St Swithun's autumn 2019 newsletter

THE NEWS

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2019

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SCHOOL LIFE

SCHOOL LIFE

When Veryan Vere Hodge, our head of development, suggested to me that I run a 10K to raise money for our Bramston Bursary Foundation, I was aware that simply wouldn’t cut it. Everyone knows that I run – I am often seen toiling along the Alresford Road or staggering around our athletics track proving that there really are people with no fast-twitch muscles at all.

It had to be something more challenging. We discussed obstacle races such as Tough Mudder – I had visions of suffering some ridiculous injury as I scrambled over a wall, and anyway, it seemed ridiculous to pay a hefty entrance fee when the whole point was to raise money.

What would really be a challenge for someone who had never run further than a half marathon and would have some resonance with the school?

Obviously an extremely long footpath called the St Swithun’s Way which goes from Farnham to Winchester. Or at least it seemed obvious before I started training for it.

I looked up 50K training programmes on-line. I realised that I had left it too late to follow them. I simply started running a bit further each weekend.

I sought advice from a real person – Toby Leyland. Far more encouraging than anonymous ultra running experts. He said that I didn’t need to run more than 20 miles (!!) in training before the ‘big day’.

But apparently I should practise my hydration and nutrition strategies. Really? In my 40 or so years of running, I had never drunk or eaten anything during a run.

So I eventually got an ultra-runners vest with pockets to squirrel away snacks and drinks. The first time I wore it, I couldn’t work out how to tighten it enough to stop it moving and it rubbed a lovely raw patch on my neck.

I was enjoying the training (sort of). Light summer mornings, no need to run at a particular pace, discovering paths I didn’t know, building up my stamina.

Then I went camping in Namibia. It simply wasn’t possible to train – too dark, too many lions.

On my return, time was running out and I was worried that I hadn’t covered enough miles. I launched into my longest run yet. And damaged my Achilles tendon. Three physios assured me that there was nothing very much wrong with it, but it still hurt - a lot. I had to nurse it over the next 5 weeks, terrified that I wouldn’t make it to the start line.

And I was still worrying about nutrition. The advice was to avoid gels which could bring on intestinal distress. Yuck. Apparently I should stick as close to real food as possible. But should I eat cold boiled potatoes? Or mini sandwiches? Or jelly beans?

And of course, you are supposed to practise with your food of choice before the day… But I was still limited by my slowly recovering Achilles.

I couldn’t wait to start. Or rather, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Having set off far too fast on many training runs and suffered over the final miles, I was determined to be more sensible. Toby kindly ran with me reminding me to walk up hills, keep hydrated and stop worrying about how many miles remained.

It turned out that a steady start, an entertaining running companion, a chia seed protein bar, two strategically placed loos and large numbers of students and their families in the closing miles all contributed to a largely enjoyable experience in spite of the rain.

I can’t really believe that I actually ran 33 miles. And that we raised over £30,000.

But the pictures of a sodden runner prove it. Would I do it again? I think it’s only fair to let someone else take on the challenge next year.

Jane Gandee MA (Cantab) Headmistress

Photographs from the St Swithun’s Way Challenge

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DEBATING

Prospective medics from St Swithun’s and Winchester College came together for a lecture at the annual Studium event. Maria S and Rosie C U6 spoke about the difficulties experienced by UN medical teams in DR Congo as they try to limit the spread of ebola whilst respecting local burial practices. Students demonstrated their understanding of the political as well as the cultural difficulties, and they made valuable contributions to the physics and maths talk given by Dr John Cullerne.

As part of our debating programme, a team of eight St Swithun’s students competed in the St. Paul’s Girls’ School’s Women’s Debating Open. A number of controversial topics included determining the key factors of success and restriction policies for countries with a poor human rights record. After three intense rounds of debating alongside teams from across the country, Agnes W and Maria S U6 qualified for the final round against Brighton College. The motion “This house believes that feminist movements should advocate for the inclusion of women in conscription” sparked passionate speeches from both sides.

