The Dragon Magazine 2016 - 2017 | St George's Ascot

The Dragon 2016-17

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www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

The Dragon 2016-17

CONTENTS Headmistress

4

New Staff

5

Awards

11

School News

14

Visiting Speakers

30

School Trips

31

Charity Work

46

Drama

50

House Parties

54

Art, Photography & Textiles

58

Music

66

Sport

71

Editor Mr N M Lee Cover Image Colour Run 2017 The Dragon 2016-17

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HEADMISTRESS

I can’t quite believe that I have completed a whole year as Headmistress of St George’s. It has certainly been a busy year and I am very excited about our plans for the future. I have loved getting to know the girls, staff, many of the parents and the school in general and I feel very much at home here, as I thought, and hoped, I would. I would like to thank all the governors for their support and I would also like to pay particular tribute to my Senior Management Team – Helen Simpson, Alex Wright and Julia Wood – along with my PA, Jacky Witt. They are a great team to work with and we are very much looking forward to welcoming Jeremy Hoar as Academic Deputy from September 2017 as the final part of the Senior Management Team jigsaw.

The end of a school year is traditionally a time when we look back at the past year and celebrate success. You only have to read the editions of our eNewsletters from each half term, or indeed follow the school on our social media accounts, to see the many achievements throughout the year. As you will read in the following pages there have been sporting successes, notably the 1st XI Lacrosse team retaining their title as National Small Schools Champions, and numerous fixtures each week rounded off with a fantastic atmosphere at House Athletics. We had the colourful whole-school musical ‘Bring it On!’ back in October 2016 and many performing arts productions since, from cheerful jazz and dance, to emotive and challenging drama, not forgetting the humorous First Year pantomime.

They were all wonderfully entertaining and showcased the fabulous talent of all the girls. We also celebrated excellent individual academic achievements, public exam results, and the impressive ‘value added’ which allows our girls to fulfil their academic ambitions after St George’s.

Schools are all remarkably similar in many respects: we all teach English, Maths, Science, 4

we enjoy drama, music and sport, but the fantastic thing about the independent sector in this country is our independence, and the opportunity this provides to focus, not only on the traditional subjects and activities, but also on developing character and personal qualities. We are increasingly told that the world of the future will be challenging, it will be tough, it will be competitive, but we also know that our girls will have the most wonderful opportunities nationally and internationally. The world really is theirs for the taking and I see it as our job at St George’s not only to prepare each girl in the very best way we can for her future, but also to enable her to leave as a happy, confident, empathetic and well-balanced young woman – to be her own person and proud of who she is. It has been much quoted of late that, according to the MacArthur Foundation, 65% of today’s schoolchildren will eventually be employed in jobs that don’t exist yet. So what does that mean and does it matter? As technology, globalisation, and many other factors continue to redefine work, one constant will be the need for soft skills, or ‘skills for life’: skills such as discussion, enquiry, brainstorming, problem-solving, and collaboration. These are familiar to working professionals today, but we can’t assume that they come naturally; in fact, a growing global skills gap suggests that many young workers are already falling behind. It is exactly these ‘soft skills’ that I believe we are very good at developing at St George’s.

Alumnae, such as Emma Hawkins (who was our guest speaker at Prize Giving), girls who sat in the same classrooms, and slept in the same dorms as pupils now, play a hugely important role in our school past, present and future. As women and in girls’ schools, our old girls’ networks are far less established than the old boys’ networks that boys’ schools often enjoy. We had a noisy, engaging and very enjoyable alumnae reunion in London

earlier in the year with over 70 alumnae and staff attending a drinks reception in Knightsbridge. These are links, personal and professional, which I want to develop still further and through our alumnae we can do a great deal to help each other, make connections and help the girls by inspiring, opening doors and providing exposure to work and life experiences that are so helpful and necessary. In the Autumn Term of 2017 we will be holding an alumnae careers event with workshops from Old Georgians who have gone on to do a variety of interesting and inspiring things. This will help our current girls to see and consider what they will be able to achieve in the future.

I think the greatest gift that we give St George’s girls is the personal confidence and inner strength that means they can make everyone feel welcome, they can adapt to different situations, and they can relate to people from all walks of life – this will open doors in the future. There is no doubt that much of this comes from the girls reaching out of their comfort zones at school – the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, debating competitions, Model United Nations Conferences, training to be a peer counsellor, establishing Young Enterprise companies, working with local charities and primary schools, the Sixth Form expedition to Borneo... the list goes on. Yet, I strongly feel that it also comes from the people within the community and the relationships that develop across all parts of our school life. You will read about the range of successes and achievements from our group of leavers in the following pages, and also what their plans are for their next steps. What I hope you will feel as you read this bursting edition of ‘The Dragon’ is that rather intangible ‘St George’s factor’ of which I am very proud.

Mrs Liz Hewer Headmistress www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

NEW STAFF AT ST GEORGE’S The following staff joined St George’s during the academic year 2016-17:

NEW STAFF IMAGES (L to R):

Mrs Liz Hewer to be Headmistress Mrs Liz Little to be Marketing and Design Assistant Mrs Sally Moore to be Admissions Assistant Mr Nigel Greenall to be Teacher of Physical Education Ms Emily Collyer to be Head of History of Art Mr Ken Fraser to be Teacher of Geography (Maternity Cover) Mrs Jessica Condliffe to be Sixth Form Housemistress and Teacher of Classics and Drama Mrs Becky Tune to be Part-time Teacher of Physical Education Mrs Sarah Scholefield to be Part-time Teacher of Mathematics Mrs Naomi Tomsett to be School Nurse Miss Rachel Johnson to be Theatre Director in Residence Miss Emma Crawley to be Resident Tutor Miss Ruth Spencer Jolly to be Artist in Residence Mrs Jas Bhandal to be Science Technician Mr Tim Lightfoot to be Teacher of Philosophy, Ethics and Religion (Maternity Cover)

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MRS LIZ HEWER Headmistress

MR KEN FRASER Teacher of Geography (Autumn Term)

Liz attended the all-girls King’s High School in Warwick, going on to Jesus College,Cambridge to study Geography and later complete her PGCE. She was offered the post of Headmistress at St George’s after ten years at St Mary’s Ascot, where she worked initially as a Geography teacher and Housemistress, progressing to the role of Deputy Head in 2009. Outside St George’s, Liz is a Governor of a co-ed boarding and day school in Sussex, as well as a local prep school, and works with ISI as a Boarding Team Inspector.

Ken studied Geography in York and later went on to Oxford University to complete his teaching qualification. Since then he has enjoyed an interesting career as Geography teacher, Head of Department and Head of Faculty at a number of highly regarded British and International schools in the UK, Oman, Belgium and Switzerland. He enjoys rugby, cycling, travelling and outdoor activities and has recently taken up the gentler pursuits of golf and allotment gardening.

MRS LIZ LITTLE Marketing and Design Assistant Liz completed a first class degree in Photography and Graphic Design at the University of Chester.

She later went on to complete an MA in Photography from the University of the Arts, London. She started her professional career working in photography studios, and continues to run her own photography business alongside her role at St George’s.

MRS JESSICA CONDLIFFE Sixth Form Housemistress and Teacher of Classics and Drama Jess read Classics at the University of Leeds before undertaking an MA in Theatre and a PGCE. She has previously worked at Battle Abbey School as a Housemistress of a Day House and spent a year as Acting Head of Sixth Form. Jess will be joining the boarding team as Sixth Form Housemistress, along with her husband and her two cats. She loves theatre, film, reading and music, and also likes to go skiing and paddle-boarding whenever she can possibly find the time.

MRS SALLY MOORE Admissions Assistant Sally studied French and Spanish at Southampton University and then worked in various support roles before going on to complete her Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management. After spending three years living and working in Sydney, she moved back to the UK and worked as an HR Manager for a City law firm before leaving to have her two sons. When not acting as an occasional goalie/referee to her sons, Sally enjoys reading, baking and catching up with friends.

MR NIGEL GREENALL Teacher of Physical Education Nigel read Geography and Sports Science at university, before moving into a career in sports development. He took a Diploma in teaching in 2008 and taught A Level PE in a Sixth Form College before moving to The Royal School in 2012 as Head of Lacrosse and Head of Boys’ PE. Nigel has coached lacrosse for Wales ladies at both senior and junior level, and has also coached The Netherlands men’s team in the European Championships.

MS EMILY COLLYER Head of History of Art Emily studied History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art. After completing her MA, she worked in support roles in two state schools in South London. Emily then trained to be a teacher through Teach First, a charity that works in lowincome communities. She has been teaching for two years at Slough and Eton Church of England Business and Enterprise College, a secondary academy in Slough.

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MRS BECKY TUNE Part-time Teacher of Physical Education Becky studied PE & Sports Science at Loughborough University and went on to complete her PGCE there. Whilst at Loughborough she represented the university in lacrosse and athletics. She was a keen athlete, winning several national junior pole vault titles and representing Great Britain juniors on a number of occasions. Upon leaving university she went to teach PE at North London Collegiate School for ten years. After having children, Becky relocated to Surrey and now enjoys playing netball for her local team.

MRS SARAH SCHOLEFIELD Part-time Teacher of Mathematics Sarah read Mathematics at the University of Birmingham and gained her first teaching position at a school in Sussex shortly after, in September 2001. Since moving back to the area in 2004, she has worked at many local schools including SWPS, The Marist School and LVS, where she was Second in Department. Most recently she has been teaching Sixth Form at The Holt School part time, after returning to the classroom subsequent to the birth of her daughter. She represented Berkshire as a junior at hockey, netball and tennis, and still enjoys playing the latter two competitively as an adult.

MRS NAOMI TOMSETT School Nurse Naomi qualified as a registered nurse 26 years ago and has worked within the National Health Service and more recently, private healthcare settings. Previously at Ludgrove School, Naomi is moving into full-time school nursing because

she is passionate about helping today’s young people deal with the issues affecting them and providing support as they make their transition into adulthood. Naomi is married with five daughters and enjoys enjoy crafting, baking, keeping chickens, and outdoor activities with the family and the dog!

MISS RACHEL JOHNSON Theatre Director in Residence Rachel graduated from the University of Warwick in 2014, obtaining a BA degree in Theatre and Performance Studies. From then, she went on to tour successfully London and the Warwick Arts Centre with an original piece of theatre she created with her own theatre company, established during her studies. She has worked on many occasions in Italy as a tutor of performing arts for an EFL children’s summer camp. She has also worked as a Support Assistant at Crofton Junior School and most recently as a Character and Parade Performer at Disneyland Paris.

MISS EMMA CRAWLEY Resident Tutor Emma read Human Physiology at the University of Leeds. Prior to that she studied at a Catholic Girls’ school in South East London, gaining A Levels in Biology, Psychology and Mathematics.

She particularly enjoys music and dance, having sung in school and university choirs and danced from a young age. As a Resident Tutor at St George’s, she will be working in Markham boarding house.

MISS RUTH SPENCER JOLLY Artist in Residence Ruth completed a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art at the University of Oxford’s Ruskin School of Art. Her art gravitates around internet culture and her media of preference are video and performance. She has appeared on Radio 3 ‘Young Artists’ Day’ as ‘one to watch’ and was featured in the 2016 cohort of ‘Bloomberg New Contemporaries’. Ruth spends much of her free time singing and enjoys walking immensely.

MRS JAS BHANDAL Science Technician Jas joined in September as a part-time Science Technician, having previously worked as a Lab Technician at Langley Grammar School. She is married and lives locally in Ascot.

MR TIM LIGHTFOOT to be Teacher of Philosophy, Ethics and Religion Tim studied Philosophy and Theology at the University of Oxford. He occupied various roles before deciding to become a schoolteacher. He will work in the Philosophy, Ethics and Religion Department as maternity cover for Mrs Magill, before taking up a full-time position at Lady Eleanor Holles School. In his free time, he enjoys reading, cycling and guitar-playing. www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

Leavers Esther Demery, Lydia Jackson, Jillian Addison, Matt Heather, Chris Fidler, Jack Skinner, Dianne Macro, Helen Dorey and Emma Crawley

FAREWELL TO LEAVING STAFF MRS CHRIS FIDLER With the retirement of Mrs Fidler at Prize Giving in July 2017, we celebrate St George’s longestserving member of staff. An inspired teacher, colleague and friend with often well-chosen and wonderful words of wisdom to impart, an encyclopaedic knowledge and fantastic dress sense, she is a legend and has been at St George’s for a remarkable 38 years! We all owe her a great debt.

She has seen many changes and has grown with the school as it has adapted and developed. When she arrived at St George’s to teach Art she lived in the bothy (no longer standing) on the left down the hill past the swimming pool and swam regularly in the pool!

Art Department upstairs, Miss Rigg (as she was then) and Miss Jackson (Science teacher) in two flats below.

The Art Department has moved about a bit in the intervening years but Miss Rigg was good with change, which is just as well as she has seen much of it over the 38 years: seven Headmistresses, five Bursars, and the full circle of educational changes, not to mention marriage and the transformation from Miss Rigg to Mrs Fidler, with two children and a very busy life established.

She has been an integral part of St George’s and will be massively missed by both girls and

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staff. Mrs Fidler has a passion for and a love of art, a pride in her own artistic accomplishments and a fierce pride in the ability of those she taught. Through inspired teaching she has guided multitudes of Art students through courses and portfolio building, helping them gain places at the world’s most prestigious art schools, colleges and universities. Alumnae from the Art Department under Mrs Fidler are now artists, sculptors, fashion designers, architects and running international galleries!

In her role as a Sixth Form tutor, Mrs Fidler has been loved by the girls over the years, many of whom she is still in touch with. Notably, the larger-than-life characters always chose her as their Director of Studies. She has passionately expanded her knowledge of the art world and her skill base. She has a thirst for learning and problem-solving which has been infectious to the pupils.

Mrs Fidler has been also been one of the great Heads of Churchill House, well able to stand in front a hall full of parents and pupils, and although averse to public speaking, deliver a fine, heart-warming speech. Her dedication to C House was remarkable; a few years ago she was away with the ski trip when the House Music competition was happening; she made arrangement to dial in using face-time so that she would not miss the action! Seeing her on the big screen just lifted the spirits of all the girls in C House.

Mrs Fidler is renowned for her great sense of fun. She is sporty and enjoys a dip, in a pool or a lake! She is well known for her love of the school swimming pool and it is has even been rumoured she has broken a thin layer of ice before an early-morning swim. We are sure she must have often used the pool well into October.

When a new rule of swimming in groups of three appeared, Mrs Fidler was undeterred and proceeded to organise staff to join her summer early-morning (pre-Cornish pasty) fitness campaign. The pool features large in the life of Mrs Fidler and certainly her own children and the Hillier children seemed to grow up there together, enjoying long, blissful and wonderful summer days year after year.

MR MATT HEATHER Matt joined the school as the Deputy Bursar in June 2003. Having had a successful career with Barclays beforehand, he was in the enviable position of being able to retire early. He lives in Woking. Matt is an accomplished golfer, playing at West Hill Course, and hopes to be able to reduce his handicap further in retirement as well as planning to do some voluntary work. He is also a keen Chelsea supporter and is often to be heard celebrating or bemoaning his team’s performance with other support staff – often committed Reading fans!

Matt was another member of staff whose calm and unassuming approach meant that he was able to deal with all sorts of situations that arose in the course of his work, ranging from the serious to the bizarre. However, he could be uncompromising with contractors when required and was dogged in getting things done correctly.

The bursary had a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that he should return as a minibus driver; this was met with a wry smile from Matt – you never know! Matt has been a loyal member of the bursary team with a great sense of humour; he will be much missed by his colleagues.

Mrs J Wood

MRS DEBBIE RACTLIFFE Life for everyone has its ups and downs, and for Mrs Fidler as much as any of us, but St George’s has remained her focus and commitment for those remarkable 38 years and she deserves every bit of respect and admiration for all she has done. Truly a special personality and influence in the life of our school.

Her fashion sense and taste and certainly her extensive Doctor Marten boot collection may well remain forever unrivalled at St George’s!

But Mrs Fidler is above everything else a personality of great generosity, warmth and kindness and it is those characteristics which made her a great teacher and asset to St George’s and are the reasons why we will miss her. They are also the reason she deserves a good and long retirement. We wish her lots of happiness making her own art, finding time to water-ski, perhaps restarting her ballroom dancing, enjoying her travels and having fun!

Mr I Hillier, Mrs E Townsend, Mrs A Morgan and Mr N Mohammad 8

Debbie Ractliffe joined St. George’s in September 2009 to provide much-needed assistance for the EAL Department to support the needs of the girls for whom English was not their first language. With her, Debbie brought a wealth of experience from her many years in EAL, latterly in adult education. In particular, her knowledge of the IELTS exam, taken by Sixth Formers, and the Cambridge suite of exams proved invaluable.

During her time at St. George’s, Debbie was a highly valued and respected member of the Department and her commitment to her pupils’ success was unfailing. She always reminded her colleagues of the importance of working on pronunciation, an area which can sometimes be overlooked, and worked tirelessly to create a wealth of subject-related material that is still in full use today.

to girls who struggled with the challenge of often being hundreds of miles away from their family, and as such made a real impact on their confidence and happiness at St George’s.

