St Mary's Calne - Oxygen 2014-2015

MAGAZINE OF ST MARY ’S CALNE

OXYGEN the essence of life at St Mary’s

2014 - 2015

OXYGEN the essence of life at St Mary’s

Oxygen captures the energy and ethos of St Mary’s Calne and is inspired by scientist Joseph Priestley, who discovered oxygen in Calne in 1774.

News 01

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From the Headmistress Chapel News Science Matters German Events Company News The Lecture Series The Calne Foundation Trust Sixth Form and Beyond Young Enterprise Enrichment Weeks Public Speaking Competitions Founders’ Day Examination Results Leavers’ Destinations The Lily Ball

Sports Reports 10 11 14 23 24 28 57 70 71 76 79 84 94 96

Sport Reports Inter-Company Sports Day British Schoolgirls’ Ski Races Skiing in Bormio, Italy Cross Country Hockey Equestrian Athletics Fencing and Swimming Lacrosse Sailing and Rowing Netball Tennis Pre-season Tennis Training in Palma

Trips and Expeditions 02

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Biology Conservation Trip to Montserrat German Trip to Cologne The Battlefields Trip LIV Activity Week in Bude French Trip to Rouen History of Art Trip to Paris Classics Trip to Turkey Geography Fieldtrip to Poland Challenge and Adventure German Exchange Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Australia Exchanges America Exchange History of Art Trip to Florence

Reviews 08 Wiltshire SN11 0DF Telephone: 01249 857200 Fax: 01249 857207 Email: office@stmaryscalne.org www.stmaryscalne.org

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Artist in Residence Drama LAMDA Results Music Art Forum

From the Headmistress It’s a pleasure each year to put together a few words to welcome you to Oxygen. With so much richness and variety in the life of the school, it’s important to pause to reflect on what the girls have achieved and to record it in a lasting way, and I really must congratulate the editorial team for achieving the difficult feat of distilling another great year so memorably and enjoyably.

Of course my sincere thanks also go to the parents, governors and staff who make everything the school does possible.

I am particularly pleased with the girls’ achievements in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (or ‘STEM’) this year. There has been some depressing controversy around the role of women in the Sciences in recent times, so it is great to be able to report on our commitment to promoting the study of STEM subjects and on our exciting new initiatives in the school, including our Science Matters Conference and the STEM careers

networking evening, as well as the Biology trip to Montserrat. You can also read about how our partner company is now manufacturing the circuit board that the girls created as part of the Engineering Education Scheme. In his Founders’ Day address, Lord Digby Jones encouraged the girls to think about careers in STEM industries. Our girls certainly are well-equipped to take up this challenge and it’s rewarding to see so many pursue degrees and careers in Science.

It’s not all about Science, of course – the breadth of what the girls achieve never ceases to amaze, from Music to Art, from Sport to working in the wider community.

I hope you will enjoy this year’s Oxygen as much as I did, and don’t forget to keep your copy in a safe place for years to come – you’ll be glad you did!

Dr Felicia Kirk BA (University of Maryland), MA (Brown University), PhD (Brown University)

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t a r r e s t Mon e UV and th m o fr ls ir g 6 1 , ay 30 June iss Fir th, M d n a At 3am on Tuesd h tc u M s r panied by M m o c c a s, rm o F I to Montserrat.

V L ip tr g in iv d d n a r vation set off on a conse th

island of The Caribbean British a is Montserrat resident y or it overseas terr Hills e er ri to the Souf erupted o an lc vo Volcano. The ly in 1995, catastrophical o-thirds of the decimating tw easing the island and decr 11,000 to population from l, 0. The capita fewer than 3,00 y left completel Plymouth, was ion and an exclus uninhabitable nds from the zone now exte the island all south coast of to parts of the the way north Belham Valley.

Once we were on the plane, we had a last minute sleep before our jampacked 11 days in Montserrat of diving, surveying and camping in the jungle.

Once past immigration in Antigua, we met Claire Ogg, the senior manager at Coral Cay, whose job it was to look after all 18 of us during our stay in Montserrat (a very tricky task I must say!). Coral Cay is an award-winning NGO that works in partnership

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with the Government of Montserrat and the RSPB. They specialise in the preservation and protection of delicate marine and tropical forest habitats, and they also run community education programmes. During our stay, we would learn how to scuba dive and participate in bird pointing and surveys, and catch herptiles (a reptile or an amphibian) at night in the jungle.

Trips & Expeditions

For the next part of our adventure, we did not board a large jumbo jet, instead the exact opposite: our ride to Montserrat came in the form of a seven-man plane (a British Islander more commonly used by parachuting clubs!), to ferry us all in groups from one island to the next. It was definitely an experience we will never forget!

Once in Montserrat, somewhat exhausted from 20 hours of travelling, we met the rest of the Montserratian Coral Cay team: Susan – head science officer; Shawn and Mike – both science officers and divers; Heidi – scuba instructor; Diane – paramedic and in-house medical officer; and Sarah – an independent researcher from Yale, who was conducting surveys on mosquito breeding and behaviour.

Our first whole day in Monserrat started like every other day we spent there – a 5.30am wakeup and breakfast at 6am, but, given the five hour time difference between Montserrat and England, the early start did not seem too bad.

Our breakfast consisted of a boiled egg, homemade bread and porridge which was wolfed down.

This was followed by the day’s brief about what we were going to do. At 7am chores started, which included cleaning up after breakfast which, due to the non-existent dishwasher, soon became the most loathed chore. Washing up after meals

for 26 people is not fun! Other chores included sweeping the volcanic ash from the veranda and mopping the floors. If nothing else, we all certainly came back from Montserrat with a qualification in cleaning!

During the course of the day, 16 of us started our PADI Confined Water Dive One in the swimming pool, whilst Eleanor and Mrs Mutch had their check dive as they were both already qualified divers. This was, for most of us, our first diving experience and it provided much entertainment for those watching. The swimming fins we were given were rather long and, due to the slippery nature of the swimming pool, many of us fell over within the first five seconds in the water. Naomi in particular found the whole standing with fins on situation rather difficult, so had to be held in place by our dive assistant, Shawn.

We also learnt how to put together the dive equipment, which although seemed very tedious at the time, proved very necessary to be able to dive safely. We were also informed that if we left our air tanks standing up or weight belts undone, there would be fines to pay in the form of chocolate.

From then on everyone took extra care not to be fined; Calne girls deprived of chocolate do not cope well. Before we knew it, our exhausting first day had finished and we were ready to get some sleep in preparation for diving in the sea.

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Friday followed a similar format to Thursday and we continued onto our Confined Water Dives Four and Five. It was cloudier than previous days and, as soon as we arrived at the beach, it started to rain. We learnt that it was the rainy season in Montserrat, but the light shower lasted only about two minutes and, to our delight, a double rainbow appeared which ended just where we were to enter the water.

On Thursday, we did our Confined Water Dives Two and Three, and some dreaded knowledge review tests. We split into two groups – the first dived at our main dive site: Isles Bay and the second did knowledge review tests with Diane. The walk to Isles Bay took us down a relatively steep hill, which proved a challenge in flip-flops, and then along the beautiful beach where each day we saw an abundance of Montserratian birds, including the brown pelican, laughing gull, bananaquit, frigates and egrets.

The dive proved a little difficult for some, so unfortunately they had to withdraw from the PADI course, but they were still able to enjoy snorkelling and they saw yellow starfish and schools of juvenile fish. For those who did dive, the day was a success and we were very reluctant to ascend. Fish such as flounder, angelfish, triggerfish and baby pufferfish were all spotted and made the diving even more enjoyable.

Before we knew it, the day was finished and we waited excitedly for supper. That night, we had what was probably one of the spiciest curries known to man, but it was such fun cooking it as Laura and I had the task of collecting coconuts from the tree and giving them to Mike, who sliced them open with his machete. The coconut water was put into the curry and the flesh was distributed among the ravenous girls and staff.

On Saturday, we were even more busy than usual. We completed our first Open Water Dive and we saw squid, fireworms, starfish, lionfish, drum fish and a conch. The non-divers and already qualified divers went with Sarah and Shawn to the library to make monkey masks and give a lecture to about 15 children under the age of 12. The children loved making the masks and had great fun (and some difficulty) taking their fingerprints to find out who stole the missing banana. The girls thoroughly enjoyed playing and chatting with the children and came away with friends for life.

After lunch, Mrs Mutch and Eleanor went diving with Diane and the second group. On the beach, one of the local boys caught an anole (a type of lizard which is green-blue in colour) and we had fun letting it walk up and down our arms and backs. After the dive was finished, we started the steep walk back to the house, looking out for the huge land crabs we had heard rumours about.

The day ended on a high and the opening of the tuck shop made it even better. I, however, realised that I now had my name written across my neck backwards in permanent marker, as I had named my wetsuit in a hurry and not thought about the consequences and duly received the ‘idiot of the day’ award!

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Saturday evening came to a close with a BBQ and watching the sunset. For our starter, we roasted marshmallows around the BBQ and then feasted on burgers and a delicious Thai rice with mango pudding made by Heidi, who

is normally a scuba instructor in Thailand.

Annie also made a delicious cake which was promptly demolished! We went to bed on very full tummies and were ready for another jam-packed day.

When we woke on Sunday morning, the wind had picked up, meaning we had to postpone diving. Instead, we had a bird lecture and started some of our terrestrial work. We split into two groups – one went to Lime Kiln Bay and the other to Isles Bay to do a bird pointing, where we saw lots of bananaquits and brown pelicans.

After lunch, we set off to Fox Bay for a short but challenging trek. The sun was pounding down and there was little coverage on the largely uphill, narrow jungle paths. We walked to the edge of the exclusion zone where we were able to see the decimated city of Plymouth. It was extraordinary seeing this city, which was previously home to 2,000 people, completely deserted. We were able to go into some of the houses just outside the exclusion zone and see just how much damage the volcano had done. It was so eerie walking into each room where people’s possessions were left scattered about and ash, four centimetres thick, covered each surface.

We continued our walk along the beach which was swelteringly hot and we were again able to see the sheer destruction to Plymouth and the old port. Our return journey was more like a rapid march to the house and we jumped straight into the pool as soon as we got back.

Monday morning was a little more frantic than usual as we had to fit in our Open Water Dives Two and Three. Thankfully, it was perfect diving conditions as the wind had died down and we were all eager to get back in the sea.

The animal of the day competition bar was set high - a seahorse was spotted in the first ten minutes of the dive, which caused all divers (instructors included) to get very excited. To our delight, marine animals such as barracudas, eels, gurnards, turtles, starfish and a stingray without a tail were also spotted, making Monday’s dive the best yet.

Everyone was very pleased with their achievements, but also exhausted. Rosie was given the ‘idiot of the day’ award due to her misuse of the binoculars. Let’s just say she couldn’t understand why the birds were all so far away when she looked into them…

Tuesday was our last diving day, so we were eager to make the most of it and get down to the beach as early as possible.

Instead of going to our usual beach, Isles Bay, we went to Lime Kiln Bay in the opposite direction.

The beach was partly covered by a forest and there were lots of ameivas (small iguanalike lizards) running between the piles of leaves. The first dive group had a much more successful dive in terms of animal spotting: they saw octopus, barracudas, stingrays, a moray eel, squid and a huge lionfish. The highlight of the second group’s dive was Mike’s energetic dance routines, which he carried out on the beach when he thought no one was watching!

After lunch, those who had not continued with their PADI Open Water Scuba qualifications went on a fish pointing dive, where they took note of the fish they had seen. Those who did dive in the morning were now qualified divers and, because we had done our last dive, we started

on the camp craft ready for our jungle camp and night-time survey on Wednesday evening. Susan showed us how to put up our hammock, basher and mosquito net, using two pillars in the living room as makeshift trees.

We were also able to test out the hammock and figure out our preferred sleeping positions without falling out!

In the evening, we finished off the last parts of our diving qualifications and, although some of us weren’t able to finish the qualification due to problems with ears or masks, everyone did marvellously well to have even started the qualification. Phoebe, Eloise, Eliza, Ellie, Naomi, Georgia, Gracie, Jess, Ella and I all completed the PADI Open Water qualification, while Laura and Marina completed their PADI Scuba Diver qualification. Additionally, Annie, Rosie and Leo passed the Discover Scuba stage of the qualification. I am certain that the majority of us will dive again in the future and I would like to say, on behalf of everyone, thank you to the Coral Cay team for teaching us to dive as it was an absolutely amazing, unique experience.

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Trips & Expeditions Wednesday was another terrestrial day and it started with a breeding birds lecture at 7.15am from Shawn and Mike. We then had the rest of the morning to revise the birds we had just learnt and sort ourselves out for the walk we would do later that afternoon. We had an early lunch and then set off on the Oriole Walkway which was amazingly steep and hot! The steepness was worth it though, as we had an astounding view of Plymouth from the top and we could even see Antigua in the distance. During the walk, we saw many birds and animals, including a leeward racer

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snake. Eleanor even caught a stick insect and Laura managed to catch a tree frog!

After we descended from the top, we found our camping spot and set up our hammocks, bashers and mosquito nets. One group, to their relief, managed to get all of their hammocks up before the rain started. The other group were not so lucky and had to battle on,

like true jungle survivors, and put up their hammocks in the rain. A few Rasta woodmen passed us on their way into the jungle and thought it rather funny that a group of girls had decided to camp in the jungle during the rainy season…we soon learnt why.

Most of us were too tired and wet to mind the bath-like hammocks, so we got in and sang a few songs to try and block out the jungle chorus.

Thankfully, there were not many mosquitos around that night, but the tree frogs seemed to be extra excited to see us, so croaked until sunrise.

We returned to the house for a quick supper and picked up equipment for the nocturnal survey and then headed back out. There was much hilarity due to the outfits some had decided to sport; Leo and Phoebe were the evening’s style icons – Bear Grylls would have been proud. We also spotted the huge land crab everyone had been talking about and I can confirm that it was humongous. A few cane toads were also seen on our walk to the transects that we would be surveying that evening.

Unfortunately, as soon as we were about to start our survey, the heavens opened. It was the heaviest rain they’d had for a long time and did not stop until the following morning – which was typical! We were soaked to the skin, but most of us did enjoy the survey.

Multiple southern leeward dwarf geckos were caught and Naomi managed to catch a turnip tail gecko too.

We were finished by 10pm and had a short walk back to where we had left our hammocks. Annoyingly, most of our bashers had come undone and therefore they had not done a great job of keeping the rain out of our hammocks, which had by then collected small lakes of warm water at the bottom.

When the sun did finally decide to wake up, we were glad to see it. The night had been a mixture of small showers, gusts of wind and a few yelps from people as their mosquito nets and bashers fell down, entwined with the pounding jungle music produced by the animals.

Rosie had managed to split her hammock in two during the night and had fallen straight through it onto the jungle floor!

Luckily for her, Susan had turned it into a make-do sleeping structure and let Rosie have her hammock.

We had peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches for breakfast and then began our return journey to the house. We were so relieved to get back and jumped straight in the showers and the pool. After a muchneeded lunch, we started a deep clean of the house - it looked new by the time we had finished. The mixture of lack of sleep and vigorous cleaning tired all of us out so, in the afternoon, we headed down to Isles Bay to

enjoy our last half day in Montserrat.

Friday arrived before we knew it and it was time for us to leave. We reluctantly dragged our bags to the minibuses and slumped into the seats. Once at the airport, we did some last minute souvenir shopping - buying the funkiest brightly-coloured t-shirts we could find - and then waved goodbye to Montserrat as we ascended into the sky on the three tiny Islander planes.

On behalf of everyone who came to Montserrat, I would like to say the biggest thank you to everyone who allowed the trip to run, including the team at Coral Cay – we are all so grateful and we had the

most wonderful time which we shall never forget. Hopefully the trip will run again in the future and, for those who are in the younger years of the school, I would thoroughly recommend going to Montserrat to see its unique beauty and learn about its amazing ecological and biological environment.

Sassie Patel UV Form 7

Reviews

Artist in Residence

Charlotte Price I am a practising artist and teacher, originally from Gloucestershire. I completed a degree in Illustration and Animation at Kingston University in 2006, and went on to gain a PGCE in Secondary Art and Design Education from the Institute of Education, London.

I have been teaching Art and Design in secondary schools since then, whilst working on various commissions and projects in my free time.

For an Enrichment Week project, I teamed up with the Modern Foreign Languages Department, who expertly guided all of the LIV Form girls through writing a short story in a foreign language.

The girls then learnt about illustrating text, poly printing and constructing a simple concertina book. They all did an outstanding job of designing and producing a finished book in just one day.

My work predominantly begins with drawing and often develops into colourful surface pattern designs, intricate paper cuts or decorations for ceramics inspired by nature, narrative and current affairs. In my own time, I work as part of a small company (Charlotte + Gem) with a friend who specialises in planning art/craft workshops for social events, and the production of invitations and innovative, craft-based party decorations. Most recently, I have been producing paper cuts based on scenes from the local Wiltshire landscape.

During my residency at St Mary’s, I have played a significant role in developing and teaching all of the LIV and MIV Form projects, which have included designing and producing a paper cut for a book cover or music artwork; creating wire sculptures based on drawings by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel; and producing bright and lively Op Art paintings inspired by Bridget Riley.

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I have also spent time with the examination students this year, guiding them through generating, executing and refining their ideas. I have provided groups and individuals with Photoshop tutorials on how to digitally manipulate imagery; this has given them the tools to extend their experimentation and produce diverse, sophisticated outcomes.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the girls at St Mary’s and wish them all every success in the future.

News

Chapel News

There was a moment this year when I thought that Confirmation was not going to happen. It was the morning of the service and the 29 candidates had gathered to enjoy the wonderful breakfast that the Catering Department had prepared. Bishop Ed (the Rt Rev Dr Edward Condry, Bishop of Ramsbury) was due to join us at 8.30am. That time came and went with no sign of the Bishop.

By 9.15am, the girls had finished breakfast and the Bishop had not appeared. A Confirmation Service cannot happen without a Bishop, so I was becoming increasingly anxious! Thankfully, Bishop Ed had suffered nothing more untoward then getting stuck in traffic and, to my great relief, arrived ten minutes later.

With the Bishop in place, the service could go ahead. It was a wonderful celebration with a lovely blend of seriousness and informality, and the Chamber Choir provided excellent musical support.

The girls had prepared for Confirmation throughout the Autumn Term. The highlight of their preparations was the Reflection Service that was held in the tiny, candlelit church at Calstone Wellington. Farida Adewale was baptised during the service surrounded by her friends and Rev Dr Angelov spoke very movingly of how his family had suffered persecution for their Christian faith under the Communist regime in Bulgaria.

The term had other Chapel highlights. The Remembrance Service was very ably planned and led by the UVI Form under the direction of

the Head of Chapel, Miranda Giddins and her Deputy, Ophelia Smith. It was a very thoughtful and poignant service which included music and readings that spanned the years, from Roses of Picardy from the First World War to the modern Travelin’ Soldier by the Dixie Chicks. It was good to welcome serving and retired military officers to lay the wreaths.

The term ended with the traditional Service of Lessons and Carols in the Parish Church.

With the heating still under repair the building was cold, but the enthusiastic carol singing certainly helped to warm us up. The good news is that a new heating system has now been installed and, next year, we will not need to wear quite so many layers!

The School Chapel has been well used this year, both for our daily and Sunday services, and also for a variety of other events. There have been some wonderful musical concerts, a very loud Company Shout and an engaging lecture programme. The Chapel is at the heart of the school and I am very glad it hosts such a wide range of activities. This inclusive approach has been central to our daily chapels and has allowed us to explore wide-ranging themes from the Charlie Hebdo shootings to the Science of Perfume.

A new initiative for this year has been ‘Refresh’ - the junior Christian Union. This has run every week in St Prisca’s House, led by Mr and Mrs Paddock. It has included Bible teaching, music, games and the eating of vast quantities of cake! It has been a great success and will continue next year.

In the Summer Term, four Roman Catholic girls, Isabella Depla, Daisy Gray, Alicia Whitaker and Tilda White, were confirmed at Downside Abbey.

They had prepared alongside their Anglican friends back in the autumn and then had some additional preparation with the local Roman Catholic catechist prior to the service. They had had a long wait, but it was well worth it. The service itself was beautifully done and the girls and their families were made to feel very welcome.

The school year came to a close with the events of Founders’ Day. The speaker at the Commemoration Service was The Reverend Vicki Burrows,Vicar of Royal Wootton Bassett and Rural Dean of Calne. She spoke about her life story with a directness and honesty that was truly inspiring.

For the Leavers, a short service in Chapel preceded the Lily Ball. They chose the hymns and, in a nicely quirky way, decided to end their time with the Christmas carol The Holly and the Ivy (a school favourite). It was sung with great enthusiasm at top volume a wonderful finale to another busy year.

Father Jonathan Beach School Chaplain

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Sports Reports

‘Team sport is as important as any academic qualification,’ Lucy Pearson, Headmistress of Cheadle Hulme School, was quoted as saying in The Telegraph, shortly after Laura Bassett’s own-goal in the semi-final of the Women’s Football World Cup. Mistakes happen in sport, as in life, and one of the precious lessons learnt through team sport, particularly by young people in school, is how to manage those moments of triumph and disaster, either as an individual or as part of a team. We have to help the girls learn what it means to be part of a community and what it means to contribute positively to that collective. We must teach them to understand that we all make mistakes and that we are at our strongest when we show empathy and compassion to those around us. Equally, we must teach them the resolve to come back from mistakes and the ability to learn from them so that they are stronger and better.

‘This is the beauty of team sport: it can inspire greatness, and I don’t mean creating legends of the game – I mean moments of magnanimity which resonate. We see something special, something noble which transcends expectation and reminds us that, at its best, sport is as much about nobility of spirit as it is about winning.’ Lucy Pearson We have certainly enjoyed our fair share of team greatness: the U16A VII qualified for the Regional Netball Championships; the U12s won the South West Schools Lacrosse; both our Inter and Junior Athletics Teams won the first round of the Track and Field Schools Cup, qualifying for the regional A final at Millfield; and our Junior Equestrian Team scooped several trophies. We have also had our fair share of near misses and what-ifs, especially in the final stages of tournaments - match-winning goal attempts hitting the post or skimming wide, split second finishes on the track or in the pool - each have been the difference between elation and despair. However, many girls have found a great support network and friendship through their teammates and enjoyed a sense of playing for and with one another, achieving much success. Whether playing for the 1sts, 3rds or U14Cs and so on, the girls have not only inspired each other, but also a growing group of loyal and supportive parents who have urged and enthused the players in matches and I thank you all for your support. The captains have also played a significant part, but none more so than our outgoing Head of Sport, Olivia King. Her quiet, modest and unassuming manner has earned her huge respect throughout the school; she has led by example with her high level of play and determined approach, confident in the support of her fellow UVI Form.

Individually, both in and out of school, the girls continue to reach new heights: Felicity Challinor completed her second English Channel relay swim in October; Abbie Cowley, Amber Dunne and Hope PleydellBouverie all won their classes at the Independent Schools One Day 10

Event at Stonar, with Hope, Bonnie Bartlett, Jessica Enthoven and Rosie Leng winning that prestigious 1m class as a team; in January, Hannah McLintock won a bronze medal in the U16 Giant Slalom at the GB Championships on the slopes of Flaine; Caroline Brenchley, Lucy Fitzpatrick, Ella Malik and Yasmin Watling all qualified through Area, County and South West Championships to represent Wiltshire at the National Cross Country Finals in March; Annabel Fenton made the last 16 of the Public Schools’ Fencing Championships at Crystal Palace; and Verity Page looks on course for the top of her field, winning two gold medals at the ASA Synchronised Swimming Championships in May. At our Annual Sports Presentation Dinner, we celebrated these successes and more, welcoming Katy Bennett as our guest speaker.

Katy played lacrosse for and captained England, and she inspired the girls with her story about her journey to the 2003 World Cup, where she devastatingly sustained an ankle injury in the opening match and had to cope from the sideline as captain. We then recognised individual Players of the Year and Most Improved in each age group and each sport. In addition, the three prestigious prizes were awarded as follows: Junior

Intermediate

Senior

Endeavour

Amelia Hatlapa

Iona Westwood

Rebecca Randall

Sportsmanship

Effie Dollar

Lily Innes

Isabella Tottenham

Outstanding

Caroline Brenchley

Jemima Brown

Olivia King

We are all individuals and we form many different teams but, I hope, all feel a strong part of Club Calne. From players to supporters, coaches to the medical centre, catering to grounds staff, all have played their part and I have every belief that, with continued hard work, we will continue to progress and come back even stronger and better next year. I certainly hope so.

Mrs Heidi Marvin Director of Sport

Sports Reports

Always a firm favourite in the school calendar, Sports Day was even more eagerly awaited this year as it was held at our all new and improved sports facility, Beversbrook. With the 400m track, field events close by and the bright new Company gazebos, the atmosphere was exciting and competitive. The weather was on our side and the girls gave some fantastic performances both on the track and in the field. The relays were as exciting as ever with some really close races between the Companies.

From watching the events and the presentations, it was a difficult call to predict which Company had won overall. Howe ver, with some consistent scoring throughout the aftern oon, Moberly just pulled away from Grosstete and Poore .

The individual competition is always tightly fought between the top athletes in the junior and senior sections of the competition. Both Grace Chambers (Senior) and Harriet Austin (Junior) deserve the trophies they received as they both scored full points in their three events. Well done to all competitors!

Miss Helen Carruthers Head of PE

Junior Individual Trophy 1st Place Harriet Austin 2nd Place Ella Malik 3rd Place Davina Gray

Senior Individual Trophy 1st Place Grace Chambers 2nd Place Effie Dollar, Flora Guy, Amelia Jacobs 3rd Place Caroline Brenchley

Junior Competition 196 pts 1st – Grosstete 177 pts 2nd – Moberly 154 pts rd

3 – Ed Rich 152 pts th re Poo – 4 133 pts 5th – Osmund

Senior Competition 192 pts 1st – Osmund 187 pts nd re Poo 2 – 172 pts 3rd – Moberly 152 pts th te 4 – Grosste 126 pts th

Rich Ed – 5 Overall Results 1st – Moberly 2nd – Grosstete 3rd – Poore 4th – Osmund 5th – Ed Rich

349 pts 348 pts 339 pts 325 pts 280 pts

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Science Engineering Education Scheme

We did in fact find a solution to our real world problem; our product is currently being manufactured and will be used in industry by our company. This is a significant achievement and more than we thought possible last September.

We received some excellent feedback and only narrowly missed out on winning the cup, we were, however, highly commended for our design and presentation and received Gold CREST awards for our achievements. The Engineering Education Scheme has been a very valuable experience. It has given us a chance to see how Science and Technology is applied in real life, as well as allowing us to visit and use state-of-the-art facilities. We have learnt a huge amount about project management, presenting and teamwork, and had a lot of fun along the way.

We thoroughly enjoyed presenting our project to the assessors and the other teams at Rolls Royce on the 1st July.

Amanda Cai, Lauren Goldson, Soseimiebi Ogan, Luana Sharp, Vassula Wong & Olivia Wrigley LVI Form

This year saw the launch of the Engineering Education Scheme (ESS), which aims to promote Science and Technology across schools in England, in particular to girls.

We were partnered with a professional engineering company in Calne called Exception Engineering for six months.

The first stage of the project was an induction day at The National Composite Centre in Bristol. We were introduced to our mentors and given our project brief. We took part in a series of teambuilding and icebreaker activities with different teams from the South West. Each group was given a different problem, one that their company actually faces, and asked to find a solution.

We had to find a universal way to test circuit boards like the ones used in phones, military weapons and vehicles.

From October, we had weekly meetings with Simon, our engineer, where we developed our product and got everything ready for January’s residential. At this residential, we produced our product ideas, learnt how

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to use CAD software and were given the opportunity to use the 3D printer.

News

British Science Week British Science Week began with a Chapel on the chemistry of perfume and was followed by a competition on the theme of ‘Chance’; a model of Isaac Newton and his apple, a poster on the chance of being a redhead, a video animation of chance discoveries, and a stunning board game on the chances of survival of a species during the course of evolution were the winning entries.

Portable equipment was hired from the Science Museum in Bristol to give the girls handson practical experience in a number of different fields of Physics; there were squid and rat dissections; BOC Gases gave three demonstrations on the properties of gases, where students watched liquid nitrogen boil, they froze oranges and smashed them, and witnessed the explosive nature of hydrogen and oxygen; and Dr Nessa Carey, author of the very popular Epigenetics Revolution – a key text for those studying Biology at A Level – gave a fascinating lecture on this very new field of Biology which looks at modifications made to DNA and how they can affect organisms.

Science Matters In June, the LVI Form spent the day exploring the importance of Science beyond school, alongside 60 pupils invited from local state schools. The keynote speaker was best-selling author, broadcaster, campaigner, medical doctor and academic, Dr Ben Goldacre, who talked about the importance of (and the lack of) evidence in medicine.

