Examaination Success St. Mary's College is celebrating another excellent set of exam results in the school’s Centenary year. A Level candidates recorded a 99 per cent pass rate in the key examinations this summer - up from 98 per cent in 2018 - with more than a third of students (34 per cent) achieving three or more A*, A or B grades. Further year-on-year improvement saw more than a quarter of all passes (27 per cent) being at A* or A grade (up from 26 per cent last year), and well over half (59 per cent) being at A*, A or B grade, up from 57 per cent last year and 52 per cent in 2017. Overall St. Mary’s again recorded an excellent valueadded performance, with many students exceeding their predicted grades, demonstrating once again the significant progress that pupils make at the school. Top of the class at the college this year was Head Boy, Adam Bennett from Aughton, who achieved an incredible four A* passes in Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Further Maths. Adam is planning to study Natural Sciences at Durham University, where his older brother Sam - last year’s top A Level student at St. Mary’s - is already studying Physics. Meanwhile, Head Girl Helen Fraser from Blundellsands who achieved A grades in Biology, Chemistry and Maths is heading to Birmingham University to study Medicine. In a new initiative this year, Adam and Helen actually stepped down from their Head Boy and Head Girl roles at Easter in order to concentrate on their upcoming exams, a very effective change judging by their excellent results! This year’s A Level exams have also been particularly notable for three students who have become St. Mary’s own ‘baby boomers’. Caroline Kennedy, Alice Gray and Georgia Ismay were the first youngsters to join the new ‘baby room’ at St. Mary’s Bright Sparks Nursery when it opened in 2001, and so are the first students to complete the full 0-18 year educational journey at the school. Meanwhile, in this summer’s GCSE results almost a third (30 per cent) of passes were at the highest 9-7/A*-A grades, and almost a quarter of candidates (23 per cent) achieved seven or more passes at these top levels. Almost two thirds of students (62 per cent) recorded ten or more GCSE passes, with many achieving 12 GCSEs, reflecting the broad and balanced curriculum at St. Mary’s and the fact that the school does not restrict the number of GCSE subjects students can take.
In terms of individual performances, Atsayan Sachchin, was top of the class achieving 9-7/A*-A passes in all 12 of his GCSE subjects, including eight 9 grades, two 8s, an A* and an A. Among the girls Laura Kearns was the top performer with 13 GCSE passes, including five at the top 9 grade and four at grade 8. Principal Mike Kennedy said: “I am delighted that we have such a pleasing set of results to announce as the school celebrates its 100-year milestone and would like to congratulate all our pupils on their hard work and commitment.”
Walking the walk - some of the St. Mary’s students who achieved three or more A*, A or B grades at A Level.
A Level students Alice Gray, Caroline Kennedy and Georgia Ismay who have completed their whole 0-18 educational journey at St. Mary’s, starting in the ‘baby room’ at the school’s Bright Sparks Nursery in 2001. Summer 2019
From the Principal Welcome to our summer edition of St. Mary’s Matters which highlights our pupils’ many achievements and activities during the school’s centenary year. As we celebrate our 100th birthday, we have so much to celebrate and be thankful for. Our pupils continue to achieve excellent academic results but they also achieve excellence in so many other areas; music, sport, drama, CCF, Duke of Edinburgh, fundraising and outreach to name but a few. This magazine highlights some of the centenary celebration activities and events organised so far this year as well as numerous other activities and events that have taken place. I hope you enjoy reading about our pupils’ many achievements: their hard work and positive contributions in so many areas of school life have given us much to celebrate during our centenary year. All these achievements would not be possible without the dedication of our staff, governors, parents and the wider community of St. Mary’s College. Thank you for your continued support. - Michael Kennedy, Principal
Farewell... Alex Stagogiannis, Head of MFL, left St. Mary’s this summer, after 7 years’ committed service, to take up a post in Cairo, Egypt. He is no stranger to that country, having worked there previously. During his time at St. Mary’s, his notable contribution has been well beyond the Modern Languages Department. He fully embraced the concept of an Edmund Rice education going well beyond any academic borders: his involvement included a rugby team, Edmund Rice International (social justice) as well as extensive pastoral support to so many of our pupils. We wish him and his family well as they start their new adventure in Egypt. Alex Stagogiannis
Natasha Sykes retired this summer after 6 years’ committed service as Head of Physics and Head of Science. Her impressive intellect coupled with a genuine concern for individual students made her highly respected by so many. She also ran the Chess Club as well as encouraging students to participate in the Physics Olympics each year as part of their wider development. I am privileged to have worked with Natasha previously at another Edmund Rice school, St. Anselm’s in Wirral. We wish her a long and happy retirement. Natasha Sykes
Jemma Gurney, Lab Technician, joined us a year ago yet in that relatively short time, she gained the respect and high regard of so many pupils and colleagues alike. She will be starting her PGCE this year towards becoming a qualified science teacher. Jemma Gurney www.stmarys.ac
We wish her every success.