Outside school, Debbie is a committed member of the Horse Rangers Association and was invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2014 in recognition of her commitment to the organisation. Debbie also became a grandmother during her time at St George’s and has become a hands-on grandma to her growing family. We thank her for all she has done for the international girls at St George’s over the years and for being a wonderful friend and colleague to many. We wish her every happiness in her retirement.

Mrs N Anderson

MRS DIANNE MACRO Dianne joined St George’s in December 2009, as the part-time School Receptionist, and quickly built up a great rapport with all the girls and staff. She was a great member of Mrs Witt’s team, with her friendly and vibrant personality, always willing to go the extra mile, and she was an essential cog in the workings of the School Office and the wider school community. A keen traveller, most recently visiting South Africa with her husband Mac, Dianne also loves walking, cooking and entertaining, going to the cinema and music events, as well as playing golf – it really is a wonder she managed to fit work in around all of these commitments!

Dianne will be sadly missed and we wish her every success in her new role.

Mrs J Witt

Debbie was more than a language teacher to the girls; her incredibly caring nature and her skills of empathy meant that she was a shoulder to cry on when girls were upset or missing home.

She was a constant source of emotional support www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

MISS LYDIA JACKSON Lydia Jackson contributed to so many aspects of life at St George’s during her six years at the school (2011-2017). In that time she has been an inventive and engaging classroom teacher, a leader of many trips (not the least of which was the Australian Exchange Programme), the Head of Alexander House and the Head of Third Year.

Lydia was therefore not ‘just’ a classroom teacher; she was committed to the development of the girls’ education outside the classroom as well.

She was instrumental in ensuring there were trips for all year groups, including a trip to Chepstow Castle and Tintern Abbey for the First Form and a four-day trip to Normandy to remember the D-Day landings with the Third Form. Not shying away from adventure, Lydia has taken 45 pupils on a ferry overnight for the past three years. She also managed to ensure that the trip was during the D-Day anniversary. The girls therefore were able to meet some of the veterans who come over for the ceremony every year and this is often the highlight of the trip and a lasting memory for them.

Lydia also cared pastorally for the girls in her role as Head of Third Year and Head of Alexander House. As Head of House, Lydia always organised the many different House events, including the Music Competition, the sports events, and House Debating – almost winning the House Competition in her final year (beaten by Becket at the last hurdle). As Head of Third Year she has cared for many girls, ensuring that they are on the right track, but also praising them for their achievements. She has worked with parents to enable girls to thrive and make good choices in that year, not only for their GCSEs but also for their personal growth.

So indeed Lydia was more than ‘just a History teacher’ and has been thoroughly involved in the school. Her infectious laugh and caring nature will be greatly missed by staff and pupils alike.

Mrs D Kratt

MRS HELEN DOREY I remember watching Helen teach a sample lesson when she came for interview in 2012: she delivered a well-prepared, good-humoured and thoroughly useful lesson on poetry, making herself in the process the outstanding candidate on the day, and giving, in effect, a thorough picture of what life would be like with her in the The Dragon 2016-17

English Department for the following five years.

She has been an excellent teacher, a generous and supportive colleague, and a terrific example to the pupils in her care. In this latter respect, her skills were put to terrific use when she was appointed to be Knatchbull Housemistress, looking after boarding pupils who were either preparing for GCSEs or making a start on their AS courses. Both academic and pastoral advice was, then, especially necessary, and Helen proved to be the ideal advisor in countless cases. Public proof of this was given at a Chapel Service about motherhood a couple of years ago, when a member of the Lower Sixth asked that special recognition be given to Mrs Dorey for all of the motherly support that she gave to those in her House. It was a touching moment, and one which I am sure Helen very much appreciated.

Helen has two sons, one in Sheffield and one in Australia; she and her husband Nick will be keen to spend some of their retirement time checking the progress of their offspring in Yorkshire and the outback. Apart from that, they will be reading, cycling (probably more Nick than Helen), rediscovering the joys of painting (Helen comes from a distinguished artistic family), travelling in their camper van and generally enjoying themselves. We wish them great joy in their retirement, and thank Helen so much for all that she has done for St George’s.

MRS EMMA ADAM Emma joined the Geography Department in September 2013. She was enthusiastic and caring and shared her love of Geography with the girls, inspiring many of them to continue the subject after leaving the school. Emma was judged to be an outstanding teacher by one of the Inspectors who visited the school.

Emma made a fantastic contribution to the Geography Department during her time at St George’s, from her coloured lolly sticks to select girls’ names, to the introduction of Geography twitter. The girls loved her active and inspiring lessons and she ran an extremely popular ‘World-wise’ club for those who thirsted for more after the lesson! She helped run numerous trips with the school, one of the most memorable being the trip to Iceland which many girls said was the best trip they had ever experienced. She was a fantastic colleague to work with, thanks to her dedication and enthusiasm, and will be greatly missed.

Emma leaves us to return to Yorkshire, where we know that she will be very happy. We wish her luck with all her future endeavours, and thank her greatly for all of her work at the school.

Mrs J Addison, Mrs S Johnson

Mr N M Lee

MR JACK SKINNER Jack originally joined as the Senior Engineer appointed via the outsourced IT company in May 2012. He subsequently left for a year in November 2014 to travel in Australia, re-joining to be directly employed by the school as the Network Manager.

Jack lives in Bracknell and he left St George’s to join Continuum, a company based in Bracknell; this represents an excellent opportunity for him. The school will miss his dedicated and calm approach. During his time, the school improved the network tremendously and last year Jack initiated the successful roll-out of the improved wi-fi system. He was very much an unsung star as he often resolved network issues out of hours and without a fuss, so that pupils and staff were unaware of any glitches. We thank him very much for all of his help and wish him much success in the future.

Mrs J Wood 9

Mrs Jillian Addison Jillian joined St George’s as maternity leave cover for the present writer but her fantastic ability and knowledge as a teacher were quickly noted and she was asked to stay on in the Department as a full-time member of the Geography team. Jillian was dedicated to ensuring all girls achieved their very best and was hugely encouraging of girls to be inquisitive and ask questions. She went out of her way to explore the girls’ ideas, and was excellent at preparing the older girls for university life. Jillian ensured she always went the extra mile in preparing lessons, using original and interesting resources and finding a way to get the best out of every pupil. This has encouraged girls to pursue their love of Geography at university.

Jillian has left St George’s to be closer to home and spend more time with her husband and two little boys whilst continuing to work as a Geography teacher in a Buckinghamshire grammar school. We wish her all the very best in her future career and thank her for the time and effort she put into helping the girls of St George’s.

Mrs S Johnson

Mrs Esther Demery Esther Demery joined the MFL Department to cover for the temporary absence of Mrs Cope.

Esther stepped in to teach French in the First Form and Fifth Form. She was a real asset and completely bought into the ethos of St George’s School. She is a motivated and hard-working teacher who was fully in support of the Department’s aims; she worked with dedication

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for her pupils’ progress so that all could achieve their best. She is professional and cares about her pupils, academically and pastorally.

It was sad to see her move on but we are very happy that she has a position at the Marist School. We wish her well, and thank her very much for all of her hard work at St George’s.

Mrs F Burrows

Ms Geeta Gambhir Geeta joined as the Acting Head of Psychology at St George’s in November 2016 on maternity cover for the present writer. Owing to Geeta’s extreme professionalism, she quickly gained the confidence of our Sixth Form psychologists by delivering engaging, well-planned lessons and through her approachable and caring nature. She understood the needs of each pupil and quickly came to terms with an unfamiliar specification. I am extremely grateful to have had such a highcalibre teacher of Psychology to help nurture the girls through their A Levels during my absence.

Geeta is finishing her Master’s dissertation in Non-Governmental Organisations and Education Provided in Developing Countries, and is planning to visit Uganda, where she has developed a literacy initiative. We all wish her the best of luck, and thank her very much for all of her much-appreciated efforts at St George’s.

Miss Rosie Wyllie Rosie was with us for only one term and was thrown in at the deep end, having taken over from Miss Spencer Jolly at short notice. Within days it seemed as if she had been with us forever, and from the beginning she was an invaluable member of the Department and such a lovely lady. Apart from all the clubs, life drawing sessions, prep and extra teaching that she had to do in such a busy term, Rosie spent hours in the Art Department in the evenings, helping the GCSE candidates and preventing panic with her sound advice and calm manner.

She helped curate and display the exhibitions for examination moderation and during all of this, she still managed to find time to do her own work, inspiring the pupils to persevere in the improvement of their drawing skills. Not surprisingly, the pupils and staff alike thought very highly of her.

Rosie enjoyed her teaching at St George’s. She is currently doing her own work and volunteering in a local primary school. We wish her all the very best and thank her sincerely for all of her hard work for St George’s.

Mrs C Fidler

Mrs E Shingles

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

AWARDS 2016-17 PREFECTS 2016-17 HEAD GIRLS: Mimo Sandford and Stephanie Bankole

PRIZE GIVING SUMMER 2017

SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Lemonia Koutsabeloulis

UPPER SIXTH SUBJECT PRIZES

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ECONOMICS, HISTORY AND POLITICS Scarlet Mason

DEPUTY: RELIGIOUS STUDIES Alannah Horswell Georgina Allen PREFECTS: ART Admissions: Hawa Al-Najjar Bella Howard-Vyse

SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Art: Davina Anand Alice Wiggin and Hawa Al-Najjar

SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Sarah Mills SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Katie Milner

HEAD GIRLS’ AWARD AND SERVICES Boarding: TO CHAPEL CHOIR Juliette Iviglia Stephanie Bankole

FILM STUDIES & U6 PROGRESS Caroline Phillips

Charities: HISTORY OF ART Zafirah Sheikh Anastasia Bykova

ENGLISH Lauren Pryer

Chapel Choir: EXTENDED PROJECT QUALIFICATION Rosie Fisher Olivia Chan Drama: SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Amber Thornicroft Cinder Choy Music: CHURCHILL AWARD AND SERVICES Helen Han TO CHAPEL CHOIR Holly Fanning Library: Robyn Saxby THE KAFENA CUP FOR MUSIC AND SERVICES TO CHAPEL CHOIR Sport: Rosie Fisher Esme French BUSINESS STUDIES Sacristan: Esme French Alice Robbins SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Junior: Grace Garde Georgina Allen TEXTILES Middle: Kseniia Gura Ellen Sweeney MUSIC PRIZE, THE MIRANDA Senior: LEATHAM SINGING CUP AND Scarlet Mason SERVICES TO CHAPEL CHOIR Helen Han MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS Lorraine Hon DEPUTY HEAD GIRL’S AWARD, HISTORY, SPANISH AND SERVICES TO CHAPEL CHOIR Alannah Horswell CLASSICS Bella Howard-Vyse ECONOMICS, GEOGRAPHY, DOUROUNTAKIS CUP FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE & SENIOR SPORTS CUP & BECKET AWARD Emily Hughes PHOTOGRAPHY Juliette Iviglia

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SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Hannah Lovett

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY, FURTHER MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS Maria Reinaas SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Fern Rider SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Alexis Roache POLITICS Alice Robbins SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Karry Ruan BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY & U6 ACHIEVEMENT & HEAD GIRLS’ AWARD Mimo Sandford PSYCHOLOGY & U6 EFFORT Saxby, Robyn DRAMA PRIZE & SENIOR ACTING CUP & ALEXANDER AWARD Zoë Scott SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Zafirah Sheikh SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Ellen Sweeney SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Madeleine Taibo-Smith SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Amber Thornicroft SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Wenyuan Wang SIXTH FORM DIPLOMA Alice Wiggin DARWIN AWARD Izzy Winchester 11

AWARDS 2016-17 SERVICES TO CHAPEL CHOIR Georgie Woodward FURTHER MATHEMATICS Zoe Zheng

FIRST YEAR COMMENDATIONS ART Isabella James

COMPUTING Eleanor MacPhee

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH, MUSIC AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES Isabel Kardos-Stowe

CLASSICS & GEOGRAPHY Lily Jones

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN GEOGRAPHY, MATHEMATICS AND SPANISH Ariana Ribeiro

ENGLISH & HISTORY Tare Etifa

MATHEMATICS & PHYSICS

ART Eliza Agosta

ENGLISH Hannah Beason

CLASSICS & HISTORY Olivia Clouting

FRENCH & MUSIC Lucy Proctor

COMPUTING Ruby Nolan

GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY Lucy Grant

DRAMA & MUSIC Amelie Roberts

LATIN & RELIGIOUS STUDIES Kendra Jervis

ENGLISH June Chung

MATHEMATICS & SCIENCE Ruby Woodward

FRENCH & SCIENCE Beatriz de la Pena Corral

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, LATIN AND SCIENCE Rosa Stanford-Harris

GEOGRAPHY Tabitha MacSwiney MATHEMATICS Olivia Borthwick

SECOND YEAR RELIGIOUS STUDIES COMMENDATIONS Celia Jackson

COMPUTING Lala Khalu DRAMA Megan O’Hare ENGLISH Annabella Majer FRENCH Charlotte Perucca GEOGRAPHY Rosa Bavington HISTORY & SCIENCE Olivia Pryer LATIN & MUSIC Rosie Swidler MATHEMATICS Naomi Yang RELIGIOUS STUDIES India Williams SPANISH Carmen Ng 12

FRENCH Carla Palomino Ordorica

THIRD YEAR PRIZES Elizabeth Shegurova

DRAMA Ava Swidler

ART Lucy Keddie

DRAMA & PHYSICAL EDUCATION Grace Whitfield

SPANISH Avah Rustomjee

MUSIC Annabel Sheridan RELIGIOUS STUDIES Katherine Stacey SCIENCE Emily Du SPANISH Emma Cunningham-Bradshaw TEXTILES Millie Lewin HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, GEOGRAPHY, LATIN AND PHYSICS Tejasvi Muvvala HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH, HISTORY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES Isabella Stanford-Harris

FIFTH YEAR PRIZES

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA, MUSIC AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES Solana del Azar

ART Beatrix Thurner

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN COMPUTING, FRENCH, LATIN, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND SPANISH Aimee Thompson

BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS & PHYSICAL EDUCATION Eleanor Robinson

BIOLOGY Faith Mutu

CHEMISTRY & MATHEMATICS Punch Suwannakit

FOURTH YEAR CLASSICS COMMENDATIONS Imogen Holland-Peck ART Sadhvi Subramaniam

BIOLOGY Louisa Hughes-Penney BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS Poppy Sweetenham CHEMISTRY & LATIN Lily Corkchi

DRAMA & MUSIC Camelia Joel Davison

ENGLISH & RELIGIOUS STUDIES Virginia Sheckler FRENCH Maya Edlin GEOGRAPHY & PHYSICS Henrietta Loughlin

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

HISTORY & TEXTILES Ruth Taviansky

TEXTILES Karina Matlub

SPANISH Suzune Shirai

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN CLASSICS, ENGLISH AND FRENCH Lolade Aluko

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS AND SPANISH Renata Aynetdinova

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY, LATIN AND PHYSICS Laura Beaumont HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES Sophie Ross

HEADMISTRESS’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ECONOMICS, FURTHER MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS Lilly Xu

JNR CO-CURRICULAR PRIZES £20 JUNIOR ACTING CUP Olivia Clouting JUNIOR MUSIC CUP Daisy Tibbatts JUNIOR SPORTS CUP Imogen Rodger

PROGRESS/EFFORT/ACHIEVEMENT 13+ SCHOLARSHIPS FIRST YEAR PROGRESS Lucy Proctor SECOND YEAR PROGRESS

Lala Khalu LOWER SIXTH COMMENDATIONS

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LOWER SIXTH ACHIEVEMENT Lily Caines

ART Megan McArthur

THIRD YEAR PROGRESS Beatriz de la Pena Corral

BIOLOGY & CHEMISTRY Grace Dominey

FOURTH YEAR PROGRESS Darya Tretyakova

BUSINESS STUDIES Helen Denysiuk

FIFTH YEAR PROGRESS Ruth Taviansky

DRAMA Charlotte Coates

LOWER SIXTH PROGRESS Georgia Rickett

ECONOMICS & PHYSICS Raabia Ahmad

FIRST YEAR EFFORT Rosa Stanford-Harris

ENGLISH Alia Dar

SECOND YEAR EFFORT Waan Eamla-or

FRENCH Alexia Quirot de Poligny

THIRD YEAR EFFORT Tabitha MacSwiney

FURTHER MATHEMATICS & MATHEMATICS Cassie Jiao

FOURTH YEAR EFFORT Millie Lewin

GEOGRAPHY Lily Caines

FIFTH YEAR EFFORT Laura Beaumont

HISTORY Isabella Loughlin

LOWER SIXTH EFFORT Renata Aynetdinova

HISTORY OF ART Georgia Rickett

FIRST YEAR ACHIEVEMENT Lucy Grant

PHOTOGRAPHY Eleanor Farquharson

SECOND YEAR ACHIEVEMENT Olivia Pryer

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Jade Pusey

THIRD YEAR ACHIEVEMENT Aimee Thompson

POLITICS & RELIGIOUS STUDIES Chloe Horswell

FOURTH YEAR ACHIEVEMENT Tejasvi Muvvala

PSYCHOLOGY Seraphina Westcott

FIFTH YEAR ACHIEVEMENT Sophie Ross

ACADEMIC Olivia Pryer ART Lucy Keddie MUSIC Maia Wilson PERFORMING ARTS (DANCE & DRAMA) Rosa Bavington SPORT Rosie Swidler & India Williams MATHEMATICS EXHIBITION Ariana Ribeiro

16+ SCHOLARSHIPS 2017-2019 Pre-existing scholar who retains her scholarship for Sixth Form: DRAMA (AND ALSO AWARDED A SIXTH FORM MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP) Camelia Joel-Davison The following girls have been awarded Sixth Form scholarships: ALL-ROUND SIXTH FORM SCHOLARSHIP (ACADEMIC AND SPORTING) Sophie Ross ACADEMIC Virginia Sheckler

INDIVIDUAL DISTINCTION AND HOUSE AWARDS

THE GOOD COMPANIONS CUP Eleanor Hardie THE SPIRIT OF ST GEORGE AWARD Esme French HOUSE WORK SHIELD FOR MERITS Winning House - Alexander THE HOUSE CUP Winning House - Becket

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SCHOOL NEWS TOP A LEVEL AND GCSE RESULTS St George’s achieved excellent A Level results again this year (90% A* to C), with many individual pupils gaining outstanding grades, as well as entrance to some of the leading UK and US universities.