Dr Jennifer Warner from Public Health England, recently returned from West Africa where she was part of a team coordinating the UK’s response to the Ebola epidemic, talked about the crisis and also about the diagnosis and treatment of diseases travellers bring back to the UK, opening up bigger questions about disease spread, globalisation and climate change. The talk was followed by a practical session in the labs, where students used a technique called ELISA to identify Ebola infection in samples of model bodily fluid.

The final talk of the day was by Professor John Holloway OBE, former Dean of Chemistry and Senior ProVice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester. An accomplished artist as well as a chemist, Professor Holloway looked at biological, chemical and physical form and how artists have used this in their work. It was an eye-opening and thought-provoking day.

Mrs Alexandra Ballard Head of Science

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Sports

British Schoolgirls’ Races The British Schoolgirls’ Ski Races seem to come around so quickly every year. We set off for Flaine on the morning of 23rd January, with a relatively inexperienced young race team - only two of the seven had raced before.

Saturday morning came and it was Giant Slalom training day. Our ski instructor, Vincent Chanel, worked hard on the girls’ race positions going in between the gates, lots of timings were taken and then they relaxed with a free ski. Sunday was Slalom training day - quite a different style of race - a lot faster with racing on your edges.

We had a blip on Sunday afternoon when Vincent suffered an injury, but everything else went smoothly. Sunday night brought a trip to the Green Restaurant for a pasta overload and then an early night so that the girls could mentally prepare themselves.

Race day dawned and there were some very nervous and anxious faces, but the girls looked very professional in their St Mary’s Calne branded catsuits. The course was walked and we were ready to go! The A Team - Jemima Brown, Hannah McLintock and Millie Smart - all managed to get down the course and were allowed to have another run. The B Team - Annabel Bishop, Lily Innes, 14

Georgia Lane Fox and Marina Vestbirk - had one crash at the second gate and missed two gates on another run. It was proving to be a tough course, but other teams were having difficulties too - out of 132 racers, 44 were disqualified after the first race!

The afternoon brought the Parallel races, which are the most exciting - two teams of three race each other down a course. The A Team had a bye and then had to race Godolphin and Latymer B Team (who went on to beat their A Team and get to the final!) and our B Team drew Woldingham. Both of our teams lost, but they had a lot of fun.

Tuesday was Slalom race day. The girls knew what to expect and were eager to get going.

They had nothing to lose and their main thought was to get down the course on the first run so that they would have a second chance. All six girls got down and ‘Operation B Team slalom’ worked! Hannah and Millie brought in fantastic times on a very icy and slippery course, and we were all very happy that everyone completed the course intact.

We also got the chance to meet Chemmy Alcott, Britain’s number one female alpine skier and four times Olympian - a complete inspiration!

On presentation night, we were in for a fantastic surprise: Hannah came 3rd in the U16 unregistered GS and the A Team came 3rd in the Overall Unregistered Teams. There were 45 schools and clubs attending the competition: 137 skiers in total and 17 schools in the unregistered section. This was a superb result for such a young team - well done girls and roll on next year!

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Annabel Wright, who came back on her Gap Year to help the girls. Annabel is one of the most medalled racers we have ever had at St Mary’s and she was a fabulous role model for the young team this year.

Mrs Natalie Baldwin Head of Activities and PE Teacher

News

Introduction to German In November, St Mary’s Calne held an Introduction to German Day for Year 5 girls.

Five MIV Form German students were asked to help and participate. We also welcomed members of the Goethe-Institut, who filmed the sessions to create a ‘best practice’ video for German teaching.

During the day, we helped to plan a birthday party for a duck called Franzi. The visiting children first learnt how to count to eight in German, because Franzi was turning eight. Then we made a birthday cake. Because there were too many students to make a real cake, we used marshmallows, spaghetti and sweets to create German monuments in a competition between the four teams.

We made two different monuments: the Brandenburg Gate and the Rheinturm telecommunication tower.

After break, we made gifts for Franzi. Each team made a poster - we stuck pictures of things that were made in Germany onto a German map and then coloured in the background as the German flag.

After lunch, we made party hats, then, when everything was ready, we had a birthday party. We put on our hats and ate chocolate cake before playing some traditional German party games. Everybody had loads of fun and learnt a lot.

Maisie Medcalf and Ella Fenton MIV Form

German Taste r Day at Oxford Un iversity In Nov

ember, Phoebe Ald ridge, Maia Jarvis, Zmudzin visited St Katharine Stone an John’s College, Oxf d Emilia ord. Two undergra on a guided tour ; duates took them they met up with Old Girl Jess Fech German and Span ner, who is readin ish at Oriel Colle g ge and they attend ed an exhibition.

Was it useful to do a taster da

ork German Netw Event at n io t a l s n a Tr niversity Cambridge U

an Networking attended a Germ In June, six girls o two groups for int we were split p Day. At the start, The GCSE grou ion workshops. ences fer dif literature translat e th at d em and looke read a German po s interpretations and how people’ s on d rsi ve sh in Engli rkshop, we looke wo l . In the A Leve s ion lat ns tra affect translation ssed m Faust. We discu each at an extract fro d explored how an , 05 20 to 65 e tru ng ranging from 18 ini rema d the text while luded inc o translator adapte als y da e nal content. Th to Goethe’s origi w German first in Britain’ and ho ns ma er ‘G talks on discussion about a ty; at the universi became a subject ; studying Modern dying translation the benefits of stu ply; and what the ap to mbridge; how Languages at Ca ls. course itself entai Form d Lily Innes UV Jessica Curry an rm Fo I LV r and Lizzie Prate

y?

What do you feel you gained from the experienc e? Yes – the visit gave us the chance to see ho w university work s, which put us at ease as we didn’t really know what to expect. We learn t about the langu age courses at Oxford and met some undergradua tes who told us what university life is really like, wh ich was interesting and us eful, no matter wh at subjects we decide to do later.

Did it make yo u want to go to Oxford / do languages at university?

Yes – they have really nice ro oms and all the un dergraduates live on site. We wo uld consider doing languages at university, possi bly combined with other subjects. The year abroad is very appe aling.

What was the tour like? Was it what you expected?

The tour was nice and relaxed, and the bu ildings were old an d pretty - large courtyards, grass lawns and qu aint stone buildings. It was es pecially interesting to see the accommodation, fac ilities and the brea th-taking library filled with historical artefacts and old books. It was not as formal as we ex pected and the professor we met was younger than we thought he wo uld be.

What insights did Jess share with you? Jess told us how impo rtant grammar is! She also told us that it is good to have pe nfriends and go on exchanges. All the different aspects of her course were surprising – you stu dy literature and can do film and creati ve writing, and you lea rn about culture and society, which prov ides context and gives more meaning an d purpose to learn ing the language.

You went to th e ‘Germans in Britain Exhibi tion’ – what di d you learn from it? We learnt ab out the migration of Jewish people to Britain during WWII and watched a film ab out the refugees’ storie s. Children who came to Britain before the age of ten ha d no accent, those after kept their German accent. We cons idered what identi ty means with Profe ssor Barry Murnan e– whether it is abou t religion, where you are born, culture, pare nts etc and saw tha t it is different for dif ferent people. So me of the refugees cons idered themselves to be German, some Br itish.

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Fourth Form German Trip to

Cologne On a cold and exciting Thursday, well strictly speaking at 8pm on 27th November, a group of LIV, MIV and UIV Form set off on a 12 hour coach journey to Cologne to visit the Christmas markets and the Lindt chocolate factory and museum.

We were given some packed food and water, and we settled down to watch films.

Some people managed to go to sleep; some didn’t and at 8.40am we were in Cologne, passing the chocolate museum on the riverbank which we were later going to visit. We went through the town until we reached Cologne Cathedral, where we got off the bus and split into the groups assigned by Frau Jones and Madame Ross. We were given a quiz and had to complete it in 40 minutes by looking around and using what we had learnt in class.

Afterwards, we visited the cathedral. Some of us lit candles and we walked around looking at the beautiful stained glass windows and giant arches. We went to the side of the

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cathedral where we could go up the 533 steps to the top. We tried counting the steps; however, most (including me) gave up after 200! Halfway up, we stopped to go into a room with three enormous cast iron bells. Next, we climbed another hundred stairs and reached a big cold room with a metal staircase going all the way through the tall ceiling. We climbed that as well and finally reached the top. The view was extraordinary, with the river to the left and the rest of Cologne surrounding the cathedral.

We visited the Christmas market next to the cathedral and another two afterwards. The markets had everything: food of all sorts,

ceramics, toys, soaps, home decorations, glassware, tea etc, all in one place!

We walked along the riverbank and the chocolate museum came in view, but first we visited the small market surrounding it. Inside, while the teachers bought the tickets, we looked around.

There were four floors with giant multicoloured baubles hanging from the ceiling. The chocolate shop was on our left, but we had to wait until the end of the visit to go in. When we went to the gate that led to the exhibits, we received sample chocolates that they actually made in the museum.

Trips & Expeditions

We walked through a few rooms that were full of interactive information and entered the heart of the museum: the factory.

The first thing I saw was the chocolate fountain standing in front of the glass window overlooking the river. The fountain was made of bronze coloured cocoa pods, which made a giant cocoa pod. A moat of melted chocolate surrounded it and a lady gave us biscuit sticks that were dipped in the chocolate. My mouth is watering just writing about it!

Upstairs, we saw people putting the chocolate into different casts, making giant bunnies, Santa figures, owls etc. There was also a place were you could have a personalised chocolate made. Then it became a museum again, full of interesting exhibits.

It was a wonderful, but tiring, trip. We saw (and bought) a lot. It was also a great opportunity to use our German. Hopefully, next year there will be another trip like this!

Mya Penny MIV Form

At the end, we entered the shop and bought masses of chocolate - yummy! Then we started walking towards the last market, the oldest Christmas market in Cologne: the Angel’s Christmas Market. It was beautiful: lights were strung up everywhere and there were so many stained glass stalls; the smell of food surrounded us and the markets were so much better at night, even if it was much colder.

We had a spare hour, so we walked to the cathedral and split up - some going to the first Christmas market again, others getting something to eat.

Walking away from the chocolate fountain, I looked at all of the steps and machines it takes to make chocolate. There were machines that mixed the melted chocolate, ones that put chocolate into trays, others that broke the chocolate into squares and some that wrapped up the chocolate.

When everyone was back, we walked down the street and waited for the bus. At 3am, we were back at school; so as not to wake up our dorm, we slept in the School House Common Room.

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News

Company News Everyone is a part of a Company named after a Bishop with an association to the Diocese of Salisbury. Company activities help the girls to mix across year groups and they raise money for charity.

2014 -15 was an amazing year for Grosstete, beginning in September with the inaugural ‘It’s a Knockout’ competition. This involved lots of bouncy castles, plenty of water and buckets of foam. Girls from all five Companies enjoyed a fun-packed day and we are hoping that this event will run every year.

Grosstete proved to be a worthy competitor in the Company Music Festival and the Company Shout, ultimately going on to win the Solo Musician Competition with Elsbeth Giles’ performance of Bach’s Prelude from Cello Suite 1. Grosstete girls put in some sterling vocal ensemble and instrumental ensemble performances, in which we paid homage to Khaleesi, Joffrey and the rest of the Games of Thrones families; we think they would be proud. Most importantly, The Sound of Music was on our side as we triumphed in the Shout and went on to win the entire Music Festival. We all agreed that being Julie Andrews is one of our favourite things!

Our Company Supper was based on the theme of children’s TV programmes. Never one to disappoint, the Company came out with some inspired costumes: Mrs Froggatt looked particularly well-dressed as Paddington Bear and the Chuckle Brothers also made an appearance. A massive thank you to Mrs Thomas for our party food.

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We’re all still recovering from the nostalgia.

The Spring Term saw the introduction of the Company University Quiz Challenge.

Teams of four from each year group bravely took up the challenge of answering a variety of general knowledge questions. The final round, held in Chapel, involved teams of teachers representing their Companies and, although Grosstete did not win overall, we did win the final round thanks to Mrs Socha, Mrs Hetherington and Dr Drape, whose knowledge of ornithology surprised everyone.

This year, Grosstete Company decided to support two charities: The Rainbow Trust, which is an organisation that exists to support local families with a seriously ill child and the Walk the Walk organisation, which helps to raise money for Breast Cancer Research. One of the main events held every year by this organisation is the London Moonwalk and, in May, Mr Trowbridge took part in the gruelling sponsored walk helping to raise over £1,000 in the process.

Grosstete has always been a Company full of multi-talented girls, but it seems our talents have extended even further on the sports field.

Sports Day was one to be remembered: Grosstete triumphed in the junior competition, thanks to some wonderful individual performances from Olivia Darling, Ella Malik and Charlotte Newcombe, and a special mention goes to Lucy Fitzpatrick, whose endeavours in the senior competition were inspirational.

Finally, and most importantly, we were elated and proud to be announced as the winners of the Company Cup on Founders’ Day. It was a wonderful surprise to see Isabella Tottenham go up on stage to receive the cup; we couldn’t have had a more driven and hard-working Head of Company and we are incredibly lucky to have been led by her. It was a real feat to win this cup and we have no intention of letting it go any time soon.

Other Companies beware - Grosstete aims to stay ahead of the rest!

Mr Roger Trowbridge and Elsbeth Giles Head and Student Head of Grosstete Company

and Zoe Bassett for getting everyone organised and in synch! We were very good and, even with the secret rap, we were the best by far in my eyes – ‘revolutionary’ as our leader Zoe stated!

The summer disappeared in a flash and, lo and behold, we were back at school in fighting spirit! Our first Inter-Company Competition was ‘It’s a Knockout’; all the Companies were divided up and sent off to bounce, climb and slide. Here we gained our first trophy due to our hardworking UV Form team.

Fourth Form Inter-Company Cross Country was our next event. On a very sunny and warm afternoon, Moberly Fourth Formers put up a fantastic fight: Susannah Hirst won the LIV race and Davina Gray won the MIV race. With these results, we were joint 1st with Grosstete!

October came along and so did the Company Music Festival; this brings a lot of excitement and competition. During the day, we had a lot of girls competing in different musical sections. Our instrumental ensemble gave a fantastic rendition of Stay with me by Sam Smith. Our only victory during the day was thanks to Jess Patel and her trusty oboe playing a ‘meltingly lovely’ version of Sonata for Oboe - 2nd movement by Saint-Saëns. The evening rolled in and we let loose our vocal ensemble, put together by Hannah Drew and Rosie Tabor, who did an Ed Sheeran mashup. What perfection they exhibited to the audience and first position was given.

After four weeks of practising for the Company Shout, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang came to life on the big stage. What presence we had too - everyone looked fabulous and sounded LOUD! Well done to Venetia Baring

We continued collecting credits and blues, hopefully pushing us up the leader board, then came the InterCompany Sport Events. The MIV and LIV Forms joined together in force for the junior netball and were unbeaten. The UIV Form rallied together for the seven-a-side hockey; at times we were down to four players, but Harriet Jackson overcame injury to come back on to the pitch to help out and we gracefully took 5th position.

Moving into the Spring Term, we started off strong. The introduction of the InterCompany Quiz (like University Challenge) began in Chapel. Our first team was a mixture of the Fifth Form, Sassie Patel, Eliza Perry and Victoria Rassmuss and, in usual Moberly form, they answered every question and put us in first position! This form carried on throughout the term - the UIV and Fifth Form keeping us in the top position. The final quiz morning came and we put out our big guns: Helena Boase, Emilie Dando-Crosasso and Sophie Perry, and they brought us the sweet victory of 1st place!

The sponsored swim raised us over £500.

The Fourth Form worked extremely hard in the pool and Shubha Shetty managed to swim 114 lengths in just over 45 minutes!

Moving into the Summer Term, we had a change at the top: Hannah Drew took over the reins of captaining the blue people with her partner in crime Lauren Dickson as her deputy. They have big shoes to fill but they are full of enthusiasm and determination.

Company Tennis was the first summer sport in which we battled. We only have eight Moberly girls in the UIV Form, so they were all in the team. Harriet Jackson and Ila Shetty held the fort along with Olivia Ekins and Miranda Fraser, and they managed to come 2nd to Osmund, which was an amazing feat.

The MIV and LIV worked really hard during their competition. The 1st IV won all their games (Harriet Austin, Davina Gray, Susannah Hirst and Shubha Shetty) making them the overall winners. The 2nd IV (Georgina Auvray, Lizzie Roughton, Charlotte Slater and Cali Stott) played hard and managed to come 2nd overall. Well done.

In between all of this, we had a competition to design Moberly socks; the winning design was by Jemima Brown and we look forward to seeing them out on the pitches in September - watch out for those stars!

We continued with our charity work (which included selling 264 Krispy Kreme doughnuts in 10 minutes!) and, overall, we managed to raise £1,000 for our charity, the Open Blue Trust. The Trust uses a converted double-decker bus as a mobile community centre to deliver opportunities to isolated communities in North Wiltshire. The money we raised will help them to buy a new double-decker bus.

The main event of the term was our Company Supper. The theme this time was Superheroes and, as ever, the girls pushed out the boat and had some amazing costumes. A huge thank you to Zoe Bassett, this was her second supper to organise as Head of Company; steak and chips and ice cream factory is now traditional! Winners of best costumes went to the UV for their Batmobile, Lauren Dickson as Syndrome and Mr Rose as Superman.

The final scores were read out on Founders’ Day and, for the second year in a row, we were robbed! We were in 2nd place and only five points behind the winners. It will be our turn to reign again next year.

Mrs Natalie Baldwin Head of Moberly Company

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News

SEPTEMBER: ‘It’s a Knockout’ Company Supper – Wild West theme and line dancing OCTOBER: Company Shout NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER: Company Sports JANUARY – MARCH: University Challenge FEBRUARY: Sponsored Swim for Teen Cancer Trust MARCH: Company Sports MAY: Company Socks to raise money for charity THROUGHOUT THE YEAR: Working for credits in all aspects of school life

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This has been an exciting year for the Companies.

More time has been allocated to meet and this has increased Company camaraderie.

From the moment the girls arrived back in September with the ‘It’s a Knockout’ competition there was a sense of excitement in the air.

Jessica Mather organised a brilliant Company Supper and we all enjoyed dressing up for the Wild West theme and the line dancing.

Osmund put everything into the Company Shout and, despite not winning, we gave a super performance. Jessica Mather, Mia Millman and all the UVI Form were inspirational in training the younger girls to take part. Our Company Swim involved all girls in the Fourth Form swimming as many lengths as they could in one and a half hours. Girls surprised themselves at what could be achieved and some were very successful money raisers. We shall be donating over £1,000 to the Teen Cancer Trust.

Everyone has contributed in some way to the Company, but my thanks must go to Belinda Harrison for her design of the wacky Company socks; Kirstin Higgins for a marvellous performance in the Company University Challenge competition; the UIV for some wonderful sporting achievements; and the senior girls for their participation and encouragement in Company events. We are sorry to lose Jessica Mather and the UVI Form, but welcome Sarah Gralla and Eliza Leng as the new leaders of the Company.

Well done to all and keep up the hard work, especially regarding those credits!

Mrs Elizabeth Rothwell Head of Osmund Company

It was another busy year for Poore Company and the girls, as ever, gave their unstinting commitment to the range of events which took place throughout the year. Esme Amberg was keen to retain our title from last year and she did an excellent job of leading the Company.

The fierce nature of the Inter-Company competitions was ever-present and there were many highlights along the way. The beginning of term saw the first ever ‘It’s a Knockout’ Company challenge and I am proud to say that we received some medals. Admittedly, it was the wooden

spoon award but we had high hopes for a plethora of silverware to come our way during the year. After experiencing defeat in the Langridge Cup last year, Moberly were snapping at our heels to regain their title and Grosstete were on the up with a new Company Head in place. We had some notable sporting wins: LIV and MIV hockey,

junior lacrosse, senior netball and senior athletics, and we held our own in the other sports.

Our efforts in the Company Shout were excellent and Roberta Han did exceptionally well on the piano to win her category. Our ensemble piece was brilliant - well done to Marina Jodrell and Millie Marriott Webb for all of their effort and contribution. Despite the superior singing (I am a bit biased) in our Shout song Consider Yourself from Oliver, the judging went against us on the night to place us 3rd overall.

Alongside these competitions, Poore stood out for its charity fundraising efforts. A successful pyjama sale, Krispy Kreme Doughnut sale and mufti day generated some money, but the most impressive contribution was from the Fourth Form Poorites who raised a fantastic £780 in a sponsored swim.

Our final figure for the charity Young Minds, which supports young children with mental health problems, was £1,270.

The Company Supper was, as ever, met with a great effort to dress up in line with our theme ‘anything beginning with P’. We saw a host of excellent outfits, from a combined LV effort to come dressed as popcorn, to a pregnant lady, a polo mint, a pupil, peas and a princess to name but a few.

The evening’s finale came in

the form of ‘powder’, with an exceptional firework display from Mr Pennock. Thankfully, Mrs Harrison did not implement the school’s disaster plan before realising what the loud bangs coming from the top pitch were!

Overall, another excellent year for all of the Poorites. We may have finished an unexpected fourth place this year, but the fire is in us to ensure we climb our way back to the top next year under the confident leadership of Hope Pleydell-Bouverie. Well done to you all!

Miss Helen Carruthers Head of Poore Company

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News

It is with some sadness that I have decided that, after ten years as the Head of Ed Rich, I should step down from the role.

I feel we have carved out a real identity for Ed Rich, having chosen our motto last year Stronger Together and designed a flag to hang proudly at all our events.

It has been a hugely rewarding role and I have enjoyed getting to know all the Ed Rich girls, working with them in the many different activities that the Company system offers: music festivals, drama productions, intellectual quizzes, sports competitions and other enrichment activities and charity events.

Throughout the year, we have worked hard to raise money for our adopted charity CFENC (The Charitable Foundation for the Education of Nepalese Children), and we went into overdrive after the devastating earthquakes hit Nepal causing misery across the country, particularly in Kathmandu. An extra mufti day and a fun Charity Tennis Tournament were organised, as well as the sale of authentic Nepalese goods bought back to the UK by the school party that visited Nepal last Easter and Rosie Horwood, who had travelled to Nepal the month before the quakes to do voluntary work. The proceeds from the sales, together with the money that was raised by the sponsored swim in the Autumn Term, cake sales and individual sponsored events by Ed Rich pupils Jess and Sassie Patel in the UV Form, meant that we were able to pass over cheques amounting to £2,737 during the course of the year. Well done and many thanks to all of you who have supported us with this.

Although we have not won many of the Company events this year, we did work together and support each other. There were several outstanding individual sporting performances, but it was in the Fourth Form Battlefields Enrichment project that we achieved our highest scores, gaining first place in the event. All members of the Company contributed something to the final assembly, giving a number of exceptional presentations based on the Commemoration of World War I. Of particular note were two poems, one written by Daisy Seymour and the other

by Emily Smyth-Osbourne.

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Aside from the competitions, Ed Rich have certainly had fun at their social events. These included a strawberries and cream tea and a Company Supper where Sophie Sood’s idea of the theme Quintessentially British provided plenty of scope for dressing up and celebrating.

I walked through the dismal entrance To lay a poppy of remembrance.

I gazed upon the piled wreaths, Then shuddered at the men beneath.

For all the while I stood alone, The poppies blew against the stone.

The stone was marked as a grave, Situated there to commemorate the brave.

I lay my poppy of remembrance, In spite of those who want vengeance.

At peace here these men lie, While silently I start to cry.

The room and tables were beautifully decorated with Union Jack bunting, red, white and blue helium balloons, table runners and napkins. The girls arrived dressed as strawberries, country bumpkins, the rain, Boris Johnson, Harry Potter and even an English breakfast, with Beth Spinks as the Marmite, Lily Innes as a pot of marmalade and Daisy Crone as the tin of baked beans!

All around me blue sky above Silhouetted with visitors’ love.

For fathers, brothers and sons they have lost, All at the Great War’s cost.

I lay my poppy of remembrance To signify the world’s repentance.

Grave after grave marked with blood, Respecting those who fought in the mud.

More and more inscribed ‘known unto God’, Though many were killed by the firing squad.

Yet still I lay my poppy of remembrance, Long red flowers of such elegance.

Daisy Seymour

I stand here before the crosses, They symbolise the unforgettable losses.

Looking down on the marble stone, It makes me feel even more alone.

Every one a young life cut short, How brave you were, to have fought.

My humble soldiers - so proud am I, As I stand here under the blue sky.

I place a poppy by your grave, Thank you for the life you gave, And I quietly walk away, I hope you are at peace - I pray.

Emily Smyth-Osbourne

The evening began with a minute’s silence to reflect on the crises in Nepal and gave us all an opportunity to reflect and be grateful for everything we have. What followed was a delicious meal of picnic snacks, fish and chips and Eton mess. I gave a short presentation on some cherished British traditions and iconic figures, including village cricket, a night at the Proms, queueing, drinking tea, Wimbledon, 007, and the Beatles. Sophie invited everyone to sing karaoke and Miss Callanan played some British classics on the keyboard and was spontaneously joined by our musically talented pupils. The whole evening was incredible fun and everyone enjoyed themselves.

The newly elected team of pupils under the leadership of our new Head of Ed Rich, Mrs Lovell, will I know work hard in the forthcoming year to achieve the very best they can and I will remain a loyal member of the Company and support from the sidelines.

Mrs Sue Foreman Head of Ed Rich Company

Bormio

Sports

This year, our annual ski trip in February Half Term was to Bormio in Italy.

The weather was amazing: 14 degrees and sunny, with blue skies and amazing snow!

The St Mary’s group (a mix of MIV, UIV and LV Form girls) could not wait to get onto the slopes.

The girls were split into two groups: beginner and intermediate. The beginners spent the first day on the nursery slopes and the carpet travellator! In this group, we had three complete beginners, who were soon told that they had two legs and two feet and should use them, closely followed by: ‘you are in charge of your skis; they are not in charge of you!’ After a lot of hard work and concentration, the beginners were let loose on their first blue run. After a few issues getting to grips with the button lift, they managed to get down. Coco and Amalie

were snow plough turning, but Victoria just went straight down the mountain - Ski Race Team watch out! By the end of the week, they were easily doing red runs, jumps and off-piste - the girls were all very capable.

On their first day, the intermediate group skied down the mountain (at the top it was 3011m) and by Tuesday, they were all enjoying the black runs! On the last day, they were doing runs that were for ‘experts only’ we have the pictures to prove it! The girls skied down lots of moguls and half pipes,

as well as enjoying bum boarding, air hockey, hot chocolate and nutella crêpes! The girls also took a trip down in the gondola to the old medieval town of Bormio to do some shopping.

It was a fantastic trip with lots of giggles, happy Italian staff and lovely ski instructors.

Mrs Natalie Baldwin Head of Activities and PE Teacher

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n?’ t people like to ru

any wonder tha ning is simple. Is it

d. Run

‘Life is complicate

Kevin Nelson

INTER-COMPANY CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS POORE

OSMUND

MOBERLEY

th

st

ED RICH

GROSSTETE

2nd 3 5th 4 1 LIV Form (68) (63) (89) (72) (45) Total points / section Rutherford Elizabeth

Mallinson Polly Hirst Susannah Adriana Montalvo Hernandez Belinda Harrison Highest placed runner rd

MIV Form Total points / section Highest placed runner

nd 3rd 1 th 4th 5 2 (39) (68) (40) (124) (78) Ella Malik Fenton Annabel Gray Daisy Ella Fenton Hebe Edgar

UIV Form Total points / section Highest placed runner

nd rd 4th 2 st 5th 1 3 (62) (76) (68) (49) (102) Fitzpatrick Lucy

Massanes Ross Valentina Guy Flora Arabella Fane Caroline Brenchley

st

9 12 4 8 12 rd TOTAL =1st st

3 th

=1 th 4 POSITION 5

ESAA CROSSP COUNTRY CUP ROUND 1 MILLFIELD PRE

GRITTLETON HOUSE SCHOOL

th Fitzpatrick 8 , INTER GIRLS RESULTS: Lucy th th 18 , Caroline Brenchley 10 , Flora Guy th 25th, on Fent e rlott Cha , 19 Ariana Watling th st Jemima Madden 31 ; Team 4 /8

INTER GIRLS RESULTS: Yasmin Watling 2nd, Ariana Watling 4th, Charlotte Fenton 7th; all three girls qualified for the County

th Malik 3rd, Davina Gray 8 , JUNIOR GIRLS RESULTS: Ella th th 21st, wor Illing th on 18 , Oonagh Shubha Shetty 16 , Annabel Fent nd nd /9 qualifying for South West Tegen Dixon-Clarke 22 ; Team 2

G’S COLLEGE TAUNTON ROUND 2 SOUTH WEST KIN th Malik 16th, Susannah Hirst 19 , JUNIOR GIRLS RESULTS: Ella th th Massanes 59 , Shubha Shetty 36 , Isidora Ross th nd Fenton DNF; Team 8 /12 Oonagh Illingworth 62 , Annabel

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ESAA NORTH WILTSHIRE AREA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Championships

JUNIOR GIRLS RESULTS: Lucy Fitzpatrick 2nd, Caroline Brenchley 3rd, Ella Malik 5th, Flora Guy 6th, Georgina McLintock 8th, Bella Seymour 10th, Harriet Austin 21st.; Lucy, Caroline, Flora, Georgina & Bella all qualified for the County Championships MINOR GIRLS RESULTS: Susannah Hirst 1st, Isidora Ross Massanes 5th, Belinda Harrison 10th, Elizabeth Rutherford 16th, Lizzie Roughton 17th, Georgina Bartlett 18th, Pia Iversen 22nd

ESAA WILTSHIRE COUNTY CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS GRITTLETON HOUSE SCHOOL

INTER GIRLS RESULTS: th Yasmin Watling 5th, Ariana Watling 10 , th Charlotte Fenton 20 ;Yasmin & Ariana both qualified for the South West Championships JUNIOR GIRLS RESULTS: Lucy Fitzpatrick 3 , th th Caroline Brenchley 6 , Ella Malik 10 , rd

th Bella Seymour 13th, Flora Guy 16 , th th Georgina McLintock 17 , Isidora Ross Massanes 19 ; Lucy, Caroline, Ella & Bella qualified to represent Wiltshire at the South West Championships nd MINOR GIRLS RESULTS: Susannah Hirst 2 , th Belinda Harrison 18 ; Susannah qualified to represent Wiltshire at the South West Championships

ESAA NATION CROSS COUN AL SCHOOLS T CHAMPIONSH RY IPS WITTON PA RK BLAC KBURN

INTER GIRLS

: Yasmin Watlin

g 164th

JUNIOR GIRLS : Lucy Fitzpatric k 301st, Caroline Brench ley 316th, Ella M alik 324th

‘We all ha ve dreams In order to . make drea reality, it ta ms come kes an aw into f ul lot of de dedication terminatio , self-discip n, line and e f fort.’

