale U13 Jessie Frost Olivia Hand AnyaHarper Isobel Thomas Charlotte Coates Carolina Heeschen Luka Devaux Maria Tutus OonaGibbons Laila Marples KinzaNackvi Judit Ardvisson TeniolaRaji FarahWalters Laila Marples Leila Nicholas Milly Holdsworth HoneyPhaure LizzieMacaulay CostiCaldana Paige Clarke LucyHall Annie Dripps GemmaDripps OonaGibbons Ava Kyle Portia Smith U12 TirnanGillard Katie Hewer ErinMarshall Bea Ryan TillyWard Lila Mitten Estella Dhanda PoppyCurrill EmilyO始Neill RosieDangerfield AmeliaWells Mila Arbuthnott DaisyMae Gratton Ava Marson-Day Alice Grant Serena Heeschen MaddyRider AlexandraSuri Lucia El-Bacha Aanya Hyare Leila Chiappe Sophie Cuthbert

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

ROUNDERS SQUADS 2018-19 1ST TEAM Edina Green Sophie Ross Phoebe Clements GwenMorton U16 TEAM IzzyBrufal Olivia Gregory Isabelle Murphy ImogenRodger AdrienneSilvano Eve Hayward Alexandra Townsend U15 TEAM RosaBavington Alice Kyle Charlotte Perucca Molly Robinson MannatSahota Grace Smith CartoonSuttipatarapan IndiaWilliams Lala Khalu IndiaWilliams Waan Eamla-Or CarmenNg MeganOʼHare Kanwulia Ilombu SummerMasood ArianaRibeiro Grace Smith Isabel Kardos-Stowe Milly Marriott TheaScaddan U14 TEAM AmiraAxmark DaisyBooth AngelinaBowdery Millie Hampshire ImogenHillary Ella Jackson Maddie Kneen LaraScott Emily Simon LilyWoodward RubyWoodward Charlotte Pusey Charlotte Simon Gabriella Brinn-Johnson Isabel Gleasure KendraJervis SaskiaKotelawala EleanorMacPhee ConnieMarriott

Alice Nicholson AnnabelShaw Emily Simon U13 TEAM Charlotte Coates Jessie Frost Carolina Heeschen Ava Kyle TeniolaRaji Isobel Thomas Maria Tutus AnyaHarper FarahWalters OonaGibbons Judit Arvidsson Luka Devaux Annie Dripps GemmaDripps Olivia Hand Milly Holdsworth Laila Marples LizzieMacaulay HoneyPhaure Leila Nicholas CostiCaldana Portia Smith Grace Thompson U12 TEAM Katie Hewer Estella Dhanda Bea Ryan ErinMarshall Lila Mitten TillyWard TirnanGillard Serena Heeschen PoppyCurrill MaddyRider EmilyOʼNeill Gabriela CanoFierro Lucia El-Bacha Alice Grant AnyaMcCall AmeliaWells Aanya Hyare Olivia Wells SummerClarke Mila Arbuthnott RosieDangerfield

TENNIS SQUADS 2018-19 U15 Alice Kyle IndiaWilliams Joyce Yung MeganOʼHare U13 Jessie Frost Carolina Heeschen Kathy Zhang GemmaDripps Annie Dripps Olivia Hand Maria Tutus Luka Devaux Charlotte Coates IzzyThomas

Laila Nicholas Leila Marples TeniolaRaji U12 Gabriella CanoFiero Katie Hewer ErinMarshall MaddyRider Aanya Hyare PoppyCurrill Mika Cai EmilyOʼNeill Daisy-MaeGratton Serena Heeschen AmeliaWells TillyWard Estella Dhanda Lila Mitten Bea Ryan Mila Arbuthnott

ATHLETICS SQUADS 2018-19 U15 Alice Kyle IndiaWilliams Waan Eamla-Or Maddison Dunn Isobel Kardos-Stowe Molly Robinson Matilda Cayton DaisyRhead U14 DaisyBooth Joanna Emanuel Ella Jackson LaraScott RubyWoodward Gabriella Brinn-Johnson Charlotte Pusey AngelinaBowdrey Alice Nicholson EleanorMacPhee LilyWoodward

U13 Carolina Heeschen Jessie Frost Kathy Zhang Charlotte Coates Maria Tutus TeniolaRaji Costi Caldanza HoneyPhaure Luka Devaux OonaGibbons GemmaDripps U12 Estella Dhanda ErinMarshall Serena Heeschen TillyWard Katie Hewer PoppyCurrill Bea Ryan Lila Mitten

SWIMMING SQUADS 2018-19 U16 PhoebePantlin Elizabeth Trefgarne U15 DaisyRhead TillyCayton TheaScadden The Dragon 2018-19

U14 Alice Nicholson Millie Hampshire LuciaBerger AnnabelShaw AngelinaBowdery Annabel Macpherson

U13 Isobel Thomas CostiCaldana Maria Tutus LucyHall Grace Thompson AmelieWalker FarahWalters Carolina Heeschen

U12 PoppyCurrill Mila Arbuthnott TirnanGillard EmilyOʼNeill MaddyRider AnyaMcCall ErinMarshall 83

ALUMNAE

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? I wasdelighted whena wide rangeof alumnaeagreedto talk to me about their businesses,aboutthe highsand lows andthe lessonsthey have learned.What will nodoubtstrikereadersis the excitementthey all show,andthe senseof achievement,whatever the marketniche that theyhave identified. Theyall speakofthe advantagesof being able to havea flexible schedule,butthe corollary to that is that many hadto bepreparedto workat anyhour of the day(or night). Formost, the internet is now an invaluable tool – but youstill needto consult experts,particularly whenit comesto financial andlegal matters.I hope you will all enjoy reading about myconversations with them– and that youwill lookat their websites!

Sue

I haveSueVanderVeentothank forcollating the vast majorityof this Alumnaenews,forwhich I ameternally grateful. Asmyfirst timebeing involvedwith thepublication it hasbeeninvaluable to havesucha great framework to work within. Thishas beena bumperyear with lots of newsand photographs-long mayit continue! I dohopethat you will enjoythisnew formatpublicationandthat it is interestingto not onlyhear aboutʻOldGirlsʼ butalso what we are uptoat schoolright now.

We have lots ofAlumnaeevents plannedfor the year,for which you will receive invitations in due course. Themajority of communications are sent out byemail soif we donot have an email addressfor you, then please do let meknow -alumnae@stgeorges-ascot.org.uk. Donʼt forget to let meknowwhen youmovehouseeither!

Sue van der Veen I hopeto see as manyofyouas possible at oneof ourevents very soon, andto hear fromthoseof younot able to makeit in person!

Laurie Laurie Glimmerveen

FIONA (NOONA) AYRES 1991 REVITALIZE www.revitalize.fr

84

JENNIFER BLOY FRSA, FIPG 1977 JENNIFER BLOYDESIGNS www.jenniferbloy.co.uk

MONA ARAIN CRITES 1985 HOTEL-RESTAURANTAL LAGO www.al-lago.es

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

CHARLOTTEBILLINGTON (NEE BOND) 1994 TRANSITIONPEAK www.transitionpeak.com www.charlottebillington.com

TRICIA CARPENTER 1979 MY PERSONALIZED SOCKS www.mypersonalizedsocks.com

LARA CUSTODIO(NEE NAHUM) 2001 ASPREY INTRODUCTIONS www.aspreyintroductions.co.uk

LIZZIE HAWTIN (NEE JONES) 2007AND GEORGINA ABEL SMITH (NEE JONES) 2009 TWOWILLOWS www.twowillows.co.uk

SARAH OʼRORKE (NEE HILLS) 1986 FORTONFINE ART& BOOKSATTHEBARN www.fortonfineart.co.uk www.booksatthebarn.co.uk

SUZY POPE 1988 SUZYPOPE, FREELANCEWRITER www.suzypope.com

CAROLINEMANN (NEE BOAM) 1980 WISE HELPFUL OWLS,THEWHODIRECTORY www.whodirectory.co.uk

TIFFANY WYNNIATT-HUSEY (NEE PANTER) 1991 PANTER& HALLGALLERY www.panterandhall.com

EMMA WHITE (NEE HEWITT) 1997 SMALLWORLDKINDERGARTEN ANDMONTESSORI www.smallworldkindergarten.co.uk

NATASHA MARTIN (NEE SAFAVI) 1983 UNIVERSAL STARS www.universalstars.co.uk

LISA PEACOCK (NEE HAMILTON) 1957 LISA PEACOCK(CONCERTMANAGEMENT) LTD www.lisapeacock.co.uk

ELIZABETH YU 2010 OKPOUMUSIC www.okpou.com

The Dragon 2018-19

85

TRANSITION PEAK

TRANSITION PEAK

FIONA (NOONA) AYRES 1991 REVITALIZE www.revitalize.fr Fromworkingas crew onluxuryyachts in the CaribbeanandUSA to workingas a Charter managerfor yachting companiesin Monaco and Antibes,Noonaʼslife hadalways been,asshe calls it, ʻoutdoorsyandfreshairʼ. Andalways in good climates! But shedecidedshewastiredofʻpouring all her energyinto makingmoneyforsomeof thewealthiest peopleontheplanetʼ andwanted instead to dosomethingthatʻmadea difference topeopleʼslivesʼ. But what? Thenherownyoga teacher suggestedgoingto theAshram(yoga centre) inVirginia, USA, andtraining tobe a yoga instructor herself.She thought,ʻOh myGod,thatʼs it!ʼ Immediatelyshefinishedtraining,a studioin Antibes askedherto join their staff, so,shetold me, ʻIt wasmeantto be.ʼ Nowwith herown company,sheis what the Frenchlabel aʻmicro-entrepreneurʼ.She is a onemanband, anddoesnot have her own premises because,shesays,the Frenchtaxauthorities ʻdonʼt incentivise smallbusinessesʼ,which haveto pay highsocial charges.But nowa great advantageis that herclassesare ʻvery transportableʼ andshecan runthemalmostanywhere– includinghotels, and evenonyachts – sometimesteamingupwith other typesofinstructors.And– lookingat hersuitably calmingwebsite,which shedesignedherself – I was surprisedbythe rangeof classes sheoffers.