St George’s also gained some outstanding GCSE results: 42% of all exams were graded A* and A, and 94% were graded A*-C. Mrs Hewer congratulated all of the girls, and commented: ‘I am extremely pleased with this year’s record-breaking results. They are a reflection of the hard work put in by the girls and the individual teaching delivered by the very dedicated staff here at St George’s. Particularly pleasing is the significant increase in the number of A* grades awarded at A Level, given the uncertainty surrounding the new reformed examinations. We are very proud of the Upper Sixth who leave St George’s to study in a wide variety of fields next year – from Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge, Law at Durham and Chemical Engineering, to Art at Central Saint Martin’s and Conservatoire courses for Singing at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. There are also girls embarking on vocational courses and entering the world of work. I wish these confident, capable young women all the very best for the future. We aim to get the very best from each girl and Georgians are encouraged to work conscientiously and to the best of their ability, as well as to get involved in the wider school community and all the activities that are on offer. This, combined with committed and inspirational teaching, has delivered another set of excellent GCSE results. As well as some outstanding individual successes, including three girls with 10 A* grades, I am very proud of all the girls and their hard work and I have every confidence that this fine year group will continue to thrive in the next chapter of their education.’

Chan, Olivia

Pryer, Lauren

Psych, RS, Cl Civ, Chinese

Bio, Mat, Eng

UCL, Education Studies

Queen’s, Belfast, Law

Choy, Cinder

Reinaas, Maria

Mat, Fu Mat, Phys, Chinese

Mat, Fu Mat, Phys, Chem

Surrey, Civil Engineering

Reapplying 2017

Fanning, Holly

Rider, Fern

Bus, His, RS

Econ, RS, Phot

Leeds, Criminal Justice and Criminology

KCL, Religion, Philosophy and Ethics

French, Esme

Robbins, Alice

Bus, Geog, Psych

Geog, Gov/Pol, Psych

Newcastle, Business Management Garde, Grace

Harper Adams, Countryside and Environmental Management

Bio, Chem, Eng, Mat

Roache, Alexis

Swansea, Applied Medical Sciences

Bus, Eng, Gov/Pol

Gura, Kseniia

Reading, Law

Bus, Psych, Rus, Text

Ruan, Karry

Oxford Brookes, International Hospitality Management

Chinese, Mat, Fu Mat, Text

Han, Helen

Birmingham, Geography and Urban & Regional Planning

Mat, Mus, Chinese

Sandford, Mimo

RNCM, Practical Singing

Bio, Chem, Mat

Hon, Lorraine

Cambridge, Veterinary Medicine

Mat, Fu Mat, Phys, Chinese

Saxby, Robyn

Durham, Law

Bio, Chem, Psych

Horswell, Alannah

Bristol, Physiological Science

Econ, Span, His

Scott, Zoë

Exeter, Law with European Study (2018)

Bio, Dra, Eng Gap Year

Howard-Vyse, Bella Cl Civ, Eng, Psych Edinburgh, Classical Studies Hughes, Emily Econ, Geog, Mat Durham, Geography Iviglia, Juliette Hist of Art, Span, Phot

UPPER SIXTH DESTINATIONS The following list shows A Level subjects taken and plans for higher education, as at September 2016:

UCL, Modern Foreign Languages

Al-Najjar, Hawa

Lovett, Hannah

Econ, Art, Hist of Art

Geog, Phot, Psych Gap Year

CSM, Architecture Allen, Georgina Econ, Psych, RS Durham, Philosophy Anand, Davina Econ, Psych, RS UCL, Science and Society Bankole, Stephanie

Koutsabeloulis, Lemonia Hist of Art, Film, Text Conde Nast, Fashion Communication

Mason, Scarlet Econ, Gov/Pol, His Edinburgh, History of Art Mills, Sarah Bio, Chem, Eng Gap Year Milner, Katie

Sheikh, Zafirah Bio, Chem, Econ Westminster, Psychology Sweeney, Ellen Cl Civ, Eng, Geog York, Philosophy, Politics and Economics Taibo-Smith, Madeleine Film, Mus, Psych Oxford Brookes, Film Studies Thornicroft, Amber Dra, Psych, RS Manchester, Politics and Social Anthropology (2018) Wang, Wenyuan Chinese, Mat, Fu Mat Manchester, Management (Accounting and Finance) Wiggin, Alice Art, Hist of Art, Text CSM, Fine Art Winchester, Izzy Bio, Econ, Span

Hist of Art, Gov/Pol, RS

Bio, Psych Gap Year

Reading, Philosophy

Phillips, Caroline

Woodward, Georgie

Bykova, Anastasia

Dra, Eng, Film

Econ, Span, Hist of Art

Oxford Brookes, Human Resource Management

Bus, Geog Gap Year

UCL, History of Art

Royal Holloway, International Relations

Zheng, Zoe Chinese, Mat, Fu Mat Reading, Financial Mathematics

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ETON CEILIDH As ever, our new Lower Sixth ended their first week with a magnificent ceilidh with the boys from Eton College. All enjoyed the live music, plentiful dancing, wonderful food and excellent company.

BLUE PETER For over 50 years it has been a mark of distinction for any youth in Britain to be awarded a Blue Peter badge. Gabriella, holding her enormous badge, spent an exciting morning being filmed for the programme, doing yoga and showing how she introduced yoga classes to her friend.

The episode was aired on BBC1, on Thursday 22 September.

Well done, Gabriella, for being awarded your Blue Peter Sports Badge!

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Champagne experts

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SIXTH FORM MOTHER-AND-DAUGHTER CHAMPAGNE-TASTING EVENING On Friday 30 September, Mr Carroll and Mr Wright, along with the Surrey Wine School, hosted the mothers and daughters of the Sixth Form for an evening of Champagne Tasting. Our experts explained to the group

the champagne-making process before those present went on to sample and discuss the six champagnes on offer. These ranged from a budget supermarket’s premium offering to the most famous champagne made by one of the major houses in the region.

The bubbly was drunk alongside a fantastic offering of cheese and biscuits. All those present enjoyed an excellent evening and left with a much better understanding and appreciation of champagne.

WINDSOR FESTIVAL PRIZE-WINNER On Tuesday 18 October, Ellen Sweeney, accompanied by Mrs Jones, went to Windsor Castle to receive an award for her entry into the creative writing section of the Windsor Festival. Ellen’s sensitive and sensuous writing, entitled ‘Hands’, had clearly impressed the judges, and one of them, Mr Alastair Niven, a former Man Booker Prize judge, took the time to praise her personal-

ly for the quality of her work. The prize-winners received their certificates from Admiral Sir James Perowne, Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle, and were then invited to a private viewing of the Royal Library. This offered a fascinating glimpse into the history of the library, its wonderful collection of books and photographs, and the various treasures that are on display. Highlights were an account of George VI’s coronation in

1937 written by the Queen, then aged eleven, and the shirt worn by Charles I on the day of his execution. The English Department would like to congratulate Ellen on her success; as well as being given this exciting experience, she received a fifty pound prize for herself and an additional fifty pounds for the school.

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Coutesy of E. S. Photography

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HORSE SHOW SUCCESS Second Year pupil Imogen successfully qualified at the Kent County Show for the Horse of the Year Show which took place in October at the Birmingham NEC. Imogen and her horse Nevada qualified in both the Working Hunter Pony and Show Hunter Pony categories, an achievement that has not been achieved for many years. Her story was also published in the August/September edition of ‘Showing World’.

Imogen was successfully placed tenth in the Horse of the Year Show.

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FIREWORKS DISPLAY On Friday 11 November, St George’s held its annual fireworks display. There were stalls set up by the Young Enterprise groups and lots of opportunities for fun for pupils, parents and staff.

The fireworks themselves were spectacular, and as you will see, the picture of the hog roast looks good enough to eat.

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HOUSE DEBATING On Monday 30 January, the annual House Debating Competition took place. This is a House team competition with three pupils per team.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, I beg to propose’ was the closing statement from Alexander House’s first speech of a compelling argument in favour of the idea that modern technology contributes to feelings of loneliness. Darwin House opposed this idea, claiming that social media and modern transport increase social connectivity, thus alleviating isolation and loneliness.

In the subsequent debate, Becket House produced the controversial statement that junk food advertisements should be banned from children’s television as they contribute to childhood obesity and encourage ‘pester power’ amongst children, thus increasing the likelihood of unhealthy food being purchased by parents.

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In opposition, Churchill House claimed that banning advertisements would be a misplaced effort and that money should be spent, instead, on educating children and families about healthy eating.

Alexander and Becket won the judges over with their eloquent and persuasive arguments and they each secured a place in the final.

‘The Olympics are a waste of money’ proposed Alexander House, an argument that Becket fiercely rebutted on the grounds that long-term prosperity is often enjoyed by the host countries after the event has been held.

All of the girls that participated in the debates did a fantastic job at producing intelligent and emotive arguments on behalf of their Houses; however, it was the Becket House team of Emily, Laura and Jacqueline who won the final, with Emily winning the Best Debater award.

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TWENTY YEARS OF WORLD BOOK DAY On Thursday 2 March, girls and staff came together to celebrate World Book Day. This year was the 20th anniversary of an event which aims to bring the joy of books and reading to young people.

The day began with an assembly by Ms Kennedy where the girls discovered staff desert island book choices, enjoyed a video exploring what reading and books mean to their peers, and learned a little more about World Book Day. The Chapel was an interesting sight as everyone had been encouraged to come dressed in Harry Potter mufti. By the end of the assembly Wizards, Death Eaters and Muggles were sitting together, reading without incident.

Every girl in school was provided with a free 22

World Book Day book. There were two titles to choose from, and the girls were also given a £1 National Book Token to spend in shops of their choice.

At morning break the girls were invited to the library to immerse themselves in the world of Harry Potter by trying the selection of flavoured jelly beans. Just like in the books, the taste was a mystery and could have resulted in grass cuttings flavour rather than green apple! By lunchtime the library was transformed into a potion-making class and the girls showed their caring sides with some potions designed to make people happy or cure illnesses. Prizes for the best potions were distributed in the form of chocolate frogs.

At the end of the day it was back to the library for some performance book reviews. Prizes were awarded to Faith for ‘Be like Bill’, India for ‘13

Treasures’, and Isabel for ‘Harry Potter’. The girls came armed with props and enthusiasm for their new favourite books and subsequently delighted the audience with excellent performances.

Donations of £149.20 from the Harry Potter mufti are going to Room to Read, a charity which invests in education and literacy programmes. Particular emphasis is placed on gender equality and ensuring that girls are able to complete secondary school education.

Nearly 800 million people are illiterate and two thirds of those are women and girls. Room to Read invests in one million children annually and has benefited ten million children to date.

Further information can be found at www. roomtoread.org. www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

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DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD 2016-17 has been an exciting year for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at St George’s, with record numbers achieving the Gold Award and our biggest ever uptake at Bronze level. The scheme is the world’s leading youth achievement award and is highly valued by universities and employers as it captures a wide range of life skills, from group work and leadership, to resilience and determination. The introduction of some key developments to the programme here at St George’s has enhanced the experience offered to the girls and we are proud of their achievements at Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Bronze in the Fourth Year This year we celebrate the participation of 19 of the Fourth Year in the Bronze Award. This particular group showed great character and excitement in their approach to the award and 24

we were particularly impressed by the number of worthwhile volunteering activities that they took part in. The girls managed to get out into the community and make a real difference. This included working at charity shops, and in local schools and libraries. They undertook their practice expedition in March and showed remarkable resilience in the cold weather experienced that month. Their qualifying expedition was in June, and all enjoyed the contrast of beautiful sunshine and warmth.

Well done to all those who participated.

A new Bronze Programme in the Third Year For the first time, the Bronze Award was also opened up to the Third Year in the Summer Term this year and the expedition section of the new programme was led and delivered by a dedicated team of St George’s staff. Bringing the award in house allows the school to ensure quality of

training and experience, further strengthen the bonds between the girls and staff, and have maximum flexibility in scheduling the event in a busy school calendar.

As hoped, the Third Years showed great enthusiasm for the idea, with an incredible 80% of the year group choosing to participate.

Throughout the Summer Term, the five teams of DofE participants could be spotted every Monday afternoon navigating their way around the school campus and putting up tents on the field. They practised bandaging, slings and the recovery position in the Sports Hall and cooked up a three-course feast by the swings, using only a trangia stove, some basic supplies and their own ingenuity.

The Third Year Bronze Practice Expedition took place in the New Forest at the end of June and the Qualifying Expedition in September. www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

To qualify, the girls had to plan and execute a two-day self-sufficient and independent expedition. This included planning a route, shopping for and cooking their own meals, carrying all their own gear and camping out. Our five groups of avid explorers qualified this September, braving the wet and muddy conditions of Ashdown Forest. They showed great determination and resilience and impressed the assessor with their positivity and enthusiasm. Big congratulations must be given to all and a big thank-you offered to all the brilliant members of staff who enabled the expeditions and training to happen.

Record numbers at Gold A fantastic number of girls have managed to achieve their Gold Award this year: Georgina Allen, Cinder Choy, Grace Garde, Kseniia Gura, Sarah Mills, Maria Reinaas and Alice Robbins.

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universities across the world and we are extremely proud to have seen so many make such a fantastic achievement this year. These girls will receive an invitation to the palace to collect their awards in due course.

The Lower Sixth also began their Gold Award programme in October of this year and are working hard to complete the skill, physical and volunteering sections of the Gold Award.

Eleanor Hardie, Izzy Loughlin and Raabia Ahmad completed their Practice Expedition at Easter in the Lake District, and their Qualifying Expedition took place at the start of September in the most dreadful weather seen all year. They showed magnificent determination and resilience to make it through the four-day expedition in heavy rain and poor visibility. We wish them luck with the completion of the remaining sections of the Award.

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AUSTRALIAN EXCHANGE As has now become the norm, we bade farewell in January to two Third Years, Olivia and Georgia, as they jetted off to Australia to spend a term at St Catherine’s School in Melbourne. They had a fantastic time on their exchange, exploring the Australian culture and enjoying the hospitality and friendship of their new host families.

As well as taking part in academic studies, the girls enjoyed many extra-curricular activities, in particular a rowing camp. The rowing programme at St Catherine’s is one of the largest and most successful in the country, and the opportunity to take part was an exciting

start to their adventure for Georgia and Olivia.

After Easter, their exchange partners from St Catherine’s, Harriet and Serena, came to St George’s for the Summer Term. They stayed with their host families and were able to explore some of the delights of St George’s School and England. All four girls spoke most entertainingly at a St George’s assembly about how much they had enjoyed the experience.

The whole exchange has been a great success for pupils from both schools. The picture shows the four girls together at St Catherine’s.

There’s also a picture of one of the St George’s girls learning to surf in Australia.

It’s a tough life!

NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE Lily, a Georgian Lower Sixth Form pupil, was recently accepted into the National Youth Theatre.

The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain is a world-leading youth arts organisation. Established in 1956 as the world’s first youth theatre, its world-renowned alumni include: Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Colin Firth, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Day-Lewis, Orlando Bloom, Catherine Tate, Ben Kingsley, Ashley Jensen, Derek Jacobi and many more. This is a fantastic achievement of which Lily should be extremely proud.

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WEST END THEATRE SUCCESS On 14 May, Kendra, a First Year at St George’s and also a member of the Chapel Choir, played an important part in a performance at the Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End.

Comedy’. Kendra took the part of Angel Applewood, ‘a naive young starlet looking for a big break as a singer in Vegas’. She gets the part when she has the opportunity to sing ‘Let It Go’ from ‘Frozen’ at a nightclub.