Jesse Ow ens

ESAA SOUTH WEST CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS L

GRITTLETON HOUSE SCHOO INTER GIRLS: Yasmin Watling th Ariana Watling 59

19th,

chley 51st, JUNIOR GIRLS: Caroline Bren rd , nd Ella Malik 52 , Lucy Fitzpatrick 53 Bella Seymour DNC MINOR GIRLS: Susannah Hirst

17th

Y BRENCHLEY, ELLA MALIK & LUC YASMIN WATLING, CAROLINE A ESA THE AT IRE REPRESENT WILTSH FITZPATRICK QUALIFIED TO URN CKB BLA IN LS COUNTRY FINA NATIONAL SCHOOLS CROSS

What a great season! It started with a successful Inter-Company competition, which enabled all girls to compete for Company points; the effort, commitment and determination shown was excellent. The girls continued to develop and improve their levels of fitness, and many took advantage of the regular in-school training sessions.

St Mary’s continued improvement in the English Schools Cross Country Cup shows how much progress we have made: the Junior Girls qualified for the South West and the Inter Girls only narrowly lost out on qualification by seven points. This season, St Mary’s teams produced some of our best results at the North Wiltshire Championship, with three Inter Girls, six Junior Girls and six Minor Girls finishing in the top 20. As a result of this success, 12 girls went on to compete at the County Championships and seven achieved qualification for the South West Championships - our best representation to date.

Particular congratulations go to Caroline Brenchley, Lucy Fitzpatrick, Ella Malik and Yasmin Watling, who went on to represent Wiltshire at the National Championships in Blackburn. Well done to all runners on an amazing season.

Mrs Sally Hornby Cross Country Coach

25

The

p s i r T d l e i f Battle th UIV Form On Monday 20 October, the trip to the set off on the much-anticipated and France. um lgi Be of ds el efi ttl Ba I ar W Wor ld

Day ONE On the first day of the trip, we went to the cemetery for Commonwealth soldiers at Lijssenthoek. We looked for the youngest soldier buried there and found an English soldier who died when he was only 17. It was a very emotional visit, but I am glad that we went. We moved on to Bayernwald, to see a German trench system, before setting off for Ypres, where we had our supper and sang happy birthday to Harriet. That evening, we went to the famous Menin Gate to see the 8 o’clock

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service given by the Belgian Fire Department. Two St Mary’s girls took part in the ceremony and, although the it was very crowded, we could still see them place the wreaths of poppies on the memorial statue. After the service, we looked around at all the names of the missing. A few of us had names to search for as we had relatives whose names were written at Menin Gate.

After that, we all went back to the hotel and had a nice sleep after a very busy day.

Trips & Expeditions

Day THREE

Day TWO On day two, we visited the Somme; it was very interesting actually to see where the soldiers had fought and died. Then we visited the German and English trenches and we were able to run through them just as the soldiers would have. I was quite surprised by how basic and small the trenches were. Afterwards, we saw the Lochnagar Crater, which was absolutely enormous and showed us just how much destruction the war caused to the environment. After that, we visited some museums and Eliza tried on a soldier’s uniform. It was very interesting to read more about all of the places we had visited and I felt proud to have seen all the sites and the battlefields.

After the museums, we went to the Theipval Memorial, which was definitely my favourite site; it was just so grand and it was very emotional to see so many names of missing soldiers. There was also a small cemetery next to it which was in a beautifully well-kept plot of land. We also visited the Devonshire Cemetery and listened to the poem Before Action written by Lieutenant W N Hodgson on the eve of the first day of the Battle of the Somme: 1st July 1916. The words of the poem were particularly poignant as Lieutenant Hodgson was killed in the first few hours of the battle and is buried in the Devonshire Cemetery.

On day three, we started off by visiting Poperinghe, the place where some WW1 soldiers were shot for desertion and cowardice. We saw the cells in which they were kept and saw the graffiti of their signatures and last words which were still on the walls. We visited the German cemetery at Langemarck, which was very different from the English cemeteries as it was not well-kept and was very dull and depressing. It was very sad to see, as all the graves were simply squares in the ground, each with roughly five people.

After the cemetery, we went to a chocolatier and bought some delicious chocolates. We had lunch at a pizzeria and so we were all very full! We visited another museum and finally, for our last site, we saw the biggest cemetery in Europe – Tyne Cot. Everyone was horrified and moved by the scale of the loss of life evident from all the headstones and memorials to those soldiers, some as young as 14, whose bodies were never found. We each lay a cross on a grave and I think it was a very fitting end to the trip.

I really loved the trip and I think it taught me a lot about the war.

Isabel Baker (UIV Form) with Mr Roger Trowbridge

27

ing of the new We knew that the open doubtedly going to astro in October was un ams at ever y level; te ey ck ho r ou en th ng stre e was the speed at what we didn’t anticipat . which it would happen

Across every age group, the transformation in our tactical play was exciting to watch. The girls were more than ready to transfer their skills and game play to the full-sized astro and I know they are very appreciative of the generous donations which made the dream of this new facility a reality – thank you!

The 1st XI Team consisted of eight UVI Form players and eight LVI Form players, led by captain Olivia King.

The team registered a few notable wins and draws during the season, but were sometimes unlucky, finishing short by one goal in a few games. Our most impressive game was against Wycliffe College towards the end of the season, where the girls played well as a unit and moved the ball with confidence across the pitch. We

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dominated the first half and scored goals through Hebe Field and Isabella Tottenham. Wycliffe started to fight back, scoring two breakaway goals, but the girls showed great determination and ensured that we held onto the lead until the final whistle. It is performances like these that increase players’ confidence and set high benchmarks for next season. Most improved player was awarded to Laura Steel, who stepped up in defence throughout the season and earned herself a place on the starting team; player of the year went to Rebecca Randall, who worked tirelessly throughout the season and has the ability to play anywhere on the field.

The U16A Team had an unbeaten season across school fixtures and was entered into the county tournament for the first time. They continued to develop throughout the term and scored a total of 27 goals whilst only conceding four. This year’s captain, Annabel O’Grady, led the team well

throughout the term and we were able to hold a very strong Marlborough to a 2-2 draw at the beginning of the season. We focused more on tactics, including positioning and movement off the ball, which ensured we were consistently hard to defend against. It is an exciting prospect for this team to move up and play with the LVI Form next season – they will form a very strong team. Rosie Leng was awarded most improved player for her continually increasing threat on goal and Francesca Swallow received player of the year for her solid defending and versatility in all defensive positions.

Sports Reports well, and to Valentina Ross Massanes, for her impressive defending and calm head in possession of the ball.

The U15A Team was superbly captained again this year by Lucia Vint and Alice de Wesselow.

They started the season confidently with a great match against Royal High. Working successfully as a unit, the players built the game up from the back and found some excellent scoring opportunities against a very strong goalkeeper.

Ariana Watling and Charlotte Fenton were the heroes of the team, playing goalkeeper after the departure of our outstanding goalie last year. With some excellent play in practice, this team just needed to believe in itself and make their match play more consistent. Jessica Westwood was awarded player of the year for her unfailing ability to play in any position with great consistency and effectiveness. Isobel Slater was awarded most improved player for her dedication to training, which facilitated her development in the whole game.

The junior hockey teams made some excellent progress. As a totally new team this year, the U14A Team proved to be a very strong group.

Led by Captain Georgina McLintock and ViceCaptain Tatiana Parr, the team grew in strength and confidence throughout the year. Our most exciting game of the season was against a strong Dauntsey’s team. Our defence worked tirelessly throughout the game and goalkeeper Annabel Gouriet kept them at bay with some fantastic diving saves. The final few minutes were a frantic fight by both teams, but the game ended as a deserved draw. This team is an exciting prospect for the future.

Most improved player was awarded to Flora Guy, for being very coachable and adapting her game to suit the opposition. Player of the year went to Tatiana Parr, for playing at a consistently high level and leading the team

Both the U13s and the U12s were competing as new hockey teams for St Mary’s. The U13s worked hard to extend the skills they had learnt the year before and put them into competitive games.

Captained by Tegen Dixon-Clarke, the team had some exciting games against Godolphin, Royal High and Sheldon, winning them all convincingly, but faced tougher opposition from Prior Park. Player of the season was Hebe Edgar, who was a consistent member of the team as well as a high-scoring player.

Most improved player was awarded to Amalie Herluf Macnaughtan, for her skill development and confidence in game play.

The U12s were a team of real promise and, after a tentative game against Dauntsey’s, played strategically with cool heads to beat Sheldon with an impressive team performance.

Player of the year was awarded to Isidora Ross Massanes, for her vision, skill and high level of competency.

Most improved player was awarded to Lauren Wiltshire, for acquiring the skills necessary to make her a threatening goalkeeper for the B Team.

All of our teams should be incredibly proud of their progress and achievements this year.

As I make fixtures for the next season, it is satisfying to have our opposition ask for equally matched teams; this is testament to how far our hockey has come in only a year.

I have high hopes for next season!

Miss Helen Carruthers Hockey Coach

29

Bude We all went do wn to the beach for rock pooling and beach games. W e were also shown where the sea pool w as so that we wer e ready for ou r freezing dip th e next morning .

Our tutors told us everything we needed to know about Bu de and everything we needed for our stay. Finally, we had the ‘meet and greet’ disco; w e met lots of pe ople and made som e good friends.

Then we all tried to get into bed qu ickly.

We were look ing forward to th e action-packed week ahead.

Izzie, Agnes, Annabel, Yella and Bel inda.

My favourite activity was caving, even though I was dreading it! We started by going down a wooden path into what looked like a wartime bunker.

We played a few games and moved on through the pipes where there were ropes and things you had to climb over and slide down which made it even more exiting. In another caving room, we did an obstacle course and then we had to go through it backwards with only one torch!

It was very scary as you couldn’t see the person in front of you but, once we had done it, we really felt like we had achieved something and had conquered our fears, which is why I loved it so much.

Elizabeth

On Tuesday, we went mountain boarding. To start off with, we had to get used to getting our balance by going in and out of cones, we then moved on to the ramps this was great fun! In the afternoon, we went canoeing and, when we played games, we all got soaked.

If you do this activity, try not to get too close to your tutor, otherwise you will get very very wet! In the evening, we had a fancy dress disco which was really good fun.

Adri

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From 7th to 12th June the LIV Form took part in their annual activity week in Bude

On Wednesday, we got up at 7am as usual and we nt running along the coast line where we had a really great view of the sea. After breakfast, it was time to go body bo arding; it was great fun but, as there were no waves, we did n’t really body board as such - we just played games in the sea . After lunch, it was time for the team trail. Our group had to carry a massive bucket of water through an obstacle course, try ing not to spill any and, at the end, we got to throw the remain ing water on our instructo r!

In the evening, there wa sa 5-a-side football tourna ment and a talent show - it was hilarious!

Charlie and Eliza

d so surfing, high ropes an , ng vi ca : es ti vi ti ac We did all kinds of evening parties, and e th at s nd ie fr w ne t of ayed on. We also made a lo wish we could have st I r. he ot ch ea t ou ab . Nancy we got to know more as the best thing ever w it e us ca be e, er th longer

On Thursday, we did high ropes; it was a lot of fun because there was a lot you could choose to do. Our favourite was Jacob’s Ladder, because most of us hadn’t tried it before .

We also went climbing; that was really fun because we got a lot of new tips as well as getting to climb the wall. The year group was split into two and our group did bouldering firs t to prepare for the proper climbing walls. That evening, we headed to the presentation marquee for the disco and the prizes were announced. Nancy was awarded the Joker award and Lizzie the Superstar and the Bottle was given to… Lauren!

We all had a great time at the disco and were sad to leave Bude as we had such a fun experience.

Pia, Elsa, Abbie and

Susie

On Friday, we woke up to the ear-splitting sound of the bell and, exhausted from the incredible disco and prizegiving the night before, we were delighted to find out that there was no swimming or running!

We went straight to breakfast and filled ourselves up ready for the day. The bell went again at 9am and we squelched our way to the sandy beach in our cold, damp wetsuits ready for surfing. Luckily for us, it was a beautiful sunny day with some decent waves. We were in the water for about two hours and, by the end of it, we had all stood up at least once, which was good considering for most of us it was our first time.

After surfing, we went kayaking in the river. The tutors taught how to do things like paddle jujitsu and we played many games, including having to swap boats; this was normally when people fell out of their kayaks and got soaked. After a fun session, we walked back to the centre and got ready for our journey home to Calne. We really enjoyed our trip and would recommend it to anyone.

Lila, Lizzie Ro and Molly

I’m reall y glad that I we nt it was a great school tr ip that I will neve r forget!

Polly 31

Esme Lane Fox LVI Form

Juliet Baker LVI Form

Helena Boase LVI Form

May Pope LVI Form 32

Phoebe Pugh UVI Form

News

The Lecture Series The Importance of the Humanities The well-known and distinguished philosopher Professor Anthony Grayling is unashamedly passionate about the fundamental importance of the Humanities, believing them to be the very essence of humankind: if society is ignorant of history, then it is ignorant of the present; a society that embraces literature has a unique understanding of the diversity of human nature and experience; philosophy challenges our reasoning and morality, forcing us to re-appraise our assumptions.

‘She Landed by Moonlight’ - The story of Secret Agent Pearl Witherington

He also emphasised how highly these disciplines are regarded by employers. During a trip to Hong Kong, a friend working for a large conglomerate told him that often their recruitment favoured graduates with Humanities-based degrees, as they tended to be more creative, imaginative and generally knowledgeable. The Pro Rector at Imperial College London confirmed that first-rate graduates were often not getting their preferred job choices, as they were seen as being too specialised. In order to respond to this challenge, Imperial introduced a co-curricular programme to enhance their students’ potential, including study of the Humanities and Social Sciences. If you remain sceptical, next time you spend an evening around the dinner table with friends, take note of the topics of conversation; it is highly likely that History, Literature, Classics or Philosophy will feature at some point with enlivening effect!

It was a great pleasure to welcome back Calne Girl Carole Seymour-Jones.

A successful biographer and historian, Carole spoke about her final book, She Landed by Moonlight, the remarkable story of Pearl Witherington of the legendary Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during the Second World War. Brought up in extreme poverty in Paris, Pearl became the only woman in the history of SOE in France to run a network of Resistance fighters.

Trained in demolition, and reputedly the best shot the service had ever seen, Pearl and her men were responsible for the major disruption and delay of the D-Day advance of the 22nd Panzer Division, blowing up train lines and roads and interrupting supplies wherever they could in order to prevent progress to the Normandy coast. She had many narrow escapes, but her closest brush with death or capture was in June 1944, on the eve of the Normandy landings, when the Germans attacked and torched the château in which she was hiding. Fortunately, she escaped and was recommended for a Military Cross but, as women were not eligible for this award, she was offered a Civil MBE. She sent it back with the retort, ‘There was nothing civil about what I did’. It was hastily replaced by a Military MBE, but it took sixty years to fully recognise Pearl’s services to her country and she was awarded the CBE by the Queen in 2004, followed two years later, and with much delight, by her Parachute Wings.

Carole very sadly passed away on 23rd May 2015.

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A South Pole Adventure – Walking with the Wounded

Spying

Major Kate Philp returned to St Mary’s in January, to talk about her South Pole charity expedition Walking with the Wounded 2013. Three teams of wounded service personnel, mentors and guides from the UK, Commonwealth and US competed, accompanied by celebrities and Team Patron, Prince Harry.

In November 2013, following a strict selection process and extensive training sessions, the teams met in Cape Town ready to fly to Antarctica. Having changed into polar gear en route, they were greeted in Novo with temperatures of -6°C, high winds and a bleak white landscape. The three teams had to cover 335 kilometres in single file on skis, whilst pulling a 70kg arctic sledge (pulk) behind them transporting all their equipment and provisions.

Rising early, they would melt snow for drinking water and to rehydrate food, and attend to large blisters before heading off for another day’s trek, which was restricted to a maximum of nine hours with a two-hourly 15 minute break. They had to be extremely careful about regulating body heat as perspiration quickly turned to ice. The air was incredibly dry and temperatures plunged to -35ºC (-45ºC with wind chill), and frostbite crept up on the unsuspecting skiers. Under increasingly difficult conditions, a decision was made to put safety first: the distance was reduced and they all joined forces as one large team.

On Friday 13th December 2013, more than three weeks after they had set off, they successfully arrived at their destination in the South Pole, exhausted and utterly relieved. For Kate it was the hardest thing she had ever done and the significance of their incredible achievement only registered when she had time to pause and reflect.

Describing the amazing work of Walking with the Wounded, Kate spoke of the increasing number of veterans who are unemployed, homeless and ending up before the criminal justice system. For each physically injured person, there are five suffering from mental scars, usually as a result of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

WWTW’s mission is to help veterans secure a future by getting them into work, and we are pleased to have made a donation to this hugely worthwhile cause.

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The Rt Hon Lord Butler sits on the Intelligence & Security Committee. He has a unique insight into the security of the UK and its allies, having served five prime ministers during some particularly turbulent periods such as the Cold War, the Falklands conflict and Iraq. Spying generally brings to mind James Bond; however, the reality is neither quite so glamorous nor indeed violent, but rather one of immense skill and courage.

There are three Intelligence Services in the UK: the Security Service (MI5) which protects the country from terrorists and foreign spies within our shores; SIS (MI6) which spies abroad mainly through agents; and GCHQ which uses electronic surveillance. We also have the Defence Intelligence Service which uses satellites, and the police who use both interception and surveillance.

Thirty years ago, the nation was relaxed about the Services as they were generally perceived as ‘good guys’ but, with greater exposure - due to the IRA and then Islamist terrorist attacks close to home and the need to start spying on our own citizens - this has changed. The Services must act only for the purpose of ‘the prevention or detection of serious crime’ or ‘in the interest of national security’, but with so much sophisticated technology in play, there is clearly a danger of becoming a ‘Big Brother’ society. Surveillance can be crucial in helping to solve the most serious offences and data from mobile phones is routinely used as key prosecution evidence, so how do we achieve a balance between protecting innocent lives (five terrorist plots have been prevented recently and there has not been a serious attack since 7/7) and the human right to privacy? Is it morally right to spy on each other?

h s i t t o c S e Th m Referendu

Two days before the historic Scottish Referendum, James Gray MP shared his views on the immense consequences of the vote. He opened his talk with the powerful and sobering observation that the UK might cease to exist.

A YES vote would bring a tsunami of problems such as the Union Flag, the implications for the Royal Family, currency, the possible collapse of the stock exchange and, of course, the UK’s identity as a whole. A significant and hoped for NO vote would be a distinct goodbye to Alex Salmond, but a small majority NO without a clear winner would cause further uncertainty, with the likely possibility that the SNP would still agitate for independence.

Born and raised in Scotland, James questioned several aspects of the current Referendum, such as why it was agreed to in the first place.

He conceded that the current union has its own drawbacks, such as Scottish MPs having the right to vote on English policies in Westminster, but English MPs having no such rights in Holyrood but, as a committed unionist, James believed, without doubt, that Scotland should say NO and they did, by 55% to 45%.

A record-breaking journey across the Indian Ocean Alex Simpson spoke honestly and humorously about his experiences on an epic journey as part of the four-man rowing crew ‘Fast Row West’.

Breaking three world records along the way: fastest four-man crew to cross the Indian Ocean; youngest four-man crew to cross any ocean; and first unsupported row to the Seychelles, they took just under 72 days to get from Exmouth, Western Australia, to the Seychelles, covering a staggering 3,782 nautical miles (4,252 miles).

As the name suggests, their boat, Tiny Dancer, was not built for comfort: it was only 29ft long and 6ft wide and the shortest of the crew was 6ft tall. They took turns to row in pairs on a two hour row, two hour rest cycle 24/7, even sleep-rowing whilst they supposedly rested.

Unsurprisingly, they suffered a number of bodily afflictions only partially alleviated by liberal doses of Sudocrem! As well as the risk of sharks and pirates, the weather caused serious problems: waves 40ft high snapped several supposedly

unbreakable oars; they were diverted from their intended destination of Mauritius; unbearable temperatures and torrential rain added to their discomfort; and absolutely everything was wet, VERY wet.

They used their voyage to raise funds for the Enham Trust, which helps disabled adults to lead independent lives in a supportive environment.

When morale was low and they were on the brink of giving up, they reminded themselves of those who could only dream of such an adventure and how much the funds could help, and thereby succeeded in raising over £250,000.

The World of Journalism sound, it definitely toughened her up and any squeamishness about extracting stories from strangers soon disappeared.

Journalist and broadcaster Roya Nikkhah’s love of the written and spoken word was first inspired by her English teachers here at Calne, and the seeds of her interest in journalism were sown when, in LIV Form, she submitted her first ever piece for the school magazine and was thrilled to see her name in print.

Roya studied English Literature at Newcastle, before becoming a trainee reporter for Building, a trade magazine for the construction industry (something she knew nothing about) with a fantastic trainee scheme. After a year, Roya joined The Daily Telegraph trainee scheme, where she went to different departments before a stint in the newsroom. She then joined the diary ‘gossip’ column where she was dispatched to two or three parties a night with the aim of gleaning a celebrity story. Fun though it might

Roya moved to The Sunday Telegraph where she spent ten years, firstly as a general reporter and then as Arts and Royal Correspondent. As a general reporter, she covered anything and everything, from stories about terrorism to speed dating! However, the job was not without its risks and the dreaded deadline was also a particular challenge. As an Arts Correspondent, Roya interviewed a fascinating range of actors, artists, authors and film directors, from Valentino to Steve McQueen. She also became the Royal Correspondent just two weeks before the engagement of Prince William and Kate.

Since leaving The Sunday Telegraph last year and going freelance, Roya has moved into more television work, which she greatly enjoys. We were fortunate enough to see snippets of stories she has worked on for the BBC, Sky News and American networks. If these are typical examples of her broadcasting work, we suspect we will be seeing much more of Roya in the future!

Mrs Kate Mastin-Lee Lectures and Futures Coordinator 35

e s e n i h C g n i g n i r B History to Life On Friday 6th February, we were honoured to welcome the internationally best-selling author Jung Chang. Her books have been translated into 40 languages and, in addition to the millions sold, millions more have been pirated and downloaded in mainland China where her books are banned.

Jung Chang had always wanted to write, even as a child – she made up horror stories to scare her friends on their way to school! During Mao’s regime, writers were condemned, some were even executed, books were burned and writing, even for yourself, was dangerous. On her 16th birthday, she wrote her first poem and promptly had to flush it down the toilet when the Red Guards came to raid their flat – if the poem had been discovered it would have meant a lot of trouble for her and her family.

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), she was exiled to the Himalayas where she worked as a ‘barefoot’ doctor, a steel worker and an electrician, always writing in her head 36

with an invisible pen. These occupations were not hugely successful as she was given no training. She had a manual with symptoms and cures to treat people as a doctor and taught herself some acupuncture – the peasants were sensible and stayed well clear – but the boys who liked her would volunteer for treatment.

As an electrician, she received five electric shocks in a month!

It wasn’t until Mao died that things began to change; she sat scholarship papers at Szechuan University where she learnt English, which led to her being part of a group of 14 that were given the opportunity to study in Britain in 1978. She subsequently obtained a PhD in Linguistics in 1982 at the University of York

– the first person from Communist China to receive a doctorate from a British university.

China had been very isolated and talking to sailors in the port had been their only opportunity to practise their English before their arrival – even their teachers had never seen foreigners. Everything they learnt was a direct translation, for example, ‘Where are you going? Have you eaten?’ was said in greeting.

Therefore, when she first came to Britain it was quite a culture shock: she had no idea that the picture of the person wearing trousers on the toilet door signified that it was the men’s - women were not allowed to wear skirts in China - and she promptly followed a man with long hair into the gents.

News The 14 students were not allowed to go out on their own and were certainly not allowed to go to the pub - the word ‘pub’ in Chinese suggested that that it was something indecent, rather more like a strip club. Jung sneaked out and went anyway, but she was rather disappointed by the reality of a few old men sat round drinking pints.

Now that she was free to write, she no longer had the desire to do so. She wanted to spend her time soaking up the atmosphere of the new world and, besides, to write would mean to look backwards and look inwards which she did not want to do, as her family suffered greatly during the Cultural Revolution.

All of this changed when her mother stayed with her in Britain for sixth months and recorded their family’s stories on tape. Her mother told stories of Jung’s grandmother, who had endured painful foot-binding, was made the concubine of a warlord at 15 and escaped with her baby when he died. At age 15, Jung’s mother joined the Communist underground because she thought they would bring justice and equality. She met Jung’s father who was a guerrilla fighter. They left Manchuria for Sichuan and, although her father had a jeep, he would not give her mother a lift for the 1,000 mile journey because that would have been viewed as nepotism and she suffered a miscarriage. Her mother wanted to leave the party, but desertion would have been punished and so she was trapped.

Jung used the recordings to write Wild Swans, published in 1991, which tells the story of ‘three daughters of China’ - Jung’s grandmother, mother and Jung herself - during the 20th century. It is the biggest grossing non-fiction paperback in history, translated into 37 languages, with global sales in excess of 13m copies. It won the Book of the Year UK (1993) and The Guardian wrote, ‘This book has shaken the world’.

She then went on to spend 12 years working on her next project, a biography of Mao Zedong: Mao:The Unknown Story, along with her husband, the historian Jon Halliday.

Mao brainwashed a nation into believing he was a god-like figure. They were told that if they worked hard they would be able to go to Bejing to see Chairman Mao and, aged 14 when the Cultural Revolution started, Jung did go. She was brought up to believe that the West was evil; when the children played at being baddies, they put rose thorns on their noses (to show the longer, sharper nose of Westerners) and said ‘hello’ all the time – which they thought was a swear word!

Mao’s first targets were teachers, despite the fact that he had been a teacher himself. He wanted to create terror and used teenagers as his task force – the Red Guards – telling them that they had been victimised by their evil teachers who had tortured them with exams!

Schools were no longer places of learning, but places of violence and fear.

Her father protested and Jung’s faith in Mao began to wane, but it took eight years to realise that Mao was responsible for all of the bad things that were happening, such was the extent of her brainwashing.

Jung’s latest book, Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China, was published to great acclaim in 2013. It tells the story of how a low-rank concubine was appointed regent when her son became emperor at the age of five. She staged a coup, ousted her fellow regents and went on to rule, changing the course of Chinese history. In China, they were taught that she was a cruel, conservative despot from whom the country had to be rescued, but in fact she opened the door to the West to do business that benefited China and instigated huge social and economic improvements; she brought modernity to China with the introduction of electricity, trains, schooling and legal systems; she banned medieval forms of punishment; and she brought women’s liberation and an end to foot-binding.

She wanted a constitutional monarchy but, three years after her death, China became a republic. As Cixi had been maligned for 100 years, Jung was fully prepared for harsh criticism when she went to Taiwan for the launch, but people readily accepted her work and she was hugely encouraged by the reaction.

So what next for Jung Chang? She told us that she is waiting for inspiration and that it is hard to find another subject after writing about two of the biggest figures in modern China. She finds studying Chinese history dangerous and riveting, explaining that it can be hard for her to go back, but there are so many new things to discover, bring justice to and to reveal the truth about.

Despite his iconic status, very little was actually known about the man behind the public persona and so Jung and her husband devoted vast amounts of time to searching through archives all over the world and conducting interviews with people who knew Mao. Jung dealt with the Chinese texts and Jon, the rest of the world! They interviewed, amongst others, Imelda Marcos and the Zairean president, Mobuto Sese Seko - in the hairdressers!