2019 Open Events Thursday 26th September, 4pm - 7pm Saturday 28th September, 10am - 12pm Register now for September 2020 admissions
Staff News
Hello... Natasha Sykes has been replaced as Head of Science by Sean Hardeley. Sean joins us from St. Peter & Paul RC High School, Widnes where has been Head of Science and has also overseen work in the Mathematics faculty.
Alex Stagogiannis has been succeeded as Head of Modern Languages by Annett Mueller; Annett was Head of German at Great Sankey High School.
Annett Muller
Sean Hardley
We have also appointed a new part time English teacher, Wendy Stroud, Wendy joins us from Rydal Penrhos School, Colwyn Bay.
We have appointed a new Science teacher, Emma Gates; Emma joins us from St. Francis Xavier’s College, Liverpool.
Emily Gates
Wendy Stroud
Dates for your diary:
Danielle Murphy has joined us to cover Mrs Miles’ impending maternity leave.
Thursday 26th September
Open Evening
Saturday 28th September
Danielle’s most recent placement was at another Edmund Rice school, St. Edward’s College.
Open Morning
Monday 7th October
Whole School Photograph Monday 21st - Friday 25th October
Danielle Murphy
Half Term Holiday
Saturday 23rd November
Festive Fayre
Friday 6th December
Carol Concert
Monday 9th December
Prize Giving
Friday 27th December
Festive Reunion & Sports Day Summer 2019
St. Mary's at the Movies We began a series of special events to mark our centenary year with a spectacular movie music concert at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall on Saturday 23rd March. Over 350 current and former pupils took to the stage at the prestigious venue to perform music from some of cinema’s best-known and well-loved films. 'St. Mary’s at the Movies' included favourites from James Bond, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Superman, Saving Private Ryan, Chicago, Blues Brothers and Pirates of the Caribbean. They were performed by a wide range of musical ensembles including our award-winning Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Band, Stage Band, Chamber Choir, Lower School Choir, A Capella Consort and Preparatory School Concert Choir. The compere for the concert was popular BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Roger Phillips, and it was conducted by Director of Music, Andrew Byers, supported by his colleagues Colin Johnston and Joanne Booth. As part of the celebrations, Mr Byers invited former pupils who had performed at previous Philharmonic concerts to take part in the centenary event, with more than 100 accepting the challenge and taking part in the concert. Andrew Byers commented: “This was the 21st time the school has presented a Philharmonic concert and the centenary and the movie theme made this year’s event exceptional. “That’s why I extended the invitation to former pupils, and we were delighted that so many of them were able to join us on the famous stage, and play or sing along like the good old days.” Principal, Mike Kennedy, added: “This very special evening was a wonderful showcase for the musical talents of our students past and present, and a great way to launch our centenary celebrations. “The concert was the result of many months of dedication and hard work by the performers, and I would like to pay tribute to the outstanding contribution made by everyone involved.”
www.stmarys.ac
Centenary Concerts
Proms in the Park We continued our 100th birthday celebrations with a special centenary production of our Proms in the Park concert. More than 2,000 people attended the music-andfireworks extravaganza at the school’s Blundell Park playing field which was held in glorious sunshine this year. As promised, the centenary event included a number of amends and additions to the traditional programme, including an all-new pyrotechnic finale. This featured items as varied as Mussorgsky’s epic Great Gates of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition and a crowd-pleasing version of the Can Can! The concert - sponsored by National Tyres and Autocare - showcased the musical skills of around 250 students from the College and its Preparatory School, and was conducted by Director of Music Andrew Byers. There were special guest appearances by acclaimed soprano Rachael Russell, a former pupil of St. Mary’s, and the choir from Great Crosby Catholic Primary School. The compere for the concert was popular BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Roger Phillips, an old friend of the school. Roger introduced many of the traditional favourites from the famous Last Night of the Proms Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, including Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory. Audience members were also treated to music as varied as a Blues Brothers review, selections from the James Bond film soundtracks, the Bill Withers classic Lean On Me and medleys of songs from the hit musicals Matilda and Wicked. In another unusual feature, the College Junior Choir were conducted by talented Sixth Former Matteo Ressa, and accompanied on piano by Head Girl Georgina Duncan. Earlier in the evening many audience members had taken advantage of the ideal weather to enjoy an open air picnic before settling down to the musical entertainment and some frenetic flag waving. And this year, they were also able to visit a special centenary pop-up shop, where items for sale ranged from the recently published new history of the school, to delicious cupcakes arranged in the shape of the milestone ‘100’ number. Principal, Mike Kennedy, commented: “Proms in the Park is widely regarded as one of the most ambitious events staged by any North West school, and our aim was to make it even bigger and better for our centenary year.
“As usual, the evening was a wonderful showcase for the wealth of musical talent that exists at the school, and the standard of performances at the concert was incredibly high throughout. “I would like to thank all those who took part, and the audience members who came along in such large numbers to support the event. “It was a rousing way to mark the College’s centenary year, and definitely an evening to remember,” added Mr Kennedy.