Kendra is part of the Pauline Quirke Academy, based in Windsor, who performed in a production called ‘The Lazy Ace – A Musical

It was quite daunting but Kendra really enjoyed it, and from the audience reaction, it appears she went down a storm.

LITERARY ART Georgian Sixth Form pupil Grace, a senior member of Artways Art Club, has taken part in a special collaborative project as part of her Gold Arts Award. The following is an article courtesy of the River of Colour Exhibition:

ways of translating it into the visual medium. She was absolutely over the moon when he replied and not only offered her guidance, but was prepared to very generously give up his precious time, face-to-face, so that she could meet with him and discuss his poetry in detail.

Grace was first introduced to, and fell in love with, the poem, ‘The Fox in the National Museum of Wales’, by the great Welsh poet and author, Robert Minhinnick, as part of A Level English Literature. Mr Minhinnick won the Forward Prize for Best Individual Poem, for the second time, in 2003, for ‘The Fox in the National Museum of Wales’, which is published as part of his ‘King Driftwood’ collection.

After they met for the first time, Grace spent hours poring over her notes, trying to capture everything they had discussed.

Grace had the idea to try and create a bridge between the art form of poetry, based on the written word, and the visual art of painting on canvas. She contacted Mr Minhinnick to ask him if he would be prepared to collaborate with her, giving her a deeper understanding of the meaning and, importantly, the original inspiration behind his poetry, and helping her to explore The Dragon 2016-17

and complex piece of art.

Grace’s tribute to Robert Minhinnick’s ‘The Fox in the National Museum of Wales’ formed part of the River of Colour exhibition at the River and Rowing Museum in May. (A picture of the unfinished painting can be seen here.)

She gained much additional insight into the poem and many ideas about how she might best capture it. For example, she discovered that Mr Minhinnick was using techniques, such as alliteration and repetition, to produce layer upon layer of word play reminiscent of the language structures used by the early Welsh bards, in their mother tongue. How could she capture, in paint, something of the flavour of this traditional, rolling, and yet dexterous and light hearted, linguistic banter? She soon realised it was going to be an extremely pleasant but ultimately impossible challenge to even attempt to realise, as a picture, such a beautifully woven 27

BERKSHIRE YOUNG VOICES 2017 Aliya in the Third Year is a member of Berkshire Young Voices, the younger arm of the county choir.

Aliya sang with the choir at the Royal Albert Hall last year and this year she (along with the choir)

YOUNG ENTERPRISE REGIONAL FINAL On Tuesday 2 May the St George’s Young Enterprise team Serendipity attended the Regional Finals of Young Enterprise. It was the first time a St George’s team had reached this stage in the competition and they were delighted to attend. The afternoon and evening provided the 28

is singing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Aliya has recorded with them twice at Maida Vale Studios, so far singing ‘Carmina Burana’, and in May this year they sang with them again in a filmed performance.

Berkshire Young Voices also sang at Eton

opportunity to showcase Serendipity’s products, trade stand and fantastic customer service and sales skills.

The event culminated in presentations from all the team, with Serendipity being awarded a prize for reaching this stage of the finals.

College, along with the Chapel Choir, in aid of Future Talent, a charity set up by the Duchess of Kent. The charity enables those who might never have known they had musical talent because of lack of money, background or opportunity, to have the opportunity to learn and grow musically.

Whilst the team did not make it to the next round, they thoroughly enjoyed the event. They learned a huge amount about how to continue their success in Young Enterprise and the whole Serendipity team were wonderful ambassadors for St George’s.

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SHARING THE DRUMS On Wednesday 10 May, Year Three pupils from one of the St George’s partnership schools, Frogmore Junior School, attended an exciting morning with the Music Department. It was a fun-filled day that included drum and music workshops from the talented music teachers of St George’s, a lovely lunch and some fun games. During the first workshop, Mr Smith talked about the world’s earliest drums as well as the world’s first mobile phone, the talking drum. His session ended with an impressive drum solo which filled the little ones with excitement.

The group then split into three, each having a session of African drums, where they learnt about the range of sounds and rhythms from a djembe, followed by a singing and vocal warmup, and finally some choir-singing. At the end of the morning the groups came back together and sang the choir song as an ensemble.

HONEYWELL SPACE ACADEMY, USA On 16 to 23 June Mrs Radley, a Science teacher at St George’s, won a trip to Honeywell Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. This was part of a professional development programme created in partnership with the US Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) (US spelling!). The programme is designed to help Maths and Science teachers from around the world become more effective educators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths.

The USSRC is recognised as one of the most comprehensive U.S. manned space flight hardThe Dragon 2016-17

ware museums in the world. During the trip, Mrs Radley received simulated astronaut training and had the chance to meet and speak with working astronauts, as well as have actual NASA training.

There were around 100 teachers selected to attend from all over the world. Mrs Radley stayed at the University of Alabama halls of residence for five days and was able to witness some fantastic talks from academics including Clayton Anderson and author Homer Hickman, who read from one of his acclaimed books. We are looking forward to Mrs Radley sharing more of her enthusiasm and expertise from this trip.

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VISITING SPEAKERS

HEADMISTRESS’S LECTURE – NATASHA DEVON The school was delighted to welcome Natasha Devon to give a lecture on Thursday 8 December in the Sue Cormack Hall. The first ever government mental health champion for schools gave an inspirational talk to the girls, teachers and parents. She discussed her own experiences of surviving an eating disorder as a teenager and spoke about how pupils can learn from this in building resilience and improving their own mental health. Everyone lucky enough to hear Natasha was inspired by her message and challenged in their own perceptions and understanding of the mental health issues confronting so many in society.

MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS St George’s hosted a talk from members of the House of Lords on Friday 27 January to encourage pupils to become more engaged in the political and parliamentary process.

Lord Borwick and Baroness Pidding met with girls from the Fourth Year to Upper Sixth for an hour to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords. This was followed by a question-and-answer session on various aspects of the parliamentary process and life at Westminster generally.

MR RUDI OPPENHEIMER On Monday 26 June, girls in the Third Year to the Upper Sixth, staff and parents heard testimony from Holocaust survivor Rudi Oppenheimer, as part of a visit organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET). Mr Oppenheimer travels to many schools and universities, giving moving speeches about his wartime experiences. The girls were given an incredible insight into this period in history and after the talk were able to meet and speak with Mr Oppenheimer about his life.

Mrs Kratt, Head of History and Politics at St George’s, said, ‘This was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to interact with people who knowthe parliamentary system inside out, as it can sometimes seem far removed from their daily lives.’

The visit was arranged through the Lord Speaker’s ‘Peers in Schools’ programme, which has been running across the UK since 2007 and has so far involved around 75,000 young people. This continuing outreach programme sends members of the House of Lords into schools, academies and colleges across the country to give talks in support of the citizenship curriculum.

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SCHOOL TRIPS

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

Here are the details of some of them.

MARWELL ZOO First Year girls visited Marwell Zoo, which they very much enjoyed; it was the perfect trip to get to know one another. Isabel reflected on the day: ‘We saw lots of different animals and took part in lots of different activities. The first animals we saw were the penguins, followed by the emus.

The zoo was a wonderful experience and the best way to meet everybody. One of my favourite events was visiting the tigers and leopards. The friendly giraffes were everybody’s favourite. I had a wonderful experience, made lots of new friends and learnt about a variety of animals and the sounds they make!’

VISITS DAY Visits Day is an annual event each Autumn Term and took place on Wednesday 14 September. First to Sixth Year pupils travelled to various locations to enjoy some fun activities and learn new skills. Details can be seen in the next few articles.

SUTTON LIFE CENTRE Second Year girls visited the Sutton Life Centre in London. Sutton Life Centre is a unique, stateof-the-art educational and community facility in South London, promoting good citizenship, personal safety and the environment.

The girls learnt important skills to keep them safe in the modern world. These included using The Dragon 2016-17

public transport and social media in ways that would keep them out of danger. The girls particularly enjoyed the tour of the model home, where they learnt how to stock their fridge with healthy foods and how to react in the event of a fire. The workshops in the afternoon focused on staying safe online and promoting an awareness of the threats posed by drugs and alcohol.

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BUSHCRAFT Third Year pupils travelled to Henfold Lakes in Dorking, where they did ‘Bushcraft’ and bonding activities under the supervision of staff from ‘Action Days Out’.

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The girls were taught how to build a shelter and start a fire using a kit without matches or a lighter. They then built the shelters, started fires and cooked delicious food over the fires in groups. Everyone had lots of fun. www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY The Fifth Year had golden tickets to a world of pure imagination for our Visits Day on Wednesday 14 September. Before delving into the world of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, we enjoyed a plentiful lunch in Covent Garden at the Wildwood Restaurant. Before long we were extremely full of pizza, pasta, ice cream and warm chocolate brownies.

We were fortunate enough to have the first three rows of the stalls to enjoy Roald Dahl’s deliciously dark tale of young Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectioner Willy Wonka, which came to life through the entertaining West End musical. The girls marvelled at the chocolate garden, an army of squirrels and the peculiar Oompa-Loompas. It was a musical that was choc-full of fantastical treats and special effects to dazzle our senses.

WICKED On the school’s Visits Day, Wednesday 14 September, the Sixth Form girls and tutors attended a matinee performance of ‘Wicked’.

The St George’s members of the audience enjoyed the show which, in its early scenes showing a group of pupils arriving at college, had some parallels to the beginning of the academic year in Ascot. The elements of sorcery, wizards and witches were, perhaps, less applicable. Its main storyline of accepting diversity and celebrating the talents of all those in a community certainly had resonance.

Despite the London traffic leading to a rather late return, all those present enjoyed a fabulous show which helped the girls to get to know each other and bond as a Sixth Form.

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Fourth Year spies take a break

SPY GAMES CENTRE Isabella reflected on the fun day out at the Spy Games Centre: ‘Fourth Year girls went on our Visits Day to Spy Games near Milton Keynes. The activities we did were based either outside in a large field or inside a barn. We were split into four groups of about ten and each competed in a series of games and challenges to earn Spy Dollars. The team with the most Spy Dollars at the end of the day were the winners. We took part in a total of eight challenges, with a break for lunch in between. These challenges included the Minefield, which involved guiding a blindfolded person through an obstacle course, and another where we had to construct a cannon to fire things from. As well as the physical challenges, there were also mental ones, such as using clues to figure out a code to unlock a safe. We were tested on our knowledge of countries and flags, and also had a demonstration of how to handle a gun. My favourite challenge was the laser room, where we had to crawl under and jump over lasers to reach a diamond at the other side of the room. One of the challenges we found most difficult was the observation challenge. It was supposed to be simple; we just had to find a series of objects in an area

right in front of us. We found it much harder than we thought we would! Overall, it was a really enjoyable day for everyone.’

Annabel commented as follows: ‘On Wednesday 14 September, the Fourth Year went on a trip to Milton Keynes to take part in the Spy Games. We were put into four groups, and had nine challenges to complete during the day. The activities included outside shooting, practising instructions given by our instructor, coding, being blindfolded while circulating round mine courses, and my favourite, laser dodging. If we built a structure in time, had fast reactions, cracked a code or did any task really well, we would earn Spy Dollars to collect in each team. In laser dodging, we went into a long, dark room and took it in turns to try to reach the diamond at the far end. Each group was split into two, so our small group of five took it in turns to dodge the lasers coming from every corner. In total, we touched it nine times!

At the end of the day, the instructors counted up the money and announced the winning team.

Although it was teeth-bitingly close, Group 1 won with 13,200 Spy Dollars! Overall, it was an exciting, action-packed day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.’

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Lower Sixth History and Politics pupils in Westminster Hall, where Charles I stood trial in 1649

WESTMINSTER On Monday 19 September, Lower Sixth History and Politics pupils visited the Houses of Parliament to extend their studies of democracy in the UK. They also gained a further understanding of how the UK Parliament works. The girls enjoyed a tour of the Houses of Parliament as well as a workshop on how laws are made in the UK, followed by a trip to the Supreme Court and a visit to the Churchill War Rooms.

With the seven-year-old Sir Winston Churchill having been a past pupil of St George’s when it was a boys’ school in 1882, the girls were especially interested in the Churchill War Rooms and all of the important decisions which took place there.

RIVER TILLINGBOURNE: As part of their A Level course, the Upper Sixth Geography pupils went on a trip to visit the River Tillingbourne in Surrey. We were investigating the differences in velocity, depth, width and sediment size along the course of a river. Our class and Mr Fraser arrived at Juniper Hall, where we were greeted by our instructor for the day, Rowena. We first went to a classroom to discuss what the day consisted of and went through some of the basic context before heading out to the river. We looked at the Bradshaw Model, which is a geographical model describing how a river’s characteristics change between the source (start) and mouth (end) of a river. We had to decide which part of the model we agreed with.

Luckily for us, as we departed for the river, the torrential rain had finished. We first went to Crossways Farm, which is located 4km from the source, and here we had to stand in the river in order to measure the depth and width with a ruler, pick up pieces of sediment and measure the size of those too. The most exciting part was measuring the speed/velocity of the river, in which we used a hydroprop to measure the time taken for the impellor to go from the end of the thread to the other end near the stand. All the data was put into ipads, which converted all the units. We repeated this for the next two points of the river, Abinger Hammer and Gomshaw. After this we were happy to get back to the Juniper Hall common room for tea and cake!

The afternoon consisted of gathering all of our material together to draw some conclusions and carry out statistical analyses on our data.

We created scatter graphs for average flow velocity, and generated a channel cross-sectional

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diagram for the width and depth figures we obtained. Emily said her favourite part was the GIS map, which shows the changes in sediment sizes on a virtual map of our location, and shows us a general pattern to draw out conclusions. Alice’s favourite part was getting into the river and collecting primary data ourselves.

Our conclusions were that the River Tillingbourne had an increase in width, velocity and depth the further away we got from its source, and its sediment size decreased.

We learnt valuable evaluative methods that described what we did well during our investigation and things that may not have been so accurate.

Overall we had a very enjoyable and exciting trip, and thank you to Mr Fraser for taking us!

Esme and Rosie www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

KEW GARDENS On 20 September, the Lower Sixth A Level Photography pupils and the Fourth Year GCSE Art pupils went to Kew Gardens to get a feel for their new courses. The Lower Sixth took their cameras and looked at using aperture and shutter speed to begin their project titles of ‘Self’ and ‘Reality or Illusion’. They worked through a list of different tasks that had to be completed throughout the day, for example a picture with motion, a picture with a short depth of field or a picture of reflection. Everyone managed to take a picture for each task and took some good pictures to use in their projects.

The Fourth Year girls spent a lot of time in the greenhouse making a collage of the amazing, exotic plants using different-coloured paper and big felt tip pens, as well as watercolours and pencils. ‘The Hive’ by Wolfgang Buttress was one of the highlights of the trip. It was a large metal structure, constructed of many hexagons to capture the look of a honeycomb. It fascinated the girls, who also had a talk from one of the site’s conservation experts about what the artwork symbolised. It was a wonderful start to our new courses and a lovely day to take pictures and draw.

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USA COLLEGE DAY FAIR IN LONDON The Fulbright Commission’s US Colleges Exhibition 2016 attracted over 170 different institutions and organisations working within the field of North American tertiary education to West Brompton on Friday 23 September.

The popularity of US universities has been steadily growing in recent years and this has been reflected in the interest of Georgians in pursuing America as an option. This year Mr Wright attended a day of training on the subject of US applications before meeting a group of seven girls, who discussed their options with the representatives of a variety of colleges and returned to Ascot inspired and more confident about the possibility of continuing their studies in the New World.

THE PITT RIVERS MUSEUM Kendra wrote the following about her trip: ‘On Wednesday 28 September, the First Year went to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, which was full of many different pieces of artwork.

Over 5,000 visible pieces are in the museum; it is three floors high with different things on each floor. We drew many things such as shrunken heads, headdresses, Noh masks and many more!’

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BERKSHIRE BOOK AWARD 2017 On Wednesday 12 October, First Year pupils visited LVS Ascot for the launch of the Berkshire Book Award 2017.

The Berkshire Book Award is a book award wholly nominated and voted for by the young people of Berkshire. Carnegie Medal-winning author Tim Bowler was on hand to speak to the girls about children’s literature, writing and poetry, and to read from two of his novels. The girls were able to speak to him afterwards and take home signed books.

First Year girls commented on their visit: Joanna: ‘His stories took me to a magical dimension, and with every word, I was able to understand the emotion through his words.’

Ava: ‘It was an amazing experience and definitely one to remember.’

The girls came away from the day entertained and excited to read more of the books they had heard about. There was certainly a buzz in the air over who would be the recipient of the year’s Award.

KNITTING AND STITCHING SHOW AT ALEXANDRA PALACE The Art Department took GCSE and A Level pupils to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace on Thursday 6 October.

The girls had the opportunity to meet artists and see an array of textiles work. This will help to develop their subject knowledge and has given them first-hand experience of different materials.

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THE TATE MODERN On 10 October, the Fifth Year and Lower Sixth Art pupils, along with Upper Sixth Photography pupils, visited the Tate Modern and Tate Britain.