70 million Chinese died during peacetime at Mao’s hand; he exported food to pay for weapons from Russia and East Germany whilst the people starved. They had thought that the famine was the result of economic mismanagement, but half the population died because Mao wanted China to be a military global superpower. Despite all of this, it is still a crime to attack Mao.

Some critics say that she is too involved, but she told us that without the involvement, she cannot write. One wonders if she could have dedicated 12 years to researching a book with which she was not ‘involved’! Her passion and her enthusiasm for her subjects, and her warmth and her humour, certainly shone throughout her time with us and she unquestionably brought Chinese history to life.

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Trips & Expeditions

n e u o R On Saturday 6th June, we set off for a fun French experience in Rouen. After the hours spent on the ferry, meeting our lovely French families for the first time that night was very exciting and we knew from then that we would have a great week.

The next five days were jam-packed with activities everybody enjoyed, including an opportunity to cook macaroons (using a French recipe), seeing the 70m Bayeux tapestry in Normandy and even having the chance to go into a French chocolate factory! We also spent a whole day with our French families doing different activities which they had organised. My group spent a day going to the market and visiting the Ch창teau de Martainville, which was not only good for our French, but also a lot of fun. On a more thoughtful note, it was very interesting to see the D-Day beaches and also the American Cemetery in Normandy, where we paid our respects to the soldiers.

Overall, we had the most fantastic time learning more French, meeting new people and seeing some amazing places.

Isabella Iversen UIV Form

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In June, we went to Normandy in France. We stayed in groups of three or four with host families based around Rouen and did activities during the day.

All of the families were really nice and welcoming, and they made us amazing picnics every day! We spent the day after we arrived with our host families; this involved going to church, going to the beach, having a tour of Rouen, or just spending the day at home with our families, some of whom had children.

On two mornings, we had French lessons where we learnt how to say many things about clothing and food (two essentials for life in France). After this, we had our picnics then went off to do activities. We visited a chocolate factory, the D-Day landing beaches, a cooking school where we made macaroons, and many historic monuments such as the Joan of Arc church. We also got to go shopping in Rouen a couple of times - I especially loved the crĂŞpes!

Overall, it was a great week with many amazing activities and I think some of us might have even managed to learn a bit of French as well!

Hannah Barber UIV Form

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News

The Calne Foundation Trust The year 2014-15 has been a memorable one for the Calne Foundation Trust.

For the second year in a row, the Foundation has received record donations: these include cash gifts and pledges as well as legacies.

An Evening with Rory Bremner Over 350 guests enjoyed a highly uplifting evening with Rory Bremner on Friday 15th May 2015 – a very special event in aid of Shaping the Future.

Drinks were held on the Sundial Lawn, with Prosecco kindly donated by Lupton Wines and canapés given by a collection of parents.

Guests were also given a souvenir programme sponsored by The Week.

Artist’s impression of the proposed new library

More than 700 kind and generous people have supported the CFT this year by attending events and making donations to our funds; we are deeply indebted to them all. Gifts, both large and small, make a real difference and enable the CFT to support St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Preparatory School in raising money for the various Foundation Funds, notably the Armed Forces Fund, the Bursary Fund and the Capital Projects Fund.

SHAPING THE FUTURE The Foundation has made significant contributions over the past 12 months to support Shaping the Future - the 10 Year Vision of St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Preparatory School. Driven by the core values that unite both schools, Shaping the Future aims to identify the priorities for the next decade, providing the schools with the right environment in which to teach, learn and live, as well as ensuring that opportunities are available to those from a wide range of backgrounds, through bursary and scholarship programmes.

The proposed new buildings which were announced at the Shaping the Future Receptions in the Autumn Term reflect 40

the strategic priorities of the schools as agreed with the Governors and there is commitment over time to making them a reality. In addition, the school is funding an extensive refurbishment of St Mary’s junior boarding houses – St C’s and St P’s – and at St Margaret’s, the building of a new drum room and additional changing rooms for KS2 have just been completed.

Rory gave a fantastic performance, entertaining us all with impressions of many current and former politicians, sporting figures and celebrities – including David Cameron, Frank Bruno, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Ed Miliband. Guests were also encouraged to play the Heads & Tails game, which was very popular.

Donations to the Capital Projects Fund of the CFT help to bring projects forward or enable the schools to upgrade their plans.

For example, a full-size, floodlit astroturf and three additional netball/tennis courts opened in October 2014 (much sooner than anticipated) thanks in large part to the generosity of a small group of current parents and we hope to make further progress next year with our Vision for Sport.

Plans are afoot for a new school library at St Mary’s for 2017, thanks to a philanthropist in our community who is generously funding this project. The library will be a lively academic hub of the school, a place which will instil a love of reading, research and learning.

To find out more about Shaping the Future and the other projects under development and consultation, please contact me (cari.depla@stmaryscalne.org).

In total, the evening raised an amazing £18,500 for Shaping the Future, and we would like to thank Rory, our supporters and sponsors, and all those who attended the event.

THE BURSARY FUND Great schools such as St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Preparatory School are made up of outstanding pupils from a wide range of backgrounds. Ensuring that talented and academically gifted students from all walks of life have access to an education at Calne is integral to the vision and ethos shared by both schools.

The parents of St Mary’s 2013-15 leavers have generously donated to the Bursary Fund and their gifts have enabled the school to award the first ‘Gabriel Scholarship’ to a talented girl who would not otherwise be able to attend St Mary’s. We are hopeful that more Gabriel Scholarships will be awarded in the years to come. Elinor Gabriel, one of the Founders of St Mary’s, was passionate about providing girls with a first-class education, and her vision still prevails today.

The names of families who have made a donation will be recorded in our Donors’ Book and they will become members of The Gabriel Society, which has recently been established to thank everyone who has made a gift to the Bursary Fund. A special event will be held for Gabriel Society members biennially to enable us to show them our appreciation. If you would like to join The Gabriel Society, please contact me (cari.depla@stmaryscalne.org).

THE ARMED FORCES FUND

As you will know, this is a joint collaboration with Radley College and Downe House and, to date, we have raised a total of £1.7m. This has enabled the Fund to provide seven bursaries for current and future education, three of which will be at St Mary’s Calne – more are in consideration.

Our shared objective is to build a capital fund, the income of which can be used to educate sons and daughters of Forces Personnel who have been killed or wounded while serving their country. With the overall aim to raise £5m by 2020, we remain fully involved with both the fundraising for and actual education of these children.

The Silver Ball The triennial Silver Ball in aid of The Armed Forces Fund was held in London on Friday 28th November at a stunning venue on The Embankment. Almost 800 guests were treated to a truly wonderful evening, complete with a delicious sit down dinner, a live auction by the charismatic Charlie Ross and fantastic music from The Earth Lights Boogie Band. Dancing continued into the small hours and, by the end of the night, over £300,000 was raised for this extremely worthy cause.

The donations continued to come in well after the event, and the total figure realised for The Armed Forces Fund, generated by the Silver Ball, reached a staggering £407,000.

Cantabile II On Saturday 31st January, we welcomed the Treorchy Male Choir to Calne to join a range of musical artistes from St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Preparatory School for what proved to be a wonderful evening of choral enjoyment. Hosted by BBC Radio 3 presenter Petroc Trelawny, and with an address by Brigadier Greville Bibby CBE, the evening raised almost £6,000 for The Armed Forces Fund.

Donations to all of The CFT Funds are always very welcome. Donations can easily be made through a will as well as during one’s lifetime, and the use of Gift Aid helps us enormously, as well as offsetting some of the cost for higher rate tax payers.

I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our donors and volunteers for their support over this past year.

Mrs Cari Depla Director of Development

We continue to be fully committed to The Armed Forces Fund, with many events and fundraising projects planned for next year.

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Trips & Expeditions

Paris UVI Form History of Art Trip From the Louvre to Versailles and the Pompidou Centre to Montmartre, our UVI Form Art Historians explored pivotal works of art and architecture first-hand on their trip to Paris in March.

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The gods smiled kindly upon us and the nine UVI Art Historians, Mrs Davies-Potter and I arrived safely at the Gare du Nord ready to make our way to the Hotel Claret. Travelling by coach, we were given a rapid introduction to central Paris. We passed through the Bastille, a site of revolutionary activity beginning with the storming of the prison in 1789 and culminating in the creation of a new French constitution based upon the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Then it was on to Bercy via the Place de la République, a place which has traditionally formed the focus of both mass celebration and demonstration as witnessed most recently after the tragic Charlie Hebdo shootings. When we arrived safely at the hotel, we were given a typically friendly welcome and felt fortunate to be staying in such close proximity to a metro station.

After a good night’s sleep in the atmospheric former post office with its winding iron staircase and exposed beams, we began the day fuelled with coffee, croissants, butter and jam.

The focus was the Louvre and our aim was to explore the 17th and 18th century collections which were of specific use to the revision of HART 3 and HART 4. Fortunately, there was still time to pay our respects to the Mona Lisa, if only to debate the validity of her iconic status. Sadly, many of the Poussins that we were keen to see were being prepared for a major exhibition that was about to open, yet we were still able to gain a sense of the bombast, rhetoric and drama that makes the Baroque so compelling through the viewing of pivotal works by Georges de la Tour, Rubens and the Dutch realists.

It was incredibly helpful to the understanding of the response on the part of the painters and sculptors of the 18th century to their predecessors that we were able to move on to the later rooms in the afternoon and the girls were able to gain a complete overview of the lesser known 18th century at first-hand. We began with the frivolous fêtes galantes and decadent boudoir paintings of Watteau and Boucher, making the transition to the sombre Neo-Classicism of the second half of the century via the genre scenes of Chardin and Greuze. Our full day in the Louvre culminated with an hour of very focused work in front of David’s Oath of the Horatii, which was intended not to trigger revolution (it was painted between 1784-5) but to foster a sense of loyalty to the French state whilst instilling the values of Republican Rome in restless citizens.

Meticulous notes based on careful first-hand observation were taken which would later be translated into examination material in June.

After a full day in the Louvre, we enjoyed a leisurely but highly informative cruise on the River Seine, which helped us to distinguish clearly between the left and right banks which have quite different cultural associations and identities.

We were also able to see clearly the spiked Gothic profile of Notre Dame with its spires, pinnacles and crockets silhouetted against the dusky sky, demonstrating that despite the 19th century clearing of medieval streets under Baron Haussmann, the middle ages are as crucial to the city’s identity as the Classicism which was used century after century to establish authority.

Power and control were certainly the themes of Sunday’s visit to Versailles, which replaced the Louvre as the Royal Palace of the French Monarchy, and nothing could have prepared us for such an explicit demonstration of absolutism.

However, it was crucial to notice how, during the 18th century, Mme de Pompadour’s influence led to a desire to create a more feminine and intimate interior environment with over door paintings, arabesques, curlicues and floral soft furnishings reflecting the impact of the Rococo as it extended out from the town houses of central Paris.

Having watched Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, which is based on Antonia Fraser’s biography and filmed at Versailles, it was hard not to imagine how frightened and helpless the young queen must have felt as she was forced to flee by the baying mob of angry women who were storming the palace’s gilded gates as Revolution began.

After a very delicious and authentically French supper in a rather elegant restaurant close to the Hotel de la Ville, we made our way to the Pompidou Centre to experience a rather different type of revolution. Not only were we able to assimilate an alternative architectural vocabulary, replacing pilasters and architraves with coat hanger trusses and I beams, we were also fortunate that our visit coincided with a major retrospective of

the work of Post-Modern Playboy Jeff Koons.

The former banker used tongue-in-cheek irony to subvert century-old paradigms to great comic effect, with the garish and seemingly cheap exteriors belying the great technical skill and luxurious materials on which they were dependent.

If Jeff Koons called in to question the nature of individual artistic genius through his dependence on team work and collaborative craftsmanship, then Monday morning’s final visit to Montmartre - once home to giants of Modernism such as Picasso - demonstrated the powerful endurance of artistic mythology and the lure of the cult of fame. We wandered around the tiny backstreets of this village-like, bohemian enclave, acutely aware of the ghostly presence of the early 20th century artistic revolutionaries who were to dramatically change the course of Western Art. As we concluded our visit with one last hot chocolate, we made our way to the Gare du Nord, a significant piece of architectural history in its own right due to its radical demonstration of the crossover between the aesthetic merit and the industrial strength of iron. The station served as both fitting end to the study trip and emblem of the academic subject that is History of Art - no marks will be awarded for personal admiration of favourite treasures, however beautiful, what counts instead is cast iron argument and the rigorous analysis and interpretation of pivotal works of art and architecture, not only visually stunning, but of huge historical significance, that have been studied at first-hand and in their correct social and historical context. What is so revolutionary about that?

Dr Penelope Wickson Head of History of Art

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News

SIXTH FORM AND BEYOND...

This year saw the opening of the new LVI Form boarding house, Florence Dyas; our second annual Sixth Form Fair for the UV Form was a great success; and we also introduced a Sixth Form Taster Day for our LV Form girls. They experienced life in the Sixth Form by attending different taster lessons in new subjects offered as part of our Sixth Form Curriculum, such as Classical Civilisation, Economics, Government and Politics, Psychology and History of Art.

BRIGHT FUTURES CAREERS SEMINAR FUTURES EVENING

In September, we hosted the student-led Bright Futures Careers Seminar for the Fifth and Sixth Form. We welcomed guest speakers from a wide variety of career areas, including Engineering, Law, Architecture, Media, Journalism, Finance, Management Consultancy, Computer Science, Medicine and Veterinary Science.

The Autumn Term began with the ambitious Futures Evening: University:Your Degree,Your Future, for our Sixth Form and for our fellow GSA schools.

Following a warm welcome from Dr Kirk, Professor Julia Buckingham (Vice-Chancellor & President of Brunel University London) spoke about The Importance of a Degree, stressing how vital it is to choose the right course and to enjoy what you are studying, as well as observing that university is not necessarily for all. A range of speakers from Russell Group Universities and representatives from overseas universities followed, giving the girls a unique insight into the university admissions process and the opportunities for studying outside the UK. We were also joined by a student panel, with ambassadors from Maastricht and Claremont, USA; from Badminton, Alex Ray (Cardiff); and former Calne Girls Kate Le Fevre (Bristol), Gigi Perry (Cambridge) and Lydia Rogers (Edinburgh). They spoke about how they had chosen their universities and courses, and whether they had taken a gap year, before inviting the audience to ask their own questions. This prompted a stream of enthusiastic and thoughtful questions about experiences of university life, including Lydia’s year abroad, and showed that the evening had inspired many thoughts and ideas for the girls’ future choices.

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LVI FORM CAREERS CONFERENCE 2015 INSPIRING WOMEN

Dr Kirk welcomed everyone and talked about the importance of good careers advice in school. Then pupils attended a networking session followed by two seminars, where they gained an insight into the world of work, learnt about the skills and qualities required to work in different career areas, the entry routes into different careers, and opportunities within companies for diversification, promotion and development.

A panel of truly inspiring women from career fields including Law, Medicine, Engineering, Banking and Finance, Fashion and Design, the Army and Civil Service; specific advice in breakout sessions about routes into careers; and a lecture by Penny Dowell from Bristol University, meant that there was something for everyone at February’s annual conference. Penny talked about how the generic skills learnt at university, including research and analytical skills, prepare students well for employment and many companies support graduates through specific training once in the workplace. She emphasised that gaining a place at a good Russell Group university studying a subject that you really enjoy is more important than studying a specific subject for a job. The day’s proceedings were expertly moderated by Chairwoman, Susie Forbes, Principal of the Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design, and supporting our experienced professionals were three graduates who also gave sound advice when they held the stage in the afternoon panel discussions. The feedback from the pupils was very positive and everyone valued the opportunity to listen, reflect, network and record information in order to move forward with their career development.

Bex Crofton-Atkins

GOING FURTHER WEEK FOR LVI FORM

CALNE GIRLS’ TALKS

Designed to encourage the girls’ critical thinking, scholarship, reflection and intellectual resourcefulness

Sophie Falinska (1996 leaver) spoke about her work as a Clinical Psychologist for the NHS in Adult Mental Health and Kate Hannay (1997 leaver), about her work in Brixton as a Counselling Psychologist specialising in CBT to help depressed and anxious people.

A group of girls went to the University of Southampton for their ‘Learn with US’ programme, which uses multidisciplinary research to inspire curiosity and scholarship to aid Sixth Form students in their transition to Higher Education. A lecture on Economic Inequality, a seminar which built on the themes raised, and a debate about which attributes we should value the most in society and why, gave the girls the chance to exercise their critical thinking skills before their A2 courses begin.

The History of Art students visited the British Museum to see the Defining Beauty - The Body in Ancient Greek Art exhibition, where they viewed hugely famous sculptures such as the Belvedere Torso, usually located in one of the Vatican Museums; The Wallace Collection to see the Joshua Reynolds: Experiments in Paint exhibition, as they will be studying his work next year; and the National Gallery for a lecture on Women in Art by the famous art historian, Linda Nochlin. They found it

interesting to see how History of Art has influenced people’s lives and also how it can be used after studying the subject at university.

Our Biologists enjoyed a talk by Dr David Matthews from the Faculty of Medical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, entitled Viruses and bats - from Ebola to MERS and beyond. The talk covered the recent (and ongoing) Ebola outbreak in West Africa, how other bat-derived zoonotic diseases threaten global health, and how his research is helping to develop vaccinations and management systems to deal with outbreaks.

The Chemists were treated to lectures by Steve Street and Thomas Farrugia from the University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry, who talked about their PhD research with G-Quadraplex DNA and protein films.

CGA STEM CAREERS EVENING In April, we welcomed back seven Calne Girls, each representing a Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths (STEM) profession - including the Clinical Director at Stanmore Implants, a Senior Radiotheraphy Physicist and the CEO of Orta Solar - to talk to our Sixth Form Scientists. The girls spoke to each of the guests in turn, gaining valuable advice about their A Level choices, university destinations and their professional experiences.

Caroline Villiers (1990 leaver) came back to school to talk about her work in Financial PR, advising clients primarily in law firms, hedge funds, asset managers and private equity firms, and it was fascinating to hear about how she fielded probing interrogations from national newspapers on behalf of companies such as Lehman Brothers, CNN and other multinationals.

Bex Crofton-Atkins (2004 leaver) spoke to the girls about her fascinating career as a stylist and set designer for TV adverts, music videos for clients including Arctic Monkeys and One Direction, and, most recently, a feature film being directed by Pedro Almodóvar. She was incredibly unstarry but totally inspirational and in true St Mary’s style, her last words of advice to the girls were, ‘Go for it!’

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Classics Trip to

Turkey In March, a group of Fifth and Sixth Form Classical enthusiasts visited some of Turkey’s iconic sites.

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Trips & Expeditions

Once our plane had landed, we decided to venture into the centre of Istanbul to see the famous Blue Mosque, so called because of its interior of ornate blue tiles, and the Hagia Sophia: a Greek Orthodox Church, then a Mosque, now a museum.

This impromptu trip into the capital gave us a snippet of Turkish culture and architecture which whetted our appetite for more sightseeing. Another dimension was added to our day when we went swimming in the pool at our hotel near Denzili that evening, in water hot and steaming from the natural spring.

The next day, we set out for Pammukale and the Hieropolis. As we neared our destination, we were struck by the sight of what we thought were snow-capped hills, but what were actually calcium deposits.

Then, having ascended, we began our tour

of this ancient spa-town, viewing its famous theatre with its scanae frons still intact! We then went for a leisurely swim over the main street of the ancient city in vibrant turquoise water from the natural spring which allegedly cures diseases. Cleansed and revitalised, we headed for Aphrodisias: a town dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite. There we saw the remains of the theatre, odeon, forum and more baths. That night, we stayed in the bustling town of Kusadasi, where we sampled some Turkish ice-cream: chewy but nice.

The following day, we went to the iconic site of Ephesus. The main street shone white in the sunlight and sloped down towards The Library of Celsus, the theatre and onto a meadow dappled with red and yellow flowers. With soft garlands of sumptuous wildflowers on our heads and feeling rather hot, we went for a quick dip in the sea. Having cooled down, we headed for the bazaar in Izmir, where we purchased

copious amounts of Turkish Delight, pastries and turquoise jewellery. We then headed for Pergamum and settled down for the night in our hotel, feeling rather sleepy.

On our final day, we ascended to the acropolis, only to find that it had been looted by the Germans in the 19th century and that we should have gone to Berlin instead! Even so, and in spite of the gusty winds, we thoroughly enjoyed looking around Hadrian’s temple and rambling down to the famous Hellenistic theatre. Saddened by the realisation that our trip had come to a close, we began our journey back to the UK. Turkey taught us all a great deal about classical civilisation and was a delightful (in reference to both the number of confectionary items consumed and the amount of fun we had) experience!

Juliet Baker, Mattie Carr and Eleanor Chelton LVI Form

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News

jar red Young Enterprise

Our journey began in September, when we elected a team with specific roles and began planning how we would raise the £80 registration fee to become a Young Enterprise company. We decided that food was the answer and so we contacted Nando’s with the aim of hosting a Peri Peri Chicken Lunch in our school canteen.

We were given 460 pieces of chicken which we sold for £2 per portion, raising a total of £320 and, once we had paid the fee, we split the remaining profit between two charities: The Upper Room and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Next, our marketing team carried out market research in school and in the local community to find out what people felt they were lacking in their day-to-day lives.

From this, we discovered that many people wanted an easy and convenient drinking product which was also fun and affordable.

Our creative and operations teams worked together to design the first prototype: the Jar. We decided to develop our product by building on the classic design of a mason jar, adding a lid and a straw and, before we knew it, Jarred was born.

Our IT and graphics team designed a website for our product which had just under

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500 views in its first month (getjarred.com). We made the website personal to us by taking photos of our jars being used in an everyday environment that our customers could relate to; we also spent time on a fun advert. Our IT and graphics departments additionally focused on creating a QR code to go on our jar labels, allowing customers to scan the code on their mobile and be taken directly to our website.

Following this, we contacted stockists, with the operations and finance departments researching the most financially viable option.

Having found a great supplier, we placed an order for 36 conventional mason jars and 42 jars with handles, as we wanted to sell a jar which was suited to warm drinks for the Christmas market and cold drinks for the summer market.

Our first fair was the St Mary’s Parents’ Guild Christmas Fair, which came upon us far quicker than we expected, but we still managed to be well-prepared by coming together as a team and delegating specific jobs, including printing personalised labels for the jars and decorating them with festive ribbon from a local supplier in

Marlborough. Within two hours, we had sold out and broken even which we were all ecstatic about.

We sold at two more fairs very successfully, including the annual Bowood Christmas Fair.

In total, we generated a net profit of £410 with £876.80 worth of sales. Following the Christmas break, we came back revitalised and bursting with new ideas, including selling our jars in conjunction with a smoothie bar.

Being involved in Young Enterprise has been an invaluable experience and everyone learnt a great deal from the process of building a company from nothing and creating a brand from which others would want to buy. We are all so pleased to have been involved in the team and we are all proud of our achievements and all of the skills each of us have learnt.

Hannah Drew Managing Director

ards at Winners of two aw ty Final: the Wiltshire Coun

• Best Teamwork • Best Report g Award for Outstandin : ion ut Contrib ng Director) Hannah Drew (Managi

Chessie Lamb UVI Form

Jess Davies UV Form

Tiwa Sagoe UVI Form

Olivia King UVI Form 49

GEOGRAPHY FIELDTRIP TO

d n a l o P The LV and LVI Form girls immersed themselves in the culture and history ofthPoland th on their Geography trip from 25 - 28 June .

During their stay in Krakow, they visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Wieliczka Salt Mine - and were moved by their visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Day One An early morning start was always going to be difficult for a large group of teenage girls, but at 4am we woke to numerous alarm clocks and began what would be the long journey from Wiltshire to the heart of vibrant Krakow, Poland. After two bus rides and one flight, we arrived. Eager to explore, we dropped off our bags and made our way to the Old Town. Dating as far back as the 9th century, all of the buildings were charming and untouched; there was a certain old-worldliness. We split into groups and had lunch in various traditional cafés. I had the traditional delicacy Pierogi, which was fantastic.

After lunch, it was time to begin our research. We were comparing different urban areas of Krakow, so we spent time collecting data in the Old Town, which we would later compare with our results from Kazimierz, the historically significant Jewish Quarter.

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These included looking at different functions of buildings along transects, recording the number of pedestrians and assessing the environmental quality of different areas. After several hours enjoying the fascinating city and collecting useful results, we headed back to the hotel. It was so nice to relax after such a tiring day! At about 7pm, we went to a beautiful restaurant in the heart of the city and devoured a rich, hearty meal. After a very eventful evening with brilliant company, we returned to our hotel and settled into the exceedingly comfy beds.

Trips & Expeditions

Day Three

Day Two After an easier wakeup, we ate breakfast and headed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

This tourist haven is one of the world’s oldest salt mines and is still in operation.

We travelled to level one (64 metres deep) out of a possible nine levels, with a maximum depth of 327 metres. Our tour guide gave us a fascinating tour of the mines and explained the legends behind the many statues and paintings.

After two hours, we re-emerged and got on the bus heading to Kazimierz, the Jewish District of Krakow. Completely different to the Old Town, Kazimierz was less touristy and had more traditional food and markets, making for some unique purchases.

We headed out again for an evening meal, trying wild boar and other more authentic dishes. The views from the rooftop restaurant were stunning and made for great Instagram posts!

Following breakfast, we again jumped on the bus and headed to AuschwitzBirkenau. To say we were excited about the trip would be wrong, but we all knew that the experience would be deeply moving and interesting. Over 1.1 million people lost their lives at Auschwitz and the horrors of the Nazi regime were clearer there than in any history textbook or documentary.

Seeing first-hand the enormity of the largest concentration camp and death camp was harrowing.

After a couple of hours, we travelled back to the Old Town. Unlike the previous two days, we were able to carry out our own personal studies. We also had time to explore the markets within the Old Town and bought lots of gifts for numerous family members.

After such a draining day, we went back to our hotel rooms and got ready for our final night. We headed to the glamorous Sheraton Hotel, where we were treated to a buffet supper and enjoyed more beautiful views over the city. Before we left, the teachers awarded prizes and we went back to our hotel, sad to be spending our last night in a city we now loved.

Day Four On our last day in Krakow, everybody was keen to get into the Old Town and use up as many of their zlotys as possible! This meant more shopping and haggling at the market stalls. After being treated to an ice cream by the teachers, we collected our bags from our rooms, loaded them onto the coach and headed to the airport, sad but excited about going back to school for the last couple of days of term. It was a wonderful, educational and very enriching trip and shall remain one of our Calne highlights for years to come.

Clara Wade LV Form

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Trips & Expeditions

d n a d e n g a n e e l g l n a e l h l C a h C h C a ntuurree

t e v n d A e Adv ls took part in Our LIV and MIV Form gir ns throughout C AA on Friday afternoo ilding activities the year. Different teambu confidence, and challenges built their each other helped them get to know fun! better and were a lot of

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CAA Cotswold Water Park For CAA this year, the LIV and MIV Forms went to Cotswold Water Park. There was a large variety of activities to choose from, including: windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, high ropes, raft building and canoeing. Each girl did three activities; I did windsurfing, sailing and raft building. They were all really fun and enjoyable and I learnt a lot, even if at some points we had to be rescued by the instructors!

Overall, we had a great time and learnt many new skills.

Maisie Medcalf MIV Form

The CAA Walk and Camp The CAA walk and camp was a very fun and exciting trip. It took some people out of their comfort zone, but it gave us all new experiences too.

The night before the CAA camp and walk was very busy; everyone was packing and getting everything ready, but we had a good night’s sleep so that we would have enough energy for the day’s long walk. The next morning, we woke up and we were very excited. However, first, we had to do the Junior Maths Challenge! After that, we loaded everything on to the buses and got into our teams. Each team had a different starting point, so we were in separate buses.

Once we got to our starting point, we got our rucksacks ready and set off. I was in a team with Mrs Hayes, Ella, Davina, Hebe and Shubha. The walk was very long - it took about four hours - fortunately, we had some entertainment because we had two dogs tagging along with us; also, we had a lot of tuck in our bags to eat along the way. By the time we got there, we were completely tired out, but we still played games. We had a nice barbeque for supper, including hot dogs and hamburgers; we also had hot chocolate and cake.

Afterwards, we got into our tents and chatted for a while, telling scary stories. When we ran out, we made up our own, which were quite interesting! Then we decided to go to sleep. Unfortunately, after about an hour of sleeping, we heard a strange noise - it sounded like a person breathing very heavily. Nobody dared to go outside because of all of our scary stories! The noise eventually stopped and we fell asleep. The next morning, Mrs Baldwin said it was a fox, which was a big relief! We went back to school on the minibuses and then we went home for the exeat weekend.