Even her FrenchA-levelfromSt Georgeʼs comesin usefulas herclassesare often bilingual. Noonahas clearly foundherniche.

Thehighs? Working onyourown youcan beʻvery nimbleandflip thingsround,not like the giant wheelsofa largeorganisationʼ.

Thelows? Shemissesworkingwith ateam,having ʻa soundingboardʼ.Andthere are nopaid holidays!

OverallAdvice? ʻLearnto paceyourself.Be calm anddonʼt panicin low periods,anddonʼt overload yourself whenyouʼre busy.

86

CHARLOTTEBILLINGTON (NEE BOND) 1994 TRANSITIONPEAK www.transitionpeak.com www.charlottebillington.com Now,firstof all whytwowebsites?Well, Charlie hasbeen offering career coachingunderher own nameforeight yearsalready andis nowgoing into partnership with another mumfromher sonsʼ school, expandingthe aimsof the companyat the sametime.Hence the new name.If youhave beenmaderedundant, are just returning froma child-rearingbreakor frankly just feel youcould dobetter orwould like a change,theysay theycan help.In otherwords,they offer online assistance with all kindsofcareertransition– ʻgettingpeople fromwhere theyare to wherethey want to beʼ, is howsheputs it. What backgrounddoesCharlie have? SheworkedinHRconsultingandrecruitment before,soknowswhat sheis talking about.

Herservice offers one-to-onehelpeither in person orbyphoneorSkype– plus,now,therewill bean online offering ofeight modules,available to buyas a packageor individually. Employersmightevenlike tooffer this asa gesturetostaff theyare forcedto makeredundant,to help themmoveon.Charlieʼs book,What to doNext?, offersa goodideaof her approach.That,andheronline coaching,will help youto get to knowyourself, yourstrengths and weaknesses– what shouldbethefirst stepin your transition.

Thehighs? Workingwith a goodpartner,sharing ideas– butalsoof courseseeingthat youare helping people.

Thelows? Workingon yourowncan belonely and it is sometimesa challenge alongside runninga homeandfamily.

Overalladvice? Makesureyougetlegal help.It doesnʼt comecheap,butCharlie discovered, for example,that the first nametheythought of for their companywas muchtoo similar to onein use already.It canbea minefield!

JENNIFER BLOY FRSA, FIPG 1977 JENNIFER BLOYDESIGNS www.jenniferbloy.co.uk ʻWow!ʼ I thought,blownawaybymyfascinating conversation with Jenny, who,in herown words, ʻdesignshigh-endjewellery andobjets dʼartʼ. And highend,very highend,a lot of it is.She admits that youwouldnʼt thinkthat fromlooking at her one-pagewebsite, which – apart fromonephoto– justcontains hercontact details. Herclients,ʻfrom rockstarsto royaltyʼ, assheputsit, wouldnʼt want their uniquepiecesfeaturedon therefor all to see (and perhapscopy) andshe doesnʼt needto tout for customers,asthe vast majority comeʻby wordof mouthʼ.Most piecesshe designstraditionally, handdrawingandpainting, for someoneelse actually to make.Not all cost millions, butsomedo.She will designanything ʻfrommillion-poundjewelled boxes to fashionjewellery worthpenniesʼ. Sheʻsees some amazingplaceswhen visiting customersbutlives a verysimplelifeʼ herself.

Wheredidall thisstart? Well, whilestill inthe Sixth Format St Georgeʼsshewas sent to South Hill Parkto doweeklyhalf-dayʻJewellery for Beginnersʼ classes. She remembershowproud shewasof theWinnie the Poohsilver pendant that shemade.Sheʼsgone a long way since then, winningbothnational andinternational awards.

Hertraining(including at theSir John CassCollege) coveredjewellery andsilversmithing, metallurgy, sculpture andglass, andshepasses onmanyof her skills nowin classesat theGoldsmithsʼCentre in London. Howmuchofher week doesshespendon herwork? Sevendaysoften– andshewill work throughthe night if necessary.

Highs:When in 1994shedesignedthe winning piecein theDeBeers Jewellery DesignCompetition, andwhen in 2018she was madeupto Liveryman in the Goldsmithsʼ Company.

Lows:Being diagnosedwith breast cancersixyears ago;she is nowfully recovered.

Overall Advice: Enjoy what youdoand try to doit toit aswell asyoucan.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

www.al-lago.es

TRICIA CARPENTER 1979 MY PERSONALIZED SOCKS www.mypersonalizedsocks.com

MONA ARAIN CRITES 1985 HOTEL-RESTAURANTAL LAGO www.al-lago.es

LARA CUSTODIO(NEE NAHUM) 2001 ASPREY INTRODUCTIONS www.aspreyintroductions.co.uk

Ever spent hourson the soul-destroyingbusiness of sewing nametags onto socksfor a childʼs new schooluniform?Yes,I knowitʼs a labourof love, but the companyMyPersonalized Socksmakesit unnecessary.A couple of years agoTricia Carpenter (1979) decidedtotakea newdirection in herlife; shehad beenrunning her owndesign business but wanted a change.Now shehas teamedup with herbrother to runthis companywhich sells socks– sockswith a difference.Thewearerʼsname is knittedinto theactual fabric ofthe sockwhen it is manufactured.Perfect for schooluniform,for corporateclients orfor gifts.Triciaʼsbrother heads upthe manufacturingside(which is all done abroad), shethe marketing.She saysshedevotes 3-4daysa week to the work.Thecompanysells all roundtheworld, with theUS andAustralia already bigmarkets,butthe UK marketgrowing,with ʻvery positive feedbackʼ fromlots of customers;the very clean-cutwebsite wasdesignedby anAustralian.

Aswe spokebyvideo, Mona pointed to the idyllic view of their local village – Zaharade la Sierra – perchedonthecraggyhilltopnear the Spanishlakeside hotel/restaurantthat sheandher husbandhave runsince 2006.Mona hadowned avery different businesspreviously– asmall fashion boutiquein aʻdown-at-heelʼdistrict of NewYork.Shedescribesthat asherʻgolden eraʼ.

With its groupofabout30smallshops– all run bywomen– the neighbourhoodwasfriendly and movingupin the world. Andthere shemether Americanhusband,Stefan, a chef.After 9/11ʻNew Yorkchangedʼ,and they didnot want to raise a family there.

YoucanimagineLara charmingpotential clients with hervivacious,sparklingchat. But evidently the original nameshedevised for her Chelsea-based datingagency– ʻTheSloaneArrangerʼ– didnʼt workfor non-Englishspeakers,clever as it was,and I supposeI canseewhy.However,Lara– with her degreein Business ManagementandMarketing fromRoyal HollowayCollege, London– certainly knewhow to get her new businessknownwhen sheset it upin 2015.Shewrote a book,VeryBritish Dating, describing recommendeddating practices in thiscountry;articles appearedintheDaily Mail, the Huffington Post andthe Daily Express;the name appeared onbill-boards andbus-stopsall over London;and,shesaysʻthe thingran like wildfireʼ.

Thehighs? ʻWhen individual customersgetit and get excitedabout the productʼ andof coursewhen they makerepeat orders!

Thelows? Triciaprefersto call themchallenges.

When people donʼt understandthe product,but thenyouhave to workonit! Themainissue nowisʻgetting it knownʼ,spreadingthewordin businesses,schools, colleges.

OverallAdvice? Alwayskeepawatchful eyeonthe market;be ready to changewhen youhave to.

Mona knewSpain fromher childhood andspoke Spanish, andshehad gained somebusiness experiencein NewYork,acting as a consultant tootherboutiques,so– asStefan wasalready anestablishedchef– theywerewell suitedto takeoverAl Lago.Situated in thedepthsof the countryside30 minutesʼdrive fromRonda,Al Lago dependsa lot onkeepingits regular clientele, whether locals orhotel guestsfromoverEurope andbeyond.Thisis not an area that gets drop-in customers.With yourown businessthere often comesresponsibility for other people; a dozenstaff – all fromthelocal community– dependonthem fortheir livelihood. ʻTheyʼreall myfamily,ʼ is how Mona sumsit up.Apart fromthe winter closure, how muchofher time doesthe businessoccupy?

All ofhertime– absolutelyall ofit, istheanswer. ʻThisisnʼt justa jobI do,itʼs mywholelife.ʼ Thehighs? When they openedthe sixhotel rooms, in 2009.

Thelows? Lotsofexternalfactorsinfluence trade: theIceland volcano,therecession– eventheheat wavein theUK. OverallAdvice? ʻYouneedlotsofstamina.Make sureyour chosenbusinessfits yourpersonality. The jobinvolves a lot of trouble-shootingsoitʼs best suited to someonewhocan think ontheir feet and movewith the tide.ʼ

The Dragon 2018-19

However,what shereally aspiredto wasa TV programme.With her businessnow rebrandedas AspreyIntroductions, that dreamis about to come true;as I write thisarticle inAugust2018a series of programmes,TheUltimate Matchmaker,is going toair forthe first timeontheʻWʼ Channel,whose website describesherworkasʻsorting outthe love lives ofthe super-richʼ.But Larasaysthat wealth is notthe vital ingredient(thoughregistering does not comecheap); moreimportant are background (usually publicschool)andhavingʻclassʼ. Larais very hands-onwith her business; shemakesa point ofinterviewing everypotential client personally,and shedesignedand maintains the website herself.

Glamorous and exclusive the companymaybe,but it is hardwork,too.

Thehighs? ʻWhen youcansee the businessyou havecreated starting toflourish.ʼ Thelows? Havingyourown companyʻmergeswith yourprivatelifeʼ.

Overall advice? Runningyourownbusinessis not just a matter of finding a USP.Youneedtobe totally committed.

87

LIZZIE HAWTIN (NEE JONES) 2007AND GEORGINA ABEL SMITH (NEE JONES) 2009 TWOWILLOWS www.twowillows.co.uk Sisters LizzieandGeorgina bubbledwith enthusiasmwhen I spoketo themof the home décorbusiness,TwoWillows, which they hadjust launchedtogether – in June 2018.At themoment bothhave full-timejobswith estate agents (competingones!) andtheyfit intheir workfor TwoWillows in evenings,in the early morning,at weekends,duringtubejourneys….. youget the picture! With their fatheralso inproperty,I suppose it wasnot surprisingthat their businessidea had somethingtodowith interiors.

Theircompany,TwoWillows, which specialises in what theycall ʻFrenchandScandinavian style home furnishingsandaccessoriesʼ tradespurely online at present. However,when we spoketheyhad just decidedto takea stall at theThameFoodFestival, a new venture for them.I askedwhohad designed their calm,elegant – andveryprofessional-looking – website.Impressively,theyhaddoneeverybit of it themselves,with the helpof oneof the excellent website designingpackagesnowavailable. In fact, thetwo ofthemdo absolutely everythingin the company,including buyingfromseveral UK wholesalers, taking the all-importantphotosand uploadingthemto the website, weighing and parcelling upthe orders.Apart fromtheir website, their marketingis donethroughsocial media, especially Instagram,asitʼsʻvery visualʼ. Andtheir ownhouses(and their long-sufferingparentsʼ home!) are their warehouses.

Thehighs? Nohesitationhere:Theirfirst order! It camefromatotal stranger,even before they had doneany marketing.

Thelows? Theboring, admin-basedtasks, suchas updatingthe website.

Overall advice? Youlearn asyougoalong, by makingtheinevitable mistakes,butyouʼll be surprised at howmuchyoucan doyourselves.

CAROLINEMANN (NEE BOAM) 1980 WISE HELPFUL OWLS,THEWHODIRECTORY www.whodirectory.co.uk

NATASHA MARTIN (NEE SAFAVI) 1983 UNIVERSAL STARS www.universalstars.co.uk

Are youonthe lookoutfor a Mandarin Chinese teacher? Awebsitedesigner?Ayogainstructor?A gardendesigner? Adog-walker?Caroline Mannʼs newinternet directoryis notin anywayrelated to herdegreein History,Politics andRussian Studies.

Theidea for theWHO Directory cameto her whensherealised that manyof herfriends were ʻfloundering aboutʼ andneededto beencouraged to promotetheir skills. Theylackedthe confidence – ortheopportunity– tosay,ʻActually,Iʼmquite goodatthis!ʼ andto setupin business.Soat the start of 2018shedecidedon setting upan internet platformwhere smallbusinessescould advertise their services.She saysshewantsit to be aʻnetwork offriends offriends offriendsʼ, people sheknowsor who have been recommendedbyher ownacquaintances.

ʻWe putthe starsbehindthe starsʼ, readsthe clever catch-lineat the topof Natashaʼs companyʼs website.Andif youlookthroughthe gallery you can seeher star-coveredtheatrical backdropsin a wide rangeof venues,both commercialand private. Natasha beganworkingforthe specialist electronics companyin 2004andtook over the businessin 2006.

Herairy, easy-to-navigatewebsite was designed bya smallfirm in Exeter butshe nowmaintains it herself.Expertsare listed in 40different categories.

Theypayto have their entries onthe site, but potential customersaccessit for free. Howmuch timedoesshedevotetoit? ʻIt variesalot, so shehas to beflexible with hertime. Doesshe enjoyrunningthe company?Thereis a definite hesitation……. Shelikesthe senseofachievement, but doeshave frustrating momentsto get through.

She sumsupbysaying, ʻItʼs muchharder than I thoughtit wouldbe!ʼ Auseful lessonforother would-beentrepreneurs.

Thehighs? Whenshefirst hadthe idea andthe website wasset up.

Thelows? Struggling toget expertstocommitto appearingon the site.Theyʼreoften shortof selfconfidence ornervous about getting themselvesout there.But thenthatʼs thepoint ofthe site…

OverallAdvice? Alwayskeepawatchful eyeonthe market;be ready to changewhen youhave to.

Howdidshegetinto thisfield? Well, sheacquired a lot of relevant experiencesurprisinglyyoung.

Agedjust16ʻsomeoneat St Georgeʼs– [she] never foundoutwhoʼ linkedher upwith Eton andthere shewas suddenlyrunningthe soundfor a play at theTheatreRoyal inWindsor.ʻTheconfidenceI had gained frommytimeat St Georgeʼsis what has carried meinall of mycareers,ʼ sheadds.After her A-levelsshetook a vocational courseinAudioVisual DesignandTechnology,including a basic courseinApplied Electronics. Shegained a diploma in PhotographyandAV,went straight into a jobas a videolibrarian in Sohoandhasʻnot lookedback sinceʼ. Natasha saysthat herbusinessacumen nowwould astonish her formerEconomicsteacher, MrsCrawford, whoʻhadto putupwith [her] shenanigansduring Economicslessonsʼ. She thinks that, were sheto beʻmoreof a 9to 5person,a better saver,less ambitiousʼ, runninga business wouldbequite difficult. Shehasrelied onvery goodpeopletohelp – administrators,supervisors, HRspecialists andtechnicians like herself.I have beenmyownboss,I have dealt with peoplefrom all sectors of the businesscommunityandbeen invited to DowningStreet.ʼ Natasha sayssheis now thinking of hernextcareer, butclearly runningher ownbusiness hassuited her downto the ground.

Highs?ʻNothing canmatchthefirst yearwhenit is doneand successful.ʼ Lows? Thebankingcrisis andthe economic downturn;it wasa battle to keepgoing.Andwhen herbusinesspartner decidedto leave.

Overall Advice: Doyourhomeworkonthe finances.

Be fully aware ofthe taximplications, suchasPAYE, Employersʼ NIC, P11Dand Corporation Tax,and learn about cashflow andtax deductions.

88

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

SARAH OʼRORKE (NEE HILLS) 1986 FORTONFINE ART& BOOKSATTHEBARN www.fortonfineart.co.uk www.booksatthebarn.co.uk

TIFFANY WYNNIATT-HUSEY (NEE PANTER) 1991 PANTER& HALLGALLERY www.panterandhall.com

LISA PEACOCK (NEE HAMILTON) 1957 LISA PEACOCK(CONCERTMANAGEMENT) LTD www.lisapeacock.co.uk

Thefull-time commitmentdemandedbySarahʼs previousincarnation– offeringmarketingfor professionalservicessuchaslaw firms– couldnʼt have beencombinedwith a youngfamily, so sheneededto find a newdirection. Shehad the idea of pop-upart galleries and,later, booktalks (sometimesfollowed bydinner) to complementthe visual arts.

Tiffany– whorunsthiscommercialart gallery with abusinesspartner– believes mostpeoplewould imaginea worldof quiet, calmelegance there; certainly yougetthat impressionlookingat their website.AndIʼmsure that if youvisit oneoftheir two Central Londongalleries – whichmanypreferto do beforebuyingvia thewebsite – youwouldfindquiet elegance, too.But, saysTiffany,ʻone of the biggest misconceptionsisthat itʼs all glamour…thebinsstill needto beemptied!ʼ

Mailing lists meanshecanadvertise theevents widely amongstherregular clientele. Thebooktalks sometimesattract upto 250people andfeature very well-knownauthors.Forthe art exhibitions shehaswhatshecalls aʻstable ofartistsʼ that she drawson– becausepeoplelikefollowing artists they knowandseeing their style changeover time – butsheregularly addsnewones,too,inorder tokeeptheoffering fresh.Theartists are all living ones,with subjectsrangingfromthe traditional to the abstract, ascan beseenfromheraddictive website.She will includeabout 150paintings, with aboutfourorfive perartist. Where dothese exhibitionstakeplace? Sheusuallyshowsthe paintings first in Hampshire,nearher home,and will thentake themtoa venuein Sussex,Surreyor Oxfordshire.Another aspect of herwork is advising people onchoosing art for their homes.

At university sheread Historyand HistoryofArt andshe camefromafamily of artists, sofor herthe decisionto workin theworld ofart wasan easy one,andshestarted off in thefast paceof a large auction house.But shetired ofbeingʻa smallcogin a bigmachineʼ anddecidedthat youhave toʻremain a minionall yourlife orjustgofor itʼ. Sotheir first gallery was set upfromscratch in 2000in very small premisesinShepherd Market, movinginto larger premisesoverthe years.ʻYouhave to learn onthe job,ʼsheadds;there isʻno clear careerpathʼ in the art gallery world,and itʼs nota regulatedindustry,so new competitorsare always openingup.Has shehad anybusinesstraining? Noneatall, andMrsHarris, herMaths teacher at St Georgeʼswould beamazed to see her runninga businessnow, shesays!

Lisa left St Georgeʼsaged15when,shetells me,herʻwhole reasonfor beingwas horsesʼ; however,what shedescribesas ʻmajor carpentryʼ ona shoulderputan endto a career in eventing.

So how did shemovefromhorses to concert management?Thereasonsfor hersuccessin the businessaretwofold, it wouldseem:contacts, coupledwithorganisational skills. Shewas able to build upthe formerduringthe years whenher husbandwasCultural Counsellorfor the Canadian GovernmentinLondon;the latter sheacquired organisingeventsina variety ofareas.After all, she explains,ʻOrganisingis organising– whetheryou are workingfor an oil-rigmanageror a QC.ʼIs she amusicianherself? No,butshelovesmusic,and it wasa friend whosuggestedthat sheshoulddo somethingin the musicbusiness.She set upthe companyin 1991.

Assheworksmainlyin termtime, all this fits in well with herchildren, who,shesays,learna lot fromseeingthe various worksof art andhearing authorstalk ona diverserange of subjects.Sarah didnʼt specialise inArt at school,but,shesays,ʻit mustbein there somewhereʼ! Andshereckons that the debatingskills (usedin AlexanderHouse underMmeBissinger) musthavehelped when interviewing authorsin frontof large audiences.

Thehighs? Meeting somanypeople– artists and authors– andʻbeinginthe drivingseatʼ.

Thelows? Noneto speakof,thoughsomeyearsare ʻthinnerʼ thanothers.

Thehighs? Oneexample:whenoneof ourartists workedwith EmmaWatson (of HarryPotter fame) andpainted a sell-outshowofportraits of the actress.