First we visited the Tate Modern, where we saw the newly built Switch House. It is interesting to note that over 50% of the work in this new gallery belongs to women artists. At the Tate Britain we were lucky enough to visit the Turner Prize exhibition. The work this year consisted of exhibits by three women artists and one male and was strongly sculptural. It was thoughtprovoking and a variety of media were used.

The winner was to be announced in December.

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THE NEASDEN MANDIR The Third Year spent the morning at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. This beautiful building is a Hindu temple in Neasden. The girls learnt how the Mandir was built entirely by volunteers using traditional methods and materials. Indeed, the Swaminarayan Mandir has been described as being Britain’s first authentic Hindu temple and Europe’s first traditional Hindu stone temple. It is a place of great peace, beauty and tranquillity. As we listened to talks by our engaging guide, observed the Arti ceremony and visited the Hindu exhibition, the girls immersed themselves in the stunning marble carvings and embraced the heart of Hindu culture. This warm and welcoming community, which lies only an hour away from Ascot, provides a perfect means to understand the Hindu faith within our local community.

Mrs M. Magill

CHELTENHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL On Friday 14 October, the Third Year girls visited the Cheltenham Literature Festival. First on the agenda was a talk by award-winning children’s author Marcus Sedgwick. The event opened with a question-and-answer session when the author discussed the realities of being a writer and the process of bringing a novel from idea to reality. Then followed a discussion of his new The Dragon 2016-17

book, ‘Saint Death’, in which he outlined the extensive research behind the novel.

The highly interactive event was deemed to be entertaining, funny and engaging. Afterwards, the girls followed the Roald Dahl Discovery Trail, worked out their Roald Dahl name and explored the Waterstone’s Children’s Hideaway tent.

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READING SYNAGOGUE On Tuesday 8 November, girls in the Second Year visited Reading Synagogue to learn about the Jewish faith.

Second Year pupil Carmen commented: ‘I thought that the RS trip to the synagogue was really good! I learnt a lot of things such as what Jews eat on the Sabbath Day, where the legend of Hanukkah came from and much more.

The people working there were very informative and the food served on the day was especially good: potato cakes, honey cakes, apples, crackers and bread.’

Molly remarked: ‘In my opinion the talk was very interesting and he explained everything very well. The food was tasty and fascinated me. Our guide, Sue, was very good at her job and overall the trip was really intriguing. I would certainly recommend it for others.’

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MUN BATH On Saturday 4 March, sixteen Georgians left Ascot for the Model United Nations conference at Kingswood School in Bath. On arrival, the delegates, representing Sudan, Myanmar and Australia, were almost immediately engaged in lobbying in their different committees. The committees considered Human Rights, the Middle East as well as political, economic and health issues. Laura was the first St George’s delegate to have her resolution debated on

the Human Rights committee. Representing Australia, she argued strongly in favour of banning the use of torture.

SKI TRIP Over the Easter holidays, St George’s girls travelled to Serre Chevalier in the French Alps for a week of intense skiing. The group consisted of girls who ranged in ability from absolute beginners to experienced skiers.

a fun and cohesive group of girls who were keen to learn new techniques and enjoy the beautiful environment.

The atmosphere among the group was engaging, friendly and supportive towards each other, regardless of age or skiing ability. This made for The Dragon 2016-17

Other delegates challenged various resolutions in their committees, and our youngest members, Avah and Olivia, were impressive in the way they brought in points of information.

In addition, Maria won ‘Highly Commended’ as a Human Rights delegate for Sudan. It was not all serious, though, as Lily’s challenge that

The girls skied for five hours a day in three different ability groups, led by instructors from L’Ecole du Ski Francais. The girls were guided around the mountain, seeking out the best ski conditions that they could enjoy, but also hoping to experience a challenge to enhance their skills.

Rick Astley had more songs than ‘Never Going to Give You Up’ was most entertaining.

The weekend was exhausting, challenging but valuable in understanding how such an international organisation can and indeed does work. However, a stay in the Holiday Inn as well as meals at Pizza Express and Wagamama helped to energise an enthusiastic and delightful group of girls who were a pleasure to take.

Fortunately the snow upon arrival at the resort was followed by three days of glorious sunshine, and then another afternoon of snow to ensure perfect skiing conditions for the final day. These conditions allowed the more experienced skiers to ski across 90% of the resort and enabled the beginners to learn with the cushion of soft snow for gentle falling.

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NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM On Wednesday 10 May, the Third Year went to the Natural History Museum in London for a Geography trip to study volcanoes and earthquakes, about which they had been learning in their lessons.

First they had an exciting interactive talk about the formation of earthquakes and volcanoes, and different girls were able to volunteer to help with

demonstrations: for example, jumping up and down to simulate an earthquake and measuring the vibrations using a seismometer! The talk was fascinating and made the girls think about the planet on which they are living. They then went to visit the volcano and earthquake exhibition and looked at all of the information there.

The girls especially loved the Kobe earthquake simulator! It was a really interesting and funpacked day.

FIRST YEAR RESIDENTIAL: TEAM-BUILDING On 24 to 26 May, girls in the First Year went on an exciting team-building trip to PGL Liddington.

The pupils were split into teams, and took part in a variety of activities such as raft-building, problem-solving, high ropes, swimming, pioneering, climbing and archery!

The trip was designed to give the girls the opportunity to try new challenges, consolidate existing friendships and explore new ones, as well as have some fun and realise what they are capable of.

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HISTORY AND FRENCH IN NORMANDY On Sunday 4 June, the excited Third Year girls and four intrepid teachers set off for the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. Miss Jackson worked out that it must be about the 30th year that St George’s Third Years have done this trip.

The overnight ferry was calm and in the morning the group awoke in France. The first day was an introduction to the Battle of Normandy and D Day in Arromonches and then in the afternoon they made their way to the great Hotel Bon Sejour in Merville-Franceville. It is right on the beach and has a great swimming pool with slides, which the more awake members of the year group took full of advantage of straight away.

The next day started at the market in Courselles and then moved on to Bayeux, first to the Tapestry and then to meet the WWII veterans. St George’s has had a link to the 47 Commando Veteran Association for the last five years and it is an honour and a privilege every year to meet with the remaining veterans and their families. The girls attended a memorial with them and then had the opportunity to converse, asking questions and listening to stories of the war and their lives afterwards. The veterans remember the St George’s girls and are always keen to talk to them.

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the girls remember most clearly, and this year was no different.

On Wednesday morning the girls visited a number of sites including the American cemetery at Omaha beach and Ponte Du Hoc gun emplacement. They then went to Port-En-Bessin to lay a wreath at the memorial to the 47 Commandos as this is the town they liberated on 7 June 1944. In the afternoon the girls were able to explore the amazing Caen Peace Museum, which gave a comprehensive view of the war both in France and further afield. In the evening the girls were treated to a disco, before heading off to bed.

The last day started with a walk to the Merville battery, which was captured from the Nazis by about 150 Paratroopers and includes a great interactive exhibition.

The trip gives a comprehensive overview of the war and in particular D-Day. By the end of the trip the girls had gained a thorough impression of the war that complemented their classroom learning.

Miss Jackson has run the trip for the last five years and this was her last one. She thoroughly enjoyed it and next year hands over the reins to Mrs Soni.

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JANE AUSTEN’S HOUSE MUSEUM AND CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY On Monday 19 June, girls in the Fourth Year visited Jane Austen’s House Museum and Chawton House Library. The trip was designed to complement their study of ‘Pride and Prejudice’.

The girls enjoyed exploring the 19th-century house where Jane Austen lived and wrote. They were able to view the many Jane Austen artefacts that are on show, as well as exploring the bakehouse and gardens.

Isabella wrote of her trip: After arriving at Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton, Hampshire, we were given an introductory talk about Austen’s life and novels and the house itself. The talk particularly focused on aspects of her life which translated into her stories, such as the struggle between marrying for love and marrying for money which Jane herself faced during her lifetime.

After the talk, we were split into groups and my group first had the opportunity to look around Chawton Cottage itself. It was fascinating to see the desk at which Austen wrote some of her most 44

famous novels, and to see some of her original letters written to her sister Cassandra. We were also able to try making lavender bags and writing with a quill and ink.

After this we had a session in which we were able to handle some objects contemporary to Jane Austen and we tried to guess what they were used for. We handled some kid leather gloves and learnt about the occasions they would be used for, and how you needed a special item to stretch them out after washing them.

After lunch in the scorching heat, my group walked to Chawton House, which is a big Elizabethan manor house that had been owned

by Jane’s brother, Edward. He had been adopted by the rich Knight family to become their heir as they didn’t have any children of their own. At the house, we were given the opportunity to dress up and learn a Regency dance, which was very fun but also very hot. Then we were given a tour around some of the rooms of the house and sat at the dining table that Jane Austen would have sat at many times. We also saw the library’s collection, which included some original letters that Jane wrote.

After walking back to the cottage and gorging ourselves on strawberries and cream, we returned to school. It was a really enjoyable and informative day and we would like to thank the English teachers for organising this trip.

Annabel commented: We learned a lot about Jane Austen and her family background, then saw the Chawton House Library, and grand paintings of her brothers. We split into groups, and looked at old objects from her time and tried to guess what they were used for. We also did calligraphy and made small bags of lavender. I had the chance to play on the Clementi pianoforte in Jane Austen’s house, and I really enjoyed playing for everyone.

After lunch, my group did ballroom dancing in partners and dressed up in the clothes from the Regency Period. This was the most exciting part of the day!

We finished the day by sitting on Jane Austen’s lawn and eating strawberries and cream. It was very hot and sunny, but a very enjoyable and informative day. www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

SECOND YEAR VISIT TO CIRENCESTER Pupils in 2AF wrote of their visit: After our journey to Cirencester, we got off the coach and worked our way around the museum with a questionnaire. We really enjoyed finding out new things about the lifestyle of the Britons during the Roman occupation. We then travelled to Chedworth Villa, which nestles in the beautiful Cotswold countryside and boasts an impressive collection of mosaics.

At the Roman villa there was a lovely shrine built around a spring. The inhabitants used this shrine to pray and to wish that the water would never stop, and there it was almost two thousand years later, still flowing. Once they had prayed, they put a gift on the altar such as food or money.

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they looked and see the different rooms which we had learned about in class. There was a very life-like pigeon depicted on the floor of the apodyterium. We went into the caldarium and the frigidarium. You could see how the hypocaust system worked and how it heated up the water and the floor.

The hot air went up the walls through tubes called flues. The mosaics in the triclinium all had different stories about the seasons. We also found the toilet quite interesting: the Romans didn’t have toilet paper so they used a sponge and re-used it by washing it in vinegar.

The sewage flowed out down a pipe outside the villa.

Overall, the trip was really interesting because we learnt a lot about Roman society and how the wealthy British people lived during the Roman occupation. We really enjoyed looking at all the ancient objects and buildings.

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CHARITY WORK St George’s pupils and staff have engaged in a wide range of charitable activities this year. Pictures and accounts of many of these can be seen here.

JEANS FOR GENES On Friday 23 September, St George’s supported the Jeans for Genes charity by asking pupils and staff to wear their jeans for the day, asking for a £1 donation to do so.

The pupils very much enjoyed raising money for the charity, with over £240 being raised which will go towards a range of initiatives that improve the lives of between 4,000 and 6,000 children affected by a genetic disorder.

The calm

MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING St George’s took part in the ‘Biggest Coffee Morning’ with pupils and the Parents’ Association selling cakes on Friday 30 September. All of the cakes and treats looked delicious and were very popular with the girls!

Well done to everyone who helped on the day.

Over £500 was raised for Macmillan by parents, girls and staff in support of the important work the charity does for families who have been affected by cancer.

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The staff look silly for charity The girls join in the festive spirit by wearing their own Christmas jumpers

CHARITY BIKE RIDE St George’s electrician, Colin Smith, with nine of his friends and family took part in the annual Palace to Palace 45-mile charity ride, which started from Buckingham Palace and finished at Windsor racecourse on Sunday 2 October.

Palace to Palace is a Prince’s Trust cycling event with an eye-catching route. Colin took in the sights of Buckingham Palace before cycling through Richmond Park and the beautiful Surrey countryside towards the finish line alongside Windsor Castle.

Well done to Colin and his team, who raised over £1,600 for the Prince’s Trust.

STAFF CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY On Thursday 14 December, staff celebrated the festive season and supported Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day. In exchange for a small donation of £1, staff donned some very sparkly, colourful (and in some cases utterly tasteless) festive knits to fundraise for Save the Children,

who this year are fundraising for children from mid-western Nepal. The funds raised will go towards healthcare, and to educate Nepali children about the dangers of child marriage.

The girls voted for the best staff jumper: congratulations to Ms Kennedy, our Head Librarian, who won the competition!

SAMARITAN’S PURSE – OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD This year, the whole school once again supported the Samaritan’s Purse ‘Operation Christmas Child’ campaign. Girls from all years filled a shoebox with gifts for underprivileged children, which included toys, toiletries, stationery and clothes. The school filled an impressive number of boxes again this year, with Isabella in the First Year generously filling five.

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BARNARDO’S To celebrate National Boarding Week 2017 (1925 June), St George’s boarding staff organised a boarding party and a Colour Run to raise money for the children’s charity Barnardo’s.

The evening began with a takeaway supper on the lawn, which was followed by a bouncy castle, and then the Colour Run on the fields. All the girls were enthusiastic and got fully involved, as one can see in the picture.

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STAFF VS FIRST TEAM NETBALL MATCH Each Form and Year group is asked to host a charity event during a half term. The money raised is then split between three charities which have been voted on by the girls.

On Tuesday 21 February, St George’s staff

took on the pupil netball team in a fiery game that ended in staff defeat! The girls played an excellent game, beating the staff 19-11. The girls also sold cakes and desserts and raised £53.50, which was split between Save the Children, Macmillan Cancer Care and Rosie’s Rainbow Fund. Very well done to all those who took part.

SHOC - SERENA HALL, SLOUGH The whole school have, once again, supported the Slough Homeless Our Concern’s (SHOC) charity, by donating items to the homeless at Serena Hall in Slough.

The Reverend Sistig, Mr Wright and Mr Cotterell attended with a selection of Sixth Form girls to deliver a collection of items that pupils, staff and parents had collected to donate to the homeless. Amongst the items there were warm clothes, sleeping bags, gloves and Christmas decorations.

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DRAMA BRING IT ON The middle of October saw the school’s annual whole-school musical being performed in the Sue Cormack Hall. Following the great success of last year’s production of ‘Les Misérables’, this year saw a total contrast in the form of a more contemporary musical, ‘Bring It On’. The play focuses on the life of Campbell Davis, former head cheerleader at Truman High School, as she struggles to fit in at a new school after suspicious circumstances see her redistricted to inner-city Jackson High.

Seventy girls were involved in the performance both onstage and as members of the backstage crew and this was the largest cast since the Director of Drama, Mr Carroll, first staged a St George’s musical in 2012. The action was vibrant and dynamic, and rehearsals reflected this, taking the form of dance-offs, rap sessions, and cheerleading workshops by a visiting cheerleading coach. Dedication and commitment by all involved over the intense six-week rehearsal period meant that the cast created a production that excited and entertained the audience.

Mr Carroll commented: ‘The pace of the show was remarkable with towering human pyramids, wild throws and lifts which were made to look easy by the hard-working and passionate cast. This show was put together in six weeks from start to finish, which is testament to the hard work of everyone involved in the production. I am incredibly proud of each and every one of the girls involved.’

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JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Our talented First Year girls enjoyed an exciting start to the festive season as they took part in the great British tradition of pantomimes, performing the ancient story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ to children from a local primary school as well as family and friends.

Pupils from Whitegrove Primary School were invited to a matinee showing of the play, which was directed by St George’s Director in Residence Miss Johnson. The ambitious production was the culmination of an intense four-week rehearsal process resulting in a laugh-a-minute performance with upbeat songs and dances, a mindblowing set and plenty of cow jokes to leave the audience in a good mood for the rest of the Christmas season!

Miss Johnson commented: ‘This cast has been an absolute pleasure to direct, owing to the commitment and enthusiasm shown by the entire year group. For the majority of the cast, this was their first theatre production at St George’s and I am hugely impressed by the incredible talent and confidence among such a young cast. It’s clear that the girls have been studying pantomime in their Drama lessons alongside rehearsals, as their comic timing and over-the-top characterisations were nothing short of wonderful.’

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INTO THE WOODS On Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 February, selected girls from the Third Year to the Upper Sixth completed entertaining performances of James Lapine’s musical ‘Into the Woods’.

The show was directed and produced by two creative pupils, Alannah and Mimo. They both worked extremely hard, ensuring the show was executed professionally and with creative flair. The detailed and beautiful set (which was borrowed from South Hill Park) added a lot to the visual impact of the show. Parents, staff and pupils were very impressed by this most amusing production.