GREENPOWER INTERNATIONAL FINAL After a successful qualifying campaign, our Greenpower team competed in the International Finals at Silverstone in both of our cars (Cobolt and Rubidium). The team found the track to be the best circuit of the season, with long, wide pits making stops far quicker and easier. In the F24 class, Cobalt came in in 32nd position and Rubidium was 56th.

In the F24+ classification, Cobolt came 18th out of 30 cars. Team sponsors RS Components were at the course, giving us an exciting opportunity to revisit the Titan truck.

MEET THE SCIENTIST Scientists from across Hampshire visited us to explain their careers and the academic journey which took them there during our Meet the Scientist event this term.

By Khooshey G and Isla F U4

It was refreshing to hear about OG Victoria Bottomley’s path from Swithunite to EasyJet pilot and her adventures in the wider world. We also talked to Dr Stella Manoli about her challenging career in optoelectronics. Hearing about her resilience and her perseverance through setbacks was very motivational. It felt reassuring to hear that failing is essential to making progress.

The ‘speed dating’ session allowed us 15 minutes with each scientist. I spoke to a marine biologist, a radiographer, a spinal surgeon, and a mechanical engineer. It was exciting and informative to hear these fascinating people talk about their experiences in their respective fields.

By Rosie C U6

POLITICS CLASS VISITS THE SUPREME COURT AND HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT Our L6 politics class visited the Supreme Court and Houses of Parliament in early October to see how the institutions of power work and relate to each other.

A walk around Whitehall, including Downing Street, was followed by tours of the Supreme Court before our students were able to go into the Commons and Lords chambers in parliament. After a chance encounter with MP Jacob Rees-Mogg the girls attended a workshop on the passing of legislation, with Elsie H L6 taking on a temporary role as ‘speaker’.

HEAD FOR THE DAY I was excited to experience being headmistress for the day and talking with Ms Gandee about the issues she deals with on a daily basis. My duties started with leading assembly and reading out the day’s notices. My friends and I then selected what the school was having for lunch and break time snack, and we chose pizza and lemon drizzle cake. We were also able to select a whole school privilege, so our rule for the day was that everyone was allowed to wear their own jumper. My friends and I really enjoyed the day and it was a truly eye-opening experience.

By Jessie C M5

SCHOOL LIFE

SCHOOL LIFE

MEDIC STUDIUM

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BOARDING LIFE

SCHOOL LIFE

1 U6 economists enjoying a trip to the BMW factory in Oxford 2 Golfing fun at our co-curricular fair 3 L5 team building 4 U4 forensic science day

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5 Career speed networking event

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4 1 Earlsdown Christmas

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2 High House reindeers 3 Hyde Abbey Christmas dinner 4 Hillcroft biscuit decoration 5 High House Christmas dinner 6 Le Roy Harry Potter night 7 Earlsdown gingerbread

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OUT AND ABOUT

OUT AND ABOUT MALAWI Over the summer holidays, 23 U5 and L6 students completed four weeks of community and conservation work during their expedition to Malawi.

The first stop was Camp Kumbali, where we spent a week constructing a new playground. We built a swing set, a tyre dome and a climbing frame, and spent free time teaching the local children games like ring-a-ring-o’-roses and duck duck goose. During our final two days in this camp, we planted over 1,000 trees. We then travelled to a camp located within the Kuti Wildlife Reserve for our second week. Our project was to build sustainable stoves for the villagers in the surrounding area. The aim was to make 54 stoves, but by the end of the week we had built 312! We then moved on to Cape Maclear Lodge on the shore of Lake Malawi. Our work included making baskets out of wire and recycled bottle caps, and making briquettes from dried leaves and ash. Our final week took in boat and safari tours before we ascended Mount Mulanje for a stunning view.

By Eliza O U6

BERLIN The annual co-curricular trip to Berlin for U6 students studying German, art, art history and classics was another great success. Departing at the start of October half term, 15 students and two staff spent three days packed with cultural, historical, artistic, architectural and culinary experiences. The girls took in an English speaking tour of the Reichstag (the German parliament building), a walk along the re-creation of the Berlin wall at Bernauer Straße, a visit to the house of German painter and sculptor Käthe Kollwitz, an exhibition of contemporary art at the Hamburger Bahnhof and the hands-on museum of the GDR.

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THE ARTS

THE ARTS

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC Our annual concert featured a wonderful set of performances from talented singers and pianists.

Surrounded by twinkling lights the girls rose to the occasion and gave some stunning renditions of songs and piano pieces, ranging from Mendelssohn to Lloyd Webber.

The newly-formed Harmony Choir rounded off the concert with an enthusiastic rendition of I Want You Back by The Jackson 5.

BAND OF THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS MUSIC SCHOLARS AND EXHIBITIONERS’ CONCERT The musical year began with a fantastic set of performances by this year’s music scholars and exhibitioners. The programme featured a wide variety of instruments played to a high standard, including a marimba piece performed by Eva L L5 and a composition for clarinet featuring building site sound samples by Pernille F L6.

L6

In September a group of brass and woodwind players was invited to the Wellington Barracks in London to play with the Band of the Coldstream Guards. The day started with joint indoor band rehearsals, playing pieces such as How to Train Your Dragon and the Captain America theme. After lunch we moved outside to join the marching band and meet the challenge of marching in time whilst playing Auld Lang Syne and World in Union from memory!

It was also interesting to learn the signals from the drum major, indicating when to stop, turn and change direction whilst still marching in time. We heard about what it’s like to work and play in a military band during a question and answer session at the end of the day.

By Kate W L6

HAMLET

SWITHUN’S LIVE! Bands from St Swithun’s, Winchester College and Cranleigh School played to a packed Harvey Hall during this term’s Swithun’s Live! concert. The hall was filled with smoke, lasers and flashing lights as the bands played songs by artists including Queen, Van Halen and Billie Eilish.

With a company of 13 cast members, a lighting and sound technician and a student director all from U4-U6, the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival production of Hamlet has been both a highly educational and deeply rewarding project. As the student director, I was particularly interested in exploring the manifestations of madness in response to grief in different people, and how each of the characters is uniquely affected by their shared experiences. In the play, some are driven to suicide, others to murder and some are just caught in the crossfire. I was further struck by how human this story really is at its core and hope that our production reflected that it is the extraordinary circumstances into which these people are placed that prompt the hysteria to spiral out of control. Hamlet is about a Danish prince dealing with the murder of his father at the hands of his uncle, but the themes of love, loss, fear, revenge and betrayal are timeless.

By Orla S U6

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Our M5-U6 drama production this term was Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal. The play is loosely based on the trial of Ruth Snyder and her lover, who together murdered Snyder’s husband; a crime which resulted in Snyder receiving the electric chair. In the play, the protagonist, Helen Jones, represents the Snyder character.

TIMES EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT AWARD SHORTLIST

A woman’s role during this period of history was largely confined to that of wife and mother. The relationship between Helen Jones and her husband, George H. Jones, is loveless. When Helen is given a momentary glimpse of passion, her life is forever changed. She sees how society restricts her, and in a hopeless bid to free herself and to save her husband from a painful divorce, she decides to murder him.

Each week, 150 children from five local primary schools take part in science, maths, French, drama, art and reading with St Swithun’s pupils and staff. In addition, we provide free swimming pool use, tuition and transport to and from the pool every week, saving each of the participating primary schools an average of £3,000.

As a cast we worked closely to create a powerful expressionist piece which included physical theatre and song. Under the brilliant direction of Ms Clarke, and assisted by Mr Freakley, Mrs Mason and Ms Perry, our focus was on creating tension for the audience between whether the young woman deserves to die or not. The performances were incredibly dynamic and those who saw it did not expect such an intensely emotional piece from a school play.

By Eliza D L6

This term we were delighted to be shortlisted for a prestigious TES Independent School Award in the IndependentState School Partnership category. We have been recognised for developing a significant and sustainable primary schools enrichment programme and for delivering a range of activities that positively impacts the lives of over 500 local primary school pupils every year from our partner schools.

180 pupils and 15 staff from St Swithun’s are involved in the partnerships initiative, delivering 170 hours of enrichment activities to the primary children and positively improving their own collaborative and creative skills, confidence and concern for society. The impact on our pupils is measured against the values, attitudes and attributes which are the pillars of our High Performance Learning programme.

Our independent-state school partnership has led to the formation of a Primary Schools Science Hub. Spearheaded

by Mrs Wilkinson, our head of science, the hub aims to share resources and thus enhance the delivery of science teaching in primary schools. One of our first innovations is Science in a Suitcase, a pack including equipment, materials and teaching resources which is loaned to local primary schools.

We look forward to finding out who the overall winner is in February.

COMMUNITY

THE ARTS

MACHINAL

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SPORTS

SPORTS LACROSSE The first half of the lacrosse season has been an exciting one as we have all come to grips with the new rules around 10 a-side games, self-start, and possession on the draw. In L5, 75% of the year group are playing in one of our teams. The U14Bs are undefeated with a 9-0 record and the U14As have won seven of their ten games, behind a whopping 20 goals scored by Emma P L5.

The U13B team has made great progress since last year and finished the term with an impressive 16-2 win over Godolphin. Bella L U4 has won ‘girl of the game’ in five of the team’s games, scoring 17 goals overall as well as being an excellent vice-captain.

The U15B team is going from strength to strength behind M5 Next term is ‘tournament recent GK convert Ellie C M5. term’ with the eyes of many teams on our annual National Schools Championships in March.

CROSS COUNTRY SUCCESS In November we welcomed 700 runners from 35 different schools across the county to the Hampshire Schools Athletic Association Inter School Cross Country Championships.

Isabelle L, Louisa P, Saskia F, Rania A and Grace B (all L5 L5) finished in 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 18th and 20th places respectively and as a team won the senior girls competition to be crowned Hampshire Schools Athletic Association champions.

This success was on the back of a strong result for our intermediate cross-country athletes at the English Schools Nationals in Sheffield, where they finished ninth out of 26 schools.

NETBALL It has been a great start to the netball season with more teams than ever participating. Some particular performance highlights have come from our U14 team who were crowned County Champions and will represent Hampshire at the regional rounds of National Schools in the spring term. They are also into the quarterfinals of the Sisters n Sport cup which places them within the top eight teams in the country. The U16 team have also had a successful start. They were runners up in the county championship and will represent Hampshire in the next round. They are also through to the fourth round of the SnS cup and are hopeful of securing a spot in the quarterfinals.

SKI TRIP The final trip of the autumn term saw 46 girls fly to Passo Tonale in Italy for five days of skiing. On beautiful fresh snow, the girls progressed quickly through the grades and some completed black runs on the glacier at 3,000m. After a hard day’s skiing, evenings at the ski resort included a disco, relaxing yoga, a film night and sampling of real Trentino pizza.

In the Independent Schools’ Netball Cup our U13s are through to the third round and the U15s are through to the fourth round. Both teams are performing particularly well, especially in such a prestigious and wellcontested cup competition.

GENERAL SPORTS ROUND UP Football: Lucia K U5 has been selected for the U17 England women’s football training camp.

Equestrian: Emily C M5 was second in the Eventing Championships at Stonar in September and our show jumping team came 5th to qualify for the NSEA Plate Championships in November. Louise VR U5 qualified for the National Schools Championships in dressage. Representing the Netherlands in the Dressage Nations Cup, Louise helped the team from the rest of the world secure second place just behind the England team.

Badminton: Tiffany Y M5 won a bronze medal (U15 mixed double) at the Romanian International Youth Cup. Sailing: Olivia BD L6 and Phoebe P U5 have been selected for the 29er Class National Squad and Agnes BD and Connie T M5 have been selected for the RS Feva Class National Squad. Lucy D U5 was third (and first U16) in the Laser 4.7 Regional Championships and has been selected for the 2019/20 Laser 4.7 Class Great Britain Squad.

St Swithun’s School, Alresford Road, Winchester, SO21 1HA 01962 835700 office@stswithuns.com www.stswithuns.com Registered Charity Number 307335