STONAR NEWS
IN THIS ISSUE:
Top UK young physicist.
Hola Barcelona! Enriching Prep trip to Spain. Stunning water themed artwork. Summer Edition. Published July 2018
Dear friends This edition of Stonar News will give you a small taste of what has been going on at Stonar this year. We are delighted with the range of university offers our Year 13 have garnered and you can read about these and other individual achievements on pages 4–7. Further spreads show some of the many events and experiences that have taken place in the last few months; as our pupils study and enjoy these events, we want them all to develop a real love of learning, to find what inspires them and to gain a genuine interest in and care for the world around them. As part of this, senior school pupils were asked to debate and put forward the questions that they considered most important of all. The questions suggested covered a huge variety of topics and made up a question trail around the school, while pupils produced some thought provoking answers. Sample questions are given as footnotes on following pages.
stonarschool.com
We live in changing times and more than ever it is important that education builds in pupils the personal qualities that will equip them to flourish in an as yet unknown future. I have enjoyed seeing our pupils step outside their comfort zones and grow stronger as a result, whether by braving an outdoor experience such as caving, standing up to speak in a debate, or taking on a leadership role in a school house. Some pupils have trained as a sports or literacy leader to help younger pupils, or been selected as a prep school leader or sports ambassador, while others take on roles as form captains, prefects or head pupils and have an important voice in the school. As we near the end of term, I would like to wish parents pupils and friends a very happy summer.
Dr Sally Divall
Stonar News Summer 2018 Contents
Student Focus
16 04
Artwork by Hanyi Feng, Year 13
Achievement
30 20
Success from the year and a look at where two past pupils are now
08
Challenge
Inspiration
28
The Arts
30
Art Department
Sport
Equestrian Displays of skill from all of our competing riders
31
Performance, festivals and creative writing
16
Prep School
Individual and team success plus regional achievements
Exploring and succeeding in new topics and interests
14
Scarlett Parker, Year 13
Topics, events, trips, sport and the arts
Testing abilities and putting recently acquired skills to the test
11
Fraser McGready
Community Working together to honour the past and improve the future
32
Celebrating the latest stand-out pieces from our pupils
Boarding & Inter-house All the fun and games behind the scenes
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Leavers Memories and best moments
Fraser joined Stonar into Year 12 in September.
‘ It’s been a good year and my grades have really improved since starting in September. I’m understanding and enjoying my work a lot more. The education here is good and the small classes really help with that. It’s a very friendly environment, less formal than some schools, so the teachers get to know you better and understand you well. The sport is good. Because the groups are small, it’s more competitive and you’re focussed more as an individual on what you need to do to improve. The riding centre is better than any other I’ve seen and the staff are so dedicated. Boarding is comfortable and friendly – it’s a relaxed place to be.’
Four top young physicists. Four unconditional university offers. Two former head girls and a host of academic accomplishments.
Achievement
Bella named top UK young physicist! Talented young physicist, Bella Harris-Johnstone, was placed in the top 7 of young physicists in the UK in the Royal Society’s Physics Olympiad this year. 5,000 GCSE students from across the UK take part in the Physics Olympiad, which is a challenge based on real-life problem solving. Four Stonar pupils sat the paper and achieved a Gold Award in the challenge, already a fantastic achievement, and our congratulations go to Hannah, Hermione and Genevieve. As one of the top seven achievers in the challenge overall, Bella was invited to The Royal Society for a special presentation afternoon. The special guest for the evening was Professor John Zarnecki, from The Open University and President of the Royal Astronomical Society. His speech was about his 35 year career in Space Research, being involved with launching sound rockets into the Earth’s orbit and missions of exploration to Halleys Comet. Bella was presented with a certificate and book by Professor John Zarnecki. Dr Sally Divall, Head of Stonar said, ‘this is an outstanding achievement and we are all very proud of Bella’.
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STONAR NEWS
Can you answer this question from Bella’s challenge paper? On a cold winter’s day, a piece of wood and a piece of metal are left outside for a long time. When the wood and then the metal are each handled in turn, the metal feels much colder than the wood. Explain why the metal feels much colder than the wood even though they have both been outside and are therefore at the same temperature?
NACE Academic Olympics A group of Stonar pupils travelled to Bilbao to take part in the NACE Academic Olympics, hosted by our sister school, St George’s. Pupils worked collaboratively with peers from our sister schools to compete in a wide-ranging series of challenges, from using scientific knowledge to multi-lingual spelling bees. Pupils also took to the streets of Bilbao to look for statues, landmarks and special features in a treasure hunt.
Academic Awards
Where are they now?
Our school year opened with our Academic Awards Evening, celebrating academic success and progress. Thank you to Fergus Feilden MA Cantab, MA RCA, RIBA, ARB and founding partner of Feilden Fowles for an inspirational keynote speech on the importance of following your dreams, working hard and generosity of spirit.
Isabella Collins Head Girl, Stonar 2010–17
Joss Anstey-Watkins Head Girl, Stonar 1998–2004
Issy Collins studied at Stonar from Year 7 and achieved an excellent A* AB at A Level. Here she tells us what she’s been getting up to since leaving.
‘ I have just been awarded my PhD from Warwick Medical School. After leaving Stonar, I went on a gap year to Malawi to teach in a school. I then went to Durham University, where I gained a First Class degree in Sport Science. I then went onto to Oxford University to do a MSc in Evidence-based social intervention. My work was published on double AIDS orphaned children after gaining a distinction in my dissertation. This lead me onto Warwick University to do a four year PhD in health system stringing in rural South Africa for patients with chronic disease. Since graduating with the PhD, I have been awarded an early career research fellowship as a Social Scientist at Warwick to work on anti-microbial resistance study in six Low and middleincome countries. I feel I owe a lot to the education and freedom to be me at Stonar that set me on the path I am on today.’
Awards were presented both to those who have achieved exceptional academic results and to those who have made particularly good progress. Alison Rivers, Director of Studies, and Charlotte Bennett, Head of Sixth Form, introduced each pupil, praising their individual achievements and highlighting their notable successes. Very well done to all our hard working pupils!
‘ I’m at the University of Manchester studying Business Management. After particularly enjoying the marketing modules from this year, I will be specialising in Marketing for the rest of my degree and taking a placement year in Year 3. Apart from studying, I have met so many amazing people, and friends that I will have for life. I have had my fair share of nights out and I have loved exploring the city through museums, art galleries, football stadiums (in Manchester, this is a must) and coffee shops – I have certainly learnt that the only way to get to a 9am seminar is with a strong coffee! Although I’m ready for a long summer at home, I cannot wait for Year 2.’
University Destinations Our Year 13 leavers received an excellent crop of offers for university, with Luna, Holly, Amy and Paula all receiving unconditional offers. Their choices again reflect the diversity of courses that our pupils go on to do. We wish them luck! Consuela Beauchamp-Davies: Geography, Loughborough University Evie Houseman: Liberal Arts, Connecticut College, USA India Drew: Drama, Queen’s University Belfast Luna Haag: Law, University of York Vivian Li: Mechanical Engineering, UCL Olivia McAleer: Business Management, University of St. Andrews Holly McManus: Medicine, University of Liverpool Amy Tokel: Drama, English and American Literature, University of Kent Sophia Trise: Psychology, University of Plymouth Paula Vesting: Photography, York, St John University
Should a 16 year old be able to vote?
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Achievement
Sporting Achievements Congratulations to Isabel Sowels, Year 8, who was selected as one of 12 Wiltshire sports young people to receive a scholarship grant at County Hall. Sports scholar Izzie plays for Team Bath Buccaneers and is a member of the England Hockey Performance Centre’s under 15 squad. Congratulations to Rebecca Fairley also in Year 8 who was rewarded for her excellent County performances by a sponsorship deal from Grays. Hannah Browning, Year 7, has had an outstanding running year competing in at regional level in cross country. After winning the West Wilts round, she performed well in the County Championships to qualify for the regionals, contributing to a team second place for Wiltshire Minor Girls. Well done Hannah! Hannah will also compete in the 1,200m in the County Athletics Championships. Congratulations to Laura Curtis, Year 9, who is in her second year of training with the South West England Golf Squad. Laura won all three tournaments she competed in during May half term and has a busy summer ahead, competing in the U14 Scottish Championships and the U18 England Golf Championships. She will also be competing as an amateur in her first professional event; the WPGA one day series. Congratulations to Charlotte Emberson, Year 8, who has been selected for the TBNC Regional U14 Squad that will be training through the summer.
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STONAR NEWS
Mid-Somerset Festival Stonar always punches well above its weight in the Mid-Somerset Festival and this year was no exception. The Mid-Somerset is one of the oldest and largest festivals of its kind with hundreds of students competing from across the South West. We were particularly proud of our senior girls who entered the sonnet class for the first time and took the top 3 places with India Drew winning The Gelatopios Trophy. For Hannah Browning, it was her first festival but this didn’t stop her winning Year 7 Solo Acting and walking away with the Kenneth McCaig Scott Cup previously won by Stonar old girls Holly Bodimeade and Kitty Cameron. Versatile performer Aurelia Harris-Johnstone entered ten this year. She was placed in most and won five bringing home the McEwen Cup for Memorised Prose and the Sylvia AtkinsonFleming Cup for Public Speaking. Our Prep entrants also acquitted themselves well. Particular praise should go to Polly McHardy, Oscar Davies and Bonnie Davies, all of whom gained 3rd place in their respective verse speaking classes, Rose Goddard for being placed 2nd in verse speaking and the partnership of Rose and Hattie Bennett proving particularly successful by winning Duo Verse and being placed 2nd in a very competitive Duo Acting class.
Olivia Anniss from last year’s Year 13 won the senior Shakespeare class for the 3rd year running and also the Celia Powell Memorial Trophy for the highest overall mark in Shakespeare. While it is wonderful to be at the top of these classes, the festival isn’t all about winning. It is about learning to speak in public with confidence, expression, clarity and projection. Every competitor from Stonar, without exception did just that. It was a very exciting three days.
Our MSF winners Sonnet Class Winner India Drew Solo Acting Winner Hannah Browning Memorised Prose Winner Aurelia Harris-Johnstone Public Speaking Winner Aurelia Harris-Johnstone Senior Shakespeare Winner Olivia Anniss Prep Duo Verse Winners Rose and Hattie Bennett Highest Overall in Shakespeare Celia Powell
Why do we need school?
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Challenge
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Festival of Engineering
A group of pupils attended the Wiltshire Festival of Engineering, an event aimed at inspiring young people to develop an interest in STEM and consider the range of careers available in this field. With interactive exhibits from local businesses and education providers including Dyson, Airbus, Siemens, and the Royal Navy, this was a really exciting event. Pupils enjoyed a wide variety of hands-on experiences including trying out Virtual Reality headsets, attempting to generate enough electricity to charge a phone using a bike, as well as putting together a device for milking a cow in record time! They also got to see the Airbus Defence and Space’s Mars Rover model. It was a truly inspirational day which really engaged pupils and gave them an insight into the many careers that involve STEM subjects.
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Top of the Bench
A team of four Stonar pupils – Jamuna and Alejandro in Year 9, Katie in Year 10 and Hermione, Year 11 competed against 11 other schools in the Bristol and District heat of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Top of the Bench competition held at the University of Bristol. The work involved was at Higher GCSE and A Level standard and stretched their chemistry skills with both practical tasks and a general knowledge quiz.
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STONAR NEWS
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Debating
It’s been a full year of debating for Stonar pupils, who have taken part in a busy schedule of competitive and non-competitive debating challenges. From Year 7 up, Senior pupils have been involved in learning more about how to debate and taking part in in-school debates; learning more about their public speaking skills and articulating their arguments, an invaluable foundation for the future. 2 Our debating teams have acquitted themselves well in a series of inter-school competitions; the ESU and the Rotary Public Speaking Competition, with considerable success in both, getting through to the regional finals.
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Problems from the real world. Answers from the LEGO one. LEGO Challenge
Salters’ Chemistry
10 members of Years 6 & 7 represented Stonar School in the First LEGO League challenge held at the Hewlett Packard facility in Bristol.
Year 7 pupils went to Bath University to take part in the annual Salters’ Festival of Chemistry. The main focus of the morning was ‘The Salters’ Challenge’, a competitive, practical activity. The pupils had to find the identity of the thief who had stolen the Salters’ Challenge Cup. To do this they used a combination of chromatography, qualitative chemical tests and code breaking.
There are two main aspects to the challenge, a presentation and a Robotics challenge. The theme of this year’s challenge was hydrodynamics, a consideration of the way humans: find, transport, use and dispose of water. For the presentation, the team chose to focus on the importance of access to clean water. After the presentation, the team ably answered a number of very challenging questions from the judges. In the Robotics challenge first round, the team executed a flawless first mission, but then frustratingly on the second mission their robot became stranded in the field of play. In the second round, the team opted to take on two different missions partially completing both missions. The third and final round proved very frustrating for the team. A robot successfully retrieved the mission objective but then dropped it before returning to the base costing valuable points.
In the afternoon, the pupils tackled ‘The University Challenge’, a practical investigation chosen by the University which had a Dr Who theme. The festival concluded with a ‘Chemical Magic’ demonstration of amazing chemical reactions. Pupils enjoyed the challenges and made the most of the fantastic opportunity of working independently in the university laboratory.
The First LEGO League challenge is a very demanding challenge, Stonar gave a very good account of themselves and can be very proud of their achievements.
Should teachers have to wear a uniform?
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Challenge
Duke of Edinburgh Our D of E teams have been out and about all year, learning skills both at Stonar and out on expedition on Dartmoor with their final assessed expeditions in the North Yorkshire Moors. Both teams learned the hard way that things do not always go according to plan out on practise expeditions with wind, rain and white-out conditions on the rough, boggy ground made it a truly testing experience. The Silver Award teams had to modify their route but made it to the end. The Gold Award group were forced to abandon their expedition due to injury, but bounced back to successfully complete their qualifying practise in Wales. Our Bronze teams were luckier with fantastic weather for their practise expedition in Castle Combe. Three small groups had a day of micro navigation training and showed great promise both in their ability to learn and work together and their positive attitude.
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STONAR NEWS
...white-out conditions on the rough, boggy ground made it a truly testing experience.
Inspiring young minds is the key to expanding our pupils horizons, to help them explore and succeed in interests they didn’t know they had.
Inspiration
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Roman Baths
Our Year 9 Latin Scholars bring Latin to life with their trip to the Roman Baths where they not only studied Latin from primary sources, but also gained an insight into Roman life.
2 C astles
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and conflict with History
Castles have been a focal point for both Year 7 and 8 as part of their studies of different time periods, with Year 7 looking at medieval history with a visit to Chepstow and Year 8 studying the civil war.
3&4 C oast,
chocolate & cheese with Geography!
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4
The geography department certainly enjoy some fantastic trips and this year has been no exception with A Level and GCSE geographers enjoying trips out to survey in Lyme Regis, Lyndhurst, Cheddar and Studland, learning valuable fieldwork skills and collecting data to take back to the classroom for analysis. The ever-popular trip to Cadbury World for Year 8 harnesses the pupil’s passion for chocolate and translates into a study of quaternary industry.
How is a shooting star formed?
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Inspiration
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Year 12
Year 10 3 4
1&2
Dreaming Spires
Year 10 and Year 12 enjoyed trips to Oxford University, touring Merton and Christ Church, hearing from existing students about college life and inspiring them to aim high!
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Into the Dragon’s Den
Pupils studying Business hosted their own small business conference, uncovering the pros and pitfalls of being your own boss. Four speakers joined pupils including Bini Ludlow from Sweet Cumin curries and cookery school; Steph Anderson from In a Pickle pickles and chutneys; Tim Bennett who runs an estate agency and Gary Crouch from Spectrum IT Consultancy. Following talks from the speakers and a Q & A, pupils then worked in groups on a Dragon’s Den style activity, where they came up with an idea for a business and pitched it to the speakers. A great morning, where pupils came away with insights and a greatly enhanced understanding of the realities of business ownership.
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STONAR NEWS
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Forensic Science
Senior school students enjoyed fascinating lectures on forensic science talks given by Dr. Lynsey Gozna. Dr. Gozna, who is a research fellow at the University of Leicester, has also held senior posts at Lincoln University, the Ministry of Defence and DEFRA. She gave a guest lecture to A-Level psychology students on forensic science with a focus on diagnosis, personality disorders and childhood experiences. Year 11 and 13 students then attended a talk on deception and how to detect deception in criminal interviews. Dr. Gozna’s talk captivated all age groups and this was reflected by their full engagement during the talks and very thoughtful questions afterwards.
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5 B reaking
the Glass Ceiling
Virginia Isaac, former Chief Executive of UCAS and Inspiring Futures gave Stonar a treat on Tuesday afternoon with her personal journey through her career and life. Virginia spoke passionately about working hard to create luck in life, to always try new things and remember the value of skills and experience alongside academic qualifications. With thoughtprovoking messages about what success really is and how to achieve it. Virginia is an outstanding role model for our students.
Paris Match The Sixth Form enjoyed a cold and snowy long weekend in Paris. The wonders of the Louvre were the first port of call before heading to our sister school, EIB Paris to join them for a tour of the Arc de Triomphe, a stroll down the Champs Elysees and a visit to the Musee d’Orsay. A busy Saturday followed with Notre Dame, St Germain des Pres and the Christmas markets at La Defense. A quick Metro trip across the city and it was onto the Bateau Parisienne for a boat trip along the Seine and then straight to the Eiffel Tower (at -2 degrees) for a view of Paris by night. They spent Sunday morning enjoying the delights of Sacre Coeur and Montmartre before catching the Eurostar back to London.
A snowy, long weekend in Paris. Travel, culture, art and food, a trip our Sixth Form took in their stride.
Will time travel ever be possible?
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The Arts
Drama & Music
1 1&2
Oklahoma!
Pupils from Years 7 to 13 were involved in this year’s School musical, ‘Oklahoma!’ The show was a massive success and opened to rave reviews from the audience who called it ‘fantastic!’ and ‘a brilliant show!’. The cast had a lot of fun rehearsing and performing the show and learning about what it takes to put on a full scale musical. Mr Walker, the Director and Head of Drama said ‘I am so proud of this hard working cast and all the achievements. The have created a captivating, funny and dynamic performance which will live long in the memory’.
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Wonderland
Wonderland places the audience squarely in the shoes of Alice as she travels further and further through Wonderland. Key Stage 3 rose admirably to the challenge, delivering a mature performance which focused on the theme of identity and isolation; Alice’s sense of being lost, not knowing who she really is and indeed, undergoing a complete change by the end. Themes which were not lost on our young and talented cast.
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Spring Concert Our talented musicians in every year from the Prep School to the Sixth Form performed in the Spring Concert at the United Church in Melksham in a fantastic showcase. Soloists, instrumental groups and the Prep School and Chamber choirs delivered an accomplished performance with a wide ranging programme, from Schumann and Chopin to chart toppers Bastille!
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STONAR NEWS
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Creative writing
Year 7 were given a selection of titles and challenged to write a creative story in a short time frame. Our two top stories were the following. Well done!
The Party
The Escape
I glance down at my dress in horror; beige chiffon to the floor with a pale beige trim. Cat vomit with a side of overcooked pasta, Leila called it. Mum bought it for me because she says I look beautiful in it. I don’t. I look like a beige monstrosity. I glance around the party. Pink balloons, and over there, oh god, Jessica Simms. She is the same age as me with blonde pigtails and a pink dress. I clutch my bag closer to my chest as I shuffle towards the exit. 3 metres to go. 2 metres to go. Then I hear a voice. ‘Now where do you think you’re going, young lady?’ Ugh, it’s Jessica’s mum. The only reason why I have to come to this party. ‘You were invited here to learn how to interact with polite society. You will stay here and learn how to be a nice, obedient, polite young lady.’ She hisses, ‘you will make friends’.
Rushing water. A sea full of water, emptying over an island. Screams; petrified screams. Eyes, panicking. Lifeless eyes. Eyes that just went, because it was easier than putting up a fight. The noise fills my head. Dying screams surround me. People I know and care about are dying. I can see the life leave their bodies and silently I beg the mighty ocean to take me too. But it doesn’t. It leaves me to suffer.
For the record, lady, I have friends. I have Leila, who would fight a bear to save her friends. Zac, who can answer any question. Alex who is painfully shy and quiet, and Amy, who can track any animal. I don’t need anyone else. I bow my head and try to look dutiful, then I turn on my heels and run to the bathroom. With shaking hands, I pull out my phone and text my friends, Then I change my clothes. There, much better. I open the window and jump out. When I land I realise that there are four pairs of eyes looking at me. Blue, grey, brown and green. Leila, Zac, Alex and Amy.
Eve Gooberman-Hill
Through the strong and powerful water, I somehow struggle to safety. My mother once taught me, if we were ever flooded to get to a high place. So I climb high. The village clocktower is still standing. The water pressure is so much, fighting by body. But I fight back somehow. Even though I feel like I have no life left inside me; no fight, I still climb the clock tower ladder. I am on the tower roof for hours. Below me, my world is slowly being destroyed and drowned. The ocean finally escaped from its cage and it chose us; me, my friends, my island, to let out its anger. I cry, I scream, I long for someone to hold me close, but there is no-one around. I haven’t seen anyone alive for hours. I am alone.
Five ,minutes later it rises again and this time I see a shadow. A human shadow. The person turns around. Their eyes shining in the last bit of sunshine. They see me and run. I call out, ‘hey wait!’ I run after them. Down the clock tower steps, through the rubble of our broken island. I see lifeless bodies and tears dampen my eyes. I chase them onto the wet beach and I am faster. I catch up with them and reach for them; they trip and we tumble down together. Their arm is under my back; they are lying on top of me. I spit sand out of my mouth and open my eyes. It’s a boy.
Hannah Browning
Just before dusk, the sea retreats back into its cage. It had its fun, it had its freedom. Through my hazy eyes and the dying light of the sun, I think I see something move. I stare intently, and hope begins to rise inside me. Is there someone else left? Am I not alone?!
When was the first book written?
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A showcase of artwork from our A Level and GCSE pupils.
Hanyi Feng, Year 13
Art Department
Evie Houseman, Year 13
India Drew, Year 13
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STONAR NEWS
Paula Vesting, Year 13
Why was this school named Stonar?
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Art Department
Congratulations to our winners from the NACE art competition who produced some stunning work on the theme of water.
Paula Vesting
Hanyi Feng
Hannah Browning
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STONAR NEWS
1&2
Inspiration from visiting artists Our visiting artist programme brings new inspiration into the art department every term. As well as an exhibition, artists run workshops with our pupils. Jen Hamblin worked with pupils on screen printing workshops, introducing them to this creative format.
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Peter Benson worked with A Level students, talking about his work themed on collections.
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Lacock GCSE photography students went out to Lacock to take inspiration from the buildings and natural surroundings.
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London A Level and GCSE students visited London to see the work of Jasper Johns at the Royal Academy. Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’ is a comprehensive survey of over 150 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints. It reveals the continuities and changes that have occurred over the past six decades and the curiosity and experimentation that Johns continues to apply to his current practice. The group went on to see Iconoclasts: Art out of the Mainstream, at the Saatchi gallery. It is the tale of the small group of experimental artists who dared to produce often transformational practices of their own, inviting the viewers to a modern day idea of iconoclasm. A thoughtprovoking and inspirational day which the students responded strongly to.
How could you harness energy from a hurricane?
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Prep School
Topics
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The Prep School’s Foundation topics have taken them from the deepest underwater caves, all the way to Mars. The foundation topics provide a structure for pupils to study a variety of subjects and make purposeful links and connections throughout their learning and bring tremendous excitement and energy to the classroom. The pupils embark on a new topic each term.
Once Upon a Time The world of stories was the inspiration for Nursery and Reception in their topic, Once Upon a Time. Pupils loved sharing their favourite books which was a springboard for all kinds of activities, with lots of music, movement, dance, role-play and drama – and cooking! 1
From A to B
3 2 Footprints
from the past
For Year 4, there was a clear winner: ‘Footprints from the Past’. This topic is the study of ancient creatures who once roamed the earth in the age of reptiles. These creatures have long since perished, but they have left vital footprints behind for us to marvel at and study.
Mission to Mars
Year 1 became designers, in their topic From A to B, all about transport. Their brief was to design a vehicle that would transport a small toy from A to B without it falling off. The children came up with their own individual ideas and built their vehicle accordingly.
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Seeing the Light
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Year 2’s highlight of the year was their topic, Seeing the Light. Having learned about the movement of the planets around the sun and the earth’s rotation and revolution, we visited Stonehenge to see how the cycle of night and day and the passing of the seasons has been marked and celebrated for millennia.
Year 6’s topic on Fairgrounds focused on science and technology with lots of experiments investigating forces at work in fairgrounds such as gravity, magnetism, electricity and friction. Year 6, were then able to use this knowledge to successfully design and build new fairground rides, which they powered through their own customised circuits.
Year 5 chose Mission to Mars as the most enjoyable topic which followed developments in the space race to Mars. One of the highlights from this unit was creating and programming our own Mars Rovers, based on the NASA robot, ‘Curiosity’.
Fairgrounds
Saving the World
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STONAR NEWS
Year 3’s favourite topic this year was ‘Saving the World’. Throughout this topic, we looked at rainforests across the world, with a focus on the animals, people and food produce from those rainforests and much more.
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Events
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History Week
The Prep School History Week was a fantastic immersive week going back 5,000 years, starting with the Ancient Egyptians all the way through to the 1960’s, covering the good, the bad and the crazy! Trowbridge Museum visited running hands-on workshops for pupils with objects and artefacts, with pupils learning how to churn butter, write with quill pens and playing Tudor games. A colourful week, with much fun and experiential learning.
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Charity Scarecrows
Every new school year, children from the Prep school choose a new charity to raise funds for throughout each term. Dementia UK was the popular choice with pupils on this occasion and the school decided to take advantage of our fantastic grounds by organising a sponsored scarecrow hunt trail fundraiser with a superhero theme! From Spider-Man, Batman and Catwoman to Groot, Supertato and Captain Underpants, the range of heroes and villains available to find created an exciting adventure for all ages. Parents, grandparents, children and even senior school pupils all went on the search and helped to raise so much money for Dementia UK that we are still counting! Watch this space for our total!
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Help for Heroes
Children were delighted to present a cheque for £4,181.32 to Help For Heroes after a fantastic year raising money in 2017 with so many events, with a sponsored obstacle course and pyjama and film night among them. Well done children for your dedication and hard work!
2 Year 6’s Election Special! Year 6 had a lesson in law making when local MP, Michelle Donelan visited, and got to ask their questions on government, campaigning, elections and more. They were surprised by many answers and collected plenty of ideas for running their own school election campaign.
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Festival of Colour
Nursery & Reception children enjoyed a Festival of Colour; exploring all things colourful!
Harvest Festival The whole school community came together to celebrate the Harvest Festival. A warm and wonderful afternoon with much fun, thoughtfulness, and even a bit of rapping on the theme of Harvest.
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Why are there different languages?
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Prep School
Prep School life is enriched with trips and visits which both enhance the curriculum and provide further experiences. Trips
Barcelona Travelling to Barcelona with children from Year 7 & 8 was a terrific highlight for our older Prep School children. After hosting visitors in January, pupils reconnected with their Spanish friends, spending 3 days in classes in our sister school, Agora International. The children have all had a partner and took part in lessons that are familiar to them, as well as lessons that are less familiar, such as Catalan. A busy programme of trips around the city complemented the time in school, with pupils visiting the Olympic Stadium, Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas, Casa Batllo and Park Guell as well as the Monastery at Montserrat. These visits formed part of an enquiry based study that the children worked on before and during the week.
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STONAR NEWS
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Whitemead Years 3 and 4 went for a fantastic adventure at Whitemead, developing independence and resilience through so many different activities – raft building, team crate challenge, body zorbing and street dancing. As well as having the most amazing time, the children worked extremely hard at their tasks while supporting and encouraging each other along the way. Some of the children’s ‘rainbow’ behaviour earned them certificates for demonstrating an excellent use of our personal goals such as resilience, adaptability, morality and cooperation. The trip was a huge success, we received many compliments from the Whitemead staff who couldn’t believe how well behaved, polite and hard-working they all were. They did us proud!
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We The Curious
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Y ear 5 and 6 had a great day of learning at We The Curious in Bristol.
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Corinium
L earning more about the rainforest at the Living Rainforest for Year 3.
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Y ear 4 visited the second largest Roman town in England – Corinium. The impressive amphitheatre made us feel very small!
Living Rainforest
Stonehenge Y ears 1 and 2 got out to Stonehenge where they had a brilliant time enhancing their knowledge for their IPC topics.
Is the universe infinite or just very big?
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Prep School
Art
Our talented Prep artists have been learning about different styles of a variety of artists and have created works in the vein of Ande Hall, Hockney and Hokusai.
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Artwork by the following pupils: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Laura Sparrow Emma Skinner Barney Firbank Gabrielle Keller Jayden Keller James Aikman
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STONAR NEWS
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6 Why is the sky blue?
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Prep School
Sport
This year the Prep School have taken part in a wealth of sporting events including; hockey, football, netball, swimming cross country and many more. They have also taken part in Wiltshire county competitions in hockey and cross country.
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During the year the focus for Pre-Prep has been developing their Fundamental Motor Skills and making sure that these skills have been consolidated as much as possible before moving on to game/match situation, where they can then apply these into a variety of situations. The children from Reception to Year 2 have also been swimming every week, improving their technique and overall fitness. This year some children have also had the opportunity to take part in representing the school as a Sports Ambassador. This has involved them taking part in training, running warm-ups, leading by example, creating and delivering assemblies and being a confident individual in any sporting situation.
Music
In Years 3–6 they have enjoyed a wealth of sports throughout the year, given every child the opportunity to try new experiences and become a more rounded individual. The children have also enjoyed playing matches against other school in the area, giving them first-hand experience of a match situation and how to hurdle any obstacles that may arise. In addition to the external matches, children also compete in house competitions throughout the year. The ownership of this is often on the children where the house leaders, organise teams, score and of course encourage those around them.
Sport at Stonar, goes far beyond the lessons and matches with clubs often being a way for children to improve their skills, try even more sports or just for fun! This year we have had a record number of sporting clubs including; martial arts, street dance, archery and gymnastics – to just name a few. This year we have also introduced a commitment award for children who attend their clubs throughout the year, as without commitment and determination you will find it hard to push yourself to the maximum.
We have been treated to some delightful performances by our young musicians throughout the year in our musical assemblies and Prep Concert. It’s fantastic to see their confidence grow and musical progress.
Is chocolate cake really unhealthy?
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A year full of individual and team sporting success, with many pupils reaching regional finals and one future England Hockey star.
Sport
Netball
Girls Hockey
Boys Hockey
We had a great netball season this year with great success from many of our teams, Our U12A team the stars with an unbeaten season. The girls won the School Games Netball tournament winning 11 out of 11 matches, scoring 31 goals and only conceding 2.
It was a mixed season for our girl’s hockey teams who played some great hockey against some challenging sides. Our U12 team were again the stars of the show with some outstanding success, and losing only one of their matches.
For a new team on the block, our U13 boys’ hockey team got off to a fantastic start, winning every one of their six matches, scoring 27 goals and conceding only 3. Our U12 team also made a strong showing, winning 3 out of 4 matches. It’s great to see a such strong start for our boys and we are looking forward to building on this achievement as our numbers grow.
The U13A team were similarly successful. In the area tournament, the team won all 5 of their pool matches, were victorious in the semi-final and narrowly lost in the final but qualified for the County Finals as runners up. Our U15A team also completed a great season, winning 6 out of their 7 matches and only losing in the final match of the season by two goals. Overall, the girls scored a whopping 117 goals and only conceded 45!
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STONAR NEWS
NACE Olympics Stonar’s top athletes travelled to Mallorca for 4 days of intensive sporting competition against peers from NACE schools from France, Italy and Spain.
Football
Cross Country
The boys football teams enjoyed some excellent fixtures with our U15/U14 team achieving two 4–2 victories in exciting matches against the local competition. Our U13 team had a narrow defeat at the hands of Melksham Oak in the County Cup, but can be proud of their performances throughout the season.
We have had an extensive cross-country season with some notable successes along the way with sterling efforts from our girls team saw them dominate the Secondary West Wilts Cross Country with team 1st places in the Minor Girls, Inter Girls and Senior Girls competitions. Hannah Browning took individual first place in the Minor Girls event, with Aoife Hughes also placing third whilst Bella Shaw took first in the Senior Girls with Emily Gerrish coming third.
Athletics Stonar athletes performed excellently at the West Wilts area athletics trials. Congratulations to Niamh Gregory who was named Area Champion in Discus and placed second in the 100-metre event, Spencer Dymond-Hall who gained a second place in the Long Jump, Hannah Browning who won the 1,200m in the minor girls category. All three progress through to the County Championships.
Cricket At the time of writing, our U13 boys’ team were enjoying an unbeaten cricket season with their third win in a row. Spencer Dymond-Hall racked up his first half century against Bristol Grammar School, helping steer Stonar to a convincing win of 184–2.
Hannah Browning Cross Country Regionals Team 2nd Place
Spencer Dymond-Hall
Is genetic modification acceptable?
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Equestrian ISODE
Dauntsey’s NSEA
It was another successful ISODE for Stonar with team and individual placings. As always, thank you very much to all of our parents and volunteers for their part in making our ISODE a success.
In November the Equestrian team took 19 squad members to West Wilts Equestrian Centre for the Dauntseys’ NSEA Show Jumping. Another great set of results for Stonar as follows:-
Individual Places
Individual Places
Class 2
Class 3 – 90cm
1st Francesca Frost and Heida Kashmere
2nd Bella Harris-Johnstone 3rd Lucy Swift
3rd Georgia Howe and Crannard Dun
Class 4 – 1m
4th Scarlett Parker and Poker Chip
1st Lucy Swift 8th Eva Stenner 10th Sophia Trise
5th Harriet Blokland and Trigger
Team Places
Class 3
Class 3 – 90cm
10th Tippy Pullin and Roscow Delight Team Places
Team 1st Olivia Hayward, Bella HarrisJohnstone, Lucy Swift and Scarlett Parker
Class 2
Class 4 – 1m
Team 1st Harriet Blokland and Trigger, Evie Houseman and Blakeney Majesty, Georgia Howe and Crannard Dun and Scarlett Parker and Poker Chip
Team 2nd Olivia Hayward, Lucy Swift, Meike Marthiensen and Eva Stenner
Class 2 Team 4th Georgina Bond and Winmark, Lacey Francesca Frost and Heida Kashmere, Emerald McKay Hopkins and Lady, Aurelia HarrisJohnstone and Patchy Moll
BHS Ride Safe In February our pupils and equestrian staff braved arctic conditions to take their BHS Ride Safe Exams. Congratulations to the 10 pupils and staff who passed.
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STONAR NEWS
Emerald McKay Hopkins and Lady
Brecon Beacons Riding Trip A group of pupils spent a glorious weekend riding in the Black Mountains over moorland. Learning to ride safely in open countryside is a hugely pleasurable part of the riding experience and all our riders had a great time.
Brecon Beacons Riding Trip
BHS Ride Safe
Community
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Challenge Romania 2018
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Our Challenge Romania team has been busy all year raising funds for their forthcoming trip in October, kicking off with a 54 mile sponsored bike ride in the Autumn term. Pupils also spent 24 hours in the school’s stables on a chilly March day. The stable was cramped and cold; a very basic shelter, not dissimilar to the houses that poor families inhabit in the slums of Romania, where we will carry out our project, giving the opportunity for much reflection. Pupils also ran stalls, silent auction and a raffle at the Summer Fete. Our thanks go to the whole school community for supporting the team.
Stonar Remembers
Years 5–13 came together for a Remembrance Day assembly to pay tribute to those who have given their lives in service to their country. Thought-provoking readings from Charlotte, India, Consuela, Celine, Sophia, Shalom and Jacob were interspersed with hymns and prayers. Two minutes silence followed the playing of the Last Post, and the ceremony was drawn to a close by the Chamber Choir, singing The Londonderry Air. A reflective and sombre ceremony which provided much food for thought.
Summer Celebration
Student Focus Jacob Palau Jacob joined Stonar into Year 7 in September.
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‘ I’ve improved my riding lots over the year and have really seen a change through my progress in the accumulator. When I arrived I was jumping up to 80cm, and now I am just starting to jump 1m. The stables are great and the staff are really helpful. Everyone here is so friendly and I’ve enjoyed it so much here I have asked my parents if I can stay another year.‘
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A wonderful celebration of the school year at Stonar, looking back on a year of achievement and success. Head Girl Consuela gave a memorable talk about her time in the school from Year 7 to Year 13. Beautiful music from the chamber, junior and senior choirs as well as readings from prep and senior pupils delighted everyone in the Abbey.
Why are glue sticks circular? Square ones would stick edges better
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Boarding & Inter-house
Boarding
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1&2 Team games, raft building and raft racing – and trying not to get wet – in a trip to the Mendip Outdoor Centre. 3 Cutting loose at an 80’s disco! 4 Team Stonar get competitive on a paintballing trip. 5 Feeling the need for speed on the Karting track.
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6 Digging deep on a muddy obstacle course. 7 Finding their head for heights with a visiting climbing wall experience. 8 An unusual birds eye perspective on Stonar for our boarders with a bit of tree climbing.
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9 Up close with some gentle giants at Cotswold Wildlife Park. 10 Home comforts! Baking brownies in the kitchen.
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STONAR NEWS
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Inter-house competitions The inter-house year has been tightly fought as ever, with competitions covering everything from dance, drama and music, to show-jumping, cross country and gingerbread houses! As ever, our House Captains have fostered a great house spirit and made the most of everyone’s talents to create a fantastic dimension to school life.
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10 Why do shark tails move side to side and dolphin tails move up and down?
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Our 2018 cohorts have marked the end of a stage in their education with formal dinners and prize-givings.
End of Year Celebrations After celebrating with a champagne and strawberry breakfast on their last ever day of school, Year 13 went out for an evening at Bath Function Rooms, with pupils demonstrating more stamina than staff and going on to dance into the small hours. Thank you to our outgoing head pupil team of Head Girl, Consuela Beauchamp-Davies and deputies Celeste Crouch and Olivia McAleer, who have lead the school impeccably during their tenure. Our Year 6 pupils finished their primary years with a formal dinner, celebrating their contributions to the school and wishing them well for their senior education. With 7 scholarships among them into Stonar Senior School, we are very proud of the bright, curious and ambitious children they have grown into.
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STONAR NEWS
Year 11 celebrated on a sunny May evening with a formal dinner. Highlights from the evening included musical performances from the girls themselves and a poem written and read by Isabella. With exams just around the corner, the girls were able to reflect on their achievements, focus on the challenges that lay ahead and looking forward to their future endeavours both in the sixth form and beyond
Year 6 Leavers
Year 13 Leavers
From the Head Girl A past member of staff once told me ‘the more effort you put into the school, the more you will gain from it’ and I have tried to adhere to this during my time here. I would encourage all the younger years to take advantage of every opportunity, even if some might be out of your comfort zone. Being part of the sports teams, completing my silver D of E, getting involved in house competitions and trips abroad to France and Spain are just some of the challenges I have risen to. I have grown from a shy, reserved girl, to one confident about forging new friendships and rising to the challenge of new experiences.
Stonar has been much more than just an education, for many of us who have been here a long time, it feels like home, it’s the centre of our social world, its where we experience some highs of life changing events, such as the Romania challenge trips and some lows of the stress of exams. I feel immensely privileged to have experienced Stonar and as I hopefully head off to university, I will take with me a host of happy memories and some lifelong friends.
Consuela Beauchamp-Davies
Stonar School Cottles Park, Atworth Wiltshire, SN12 8NT +44 (0)1225 701 740 office@stonarschool.com stonarschool.com
Content: Teachers and pupils at Stonar Cover: Artwork by Evie Houseman Design: Ice House Design, Bath