DAISY PULLS IT OFF The Third Years worked extremely hard rehearsing for their production of ‘Daisy Pulls it Off’. The play follows the story of Daisy Meredith (Amelie), the new girl who has moved from her elementary school and become the first scholarship pupil to attend Grangewood School for Girls. During her time there, she encounters prejudices from current pupils who are determined to get her expelled. In the end, Daisy wins over her foes by saving the lives of her chief nemeses (Olivia and Aimee), scoring the winning goal of the hockey tournament, cracking the secret code and, along with her best chum (Solana), discovering Grangewood’s hidden treasure – all in the same night. Both the rehearsal process and final performance were an absolute pleasure to direct and watch.

The girls’ commitment and enthusiasm really shone through due to the obviously hefty number of lines they had had to learn and their energetic, larger-than-life characters on stage. They really grasped the comic timing of the piece; it truly was hilarious and heartwarming from start to finish.

My highlight was seeing the girls have lots of fun filming a scene in which Daisy rescues her enemies off the side of a cliff (getting especially muddy grappling onto the hills outside St George’s), which was edited and projected on stage in the style of a silent movie. I have been most impressed by the professionalism and talent among the Third Years and, although it was an ambitious choice to rehearse such a word-heavy play of one hour and forty five minutes in just five weeks, the girls, without a doubt, pulled it off.

Miss R Johnson

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SECOND YEAR PLAYS The Second Year plays this year were both comedies based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Hamlet’, and the girls really did them justice on Wednesday 28 June at 7.30pm, when they performed to a group of family members, school friends and teaching staff.

The productions were both set in traverse, in the Cormack Hall, where the audience were seated on either side of the stage. The dedication and commitment of the girls over the last few months certainly had paid off, as the girls really rose to the occasion and both plays were performed to an almost professional standard, with the audience enjoying a more traditional portrayal of ‘Hamlet’, and a more contemporary version of ‘Macbeth’.

physicality and vocalisation, and created a humorous and entertaining portrayal of 21stcentury Witches. The use of effective multiple part-playing by Rosa changing with relative ease from Macbeth to one of the children lost on a camping trip in Scotland was outstanding. The mood was beautifully lightened by the three Trees (Balsa, Yew and Bush (Naomi, Carmen and Kanwulia)), who were extremely humorous and entertaining to watch.

Highlights in ‘What Was The Question?’ (Hamlet) included the charismatic, suave ‘playboy’ leading man, Hamlet, played by Jacqueline, and his loyal, best friend Horatio, who was performed by Lucy, with a naturally brilliant comic timing. The final and dramatic fight scene – with ‘wrestling style’ commentary (Annabella and Katie) – created the perfect climax to this witty comedy, culminating in a stage littered by the dying characters in the final moments. The conniving, self-serving Queen Gertrude was played by Maia with great flair and comic skill, mirrored by the evil, sneaky Claudius (Mannat). An excellent effort from this ensemble cast to create fun and humour onstage.

Highlights in ‘The Day the Woods Came to Dunsinane’ (Macbeth) were the three witches (Thea, Megan and Molly) who used outstanding

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HOUSE PARTIES - ALEXANDER

On Friday 20 January, girls, staff and parents enjoyed an extravagant evening of awardwinning food, plus an array of entertaining performances by the Alexander girls.

The theme of the evening was Movie Award Season Dinner and the dress code was black tie.

The dining room was transformed into a venue fit for the Oscars, decorated with lights, with stunning table decor and a sense of prestige. In keeping with the Award Season theme, the girls performed their award-winning production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ to staff and parents in the Sue Cormack Hall at the end of the evening. There was also a dance by the First Year girls, three musical performances, and a thought-provoking poem about the origins of Alexander House.

The performances showcased the girls’ ability to impress, and all those who attended had a wonderful time.

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HOUSE PARTIES - BECKET On Friday 3 February, it was the turn of Becket House to host their themed party. The fairy-tale theme was complemented with glowing fairy lights, candy canes and a general sense of wonder and fantasy. Parents, staff and the girls once again enjoyed a delicious three-course meal prepared by the catering team.

At the end of the night, the girls performed their own version of ‘A Twisted Fairy-tale’, a performance that had previously won them the House Drama Competition. There was also a range of musical and dance performances that showcased some of the talents the Becket girls have. Overall, everyone who attended had a fantastic evening and the efforts of both the girls and staff made the evening both entertaining and magical.

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HOUSE PARTIES - CHURCHILL On Friday 24 February, the girls in Churchill House held their House party. The theme chosen was America, and the decorations, food and performances all had a North American atmosphere. The dining hall was decorated with American flags and a projection of classic American films such as ‘Grease’. Each table was assigned its own state, with kitsch fancy dress items on every plate.

Staff, parents and girls all enjoyed the American meal: burgers, fries and red velvet cheesecake, all beautifully prepared by the Catering Department. It was an entertaining, lighthearted evening which ended with some great musical performances from the Churchill House girls in the Sue Cormack Hall.

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HOUSE PARTIES - DARWIN

On Friday 17 March, it was the turn of Darwin House to hold their House party. The theme chosen on this occasion was ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Families and girls arrived following a black tie dress-code, and the dining hall was decorated beautifully with red roses and elaborate table pieces.

After a drinks reception, staff, parents and girls enjoyed another delicious meal prepared by the catering team. The evening then moved on to the Cormack Hall for some excellent performances by the girls. These included a House song, and various singing and instrumental performances by the girls. It was a most enjoyable evening.

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ART, PHOTOGRAPHY & TEXTILES

A Level Photography by Fern Rider

A Level Photography by Juliette Iviglia 58

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GCSE Artwork by Amelia Hitchcock-Merritt

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GCSE Textiles work by Ruth Taviansky 60

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GCSE Textiles work by Kasey Tang

A Level Photography by Hannah Lovett The Dragon 2016-17

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A Level Photography by Hannah Lovett 62

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GCSE Textiles work by Kasey Tang (Winner of Textiles First Prize, Windsor Festival, 2017) The Dragon 2016-17

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GCSE Artwork by Mbali Mabota

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CHAPEL CHOIR Head of Chapel Choir – Rosie Fisher

MUSIC

Upper Sixth Stephanie Bankole Holly Fanning Rosie Fisher Helen Han Alannah Horswell Georgie Woodward Lower Sixth Charlotte Coates Chloe Horswell Ella White Fifth Year Jessica Bennett Imogen Holland-Peck Camelia Joel-Davison Sophia Lyons Katie Sedgwick Victoria Wyatt

AUTUMN TERM In between rehearsals of all sorts, our annual Harvest Festival service of readings and music took place on 18 September and was a great success, especially the amazing Harvest supper afterwards. The following day the Chapel Choir travelled to London to sing Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral. It is a great honour to be asked each year and the Choir sang really well. This year the music included Will Todd’s anthem ‘The Call of Wisdom’, 66

Fourth Year Ellie Pusey Olivia Bromilow Emma Cunningham-Bradshaw Anna Ewens Annabel Sheridan Third Year Sasha Lemon Isabelle Murphy Alexandra Townsend Second Year Jaqueline Beaumont Tilly Cayton Isabel Kardos-Stowe Maia Wilson First Year Imogen Hillary Kendra Jervis Lily Woodward Ruby Woodward

written especially for St Paul’s Cathedral.

During the year, different year groups went on different musical outings and the first of these was the Second Year visit to ‘Stomp’ on 22 Sept, much appreciated by everyone, literally toe-tapping! Fourth and Fifth Years later in the term attended a ‘Classical Spectacular’ at the Royal Albert Hall and the First Years an amazing concert of ‘Symphonic Rock’ also at the Royal Albert Hall. www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

‘Bring It On’ was staged on 17, 18 and 19 October, with Miss Mason conducting an all-electric band on a raised platform at the back of the stage. Exciting, impressive, stunning and compelling are all descriptions that come to mind. (Please see the photos in the Drama section.)

On our return from half term, the Music School Open Evening and the Autumn Concert took place. The programme offered a good contrast of items beautifully performed by all:

Hymn to a Musician – George Dyson Thou art God – Lionel Bourne Evening Hymn – Purcell Close Thine Eyes – Ian Hillier Chapel Choir Erster Schmerz – Sergi Bortkiewicz Helen Han – Piano Caro mio ben – Giordani Camelia Joel-Davison Over the Rainbow – Harold Arlen Carmen Ng – Piano Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off – Gershwin Maia Wilson – Trombone Allegro in G – Krebs Cinder Choy – Piano Concerto in D minor – Bach Annabel Sheridan & Daisy Tibbatts – Violins Voi, che sapete – Mozart Helen Han – Voice

is an atmospheric start to the festive season, thoughtful and mystic, impressive and exciting all at the same time.

The school Christmas dinner followed Christmas carols in Chapel on 14 December and the term ended in its traditional but ever-inspiring way with the Carol Service in Windsor Parish church on 15 December.

SPRING TERM The January cold and winter blues were blown well away with Epiphany Carols on 27 January and then the Candlemas service on 5 February, with the Chapel’s transformation from darkness to light.

Our Spring Concert took place on 23 February with Carmen Ng , Lucy Proctor, Daisy Tibbatts, Camelia Joel-Davison, Ruby Carty-Din, Cinder Choy, Isabel Kardos-Stowe, Helen Han, Annabel Sheridan and Maia Wilson all great soloists and both First Year Choir and Chapel Choir performing.

We held a special service for Ash Wednesday on 1 March and another of Words and Music on Mothering Sunday on 26 March and the season of House parties included many good musical performances in the entertainment part of the evening and a number of Houses took the opportunity to give items for the House Music Competition an airing. The competition itself took place on 27 March, with a tremendously enthusiastic concert of highlights the following night to round off the term in good musical style. Our Adjudicator this year was Mr Ben Giddens from Queen Anne’s School, Caversham and the winning House was Darwin, not that the winning is the most important thing! Among standout performances were:

Cache-cache – Tansman Natalie Phan – Piano I’m Not That Girl – Stephen Schwartz Charlotte Coates – Voice

Your Song – Elton John Isabel Kardos-Stowe – Voice

Dance of Watergrass – Mingxiu Du Annabel Sheridan - Piano

Churchill House Ensemble – Say You Won’t Let Go

Bear Necessities Somewhere only we know – Keane First Year Choir directed by Miss Mason

Turning Tables – Adele Sophia Lyons & Katie Sedgwick – Voice

Friday 11 November saw our whole-school Remembrance Day service and on Sunday 13 November our Sunday Music and Readings for Remembrance. Both were very moving and sensitive occasions. Lovely music and words in which to meditate and find space to consider and contemplate all that the Act of Remembrance is and stands for.

On 15 November the Chapel Choir sang the short but lovely candle-lit plainsong service of Compline (if you have never been, it’s a real treat!) and on 19 November we welcomed Bishop David Jennings for our Annual Confirmation service, always an important event for girls and families concerned and for the school as a community.

Our Christmas festivities got underway with the Chapel Choir singing Carols at Coworth Park on 1 December and then we had our own Advent Carol service on 4 December. The Advent service The Dragon 2016-17

Quiet (from ‘Matilda’) Kendra Jervis – Voice This is the Moment Charlie Coates – Voice Becket House Special Item – Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen

Yuri on Ice Lilly Xu – Piano Darwin Special Item – Can’t Stop the Beat – Hairspray

Lascia ch’io pianga – Handel Helen Han – Voice Alexander House Special Item – Bills – Lunchmoney Lewis Darwin House Song – Viva la Vida – Coldplay

SUMMER TERM We started the Summer Term with a special Sunday service for St George’s Day. Helen Han, one of our Upper Sixth musicians, impressed everyone by winning an unconditional place and scholarship at the Royal Northern College of Music to study for the Graduate Diploma specialising in singing. She has a magic voice and the award was well deserved. Early in May, Helen sang her A Level recital and later performed the recital to everyone one morning in Chapel: a huge variety of vocal demands and terrific performances of songs in English, Latin, Italian and Russian. We look forward to watching Helen’s progress and what promises to be an amazing career.

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The annual Jazz and Dance evening took place on 11 May. Many thanks as always to Mr Ray Smith and his talented team and to the impressive dancers.

We held a Junior concert on 18 May, and great performances included: ‘A Dream is a Wish Your 68

Heart Makes’ from ‘Cinderella’, sung by Imogen Hillary and Alice Nicholson, ‘Bear Necessities’ from ‘Jungle Book’, played by Eleanor MacPhee on the trombone, ‘Für Elise’ by Beethoveen, played by Ruby Woodward on the piano, ‘My Favourite Things’ by Richard Rodgers, sung by Amira Axmark. Other first-class instrumental www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

solos came from Daisy Tibbatts on the violin, Lucy Proctor on the flute, and Maia Wilson on the trombone, and wonderful songs from Olivia Clouting, Kendra Jervis and Sasha Lemon. All this came together with the First Year Choir in great form, conducted by Miss Mason. The Chapel Choir were delighted to be able to sing at Stoke Poges Church on 10 June for Sarah Niven’s wedding and on Sunday 11 June at Seren Magill’s christening here in the school Chapel, which were both wonderful occasions.

The end of term was marked by our normal traditional celebrations: Music for a Summer Evening on 4 July and the Valedictory Service on 6 June just before Prize Giving. It was the 31st Music for a Summer Evening, and Chapel Choir, soloists and Jazz Group were all in excellent form. Performances were outstanding, special, memorable and moving. It is always sad to say goodbye to leaving musicians and this year was no different, with Rosie Fisher, Alannah Horswell, Helen Han, Stephanie Bankole and Georgie Woodward all taking their leave from the Chapel Choir, and Mimo Sanford and Georgina Allen taking their leave from the Jazz Group. Adding to the sadness was saying goodbye to Mr Matthew Stanley, pianist extraordinaire who was stopping teaching at St George’s after eleven amazing years. He played Friedman/Gartner’s ‘Viennese Valse’ during the evening, illustrating perfectly how much we will miss him!

Mr I G Hillier Director of Music The Dragon 2016-17

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ABRSM Examination Results 2016-2017 NAME

GRADE

AWARD

Amira Axmark

Grade 1 Singing

Pass

Eleanor Farquharson

Grade 3 Piano

Pass

Ruby Woodward

Grade 2 Piano

Pass

Lucy Proctor

Grade 3 Singing

Merit

Lily Woodward

Grade 3 Singing

Merit

Isabel Kardos-Stowe

Grade 4 Piano

Merit

Ruby Carty-Din

Grade 5 Piano

Pass

Carmen Ng

Grade 6 Piano

Pass

Annabel Sheridan

Grade 7 Piano

Merit

Hannah Beason

Grade 1 Singing

Merit

Saskia Kotelawala

Grade 2 Piano

Pass

Alice Nicholson

Grade 1 Singing

Merit

Carla Ordorica

Grade 2 Piano

Distinction

Lucy Proctor

Grade 2 Piano

Merit

Olivia Pryer

Grade 2 Violin

Pass

Lydia Winchester

Grade 2 Singing

Merit

Olivia Clouting

Grade 4 Singing

Pass

Jasmine Keiling

Grade 4 Violin

Pass

Daisy Tibbatts

Grade 5 Theory

Merit

Annabel Sheridan

Grade 6 Singing

Merit

SPRING TERM 2017

SUMMER TERM 2017

LCM Music Theatre Examination Results NAME

GRADE

AWARD

Lydia Winchester

Grade2

Distinction

Avah Rustmomjee

Grade 3

Pass

Olivia Clouting

Grade 4

Merit

Sophie Macfadyen

Grade 4

Distinction

Isabelle Murphy

Grade 5

Merit

Amelie Roberts

Grade 4

Distinction

Keshni Vadivelloo

Grade 5

Pass

Lily Corkchi

Grade 6

Merit

Sasha Lemon

Grade 6

Merit

Caroline Phillips

Grade 6

Merit

Annabel Sheridan

Grade 6

Merit

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SPORT 1ST TEAM NETBALL – ST HELEN AND ST KATHERINE’S TOURNAMENT On Wednesday 8 March, the 1st and 2nd VII netball teams travelled to St Helen and St Katherine’s in Abingdon to their annual invitational tournament. We played in a round-robin against teams from Stowe, Cokethorpe, and St Helen and St Katherine’s.

The second team had some tough games against the other schools’ first teams, but very competitive matches against their second teams. The first team had a close, but very high-intensity, first game against a well-drilled and dynamic St Helen and St Katherine’s side, which they lost 5-2, despite playing brilliantly.

The 1sts went on to win all their remaining games with relative ease, placing them second overall. Steph Bankole was voted Player of the Tournament for the 1st VII and Charlie Coates for the 2nd VII.

TRIP TO SURREY STORM NETBALL Ellie reported: On 6 May, seven girls went to watch Surrey Storm play netball against Loughborough Lightning, accompanied by Miss Lofthouse and Mrs Tune. The girls played very well but unfortunately Surrey Storm lost 52-59. We all enjoyed watching the match and learnt new skills that we are all excited to use within our own games next season. Many thanks to Miss Lofthouse and Mrs Tune for making it all happen.

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ASCOT SCHOOLS NETBALL TOURNAMENT Ally reported: On Tuesday 21 March, the U12A and B netball teams played in their Ascot Schools Tournament. All were extremely excited as this tournament had been previously rained off.

In the first match against The Marist B the girls had a slow start but gradually got more precise with their passing to finish 5-5. They then played extremely well in the next two matches, winning 7-1 against Ranelagh and 6-3 against LVS. The final match was against The Marist A. Their team were tall and were strong defenders, so the girls had to adapt their play to help cope with this. Unfortunately the girls lost the final match but kept working hard right until the end.

When the results were read out the girls were eagerly waiting to see where they had come.

They were extremely happy to find out they had come second on goal difference and therefore received silver medals! Players of the Tournament went to Claudia Kerry-Roger and Charlotte Pusey.

The B team were also extremely excited to play and won their first two matches against Ranelagh B and Ranelagh C. They made some fantastic interceptions and stopped the opposition getting the ball down their attacking end. The next few games were much tougher but the girls worked extremely hard, marking some tough attackers. The B team came fifth overall, with Daisy Booth and Jessica Smith getting Players of the Tournament.

the South-East Berkshire Netball Tournament.

The girls played exceptionally well, with the under 15A team winning all their matches but one. They then went on to play in the Cup, where they made it to the semi-final. They faced tough opposition but persevered and achieved fourth place out of the 21 teams who attended the tournament. Mentions went to Ally Winchester and Grace Whitfield.

The under 15B team faced difficult opposition but continued to play well, winning one of their matches; the other scores from the matches, however, did not reflect the girls’ play. Mentions went to Louisa Hughes-Penny and Lily Jones.

Overall both teams played very well and the girls should be very proud of themselves.

HOUSE NETBALL On Friday 16 December, the last day of the Autumn Term, House Netball took place. All four Houses were extremely excited to play and even had cheerleaders on the sidelines.

In the Junior competition there were lots of close matches, but overall Becket won with 25 points.

In the Senior competition it was even closer. In second and third position there was only one point separating Darwin and Churchill. Becket managed to win the Senior competition with 26 points and were therefore overall winners after winning at both Junior and Senior level.

On a freezing cold day on Tuesday 17 January, the U14 A and B netball teams competed in their annual Ascot Schools Netball Tournament away at Charters School. The B team had a really tough draw in the group stages but played extremely well, finishing sixth in their group. The A team also had some tough matches, but with confidence high after convincingly winning their first match, they went on to win all of their group matches, finishing top of their league. In the semi-finals they met arch rivals St Mary’s. The game swung one way and then another, with only two goals being the difference at any stage of the match.

In the final two minutes the team managed to pick up a loose ball and, with Amy Selwyn being clinical in her finishing, St George’s completed a thrilling victory by eight goals to six. In the final we came up against a very strong Marist team, and having used all of our energy up in the semi-final, we found the final was just one step too far on the night. The girls finished as overall runners-up and we are very proud of their achievements. Players of the Tournament went to Amy Selwyn and Imogen Rodger in the A team and Aimee Thompson and Avah Rustomjee in the B team.

LACROSSE: 1ST TEAM EDGED OUT IN CLOSE GAMES AT NATIONALS The 1st team played several very close games at the Nationals this year and individuals stood out with key performances in pool matches. On the first day of Nationals, St George’s played Queen Anne’s, Chester. After going two goals down, the team fought back to 2-2 and, whilst pressing for a winning goal, conceded on the break and unfortunately lost 3-2. A gritty and hard-fought game enabled the team to get a point from the fixture.

SOUTH-EAST BERKSHIRE NETBALL TOURNAMENT On a cold Wednesday evening on 9 November, the St George’s under 15 A and B teams took part in

The second game was against Putney and after going five behind in the first half, the team battled to a 2-1 win in the second half, showing a lot of determination in the final few minutes to win the second half.

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The third game of the day was against Walthamstow Hall and again, St George’s ended up chasing the game after conceding two early goals, getting the game back to 3-3. St George’s were pushing for the win and conceded a goal in the final minute of the game. Losing by less than half gave the team a vital point in the pool results table.

The fourth game was against a very strong Caterham side that eventually ran out group winners. St George’s lost 9-1; however, some very strong defence and good saves kept the score line closer than it could have been. The best team performance of the day was saved for the fifth game against St Helen and St Katherine’s School. St George’s went 2-0 up and were looking to secure their first win of the day against opposition that were second in the pool. St George’s conceded two late goals to earn a draw against a very strong team. The final game of the day against Rendcomb was a tight match and after a very tiring day the team unfortunately lost 2-1. Stand-out performances from Punch Suwannakit in defence and Scarlet Mason and Emily Hughes in midfield enabled the team to finish 6/7 in the pool and qualify for division 2 on the second day.

The first match on day two was against Harrogate Ladies’ College; St George’s played well and the final score was 2-2. The second game in the division was Marlborough College.

After losing earlier in the season the players had something to prove in this game and played well throughout the game, running out 2-1 winners. The final game of the division was against St Helen’s, Northwood. In a very close game St Helen’s won 1-0, with a fantastic performance from their goalkeeper keeping the St George’s attack at bay.

The team then progressed to the knockout rounds and were drawn against Glenalmond College. This was a fast-paced and end-to-end game with great saves from both goalkeepers.

Glenalmond eventually finished 2-1 winners.

Great performances from all the players, in particular Eleanor Hardie in goal, Steph Bankole in defence, and Ella Davis and Hetta Loughlin in midfield, made a very exciting end to the tournament for players and parents alike.

Thank you to all the supporters who came to watch over the two days and well done to all the players involved over the weekend and the season. www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

1ST XII NATIONAL SMALL SCHOOLS LACROSSE TOURNAMENT The 1st XII travelled to Rendcomb on Saturday 18 March to take part in the National Small Schools Lacrosse Tournament. The pool matches saw St George’s face Tudor Hall in the first match. This would prove to be their toughest game of the pool. St George’s won 5-0. The second game, against Moira House, we won 7-0, and the third game, against Rendcomb B, was a 9-0 victory. The girls were feeling confident and played to a high level throughout the morning.

The results meant that we topped the group and then went on to face The Royal School in the semi-final. In a tough and physical game we ran out 2-0 winners, setting us up for a final against Rendcomb A (whom we had previously lost to in the National Tournament a few weeks before…). In a very exciting game, we took an early lead with some fast and dynamic play and we went 3-1 up, only to concede a late goal as Rendcomb battled their way back into the game.

In a very exciting end-to-end game we finished 3-2 winners, conceding only two goals all day.

Thus we retained our title as champions of the National Small Schools Lacrosse Tournament!

great achievement. The defence worked hard to prevent the attack scoring, which showed great teamwork. The U12s came fifth overall, which was fantastic! Player of the Tournament went to Ava. The U13s had fewer, but longer, matches. The team worked hard as a unit and showed real confidence and determination in attack, with many girls scoring goals. We had some tough matches against some good schools and the girls performed brilliantly, winning three of our games, losing two and drawing one. The girls came fifth overall, with Katie Buhlmann being awarded Player of the Tournament.

U12 AND U13 SOUTH-WEST LACROSSE RALLY The U13s took part in the SW Rally at Westonbirt on Saturday 18 March.

Well done to everyone who played; it was an awesome display of teamwork. Effort and determination were shown by every player and this gave St George’s a well-deserved win. Our loyal army of travelling supporters squawked and cheered all day, too. It truly was a fantastic end to a season, especially for Steph Bankole, Scarlet Mason, Esme French and Emily Hughes, who had now played their final lacrosse match for St George’s before heading off to university after their A Levels. A memorable day.

U12 AND U13 ABBOT’S HILL LACROSSE TOURNAMENT On Saturday 25 March, the U12 and U13 lacrosse teams entered the Abbot’s Hill Lacrosse Tournament.

The U12 team had 12 seven-minute matches.

As the games were short, they had to adapt their play to suit this. They focused on quick decision-making and communication in order to ensure they stood the best chance. The day started with a loss against Claremont but this only made the girls more determined to improve.

This was followed by many wins (a total of seven) and two more losses. They finished the day with a draw against NLCS, which was a The Dragon 2016-17

After four games in their section in morning play (with three losses and a win) they were placed in Division 2 for the afternoon. The girls improved throughout the day and showed real determination in all their games. They won three matches in the afternoon, scoring lots of dynamic goals and defending with grit and determination.

They narrowly lost 1-2 to St Swithun’s B team in an exciting end-to-end game. As a result they were placed first overall to become Division 2 Champions and received certificates. It was a fantastic team effort and the girls should be proud of their performance. Rosie Swidler, Katie and Tilly Cayton were Players of the Tournament.

The U12s also played in the same tournament.

In the morning they won one game and lost three. This meant they were in Division 2 in the afternoon. They played three more games, where they competed extremely well, drawing one game and winning two. This therefore meant that they were overall winners of Division 2!

Players of the Tournament went to Lara Scott and Amira Axmark.

This was a fantastic achievement for the school, and was thanks to the girls who fought hard all day. The encouragement of the parent supporters (and four-legged friends!) on the side-lines made a noticeable difference and was greatly

appreciated, too – thank you!

NATIONAL SCHOOLS LACROSSE TOURNAMENT The U15 lacrosse team faced a tough challenge when they travelled to Guildford for the National Schools Lacrosse Tournament. The girls showed excellent teamwork and spirit throughout the season and it was fantastic to see this at the forefront as they played their matches. Although the results were not in our favour, we were pleased to gain a draw with St James’s and only narrowly lost to St Alban’s. It is great for the girls to experience this large competitive tournament before they move up into the Senior lacrosse teams next season. Well done to Ally Winchester and Ellie Pusey for being Players of the Tournament.

For the first time, we entered an U14 lacrosse team into the National Schools Tournament.

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for some fabulous lacrosse. The U14s had an extremely tough section and fought hard in every single game. What impressed me the most was the attitude of our girls; not only did they work hard in each game but they reacted to the feedback they were given and made tremendous progress throughout the day. They scored some excellent goals and fiercely double-teamed, keeping them competing in every game. It was a proud day for the development of St George’s lacrosse. Adrienne Silvano and Aimee Thompson (GK) were named Players of the Tournament.

HOUSE LACROSSE On Tuesday 14 March, the whole school gathered on the pitches for the annual House Lacrosse Tournament. The weather was kind and the girls supported their teams with great spirit. In the Senior competition the battles were hard fought and many individual performances shone through. It was a close competition but B House narrowly pipped D House to victory. In the Junior competition it was fantastic to see the older girls co-operating well with the First Years to create some excellent team play. Again the results were close but B House were crowned champions.

Pictured are some of the B House Juniors on their way to victory!

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ROUNDERS Rounders on the whole has been very promising at St George’s this year. The U12s made an excellent start and both the A and B teams had strong performances against tough opposition.

Good batting enabled the team to score well in several games; additionally, the girls played very well in the field and got more than one player out in the same phase on several occasions, showing some quick thinking in order to achieve this.

The U13s have also had a good rounders season, although several games were rained off early on in the term. Both the U13 As and Bs have scored well with the bat and have often reached scores in the high teens or even in the twenties. Both teams have had a positive year and hope to continue this next season.

The U14s have also had some very high-scoring matches and have scored 20+ on several occasions. Some of these matches have been very close with the opposition also scoring highly, but on the whole the U14s have performed well this year.

The U15 A and B teams have had some very tight matches. Strong batting has led to some high-scoring games and in other matches the fielding has caused the games to be low-scoring, but equally as exciting and close, with both teams winning games and losing some very close matches.

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The Ascot Schools rounders games have been heavily affected by rain this year and unfortunately the U18 and U16 tournament was called off due to heavy rain, as was the U13 and U12 competition; however, the U15 and U14 competition went ahead. In the U15 competition, both the A and B teams were up against some very tough opposition, and despite strong team performances and individual performances from Lily Corkchi and Catherine Cuthill, both teams were eliminated from the competition at the group stage. Both teams had some very tight matches, each losing a game by half a rounder and another by only one rounder.

The U14s also had some very close games, losing three matches by half a rounder and a fourth match by one and a half, which meant that they found themselves unable to progress to the knockout stage, despite outstanding performances from the team as a whole and Isabelle Murphy and Adrienne Silvano in particular. The U14Bs fared slightly better, wining two of their pool matches, but still unfortunately found themselves unable to progress to the knockout stages of the competition. A Player of the Tournament performance from Imogen Wigzell helped the team immensely, but unfortunately not enough to progress any further.

The Sixth Form took on the staff rounders team on a very hot Wednesday afternoon. After winning the toss, Miss Johnson decided the staff would bat first and set the pupils a target.

A strong batting line-up gave the staff a good start with a consistent performance from Miss Lofthouse and Mr Lightfoot. The pupils’ team had some very nice catches from Tilly Turnbull and Iona Williamson, but were left chasing 11 ½ rounders from the first innings. As the pupils started to bat, solid bowling from Mr Wilson put them under pressure and they were reliant on some very good running that kept the scoreboard ticking over. Good batting from Tilly Turnbull and Ella Davis gave the pupils a fighting chance, going into the second innings trailing by six rounders.

After a furious start, the pupils managed to get four members of staff out and were in with a real chance; however, the pressure could not be maintained and the staff finished on a total of 24. The pupil team approached this target with determination but struggled to catch up in a timed innings and finished on 17.

In the second match the pupils’ second team put the staff under even more pressure. A fantastic performance from Alice Robbins in the field gave the staff some real issues and, struggling to score, the staff finished with only nine rounders. The pupils scored several half rounders very quickly and put the staff under a lot of pressure, finishing with eight rounders and setting up a very tight finish to the afternoon’s games. The staff, having batted consistently throughout the afternoon, did not fail to deliver and scored another nine and a www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

half rounders, leaving the pupils chasing 18 ½ to draw and 19 to win. A good start saw several half rounders again being scored, but the pupils could not capitalise on their hard work and finished a competitive game on 13 ½.

Congratulations to all those who took part in the game.

Miss K Spencer

HOUSE ROUNDERS Tuesday 4 July saw the House rounders competition take place at St George’s. Girls from Years 1-3 took part in the Junior competition and girls from the Fourth Year to the Sixth Form took part in the Senior competition.

In the Junior A competition, Becket and Churchill had to be separated on points for and against after both beating Alexander and Darwin and drawing against each other, with Becket House just coming out on top. The Junior B competition saw Darwin come out as clear winners with three wins. In the Senior competition, the B team event saw Becket and Darwin tied on joint second after an exciting draw and Churchill winning. The Senior A competition was won by Becket; a close game against Darwin saw Becket win by half a rounder and thus push their opponents into second place.

The overall winners of the event were The Dragon 2016-17

Churchill House, showing consistency through all four events. Well done to all the girls who participated.

TENNIS Many tennis events happened throughout the Summer Term this year, from regular fixtures to the inaugural staff and girls’ tennis tournament and the end-of-term House tennis competitions.

The season started off very positively with the 1st team winning their opening game of the season against Heathfield and the girls in the Under 15, Under 14, Under 13 and Under 12 tennis teams taking on Luckley House, where the fixture finished in a draw with both schools winning seven matches each. This match saw Lily and Ruby Woodward play their first match for St George’s, following in the footsteps of their older sisters, who had also represented the school in previous years. Throughout the season there were some excellent performances, but a special mention should go to the Under 13 team, who successfully overcame a strong St Mary’s team to win 6-3.

On Monday 22 May, the first ever St George’s staff and girls’ tennis tournament took place after school. It was a scorching hot day and 12 pairs of willing members of staff and girls took to the courts in great spirit. With the first section of the tournament being played in mini-leagues, the top pair in each league went straight through

to the semi-finals. The semi-finalists were Mr Lightfoot and Grace Dominey, Mrs Hewer and Izzy Loughlin, Mr Goldsbrough and Zoë Scott, and Mr Naeem and Lily Caines. The matches were very tightly contested but resulted in Mrs Hewer and Izzy, and Mr Lightfoot and Grace, progressing through to the final. It was always going to be a close final and due to the fact that it was decided over a period of time rather than reaching a score, it was important to stay ahead right from the start. When the whistle went, the game score stood at three games all, but with Mrs Hewer and Izzy leading the game by 40 points to 30, they were pronounced this year’s champions.

No competition could go ahead without the enthusiasm of staff and girls but there always has to be a winner of the wooden spoon, which this year was awarded to Miss Jackson.

The final rankings of all pairings were as follows:1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Mrs Hewer and Izzy Loughlin Mr Lightfoot and Grace Dominey Mr Goldsbrough and Zoë Scott Mr Naeem and Lily Caines Mrs Gregan (Emily Hughes) and Iona Williamson 6. Mr Lee and Tilly Turnbull 7. Miss Lofthouse and Ella Davis 8. Mrs Anderson and Georgie Woodward 75

9. Dr Tieanu and Cinder Choy 10. Mrs Radley and Rosie Fisher 11. Mr Wright and Holly Fanning 12. Miss Jackson and Bella Howard-Vyse

HOUSE TENNIS In the last week of term the girls had the opportunity to pick up some vital House points in their annual House Tennis competition. The juniors turned out in force on Monday to take part in their competition and throughout the duration there were some very close-fought matches. Plenty of enthusiasm was shown by all players and with the lead regularly moving from one House to the other, there was never any lack of motivation. The following girls deserve a special mention for being unbeaten in all of their matches: India Williams and Adrienne Silvano, Lara Scott and Daisy Booth, Katie Buhlmann and Isabel Kardos-Stowe, Keira Johnson and Eve Hayward, Alicia Pallenberg and Isabelle Murphy,

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and Tabitha MacSwiney and Honey Holder.

The final results were as follows:

Overall the results were as follows:

1st Darwin 2nd Churchill 3rd Becket 4th Alexander

1st Churchill 2nd Darwin 3rd Alexander 4th Becket

16 wins 12 wins 11 wins 9 wins

In the Senior competition on the Wednesday it was all to play for as the recipient of this year’s House Cup had still not been decided at this point and this was the last competition of the year. The weather was scorching so it would also prove to be a day of the survival of the fittest! The unbeaten teams were Chloe and Alannah Horswell, Holly Fanning and Georgie Woodward, Ellie Pusey and Tejasvi Muvvala, Sophie Macfadyen and Christina Vassileiou, Lauren-Elle Christie and Somadina Onuoha, and Izzy Winchester, who bravely fought off all the opposition playing on her own!

17 wins 16 wins 12 wins 3 wins

SWIMMING On Monday 23 January, members of the U14, U13 and U12 teams travelled to Heathfield to take part in their annual Ascot Schools Swimming Gala. We had two girls swimming in their first swimming gala for St George’s so it was all a little bit tense to start with, but once the first events were underway, with lots of encouragement from their team-mates, everyone started to settle down into their normal swimming routines. Rosie Swidler finished second in the Under 13 Individual Medley and this gave everyone the lift and belief that they needed. After some hard-fought

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

individual and relay races, the Under 14/Under 13 team finished third overall, and the Under 13/ Under 12 team finished as runners-up. This was a great achievement for the girls and, one hopes, an experience that will lead them to many more future successes. Swimmers of the gala were Amy Selwyn, and Rosie and Ava Swidler.

GEORGIAN GALLOP On Thursday 27 April, 112 girls and staff competed in the Georgian Gallop. An excellent effort was shown by all. With only two and a half minutes between all four Houses, it was the closest ever competition. The fastest team of the competition was the Alexander 1st year team, consisting of Lara Scott, Daisy Booth, Ella Jackson and Alice Nicholson. Their combined time was 7 minutes 20 seconds. The staff team was Mr Lee, Mrs Johnson, Mrs Burrows and Mr Lightfoot, and their combined time was 7 minutes 40 seconds.

Overall results were as follows:1st Alexander 2nd Becket 3rd Darwin 4th Churchill

56 mins 36 secs 57 mins 2 secs 58 mins 5 secs 58 mins 43 secs

ATHLETICS We had a busy few weeks in the athletics arena with the ESAA Track and Field Cup Competition, U15 and U17 District Athletics, the St Mary’s Athletics meeting and also the first coaching session from Cyle Carty.

At the Track and Field Cup the girls competed well and with enthusiasm. There were some standout performances from Lara Scott and Daisy Booth in the First Year. The District Competition went ahead despite the epic and relentless rain that poured over Bracknell Stadium. The girls that competed in these conditions (with smiles on their faces) must be admired and applauded. Phoebe Pantlin ran very well to reach a final for 100m and Catherine Cuthill threw an excellent shot, giving her the opportunity to compete in the County Round on Saturday 10 June.

The weather and illnesses were against us yet again in the meeting at St Mary’s, but I was particularly impressed with girls who voluntarily took part in more events to ensure we had enough for a team. Rosie Swidler, Lara Scott, Solana del Azar, Isabella James, Lydia

Viney and Phoebe Pantlin all received mentions for their efforts and achievements on the day.

Cyle Carty came in to deliver three coaching clinics at the school. In each case it was a fantastic, well-attended few hours.

The girls focused on sprinting technique, long jump and relay changeovers.

It is always so great to see such a positive role model share his or her passion, enthusiasm and talent in a sport. The girls worked hard but had smiles on their faces from start to finish.

PRIMARY SCHOOL SPORTS AFTERNOON We were excited to host 24 Year 2 children from Windlesham Village Infant School for a fun multisports afternoon. The children were divided into four teams and were assigned pupils from 1X to lead them through the activities. The children were able to try some pop lacrosse and rounders and the afternoon finished with a mini Olympics.

There was lots of encouragement and fun had by all the children. It was a great chance for our girls to practise their communication skills whilst leading the younger children. Well done to 1X for being great ambassadors for our school.

Mrs M Lowe The Dragon 2016-17

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LACROSSE SQUADS 2016-17 1ST Eleanor Hardie Ella Davis Emily Hughes Esme French Fiona Allen Georgie Woodward Henrietta Loughlin Holly Fanning Iona Williamson Isabella Brudenell-Bruce Isabella Loughlin Jade Pusey Jess Bennett Katie Sedgwick Punch Suwannakit Rosie Fisher Scarlet Mason Scarlet Arbib Sophie Ross Stephanie Bankole Victoria Wyatt

U15 Alice Winchester Anna Ewens Catherine Cuthill Christina Vasseliou Ellie Pusey Fatima Iqbal Grace Whitfield Helina Herh Kiera O’Hare Lily Corkchi Louisa Hughes-Penney Mille Loenberg Bunkum Molly Jenkinson Olivia Bromilow Olivia Sweeney Omosigho Asemota Phoebe Burns Sophie Macfadyen Tare Etifa Tejasvi Muvvala

U14 Adrienne Silvano Aimee Thompson Amy Selwyn Avah Rustomjee Celia Jackson Daisy Tibbatts Georgia Morris Imogen Rodger Imogen Wigzell Isabelle Murphy Lydia Viney Olivia Clouting Olivia Gregory Phoebe Pantlin Tabitha MacSwiney

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U13 Annabella Majer Ariana Ribiero Charlotte Perucca India Williams Katie Buhlmann Lala Khalu Lydia Winchester Mannat Sahota Megan O’Hare Molly Robinson Poppy Carradice Barnes Rosie Swidler Tilly Cayton Waan Eamla-or

U12 Alice Nicholson Amira Axmark Angelina Bowdery Annabel Macpherson Ava Swidler Charlotte Pusey Claudia Kerry-Roger Daisy Booth Eleanor MacPhee Ella Jackson Gabriella Brinn-Johnson Imogen Hillary Kendra Jervis Lara Scott Lily Woodward Lucy Grant Lucy Proctor Ruby Woodward

NETBALL SQUADS 2016-17 1ST Alice Robbins Ella Davis Emily Hughes Esme French Iona Williamson Isabella Loughlin Rosie Fisher Scarlet Mason Stephanie Bankole

2ND Alia Dar Charlotte Coates Chloe Horswell Ella White Georgia Rickett Hannah Lovett Jade Pusey Lauren Trotter Lily Caines Robin Saxby Scarlet Arbib Zoë Scott

U16 Alice Hayward Camelia Joel-Davison Faith Mutu Edina Green Emily-Louisa Brett Fiona Allen Henrietta Loughlin Imogen Holland-Peck Isabella Brudnell-Bruce Jess Bennett Kalyca Samra Katie Sedgwick Leila Bennett Lolade Aluko Natasha Sani Punch Suwannakit Sophia Lyons Sophie Ross Victoria Wyatt

U15 Abi Rickett Ally Winchester Anna Ewens Catherine Cuthill Christina Vassileiou Elizabeth Shegurova Ellie Pusey Fatima Iqbal Grace Whitfield Helina Herh Kiera O’Hare Lily Jones Louisa Hughes-Penney Mille Loenberg Bunkum Olivia Bromilow Phoebe Burns Sophie Griffin Sophie Macfadyen Tejasvi Muvvala

U14 Adrienne Silvano Aliya Millns Aimee Thompson Alicia Pallenberg Ally Townsend Amy Selwyn Avah Rustomjee Beatriz de la Pena Corral Celia Jackson Daisy Tibbatts Emily Thorne Eve Hayward Fleur Lewis Georgia Morris Imogen Rodger Imogen Wigzell Isabelle Murphy Lydia Viney Olivia Borthwick Olivia Clouting Olivia Gregory Phoebe Pantlin Sasha Lemon Solana del Azar Tabitha MacSwiney

U13 Annabella Majer Ariana Ribiero Charlotte Perucca India Williams Isabel Kardos-Stowe Katie Buhlmann Lala Khalu Lydia Winchester Maia Wilson Mannat Sahota Megan O’Hare Molly Robinson Poppy Carradice Barnes Rosie Swidler Thea Scadden Tilly Cayton Waan Eamla-or

U12 Amira Axmark Angelina Bowdrey Ava Swidler Charlotte Pusey Claudia Kerry-Roger Daisy Booth Eleanor MacPhee Ella Jackson Gabriella Brinn-Johnson Imogen Hilary Isabel Gleasure Isabel Quirot de Poligny Isabella James Jessica Smith Kendra Jervis Lara Scott Lily Woodward Lucy Grant Ruby Woodward Saskia Kotelawala www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

ROUNDERS ROUNDERS SQUADS SQUADS2016-17 2016-17

SWIMMING SWIMMING SQUADS SQUADS2016-17 2016-17

1ST1ST TEAM TEAM AliceAlice Robbins Robbins BellaBella Howard-Vyse Howard-Vyse Charlotte Charlotte Coates Coates Cinder Cinder Choy Choy Ella Ella Davis Davis Emily Emily Hughes Hughes Georgia Georgia Rickett Rickett Hannah Hannah Lovett Lovett IonaIona Williamson Williamson Isabella Isabella Loughlin Loughlin JadeJade Pusey Pusey Katie Katie Milner Milner Lauren Lauren Trotter Trotter Lily Lily Caines Caines Megan Megan McArthur McArthur

TEAM U14U14 TEAM Selwyn AmyAmy Selwyn Daisy Tibbatts Daisy Tibbatts Elizabeth Trefgarne Elizabeth Trefgarne Phoebe Pantlin Phoebe Pantlin

U16U16 TEAM TEAM AliceAlice Hayward Hayward Edina Edina Green Green Emily-Louisa Emily-Louisa BrettBrett Fiona Fiona Allen Allen Imogen Imogen Holland-Peck Holland-Peck Isabella Isabella Brudnell-Bruce Brudnell-Bruce JessJess Bennett Bennett Phoebe Phoebe Clements Clements Sophie Sophie RossRoss

U15U15 TEAM TEAM EllieEllie Pusey Pusey Abi Abi Rickett Rickett AllyAlly Winchester Winchester Anna Anna Ewens Ewens (Captain) (Captain) Catherine Catherine Cuthill Cuthill Christina Christina Vassilieiou Vassilieiou Fatima Fatima IqbalIqbal Grace Grace Whitfield Whitfield KeiraKeira O’Hare O’Hare Lily Lily Corkchi Corkchi Millie Millie Lewin Lewin Molly Molly Jenkinson Jenkinson Olivia Olivia Bromilow Bromilow Phoebe Phoebe Burns Burns Sophie Sophie Griffin Griffin Sophie Sophie MacFadyen MacFadyen TareTare EtifaEtifa

U14U14 TEAM TEAM Isabelle Isabelle Murphy Murphy Adrienne Adrienne Silvano Silvano Aimee Aimee Thompson Thompson Alexandra Alexandra Townsend Townsend AmyAmy Selwyn Selwyn Avah Avah Rustomjee Rustomjee CeliaCelia Jackson Jackson Eve Eve Hayward Hayward FleurFleur Lewis Lewis Georgia Georgia Morris Morris Imogen Imogen Rodger Rodger Imogen Imogen Wigzell Wigzell Olivia Olivia Clouting Clouting Olivia Olivia Gregory Gregory Phoebe Phoebe Pantlin Pantlin Sasha Sasha Lemon Lemon Solana Solana del Azar del Azar Tabitha Tabitha MacSwiney MacSwiney TheThe Dragon Dragon 2016-17 2016-17

U13U13 TEAM TEAM Charlotte Charlotte Perucca Perucca Annabella Annabella Majer Majer Ariana Ariana Ribeiro Ribeiro Carmen Carmen Ng Ng Cartoon Cartoon Suttipatarapan Suttipatarapan IndiaIndia Williams Williams Isabel Isabel Kardos-Stowe Kardos-Stowe Kanwulia Kanwulia Ilombu Ilombu Katie Katie Buhlmann Buhlmann LalaLala Khalu Khalu Lydia Lydia Winchester Winchester Maia Maia Wilson Wilson Mannat Mannat Sahota Sahota Megan Megan O’Hare O’Hare Molly Molly Robinson Robinson Poppy Poppy Carradice Carradice Barnes Barnes RosaRosa Bavington Bavington Rosie Rosie Swidler Swidler TheaThea Scadden Scadden TillyTilly Cayton Cayton

U12U12 TEAM TEAM Angelina Angelina Bowdery Bowdery AliceAlice Nicholson Nicholson Amira Amira Axmark Axmark Annabel Annabel Shaw Shaw AvaAva Swidler Swidler Charlotte Charlotte Pusey Pusey Daisy Daisy Booth Booth Eleanor Eleanor MacPhee MacPhee Ella Ella Jackson Jackson Gabriella Gabriella Brinn-Johnson Brinn-Johnson Imogen Imogen Hillary Hillary Isabel Isabel Gleasure Gleasure JessJess Smith Smith LaraLara ScottScott Lily Lily Woodward Woodward LucyLucy Grant Grant LucyLucy Proctor Proctor RubyRuby Woodward Woodward Saskia Saskia Kotelawala Kotelawala

TEAM U13U13 TEAM Katie Buhlmann Katie Buhlmann Lydia Winchester Lydia Winchester Poppy Carradice Barnes Poppy Carradice Barnes Rosie Swidler Rosie Swidler Scadden TheaThea Scadden Cayton TillyTilly Cayton

TENNIS TENNIS SQUADS2016-17 2016-17 SQUADS U18U18 Hayward AliceAlice Hayward Robbins AliceAlice Robbins Howard-Vyse BellaBella Howard-Vyse Charlotte Coates Charlotte Coates Chloe Horswell Chloe Horswell Cinder Choy Cinder Choy Davis Ella Ella Davis Fanning HollyHolly Fanning Williamson IonaIona Williamson Loughlin IzzyIzzy Loughlin Renata Aynetdinova Renata Aynetdinova Rosie Fisher Rosie Fisher Scarlet Arbib Scarlet Arbib Turnbull TillyTilly Turnbull ZoëZoë ScottScott

ATHLETICS ATHLETICS SQUADS2016-17 2016-17 SQUADS U15U15 Winchester AliceAlice Winchester Catherine Cuthill Catherine Cuthill Pusey EllieEllie Pusey Grace Whitfield Grace Whitfield Corkchi Lily Lily Corkchi Loenberg Bunkum MilleMille Loenberg Bunkum Millie Lewin Millie Lewin Molly Jenkinson Molly Jenkinson TareTare EtifaEtifa

U14U14 Adrienne Silvano Adrienne Silvano Selwyn AmyAmy Selwyn

TEAM U12U12 TEAM Nicholson AliceAlice Nicholson Angelina Bowdery Angelina Bowdery Annabel MacPherson Annabel MacPherson Swidler AvaAva Swidler Claudia Kerry-Roger Claudia Kerry-Roger Jackson Ella Ella Jackson Isabel Gleasure Isabel Gleasure Joanna Emmanuel Joanna Emmanuel

CeliaCelia Jackson Jackson Harriett Fortey Harriett Fortey Imogen Rodger Imogen Rodger Lydia Viney Lydia Viney Olivia Gregory Olivia Gregory Phoebe Pantlin Phoebe Pantlin Solana del Azar Solana del Azar

U13U13 Charlotte Perucca Charlotte Perucca IndiaIndia Williams Williams Isabel Kardos-Stowe Isabel Kardos-Stowe Katie Buhlmann Katie Buhlmann Lydia Winchester Lydia Winchester

U16U16 Edina Green Edina Green Emily-Louisa Emily-Louisa BrettBrett Katie Sedgwick Katie Sedgwick Sophia Lyons Sophia Lyons

U15U15 Anna Ewens Anna Ewens Catherine Cuthill Catherine Cuthill Christina Vassileiou Christina Vassileiou Loenberg Bunkum MilleMille Loenberg Bunkum Molly Jenkinson Molly Jenkinson Olivia Bromilow Olivia Bromilow Sophie Macfadyen Sophie Macfadyen Tejasvi Muvvala Tejasvi Muvvala

TillyTilly Cayton Cayton Molly Robinson Molly Robinson Rosie Swidler Rosie Swidler Waan Eamla-or Waan Eamla-or

U12U12 AliceAlice Nicholson Nicholson Angelina Bowdery Angelina Bowdery Annabel Shaw Annabel Shaw AvaAva Swidler Swidler Charlotte Pusey Charlotte Pusey Daisy Booth Daisy Booth Eleanor MacPhee Eleanor MacPhee Ella Ella Jackson Jackson Isabella James Isabella James Joanna Emmanuel Joanna Emmanuel LaraLara ScottScott RubyRuby Woodward Woodward 79 79

St George’s School Wells Lane Ascot Berkshire SL5 7DZ Tel: 01344 629900 www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk