THE NEWS
SENIOR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2022
As I write this introduction, the first normal autumn term since 2019 has been rounded off with a whole-school Christmas assembly featuring carols, dancing and all manner of staff contributions. We laughed and sang together, staff and students, genuinely enjoying each others’ company.
When Dame Emma Walmsley, Swithunite and CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, addressed us in September, one of her key messages was the importance of inter-personal relationships and of community. Her comments came at an apposite moment as we had learned of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II just a few minutes earlier.
So not such a normal term after all as we made arrangements to remember our longest-serving monarch. But then, learning to mourn, and to recognise and celebrate an extraordinary example of servant leadership, is typical of what schools seek to do. We strive to teach our students not just the content of exams, but more importantly core values and how to behave.
In October, another eminent speaker took the stage. Steven Frank BEM is a survivor of Theresienstadt or Terezin, a concentration camp in occupied Czechoslovakia, and he gave a remarkable, moving talk about his experiences. His words foreshadowed our performance of Welcome to Terezin, a musical play written in 2014 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Red Cross inspection of Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. Written by local playwright, lyricist and composer, Philip Glassborow, it combined poignancy, humour and outrage at man’s inhumanity.
Sport, music, debating, entrepreneurship, academic competitions, bake-offs and many other activities have continued apace. We have enjoyed particular success in several netball tournaments whilst our many riders have also won rosettes. Equally, the articulacy of our sixth form has been recognised in Model United Nations Conferences and in entrepreneurial activities. Students have also achieved high scores in mathematical, computing and linguistic competitions.
Later this term I am looking forward to a range of musical events from rock to cabaret. The academic enrichment continues apace with upcoming events including a talk from Vijaya Nidadavolu on gender equality, development and justice in countries including Myanmar; a Thinking English talk from Andrew Plaistowe on the metaphysical poets; and activities ranging from dissection to a ‘Meet the Scientists’ session in STEM week.
Jane Gandee MA (Cantab) Headmistress
1 Literacy Society (LitSoc)
2 Christmas Concert
3 Co-curricular fair
4 L5 Team building
5 M5 BBQ
6 UNICEF morning assembly
7 Model UN conference
8 Harvest Collection
9 Welcome to Terezin
BIOLOGY BAKE-OFF
In honour of National Biology Week 2022, the biology department organised a series of events to promote curiosity about, and comprehension of, the natural world. Many bakers from all years demonstrated their inventiveness and interest in biology during the Biology Bake Off competition.
U5 BAKE SALE
On the 27th of September, we held a breaktime bake sale supporting our school charities Kids for Kids, HART charity and Planned Parenthood. We raised a total of £126. We were selling an assortment of baked goods, including millionaire shortbread and brownies. The Undercroft was heaving with people and all the cakes went within minutes.
After purchasing a cake, pupils were asked to sign two different petitions, one was supporting women in Afghanistan, and one was for stopping the use of advanced AI. Being involved in the Amnesty school group has been a really interesting and rewarding experience and we would highly recommend it to anyone thinking of doing it.
By Erin M (U5) and Isabella S (U5)
LIFE AFTER ST SWITHUN’S –A TALK BY FORMER PUPIL DAME EMMA WALMSLEY
This term we welcomed former pupil Dame Emma Walmsley to talk to some of the students. Emma has been the CEO and Board Director of GlaxoSmithKline since 2017. Previously she was President and then CEO of GSK Consumer Healthcare (2011-2016) and then Chaired the Joint Venture which was listed as Haleon, a FTSE 20 company, in July 2022. Emma shared insights into her life and career since leaving the school. She spoke to our students about how she did not have a career path planned out when she left and how her curiosity played a guiding factor in her chosen career path.
ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT SPEAKER SERIES
Professor Kate White, Clinical Director and Deputy Head of School at Nottingham University’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science discussed her work with primates and recent research in the field of veterinary medicine.
Professor Amy Smith, Co-Head of Department at Reading University, and her PhD student Summer Courts came in to discuss their research on hidden histories in the English landscape, as well as Amy’s curation of the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology.
Dr Joe Stubbersfield from Winchester University joined us to share his research in psychology, in particular the relationship between cognitive bias and the transmission of information (with a particular emphasis on conspiracy theories and the implications for vaccine hesitancy).
Internationally renowned art historian and author Douglas Skeggs joined us to give a captivating lecture for students and parents on ‘Bankrolling the Renaissance: a history of the Medici’.
Dr Tom Ball, Reader in Geography from Winchester University joined us to talk about the impact of climate change on the local environment.
A VISIT FROM COLUMBIA
We welcomed six Colombian students and their teacher from Claustro Moderno, Bogota to the school at the end of September. They stayed with us for two and a half weeks, immersing themselves in English school life and culture.
STEVEN FRANK HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR
We were captivated and moved by a talk from Steven Frank a survivor of Terezin concentration camp in the build-up for ‘Welcome to Terezin’ drama production, he gave an insightful, and unforgettable speech about his experiences in the camp during World War II. Many things that were said really gave the girls a new perspective of the horrors of concentration camps
“Having the opportunity to listen to Mr Steven Frank’s talk, a survivor of Terezin, was a really eye-opening experience, which personally helped me to channel and incorporate many emotions into my performance; his stories and experiences were both heart-warming and heart wrenching. I learnt from both the talk and the play that even in the bad times there is always a place for humour.”
By Amy H (M5)
MUSIC SCHOLARS AND EXHIBITIONERS’ CONCERTS
The musical year began with the first Music Scholars in Harvey Hall. The programme was varied and showcased a range of instruments, including the organ and trombone. As usual the standard was extremely high with many accomplished performances by our young musicians. In the first concert, new award holders gave impressive debut performances of Poulenc’s Clarinet Sonata, movement 3 and Brahms’ Violin F-A-E Sonata, movement 3 respectively. Other highlights included Louisa P (L6) who performed a rendition of the Franck Sonata for Violin and Piano and a rapid Minute Waltz by Chopin performed by L4 scholar Sophie M (L4). The evening was rounded off by a magnificent performance of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor by Nellie H (U6), a technically challenging rhapsodic piece featuring a fiendish cadenza.
In the second concert the remaining award holders entertained us with The Great Escape played by Sasha D (L5) on trombone and a beautiful Sondheim aria Take me to the world sung by Ileanna P (M5). The concert concluded with Leqi S (U5) playing Waldesrauschen by Liszt, a dramatic piano composition depicting the different sounds of the forest. Both concerts were well supported by parents, governors and other students.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
We hosted our annual Christmas concert this term in Harvey hall to bring the Christmas spirit to all of the girls. The evening was full of festive favourites including ‘Sleigh Ride’, ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’, ‘The Christmas Song’ and many other wonderful pieces of classical Christmas music perfor med by our various musical ensembles within the school.
WELCOME TO TEREZIN
The girls have performed in our first musical production since 2019, ‘Welcome to Terezin’.
The drama department write: Welcome to Terezin tells the extraordinary story of a concentration camp in the old Czechoslovakia. We meet famous actors, composers, filmmakers, singers, and other Jewish intellectuals who are in the middle of rehearsals for a cabaret style show for Red Cross inspectors who are coming to see if the Nazi propaganda of ‘Theresienstadt or Terezin has been created to protect many of the most celebrated Jewish artists and intellectuals’. As rumours about the camp’s conditions circulate. It is far from a “paradise ghetto,” but rather a place of unspeakable hor ror.
What Parents Thought
“A very sad part of history, but the production, injected with humour, was amazing to watch and combined with the incredible opportunities the girls had to meet Mr Stephen Frank and Mr Glassborow, was a fantastic way to share the story and educate this younger generation. Not an easy subject, but handled very well.”
“Just like in previous productions the dedication of the girls involved and the team spirit through various year groups shone, it is a credit to them, and all of you. What a talented, enthusiastic bunch.”
“It was not a comfortable watch, but it was essential viewing. The camp commanders were frightening to behold and how they turned from being charming Nazi officers into sadistic bullies, in the blink of an eye, was totally believable. The play prompted me to read up about Terezin and the play portrayed perfectly ‘Operation’ when the Nazis attempted to hoodwink the Swiss Red Cross.”
“Watching war films and documentaries is indispensable but live re-enactment takes more effort. We feel that by putting oneself into the shoes of a named individual who has suffered, one is ver y probably moved to examine (and consequently challenge) the causes of that suffering more closely. The whole process breaches that membrane of passivity which can so easily cocoon anyone enjoying the privileges of peacetime.”
A GIRL AMONGST GROWN-UPS!
Eleven-year-old Izzy W (L4) took on the adults at the 2022 Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham and incredibly came within one mark of the winner in the Working Hunter Pony competition.
The budding equestrian started riding when she was two. She and her Mountain Moorland pony Hugo qualified for the competition last August and spent weeks preparing for the ride of her young life.
FROM TINY TEKKERS TO ENGLAND TRIAL DAYS
Isabella C (L5) celebrated a call-up by the FA Women’s England Talent Pathway. She was invited to take part in a series of skill trials after a scout spotted her playing for her current club Atlanta against West Ham.
Isabella started playing football at the age of three as a member of a club named ‘Tiny Tekkers.’ She began playing for Essex County when she was in year 4 and her next stop was Lincolnshire and Bolton Academy. A year later she was playing for Notts County.
Isabella’s future is looking bright, and she is excited about the upcoming trials that will be going on throughout the year.
GREENPOWER
The Greenpower students started this year’s races at Castle Combe racetrack. It started off with 20 off them competing to get to the finals using three cars (Neon, Rubidium, and Plutonium), during week 2 Each vehicle made it through to the finals and finished in a respectable position despite Neon and Pluto’s two flat tires preventing them from making it beyond the starting line in the second race. Rubidium finished 25th, Plutonium finished 39th, and Neon finished 20th. Overall, all three cars qualified for the finals.
GREENPOWER FINALS
Three teams travelled to Goodwood race track in Chichester at the start of October to compete in the Greenpower International Final against 82 other cars.
We have three vehicles: Rubidium, Neon, and Plutonium. Rubidium and Neon are two kit cars that we built from Greenpower-designed kits. In races 1 and 2, Rubi placed 15th and 27th out of 45 kit cars, while Neon placed 20th and 17th. Rubi and Neon both had very competitive lap times, clocking in at 6.09 and 6.07 seconds respectively. Out of 40 other scratch-built cars, cars designed by students, Pluto finished 32nd in race one and 27th in race two with a best lap time of 5.31 minutes. Neon came 24th overall, Rubidium came in 17th, and Plutonium came in at number 31 overall.