Summer 2019
U6 Leavers
Upper Sixth Leavers Thank you to everyone who attended our Upper Sixth Leavers Mass & Presentation for making it a truly wonderful and memorable celebration. Special thanks to Father Simon Gore from Animate Youth Ministries for celebrating Mass for us and to former pupil Rachel Miller (SMC 2005-2013) for her inspiring words and for presenting the Upper Sixth students with their colours. Above all thanks and congratulations to our students for being the beautiful people you are. We are immensely proud of you all!
www.stmarys.ac
Classics & Drama
Trojan Women Back in February, a large cast of more than 30 talented young actors won rave reviews for their production of the Trojan Women by Euripides, initially presented in the school’s O’Halloran Hall and then on the following evening in the prestigious surroundings of the University of Liverpool’s Stanley Theatre. The tragedy follows the fates of the women of Troy after their city has been sacked and their husbands killed, and their remaining families are about to be taken away as slaves. Although the play was written in the 5th century BC its central themes of fate, freedom and the horror of war have real resonance for modern audiences. Against the background of the Syrian Civil War and other current global conflicts the cast dedicated the production to refugees everywhere who have been ‘beaten, broken and abandoned’. Collections were taken at both performances to raise money to support the work of Asylum Link Merseyside, raising in excess of £400. The main female roles in the Trojan Women were performed by Georgina Duncan as Queen Hecube, LilyJoy Lancashire as Andromache, Tilly Doyle as Cassandra and Héloïse Cottrell-Boyce as Helen of Troy. Joe Houghton as the reluctant soldier Talthybius and Josh Nayagam as the Greek hero Menelaus played the leading male roles. However, the undoubted star of the evening was eightyear-old James Burke-Lau from St. Mary’s Prep School who played the role of Astyanax, the young Trojan Prince who is thrown to his death in the course of the play. The production also featured a seven-strong group of dancers, with routines choreographed by dance teacher Victoria Harrocks and music from a six-piece student band, directed by Sixth Form students Matteo Ressa and Ciara Merriman. Matteo and Ciara arranged stunning versions of songs such as True Colours and Fields of Gold to accompany the play. The play was directed by St. Mary’s Head of Classics, Nancy Moore, who commented: “This was a firstclass production of a challenging play thanks to the talent, hard work and commitment of all the students involved. “They succeeded in conveying the power of this classical Greek tragedy, while at the same time making the 2,500-year-old play fresh and relevant to a modern audience, reducing some of them to tears.” Summer 2019
Lourdes
Lourdes Trip A visit to Lourdes is not your every-day school trip, but rather an experience that tests every human emotion and leaves a sense of fulfilment almost impossible to describe. So this is my humble attempt at describing one of the best experiences many of us have had during our time at St Mary’s. I was one of the 17 LowerSixth pupils who travelled to Lourdes this year with Mr Duffy and Mrs Thomas where we were all assigned to different groups of children and their supervisors. Our groups were just a small portion of the thousands that travel on Pilgrimages to Lourdes during the Easter period with the charitable organisation HCPT (Hosanna House and Children's Pilgrimage Trust). Disadvantaged children and adults are given the opportunity to fulfil a spiritual incentive whilst also meeting new people and gaining new experiences. Our job involved tasks ranging from leading group prayers, to learning the words of all the songs sang at Trust masses to spontaneously creating fancy-dress costumes for a disco night hosted by our groups. I found that the children we looked after taught us so much about living without regret or inhibition. I came away with the up most admiration for these children because despite the struggles they lived with, their strength and sheer lust for life never failed to triumph. Prior to our trip however, I can safely say that many of us did not know what to expect as we spoke to some of the Upper-Sixth students at the time who travelled to Lourdes the previous year. The re-telling of their own experiences excited us and yet challenged us to believe the ‘unique’ feeling they described from the sense of fulfilment you gained from helping these children. After just one week with these children and their helpers, a bond was built so quickly that saying goodbye remained one of the most challenging things we had to do within those six days. We were stunned as to the grandeur of the impact it had left on us, and this ‘unique’ feeling didn’t appear so challenging to believe any more. No matter how big or small the impact we may have made on the children’s lives, the sense of gratification we gained from it was extremely rewarding. This trip to Lourdes provided a reminder that the smallest actions can make the biggest differences, and I encourage anyone who is given the opportunity to go to grab it with both hands. - Georgina Duncan, Head Girl www.stmarys.ac
School News
Edmund Rice Sponsored Walk
Public Speaking Competition
The Sponsored Walk took place on 28th June and with surprisingly good weather conditions – breezy but sunny. Years 7-10 and the Lower 6th took part in a 12 mile trek from Crosby to Formby and back. Most actually managed to follow the prescribed route although there were some derivations from the path.
On Wednesday 3rd July, 12 pupils in Years 7 – 10 once more did battle in St. Mary’s annual Public Speaking competition. As always, students were given an opportunity to select a topic of their choice and to speak for five minutes to a packed O’Halloran Hall.
We would like to thank everyone for their wonderful response to the appeal; we have raised an amazing £3,094, which will go towards the building and maintenance of an orphanage and school in Sierra Leone, supported by Jesse and Abigail Amara (Year 11).
Topics covered included climate change, child slavery, representation of women in society, sensationalism in the media, and whether tackling epidemics is the right thing to do. All of the candidates performed admirably. However, this is a competition, and the judges, Mrs Howard, Mr Prescott and Sixth Former Victoria Dandy, ultimately had to make the tough decision to name the three winners: First Place: Luis Hewitt, 9G; Second Place: Rhianna Gorman, 8G; Third Place: Ben Calder, 7F St. Mary’s Head of English, Mr Ravenscroft, who hosted the competition, said: “Once again, lower and middle school were treated to a fine selection of erudite and skilfully delivered talks. We had three worthy winners, and all of the candidates deserve commendation for their efforts, and for having the courage to stand in front of over 200 pupils and staff and share their thoughts.”
Summer 2019
Y8 History Trip
End of Term Trips
After a 45 minute journey from St. Mary's College to the Merseyside Maritime Museum, we went into the Slavery Exhibit. It showed us what Slavery Plantations looked like, what the journey through the Slave Triangle was like and what Liverpool had to do with slavery. We had done some lessons on this in class but it was interesting to see the stories of individual ships that transported slaves. There was another side exhibit that showed off various tools and weapons retrieved from African Tribes during the period of Trans-Atlantic Slavery; it proved that Africans were not feeble-minded, as many MPs at the time had claimed. We could see how skilled they were at their trades, whether that be Metal work, silk making, Art etc. After that we split to see the Lusitania Exhibit; a Cunard Ocean Liner that was torpedoed by a German U-Boat during World War 1. It was sunk off the South coast of Ireland and only took 20 minutes to sink. It was one of the main reasons why America joined the war, as there were American passengers on the liner. The other Exhibit was on the Titanic, A White Star Line Cruiser that sunk in the Atlantic Sea after hitting an iceberg. Over 1,500 people died on the ‘unsinkable ship’. This section of the museum had some amazing artefacts and information about the passengers. Both of these are topics we will cover in Year 9. Next we walked over to the Museum of Liverpool, were we learnt about the timeline of Liverpool, going from the Stone-Age to the present. After learning about Liverpool being founded, we went to the Lennon and Yoko exhibit, were we sung our hearts out on hits such as Imagine and It’s So Hard. At the back of the Museum there was a little replica of the Liver Building and the Cunard Building, it shows how important each building is on the Liverpool Water Front. This History trip was interesting and fun. We covered anything that a student could want; whether they’re interested in the Slave trade, the Titanic or Lusitania or Liverpool’s history of music! - Jack Ismay
During the last week of the Summer Term our pupils were out and about on a wide variety of exciting trips. The week began with a whole school trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which provided plenty of thrills and excitement for all involved. The following day there were eight different excursions to choose from, including trips to the Netball World Cup at the Liverpool Arena, Chester Zoo, London, the National Football Museum and even a fishing trip!
www.stmarys.ac
Trips
Summer 2019
Centenary Celebration Mass & Dinner We welcomed back one of our most illustrious former students at a special event to mark the school’s centenary year. Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, was the VIP guest at our Centenary Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration dinner at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral on Saturday 15th June. His Eminence was a pupil from 1956 to 1963 at the leading independent school which was founded in 1919. Other honoured guests at the event included Mark Blundell, the Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside, and his wife Suzanne. The evening began with a Mass in the Metropolitan Cathedral celebrated by Cardinal Nichols who in his well-received homily produced a programme from St. Mary’s 1958 Speech Day at which - appropriately - he had been presented with a prize for religious studies. He also mentioned another more recent former pupil Liverpool footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold - praising him for the happiness he and his teammates had brought to the city with their achievements on the pitch this season. Following the Mass, the celebrations moved downstairs to the Cathedral’s Lutyens Crypt, where guests enjoyed a three-course dinner and the opportunity to catch up with friends from the school, past and present. During the dinner Archbishop Nichols was presented with the first copy of St. Mary’s centenary publication Fidem Vita Fateri (We show our faith by the way we live, love and learn) - a brief history of the school written by current Head of History, Niall Rothnie. The evening ended with an auction and raffle in aid of the St. Mary’s College Centenary Fund, which is raising money for scholarships, bursaries and new facilities, followed by dancing to the swing and rock & roll sounds of the Retro Revolution Band. St. Mary’s Principal, Mike Kennedy, commented: “This event was an excellent way to celebrate the college’s 100th birthday, and everyone associated with the school was delighted that Cardinal Nichols was able to join us. “The dinner is part of a wide-ranging programme of centenary activities throughout this year which we hope will provide something for everyone to enjoy, while at the same time doing justice to the school’s proud history.” www.stmarys.ac
Centenary
Centenary Cricket Match The St. Mary's College 1st XI entertained the MCC in their prestigious annual fixture at the The Northern Club yesterday. Having restricted MCC to 180 the St. Mary's team were in a good position at 47 for 1 but lost in the end. A wonderful day's cricket in glorious sunshine. Next lesson will be how to play spin! Congratulations to Year 9 pupil Nikhil Rao, who received the MCC Spirit of Cricket Award. Thanks to the Northern for their excellent hospitality as always and thanks to everyone who came to watch.