Thelows? Whena cratefull oftheir art worksen routeto anart fair in NewYorkwasstuckwith US customsandmissedthe whole fair!

OverallAdvice? Tryto getwork experienceinthe art world;find outwhat suitsyou,what yourʻright matchʼis.Onpaperitʼs all sodifferent.

I askedhowshepublicises herconcerts (12 for the upcomingseason). Itʼs a storywe are all familiarwith: it usedtobeall aboutprinted material andʻstuffing envelopesʼ,butnowdigital communicationsandsocial mediahave madeit all so mucheasier. Her elegant peacock-featherbedeckedwebsite was professionally designed;she aimsto keepit easyto navigate, without ʻtoo much bumphʼfor readers to ploughthrough, andoffering samplesofmusicplayed bythe artists herconcerts are featuring in thenear future.

Thehighs? Aseries of Sundaymorningcoffee concertswhichsheorganisedwith a colleague in theGreatPicture Galleryat theWallaceCollection.

Theywere a sell-out.

Thelows? Thepresentsituation isparticularly challengingwith alack ofinternationally recognised smallerchambermusicvenuesavailable for hire in Central London.

Overalladvice? Build upyourtransferrableskills and makeuseof yourexperience.

OverallAdvice? Considerrunningyourown businessif youwant flexibility, moreinputand more timefor family andfriends.

The Dragon 2018-19

89

SUZY POPE 1988 SUZYPOPE, FREELANCEWRITER www.suzypope.com

EMMA WHITE (NEE HEWITT) 1997 SMALLWORLDKINDERGARTEN ANDMONTESSORI www.smallworldkindergarten.co.uk

ELIZABETH YU 2010 OKPOUMUSIC www.okpou.com

SuzystudiedEnglish andPublishing at Oxford Brookes(then called OxfordPoly). Veryrelevant you would have thought. Not so,says Suzybecausein fact sheneverwent into publishing,andanyway publishing has changedso muchsincethen.

However,what wasto bevery usefullater was the 12years shespent in a PR agencyin London, whereherboss– ʻa bit likea headmistressʼ– was a real stickler andtaughtherʻskills shehasnever forgottenʼ, to dowith different pressformatsand typesofclient. (Incidentally, shesaysthisattention todetail wasalso inculcatedbyher Englishteacher at St Georgeʼs– MrsWillingham.)Asaside-line sheundertookfreelance workfor homeinteriors magazines,getting to knowsomeofthe journalists well. Eventually, after muchsoul-searching,she decidedthat what shereally wantedto dowas write, andsosheset herselfupofficially in 2018as a freelance.

In the Sixth Format St GeorgeʼsEmmawas encouragedbythe HeadofArt, Mrs Fidler, to do workexperienceat a local nurseryschool– ʻso itʼsreally downtoher– thankyou,MrsF!ʼ Less thana yearafter leaving school,with Montessori training underherbelt, shewasworking full time(and earning!). Nowsheownsandrunsa Montessori nurseryschool for 2-5year olds in Ipswich.ʻIt sayssomethingforvocational training,ʼ shesays.ʻSometimes it can befar moreuseful than anacademicdegree.ʼ In fact, for manyyears sheworkedin publishing, endingup as the Design Studio Manager at PenguinBooks in London; then sheand her husbanddecided to moveout of London.Having foundthis nurseryschool onthe websiteʻBusinesses forSaleʼ theygot themortgage companyto agree that the building was a good buy,with a well-established business.

WhenElizabeth wasat St Georgeʼs,shetells me, MrHillier (Directorof Music) alwayshelpedher with ordering musicscores.Now backin Hong Kong,shebelieves there is a gapin the market, soshe hasset upan online businesswhich helps local musicianswhowish to locate andbuysome of the less commonpieces of musicfromUK publishers.Shealso sells varioustypesof stationery that enhancea musicianʼsexperiencesuchas erasablehighlighters and“write onyourscore” musicfolders. Hermusical backgroundmeansthat shecan understandwhat hercustomersare really after andgives herthe knowledgetobe able to distinguishbetween the different scores.Asthis is just anonline storeat present– anda one-man band– shecan workfromhomeanddoesnʼt need business premises.

Hervery informative website, which shedesigned herself,showswhat a wide rangeofwriting services sheoffers, suchas brochurecopy,web content, pressreleases, proof-readingandcopy-editing(in whichshe hasa diploma), andgiving basic advice onPR.Dull? Noway.Shehastogettoknowthe style ofa companyandfind outʻwhat its voice isʼ andthe messagetheywant to get across.She says shehasopportunitiesto workfor clients in a wide variety ofsectors.

Thehighs? Whena client saysthat yourworkhas really madea difference to their businessandgives youa goodtestimonial.

Thelows? Thepeaksandtroughs of incomeas a freelance,soitʼs difficult to saynoto workin case the nextmonthturnsout to bea lean one.

Overall advice? Goandgetemployedworkfirst, get experience,build upcontacts. Working onyour own isnʼt foreveryonebutif it suitsyou,it canprovidea wonderful work/lifebalance.

90

Emmahadnever before hadto write a business plan. Theyhadto rememberthat they were acquiringstaff,too – ʻbothan assetanda responsibilityʼ. Were there enough?Toomany?

What didtheaccountslooklike? Wasthe school makingaprofit? With all thisyouneedadvice, butlegal feesarehigh! Mostchildrencometothe schoolby recommendation,andthis applies to teachers,too.However,thereis competition– the kindergartenofthe local private schoolis nowright nextdoor.SoEmmacanʼt let up! Inanycase,ʻWith yourown businessyouʼre never onholidayʼ.

Highs? Realising that shehadidentifieda market niche.

Lows? Shespeaksofchallenges,notlows.It was difficult tocreate a websitethat wouldserveher purposes,andalso not easy to reach European publishers fromoverseas.

Overall Advice? Prepare to face a lot of new ideas that youhave never hadto considerbefore.

Thehighs? AchievinganʻOutstandingʼ intheir OFSTEDreportjust two yearsafter taking over.

Thelows? Good,ambitiousstaff will moveon,as two didrecently whena newcrèche openedup nextdoor.Youneed to bethick-skinned and be pleased for them.

OverallAdvice? ʻIf buyinganestablishedbusiness, get to knowthe area andthe marketandcheckyou can build upa customerbase.ʼ

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

NEWS OF FORMER STAFF DR CAROLE CUSHING FORMER HEAD OF ENGLISH VincentandI haveʻdownsizedʼ.We haveourfirst grandchild,Eloise AmeliaRose,bornin July toAnna andMatt. Eloise isa verydeterminedlookinglittle person! I amimmersedinpatchworkandquilting andamcollating a collection offabrics whichthe nation wouldlike ...such comfortincoloursand texturesafter alifetime ofprintand ink! Kindest wishes to anyone youknow who mightremember me.

ANDREW STAFFORD HEAD OF ENGLISH -2001-2009 Havingturned 70this October,I celebrated with a holidayin Tenerife-a first visit to the Canaries, andcontinue to bevery busywith a numberof voluntary activities: as a member of the local SchoolAdmissionsPanel; counting votes in elections andthe Referendum:a taste of dramathere!

Iʼmstill conductingtheChoir at ReadingMinster andacting anddirecting asPresident ofthe Marlow Players, and as a Steward at St Georgeʼs Chapel,Windsor Castle. I have combinedthese interests recently as I acted in the Windsor Castle pantomime,Aladdin. I wasstrongly remindedofthe staff Christmasofferings during mytime-Snow White (I wasa dwarf ) The Wizard of Oz( to tumultuouscheersI wasthe Wizard ) and Hair where I was adorned with a flowing wig. Perhapssomeofthe Snapdragon readers will rememberthese.

Another majormilestone inAugust was when mysonand daughter-in-law bought their first houseinWalthamAbbey. Mysonis a first responseparamedic, working in theTottenham area of London:the sceneof frequent gang

The Dragon 2018-19

attacks, soheis verystretched overnight, and he is also developinghis skills in “end of life care” in which hehopesto specialise. It is amazingtothink that mychildren were only in juniorschool whenI joinedSt Georgeʼsandstill at school when I retired.

chemotherapysession.Again, I wasdelighted to win the class,and veryprivileged to bethe recipient ofa silver harptrophy,first presented in 1937.Needless to say,I amnowplanning to work onmore arrangements for 2019.

SusanneLloyd-Jonessljharp@gmail.com

Warmestwishesto all alumnaeandI hopeto see someofyouat the various reunions GALA sokindly arranges!

SUSANNE LLOYD-JONES ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF MUSIC -19841989 Thepast year has broughta host of ups anddowns.I amstill living ontheNorth coastof Scotland, with itʼs amazing scenery and wonderful communityspirit. I am playingthe clarsach (small Scottish harp) morethan ever and nowhave several pupils as well as tutoring at theFeis (where children goto try outtraditional instrumentsbothin an individual and group session). I feel very privileged to have beenacceptedinto this genre as a tutor,and love the friendly atmosphere ofplaying with fiddles,chanters,guitars and accordions.

I welcomedtwo lovely long-hairedchihuahuas into mylife -Gina andGeorgie -and they are a real sourceof joy andcompanionship.Less welcomewas a diagnosis of breast cancer, whichwas discoveredlast May.Naturally somewhatof a shock,it has beenthe most amazingexperience and journey sofar. Everyone I have metin the medicalprofession hasbeen wonderfully supportiveand caring. Friendshave beengreat bothpractically andemotionally and I have been blessed with the ability to keepgoingin myworkand pastimes,with little debilitating side effects.

Onemajorachievement was learning a Gaelic song(in Gaelic!) and writing my own arrangementforthe clarsach. I performedit at ourlocal CaithnessandSutherland Mod (competitionsfor traditional music)andwonthe class. Inspired bythe adjudicators comments,I went onto learn another songandperformed thembothat the National Modat Dunoon last October.Thiswas just daysbefore myfinal

MRS VICKY POTTER MODERN LANGUAGES & HISTORY, HEAD OF ALEXANDER HOUSE Thisyearstarted with a lovely fortnight in St Lucia with mysister andher husband,enjoying somewinter sunshinewhich stood mein goodstead for the hip replacementoperation I hadin March. Thesubsequentweekssaw metrudging round the neighbourhood on my crutches, building upthe stepsas part of my rehabilitation. I amnowmuchmoremobile andcan onceagain enjoywalks, gardeningand grovelling onthe floor with mygranddaughter!

I have hada coupleof trips outto France, catchingupwith Avril Growcott onboth occasions, oncein the companyof Chris Fidler whocameto spenda week with me.Sheavailed herself of a waterskiing opportunityonthe lake andwe bothkept cool duringthe heat-wave with swimsin the river. Onourreturn journey we stoppedoff at Lensin northernFrance where there is an outpost of the Louvre museum andhad a pleasant few hourswandering throughthe gallery which summarisesartistic endeavours from4000BCE to the present day.

I canrecommenda visit asthe gallery is ona scale which allows one to see all the exhibits in a coupleof hoursandentry is free, although a voluntary donation is requested.

Therest of mytimeis spentcatching upwith friends, visiting mymother,helping out with child care andthe everyday minutiae of home and garden.

MARGARET HARMAN FORMER PA TO HEADMISTRESS We absolutelyloveit downhereinWiltshire and canʼt imagineliving anywhereelse.Wehave founda lot of newfriends andnever seemtohave enoughtime to fit everything in. We do still come upto theWindsor area aboutevery three to four weeksto meetupwith ourelder son,Matthew, for lunchorto meetupinthe evening,as well as meeting upwith youryoungerson and daughter-inlaw in Basingstoke.

With bestwishes to youandeveryoneelse who might rememberme.

91

MRS JANE HAYWARD FORMER HEAD OF RS I continueto appreciate myretirement. I enjoy seeing mygrandchildren andhelping with churchactivities. I have also taken piano lessonswhich include musictheory.I have madeprogressbutthere is still a longway to go! However Mrs Bridget Hugheshas promised to play someduetswith me,whichwe are not recording!

Duval. Itʼs solovely to keepin touchand proof that St Georgeʼscertainly providedfriendsfor life!

Myhealth hastaken a dipthese last 18months with the onsetof an autoimmunedisease which hasbeendifficult to diagnose.I have made progresswith a newdrugregimeand I am getting backto ʻnormalʼ. It hasmademevery grateful forthe friendsandfamily that I dohave.

MRS WENDY MOYLES ENGLISH, HISTORY & HEAD OF LEARNING SKILLS Since I wrote last year, myfamily has lived in “interesting” times! Last Octobermydaughter, Francesca,was involved in a veryserious road accident which meantmyhusbandand I moved to Cambridgetohelp assist herrecovery and look after ouryounggranddaughter.It was a difficult timeforall. However,byMarch Francescawas onthe road to recovery sowe decidedto take a long-plannedtrip to visit my brother in Australia.

Ourholiday lasted two monthswith us enjoyingwonderfultimeswith familyas well as experiencingsomeofthe wondersAustralia has to offer.Wesaw iconic sightsin Perth, Sydney andMelbourne. We went onthe famousTwelve Apostles trek; swamwith stingrays; explored someof the rainforest; scubadived onthe Great Barrier Reef as well as saw the wonders of Uluru. It was really a trip of a lifetime and made usquestionif anyfuture holiday couldever matchthis one!

Back homeI continue to commutebetween CambridgeandBerkshire butI have timeto meetupregularly with local friendsVickyPotter, Jane HaywardandJane Green,to namejusta few, aswell askeepin touchwith othersfurther away like ReneeGrassby,IreneWright andCarol

92

MRS JACQULYN BLACK LOWER SIXTH HOUSEMISTRESS -20042009 Valerie Shipley cametovisit mein Scotland this summerand we enjoyed somelovely days out andabout, including an excursiontoTheKelpies.

Theseare the largest equinesculptures in the world, sited onthe Forthand ClydeCanal. They are a monumentto horse-poweredheritage acrossScotland andare truly magnificent.

Standing 30metreshigh it was quite amazingto walk aroundinside andmarvel at their awesome size!

DR JANET HARVEY DIRECTOR OF MUSIC 1980 -1991 I amstill workingpart-timefortwo universities, enjoying musicasa hobby.I have joined a churchmusic groupspecialising in ʻpop-upʼ services, basically ononerehearsal. Venuesso far have includedthe cathedrals of Birmingham, Canterbury,Chester,St Paulʼs, andWinchester.

In January I caughtupoverlunchwith Delscey Burns,formerEnglish teacher at St Georgeʼs, subsequentlyHeadofSt Maryʼs,Calne. In Februaryandearly MarchI revisited New Zealand, andthen travelled onto exploresome ofAustraliaʼs cities: Hobart,Melbourne,Adelaide and Perth. In Perth I enjoyed a reunion with Philly Lumby(neeTree)at Sculpture onthe Beach in Cottesloe: it wasa major highlightof mytrip.Andshe still plays hertrumpet!

MRS ARETI BIZIOR FORMER HEAD OF FIRST YEAR We haveyet anotherGeorgian with usat Downe,Rosie McCann, whois Assistant Housemistress.

Above:Rosie McCann,KimCollingwood (nee Gilman), AnnaDourountakis,AnnabelBrown andAreti Bizior -all nowonthe staff at Downe House.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

NEWS OF FORMER PUPILS 1940s SUSAN ADAMS (NEE LAMBERT) 1940s Mybest wishesto the schoolwhere I hadhappy yearsin boththe Junior andSenior Schools.I do enjoyhearing of present-daySt Georgeʼsactivities.

My addressis 6leicester Close, Henley,RG9 2LD, shouldany of mycontemporariesbevisiting the area.

JOAN ANDERSON (NEE ANSLEY) 1944 I celebratedmy90thbirthdaylast October! I wouldbe happier if I couldsee andhear,both of which are difficult these days, but I have a new great-grandsonborninApril soI nowhave four great grandchildren,which I enjoy.

LAVENDER(BUNNY) SCARAMANGA (NEE BEAUMAN) 1944 Life goeson.I play bridgewith familyand friends; I go NH racing – Iʼm in a syndicate which has five horses;donʼt see enoughof my five grandchildren; have beento the Dordogne andamgoing ona river cruise onthe Douro nextmonth.Would love to hear fromanyone of myvintage if they seethis.

1950s JILLIAN ROBERTS (NEE FRIPP) 1951 Mynews remainsmuchthe sameasusual! We hada monthin NewZealand in January followed bya weekin andaroundCairns, QAvisiting anold friend. Quite hardworkin NZwith sixchildrenin the housevarying in age from21/2to 20. Other thanthat ourforeigntrips haveall beentoour housein Francesometimesfollowed bya weekend inItaly with ourdaughterwholives inLiguria.

BELINDA FORSTER (NEE HARVIE) 1952 Itʼs a very longtime since I joined St Georgeʼs -just after the war,when the schoolneeded someTLCandwe were often hungry.I amstill in touch with Diana Stent (Aysh) and Kirsten Blaikie (Andersen), and we still take our familyto Angleseyforholidays. Otherwise,it is gardeningandvisiting relations, andwe are still

The Dragon 2018-19

in Kent.Would love to hear fromanyfriends of the past.

SUSANNA DE VRIES (NEE GUTHRIE ADAMSON) 1952 I like hearing andcontributing mynewsas at 83 I amstill having bookspublished.

My latest bookis titled, “Royal Marriages: Diana, Camilla, Kate, MeghanandPrincesses who did not live happily ever after.” I have been helpedto write this bookwith supportfrom someformerclassmateswith contact with the royal household and encouraged bymygood friend Philippa Lester-Wilsonwholived nearthe Spencers ofAlthorp andknew themas friends.

It hastaken fouryears to completethe book which follows somedysfunctional royal arranged marriages fromthe 14th century onwards. Due to promotioncommitmentsfor this book, I have had to postpone publishing mymemoirs ʻFathers, FortunesandForgeriesʼ, which includes a chapteronSt Georgeʼs,until 2020.In this bookI have tried to documentmypost-war yearsin theJunior andSenior Schoolsin a very different world fromthat of today.

I live in subtropical Brisbane whose mild winters suit meverywell, with two rescuedogsand a housefilled with thousandsofbooks.I will always begrateful to St Georgeʼsandits library whichinspired in mealove ofreading. I set up two publishing businesses(Pandanus Press and Pirgos Press), publishingbooksonAustralian womenartists, womenʼshistory, womenin war and British royalty. I have forged a career as a full time writer and lecturer with difficulty, at a time when there were manymorebookshops and will always be grateful to St Georgeʼs for encouragingmeto read andwrite.

DIANA SMYLY (PURSER) 1952 Twowonderful pieces of news fromourfamily!

MysonDavid(60) wasinductedas a lay minister in theAnglican Parish of Simmonstown in the Cape.I flew to CapeTownfor the event andfelt very humbleyetproudto witness this.

MysonMichael (54) is thefather ofmyonly granddaughter -Shannon-who was admitted in to CambridgeUniversity this Septemberto studyto obtain a Masters DegreeinMedical Science. Shewas the topstudent at Cape TownUniversity in this field andnowhas a full scholarship to attend Cambridge-what a privilege for herand what an honourforus!

I tell her it is all due to her grandmotherwho learned somuchfromall her amazingGeorgian teachers!!

Thisyearhas beenquite badhealthwise -I had a 6op bypasson myright leg -one toe started goingblack! I thoughtit was a spiderbite! I have survived, butstill have three monthsof antibiotics to goand feel sick anddizzymost daysand can nolonger see to read ordrive.

Above: Diana SmylyʼsGranddaughter, Shannon Smyly

ANN PARIS 1954 2017wasthe year in which to celebrate my 80thbirthdayandthe “big” celebration was a tea party at CheniesManor.Thegardens lookedmagnificentas always.A friend whois 97years old oncetold methat onestarts going downhill after 80 however I have avoided that sofar bygoingon holiday to several exotic countriesincluding Iran, Japan andUzbekistan.

All holidays have beenvery enjoyable exceptwe were notvery keenonJapanese cuisine. Bridge, golf, walking andgardening seemtoalso take upa lot of time.

DAPHNE DU PRÉ 1955 My newsis mainly racing again this year.The new horseran four timesunplaced. However Chance DuRoy -who had not been right the year before -was a star. Before Christmas hewon the Becher Chaseover theAintree fences sowe decidedto enter himin the GrandNational. I wasdeterminedtoenjoy the daywhatever happenedsowasabsolutely thrilled whenhecame6th. It wasa wonderful experienceand I couldnʼt countthe numberof texts, emails, cards and telephone messages I hadafterwards including onefromNancy( Heaton) whoI seefromtime to time.

Apart fromthat, I keepbusywith gardening, dog-walking and bridge.

93

SUE KNIGHT (NEE MACLEAN) 1955 We have next-to-nonews! Ourfamily is growing; we have sixgreat-grandchildrenat this point. My photohere showsmygranddaughterʼs children; herhusbandwasanNFL player andthese fourlittle boysfinally havea sister! Isla iswrappedupand almostlookslike a football! Sheis 11/2nowand thelove ofeveryoneʼslife.

I have recently hadmyothershoulderreplaced, which workedout very well. Iʼmnow a bionic womanwith two shouldersandhip! I amhowever veryfortunateifthat isall Iʼve hadtodealwith at 80. Onemiracle for us this Spring was my husbandʼsrecovery froma ruptured appendixat theage of86! We neverdreamedthat onewould have that at his age. Yes,we feel truly blessedafter almost62years of marriageto still have eachother.

We still spendhalf theyear inNorthCarolina and theother half in theVirginia mountainsto getaway fromthe heat.

PRISCILLA COLEY (DRAPER) 1955 It hasbeena ratherdifferent kindofyear this year; mostlyspenthangingabout waiting for a date for a series of plannedproceduresor operations. A heart murmurhad beendetected by a GP at mysurgery inWiltshire and I was luckyenoughtobe referredto the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.I mettheconsultant last NovemberwhodecidedI wasa goodʻfitʼ for a TransAorticValve Implantation, after havinga stentto anartery fitted inApril, a secondone in June, anda pacemakerimplantedin August.

NowI canplan ahead,get travel insurance,and feel carefree! A bonuswas being able to find out the way for Fred -mymiddle grandson -to apply to shadow a cardiologist at John Radcliffe nextsummerwhen heʼs taken hisA levels (he hasjust takenthe preliminaries for medical school). I wish you all good health.

1960s JOSEPHINE GARDNER (NEE HARDING-NEWMAN) 1961 Iʼm nowhappily marriedto RodneyGardner, comingup48years andhave three children; my boysare marriedand we have three grandchildren.

Ourdaughter hasa partner andis happynot marriedasyet.We havelived in Dorset(Child Okeford)fornearly 23years,after 24yearsin HartleyWintney. I tookupflying in about1991 andpassed myPPL andhad a wonderful 12years landingatlittle airfields all overthecountry.I loved it buthave nowgiven upandIʼm enjoyingpainting instead, as well as gardening,photography, countryside.

Mytwin sister andI, Josephine Harding-Newman (ʻSquishʼ), left St Georgeʼson21stJuly 1961.I knowthis becausemysisterwrote it in herdiary.

Shewas always verygoodat that. We hada great timeat schoolbutI donʼtthink wewere particularly goodat learning, at least I wasnʼt! I do rememberhaving to grease the dreadedlacrosse sticks,whichI hatedplaying anyhow.Milk in bottles at breaktime,sometimesfrozenandI think currantbuns.Greenlino floors, pianocells where at weekendswe wouldlisten to Christina Owen playing chopsticks(Russ Conway) andother tunes.

Prayersin the bighall everymorningwith Miss Wickhamwalking in last with hermortarboardon andher black hair skinnedback in a bun.Some girls usedtoput blotting paperin their shoestosee if theywouldfaint andcauseastir!

Squishlives 20minutesawayat Stalbridge sowe seequite a lot ofeach otherandwe getonwell as twins. I wouldabsolutely love to hearfromanyone who remembersme/usand was at St Georgeʼs at the sametime.Myemail is jogardner@btinternet. com P.s.Anyonehaveanyidea whatʻgreen flippetʼ was?

Mysister wrote it in herdiary about1959-ish.I thinkwe hadit just after doinglaundry.Maybeit wasacolouredegg-flip?It wouldbefascinatingto knowif anyonehas anyideas?

CARLA STEVENS (NEE BOULTON)) 1965 Still enjoyingmyretirementandworkingwith youngoffendersandwithWhy Me?, a Restorative Justice campaigngroup.We makeregular trips toAddisAbabain Ethiopia to seeourbaby granddaughter.Sheand I hada joint birthday party in May for her1st birthday andmy70th!

We also goregularly to Hastingswhere ourother sonWilliam is running a fish cafe called Goat Ledgeon the promenadethere -definitely worth a visit if youarein thearea -fabulous fish rolls and Italian ice cream! www.goatledge.com I never started upmyownbusiness but both my sons,whowere educated at Westminster School have doneso.Edward is inAddisAbaba andhe and his wife started Run Africa there. William, his brother,lives in St LeonardsonSea andhis businessiscalled Goat LedgeFishCafe (www. goatledge.comandwww.runafrica.co)

MARGIE RILEY (NEE VAUGHAN) 1966 Still herenear Samford,southeast Queensland, andthe welcomematʼsstill out. Lookingforward to a visit fromAngy Lowther (Wyatt) very soon andI keepintouch with Heather,Jane, Vanessa, Bronwyn, Carolyn, Meredith, WendyandAnne.

Friendshipslast over the years.Facebookʼsgreat too! Iʼm still editing andhave a coupleof other part-timethings to keepmeout of mischief. I love mywriting and ama memberof a vibrant local groupandof coursestill goto ourlongstanding bookclub.Weʼve beengoing for over 35 years! Off to NZ for a long weekendand a weddingsoon,a bit like ʻpoppingover to the Continentʼ I suppose!Youcanfind meat http:// www.bettermanuscriptediting.com.au/ orat theproofreadingguru@gmail.com.

Above: Josephine Gardner (nee Harding-Newman) andsometimesknownas the ʻhardly-humanʼtwins (photo, meinthe orange....with various members ofthefamily!)

94

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

ELAINE CLAYTON (NEE VINCENT ) 1968 OnleavingSt GeorgesinJuly 1967Iflew outto sunnyJamaica to havea wonderfulmonthwith Jo Meany (Sharp) andher family. Onmyreturn I spent a yearat TanteMarie inWoking,learning culinary skills followed bya 9monthBeauty-Therapycourse at a college in MontagueSquare,London,thenthe dreadedsecretarial courseatTheSpeedwriting College, OxfordStreet. Variousdiverse jobsthen followed in Londonandin 1971openedmyown antiques businesswith myfather in Pangbourneon-ThameswhichI Ioved. After a coupleof false starts, I metthe manI marriedin 1978andlived happily inWisbech, CambridgeshirewhereI gave birth to ourwonderful son,Thomaswhois now 38yearold (where dotheyears go?) In 1982we movedto a village just outsideNewmarket,Suffolk wherewelived happilyfor32years;the latter five yearsrenovating andrefurbishinga derelict barn inthe village whichwas funbut exhausting! I had a health hiccuplate 1994andfoundI hada lump in mybreastwhich was malignant soendedup having a lumpectomyfollowed bychemotherapy andradiotherapybut becauseofthis I trained asa natural healer andhave soenjoyedbeingable to help friends andothers with similar problems.Then suddenlyin early February2014our happylives dramatically changedwhen mydarling husband suddenlydied fromcomplications froma lung canceroperation. I havebeenlearning constant life skills eversince andto try to enjoymyown companytogether with my14year old arthritic SprockerSpaniel asmybestfriend! I movedto a rented property in 2015outside Cambridge surroundedbymanicuredCambridge Polo Club Groundsandamnow planning to moveinto Ely for the nextchapter in mylife. My sonmarried hisbeautiful partnerof 10yearsin May,having a memorableservice in Ely Cathedral with my delightful two yearold Granddaughterastheir Flower Girl andbabynumbertwois expectedin earlyApril 2019whichis excitingforusall.

Solife goesondespitewhatever is thrownat one!

Would love to hear fromanyYear68 oranyone living in EastAnglia oranyonewantingto attempt to godownmemorylane, especially if they can remember me! tabbyclayton@icloud.com.

NICOLA MINIHAN (NEE BERESFORD) 1969 My newsis muchthe sameaslast year.Iʼm still enjoyingliving in mylovely cottage, grandchildren getting biggerand, of course, cuter! Still singingon two choirsand gardening, walking the dogs,etc.

nicolamin51@gmail.com

The Dragon 2018-19

NICOLA MINIHAN (NEE BERESFORD) 1969 My newsis muchthe sameaslast year.Iʼm still enjoyingliving in mylovely cottage, grandchildren getting biggerand, of course, cuter! Still singingon two choirsand gardening, walking the dogs,etc.

nicolamin51@gmail.com

1970s PRISCILLA DRAPER (NEE MATTHEWS) 1972 I amaboutto enter into mylast workingyear asI will retireat theendof2019.But I leavethat for nextyearʼs news.Thispast year hasbeenfun. I hada cruiseto St Petersburg,stoppingin Helsinki, CopenhagenandTallinn. Mysister Peggyvisited the UKin Augustandwehad a lovely five days together with myson,mydaughter, myson-in-law andthree grandchildren.I also hada fun-filled longweekendwith friends in the Cotswoldsand still have a weekin Cyprusat the endof November to lookforwardto.Youwouldnʼt thinkI wasstill workingfull-time! Happytosee anyonepassing throughBrussels orGhent.

PATRICIA(BISHY) FELTHAM (NEE DAFFORN) 1972 Thisyear hasbeen an exciting onefor uswith thearrival ofourfirst granddaughter;luckily we live nearbyandI amoftencalled uponfor babysitting duties soamgetting to knowher well. I continue to work part time in the training departmentofthe Hospital for Neuro-disability at Putney andplay badmintonregularly in my sparetime.I have metupseveral timeswith LynCharnock, Susie Popplestone,Anne Clube, Marylou Bruce and others frommyyear group andreally enjoyedseeing SandraValsamides again last Christmashavingnot seenher since schooldays(she hasnʼt changedabit). Any other old friends are welcometo get in touch.