Cali Stott MIV Form

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Trips & Expeditions - German Exchange

Schüleraustausch mit St Mary‘s Calne

Our week von Lena Schlake und Jemima Madden Thursday 2.7.15

On Thursday, we met our exchange partners. It was so exciting. After an introduction and presentation about their school, we had lunch in the school cafeteria. Later, we went to the exchange students’ houses and met their families. The rest of the day we relaxed, as we had woken up at 2am.

Friday 3.7.15

On Friday, we had lessons in their school, NIG; they were good, but difficult to understand in German. After school, we had lunch at our partners’ homes, then we went to Bremerhaven, where we did a fun rally around the town.

We also went to the Spielspaß and played German board games - Mrs Jones got very competitive, but she still lost!

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Saturday 4.7.15

At the weekend, everyone did their own thing and spent time getting to know their exchange partners. Lena and I went to Bad Bederkesa swimming pool. I really enjoyed it, as there were numerous pools inside and outside. After swimming, Lena and I went to a German supermarket, played Buzz and Singstar, and we also played in a badminton tournament with her family.

Sunday 5.7.15

On Sunday, we went to an American market in Bremerhaven; here Lena and I tried riding a bucking bronco and both failed miserably. In the afternoon, we went to Therese’s house for a pool and BBQ party. This was a lot of fun, although the weather resembled England in February!

Wednesday 8.7.15

Monday 6.7.15

On Monday, we spent the first lesson in school and then caught the bus to Bremerhaven. Here we went to the Klimahaus.

This was a building that had different rooms to resemble different climates – it was really good, although some of the rooms were a little too hot. After this, we had the chance to do some shopping.

We spent the first two lessons in school and then we went to the Watt in Sahlenburg, where we enjoyed watching the ‘Wattwagon’ - the horse-drawn carriages that are driven through the tidal channels. Later, we returned to school for a leavers’ party.

Thursday 9.7.15

At school, we worked on our video projects, which contained all of our photos from the week , then presented them to the rest of the group.

After this, we had to go home and pack our bags, have a final lunch and supper and say our goodbyes. The whole week was so much fun and we all really enjoyed ourselves. We cannot wait for the German girls to come to our school.

Tuesday 7.7.15

We finished a whole day at school and went to the canal to attempt to row a dragon boat. I really enjoyed it, even though we were beaten by another team. After our tiring ordeal, we had waffles and cake, then we went to the swimming pool again with all of the students participating in the exchange.

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INTERVIEW

von Jelena Werner und Maia Jarvis What did you notice about the people in Germany - any differences?

Every morning, when Jelena saw her friends at school, she would hug every single one of them in turn and she hugged them again when we left - I thought that was really sweet! Everyone I met on the exchange was really nice and so welcoming, even when I struggled to understand what they were saying!

Do you think your German has improved?

Definitely! I have learnt so many new words and phrases. It’s been really useful to be surrounded by German speakers all the time, because I’ve now got a better idea of what the language sounds like and can understand more. As well as my language skills, I think this trip has actually improved my confidence, as it’s quite daunting talking to people that you don’t know in a second language.

What lessons did you find interesting?

In German, we learnt about poetry - learning about iambic pentameter in German was extremely interesting but quite strange!

I think these lessons have actually sparked a new interest in German poetry. All of the teachers I met were so friendly and they welcomed me into the class; their history teacher was especially funny. It was also quite interesting to see their English lessons; they were reading a book and had to create different character profiles and summaries.

What was your favourite day?

I think my favourite day was Saturday, because it was Jelena’s grandad’s birthday and I got to meet the whole family. It was so much fun and the food was amazing - total lecker! Because it was so hot, we ate watermelon and had little colourful fans which were very useful. There was a water fight and we all had an ice cream party after dinner and, after a short walk, we dipped our toes in the Bad Bederkeser lake, which was very refreshing. I have so many good memories of that day.

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Sports Reports

Equestrian The school year began with the Stonar ISODE. Spirits were high and, despite the hard ground and tough competition, St Mary’s teams were on fine form and scooped four big trophies!

Abbie Cowley won Class 1a, while Amber Dunne won Class 1b and Sophie Pratt was 8th in Class 2. With nine girls riding in Class 3a on Sunday morning, hopes were high for both the teams and individuals.

Millie Smart finished 2nd individually, while Charlotte Walker was 6th and Pandora Briselden was 9th. In the team event, Annabel O’Grady, Rosie O’Donnell, Charka Stout and Charlotte came 6th, while Pandora, Flora Guy, Jemima Madden and Sylvia Rutherford came 10th as a team.

On Sunday afternoon, our experienced Senior Team of Bonnie Bartlett, Jessica Enthoven, Hope Pleydell-Bouverie and Rosie Leng looked well-placed after the dressage, with Hope leading on 24.5.

Bonnie flew round the cross country in record time and finished 4th, Rosie finished 5th and Jess, who was beautifully in control on her mother’s horse, completed her clear round cross country. Hope and the team came away with the team and individual trophies for the 1m Class 4.

St Mary’s was well-represented at Dauntsey’s School NSEA Show Jumping at West Wilts Equestrian Centre and there were lots of clear rounds and rosettes. Then it was full steam ahead with preparations for St Mary’s NSEA Show, which was held at West Wilts Equestrian Centre in April.

The girls were on fine form and produced some fantastic results: Class 1 70/75cm Lauren Dunne was placed 5th individually

Class 2 80/85cm Charlotte Walker was 5th individually Class 3 90/95cm Jemima Madden was 5th individually; the team of Effie Dollar, Sylvia Rutherford and Charka Stout was 2nd; the team of Harriet Austin, Lila Bremner, Abbie Cowley and Elizabeth Rutherford was 5th Class 4 1/1.05m Pandora Briselden was 7th individually and Gemma Enthoven was 9th; the team of Pandora Briselden, Effie Dollar, Sylvia Rutherford and Charka Stout was 4th Class 5 1.10m Pandora Briselden was 2nd and Gemma Enthoven was 4th.

The horse show relies on volunteers and I am really grateful to everyone who gave up their time to help ensure the day was a great success.

Stonar ran another ISODE in May and, yet again, the girls were on top form. Abbie Cowley won her 80/85cm section on the Saturday and the girls followed up with good solid performances in the 90/95cm sections on Sunday. Effie Dollar, Sylvia Rutherford and Charka Stout were 3rd overall in some very competitive 90/95cm sections. Charka also picked up an individual 3rd, with Effie 2nd and Sylvia finishing in 6th in their respective sections. Individual placing also went to Rosie O’Donnell 9th, Grace Chambers 9th and Sophie Pratt 6th.

schools show jumping competition. A very competitive first round left our team of Lila Bremner, Effie Dollar and Sylvia Rutherford in joint 3rd place, which meant we went through to the finals in the International Arena. An up to height difficult course saw poles falling for lots of competitors, but our team rose to the occasion and finished in 2nd place. This was an amazing achievement and a great way to end the competitive year.

Lauren Booth competed in the Charles Owen National British Pony Championships at Brand Hall. It is the culmination of the Pony Trial Season, with the best 16 years and under pony event riders in the country taking part. Lauren was in joint 5th place after the dressage on a score of 45.2; she sadly picked up 20 penalties on the cross country, but still finished a fantastic 15th.

Abbie Cowley had a great year with her pony, Mouse. She started on a good note with a win in the 75cm at the Stonar Inter-Schools One Day event; she won again at the ISODE in May, when she competed in the 85cm class.

Other successes have included 2nd at Shipton Moyne ODE and 3rd at both Area Pony Club Junior Eventing and Dressage.

The team of Lila Bremner, Elizabeth Rutherford, Sylvia Rutherford and Charka Stout stole the show at the Godolphin School NSEA Qualifier at Crofton Manor, picking up five qualifications for the NSEA Championships at Addington in October 2015. The team won the 80/85cm Jws, the 90/95 Jws and the 90/95cm SJ. Individually in the 80/85cm Jws, Sylivia was 3rd and Charka 4th, then Sylvia went on to win the 90/95cm Jws and Lila the 90/95cm SJ. They took home nearly all of the prizes!

Lila Bremner had an amazing season with her smart coloured pony, Uncle P. She won the individual NSEA 85cm SJ at Kings and was also 2nd in the 95cm. Lila then went on to win the individual NSEA qualifier at Crofton Manor, qualifying for the championships.

She also won the Area 9 Dengie Final Championships Qualifier, the highest placed under 12 Salver at the Dengie Championships and was 2nd in the Grand Prix at the South West Championships at Hartpury.

August saw the Junior Team head off to Hickstead to compete in the annual

Miss Kerry Emms Equestrian Coordinator

The ISODE is a very competitive event, so to pick up all of these rosettes shows just how successful the girls have been this season.

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Reviews

Drama at St Mary’s has yet again produced extraordinarily diverse and challenging opportunities for girls of all ability levels to shine on or behind the stage.

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The Fifth Form upwards took part in a thought-provoking and mature rendition of Tess of the d’Urbervilles for the Autumn Production. Hardy’s classic aimed to involve an enormous number of girls on a journey that not only allowed the more experienced actresses to absorb themselves in consuming, emotional predicaments but, equally, opened many doors for the inquisitive, new and even apprehensive, encouraging and urging girls to taste the excitement of staging a large-cast play in the Delscey Burns Theatre. Over seventy girls were involved in the production, from acting to set work, make-up, hairstyling, lighting, special effects and costume assistants. The project, amongst its many aims, kindled cross-year group friendships, provided the more cautious with an opportunity to shine in the limelight and created a firm platform for the experienced Drama ambassadors to excel.

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Miss Philippa Bradfield has been an inspiration since her arrival in September 2014 and worked her magic with the UIV Form project, Four on Tour. This is a venture that turns the whole of the UIV Form into a theatre company, challenging each and every girl to be in some way involved in the performance of a fullscale production in a professional theatre, instead of being chorus parts for the Autumn Production. All girls contribute to the production and it is performed in the Theatre Royal Bath’s Egg Theatre. Whether through acting, costumes, props, make-up, set design, programme making, music, tuition in control box operation or working in the rafters lowering giant sets, there is a role for all and the performance day requires teamwork skills like no other project!

This year, Miss Bradfield directed The Wind in the Willows, a play that opened up a giant array of extraordinary avenues for the girls to explore. They were captivated by the challenge; the project provided a platform for all girls to showcase their talents through incredibly diverse challenges. Such tasks included graphic designs for the Theatre Royal website to promote the play, modelling costumes in the theatre and turning videobased tuition in animal make-up into reality by conducting enormous face-painting workshops. With the director falling ill with a week to go, the girls did a sterling job to polish their characters, galvanise as a crew and save the show!

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Whether providing a platform for the gifted actresses to take their Drama to the next level, or giving the shy and apprehensive a gateway to explore adventures new, an all-inclusive mass cast can often create an unforgettable ambiance both on and off the stage and the girls (plus one dog) certainly rose to the challenge.

This year, an audacious challenge was put to the LIV and MIV Form for the Junior Production. The task was to have every single girl, regardless of ability, performing Shakespeare in the Delscey Burns Theatre during the same performance. The project was designed to cater for and accommodate all girls, and featured abridged versions of Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth,The Tempest and Hamlet.

Academic projects have been varied and diverse. The AS girls decided to join forces this year and stay as a whole class for their practical unit. The task was to follow the rehearsal process as described by a practitioner that the girls had researched.

Inspired by Peter Brook, the AS girls performed an excerpt from Diane Samuels’ Kindertransport, focusing on the transfer of Jews during WWII. The A2 girls undertook a different practical assignment and were challenged to write their own 20 minute production and create a play from scratch.

The girls explored the notion of nursing and performed two very mature and stimulating pieces. The theatre even had a glass cell built to house the wild and unspeakably haunting presence of Tabitha Ellis’ disturbed patient, Mary, in a chilling psychological drama.

LAMDA exams have once again proved to be very successful. The Drama Department offers LAMDA Grade lessons and examinations from Grade 3 to Grade 8 (Gold Medal) in Acting, The Speaking of Verse and Prose, and Musical Theatre. The training encourages and develops excellent communication and presentation skills, as well as acting skills, vocal and physical development, greater confidence and an abundance of transferable skills.

Most girls opted for Acting, and lessons were taught to girls as individuals or in paired duologues. The demand for LAMDA has been exceptionally strong and over half of the exams were graded over 80% - high distinctions - which is a fantastic achievement and I congratulate all of the girls on their success. I must also congratulate Eve Webster for being awarded a Drama Exhibition this year.

Ongoing links with RADA have been tremendously rewarding and we have established key liaisons with the prestigious Drama School. The Advanced Communication Course for the LVI Form - a series of workshops, seminars and training - provided the girls with communication skills that will be invaluable in their future, both for interviews and in the wider professional world. They learnt how to deliver presentations more effectively and develop greater personal presence. This year, it was once again a privilege to be in the audience on Showcase Day at RADA itself and travel on an emotional journey through presentations that ranged from being harrowing, medically controversial, thoughtprovoking and deeply moving. Esme Graham even managed to time her passionate talk encouraging the authorisation of 3-Human babies to be synchronised with its ruling in the House of Commons.

This year, we invited Trestle, the UK’s leading Physical Theatre Mask Education group, to St Mary’s to conduct a workshop that would culminate in staging a show at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015. The workshop was inspiring and Hebe Field, Anna MoneyKyrle and Romilly Stone were outstanding ambassadors for the school. They represented St Mary’s on the Royal Mile, performing A Comedy Sketch Show using the concept of Half Mask - a mask that exposes the mouth but conceals the rest of the face to encourage archetypal physical acting to be the engine of the performance.

Thank you to the St Mary’s community for a fabulous two years at the school from which I will take so many fond memories.

The support, enthusiasm and commitment to Drama has been magnificent. St Mary’s now welcomes the talented Miss Holly Darling to steer St Mary’s Drama towards new and exciting ventures and, with Miss Philippa Bradfield and the illustrious LAMDA team already raring to go with projects for 201516, there are certainly special times ahead for the Delscey Burns Theatre.

Mr Edward Cousens Director of Drama

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Reviews

LAMDA AUTUMN TERM Result

Name Description

Result

Amalie Herluf Macnaughtan Acting Duo Grade 4

Distinction

Agnes Arnold

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Maisie Medcalf

Acting Duo Grade 4

Distinction

Isabel Baker

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Gemma Enthoven

Musical Theatre Solo Grade 5

Merit

Elif Burkay

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Isabella Iversen

Acting Duo Grade 5

Distinction

Susannah Hirst

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Mary Petherick

Acting Solo Grade 5

Distinction

Pia Iversen

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Victoria Rassmuss

Acting Solo Grade 5

Distinction

Elsa Parker

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

TT Ward Thomas

Acting Duo Grade 5

Distinction

Bella Sharp

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Jemima Webb

Acting Solo Grade 5

Distinction

Poppy Thistlethwaite

Acting Solo Grade 3

Merit

Tesni Beautyman

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Tegen Dixon-Clarke

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Annabelle Bishop

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Lucy Fitzwilliam-Lay

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Felicity Challinor

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Pass

Cecilia Gerber

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Isabelle Cole

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Elizabeth Khvatova

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Gemma Enthoven

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Rose Morley

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Georgia Leaf

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Nazli Saatcioglu

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Clara Mallinckrodt

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Cali Stott

Acting Solo Grade 4

Merit

Evie Nicholson

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Gabriella Turton

Acting Solo Grade 4

Merit

Gracie Ward Thomas

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Frances Arnold

Acting Combined Grade 5

Merit

Sarah Gralla

Acting Solo Grade 7 - Silver Medal

Distinction

Zara Collier Baggs

Acting Solo Grade 5

Merit

Marina Jodrell

Acting Solo Grade 8 - Gold Medal

Distinction

Lauren Dunne

Acting Solo Grade 5

Merit

Lucy Fitzpatrick

Acting Combined Grade 5

Merit

Daisy Gray

Acting Solo Grade 5

Distinction

Katya Green

Acting Combined Grade 5

Merit

Rosie Horwood

Acting Combined Grade 5

Distinction

SUMMER TERM

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SPRING TERM

Name Description

Name Description

Result

Lila Bremner

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Jolie Ryan-Dawes

Acting Solo Grade 5

Distinction

Lily Bryant

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Grace Chambers

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Abbie Cowley

Acting Solo Grade 3

Merit

Eleanor Chelton

Musical Theatre Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Lara Keswick

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Imogen Davis

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Katherine Mackenzie-Yates Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Imogen Ellis

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Elizabeth Rutherford

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Jemima Madden

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Charlotte Slater

Acting Solo Grade 3

Distinction

Rachel McNeile

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Tabitha Clark

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Francesca Pullan

Musical Theatre Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Mirabelle Habib

Acting Solo Grade 4

Merit

Sophie Sood

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Georgina McLintock

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Sophie West

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Charlotte Newcombe

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Tilda White

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Merit

Lily Scott

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Juliet Baker

Acting Solo Grade 7 - Silver Medal

Merit

Kristina Wolf

Acting Solo Grade 4

Distinction

Naomi Green

Acting Solo Grade 7 - Silver Medal

Distinction

Kirsten Higgins

Acting Solo Grade 5

Distinction

Soseimiebi Ogan

Acting Solo Grade 7 - Silver Medal

Distinction

Nimi Majekodunmi

Acting Solo Grade 5

Merit

Yasmin Watling

Acting Solo Grade 7 - Silver Medal

Merit

Emily Sandbach

Acting Solo Grade 5

Distinction

Henrietta Page

Acting Solo Grade 8 - Gold Medal

Merit

Georgina Hope

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Amelia Jacobs

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Georgia Lane Fox

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Isobel Slater

Acting Duo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Alicia Whitaker

Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal

Distinction

Lucy Humphries

Acting Duo Grade 7 - Silver Medal

Distinction

Esme Lane Fox

Acting Solo Grade 7 - Silver Medal

Distinction

Carina Stephens

Acting Solo Grade 7 - Silver Medal

Distinction

Eve Webster

Acting Duo Grade 7 - Silver Medal

Distinction

Jessica Daley

Acting Duo Grade 8 - Gold Medal

Pass

Hebe Field

Acting Solo Grade 8 - Gold Medal

Distinction

Laura Steel

Acting Duo Grade 8 - Gold Medal

Merit

Trips & Expeditions - Duke of Edindburgh’s Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award provides voluntary activity programmes for girls aged 14 and above.

There are very strong DofE groups at St Mary’s, in which over half the girls in school participate. Nearly every girl does Bronze DofE in the UIV and LV Forms, many continuing to do Silver and, in the Sixth Form, Gold.

Four sections are completed at Bronze and Silver:Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition, in which participants choose activities to suit their individual interests.

At Gold, a Residential is added. At all DofE levels, participants devise a wealth of ingenious fundraising activities for the Volunteering section. At Silver and Gold, many also choose to help in a local Primary School, visit the elderly or assist with Riding for the Disabled.

Girls are trained and prepared in school for their Expeditions, developing their organisational, teamwork and leadership skills, and learning to cope with challenges and adversity. Expedition training includes a First Aid Course for all new participants. At Bronze, expeditions last a weekend and run locally; at Gold they last four days in ‘wild country’. Whilst many girls choose to walk, riding with a specialist trekking company is possible for Gold and competent sailors may be able to join an open Gold sailing venture.

DofE participation offers many rewards, among them the friendships made, the memories shared and the reward of achieving a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.

Our final expedition in Ap ril began with a trip in the minibus to our starting point at Beckhamp ton. We were excited an d slightly concerned about our well-prepped ex cursion and eager to get to the first check point but, after realising tha t the check point was a litt le fur ther than anticipated, we decided tha t a snack break would be necessary.

Once refuelled, we march ed off on the next part of our walk and we re delighted when it was finally time for lun ch. After finishing our sandwiches and pre -cooked pasta, we undertook several hours walking to our camp at Wilcot, with fre quent munching giving us the energy we needed.

A sigh of relief was shared when we arrived at the campsite. After wo rking out the best place to set up camp, we split up - half of us put up the tents whilst the others prepared yummy tomato pasta. Aft er a long day, we climbed into our sleeping bags for the night.

Bright and early, at about 7am, we scrubbed pots and pans half a dozen times, before finally satisfying Mrs Thom pson’s high standards, and we set off on our final day.

We trekked through wo ods, fields filled with cows, up and down hills and admired the beautiful views on our way to Urchfont.

After walking for six hou rs, devouring six boxes of ‘nutri’ bars and wrecking one pair of shoes, we were more than ready to take a seat in the minibus.

Georgia Lane Fox and Rac hel McNeile LV Form

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Trips & Expeditions - Duke of Edindburgh’s Award

Spring Term e th f o d n e e th t a th June for ctice expedition ra p 7 2 r u n o o d y rl te a le e p t u m o Having co e UV Form set th f o lf a h t u o b a r, e inal Expedition.

F r u o te le p m co in beautiful weath ould endeavour to w e w re e h w s, ip to say the least. d le b a ri a v the Men s a w r e th e days, the wea ter us, as most rly start did not de ea An e us Over the next thre re raring to go , but a pa perhill near Weston-Su We set out from Up ing ad on. Our map re Mare towards Blead and a compass that sty was still a little ru help site direction didn’t pointed in the oppo r te un co en ce an ch er a the situation but, aft we e er , we now knew wh with another group irits sp r ve we right path. Ho were - not on the s. ar be y mm gu by d along were still high, helpe g yin day in the heat carr Finally, after a long all the , ys da e re th for all we would need spite erdale Campsite, de teams found Neth in the ing ad he re ld we we many of us being to w ne Glastonbury! The r wrong direction for sso se as e swiftly before th tents were put up n te ea re we ns of pasta arrived and mountai another long day of for up g by all, fuellin pson thankfully came walking. Mrs Thom with her muchfew to the rescue of a of aftersun. appreciated supply

64

ed overnight The weather turn us to break camp in the rain allowed we continued west reasonably dry and en a Confusion arose wh towards Shipham. le of finished in the midd footpath seemingly h ug ro th y allowed us a field, but a kind lad ng alo ck tra us back on her garden, putting e terhouse. Then th ar Ch ar ne the ridge were s of ro rp te wa r ou d heavens opened an bly, ra se mi some failing put to the test with n he W . mp nts a tad da leaving the occupa gave ge rid e th ily, ar ment the rain stopped mo t rse across the Some us spectacular views n su e th , ed e the rain clear countryside. Onc xt ne r ou at we arrived dried us off just as uds rm. With dark clo Fa l hil rn Fe campsite, up t pu tance, tents were looming in the dis got we e was had befor in haste, but supper the night. into our tents for

and we teams broke camp possible departure t es rli ea at 7am, our s not slow the team time. Showers did le, our Ho y ke oo W for down as we headed the d where, hopefully, final destination an ing had ad re p Ma waiting. minibuses would be rrain d and all types of te finally been mastere p of to e ally, we were at th were covered. Fin o int wn do ent which led s the very steep desc ck ba s, kle an s, ee d, with kn Wookey village an n ow g, each found their and shoulders achin ed, we had finally finish way down. When m! ea cr with an ice we were rewarded Iona Westwood UV Form

After a dramatic practice expedition involving mountains and dense fog, I was apprehensive about our final expedition in the Lake District. Although we had to climb a never-ending mountain(s) on our first day in the July heat, the views were incredible and we had a good supply of Mars bars to keep us going. On the following days, we were subjected to rain and midges which made eating lunch rather difficult and made the paths around the lakes very slippery, but we were still able to enjoy the scenery: beautiful blue lakes and mountains. Our assessor cut short our longest and last day, which boosted morale for the final push - we left the mountains to walk along an old track, finishing all the food which we miraculously had left ove. Re-joining civilisation, we were welcomed with cookies!

Helen Boase LVI Form

On 2nd July, a gro up of LVI Form gir ls set off for the Lake Distric t to complete th eir Gold DofE Final Walking E xpedition.

On the first ni ght, the girls st ayed in Keswic and met their k assessor, who went through the safety brie fing, and the fo llowing morning the girls split in to two groups and began their four day expedition.

The girls faced some extremel y challenging routes, walking up steep mount ains, including Helvellyn, and ac ross some roug h terrain. One group walked ac ross towards U llswater, while the second grou p headed for Bu ttermere.

On the first da y it was hot, w hile the second day brought ra in and humid co nditions.

The girls walke d about 22km each day with heavy rucksack s which contai ned all of their kit – food, supp lies, tent and th eir clothing for the four da ys. They demon strated their resilience as they were m et by fresh challenges each day, climbing up to 2,000ft in difficult cond itions.

The girls used their micro-nav igations skills, often walking in low cloud, and they all completed the expedition with flying colours, with the assess or commentin g on how impressive they had been during the expedition.

Mrs Liz Thomps on Head of Outdo or Education

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Enrichment Weeks Enrichment Weeks have once again proven to be a roaring success. They provide the girls with the opportunity to demonstrate responsibility and support of others, and to develop leadership and communication skills. These weeks are also a time to raise awareness of global or local issues through social education or charitable endeavours. The variety of activities, guest speakers and trips has brought the curriculum alive for girls in the Fourth Form and they have achieved a great deal during these unique experiences.

Autumn Term

The Centenary of World War I In August 2014, the world marked the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. Why should we remember?

Why should we stop and think about those events that happened so long ago? These were the questions addressed by the girls.

The First World War was a turning point in world history. It claimed the lives of over 16 million people across the globe and had a huge impact on those who experienced it. It was the first real instance of total war. Whole nations were pitted against each other; millions of men fought on 66

land, at sea and in the air; modern weaponry caused mass casualties and civilian populations suffered hardships and came under threat of enemy attack. The war and its consequences shaped much of the 20th century, and the impact of it can still be felt today. Now, 100 years after it began, we are ensuring that those who lived, fought and served during the years 1914-18 are remembered.

The UIV Form visited the battlefields of Flanders with the History Department (see page 26), whilst the LIV and MIV Form took part in activities closer to home. They were drilled in real WWI PT by a local Cadet Officer, visited

Bletchley Park and Bovington Tank Museum, worked with acclaimed puppeteers from the cinematic adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse, and heard ‘first-hand’ accounts of wartime life from actors playing the roles of trench soldiers or front line nurses.

For the celebration assembly at the conclusion of Enrichment Week, some girls wrote war poetry, some devised short plays, some completed artwork and others created ICT presentations related to an aspect of the week’s activities, and each Company gave a ten minute presentation on a selection of the projects for Company points.

News

Spring Term

The Seven Attributes of Learning This Enrichment Week was a little different: the onus to get the most out of the experiences rested with the girls and, rather than building towards a Company-based celebration, the girls were expected to take a more dynamic and academic approach and make more decisions for themselves.

Enrichment should not feel like normal lessons but it should still feel like learning, and so the girls were asked to complete a unique and exciting group project built around a learning experience from the week that had inspired them. These projects were then presented in a fantastic assembly on the last day of term. This model is one normally reserved for the upper school, but the Fourth Form rose to the challenge.

During the week, the girls had experiences as diverse as judging in the trial of King John, learning about the history and trade of chocolate with master chocolatiers, film school, writing and illustrating stories in a foreign language, learning about Romans in Caerleon and trying out jazz funk dance moves. Each activity was expertly crafted to develop one or more of the seven learning attributes.

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SUMMER Term The Summer Term week allowed greater flexibility for longstanding trips, such as the LIV Form week in Bude, whilst the MIV and UIV Form girls had the opportunity to partake in a wide array of activities designed to enrich their learning experience. The UIV Form spent two days at the Eden Project learning about plants, evolution and other cultures, and they also investigated how IT is used to run Paultons Park. The MIV Form went to the Black Country Living Museum with the History Department to learn about the industrial revolution from the actors who staff the museum; they did Geography coastal fieldwork at Durdle Door in Dorset; and they went to an air museum with the Maths Department.

At school, the MIV Form took part in a Hinduism workshop which saw Top Hall transformed into a temple, and the MIV and UIV Form girls participated in a STEM challenge in which they designed a bow and arrow and a catapult to launch unboiled eggs!

Mr Dan Curran Director of Enrichment

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Public Speaking In January, St Mary’s took part in the English Speaking Union’s Public Speaking Competition.

It was the first time that we had entered this prestigious event and, after several weeks of learning the rules of the competition and practising in their different roles of Speaker, Chair and Questioner, Jessica Westwood, Athina Hostelet and Alice Wade (LV Form) travelled to Stonar School to compete.

Nerves were quickly settled as the girls had the opportunity to mingle with the other competitors before taking to the stage. Jessica gave a superb speech on The more freedom we enjoy, the greater the responsibility we bear and she raised many thought-provoking points that generated lots of contentious questions from the opposition and audience. She was confidently able to respond to each of them – no easy feat! It was then the turn of Athina and Alice to take part in their round. Athina opened the proceedings in an enthusiastic and bright manner. She was an efficient, attentive and thoughtful Chair, whose attention to detail ensured that she was always in control.

Alice was invited to question a speaker who had spoken on Film has lost its originality and she rose to the challenge – her questions demonstrated a sharp understanding of the subject and she was able to put the speaker under pressure.

performance and should be congratulated on their hard work.

“I thought that it was a great experience hearing these probing topics discussed, especially the ones Clara and I had to introduce and question: ‘The prison system is racism with a 21st century face’. Alice talked amazingly about the topic of ‘National sports teams should reflect the diversity of the nation’; she was clear, articulate and to the point. We all worked very hard to prepare for this competition and learnt a lot from this experience.” Athina Miss Lianne Aherne Head of Sixth Form

In the Spring Term, two teams of UIV Form girls took part in the Chippenham Rotary Club’s Youth Speaks Public Speaking Competition, held at Sheldon School. The girls had not competed in public speaking before, so there were some nerves, especially as the teams from Sheldon had participated in the competition for three years running - so we were up against seasoned professionals!

All three girls executed their roles brilliantly, which led to them being victorious! They had some excellent feedback from the judges as well as some top tips for building on this success as they advanced into the South West Regional Final.

March saw Alice and Clara Wade and Athina Hostelet (LV Form) set off with Father Jonathan and I for Blundell’s School in Tiverton, Devon for the South West Regional Final. Although not victorious on this occasion, the girls gave a very solid

Team B (Zara Collier Baggs, Isabella Iversen and Camilla Lewin) spoke passionately on The Pressures on Teenage Girls. Team B came second, with Zara receiving a special prize for the ‘most outstanding contribution’ to the competition.

Following the success of our younger teams, on 5th February, it was the turn of Jemima Madden, Isobel Slater and Maiya Roberts (LV Form) to compete in the senior level of the Chippenham Rotary Club’s Youth Speaks Public Speaking Competition, held at Sheldon School. There were six other teams competing - mostly 18 year olds, with a mix of pupils from both independent and state schools - and competition was of an incredibly high standard.

Team A (Frances Arnold, Elif Burkay and Bella Seymour) went first with their speech on The Pros and Cons of Toddler Beauty Pageants, and

The girls were delighted to be awarded first place and they were praised for their team work, eloquence and ability to tackle the serious issue of euthanasia so well. Further to their success, the girls put on a sterling performance in the Youth Speaks public speaking district semi-final on 10th February.

Unfortunately, we were not victorious this time, but we will return next year with renewed vigour and an in-depth knowledge of the nuances of the competition.

Huge congratulations to all the girls for their hard work and dedication.

Miss Rebekah Lord English Teacher 69

Sports Reports

Athletics We have had another incredibly busy and successful season of athletics. In a full and demanding Summer Term of sport, St Mary’s athletes have produced some outstanding individual and team performances.

Success relies on dedication and commitment to training; many of our athletes took advantage of the winter sessions on offer and so their transition to the track and field events was certainly easier. In particular, our middle distance athletes benefited from the increased endurance training and cross country competitions, and we have real depth across the 800m and 1500m events with some older girls running or considering 3k.

We are fortunate to be able to offer regular evening training in the Summer Term and it was pleasing to see so many attending and improving their technique, speed and stamina across all events. This season, we held our first meets at Beversbrook. Having a 400m track is a definite bonus and all schools who attended enjoyed the new facilities.

With so much space available, there is greater flexibility for the events and improved viewing for both athletes and spectators. Athletics relies on role models and, at the moment, we are fortunate in the UK to have many positive female role

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models in the sport but, more importantly, in school it is our own athletes who set the standard and act as role models for others particularly in the younger years. With increased numbers participating in athletics at St Mary’s, we now have real depth and quality across the board and these girls at the top of their event undoubtedly encourage others to get involved.

Friendly meets are the perfect place for large numbers of athletes from all years to compete and develop their skills in their preferred events; it also allows them to learn the rules of competition without the additional pressure experienced at the higher level events.

As well as taking part in a number of successful friendly meets, the girls competed at the ESAA Track and Field County Championships.

Caroline Brenchley (800m), Grace Chambers (high jump) and Yasmin Watling (1500m) were subsequently selected to represent Wiltshire at the ESAA South West Regional Track & Field Championships in Exeter.

At the first round of the ESAA Track and Field Cup, the Inter Girls won with a score of 353 points and the Junior Team won with a score of 312 points. As a result, the Junior Team qualified for the Regional B Final and, for the very first time, the Inter Girls qualified for the Regional A Final. The Junior Girls were unable to attend; however, the Inter Girls Team put in some notable performances: Grace Chambers in the High Jump 1.62m; Alicia Whitaker with a new PB in the Javelin 30.87m and 46.8 in the 300m; Ariana Watling 28.5 in the 200m; Caroline Brenchley 2:33.2 in the 800m; Flora Guy and Amelia Jacobs both 13.9 in the Hurdles, with Flora also achieving 4.43m in the Long Jump; and Lucy Fitzpatrick 5:27.8 in the 1500m. The team finished in 8th place with a score of 346 points, just below their County score - a very positive performance at this level.

The LV Form competed at the North Wiltshire Inter Schools Championships, in which you can only enter one athlete per

event and each athlete can only do one event and the relay. With first and second place finishes in a number of events, the team finished with a significant score and claimed first place in the competition.

ESAA Combined Events Championships Somerset Combined Event Championships – Invitation Caroline Brenchley scored 1945 points and finished 17th overall in the Junior Girls Pentathlon ESAA County Pentathlon & Quadrathlon St Mary’s entered teams in the U12 Quadrathlon (100m, long jump, shot, 800m) and the U13 & U14 Pentathlon (hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot & 800m) U14 Team: Caroline Brenchley 2nd Silver Medallist, Arabella Fane 6th & Effie Dollar 11th - Team 2nd U13 Team: Ella Malik 6th, Annabel Fenton 7th & Hebe Edgar 10th - Team 2nd U12 Team: Susannah Hirst 3rd Bronze Medallist, Katherine Mackenzie-Yates 11th & Polly Mallinson 12th - Team 3rd ESAA South West Regional Combined Event Championships As a result of her score at the County Championships, Caroline Brenchley was selected to compete for Wiltshire at the South West Regional Championships. She was one of four in the Junior Girls Team competing in the Pentathlon. Caroline finished in 16th place with a score of 2228 points and the Wiltshire Team finished 4th overall.

Mrs Sally Hornby Athletics Coach

Fencing

SWIMMING

In March, 13 girls competed in The Public Schools’ Fencing Competition at Crystal Palace. There were over 50 schools participating from all over the country, with many international fencers.

The season started with the English Schools’ Relay Championships at Millfield; all the girls performed to the best of their ability, with a number of personal bests against tough competition. During the rest of the year, all age groups competed against other schools, including Stonar, Dauntsey’s, Sheldon and Godolphin, with outstanding results.

We had five girls in the Mount Haes Section, six girls in the Junior Section and two in the Senior Section. The girls were put into poules and had to fight every girl in their poule to progress to the next round. We had a great start: four out of five went through to the second round in the Mount Haes – Harriet Austin, Tegen DixonClarke, Annabel Fenton and Davina Gray. In the Junior Section, we also had four out of five through – Imogen Davis, Helena Gray, Gabby Mutch,Victoria Rassmuss and Alice Wade. In the Senior Section, Helena Boase fought well to get through to the second round, which was a big challenge as most of the girls were experienced international fencers.

The second rounds were a lot tougher; the girls had to be the first to reach five points in three minutes. It is a very mental and physical sport and, after three minutes’ fencing, you can be exhausted! Annabel and Tegen went through to the last 32 in the Mount Haes Section, as did Helena and Imogen in the Junior Section.

The knock-out rounds were really hard and the girls were coming up against stiff competition - they had to be the first to 15 points in four minute fights, with a one minute rest. Helena, Imogen and Tegen put up a good fight but were beaten. Annabel competed with grit and determination and won her fight, finishing in the last 16 - a fantastic result.

Mrs Natalie Baldwin Head of Activities and PE Teacher

During the Spring Term, the Fourth Form completed a sponsored swim for charity. Many of the girls completed over 90 lengths (some 100!) during their 45 minute swim.

There have been some enormous improvements over the year in both junior and senior groups, and some outstanding swimmers, but I must single out two girls for their remarkable achievements: Felicity Challinor, who swam the English Channel as part of a relay team for the second time, raising over £1,350 for Diabetes UK in the process; and Verity Page, who took home numerous medals (including two gold) and a trophy from the ASA National Synchronised Swimming Championships in May. New Colours: Arabella Fane, Jemima Webb; New Half Colours: Caroline Brenchley, Annabel Fenton, Charlotte Fenton, Olivia Guy, Robin Harker, Katherine Mackenzie-Yates, Georgina McLintock, Henrietta Page, Lizzie Roughton, Kristina Wolf. Highly Commended: Phoebe Aldridge, Isabella Fielden-Page, Molly Marvin, Annabel Pedgley, Elizabeth Rutherford, Gabriella Turton, Iona Westwood and Jessica Westwood.

Mrs Liz Thompson Swimming Coach

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Reviews

Music Music has always provided the heartbeat to life at St Mary’s and 2014 -15 has been no exception: a year of challenging, fun and memorable musical occasions.

In September, Opera Ensemble, with their Musical Director Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar assisted by Mrs Hilary Malcolm, took part in several important events in the community, giving moving performances of WWI themed music during St Margaret’s Culture Week and taking part in the Royal Wootton Bassett British Legion Service of Remembrance.

The ensemble ably supported the inaugural Choral Competition at the Mary Howard Foundation in Hullavington, which was attended by numerous parents. They also joined forces with Trio Paradis in a dramatic recital in Chapel as part of the Lecture Series, depicting the roles women played in WWI. The annual Jazz Café celebrated a variety of popular music in Top Hall in November. With the artistic input of the Music Secretary, Mrs Joanna Black, a magical ambience for the singers and instrumentalists was artistically created, which the girls and parents warmly appreciated and enjoyed. This was the largest Jazz Café to date, involving 100 girls and excellent community and parental attendance.

The Music Department continued to forge strong links with Bath Abbey, with Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar representing St Mary’s as Vocal Consultant to the Girls’ and Boys’ Choirs, and Vocal Coach to the Junior Choir, Melody Makers. It was a delight to invite Mr Shean Bowers (Assistant Director of Music 72

and Choral Director for Schools at Bath Abbey) to adjudicate the Fourth Form Music Festival and act as organist for the Confirmation and Carol Services. The music at both events reflected the strong teamwork in the Department, combining instrumental and vocal repertoire with artistic programming. Mr Robin Nelson conducted the invigorated Chamber Choir with panache, Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar led a spirited Junior Choir performance and Mrs Sarah Loveridge directed the impressive String Sinfonia.

Junior Choir visited Marden Court, Calne in December, and delighted the residents once again with a festive selection of solos and choral items under the musical direction of Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar. These energetic musicians were also treated to a Press Preview Performance of an exciting new musical by Thomas Hewitt Jones at the Egg Theatre, Bath. Rumpelstiltskin was heartily enjoyed and links with celebrity composer Hewitt Jones are currently being forged.

Orchestral Inspirations gave the instrumentalists of St Mary’s a significant chance to shine in concert. The appreciative audience were delighted by Mrs Sarah Loveridge’s initiative to secure a platform for the talented instrumentalists of the school.

The Spring Term got off to a thrilling start with Cantabile II in aid of The Armed Forces Fund. The programme included a diverse range of repertoire from the Treorchy Male Choir, St Margaret’s Preparatory School Chamber Choir, and St Mary’s Chamber

Choir, Opera Ensemble and String Sinfonia.

There were also moving readings and an address by Brigadier Greville Bibby CBE, and the evening’s events were introduced masterfully

by BBC Radio 3’s Petroc Trelawny.

The second half of the Spring Term was studded with various performances and opportunities for the girls. To begin, since those in our UV and LVI Form classes were working towards their final GCSE and A Level performances, they were invited to participate in a Performance Nerves Masterclass. Led by Old Girl Charlotte Tomlinson, now an international concert artist and performance coach, four girls were invited to perform in front of an audience of friends, and they received invaluable advice and encouragement.

On 27th February, St Mary’s Concert Artists presented a wonderful evening of song at St Martin’s Church, Bremhill, masterminded

by Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar. A good size audience was entertained by the girls, who sang a variety of solo, duet and ensemble pieces, and all present joined in with rousing performances of favourites such as Roses of Picardy in the final set. The girls were very well-received by the local and church communities, and were duly fed with homemade canapés in the reception which followed! The next day, we treated the UIV Form girls to a spellbinding performance of the hit musical Hairspray at the Theatre Royal, Bath, co-ordinated by Mrs Alison Porter, and the girls returned to school with renewed enthusiasm for singing and performing.

The crowning glory of the term, the Spring Concert, presented a plethora of musical delights, ranging from Tchaikovsky’s Scenes from Swan Lake, to Chuck Rio’s catchy Tequila, with Strauss’ Radetzky March and a moving performance of Verdi’s Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves thrown into the mix. Parents, staff and visitors commented on how much they had enjoyed the variety of different genres and on how well the girls had done to achieve such a high standard. An accolade from former Acting Director of Music, Mr Robin Nelson: ‘the girls’ ability to memorise whole chunks of music makes their performing so open and direct’. To finish the evening, UVI Formers Marina Jodrell and Millie Marriott Webb had arranged and rehearsed Clean Bandit’s charttopper Rather Be for the ensemble finale, and they executed the performance with much gusto, not to mention plenty of dancing.

Fundraising for the St Mary’s Performing Arts Centre got off to a promising start, with donations of just under £1,000.

We were delighted to receive an invitation to perform at the British Empire Medal Ceremony at Bowood House on 16th March.

Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar and Concert Artists presented an engaging selection of music, including O Peaceful England from Merrie England by Edward German.

Sarah Troughton, the Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire, wrote afterwards that the girls are ‘a seriously talented group and listening to them was hugely enjoyable and very moving’. International operatic contralto Hilary Summers was the guest speaker at the Golden Lily Awards on 21st April. She serenaded the girls with Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen and gave an inspirational talk on pursuing a love of and career in the Arts.

In a collaboration with the close-harmony group KESMen from King Edward’s School, Bath, St Mary’s Concert Artists performed a range of popular songs and combined items in Chapel on 24th April, culminating in a finger-clicking rendition of Summer Nights from Grease and Do You Hear the People Sing? from Les Misérables. The link, forged by Mrs

Bethan Dudley Fryar, is one we look to continue and augment in the future.

On 27th April, Mr Shean Bowers returned to lead a choral workshop with the Chamber Choir on Victoria’s renaissance motet Duo seraphim, for the Commemoration Service on Founders’ Day. The girls focused very well and made notable progress during the session. We look forward to developing the department’s link with the Abbey still further.

On 30th April, we gave our third annual Instrumental Concert Artists’ Concert at St Andrew’s Church in Chippenham. The evening began with our highly accomplished Calne Symphony Orchestra performing Strauss’ rousing Radetzky March, under my direction, before accompanying Gefei Yin as piano soloist in a poised and polished performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C Minor. The String Sinfonia, directed by Mrs Sarah Loveridge, performed Bach’s Violin Concerto, featuring Mr James Allard on solo marimba, as well as selections from Swan Lake and Phantom of the Opera. The Clarinet Ensemble gave a beautiful and colourful performance of Moon River led by Mr Simon Parker, and the Sixth Form String Quartet performed a stylish Minuet by Beethoven.

Particular congratulations should go to Susannah Gibbin and Lizzie Prater, who directed small ensembles in the world premieres of their AS compositions based on the theme ‘River’s Journey’. The concert concluded with the Calne Symphony Orchestra’s dramatic performance of music from The Lord of the Rings and a special arrangement of Short Ride in a Fast Machine, which raised the roof with excitement and energy. After the concert, all of the performers enjoyed a well-deserved trip to Pizza Express to celebrate another wonderful year of instrumental music at St Mary’s.

On 13th May, Junior Choir, along with their Musical Directors Mrs Alison Porter and Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar, visited Marden Court Residential Home in Calne. Miss Anna Callanan accompanied beautifully as the junior singers and instrumentalists performed their favourite pieces from their recent examination successes with Trinity and the Associated Board. Cecilia Gerber opened the concert with James Bond theme tunes on the trumpet; Katherine Mackenzie-Yates and Lauren Wiltshire sang a folk song duet; Iona Aylwin beautifully led Castle in a Cloud; Kristina Wolf performed I dreamed a dream with intensity; Jolie Ryan-Dawes delivered a poised Thiman song; Belinda Harrison entranced with a flute solo; and Isabella Fielden-Page sang her favourite song from Annie. The lunchtime enjoyment came to an

end with a thoughtful performance of Imagine by the choir and the girls were warmly received before a quick walk back to school.

Music was an integral and uplifting part of Founders’ Day, starting with the Chamber Choir’s very moving rendition of Gabriel Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine and harmonious As I went down to the river to pray in the church service, under my direction. Guests were then treated to some superb UVI Leavers’ Performances in the Music Marquee prior to lunch. Betty Mak and Gefei Yin set the scene with a polished performance of Anitra’s Dance by Gynt, followed by a beautiful duet by Maria Perry and Polly Roberts. Marina Jodrell gave a deeply heartfelt and powerful performance of Duffy’s Warwick Avenue, with Mrs Sarah Loveridge, Miss Anna Callanan and the String Sinfonia providing a dramatic accompaniment.

Later in the day, the Sinfonietta delighted the audience with Let it Go from Frozen, and an energetic performance of Abba’s Mamma Mia, and the Fifth Form String Quartet gave a beautiful performance of The Sound of Music.

Members of St Mary’s Chamber Choir joined with Marlborough College Chamber Choir to present ‘Music for a Summer’s Evening’ at Edington Priory on the balmy evening of Thursday 25th June. An exciting programme of a cappella spirituals, renaissance polyphony, Victorian anthems and music associated with World War I, led to a barbershop-infused finale under my direction and that of Mr Alexander Hodgkinson, Choirmaster at Marlborough College. Impressively, the choirs performed many items together, having met for the first time only that afternoon. They enjoyed the generous acoustic of the Priory and the sounds from the newly-installed Harrison & Harrison organ. Special mention goes to Maia Jarvis, who performed Sibelius’s Romance Op.9 no. 42 supremely beautifully and from memory. A plentiful and appreciative audience raised much-needed funds for the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust.

The musical year was brought to a close with a recital by our Musician in Residence, Miss Anna Callanan. She performed an expertlycrafted programme of solo piano and ensemble repertoire, touching on the works of Chopin, Debussy, Haydn, Schumann, Grieg and Weill, and included her own arrangement of Ashokan Farewell and The Ludlows. Stunning performances by members of the Music Department added sparkle and the audience delighted in an evening of splendidly evocative musical performances – it was a moving and fitting end to the year.

Mrs Rebecca Cavill Director of Music

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Reviews

MUSIC EXAMINATIONS ABRSM Examinations Autumn Term 2014 Name Georgina Auvray Grace Oge-Evans Alexandra Tsylnitska Jamie Chen Harriet Jackson Lucy Jefford Elisabeth Wolf Jazz Wong Caroline Brenchley Kirsten Higgins Rachel McNeile Katharine Stone Tilda White Tesni Beautyman Felicity Challinor Eleanor Chelton Isabella Depla Esme Graham Maia Jarvis Shubha Shetty Maia Jarvis Annabel Sumner Annabel Sumner Aimee Tian Sassie Patel Joyce Lam Gefei Yin

Instrument Piano Piano Piano Singing Singing Singing Piano Singing Singing Singing Piano Violin Singing Theory Violin Singing Singing Theory Singing Theory Violin Singing Piano Violin Cello Piano Piano

Grade 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 8 8 8

Result Distinction Pass Distinction Pass Merit Pass Pass Distinction Merit Pass Pass Pass Distinction Pass Pass Merit Pass Merit Distinction Distinction Merit Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass

ABRSM Examinations Spring Term 2015 Name Thea Hine Agnes Arnold Georgina Auvray Charlotte Slater Poppy Thistlethwaite Alexandra Tsylnitska Iona Aylwin Abbie Cowley Lucy Humphries Katherine Mackenzie-Yates Betty Mak Molly Marvin Charlotte Slater Belinda Harrison Rachel McNeile Jemima Madden Polly Mallinson Tatiana Parr Clementine Trelawny Lucia Vint Elisabeth Wolf Ziwen Xu Frances Arnold Imogen Davies Camilla Lewin Verity Page Annabel Sumner Tesni Beautyman Chloe Hutton Luana Sharp Shubha Shetty Hannah McLintock Verity Page Jess Patel Jess Patel Chloe Hutton Maia Jarvis Amelia Saer

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Instrument Flute Piano Piano Piano Singing Piano Singing Piano Piano Singing Singing Singing Singing Flute Singing Singing Clarinet Singing Singing Singing Violin Piano Piano Singing Theory Bassoon Bassoon Singing Oboe Piano Violin Piano Clarinet Piano Singing Piano Piano Singing

Grade 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8

ABRSM Examinations Summer Term 2015 Result Merit Distinction Merit Merit Pass Distinction Pass Merit Pass Pass Distinction Pass Pass Pass Distinction Distinction Pass Pass Merit Merit Pass Merit Merit Merit Pass Pass Pass Merit Pass Pass Merit Pass Merit Pass Distinction Pass Distinction Merit

Name Roberta Han Cecilia Gerber Ana Thompson Perea Melanie Low Molly Marvin Katya Green Rosie Horwood Rachel McNeile Frances Arnold Shubha Shetty Bonnie Bartlett

Instrument Violin Singing Piano Flute Clarinet Alto Saxophone Piano Piano Singing Flute Singing

Grade 1 1 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 6 7

Result Distinction Merit Pass Merit Pass Pass Pass Distinction Pass Distinction Distinction

LONDON COLLEGE OF MUSIC Summer Term 2015

LONDON COLLEGE OF MUSIC Autumn Term 2014 Name Amalie Herluf Macnaughtan Gaby Mutch Daisy Gray Georgina Haynes

Exam Music Theatre Music Theatre Music Theatre Popular Music Vocals

Grade 2 4 6 7

Result Distinction Distinction Distinction Pass

TRINITY COLLEGE LONDON Autumn Term 2014 Name Georgina Auvray Louise Charlesworth-Herbert Gemma Enthoven Emily Sandbach Anna Money-Kyrle Jessica Westwood Emily Peel Eve Webster Helena Boase Isolde Crichton-Watt Hannah Drew Annabel Dring Hope Pleydell-Bouverie

Exam French Horn Trumpet French Horn Singing Singing Cello Singing Singing Clarinet Flute Singing Singing Singing

Grade 2 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 7 7 7

Result Pass Pass Pass Distinction Merit Distinction Distinction Distinction Merit Distinction Distinction Merit Distinction

Name

Exam

Grade

Result

Amalie Herluf MacNaughtan Gaby Mutch Emily Sandbach Sophie Sood Alicia Whitaker

Music Theatre Music Theatre Music Theatre Music Theatre Music Theatre

3 5 5 6 6

Merit Distinction Distinction Merit Merit

TRINITY COLLEGE LONDON Summer Term 2015 Name Isabel Baker Cecilia Gerber Rosie Horwood Joanna Kim Ella Malik Maisie Medcalf Lauren Wiltshire Mirabel Habib Rosie Norman Jolie Ryan-Dawes Eve Webster Caroline Brenchley Grace Chambers Lucy Fitzpatrick Camilla Lewin Tilda White Amelia Jacobs Georgia Murdoch Marina Vestbirk Eliza Leng Ariana Watling

Instrument Singing Trumpet Piano Singing Singing Singing Singing Saxophone Flute Singing Piano Singing Flute Cornet Clarinet Singing Singing Singing Clarinet Singing Singing

Grade 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 7 7 IC IC

Result Merit Merit Distinction Distinction Merit Pass Distinction Pass Pass Distinction Merit Pass Merit Merit Merit Merit Pass Pass Merit Distinction Distinction

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Sports Reports

Lacrosse The 2014 -15 lacrosse season was one of progress, passion, pride and trophies, but it was not all about winning.

It was the first season that we ran a full fixture list for a 3rd Team and what a team they proved to be. We created a fast, determined and increasingly skilful U14C Team, and our U15B and U14B Teams continued to challenge other schools’ A Teams in a quest for more matches. Our move to the new home ground at Beversbrook was well-received; beautifully manicured pitches being rested mid-week, changing rooms for us and for visiting teams, along with parking, gave us more space to welcome players and spectators - although I gather it is not the warmest part of Wiltshire for a supporter!

Our first trophies of the Autumn Term were won at the Welsh Rally at Haberdashers’ Monmouth, not only by the 2nds, who quickly showed their cohesive strength, but also the U15As, who retained the trophy for the third year in a row. This was followed by the County Lacrosse Tournament.

In recent years, Godolphin has dominated the seniors and, although our 1sts were initially hesitant, they soon stepped up, ran hard, created fast breaks and took advantage of clinical passing to play some fantastic lacrosse, winning 8-4. Naturally elated, they nearly lost all composure against Marlborough; one goal down at half time, it was the final minute before we eventually scored the winner to become County Champions. The 2nds meanwhile scored 42 goals in their four matches, conceding only three and winning the County title in style.

Sherborne U15s were the team to beat at that level and, with two wins in the bag against Godolphin and Marlborough, there was everything to play for. A goal down at half time, the U15s showed true grit and determination, scoring two goals to take the

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lead as the clock ran down, retaining the U15 County Cup. Our U15B and U14B Teams were also unbeaten, whilst the U14A and 3rd Teams were County runners-up (the 3rds in the 2nd Team tournament). A truly exciting day!

As we steadily work our way up the South West rankings, there is always much at stake at the Schools Tournaments. In October, it was the seniors’ turn and, for the first time, we entered three teams. The 1sts two toughest matches against Downe House and Haberdashers’ could have gone either way, but left us just short of the top division. With a real chance to win the 1st division, we were looking on form right up until the last match, but sadly inaccuracies crept in with fatigue and we finished one goal short of the trophy. However, it was the 2nds and 3rds who triumphantly flew the St Mary’s flag. The 2nds qualified for the top division (the 3rds playing in the 2nd Team tournament nearly did too); they were unbeaten in the afternoon but, with two draws, the tournament was decided on goal average and St Swithun’s (with whom we drew 2-2) took the title. Our margins of loss get ever smaller.

In February, it was the turn of the U15s and U14s.

The U15s won all of their matches in the morning, qualifying for the play-offs with the top five schools.

With wins against Sherborne and Godolphin, and an exciting draw with St Swithun’s, they then had the majority of possession and several attempts on target against Downe House, only to concede a runaway goal to finish as runners-up in the South West. The U14s finally beat their nemesis Godolphin in the morning, only to lose to them in the afternoon, coming 3rd.

The U13 and U12 South West Schools fell on our March Exeat this year, but we still fielded two very strong teams and, on a glorious day at Westonbirt, we nearly pulled off a momentous double victory. The U13s started very well, going two goals up against last years’ winners Queen Anne’s, only to allow them back into the match to equalise.

This gave them the kick they needed and they won the next three matches, earning a place in the premier division. Each team then lost one match and, once again, the goal formula decided the overall winner. We were short and it was our missed chances in front of goal which left us runners-up in the South West - still a creditable achievement. The U12s had been unbeaten all term but, with a slightly depleted team, would they have enough legs to get them through the day? They made an impressive start and went into the afternoon as winners of the section. The first match against section one winners St Swithun’s looked like it was going to be the toughest match, but we threw everything at the game and, with the scores level with seconds to go, we dug deep and found the back of the net with what proved to be the crucial goal. We then went on to draw with Downe House, conceding an equalising goal in the dying seconds and, with legs tiring, our victory over St Bart’s was not pretty, but, fortunately, we did enough to win the match and the U12 premiership division and were crowned very worthy South West Lacrosse Champions.

Dorset and Wiltshire Se le

ction

REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS 2014-2015 U17 England Academy Jemima Brown Iona Westwood U17 Regional Academy Amelia Jacobs Jessamy Money-Kyrle Jessica Westwood U15 Regional Academy Caroline Brenchley Amelia Hatlapa Ella Malik U19 South West Squad Jemima Brown Emily FitzPatrick Georgina Higgins (unavailable) Laura Steel Iona Westwood

U19A XII Bonnie Bartlett Jemima Brown Emily FitzPatric k Georgina Higgi ns Isobel Smith Laura Steel Iona Westwoo d U19B XII Jessica Enthoven Jess Patel Sassie Patel Juliet Purdy Charlotte Pate rson U15A XII Helena Gray Amelia Jacobs Georgia Lane-F ox Jessamy Money -Kyrle Gaby Mutch Victoria Rassm uss Isobel Slater Ariana Watling Jessica Westwoo d U15B XII Imogen Davis Thea Dillon Olivia Guy Sophie Pratt Sophie West

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Some of our UVI Form opted out of county trials this year to concentrate on their studies, but we still had 22 players selected for Dorset and Wiltshire and, in November, the U19 and U15 county teams gelled quickly to produce some excellent lacrosse at the South West Counties Tournament. The rest of the term consisted of competitive and hard fought full length matches for all. The 1sts finally overcame Haberdashers’ (9-8), our U15B Team beat Habs U15A Team and our U14B beat Sherborne U14A. We secured a tough fixture against Guildford High and, although the 3rds were the only team to win (against the team who went on to win Nationals Schools at 3rd Team level), we competed and learnt much from the experience. Our usual fixture against Queen Anne’s brought elation and frustration: the 1sts revelled in a 5-4 victory after an exceptional first half performance, despite a strong comeback from QAS; the 3rds and B Teams won; but the U15s and U13s matches were disappointingly affected by illness at Queen Anne’s end.

The first weekend of the Spring Term saw some remarkable play against Downe House: it was the first time that all three junior A Teams won and, in our first U14C match, we narrowly missed out in an 8-9 thriller.

Meanwhile, the 1sts and U15s enjoyed a tense and competitive tournament against six other schools. The 1sts strung together four impressive performances and were unbeaten right up until their last match. After a disappointing draw against Berkhamsted, we lost momentum, allowing Downe House too much space, leaving us 3rd overall. On 17th January, we enjoyed a 100% success rate: all A Teams beat St Bartholomew’s and the B Teams secured wins against Heathfield A Teams with some very impressive play, especially the 2nds who beat their 1st Team.

As we edged ever closer the National

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up for the challenge. We marked tightly and caused turnovers but, as Guildford scored first, heads dropped and errors crept in, and Guildford went on to win the tournament.

Lacross

Schools Tournament, it was safe to say all teams were in good shape.

Regrettably, however, all seven teams entered into the Rathbones National Schools Championships came away feeling that they had fallen slightly short. As our opponents give us greater respect, we become the team they need to beat and winning becomes harder. Our margins of loss were small and yet they made all the difference.

The 1sts found themselves in a tough section and our 2-3 defeat by Wycombe Abbey, the eventual premiership champions, illustrates just how close it has become.

Day 2 dawned and, with egos nursed, we were ready for the Division 1 tournament. We started well, beating St Bartholomew’s, but conceding an early goal to Queen Anne’s left us chasing the game and forcing possession.

We didn’t give The Royal enough respect and ended up 2-3 down, but being placed 4th in Pool B was immaterial if you could beat the winner of Pool C in the last 16 play-offs. This we did, looking much more like ourselves, beating Haberdashers’ Aske’s 3-1. In the quarter-final, we faced Bedford Girls’ School. Confidence was high; we didn’t panic when they scored first, we fought back and then went ahead.

With the girls tiring and trying to run down the clock, their key player (U19 England) scored the equaliser. In extra time the score remained the same, so it went to golden goal.

Play continued end to end before the same player scored the winner. Hearts dropped and it was over for another year.

The 2nds, however, won seven of their eight games, earning a well-deserved place in the top championship division for the first time in this new format. Seeded 2nd in the group, there was all to play for. Despite an early victory over St Paul’s, we suffered against Caterham and St Swithun’s, meaning a harder draw for the last 16. I think we would all have chosen anyone but Guildford for our first knockout match, nevertheless, we were

The U15s won their section in the morning through excellent team play and high scoring games. In the first round of the knockout Championship play-offs, they faced Berkhamsted. With a 5-2 win, they were in the quarter-finals against Caterham - strong opponents who had just beaten Wycombe Abbey. The team competed and had shots on target, but scoring under pressure let us down and we were out. The U15Bs also had an impressive day, drawing with the eventual tournament winners in their opening game and losing only one game all day against LEH; they only missed out on a place in the semi-finals on goal average. The U14s are fast and skilful with considerable potential, but too many draws meant they missed out on a

place in the play-offs by one point. The U13s played very well throughout their section, beating Benenden and Putney High, losing only to St Paul’s, and gaining a place in the last 16. Up against St Helen’s and St Katharine’s, a team we had beaten earlier in the season, it should have gone our way, but they scored first, nerves set in, we forced possession and went out of the competition.

For the last few years, our season has ended at Marlborough’s St Patrick’s Day Invitational.

Energy, aspirations and emotions always run high, especially amongst the departing UVI Form, but it has, on occasions, left us feeling flat. This year, however, it all went to plan: we played some outstanding lacrosse and came away with four of the five trophies. St Mary’s continues to compete with the best, we just need greater experience and improved shooting skills under pressure if we are to win the big National Tournament games. We will get there! As we lose only five 1st XII players, albeit experienced and quality players, we should be quick out of the blocks early next season.

Mrs Heidi Marvin Director of Sport

SAILING In the Summer Term, the girls took to the water for a couple of sailing sessions at the South Cerney Outdoor Centre.

The group ranged from complete beginners to competent sailors.

In their first session, they were fortunate to have a lovely wind and the girls managed to work their tacking and jibing to catch it, sending them speeding across the lake.

When they returned on a beautiful sunny day, there was a slight lack of wind so they soon learnt to paddle to make the boats move a little quicker.

The girls had a lot of fun playing tag by throwing balls at each other’s boats and they also competed against each other with races across the lake and around the buoys.  They had a fantastic time, with a lot of splashing about and jumping in the water!

ROWING Spending a sometimes slightly rainy evening rowing down the river with our friends and coaches, Arnold Cook and Mrs Jones, was definitely the highlight of our Monday. Most of us had never rowed properly before but, thanks to some good training, we all managed to get the hang of it fairly quickly.

In the first week, because Olivia and Harriet had done some rowing before, they went down to the river with Arnold. The others (Clementine,Tegen, Davina and Kirsten) rowed around the club with Mrs Jones. We all soon

progressed to going out together down the river and could feel ourselves improving, even though the things we were doing were getting harder. When we went in a quad for the first time, it was great fun, if a little scary at times, and we all really enjoyed it.

We all learnt so much in such little time.

Our coaches were amazing and really inspiring; we were so lucky to have such experienced rowers coach us. Olivia had rowed for a year before, but said she had so much fun and learnt so much more this time.

Although rowing is tough and requires determination, we think of it as a challenge

- something different - and we always try to improve in some way. We are making the most of a brilliant opportunity and hope to be rowing in regattas next year.

By Harriet Austin, Olivia Darling, Tegen Dixon-Clarke and Clementine Trelawny 79

In the Autumn Term of 2014, we were pleasantly surprised when two Australian girls fresh from the Gold Coast turned up at the door of our boarding house.

Minnie and Maddie from St Hilda’s stayed with us in Gibbins for five weeks and, at the end of their stay, they offered four places for us to visit their home country for the other half of the exchange. Three other girls and I packed our bags for a month and set off on our trip on 5th August 2015.

When we arrived, feeling extremely excited but also entirely exhausted, it came about that we had one week left of the Australian school holiday and the other three weeks after that would be spent at their school, so, for that one week, we packed in as many tourist destinations as humanly possible whilst overcoming

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tremendous jetlag! We went to places like Currumbin, a wildlife park just down the road from where we were staying, where we fed kangaroos and held snakes whilst grinning for very interesting photos! Surfers’ Paradise was another favourite destination for us; by the end of the trip we had visited this beautiful beach over ten times! On the last day of our holiday before we started at

their school, we went to a National Park just off the Gold Coast called Springbrook. Here we saw an incredible waterfall and walked around the icy pools which surrounded it. By this time, our jet lag had pretty much worn off and we braced ourselves for school.

Trips & Expeditions On the first day of school, we were handed timetables and planners and given the low down on how the school works, which, unfortunately, we instantly forgot! It was like we were four again on our first day of school, wandering around this massive new place aimlessly! However, we did have some comfort - we were reunited with Maddie, who had come over to England in October which felt like a lifetime ago. For school, we wore our own St Mary’s uniforms which, trust me, were not designed for Australian weather! St Hilda’s is a beautiful school, with a brand new library block and glass classrooms around it, an outdoor pool (which unfortunately we could not use) and a stunning chapel where they had weekly Mass. Much to our relief, the days at school were far shorter than at St Mary’s: we finished at 3.30pm, which left us loads of time to have a swim in Minnie’s Pool. As we did not take part in the curriculum lessons, we were assigned three days a week to help out at the junior school during their PE lessons. Even though we got a lot of our own school work done in the lessons, it was a great relief to go back to our families at the end of the day!

In the evenings, we stayed with our exchange families; in our two pairs, we stayed with one of the Australians each. I think Daisy Gray and I were very lucky with our exchange partner, Minnie. Her family was so welcoming when we arrived and by staying with them for a month, we became very close and it was genuinely difficult to leave. About a week into the exchange, we felt as though they were like our family and we hardly missed home because it was almost as if we were already there.

In Australia, I had one of the best months of my life and I intend to go back and visit my exchange family and the beautiful school. In Singapore airport, our stop-off on the way home, we were looking for the next flight back to the Gold Coast! I think this just about sums up how amazing the experience was.

Gaby Mutch LV Form

My experience at St Mary’s was certainly very different to how I thought it would be and unfortunately flew by way too quickly.

When I signed up for the exchange, I was open to trying and experiencing new things, and I was prepared for the schooling and cultural differences, but something I wasn’t prepared for was the fact that I am going to miss my St Mary’s friends so much. I remember the first day I arrived and I saw the LV girls waiting to ‘meet the Australians’ and help us settle in. From day one, the girls were friendly and welcoming and made sure I was alright and knew where I was going. I am definitely going to miss these girls and hopefully, with the connections I have made, I will be able meet them again one day.

Maddie Briggs St Hilda’s School

Coming from Australia to England was a huge step, but St Mary’s was a welcoming and supportive school, especially Gibbins House with the LV girls.

Within the first week of arriving at St Mary’s, we had the pleasure of experiencing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award walk and a social with the Radley boys. During the five week stay, I learnt an array of new British slang, saw Bath and Stonehenge, and lived through the priceless experience of the girls trying to imitate an Australian accent - needless to say there were a lot of ‘shrimps on the barbie’!

I can honestly say that five weeks flew by and I wouldn’t have minded staying for a while longer. I’ve made new friends I will keep forever and have never drunk so much hot chocolate in my life!

I would like to thank all of the staff at St Mary’s, especially the Gibbins staff, for taking such great care of Maddie and me during the exchange process.

Minnie Behn-Katz St Hilda’s School 81

Trips & Expeditions

Australia

After weeks of deciding what to pack, I was finally ready to board my plane. Halfway through the eight hour flight to Sydney, the nerves kicked in - they had been forgotten about during the busy airport check in at Heathrow, the luxury entertainment on my first flight and the crowds and humidity in Singapore. Now there was nothing to distract me.

As I got out of the taxi and finally saw the house in which I would reside for the next four weeks, a thousand and one questions ran through my head - what are they like? What if they hate me? The house itself was quite idyllic, located on a quiet street with trees and white suburban houses. As I made my way up the stairs to the house and knocked on the big green door, a white poodle hit me, barking and going mad. When my mother and I finally looked up, we got the first glimpse of my exchange family. What surprised me the most was how welcoming they were; they greeted us like we were long lost friends. After the introductions and small talk, we left the house to be introduced to possibly the most important part of any culture - the food!

I shall talk later about the magnificent Australian food, but now I should probably get onto the school itself, Ascham. It is a smaller campus than St Mary’s, but it has great character. In the middle of the school stands a grand oak tree and the buildings are built around it. They are modern buildings, with crisp white paint and wide-open windows.

My exchange student, Etsegenet, introduced me to her friends and I admit that I still do not know all of their names! I mentioned earlier how surprised I was when I was eagerly welcomed as a friend and not a stranger by my exchange family, and that same feeling hit me again when welcomed to Ascham. Everyone was extremely friendly and went out of their way to welcome me to Australia, which then provoked confusing conversations about how I am half Australian and have visited Sydney many times before!

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During my first week, we did not do too much, as I was sleeping off jetlag and getting acclimatised to school life once again.

Ascham’s education is slightly different to St Mary’s, as they follow the Dalton system.

They are allowed more freedom with their work and all of their work is assigned online. There are no GCSEs or equivalent and, because of this, they don’t have to pick certain subjects like I had to. I believe that this system gives greater freedom; however, there was one thing that surprised me and that was the lack of focus placed on the Sciences. One term they would do Biology and the next term Chemistry. I believe this should be a major discussion point for Ascham, as Science is a pivotal and essential tool in this day and age.

When the weekend hit, Etsegenet and her friends took me to a place I will never forget and would recommend to anyone going to Australia. On the top floor of the Westfield shopping centre in the city, tucked away in the corner, is a hidden miracle called Max Brenner - a chocolate restaurant! They do chocolate pizza, melted chocolate shots, all kinds of milkshakes and have an endless supply of chocolate - Etsegenet often joked that I only came to Australia for Max! My exchange family then gave me a tour around the city and the nearby suburbs and soon the week began again.

The next weekend, we climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was something that I had wanted to do since I was a child. It was a truly breathtaking experience, as we did this in the afternoon and, due to it being winter, the

sun began to set as we made our descent. To watch the city be plunged into orange light was truly remarkable and not a sight I will be forgetting anytime soon. Climbing was tiring and all of our stomachs were begging to be fed, so we raced off to the rocks, just under the Harbour Bridge, to get much needed sustenance and rest. Australians, however, are full of energy and soon we were being whisked off for our next adventure - shopping!

The third weekend was my very last weekend, as I was due to depart the following Friday, and it was jammed-packed full of activities. A good friend of mine,Verneet, invited Etsegenet and me to her brother’s 21st birthday party on a glass boat at Darling Harbour. It was an extremely colourful, entertaining and vibrant event packed full of food and dancing, and it was a great way to finish my truly humbling and extraordinary trip to Australia. In the four weeks I spent there, I met some truly remarkable people and made many amazing friends, which was part of the reason I applied to go. Ascham School was extremely welcoming and I would like to thank everybody there for being tremendously accommodating and helpful. I would also like to thank Maya, my second exchange student, for being wonderful and extremely helpful on my trip and a big thanks to my exchange family, Lorraine and Etsegenet, who were so amazing and became a second family to me – I can’t wait to see you again.

Tean Choroszewksa UV Form

Trips & Expeditions

After having the incredible opportunity to travel across the world and stay with a family in Atlanta, Georgia, I took the time to reflect upon my three weeks with Margaret and the O’Neal family.

Whilst living with a strongly Christian family, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed going to Church on the Sundays that we could. I have learnt to be more open-minded about other people’s beliefs and it made me feel more connected with the O’Neal family. I also learnt how to adapt to another family’s way of life. The O’Neals were kind enough to let me stay at their house, so it was only fair that I would help out. I made sure to do small things like take out their puppy, Gunner, for walks, help cook and fill the dishwasher. This experience helped me to learn how to be a good guest and also helped me realise how much more I need to help out at home and how much I really rely on my parents.

Socialising with Margaret’s friends helped me to build up my confidence to start conversations and answer questions without being awkward.

In order to get a full experience, I wanted to make sure that I met new people and did not regret not getting involved. Margaret’s best friends, who are mostly boys, made me feel very comfortable even though I am not used to spending time with boys, but it was still an experience to be around boys in lessons, lunchtimes and in the summer holiday!

education. I was worried about being away from my parents for a total of four weeks three in Atlanta and one in Florida, but the O’Neals made me feel at home, so I did not miss my parents too much. I have learnt how to survive without my parents there to help me; this will aid me in the future when I go off to university and live by myself.

I have really enjoyed seeing what life is like ‘across the pond’ and having the chance to live with an American family. At the end of Margaret’ s summer holidays, I enjoyed going to some American restaurants such as Willie’s and Zoe’s Kitchen, as well as going down to their family lake house on Lake Burton. I also had the opportunity to meet some of Margaret’s friends and go to a pool party and hang out late in the evening. We also went up to Athens to drop off Margaret’s brothers, Jack and William, so it was very interesting to see an American college such as UGA.

up to the idea of going to college abroad and not just focusing on universities in the UK. I found going to Lovett School for eight days educational. I was surprised that there were so many people at the high school, with roughly 160 pupils in Margaret’s year alone.

I found lessons I had never done, such as AP Euro, very interesting - it reminded me of the history I did in Year 4 which I loved.

The lessons were very engaging with in-class debates discussing the reading preps.

During the summer holidays I read A Boy Solider, this meant that I was able to participate with the lesson discussing the main themes as well as trying a quiz. I found it very interesting to take a test and see the format of what the students have to do during class and the kinds of questions the students have to answer for their regular tests.

I had a once in a lifetime opportunity going to stay with the O’Neals and attending Lovett School. I changed as a person and learnt many worthwhile things. It was also a pleasure to host Margaret at my house in England for three weeks and show her around where I live. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone that has the opportunity to do it, because it was amazing.

I can assure you that anyone doing the exchange would definitely grow as a person and notice a lot more things about their life that they can change to make it better.

Seeing Mr and Mrs O’Neal working hard and providing for their children, reminded me of my own parents and what they do for me. I have really realised how lucky I am to have a family that I am close to and parents that work hard for me to have a great

Ariana Watling LV Form The dormitories, compared to universities I have seen in England, such as Bath and Oxford, are very different.

Seeing the college has opened my mind

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Sports Reports

Netball

Netball seeks to become one of the world’s most popular and exciting sports. With participation increasing both in the home nations and around the world, the INF and England Netball are working successfully to achieve this goal.

The first World Netball Championship was held in Eastbourne in 1963 at The Chelsea College of PE and the event has been held every four years since. In August, the 2015 Netball World Cup took place in Sydney and the increased media coverage will undoubtedly serve to encourage even more to engage and participate in the sport.

PARTICIPATION The act of taking part or sharing in something, from the Latin participatio.

In school, we have also been striving to increase participation. With 20 teams this season, more girls than ever have had the opportunity to play in matches. They have played 131 fixtures, competed at area, county and regional tournaments as well as invitational events, and enjoyed tours to different parts of the country.

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EXCELLENCE The quality of being outstanding or extremely good, from the Latin excellentia.

Each girl is constantly striving to improve the standard of her play and the team practice sessions focus on both individual skills and team tactics. To compete against the best, we need to be the best and girls increasingly understand the need to take responsibility for their personal fitness and skill-specific practice such as shooting. This season has seen some impressive results, in particular from the 2nd VII who won eight, drew one and lost two; the U15A Team who won five and lost two; and the U15Bs who won five, drew two and lost one. In addition, the 1st VII finished 6th at the U19 County Tournament; the U16A, U15B, U14A, U14B and U13B Teams all won their respective area tournaments, with

the U16B, U15A and U13A Teams all finishing runners-up. The U15A and U13A Teams were invited to compete at the School Games, where both teams made it through to the semi-finals but narrowly lost in hard fought close matches.

The U16A and U14A Teams qualified for the County Tournament, where the U14As put in an excellent performance to finish 4th and the U16A Team finished runners-up, qualifying for the South West Regional Championships.

At the regional event, the U16A Team played well against strong opposition, winning three matches and losing three to finish 5th in their section on goal difference.

SKILL The ability to do something well - expertise from the late Old English scele ‘knowledge’ and the Old Norse skil ‘discernment, knowledge’.

The fundamental skills are key to netball; even the top players practise repeatedly so that actions become automatic - without thought - particularly in pressurised situations. Match play relies on players having these skills, but also requires the team to work successfully as a unit to problem solve and develop strategies to overcome challenges as they arise in the game. Developing a team that works together takes time and hard work and involves flexibility and commitment from each and every member. The teams this season have taken on board new tactical play and, with communication improving, have stepped up to meet the demands of an increasingly high standard from our opponents. The Senior Teams, U16s and U15s have all shown their ability to develop their game in order to match our closest rivals. The 1st VII had pleasing wins against Warminster and King Edward’s, and the 2nd Team against Wycliffe College and Warminster with a draw against Godolphin.

The U16A and U16B Teams played in exciting matches against Marlborough College, with the A Team narrowly losing and the B Team winning in the thrilling closing minutes. The U16As also played Calne Netball Club; stepping up against more physical adults was a great, if testing, experience. The U15 Teams revealed a considerable depth of talent across all five teams, with significant wins against Dauntsey’s, Royal High, SWGS and Godolphin.

The Junior Teams, U14, U13 and U12, showed a real passion to develop and improve their level of play, which bodes well for the future.

There is great competition for places and that makes each player work harder to retain their position. The U14 Teams had a very full season, with the success of the U14B Team revealing how much they are challenging the A Team players. Playing U14 matches against the Perse School, who were on tour, was an added bonus and one in which we secured two wins, plus playing Calne Netball Club with their mixed ages made the teams work hard against stiff competition; the A Team narrowly lost and the B Team won. The U13 Teams played with great determination, showing potential.

Their match results varied from really good wins to some disappointing losses, but they are learning from their mistakes and working to reduce their errors on court, ensuring greater consistency in their play which is really positive. The U12 Teams worked particularly hard. With players from varying netball backgrounds and some who had never played the game before, the teams applied themselves well and showed resilience in tough matches.

They made real progress and will undoubtedly reap the rewards next season.

The level of netball in schools, colleges and clubs continues to rise and we at St Mary’s cannot be complacent. As our netball moves forward, we need to challenge ourselves by playing tougher matches and testing ourselves against the best. Winning is always a pleasant experience, but to improve and develop our game we have to play new and better teams. Inevitably we will lose games, but these losses can and will make us stronger in the future, more able to cope with challenging situations when they arise, driving us forward to achieve the higher level of play we seek.

Mrs Sally Hornby Netball Coach

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Founders’ Day 2015

Founders’ Day 2015 St Mary’s Calne was founded in 1873 by Canon John Duncan, Miss Ellinor Gabriel and Mrs Penelope Frances Murray, who gave generously to the service of education and the church with their financial and practical support, establishing the ethos that still exists today.

On Saturday 20th June, the whole school community enjoyed our annual Founders’ Day. The incredibly upbeat day began with the Commemoration Service in the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin in Calne. The Reverend Jonathan Beach, School Chaplain, presided and the Church Address was given by special guest the Reverend Vicki Burrows, Rural Dean of Calne and Vicar of Royal Wootton Bassett.

Revd Burrows spoke of her own experiences and memories of her first day at school and how she dreamt of becoming a professional jockey. She did not get much encouragement in her journey of faith at school and recalled very dull RE lessons and making fun of the vicar!

Her father, who was Jewish, had escaped from Poland and ‘married out’ to a woman from the Church of England faith. For this, her father was ‘cast out’ by the rest of his family, so religion was a toxic subject at home. However, having joined the family business, Revd Burrows spent her daily commute reading the Bible and found herself converted by the ‘love undying’ and message of forgiveness she discovered within it. Three years ago ‘all she had learnt suddenly came home to roost’ when a nine-year-old girl was left on her

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doorstep. Having been asked to put her into care, Revd Burrows realised that this was her own personal test and she took the little girl into her own home, where she still lives today. Her final message to the girls was one of optimism and encouragement: ‘All of us are on a journey, each one confident outwardly but inwardly fearful, but when things are thrown at us, we have been wellprepared; I wish each one of you well on your journey.’

On returning to school, our guests enjoyed viewing the girls’ impressive works of art and numerous display boards showcasing the year’s extracurricular activities and trips; they were treated to musical performances by our UVI Form leavers and other ensembles in the Music Marquee; and the leavers, their guests and our VIPs also enjoyed a Champagne Reception in the theatre.

After lunch, Professor Julia Buckingham, Governor and Chair of the Academic Committee, welcomed everyone to the Prizegiving ceremony.

She spoke about how the Academic Committee is busy with many innovative projects and initiatives to support staff and to ensure that a broad and balanced curriculum is delivered. She highlighted how impressive the extra-curricular life at St Mary’s is and that this combined with the superb quality of the academic curriculum and teaching will set them up for life, enabling them to be both ‘rounded and grounded’.

In a profound and moving speech, Headmistress, Dr Felicia Kirk, talked about ‘the opportunities and joyous possibilities’ available in life. She urged the girls to

consider their own sense of purpose, what it is that motivates and inspires them and to ensure that they pursue this with passion and integrity, quoting The Summer Day by Mary Oliver, she asked the girls ‘Tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild, precious life?’

Dr Kirk praised the ‘self-confident, articulate, grounded, resilient and compassionate’ UVI leavers, who ‘will make a positive difference to the world’, explaining that the Calne legacy will provide them with ‘a clear sense of purpose…a solid foundation of strong principles on which to build and thrive in an ever-changing and deeply challenging global landscape.’ She encouraged them to use this foundation to be bold, to challenge themselves and really to be themselves, quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and blaze your own trail.’

Dr Kirk’s inspirational address was followed by a captivating, witty speech from our Guest Speaker, Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham Kt. Lord Jones spoke of his upbringing, his scholarship to Bromsgrove School and how he went on to become a lawyer in Birmingham, working his way up to Senior Partner. He was approached for the role of Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and decided to go for it – ‘if you are going to do something, give it everything.’ Lord Jones thoroughly entertained the audience with many hilarious stories, including one about his arrival at the CBI. He was encouraged to take media training, but refused as he had been hired ‘to be different’. His first live television interview was a baptism of fire with the indomitable Jeremy Paxman. Paxman tried to get one over on him but, not to be outwitted, Lord Jones turned it around to his advantage, leaving Paxman promising, ‘I’ll get you next time.’

Founders’ Day Prizes JUNIOR LIV – UIV Art (including Junior Art Cup) - Lucy Fitzwilliam-Lay Drama Jemima Ellis Music Frances Arnold Sport Caroline Brenchley

Lord Jones highlighted what an important time it is for this country, with better growth and lower unemployment, and urged the girls to consider careers in STEM – ‘it is not a man’s world. You are good enough – in fact, you are better – you are more diligent and you care more.’ He gave some examples of hugely successful British industries and cited Formula 1 as another success story: Lewis Hamilton is one of four Britains ever to win the F1 World Championship twice, he drives a car made in Northampton and the Chief Executive of Mercedes F1 is female. He stressed the importance of knowledge above all: ‘the only currency in the 21st century that matters to you is the growth, development, transfer and exploitation of knowledge… knowledge does not understand borders or language and can be used anywhere.’ How this knowledge is used is the challenge. Lord Jones stated that everyone, and particularly Chief Executives of industry, should set a better example, using apprenticeships and also being more sensitive to the environment – ‘the planet will be fine; we will be extinct’.

Lord Jones concluded by stating that it is hugely important for us to use our knowledge to reach out and help others, to blend privilege with social inclusion and consideration - that the pupils of St Mary’s Calne are privileged to have an education and this should be used to help others who need help.

The awarding of prizes followed and Head Girl Rebecca Randall gave the vote of thanks. Rebecca’s speech was both humorous and touching; she thanked Dr Kirk - ‘we admire your enthusiasm and your commitment’ - and read a poem to sum up the thoughts of the UVI Leavers, whose ‘stubborn nature is part of our charm!’ Rebecca spoke on behalf of the entire year group, whose ‘life at school may be coming to an end; however, we have made memories that will last us a lifetime’.

The wonderful day concluded with uplifting music in the marquee, while our guests, staff and girls enjoyed tea and cakes, before the Leavers’ Service in the Chapel and the evening’s fabulous Lily Ball.

SENIOR LV – LVI Art Georgia Patterson Drama Hebe Field Music Joyce Lam Sport Georgina Higgins OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTOR PRIZES LIV Adriana Montalvo Hernandez, Lizzie Roughton, Elizabeth Rutherford MIV Rose Morley, Iona Aylwin, Poppy Thistlethwaite UIV Ana Thompson Perea, Hannah Barber, Isabel Baker LV Katharine Stone,Victoria Rassmuss UV Eliza Perry, Clara Mallinckrodt OVERALL ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT PRIZES LIV Agnes Arnold, Charlotte Slater MIV Jolie Ryan-Dawes, Shubha Shetty UIV Sophie Mallinson, Frances Arnold LV Emilia Zmudzin, Anna Hastie, Ally Leow, Maia Jarvis UV Hannah McLintock,Verity Page, Eve Webster LVI Esme Graham, Isobel Smith, Laura Steel

UVI FORM SUBJECT PRIZES Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Bertina Chan, Imogen Dobie, Olivia Hope, Lina Kumasaka, Jessica Mather, Rebecca Randall, Amelia Saer, Charlotte Self Katherine Benthall Senior Art Cup - Phoebe Pugh Penrose Foss Classics Cup - Amelia Saer Latin Prize - Rosie Tabor Greek Prize - Emilie Dando-Crosasso Classical Civilisation Prize - Ava Howard Drama & Theatre Studies - Venetia Baring Lilian Leadbetter Prize for Performance - Sophie Perry Economics Prize - Erica Chung The Mayhew A Level English Cup - Imogen Dobie Geography Prize - Olivia King Government and Politics Prize - Charlotte Baker The Mavis Hunter A Level History Prize - Imogen Dobie History of Art Prize - Maria Perry Sue Lawton Prize for Mathematics - Zoe Bassett Further Mathematics Prize - Gefei Yin French Cup - Sophie Perry German Prize - Tesni Beautyman Spanish Prize - Imogen Dobie Susannah Hunt Music Prize for Exemplary Contribution to Music - Marina Jodrell Prize for Sustained Contribution to Music - Miranda Giddins The Finlandia Cup - Rosie Tabor Philosophy & Ethics Prize - Rosie Tabor Psychology Prize - Aashni Shah Charles Crawford Sixth Form Science Prize - Marina Jodrell Biology Prize - Mila Zudina Chemistry Prize - Ziwen Xu Physics Prize - Chloe Hutton Outstanding Achievement in Sports - Olivia King Services to Sport Cup - Rebecca Randall

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Subject Prizes ART LIV MIV UIV LV UV LVI

Agnes Arnold Jolie Ryan-Dawes Ana Thompson Perea Isobel Goldston Alexis Purdy Juliet Baker

CLASSICS The Margaret Beater Classics Cup - Hannah Barber LATIN LIV Agnes Arnold MIV Georgina Auvray UIV Sophie Mallinson LV Hannah Falk UV Delphyne Findley-Ramsbotham LVI Helena Boase GREEK UIV Charka Stout LV Anna Hastie UV Lucy Humphries CLASSICAL CIVILISATION UIV Ana Thompson Perea LV Louise Charlesworth-Herbert UV Leo Monson LVI Eleanor Chelton CRITICAL THINKING UIV Isabel Baker DRAMA LIV Cecilia Gerber MIV Jolie Ryan-Dawes UIV Isabella Iversen LV Clara Wade UV Katie Rae LVI Romilly Stone ECONOMICS LVI Cynthia Li ENGLISH LIV Charlotte Slater MIV Georgina Auvray UIV Emily Sandbach LV Victoria Rassmuss UV Eve Webster Junior English Cup Emily Sandbach ENGLISH LITERATURE LV Imogen Davis UV Joyce Lam LVI Juliet Baker CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION WINNERS Junior Agnes Arnold Senior Imogen Ellis GEOGRAPHY LIV Elsa Parker MIV Charlotte Newcombe UIV Georgina McLintock LV Mary Petherick UV Phoebe Aldridge LVI Juliet Purdy

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GOVERNMENT & POLITICS LVI Sarah Gralla HISTORY LIV Susannah Hirst MIV Lily Scott UIV Frances Arnold LV Ally Leow UV Yasmin Watling LVI Isobel Smith HISTORY OF ART LVI Katie Meehan ICT LIV MIV UIV LV UV LVI

Lauren Wiltshire Iona Aylwin Eliza Glover Isobel Slater Felicity Challinor Luana Sharp

MATHEMATICS LIV Lauren Wiltshire MIV Shubha Shetty UIV Joanna Kim LV Alexandra Tsylinitska UV Hannah McLintock LVI Esme Graham FURTHER MATHEMATICS LVI Amanda Cai MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES FRENCH LIV Belinda Harrison MIV Tabitha Clark UIV Charka Stout LV Farida Adewale UV Eve Webster LVI Francesca Pullan

GERMAN LIV Isabella Fielden-Page MIV Ella Malik UIV Camilla Lewin LV Maia Jarvis UV Phoebe Aldridge LVI Georgina Higgins SPANISH LIV Rebecca Mutch MIV Rosie Bromiley UIV Bella Seymour LV Isabella Depla UV Joyce Lam LVI Georgia Murdoch CHINESE LIV Elizabeth Rutherford MIV Lucy Jefford LV Alice Wade

MUSIC LIV Abbie Cowley MIV Roberta Han UIV Hannah Barber LV Rachel McNeile UV Jess Patel LVI Lizzie Prater The Barnett Prize for Music in the UIV Form - Camilla Lewin The Heather Manners Award for Progress - awarded to a girl who has made outstanding progress in her first year’s tuition on a new instrument - Lauren Wiltshire Fourth Form Music Competition Winner - Emily Smyth-Osbourne The Cecilia James Prize - Company Music Festival Solo Performance Winner - Elsbeth Giles Mayhew Prize for Music for All-round Contribution Sassie Patel Sir Tim Rice Musical Theatre Prize - Hannah Drew PSYCHOLOGY LVI Eleanor Davies RELIGIOUS STUDIES LIV Susannah Hirst MIV Tegen Dixon-Clarke UIV Nazli Saatcioglu PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS LV Maia Jarvis UV Phoebe Love LVI Mattie Carr SCIENCE GENERAL SCIENCE PRIZE LIV Elsa Parker MIV Lucy Jefford The Woodruff Science Prize for most improvement in LIV Form - Lila Bremner Junior Science Cup Sophie Mallinson BIOLOGY UIV Lauren Dunne LV Emilia Zmudzin UV Kitty Bevan LVI Eleanor Swire CHEMISTRY UIV Zara Collier Baggs LV Florence Lai UV Alexis Purdy LVI Laura Steel

PHYSICS UIV Katya Green LV Coco Li UV Iona Westwood LVI Charlotte Paterson

SPORT LIV Polly Mallinson MIV Hebe Edgar UIV Amelia Hatlapa LV Jessica Westwood UV Jemima Brown LVI Laura Steel The Henry Harwood Prize for All-round Contribution to School Life - Verity Page RADA Omotara Akinkugbe Jessica Daley Hannah Drew Jessica Enthoven Georgina Falk Hebe Field Esme Graham Georgina Higgins Cynthia Li Georgia Murdoch Soseimiebi Ogan Juliet Purdy Catherine Roberts Luana Sharp Eleanor Swire

YOUNG ENTERPRISE Omotara Akinkugbe Olufunke Braithwaite Amanda Cai Jessica Daley Lauren Dickson Hannah Drew Jessica Enthoven Sarah Gralla Esme Lane Fox Cynthia Li Apple Mak Katie Meehan Georgia Murdoch Soseimiebi Ogan Joanna Omoke-Enyi Evie Owens Charlotte Paterson Milly Reynolds Catherine Roberts Isobel Smith Amelia Walker Vassula Wong

Founders’ Day 2015

Major Awards Brunel Prize for Creative Thinking is awarded to a girl who has been innovative, capable of problem-solving, generating ideas and showing imagination.

Mila Zudina Debs Price Award for Drama is awarded to a girl in any year group whose contribution to the work of the Drama Department has been outstanding, and who has shown spirit and determination either on stage or backstage.

Debs Price, mother of Victoria, died of breast cancer in 2013; her voluntary contribution to all aspects of St Mary’s and particularly the Drama Department was inspirational.

‘Good Egg’ Award, in memory of Elinor Green, who was at Calne from 1988-1995, is awarded to an ‘unsung heroine’ who has demonstrated this quality throughout her time at the school. She will be an UVI Form girl who has, in subtle ways, contributed the most to the school in terms of building bridges and generally fostering good relationships and a positive atmosphere.

Zoe Bassett Helen Wright Prize for Leadership is awarded to a girl who has demonstrated leadership through her strong integrity and values during her time at the school. Helen Wright was Headmistress from 2003-2012.

Chessie Lamb

Mia Millman and Eleanor Nye

Delscey Burns Cup is awarded to the pupil from any year who most embodies the spirit of the school. Delscey Burns was Headmistress from 1985-1996.

Joll Endeavour Prize is awarded to a girl who has achieved a high standard in her work through effort and perseverance.

Lacey Trophy is awarded to a girl who, in the Sixth Form, has been determined and has persevered with academic work, Sport and Music to achieve a high standard in all three aspects of life.

Millie Marriott Webb Leavers’ Cup was donated by the 1990 leavers for the UVI Form to award to one of their number who they feel has been outstanding during their UVI Form year.

Rebecca Randall Martha Cole Trophy for Personal Courage is awarded to a girl in any year group who has shown courage and endeavour beyond the norm. Martha died of cystic fibrosis in 2006; her parents gave the Martha Cole Trophy in her memory.

Olufunke Braithwaite

Maria Perry

Rosie Tabor Dereham Charities Cup is awarded for hard work and self-motivated contribution to charity.

Joyce Walters Prize for Scholarship is awarded to the most outstanding all-round scholar in the UVI Form. Joyce Walters was Headmistress from 1972-1985.

Southwell Cup for Critical and Analytical Thinking is given by our former Chair of Governors and current Patron, Richard Southwell QC, whose wife and daughter were Calne Girls.

Amelia Saer

Imogen Dobie

Charlotte Baker

Fenton Cup is awarded to a girl who has shown genuine compassion and sustained support of others.

Katie Plunkett Memorial Prize is awarded to a girl in the LVI Form whose academic work demonstrates a keen and enquiring mind and who has also contributed a great deal to the school in at least one other area such as Music, Drama or Sport. Katie was a pupil at St Mary’s Calne from 1991-1996, and her mother and sisters also attended the school.

Steward Cup is a special prize awarded to a member of the leaving UVI Form whose general all-round attitude reflects the ethos of the school.

Franziska Goess-Saurau

Isabella Tottenham

Charlotte Paterson

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Reviews

Art Forum

ed on Over the past year, the gir ls have work hool. a wide variety of projects in the Ar t Sc

In the Autumn Term, this began with the LIV Form creating colourful abstract paintings inspired by Brigit Riley, the MIV Form creating illustrative paper cuts based on the work of Rob Ryan, and the UIV Form developing their painting skills and creating a series of dynamic colourful paintings based on typography and text based art. In the Spring and Summer Terms, the UIV Form turned their attention to printmaking and created botanical based designs to adorn handbags, going on to create large scale works on canvas inspired by the British abstract artist Albert Ervin. In the summer, the lower years also focused their attention on painting and honed their skills in watercolours, creating a lovely range of landscape paintings.

Further up the school, the LV Form began the year by exploring fashion design and created fabulous outfits made from recycled fabrics.

During this process, the girls took part in an extremely successful workshop at the V&A in London, that enabled them to learn a whole range of new skills and making techniques that was a wonderful source of inspiration for their own creations. This project culminated in a fantastic fashion show at the end of the Autumn Term that was attended by the whole school, who were very impressed by the high level of creativity on display. In the spring, the girls started work on their GCSE coursework: a year-long project based on animal portraits. They have studied a range

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Olivia King UVI Form

of artists so far, including David Hockney and his series of paintings titled ‘dog days’ and they visited Marwell Zoo in Hampshire to make a range of drawings in preparation for starting either a large scale painting or sculpture in the Autumn Term 2015.

The girls in the UV Form studying for their final GCSE examinations completed their ‘Art of War’ project at Christmas, which included lifesize sculptures of soldiers from the First and Second World Wars and portraits of ancestors and relatives who had played a part in these wars and more recent conflicts. Once this was completed, they started the exam process which allowed them to develop a project based on a chosen question.

This year, themes included leaves, perspective, imagine and hair. The final results were, as usual, extremely varied and included some exceptional paintings, sculptures and drawings.

In the LVI Form, the girls began their year by exploring Abstract Expressionism and Figurative Sculpture, and produced sculptures inspired by Henri Moore and paintings by great American painters such as Joan Mitchell, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko.

Ella Pitman UV Form

Alexis Purdy UV Form

Josephine Fitzwilliam-Lay UV Form

Jess Davies UV Form

Juliet Baker LVI Form

During the exam process, they also had the opportunity to develop more personal projects based on their chosen themes, which included flicker, storytelling and woodland. The UVI Form artists also had the opportunity over the course of the year to develop their chosen art and design interests, allowing them to pursue subjects both contemporary and more traditional.

This year, this included portraiture, cityscapes, photography and filmmaking. We were also extremely pleased this year that all the girls in the UVI Form who applied for Foundation Courses gained places on their first choice colleges, including Camberwell, Bournemouth and Oxford Brookes.

This has been another fantastic year and all of the fabulous work created is currently on display all around the school and will remain so for the coming year.

Miss Candia Bradshaw Director of Art

Lily Cayzer-Colvin UV Form

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Trips & Expeditions

Florence History of Art Trip to

Dr Wickson and Mrs Bolton took the LVI Form History of Art class to Florence in February. We had an early start, arriving at Heathrow airport before the sun had risen and, after roughly seven hours of travelling, we arrived at Hotel California.

During our stay in Florence, we had the opportunity to view first-hand many of the works of art that we had studied and were to study. We visited Santa Croce, which is the largest Franciscan church in the world and walked through it in order to view the Pazzi Chapel. The Pazzi family, who were rivals of the famous Medici family and extremely influential in the oligarchic society of Florence, commissioned Brunelleschi to complete the Pazzi Chapel in 1429-61. We were unable to see the chapel’s exterior, as it was being restored; however, we were allowed inside and could analyse its interior. We could see evidence of Brunelleschi’s proportional planning in the repeated circular shapes of the dome above the altar and the roundels that decorate the chapel’s inside.

We went to the Bargello museum and saw two pieces we had studied, both by Donatello. The first was St George, a marble sculpture commissioned by the guild of armorers and sword makers originally for the Guild Church, Orsanmichele. We sat and analysed the sculpture; we were able to notice its medieval features, such as St George’s armour, particularly in the breastplate and shield. We also noticed the

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effect that the drapery over St George’s shoulder had on his figure, making him seem larger and more masculine and broadening his shoulders. The second was David; we saw the exaggerated contraposto of the sculpture and we were also able to see more clearly the detail of Goliath’s helmet and David’s antique sandals in the lower register of the composition.

One evening, we took the train to Pisa in order to have supper and we then saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa and its surrounding buildings: the Baptistery, the Duomo and the Campostano.

From our hotel, we were able to walk to the Medici Palace and, from the outside, we were able to understand the large size of the palace and how it dominates its surroundings with its large overhanging cornice. We went inside where we were able to see the extravagant private chapel of the Medici family and also the Baroque interior of many of the rooms. We also saw the courtyard in the centre of the Medici Palace where Donatello’s David was originally placed. Whilst in Florence, we also visited the Uffizi Gallery, where we were able to see many famous works of art, most significantly Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera. We had not studied this painting before we went to Florence and many of us were seeing it for the first time. We noticed the importance of dominant philosophies of the time, such as Neo-Platonism and Humanism.

We could also see the smaller details of the composition, such as the delicate flowers in the lower register and the natural sheen formed on the top layer of the entire painting created as a result of the egg tempera process used by Botticelli.

One evening, we walked along the historical Ponte Vecchio in order to get to our restaurant and this gave us a sense of Early Renaissance Florence, as many of the stalls have remained unchanged since the 15th century. We were also able to walk to the Baptistery, which is opposite the famous Duomo of Florence, and we saw the amazing Baptistery doors, which we had studied.

From the first set of doors to the second, we were able to see the power Ghiberti began to have over making decisions. We paid particular attention to the North and East

doors, both commissioned by the Arte di Calimala, the first in 1401 and the second in 1425. From the abandonment of the quatrefoil format, which would have been quite restricting for innovative artists such as Ghiberti, we saw that the relationship between artist and patron changed, and artists began to have more control.

During our trip, we also visited the Brancacci Chapel, where we saw frescos that we had studied over the year: The Holy Trinity and The Tribute Money by Masaccio, and Healing of the Cripple and Raising of Tabitha by Masolino. The Tribute Money depicts a biblical story taken from Matthew 17 of Jesus’ command to Peter and, seeing it first-hand, we noticed the naturalism captured by Masaccio and we could see the simultaneous narrative in context with the other frescos in the cycle.

The large size of The Holy Trinity was one of the first things we noticed and did not expect, also the sense of depth created by the barrel vault and orthogonals in the architecture. Masolino’s fresco has a very prominent International Gothic style, seen in the decorative figures in the centre of the composition. This makes it seem much more dated and also more decorative than Masaccio’s frescos, and this was more obvious as they were positioned so closely together.

We worked hard in Florence and we all enjoyed our trip. Many of us intend to return and would enjoy revisiting some of the famous sites we saw.

Katie Meehan LVI Form

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Sports Reports

is Tennis On our return to St Mary’s at the start of the Summer Term, there was an element of the outside courts at Wimbledon; our new astro had been transformed into 12 green tennis courts, complete with new nets and posts, fresh markings and grounds staff continually working hard to keep the courts free of leaves.

Marlborough, but struggled to cope with Kingswood’s top six.

The impending exams soon grabbed their focus and tennis understandably became more about a break from revision than performance and results.

The highlight for the LV and U15 Teams was undoubtedly an afternoon of home mixed tennis with Eton. With Downe House’s LV on DofE during our block fixture, Eton kindly agreed to bring 32 boys to Calne for a round-robin tournament.

Fortunately, the bounce was as good as grass, if not better, and the additional courts were popular with the majority, although the better tennis players naturally preferred the new hard courts. In short, the additional 15 courts hugely benefited our whole tennis programme, especially team practices and matches, allowing more girls to represent the school.

After a very successful and enjoyable preseason week in Palma, Georgia Murdoch and Laura Steel started in fine form, but Jemima Brown and Georgia Williams quickly stepped up and proved their worth as the top pairing. The three senior teams proceeded to enjoy victories over Downside, Godolphin and Wycliffe, with a narrow 4-5 defeat at the hands of Marlborough.

Equally, the U16s managed three weeks of tennis, taking on U18 teams to ensure the matches were exciting and competitive for this strong year group. The As clinched two 5-4 victories over Dauntsey’s and

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only made us more competitive in matches, with our U15D VI being one of the few teams to beat Wycombe Abbey.

At U14 level, we showed the greatest strength in depth: both the U14B and C Teams were undefeated throughout the term, including victories over Wycombe and Marlborough (ignoring the match against Downe House when over half of the year group was in France). The A Team pushed themselves hard in lessons and in their own time, and were rewarded with their fair share of wins, but always had to take on the toughest competitors from the other schools on the circuit.

The U13As won four from six, beating Dauntsey’s, Downe House, Godolphin and Kingswood, and have proved that they are a mentally strong and enthusiastic team.

The U13Bs battled hard and made great progress despite poor crude statistics. The majority of the U13Cs were playing school tennis matches for the first time and quickly

There was some highly competitive play, much fun and laughter, cup-cakes and boys - what more could you want? For the rest of term, the U15s remained enthusiastic, energetic and keen to improve their tennis. The U15A VI of Flora Eliot-Cohen, Athina Hostelet, Georgia Lane-Fox, Rachel McNeile, Isobel Slater and Jessica Westwood achieved some commendable results, beating Dauntsey’s, Downside and Godolphin, losing narrowly to St Swithun’s and Marlborough, but unfortunately suffering a drubbing by an impressive Wycombe A Team. Our B, C and D Teams were very interchangeable, with players constantly having to vie for position in practice. This

found out how important communication is, if only to settle nerves and make the line calls; Lucy Jefford and Maisie Medcalf were a fine example of steadily growing confidence, they came back to take a crucial set against Kingswood 6-5.

The U12s made huge progress in technique, match play and overall experience in the game, with both the A and B Teams winning all of their matches apart from Wycombe Abbey. The LIV singles was won by Adriana Montalvo Hernandez and, as she returns to Madrid, she will be missed next year.

The National Aegon Competition is for U15 and U13 teams and starts in roundrobin sections within the county. We once again entered four teams: two in each age group and our U14s and U12s played as our second teams. The U15s won their section and met Marlborough in the county final, but were sadly defeated. The U14s had a disappointing tournament - all bar one school dropped out. Our U13s (Harriet Austin, Hebe Edgar, Davina Gray and Shubha Shetty) beat Godolphin and Dauntsey’s, but lost to South Wilts Grammar, and our U12s were undefeated, winning their division.

In the final week of term, we entered the top four U14 and U13 players in the ISTA Championships at Eton. The U14s had to play in the U15 Asbury-Bailey Trophy; there were some outstanding players who clearly specialised in tennis and all matches were

of a very high standard. We fought hard and got better and better throughout the day, with many deuce games (losing out on sudden death) and narrow defeats, but much was gained from the experience. The first day of the U13 tournament was again inevitably tough with a very high standard of play and many players on very low LTA rankings; however, both St Mary’s pairs won one of their four matches and were eager to return for the second day and prove what they had learnt. This they did! Hebe Edgar and Shubha Shetty beat Bradford and Wycombe, but lost on sudden death deuce at 4-4 to Claremont, but if they could beat St Helen and St Katharine they would win the group as Bradford beat Claremont.

Unfortunately, despite a match point, we lost 4-5. Meanwhile, Annabel Fenton and Davina Gray were getting better and better.

They won all of their matches to top their group and advance to the semi-final to play Hymer’s 1st pair.

It was a nerveracking match for the spectators, but Davina and Annabel stayed calm, playing superb tennis for a place in the final.

Despite an early lead, the anxious Reigate players stepped up and took control to win.

Runners-up in the plate was no mean feat.

So, a good first season on our new courts and we can all reflect on significant improvements. Tennis is a game that rewards commitment and Mr Hayes and Mr Lambert will continue to prepare the girls through the off-season. We will expect to take another step forward next year.

Mrs Heidi Marvin Director of Sport

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Palma ING

IS TRAIN N N E T N O S A E PRE-S

On Sunday 22nd March, 18 girls travelled to the Vilas Tennis Academy in Palma, Mallorca.

We arrived early at the Son Caliu Spa Oasis Hotel, so that the girls had time to acclimatise to their new surroundings – including their own private beach. The girls soon found the spa and swimming pool, and then faced the tough decision of which sauna to use!

We walked to the tennis centre every morning and had two hours of tuition with our Spanish instructors; the girls were in groups of four per instructor. In the afternoon, the girls put into game play what they had learnt in the morning. The weather warmed up through the week and there were many interesting suntan marks with all the taping!

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Every day we had the ‘Milka 1, 2, 3 Challenge’, which was up there with the Wimbledon finals! Georgia Murdoch and Laura Steel were our most dominate winners. It was a fabulous week of pre-season tennis.

Mrs Natalie Baldwin Head of Extra Curricular Activities

Examination Results

Public Examination Results 2015

The girls celebrated excellent A Level results again this year, with 18 girls achieving straight A*-As and well over half the entries graded A*-A. Delphyne FindleyRamsbotham, Lily Innes (who scored 100% in three out of four Latin papers) and Verity Page (who was awarded full marks in three out of four papers in both her Greek and Latin exams) all scooped top grades: each were awarded ten A*s and one A. Eve Webster achieved ten A*-A grades. Bethany Spinks and Rosie Leng (who both received full marks in RS) and Joyce Lam and Alexis Purdy gained nine A*s and additional A grades.

Congratulations also to Iona Westwood, who was awarded eight A*s and one A, and Music Scholars Jess and Sassie Patel, who achieved a fantastic 22 A* and A grades between them and were awarded the highest A* marks in the school in Music – coincidentally achieving the same overall mark in this subject.

The impressive results included 100% A* grades in Spanish; 100% A*-A grades in Art and Further Maths (the latter for the fifth consecutive year) and 84% A*-A grades in Maths. The latter proved to be a popular subject this year with our girls; amongst the high achievers were Gefei Yin, who will be reading Maths at Imperial College after achieving three A*s and an A - including a phenomenal full marks in nine out of the 12 Maths units - and Betty Mak, who was given direct entry into the second year at St Andrew’s to read Maths, having gained two A*s and two As. Seven girls - all of those who held offers for Oxbridge - were successful in gaining their places.

Imogen Dobie, who achieved A*s in English, History and Spanish, with a very rare full marks across all her subjects at A2 Level, is reading History at Jesus College, Oxford. Joining her at Oxford are Mia Millman (at Pembroke reading PPE) with three A* grades, and Charlotte Baker (at Jesus reading History), Rosie Tabor (at St Hugh’s reading History) and Ziwen Xu (at St Hugh’s reading Chemistry) who all received two A*s and one A grade.

Congratulations also go to 2014 leaver Isabella Grive, who secured her place to read French and Spanish at The Queen’s College, Oxford with a remarkable four A*s; she was also awarded a Choral Scholarship, and Amelia Saer, who secured her place at Queens’ College, Cambridge to read Classics, after being awarded three A*s.

Millie Marriott Webb also performed exceptionally well, achieving three A*s in Chemistry (with full marks in two of the A2 papers), Maths and Physics (with full marks in both A2 written Physics papers) to secure her place at Leeds University to read Mechanical Engineering.

At GCSE, nearly 80% of all entries were graded A*-A and 95% A*-B, and 25 girls achieved A*-A grades across all of their subjects. Strong results were seen in German and Greek with 100% A*-A, Latin 96% A*-A, Spanish 93% A*-A, Religious Studies 92% A*-A and over 80% A*-As in Art, Biology, English Literature, French, Geography and History.

Among the girls with exceptional grades were Hannah McLintock and Yasmin Watling, who both achieved a full sweep of 11 A*s, and Eliza Perry, who is to be congratulated on receiving 12 A*s. Kitty Bevan (who scored full marks across all of her Geography papers),

I am really delighted for all of the girls who sat exams this year; they have worked incredibly hard and deserve these outstanding results.

Each girl has performed to her very best and they have really shone; each and every one of them should feel proud of what they have achieved. This success is testament to the dedication of all of the teachers here, who encourage and inspire the girls to do their best and, of course, to the girls themselves, who motivate and support one another so well.

Dr Felicia Kirk Headmistress

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Leavers’ Destinations

Leavers’ Destinations St Mary’s Calne students won places at many prestigious universities to read a broad range of subjects; the vast majority at their first choice university. Of these, a quarter are studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects - including Biological Sciences, Biotechnology with Management,

Chemistry, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Sciences and Physics.

Some girls have chosen to study creative subjects, with three girls gaining places on Art Foundation courses with top grades, prior to pursuing Art at degree level and others have embarked upon Gap year adventures - we will continue to support

these girls with their post-A Level applications.

We wish all the girls every success with their current endeavours and look forward to hearing more about their exciting future plans and achievements.

2014 LEAVERS Applied post A-Level NAME

UNIVERSITY

SUBJECT

YEAR OF ENTRY

Rosie Dalley

Edinburgh

Social Anthropology

2015

Mariella de Soissons

UCL

Geography

2015

Emilia Flack

Durham

History

2016

Isabella Grive

Oxford (Queen’s)

French and Spanish

2015

Sophia Guinness

Edinburgh

French and History of Art

2015

Matilda Jacobs

Durham

Law

2015

Kate Melhuish

Strathclyde

Architectural Studies

2015

Olivia Monson

Oxford Brookes

Nursing

2015

Rosie Reynolds

Newcastle

Sociology

2015

Lucy Rogers

Durham

Geography

2015

Natasha Thompson

Exeter

History and Politics

2015

Annabel Wright

Durham

Philosophy

2015

UNIVERSITY

SUBJECT

ENTRY YEAR

2015 LEAVERS NAME

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Osahiere Akpata

Manchester

Law with Politics

2015

Charlotte Baker

Oxford (Jesus)

History

2015

Venetia Baring

Manchester

History of Art

2015

Zoe Bassett

Exeter

Psychology

2016

Tesni Beautyman

Bristol

French & Russian

2015

Bertina Chan

UCL

Applied Medical Sciences

2015

Adriana Cheng

University of Hong Kong

Economics & Finance

2015

Erica Chung

Durham

Law

2015

Emilie Dando-Crosasso

Durham

Classics

2015

Francesca Davis

Oxford Brookes

Geography

2016

Imogen Dobie

Oxford (Jesus)

History

2015

Miranda Giddins

Exeter

Medical Sciences

2015

Franziska Goess-Saurau

Bristol

French and Italian

2016

Olivia Hope

Oxford Brookes

Anthropology

2015

Ava Howard

Manchester

History of Art

2016

Leavers’ Destinations

NAME

UNIVERSITY

SUBJECT

ENTRY YEAR

Chloe Hutton

Manchester

Physics

2015

Olivia King

Bristol

Anthropology

2016

Christine Lau

LSE

Law

2015

Betty Mak

St Andrew’s

Mathematics (2nd year admission)

2015

Millie Marriott Webb

Leeds

Mechanical Engineering

2015

Kirsten McFaull

Brighton

Applied Psychology & Criminology

2015

Mia Millman

Oxford (Pembroke)

PPE

2015

Eleanor Nye

Edinburgh

Biological Sciences

2015

Henrietta Page

Cardiff

Philosophy/Politics

2015

Maria Perry

Bristol

History of Art

2015

Sophie Perry

Durham

Modern Language & Cultures (Spanish/Italian)

2015

Rebecca Randall

Exeter

International Relations

2016

Polly Roberts

Exeter

Anthropology

2016

Amelia Saer

Cambridge (Queen’s)

Classics

2016

Charlotte Self

Oxford Brookes

Business & Marketing Management

2015

Aashni Shah

Cardiff

Psychology with professional placement

2016

Ophelia Smith

Newcastle

Sociology

2016

Rosie Tabor

Oxford (St Hugh’s)

History

2015

Octavia Thomson

Edinburgh

Ancient and Medieval History

2016

Ziwen Xu

Oxford (St Hugh’s)

Chemistry

2015

Gefei Yin

Imperial

Mathematics

2015

Liudmila Zudina

Imperial

Biotechnology with Management

2015

Correct at time of printing.

99

News

The

Lily Ball On Saturday 20th June, over 200 girls, parents, friends and staff attended the 2015 Lily Ball. It was a beautiful summer’s evening, so prosecco and canapés, kindly sponsored by the CGA, were enjoyed outside.

The marquee was transformed into A Midsummer Night’s Dream wooded wonderland, where a delicious dinner was enjoyed, before our guests danced the night away, were entertained by magicians, sat for the caricaturist or struck a pose in the photo booth. Hallmark Photography took a group photo of all the leavers which the CGA presented to each of the girls as a happy reminder of their time at St Mary’s, and some great footage was captured for the music video of the night.

Photography by Hallmark Photography

It was a fabulous send off for the girls and for many of the parents who also said goodbye to St Mary’s this year.

100

OXYGEN the essence of life at St Mary’s

Wiltshire SN11 0DF Telephone: 01249 857200 Fax: 01249 857207 Email: office@stmaryscalne.org www.stmaryscalne.org