Summer 2019
Girls Sport The 2019 Lent Term saw the conclusion of the netball, hockey and cross-country seasons. We witnessed excellent team performances on the hockey pitch and on the cross-country courses and the netball season finished with the U14 and U15 teams reaching the county finals, Year 9 were crowned Sefton Tournament winners and Year 10 completed the Sefton League and Tournament double!
Catholic Schools' Medal Winners
As the summer term arrived we enjoyed golf lessons at West Lancashire Golf Club, cricket with Hightown St. Mary's CC, rounders matches in the sunshine and outstanding individual and team performances on the athletics track. Congratulations to all of our talented sportswomen!
English Schools' Athletics Qualifier
Liverpool Catholic Schools' Athletics
Sefton Schools' Athletics www.stmarys.ac
Evie Clark - Merseyside Athletics
Sport
Senior Cross Country Squad
Senior Hockey Squad
Senior Netball Squad
Enjoying the Netball World Cap Fan Park
Fun at the Netball World Cup
Y7 Rounders
Y8 Golfers
Faye Kirby - Everton & England Football
Y9 Rounders
Y10 Cricket Summer 2019
Boys Sport
Congratulations to Luke Monaghan who made his debut for Ireland Rugby League beating Scotland 26-17. No-one has worked harder.
The 1st XI football team ended the season unbeaten for the second year in a row and also retained the Sefton Cup beating Merchants in the semi-final 3-2 before overwhelming Maghull 5-1 in the final. The under 14s also got to the final losing in extra-time to Sacred Heart.
Congratulations to Evie Clark who took Josh Thomson’s crown as St. Mary's Golf Champion 2019!
The 1st XV won the Lancashire Plate beating Liverpool College 19-10 in front of a bumper crowd to end an excellent season which saw them win 15 out of 18 matches.
The Athletics team won the Liverpool Catholic Schools Championships; a remarkable achievement against much bigger schools for the second time in three years. www.stmarys.ac
Congratulations to Archie Davies who was selected for Lancashire Under 12s at cricket.
Noah Stephens has had a tremendous rugby year and is with both the St. Helens & Sales Sharks Academy.
Sport
There were cricket tours aplenty this year with the under 12s winning one out of two matches in the Isle of Man, the under 13s doing the same in Llandudno and the 1st XI winning two out of three matches in Newcastle with one rained off.
From left Kristian Golding, Owen Davies, George May, Callum McHugh, Robbie Edgington and Harry Blyth all represented Lancashire at Rugby last year with Robbie also in the Sales Sharks Academy. Ben Skea represented Lancashire Under 17s.
Ben Apps had a tremendous year at Triple Jump and is now ranked 5th in the country at Under 21 level; watch this space!
58 boys enjoyed an excellent rugby tour to Barcelona winning 7 out of 9 matches across 3 squads. The squad also took in the sites of Barcelona as well as the Nou Camp.
For all the latest sports news, follow us on Twitter;
@Stmaryssport The Year 7 football team had a great day at Goodison Park in the annual Angry Birds Cup. Summer 2019
Sport
Sports Day Well done and congratulations to all of our young athletes who took part in this year's Sports Day, which as ever was a fantastic celebration of sport, team work, spirit and determination. Congratulations to our new school record holders Jessica Dolan (Year 10 Girls 300m), Joseph Filkin (Year 7 Boys 200m) and the 9G Boys Relay team.
www.stmarys.ac
Friends of St. Mary's: Alumni News
Music Maestro! A talented young musician, composer and conductor who left St. Mary’s College in Crosby last summer has founded a new regional orchestra. 18-year-old Joshua Quinlan from Southport has established the Northern Philharmonic Orchestra which recently played its debut concert in his home town. The programme for the concert - conducted by Joshua - included Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto featuring soloist Xander Croft, Beethoven’s Symphony No 1 and Romanian Folk Dances by Bartok. The new orchestra is mainly comprised of top conservatoire students and professional musicians, though it also contains a number of players from the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Halle Youth Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and junior conservatoire students. According to Joshua - who is also a talented clarinettist - the formation of the new orchestra is the realisation of an ambition that dates back to his earliest involvement in music as a child. He explained: “The new ensemble features some very exciting young musical talents and it will be an honour to conduct them at our debut concert in the summer. “However, at the same time the aim is that the new orchestra should be a wonderful showcase for these young performers and bring their skills to the attention of a much wider audience. “We like to describe ourselves as a ‘young professional orchestra’ which combines performances of an extremely high standard with immense amounts of passion,” added Joshua. The creation of the Northern Philharmonic Orchestra follows hot on the heels of another landmark musical milestone for the Southport musician. Late last year Joshua was invited to conduct his own piece at London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of the Music for Youth proms concerts which highlight the work of some of the UK’s ‘most creative, innovative and energetic young musicians’. Joshua - who is currently studying for a degree in music at the University of York – led members of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company who were performing his composition, Songs of Stone. Commenting on the creation of the new orchestra, St. Mary’s College Principal Mike Kennedy, said: “Joshua’s musical achievements to date have been exceptional, as a composer, a conductor and as a clarinettist. “Everyone at the school is watching his career with keen interest, and we wish him well with the new orchestra which is a very exciting development.” Summer 2019
Father Gerry Weston In February, the school held a special event to pay tribute to a former pupil and priest who died during the Northern Ireland Troubles. A plaque was unveiled to honour the life and work of army chaplain Father Gerry Weston, who was killed by a bomb in February 1972, and is buried close to the school at SS Peter and Paul Church on Liverpool Road. The event was held to tie in with the college’s annual Patron’s Day Mass at the church. Following the service a wreath was laid at Father Weston’s grave, before guests returned to St. Mary’s to see the new plaque unveiled under the school’s World War Two memorial. The wooden mount for the plaque was designed and made by Mark Ireland, Head of Design and Technology at the College. The ceremony was attended by Father Weston’s brother Paul and senior British Army representatives including Lt. Col. Andrew Jackson, a former pupil of St. Mary’s College, and Lt. Col. Andrew Wareing, both senior officers in the Parachute Regiment; former colleagues and members of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF). They were told about the remarkable achievements of the chaplain who served in Germany, the Persian Gulf and Kenya before being posted to Northern Ireland. During the height of the Troubles, he frequently entered the difficult areas of Turf Lodge and Ballymurphy alone, talking with local people in an attempt to reduce tension. This placed him in considerable personal danger, especially as a rumour had been circulating saying that a soldier was involved in military activities disguised as a priest. For his own safety, his commanding officer eventually ordered his withdrawal. However, his actions were officially recognised when he was awarded the MBE for gallantry on February 15th 1972. Just seven days later, Father Weston and six civilians were killed when a huge bomb exploded outside the Officers’ Mess of the 16th Parachute Regiment in Aldershot. He was just 38 years old. The Official IRA claimed responsibility for the attack, in retaliation for Bloody Sunday three weeks earlier. However, public revulsion at the bombing was in part responsible for the organisation calling a ceasefire three months later, and it subsequently disbanded. CCF Contingent Commander and Head of History, Niall Rothnie, who has written extensively on military matters commented: “This plaque will be a permanent memorial to the remarkable life and tragic death of Father Weston, one of the school’s bravest sons who tried so hard to promote peace and reconciliation. www.stmarys.ac
“We are delighted that his brother and British Army representatives were able to attend to pay their respects, honour his legacy and also remember the other victims of one of the worst atrocities of the whole Northern Ireland conflict.”
Combined Cadet Force: Army Section
Summer Camp The Army section travelled north for their summer camp at Warcop in Cumbria. The first day was spent on Adventure Training with the cadets choosing to plump either for mountain biking or rock climbing in the fells around Ambleside. The next five days were spent on intensive military training with live round firing on the 25 metre range as well as on combat scenarios on the indoor electronic range. The unit also took part in a myriad of battlefield fighting situations under a bewildering amount of acronyms from TIBUA (Tactics in Built Up Areas) to TIWAF (Tactics in Woods and Forests) to CQB (Close Quarter Battle). Just to make things different however the enemy included Killer Clowns hiding in darkened buildings and Zombies that emerged from abandoned vans. Evening activities included a talk by an Arctic explorer and also one from the Adjutant’s Corps organised by Major Will Hodgson, a former pupil and member of the College CCF. The week ended with the increasingly traditional incident of the minibus breaking down en route back home. - Lt Col N. Rothnie
Summer 2019
Flying at RAF Woodvale Eight of our cadets recently took part in an air experience flying session run by RAF Woodvale’s Air Experience Flight (AEF) in Grob 115E aircraft, known simply as ‘the Tutor’ in the RAF. The station had been out of action for cadet flying for more than two years, due to infrastructure issues, but training resumed again in May. Flt Lt Sophie Del Gaudio commented: “We’re delighted to have the AEF back in action again, especially as Woodvale is so close to St. Mary’s. “We have a number of cadets who are interested in becoming pilots , and the flying training they provide is a fabulous experience for all the young people involved.” Cdt L/Cpl Georgia Redman-Daly, says she is keen to make a return visit to RAF Woodvale as soon as possible. She explained: “I first went flying whilst on summer camp with the RAF Air Cadets last year. I was a bit nervous beforehand but once I was up in the air it was amazing. “It was after that first flight that I decided I want to become a pilot! “We’ve already been pestering Ma'am to arrange for us to go again as soon as we can,” added Georgia.
www.stmarys.ac
Combined Cadet Force: RAF Section
Summer Camp This year we attended our annual camp at RAF Henlow, where we joined cadets from Gresham's School CCF. During the week we enjoyed a number of activities on station, including; a tour and lectures at The Centre of Aviation Medicine, a visit from the RAF Outreach Team, an afternoon of fieldcraft and the DCCT range and a drill competition. The activities were varied and very informative, giving the cadets an opportunity to learn about some of the RAF's most vital operations. We also enjoyed a number of off site visits, including; the American War Cemetery in Cambridge, IWM Duxford and the Shuttleworth Collection. Although I think the highlight of the week was our trip to RAF Wittering for Air Experience Flying, despite the 0630 departure... all was forgiven after stopping for a McDonald's breakfast! Evening activities included; Sports, bowling and the infamous ‘Paper Plate Awards’. I would like to add my personal thanks: to a wonderful group of cadets, who despite the tiredness pulled together to make the most out of all activities; to Service Instructor O'Brien for driving and keeping us entertained with his singing; and Acting Pilot Officer Apps, for his aviation knowledge. - Flt Lt S. Del Gaudio
Summer 2019
Combined Cadet Force: RAF Section
Congratulations!
The Future...
A huge congratularions to Ben Dickinson who received a well deserved promotion to Cadet Warrant Officer on the final day of summer camp. He was presented with his surprise promotion by the Station Warrant Officer at RAF Henlow. Ben was already a cadet when I took over the section and has been a great support over the past two years. Congratulations also to Emy Swift who was promoted to Cadet Corporal and Daniel Owens who was promoted to Cadet Sergant. Keep up the good work! - Flt Lt S. Del Gaudio
Some of you may be aware by now that I'm getting married soon. My husband-to-be is in the Army and has recently been posted. Therefore, once we return from our honeymoon at the start of October, we are moving across the country! One of the most difficult part of the move is leaving RAF Section, a brilliant group of cadets who I have seen grow and flourish. I will however remain in post until a replacement has been appointed. That means I will still be putting the training plan together, as well as organising any activities and trips. I will also still be working for the school in my design role and therefore hope to be on site at St. Mary's once a month. We are a close knit section, who look out for one another. I'm very proud to work with such a lovely group of cadets and wish each and every one of you the best of luck for the future... Although you're not getting rid of me just yet!- Flt Lt S. Del Gaudio
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Combined Cadet Force: Army & RAF Section
Adventurous Training Camp Adventure Training took on a new aspect this year as a bumper number of 30 cadets headed to the Midlands and to their base at Nesscliffe Training Camp. Amongst the new activities on offer were horse riding, archery, Jacob’s Ladder (both climbing and falling) and Segway which saw most cadets and adults taking part and going increasingly fast as they gained confidence. There was still time for the more traditional pursuits of water sports with paddle boards, kayaks and raft building on a particularly chilly day and rock climbing under far warmer conditions. On our return home we spent a number of hours at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire which all found a most moving experience. My thanks to Major Overend for organising the entire package. . - Lt Col N. Rothnie
Summer 2019
DofE Gold Presentations
Bronze
Nearly sixty pupils received their DofE Bronze, Silver and Gold awards this year, in the awards night, at the palace, and in our school presentations. Well done to all on an excellent year’s work!
The thirty-three Bronze Award troops have so far successfully completed a day of training on the school field, and their practice expedition in May. They started their expedition with a member of staff walking on and around the Sandstone Trial in Cheshire. After a successful night’s camping at Broad Oak Farm, groups showed independence and determination to complete the second day, completing difficult micro navigation across enclosed farmland and meeting around five hundred cows in the process. All groups worked well and will be facing their qualifying expedition in September, where we hope they can implement the lessons they learnt on packing light, working together and navigating accurately, all while climbing a fairly big hill.
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Duke of Edinburgh's Award
Silver
Gold
The twenty-five silver candidates completed a practice expedition in the Trough of Bowland, in intensely challenging conditions. Snow, rain, hail, ice and strong winds featured prominently on the middle day, but they worked together, pushed onwards, and all made it through. The qualifying expedition, by contrast, was in baking heat in Silverdale, with sunburn the number one risk. Commendable camaraderie was shown, both on the campsite and on the trail, and I am looking forwards to seeing these pupils tackle the Gold Award in a few year’s time! It’s worth pointing out that, over the whole of Year 10, these pupils have walked 117km. A real achievement.
Twenty-two pupils took part in this year’s Gold Award expeditions. The practice, in balmy weather in the Yorkshire Dales, was a delight, with the groups tackling the challenging peaks of Ingleborough and Pen-yGhent on successive days, and demonstrating their physical endurance and persistence. Seven pupils then completed their qualifying expedition in the Lakes, in and around Keswick, with the remainder coming with us to Snowdonia. The weather was mostly kind, and the pupils really impressed us with their teamwork and independent navigation. They were positive in their approach to adversity, and scaled the foothills of Cadair Idris, Diffwys and Rhinog Fawr, before finishing with an ice cream in Harlech.
Summer 2019
Kindergarten Prize Day
Beep Beep Week
The children had a fantastic day at their Prize Day in early July. They delivered an amazing performance picking songs from the song bag and doing all the actions to each song. We are all so so proud of them and wish our older children the best of luck for big school!
Beep Beep Week was a big success. We have had many donations for the ‘Brake’ charity, which teaches young children about road safety. All of Nursery have taken part in a sponsored walk up to the village and back practicing crossing roads and pressing the button for the lights to change.
Jungle Themes
Tots Festival
The Babies and Toddlers theme for this term has been ‘Jungle’ they have been doing all kinds of wonderful activities such as making snake bread, animal prints, learning about animal sounds and what sound each animal makes (I’m sure you’ll be hearing lots of ‘ROARS’). Lots of pictures and displays are located all around their rooms to show what they have been up to.
The Tots staff planned a festival day for their children, which involved lots of bright colours, glitter, face paint, flower headbands and lots more. They all had fun having a picnic in the garden along with music and dancing.
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Bright Sparks & Early Years
Outdoors! Outdoors has been a big part of our summer term. With the lovely weather we’ve had our children have barely been in their rooms. This has been our first full summer with our new playground, the children have also enjoyed playing with hoola hoops, bikes, scooters, bats and balls, the list goes on and on. Kindergarten have also been doing a very good job at making sure our garden looks pretty, they have been learning about plants and how they grow, which has lead into them planting some gorgeous flowers and watering them every day.
Summer 2019
Infants Prize Giving
Junior Prize Giving
The infants took a trip to magical and enchanted Fairy Dell Forest at the end of the Summer Term and there was not a dry eye in the house! With outstanding theatrical performances, emotional choral and solo songs performed, as well as a dance fit for a King and Queen! All of the children shone and we couldn’t be prouder. Their commitment, enthusiasm and energy throughout rehearsals ensured that they felt confident and proud during their final performance. It was a wonderful afternoon of celebration as the children were presented with an award by Mr Webster and applauded for their efforts and attitudes throughout the year. A very proud afternoon!
The Atkinson arts centre on Lord Street was the venue for our Junior Prize Giving ceremony on Tuesday 9th July. Compere for the evening was well-known local businessman, Jonathan Cunningham MBE, the Chair of alumni organisation the Friends of St. Mary’s. And this year’s VIP guest was Edge Hill University early years education expert Nichola Grimshaw, who recently became a Governor of St. Mary’s. The packed audience at the Atkinson heard that the school had again achieved excellent academic results during the year. Other highlights ranged from winning the Christian Brothers Schools Debating Competition to the opening of a new forest area in the school grounds, funded by the Parents’ Association. And many successes in sport and music were also recognised at the prize-giving event which featured performances by no fewer than five musical ensembles at the school. Remarkably, the contribution from the Concert Band included both Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks and the Bill Hayley classic Rock Around the Clock, which all helped to create an informal and celebratory atmosphere at the event. Headmaster Jonathan Webster commented: “This event, which gives us the opportunity to highlight the many wonderful achievements of our pupils in and out of the classroom, is one of my favourite events of the year. “It also gives me the chance to thank the staff I work with for the sheer volume of opportunities they provide to our pupils, despite only being a small team. “And I would also like to thank the parents of our pupils, not only for their ongoing support, but also for handing over their most valuable possessions to us every day, and trusting in the work that we do with them,” added Mr Webster.
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The Preparatory School
Sports Day
Leavers Mass
Our annual sports day is always a very popular event
The School Year ended with our annual Leavers’ Mass at St. Joseph’s Church. Fr. Caddell lead the service which was full of families who had come to wish the Year 6 well on the next step in their educational journey. The children read well and sang beautifully and each reading and hymn had a significant meaning, chosen especially for this end of term celebration. The celebration then continued at school with a presentation for each child for their time here at the Prep. It’s been a wonderful year and such a special way to end it.
in the school calendar and a chance for all pupils to participate. It was great to see every child enjoying themselves and competing in a wide variety of events. The standard of athletics on show was very high and there were some very competitive races and some close finished in the field events. Many parents, grandparents and other friends and family turned up to support and make the day a great success!
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@stmarys_prep Summer 2019
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2019 Open Events Thursday 26th September, 4pm - 7pm Saturday 28th September, 10am - 12pm St. Mary’s College & Preparatory School 0151 924 3926 www.stmarys.ac The independent Catholic school for boys and girls of all faiths aged 0–18