TIGGY MASON (NEE TABBERER) 1975 I am very excited to write that our first grandchild,DaphneDiana, wasbornlast June in Tokyo.I hada blissful ʻgranny weekʼ in October, staying with FreddieandSophie andthey were here with usfor Christmasand NewYear.

Ouryounger sonGeorge was also homefrom Singapore.Nick andI hada wonderfulweek with Nick in Singapore inApril, followed by a week inVietnam. Thereare perksto having both sonsinthe FarEast!

We were luckyto beinvited toToriMossopʼs (nee Spencer-Cooper)sonTobyʼswedding to Camilla in September.It was an extremelyhappy day.

VICTORIA (TORI) MOSSOP (NEE SPENCER-COOPER) 1975 2018has beena year of excitementand celebrations for me,with two of mythreesons getting engagedandthebirth of a beautiful babygranddaughter too. Peggycameto stay inAugustwhich was great fun, we packedin as muchas we could in the short time we had togetherandwe hada local St GeorgianOld Girlsʼ supperparty(5 of us:Jo Berry,Amanda Dallas, Torli Palmer,Peggy andmyself) in my kitchen with a hugeamountoflaughter and reminiscing. Onesonwas marriedin North Yorkshirein Septemberwhere we saw lots ofTiggyand her husbandover the weekend, wholive nearbyas well asTorliwho cameup especially. I still have mylittle flat in the Isle of Wight (available for holiday rentals!), where my eldest will bemarriednextspring.

Above: ToriMossop (Spencer-Cooper), Torli Downes(Palmer) &TiggyMason(Tabberer) at ToriʼssonTobyʼsweddingto Camilla Clowes, September 2018

PEGGY MATTHEWS 1975 After monthsof agonising worry over the complicated planning of mysummertrip abroad (fromMassachusetts,USA), andthenfinally capitulating andtossingoutthe wholeidea of also trying to go to Spain (where I grew up), I endeduphaving the mostamazingtimevisiting friends fromSt. Georgeʼs,as well as mysister, Priscilla Draper(who was“Matty” at school), 95

and her family, in the UK. First, I stayed with Miranda Matthews (née Parkes)in London(duringthat punishingheatwave!) andhadsuchalovely time catching upandeating wonderful foodandtraipsing all overLondontoshopandwhatnot. I thentook the train to (the muchcooler) Wiltshire and stayed with ToriMossop(née Victoria Spencer-Cooper) at herrecently acquiredcottage, whichhad been completely renovated andwas gorgeous,spacious and bright.While there, I had a lovely visit with Jo Berry wholives nearby,andwe walkedand chatted in the great outdoors,effortlessly pickingupwhere weʼdleft off yearsbefore.Toriheld a fundinner party for me,Jo andtwo othersfromSt. Georgeʼs fromdifferent yearswho live nearby:Torli(Palmer) andAmanda(Dallas). We werelike schoolchildren all over again! Not very seemly for 60-something yearolds,but what happensinWiltshire staysin Wiltshire, right? Actually we were very well behaved, butthere wasa lot of laughter,philosophising andof courseeating andimbibing.Toriwas the perfect, and seeminglyeffortless, hostess!

I thentraveled bytrain andbustoBedford, where I met upwith Priscilla. Her daughter,Stacie, lives in Bedford with herhusbandandtheir three children; I still canʼt get used to thinking of Pris as a grandmotherof three! (Priscilla lives in Belgium, whichis just a Chunnelʼsrideaway.) We shared a hotel roomandspent an incredible week doing all sorts of fun activities with the kids (Alex 10, Tommy8,andLottie 5). I experiencedmyfirst, and so far only,VR (virtual reality) adventure where I was instantly immersedin, and surroundedby,a full symphonyorchestra! Themusicians were within armʼsreach, yet try as I mayI couldnʼt touchthem.

I lookedcomical,earnestly graspingtheair in all directions,but it really felt that authentic! A whole daywas spentwalking aroundandpicnicking at Wimpole Estate National Trustin Cambridgeshire,an hourʼsdriveaway.Priscillaʼs son,Mario, a lecturer at the University of Kentin Canterbury,joinedusfor this. (Note to self: I will somedayreturn to visit more of those beautiful National Trusts!) I wonʼt “bang on” with any moredetails, but the moralof this storyis that evenif fear,worryand anxietyrear their unhelpful voices, go and doit anyway! For me,it turnedoutto bethe bestvisit with friendsandfamily I couldhave ever hopedfor,andI learned that no matter howbig the separation bytime ordistance, thefriendshipsI madeat St. GeorgeʼsareonesIʼll have forever, nodoubt because ourschoolgirl bonds run so very deep.

AMANDA FLINT (NEE PARRY-WILLIAMS) 1979 I amdelightedto have becomea Great Aunt. Flora, Janeʼs eldest, had a beautiful boy called Bertie and we are all thrilled. We are looking forward to having everyoneover at Christmas.Noelretires fromKnight Franknextyear sowe will bespending moretimeinWiltshire.

havingqualified a few monthsearlier. Despitea full blown snowblizzard, shewon her 800mrunning heat,snowandall! Theholemylate fatherleft, continuestobe aslarge asever forusall, butwe have somanywonderful memoriesofhim, they give ussomecomfort.Itʼs always lovely catching up with oldGeorgians andnoone really changes.My email remainsthe samesistervicks@hotmail.com so please doget in touchor popin.Thedooris always open…..well notliterally!

1980s EMMA DAVIES (NEE ALUN-JONES) 1985 Life continuesapacewith myworkas a Nutritionist with NaturedocandI havenow also gainedfurther qualifications asa FunctionalMedicinePractitioner whichis veryexciting. I workin clinics in Londonand onthe Hants/Wiltsborderandsee all sortsof patients youngtoold with all sortsof issues.I find mywork thoroughlyrewarding andlove beingso busy.My three children continueto thrive. Thetwo boysare well ensconcedin boardingschoollife at Sherborne andClemmieis still at prepschool in Hampshire.Tom is away a lot with workandspendstheweek daysin London,if heʼseveninthiscountry! I managealittle timein Londonnowthat myworkis backthere too whichis fun.I recentlywent toRachel (neeAldridge)ʼs 50th,organisedbyAnna(neeWiley) andAlicia (nee Crossley).Victoria(nee Harting) wasalso therewhich wasgreat fun.Sadly I couldnʼt makeHattie Dawsonʼs 50th celebrationsas it clashed with myown! Iʻve also seenAnnette(nee Gordon)recently at yet another 50th.Itʼs goingto bea partyyear.I continueto see lotsofJuliet (neeWhite) too.Icanʼt believeweʼreall turning50...where havethe yearsgone?

ANNA HANDY (NEE STEPHENS-TARR) 1987 Another busyand fun year with Tomfinishing A Levels this year,off to Uni andFreddiefinishing GCSEs soon to Sixth Form.Onwardsand upwards in all directionsand Paul and I are findingmore time to dothings onour ownwith manytrips taken orplanned. Still in Cambridgesodolook me upif youare here orpassing.

VICTORIA CAMPION 1987 Mydaughter PoppyandI continue to live in Oxford with Emmie,thecockerspaniel andWilf andAlfie the two guinea pigs.Poppyis nowscarily 10years old and growingupfartoo fast! I continuetoworkasanurse, whichbringsdaily challenges,butfortunately canstill sayI lovemyjob! Poppyloveshersport,particularly anythingthat involves water fromswimming,sailing, waterskiingto skating! Shecompetedat Crystal Palace in the modernschoolsbiathlon championships

1990s CAROLINE HAIGH (NEE UZIELLI) 1990 Still living inWandsworth-Iʼve beenhere for nearly 10years -with myhusbandand two daughters(aged 15and13). I have beenrunninga catering companycalled www.yourundercovercook.co.uk for about 10years andhave just set uphealthy cookingworkshopswith a fellow chef(www. everydayhealthycooking.co.uk).In touchwith a few old Georgians… canʼt believe itʼs almost30 years since we left!

ALEXANDRA BARBER (NEE THURSTAN) 1993 We continue to live upin Shropshireand my husbandandI recently set upDifferent Dog,a hand-cookeddogfood companywhich is going fromstrength to strength. We exist to make dogshealthier andhappier soif anyonewants a fresh,natural diet fortheir dogs,pleasehave a look at www.differentdog.com! Onthe school side we have ourannual St GʼsChristmasdinner with Louisa (Parson), Mel (Yeldham), Charlotte (Regis), Jules (Parker), Lucinda(Lacon) and Zandy(Judd) -I feel verylucky to havesuchfab friends for over 25years.

Above:Dinner party at Toriʼs:Jo, Tori,Me holding selfie stick,TorliPalmer(singing theSt. Georgeʼs schoolanthem!), andAmandaDallas in front.

96

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

CHARLOTTE BILLINGTON 1994 A busyyear in which I set upmyowncompany TransitionPeakwith a businesspartnerassisting peoplewith CareerTransition(Editorʼs note: see our featured article in this edition)

Iʼve just gonebacktowork forthe Sultan of Omanin his Private Office in Londonsothe work/life balance continuesbutI wouldnʼt have it anyother way.

AMY KEEN (NEE OʼDOWD) 2004 Ourson Samuel was bornin September.Maddy is loving beinga bigsister!

Iʼm lucky to still be in touch with lots of Georgians frommyyear and others.

www.transitionpeak.com I nowlive inWimbledonand mytwo boysare now5 and9.We hada lovely year groupwho still stay in regular contact.

BELYNDA RAND (NEE GREEN) 1994 Another year haswhizzedbyin a flash, where myeldest sonstarted at schoolin September andnowweʼre seeingschool life fromaparentsʼ point of view which hasbeen an eyeopener!

Early in 2018, I very sadly attended the beautifully movingfuneralof ex-GeorgianSally King(nee Anderson).After leaving schoolshe hadgone onto achieve somanyincredible things, compoundingthe loss of a younglife gone too soon.

Iʼve hadthe goodfortuneto catch upwith a numberof Georgians over the year,which as usual has been a delight. With a particularly special, gigglefilled weekendof10 ofusgetting together in September.

ANTONIA FELIX (NEE PHILLIPS) 1999 James and I still live in Barnes, London,with ourtwo daughters,Tilly andHermione.I ama solicitor and I still see lots of St Georgeʼsgirls, manyof whomare myclosest friends over 25 years later!

CHARLOTTESUMNER (NEE BARRINGTON-HAYNES) 2004 I got married in June 2017 to Will and had a baby -Florence Olivia Alma Sumner-on14th September2018. She is settling into life really well andwe are loving getting to knowher.

2000s

Above:Phillipa Wheatley neeMorris,Annabel DʼArcyneeWay, Sara Woolland neeHellyer, Melanie Wilson neeEdwards,Katie Jamesnee Brooke,Caroline Illingworth neePage andLorna Edwardsnee Mackay

CAMILLA OLLIER (NEE HEARSON) 2001 Onthe 8th May 2018we welcomedCameron into ourfamily. Heis a bundleof funand smiles all the time.Loganis a great bigbrother andwe soenjoy watching themtogether.Auntie Cara (Cara Hearson)loves spendingtimewith her nephewsandwill doanything for them.Fiona Hewitson is CameronʼsGodmother.She flew all the way backfromAmerica to bethere for his Christening, heis a very luckyboy.

KATE ELWELL (NEE NEWTON) 1996 A busyyear for us! In November,ourfamily of three becamefourwith the addition ofArthur (photo attached). Sofar heseemsto bethe oppositeof Hectorin looksand personality which is suchfun for meandthey already adore each other.

The Dragon 2018-19

97

AMELIA RIDDELL(NEE RODGERS) 2005 Onthe 25th October,we welcomedthe safe arrival ofour little boy Monty (Montgomery). His oldersister Opheliais absolutelybesottedwith himas youcan see fromthe photos.

We are all doing well, still living in Teddington andI have recently finished workingonanother property development.We plan to moveoutof Londonoverthe comingyear whereI will no doubtgetstuckinto anotherproject. Itʼs nice to putmyarchitecture degreeto practise!

LIZZIE HAWTIN (NEE JONES) 2007 SimonandI gotmarriedlast year onSaturday 26thAugustat myparentsʼ house,it was undoubtedlythe best dayof mylife!

Above:My bridesmaids(two of which are oldSt Gʼsgirls; mysister Georgina, andMegan Clare).

andcare have beenoutstanding. TheRoyal Marsdenis a world leading cancercentre, they ensuretheir teamsprovide the very bestcare anddevelop life-saving treatments which are usedacross the UK andaround the world.

Fromfundingstate of the art equipmentand groundbreakingresearch,to creating the very bestenvironments,theywill neverstop looking for waysto improvethelives of peopleaffected bycancer.It is becauseof individuals fundraising in thepast whichhas meantI receive the outstandingtreatment I do,soI wouldlike to ensurethat others after mereceive the same.

Along with myfancy dresschemotherapysession I havearranged bakesales,raffles anda 26 mile walk! If youwould like to helpmewith myfundraising,youwill find details onhowto donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ georgieswallow

SHIVANI KHAPUR (DHORAJIWALA) 2006 Ourcongratulations to Shivani, whowas married in October 2016.

EMILY GOODALL (NEE COUSSENS) 2007 So mybusyyear has consisted of starting a newjob in the contracts departmentofprinter companyKyocera but muchmoreexcitingly, I marriedSteven Goodall onthe 25thAugust 2018and went to Japan for ourhoneymoon.I metStevenwhilst I wasstudyingforan English Languageundergraduate degreeat Sussex University. We bothgraduated in 2013andnow live andworkin Reading.Weare also hopefully movinginto a newhouselater this year.

EMILY LEE 2007 In December2017we welcomeda new addition to our family -Stanley Lee. Loving every moment of motherhood!We are still living abroad in HongKongfor now but hopeto be back in London/Surreyin the next 3-4years.

ELIZABETH ALMAS 2009 Iʼm in myfinal year of medicinenowandwill begraduatingin June 2019.If anyonewants anyadvice orjust a chat regardingchoosing Medicine orhow to get relevant experience,then I amhappyto help!

2010s GEORGINA SWALLOW 2010 I have stage 4Hodgkinʼs Lymphomaand am currently undergoingchemotherapy at TheRoyal Marsden,Chelsea. I amthreequarters ofthe way throughand have remainedvery positive throughoutthis journey,finding the funnyat every step. I amraising moneyforTheRoyal Marsden bywearing a fancy dresscostumeto myfinal chemotherapysession.

Sofar along myjourneyI have had;three operations, X-Rays,PET scans, CTScans, bloods, doctorsʼ appointmentsand the all-important chemotherapy,andfromthe start the treatment

98

LOUISE SCOFIELD 2015 Hello St. Georgeʼs! I cannot believe it has been four years since I left! Iʼm sorry I have been so badat keepingyouall updated.After finishing schoolin 2014,I spenta yearliving andworking in Houston,Texas.I thoroughlyenjoyed living in the country of mybirth, being surroundedbythe BBQ, rodeoand all things Texan.Duringmygapyear, I managedto visit a total of 15 US states.

I wasalso able to find somesparetimeto get a job,travel outside the US anddosomevolunteer work.Needless to sayit wasa verybusyyear!

In 2015,I started mydegreeat theUniversity ofYork.I graduatedin July 2018andnowhave a Bachelorʼs Degree in History & Politics. It has beenan amazingthreeyears, andI admitI am very sadto leave what hasbecomea second home.Myfamily movedbackto the UK in 2016 andwe are backliving in ourhouseinAscot.

Unfortunately, it lookslike the yearsof our overseas postings are over,as mydadplans to retire in the not too distant future when I graduate fromExeter.Speaking of Exeter, I started myseconddegreein Law there in September2018.Living with 18year oldsin halls again has beena challenge – especially sinceI amnolongerone! I amenjoyingthe course,thoughtheworkload is intense. It is (slightly) closer to home,which will be a nice change fromthe four-hourdrive to York!

I have been able to stay in touch with quite a few Georgiansover the last fouryears,despite almost constantly being hundredsorthousands of milesaway! It is very strangeto think that mostof ushave knowneach other for a decade now.

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

OBITUARIES MRS AVIS PEARCE (EX-ASSISTANT BURSAR) We havereceived thesad newsthat Avis,who workedat St Georgeʼs until 2010and whommany staff andgirls will rememberfromherdaysin the Bursary, diedin early November2018after a short illness. She hadin fact re-marriedin the summerof 2018andwas nowMrs Buckland.

SISTER SUZANNE BLAKE-WILSON Sister SuzanneBlake-Wilson was the school nurse for a numberof years in the 1980s-90s.

She was obliged to retire onmedical grounds after contracting MS. Shedied on13th December 2018.

MARIANNE WILCOX (NEE KUTSCHE) Marianneʼs daughterreports that hermother passedaway onApril 22nd2019at Luton& DunstableUniversity hospital. Marianne wasthe Matron at QueensHill LodgefromSeptember 1962 – 1969.

PAMELA MARCIA MASON 1941 Pamʼs nephew, Christopher Mason-Hornby, has passedonthe sadnews that Pamdied peacefully on5th January 2019aged95. Pamela taughtat ElmhurstBallet School,Camberley andCheswyckSchool, FrimleyGreen. She was a belovedAunt to Francis,Christopher and Catherine andGreat Auntto nine.

JEAN MURIEL NORTON Jeanʼs nephewwrotein May 2019tolet us knowthat his aunt whoboardedin 1943died on21April 2019.

MARGARET WHITE (NEE DEMPSTER) 1955 Margaretʼs husband,Matthew, told usthe sad newsthat hiswife diedpeacefully onSunday 11th March 2018,fromParkinsonʼs Disease.

JULIE (ROBBY) MINTER (NEE CUNNINGHAM-REID) 1964 We were informedbyherhusbandMichael, that RobbyMinter sadly diedin March 2018.

The Dragon 2018-19

JANE STEWART (NEE WILLMETT) 1965 Jane wasborn1945andwas at St Georgeʼsuntil 1956.She sadlydied in January 2019.

SARAH LEE It is with great sadnessthat I write to let you knowof the death of OldGeorgian, Sarah Lee (Sarah-LynnSimmons).She was myoldest friend andfollowing the death of hermother,wegrew upnextdoor to oneanother inAscot, thoughI went to theotherʻAscotʼ, St Maryʼs.Sarah was very happyat St Georgeʼs andmademanyfriends duringher timethere. Theonlything shereally disliked was the uniformboater andthe dayshe left St Georgeʼsshe hurledhers fromthewindow ofthe AscottoWaterloo train. Sarahʼsbusyand eventful life broughthertwochildren, Natasha and Dannyand granddaughter,Bethany, now 10.

Onceher family was old enough,Sarah foundtime to earn anOU degreein English Literature. Over ten years ago Sarah movedfromEssexto makeher homeinCornwall, where shecombineda career in sales andmarketingwith herown successful wedding photographybusiness. She died of cancer on24th June 2019.Thecrematoriumwas far too small to accommodateherfamily andall the friends whocameto bidher farewell. 1956– 2019.

RIP

GILLIAN MARY HILTON(NEE STEVENS MARCH) 1970 VerysadlyI write to advise youthat mysister Gillian lost her long and bravely fought battle against cancer.She was diagnosedin 2002and after a periodof remission,it returnedin 2010.

Throughoutthis time shepushed the boundaries and lived her life to the fullest, accepting whatever wasthrown at herand retaining herwonderful senseof humour.She spent the last three months ofher life in Spain with herdaughterandher family, with frequent visits fromhersonand hisfamily.It wasa veryspecial time.(Sent in by Angela Coutts-Wood(aka Jane Stevens, born September 1950)

SALLY KING (NEE ANDERSON) 1994 Belynda Randreportsthat incrediblysadly,Sally King(nee Anderson)diedin 2018.Shewill bevery muchmissed.

99

St GeorgeĘźs School Wells Lane Ascot Berkshire SL5 7DZ Tel: 01344629900 www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk