2018 wycombe high school & guild annual magazine

WHS Annual Magazine 2018

Advertising Opportunities with Wycombe High School

Wycombe High School’s E High Flyer (an electronic newsletter) and annual magazine celebrate past and present life at school. Our publications go out to over 1400 local households and thousands of alumnae.

If you would like to advertise in either or both of these, or know of someone who does, please contact Miss O’Donnell at codonnell@whs.bucks.sch.uk. Our Finance Office will invoice you upon distribution of the publications.

E High Flyer The electronic newsletter is distributed fortnightly. This publication offers a higher frequency of distribution, as well as dynamic links from your advertisements to your website. In each issue, there is one banner and four box ads available to purchase. Advertising rates, layout, artwork and format are as shown below.

Layout

Dimensions

Artwork Format

Rates per edition

Banner

150 px x 560 px

JPEG

£40

Box

150 px x 270 px

JPEG

£20

Content Deadline

Issue Date

9/5/18

11/5/18

23/5/18

25/5/18

13/6/18

15/6/18

27/6/18

29/6/18

11/7/18

13/7/18

Annual Magazine Our annual magazine is predominantly PDF, but there are some printed copies for those that wish to purchase a printed version. The PDF copy also offers you links from your advertisements to your website.

You can see examples of previous editions here: https://issuu.com/wycombehighsch The size of the advertisements are based on an A4 format of the finished product. The magazine incorporates margins and therefore does not require provision for a bleed edge.

The annual magazine is distributed in the Summer term. Advertisements are due the last Friday of February. All advertisements are required in electronic format (e.g. PDF and / or JPEG). Please note: We do not accept educational, tutoring or weight reduction advertising for any of our publications.

Dimensions £35 ¼ page £50 ½ page £100 full page Format PDF and / or JPEG Layout Full and ¼ page Half page

Portrait Landscape

Should you wish to contact the Headteacher or any other member of staff by email, please do so through the school office at: office@whs.bucks.sch.uk.

High Flyer is an entirely student-led initiative. A team of students of all ages, led by Sixth Formers, known as the ‘News Crew’ take responsibility for the fortnightly E-Newsletter, news articles on the website (http:// www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/media/news) and the annual magazine.

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Table of Contents

News Crew

Advertising Opportunities

Page 2

Diary Dates Summer Term

Page 3

Message from the Executive Headteacher

Pages 4-5

Message from the Head of School

Pages 6-7

Message from the News Crew

Pages 8-9

Development Ambassadors

Pages 10-11

Development Office

Page 12-15

All-Weather Pitch

Pages 16-17

Inspiring Events

Pages 18-19

Student Leadership Team

Pages 20-21

My Time at Wycombe High School

Pages 22-23

2017 Round Up

Pages 24-27

US Embassy Move Sparks Protest

Page 28

Lead Staff Member

The Year of the Flu

Page 29

Miss C O’Donnell

Dreams Competition

Pages 30-31

WHS Social Media Ad

Page 32

Hidden Actress

Page 33

Amazing Talents

Pages 34-35

The Film We’re All Talking About

Page 36

Arkwright Scholarship

Page 37

Wycombe High School Marlow Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP11 1TB

Cineworld Ad

Page 37

Tel: 01494 523961

Importance of Music

Page 38

Fax: 01494 510354

Duke of Edinburgh Experience

Page 39

office@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Equality in the World

Pages 40-41

2017 Leavers’ Destinations

Page 42-47

Innovate Ad

Page 48

Heads of News Crew Year 13 Anna Bonnerjea Curie 1 Emily Clarke Curie 2 Year 10 Lily Birch Bronte 8 Zara Ally Austen 9 Elsie Watkins Curie 7 Year 9 Cordelia Thompson Curie 6 Kimberley Andrews Bronte 3

Support Staff Member

Mrs D Morgan

http://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/ @WycombeHighSch @WycHighAlumnae

Diary Dates - Summer Term 2018 5 June

PAFA Meeting, 7.30 - 9.30 pm, The Forum

22 June

Sports Awards Evening, 7.00 - 10.00 pm, Venue TBC

25 June

Guild Lunch 12.00 pm, The Forum followed by Guild AGM 1.35 pm, Conference Room, Learning Centre Art Exhibition, 4.30 - 7.30 pm, Learning Centre Volunteer Thank You Evening, 6.00 - 7.30 pm, Conference Room, Learning Centre

26 June

Arts Award Evening, 7.00 - 8.30 pm, Music Rooms 1 & 2

10 July

Sports Day

18 July

Last Day of Term (finishing at 1.45 pm)

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Message from Executive Headteacher This year I have stepped back temporarily from the day-to-day running of Wycombe High School to focus on Wycombe High School Academies Trust (WHSAT). What is that, you might ask….

WHSAT was established in 2014 to bring Bourne End Academy (BEA) and Wycombe High School (WHS) together into a multi academy trust. Each Trust School has its own Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team and Governing Body, who are supported by a very experienced Trust Board (of 5 Directors), an Executive Headteacher, Director of Finance and Resources and a centralised services team. Up until this year, I have been the Headteacher of WHS and leading the Trust, as Executive Headteacher. It has been a rather busy few years, and so Mrs Sally Jarrett has kindly stepped up from Deputy Headship for this academic year to Head of School to ensure both schools and Trust can develop.

The Trust Board believes in the educational benefit of bringing selective and non-selective schools, primary, secondary, single sex, and co-educational schools in High Wycombe and the wider area together to learn from one another and ensure success in academic outcomes, personal development and life chances for all our children & young people through a family of schools.

Our Trust:  Puts the child, young person and families at the centre of everything we do  Celebrates diversity, difference and individuality of children, young people and schools  Has high expectations and ambition for every child’s academic outcomes  Believes in opportunity through learning  Is committed to ensuring access to a broad curriculum (academic and technical, early years foundation stage (EYFS), primary and secondary)  Develops innovation, challenge and enjoyment in learning  Harnesses the power of partnership working across sectors and school types to deliver excellence in education  Builds parental and local community trust and support  Delivers operational effectiveness to underpin this vision 

Wycombe High School and Bourne End both retain their individuality and uniqueness, whilst benefitting from centralised services such as Human Resources, Finance, IT, Data and Examinations support and Site Services. In this way we remain outward looking and at the cutting edge of educational developments. At a time when educational funding is lower than it has been for many, many years and much has changed in relation to curriculum and qualifications – unity really does strengthen.

My focus this year is building the Trust’s capacity for innovation, recruiting and developing teachers, accessing funding for our schools, and developing trust-wide initiatives such as Cygnus Teaching School Alliance, the Bucks, Berks and Oxon Mathematics Hub, School Direct and the National Mathematics and Physics SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training). These entities provide services for the Trust Schools. For example, Cygnus provides training for teachers and BBO Mathematics Hub delivers Mathematics specialist training for Mathematics teachers. Our newest entity

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is The National Mathematics and Physics SCITT or NMAPs. NMAPs is a teacher-training organisation and we are rolling it out with the support of the Department of Education nationally.

So, why are we doing this? Quite simply, this is the way the educational landscape is developing.

Wycombe High and Bourne End Academy are seizing the opportunity to work together and access funding, training, teachers, and, in so doing, providing our young people with the best possible opportunities.

As always, it is all about the students and their life chances. Building on this success, the Trust is looking to grow and is in the process of consulting on a new name to more explicitly display its vision, values and ambition to the wider world.

And in the midst of all of this, Wycombe High School, your alma mater, continues to flourish, as Mrs Jarrett, Head of School outlines in her message.

Sharon Cromie Executive Headteacher

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Message from Head of School Wycombe High School does indeed continue to flourish, and it is a pleasure and privilege to take on the day-to-day leadership of the school this year as Head of School. We are a big school, with all the advantages this offers, from breadth of curriculum and an impressive array of events, activities, and visits, to the physical size of our site and some superb state-of-the-art facilities, underpinned, most importantly, by a real and strong sense of community. We rely on the support of students, staff, parents, governors, PAFA, and our alumnae to make much of what we offer a reality and are extremely grateful for your support in whatever capacity you give it.

There is a sense of ambition, energy and purpose in school, in and out of lessons. Extra-curricular events, activities, educational visits and opportunities abound. It is to our students’ very great credit that they so successfully balance their participation in, and support for, the all-important wider aspects of school life, with the demands of their academic studies. We actively encourage them to maintain a healthy perspective and balance in their lives.

At the beginning of each term, and at regular intervals throughout the year, I share five important messages with the students:     

Be the best you can be Do the best you can: every day counts, every lesson counts - make the most of both Have a goal or end game in mind, for the end of the year, or the end of a key stage, but do not to be so focused on the outcome, that you lose sight of the present Find something to feel positive about on a daily basis, and share it with a friend or a parent, every single day Know, enjoy and feel proud of what you already do really well.

This last point is especially important in a school like Wycombe High School where it is easy for students to ‘downplay’ their achievements, because they are surrounded by like-minded spirits and students of similar ability. In a selective grammar school, our students can sometimes lose sight of the fact that they are all in the top 25% of students nationally. We frequently reiterate that they are all bright and capable. Each of them is a star in their own right. They should not compare themselves unfavourably to others, but be true to themselves and make the most of every moment and opportunity.

And what a plethora of opportunities there are! Highlights this year include:  Over 130 Year 10 students successfully completing their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh practice and qualifying expeditions in September  The School Play ‘Black Comedy’ in November  A whole school assembly to commemorate Remembrance Day, led by representatives of the Royal British Legion  A magical and memorable Carol Service  Year 12 GCSE Presentations afternoon  A Level Certificate Presentation and Prize Giving with inspirational speaker Erin Orford, a former WHS student and International Para Dressage rider  “One of the best School pantos ever”, written, produced and directed by one of our Year 13 students, Esther Levin  Past students collecting their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards from St James’ Palace  300 very excited children from local primary schools coming to the Dress Rehearsal for our School production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, a highly entertaining and uplifting musical  Our U16 Netball Team recently qualifying for the National Finals, placing them in the top 16 teams in the country  The opening of our new all-weather pitch by Helen Richardson-Walsh OLY MBE  Our Inspirational Women’s Evening, supported by many alumnae  The school choir being invited to perform, once again, at Carnegie Hall, in January 2019.

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I cannot end this article without referencing the February 2018 centenary of women’s suffrage and gaining the right to vote. The founding Head Teacher of Wycombe High School, Miss Mary Christie, was a strong advocate during this period of women’s rights and girls’ education, and was, herself, one of the very first women to graduate from St Andrews University. To this day she is never far from our thoughts and the school motto that she chose, Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter (Courageously, Faithfully, Joyfully), drives our mission, values, vision, and ambition for our students. These are as follows: Our mission To develop a well-rounded, forward-looking young person with the skills and confidence to take on the challenges of today and tomorrow and succeed in an ever-changing world, based on our motto.

Our values Our core values of ambition, responsibility, resilience, joy and citizenship provide the behavioural blueprint that shapes our school community and each individual within it. In all that we do, we ask ourselves, ‘does this promote what we value most’?

Our vision To be one of the UK’s leading schools that excels educationally, produces the leaders of tomorrow through its culture of excellence and breadth of curriculum, and is renowned, nationally and internationally, for the calibre and integrity of its students, its teachers and support staff, its collaborative innovation, alumnae networks, and great facilities.

If you do not do so already, please follow us on Twitter @WycombeHighSch, find a moment to read our Sports* and Careers* Bulletins, and look at our website: www.whs.bucks.sch.uk for a deeper insight into life at Wycombe High in 2018! Former students and staff are encouraged to join our Wycombe High School Official Facebook* and LinkedIn* groups and follow us on Twitter @WycHighAlumnae.

We wish all our students a very enjoyable and successful remainder of the year and hope that those in examination year groups will achieve results in the summer that reflect their enthusiasm, abilities and ambition.

Sally Jarrett Head of School

* Sports Bulletin URL - https://issuu.com/wycombehighsch/stacks/4fa388ca28c7449fa2dbf60a72b1d7. Careers Bulletin URL - https://issuu.com/wycombehighsch/stacks/bc23b96558804820a16b163be4454eea. Wycombe High School Official Facebook Group URL - https://www.facebook.com/groups/151196355718/. Wycombe High School Official LinkedIn Group URL - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4143123

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Message from the News Crew The News Crew is proud to bring you the 2018 Annual Magazine, which is combined with the Wycombe High School Guild Magazine, the Guild being Wycombe High School’s student and staff association.

format, rate and distribution information, please refer to Page 2 of this magazine.

Cover Artwork This year’s artwork was deigned by Anna Bonnerjea, Year 13, Curie 1. She explains ‘The theme for this year’s High Flyer was ‘Hidden Voices’ and so we wanted the cover art to reflect this. After speaking to students of the school, I learnt that many thought that the LGBT+ community, although becoming more well known throughout society, was still somewhat under the radar and under-represented. This led to the creation of the cover artwork, which features the LGBT+ flag as part of the Wycombe High School logo. We wanted the artwork to show diversity and unity throughout the whole Wycombe High School community and represent the key values of respect and solidarity that our school promotes.’

The theme of this year’s magazine is ‘Hidden Voices’, aiming to seek out and draw attention to hidden talents, and lending our ears to people who are not usually heard. We have aimed to explore this theme by talking to a range of people, including published novelists, teachers, and the Student Leadership Team.

This year, the News Crew has worked tirelessly to produce high-quality reading material centred around our theme. We are incredibly grateful to the students and members of staff who have contributed to this year’s magazine, and for the time they have devoted to helping make this magazine the best it can be. We hope it conveys the dedication and commitment of our team, and that it proves to be an interesting and revelatory read.

Miss O’Donnell What do you do for News Crew?

I am the staff lead for Wycombe High News Crew.

Purchasing the Magazine All current students who are Guild Members are entitled to receive a free hard copy of the magazine. Parents of students currently at the school can make payment using ParentPay (www.parentpay.com) our online payment system, choosing the relevant service(s) for example ‘Wycombe High School Annual Magazine’. We would be extremely grateful if you could use ParentPay to make payment.

However, if you are unable to do so, please send a cheque made payable to ‘Wycombe High School’ in an envelope, to the Development Office (Room C306) along with the completed form which can be found in the Letters to Parents section of our website. We will also be selling copies at upcoming school events.

What is your favourite news source?

BBC Breakfast – I like to have the news with my breakfast.

Where would you go if you had one return trip in a time machine?

The Victorian Period, because it is a time of prosperity, promise, and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Emily Clarke, Year 13, Curie 2 What do you do for News Crew?

I act as an editor and contributor as one of the two student heads of News Crew, working alongside Anna Bonnerjea and Miss O’Donnell to co-ordinate our team and manage the publication of articles on school events.

Advertising Now that Wycombe High School news in published primarily electronically, there are more opportunities to advertise with us. If you own your own business and would like to reach out to the over 1,400 local students and their families, 140 members of staff and thousands of former students and staff, we encourage you to advertise in our fortnightly E High Flyer newsletter. The frequency of advertising has increased from half termly to fortnightly. In addition, your ads can link directly to your websites. For advertising layout, dimensions,

What is your favourite news source?

I get my official news from BBC, but I also like to keep up with Buzzfeed news as well, even if it’s not necessarily the most reliable!

If you could have dinner with one person from history who would you choose?

As an English Literature nerd, I think I would probably have to choose Shakespeare – I’m curious to know if he was actually secretly a woman, and also to see if he’d be as pretentious as I suspect he probably was.

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Anna Bonnerjea, Year 13, Curie 1 What do you do for News Crew?

I am one of two student heads of News Crew. I work with Miss O’Donnell and Emily Clarke to coordinate the team and ensure all events and news features are covered and published.

Zara Ally, year 10, Austen 9 What do you do for News Crew?

I write articles about different events which have been happening in school such as educational visits and competitions.

What is your favourite news source?

BBC News.

What is your favourite news source?

My favourite news source is the BBC, especially the BBC News App. The old soul in me still finds it very exciting to get breaking news updates from around the world as soon as events happen! I also like BBC News at Six, which I watch whilst cleaning out my rabbits every morning.

Which song do you think best describes you?

‘You Don’t Own Me’ by Grace featuring G-Eazy.

Cordelia Thompson, Year 9, Curie 6 What is your favourite book and why?

‘We Are All Made of Molecules’ by Susin Nielsen.

What would you like written on your gravestone?

As an avid bookworm, I think I’d have to have something from one of my favourite books. Maybe ‘So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past’, the last line of The Great Gatsby. Or, on a more colloquial note, ‘mischief managed’ from Harry Potter because I am a big Harry Potter fan and do intend to get up to some mischief before I die!

This book has a great message about equality, but also fitting in to society. It made me think more about how we treat each other, especially at secondary school. I would recommend this book to anyone that feels they are unheard or feel like they don’t deserve to be. I think this book compliments our theme of ‘Hidden Voices’ very well.

Lily Birch, Year 10, Bronte 8 What do you do for News Crew?

I write about international news as well as covering events in school.

Kimberley Andrews, Year 9, Bronte 3 What do you do for News Crew?

I work on equality articles and I keep people posted on ways we can make the world a better place for generations to come.

What is your favourite news source?

My favourite news source is either the Washington Post app or the BBC News App.

What is your favourite news source?

BBC News, and also the Apple News App.

If you could be a fictional character who would you be?

If I were a fictional character, I would be Julie Stewart from Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein.

If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, which song would you choose?

‘The Village’ by Wrabble.

Elsie Watkins, Year 10, Curie 7 What do you do for News Crew?

I write articles about events and trips which go on at Wycombe High, and have written articles as part of the Annual Magazine.

What is your favourite news source?

BBC News and snapchat stories, especially the Buzzfeed one.

If you were a fruit, which fruit would you be and why?

I would be a pineapple, because my hair is very static!

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Development Ambassadors Update The Development Ambassador programme was created in 2009 to address the lack of leadership opportunities available to younger students in school at the time. Since then, thanks to the kind support of students, staff, and parents, we have raised £29,750which has helped support various projects within school.

This year, the Development Ambassadors are raising money through the Play Your Part for Sport Campaign to equip our new all-weather-pitch. Since the beginning of the Play Your Part for Sport Campaign, we have raised a total of £10,770 through various fundraising events, the sales of branded merchandise and our textile recycling scheme.

Open Mic Night The fundraising year kicked off with a bang once more with the fifth annual Open Mic Night on 16 October which featured over 20 students in 24 acts including dance, music and singing. With the support of PAFA, we raised £514.40.

Movie Nights On 8 December, the Development Ambassadors held the first Movie Night of the year showcasing the live-action ‘Beauty & the Beast’. Thanks to the large turnout, through raffle ticket and refreshment sales, £137.11 was raised. Our second Movie Night was on 26 January where we screened ‘Despicable Me 3’ and raised £148.50 . Our third Movie Night was on 9 March and showcased ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ helping to raise £134.30. Our final Movie Night of the Year is 11 May when we will showcase ‘Pitch Perfect 3’. Our many thanks to our Movie Night sponsors: High Wycombe Cineworld for popcorn and Movie Night raffle prizes of tickets to Cineworld, and to the Guild for sponsoring refreshments we sell at each event to help raise money for the school.

Quizzes On 6 December, the ‘Big Fat Quiz’ took place at lunchtime open to staff and students for a £1 entry fee towards the Play Your Part for Sport campaign. The quiz, based on the popular television show, featured three teams of staff members battling it out in the assorted rounds including Showbiz and even Wycombe High School. Teams consisting of the winners, Mr Pike & Miss Clarke; the runners-up, Mr Walpole & Miss O’Donnell; and Miss Snook & Miss Lahmanes. Throughout the event, we raised a total of £274.37.

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Our second quiz was ‘Would I Lie to You?’ featuring two teams of four teachers consisting of Mr Binks, Mr Kennedy, Mr Kidd, and Mr Mackerras competing against Miss Doman, Miss Enright, Miss Paice, and Miss O’Callaghan. We are very grateful to Mr Bellars for being our Quiz Master.

This quiz format gave students the chance to learn some surprising facts about their teachers, such as Mr Kennedy’s stint as a model in Poland and Miss Doman’s successes as a young fisherwoman. Congratulations to the girls team for coming first after the tie breaker.

upcoming events.

fundraising

efforts

during

various

Sasha Wada-Brown, Year 13, Nightingale 9, Head of Development Meet the Team

Sasha Wada-Brown (Head of Development) Year 13, studying Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, and going on to study Veterinary Medicine at The University of Surrey

Branded Merchandise In addition to events, Development Ambassadors produce and sell Wycombe High School Branded Products.

They have introduced eco-friendly water bottles, house lanyards and Squid card holders, key chains, memory sticks, pens, blank cards and annual calendar featuring the beautiful artwork of current and former students. This academic year, we have raised over £667 through the sale of merchandise. Please follow this links to help us raise much needed money for the school through the sale of our branded merchandise: http://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/aboutwhs/development.

Gabby Smith Year 12, studying Graphics, Drama and English Literature.

Georgia Ruddock Year 12, studying Biology, Drama and English Literature.

Aminah Faisal Year 9, studying for her GCSEs that she will take in 2020.

Roisin O’Toole Year 8, has picked her GCSEs that she will sit in 2021 (Latin, History and drama).

Edie Vernol Year 8, has picked her GCSEs that she will sit in 2021 (Geography, Art and Spanish).

So far, the 2017-2018 team of Development Ambassadors have worked very hard to help raise over £3,804 smashing our target of £3,000 for the end of the year - and the school year isn’t over yet!

Lotte Cook Year 8, has picked her GCSEs that she will sit in 2021 (including Textiles, Geography and Music).

We want to thank everyone who has participated, attended, and promoted our events, and purchased our products. We would be nowhere near as successful without the strong and continued support of students, staff and parents.

We can only thank you greatly for this and hope in the continuing months you can enjoy our

.

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Development Office Update 2016 - 2017 Annual Report Thanks to the generous support of current and former students, staff, parents, friends, grants and local business; we raised £108,905 in the 2016 2017 academic year for the Wycombe High School Fund. Donations from parents to our Future Fund and Play Your Part for Sport Campaigns make up the majority of donations.

Mr M and Mrs A Banton Mr J and Mrs A Bedford Mr F and Mrs S Bello Mr D and Mrs S Bhogal Mr A and Mrs C Birkbeck Mr N and Mrs C Birkett Ms E Birtch Dr G Biswas Mr K Blair and Mrs C Carter-Blair Booker Wholesale Ms L Bowen Mrs J Boyd Mr R Braddick Mr S and Mrs C Bray Mr D Breckenridge Mr D and Mrs C Bridges Mr G and Mrs J Briggs Mr J and Mrs A Bromley Bronte 3 Tutor Group Mr A and Mrs M Brooks Mr K and Mrs K Brown Mr P and Mrs A Burniston Mr J and Mrs C Burt Mrs L Butterfield Mr G and Mrs D Cafferkey Mr L and Mrs S Callow Mr J and Mrs H Campanini Ms S Campbell Mr A and Mrs L Carter Mr S and Mrs S Caskey Mrs S Celozzi Mr S and Mrs W Chan Mr S and Mrs S Chandramohan Cineworld High Wycombe Mrs K and Mr J Clark-Pratt Mr L and Mrs N Clube Mr R and Mrs D Cole Mr J and Mrs S Commins Mrs K Cook Mr P and Mrs K Cook Dr A and Mr S Copeman Costco Wholsale UK Limited Mr K and Mrs N Cotter Mr C and Mrs A Coward Mr R and Mrs S Cowley Mr N and Mrs H Cox Mrs S Cromie Mr N and Mrs T Crook Curie 1 Tutor Group Curie 2 Tutor Group Curie 3 Tutor Group Curie 4 Tutor Group Curie 7 Tutor Group Cuire 9 Tutor Group Mr K and Mrs S Dahlbom Mr P and Mrs J Davies Mr A Daw

With the help of 260 donors, we were able to:  Install new security barriers at the main school entrance and between the Sixth Form and Christie buildings.  Create a new path between Christie and Sixth Form buildings to enhance safety in the car park.  Complete the fundraising for the ‘Play Your Part’ for Sport Campaign launched in September 2015 to raise funds for an allweather pitch with floodlights.  Repair Miller (including new skylights), Sports Hall and Drama roofs thanks to a successful bid to the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s Condition Improvement Fund.  Purchase and install the Recording Studio equipment for the Music Centre.  Increase the seating in C307 to create a new medium sized Sixth Form study space.  Convert M201 into a large Sixth Form teaching space.

We are deeply grateful to all those who have supported the school in terms of time, skills and funds. Your involvement is invaluable and strengthens our community. The following list reflects all gifts (one-off, regular and gift-in-kind) made during the 2016 -2017 academic year.

Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the following list. If your name has been omitted or misrepresented, please contact dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk and accept our apologies and gratitude for your support.

Mr I and Mrs T Ahmad Mr I and Mrs A Alam Mr R and Mrs G Alton Mr S Angelides and Ms L Jones Mr M and Mrs L Aravindan ASDA High Wycombe Superstore Mr M and Mrs J Ashford Mr M and Mrs V Ashraff Austen 1 Tutor Group Austen 6 Tutor Group Mr M and Mrs S Averill Mr D Axworthy Mr D and Mrs C Ball 12

Mr A and Mrs R Desmond Mr M and Mrs I Dollin Mr J and Mrs C Duhan Mrs O Duncan Eden Shopping Centre Egg Free Cake Box Mr S and Mrs C Empringham Mr J Entwisle and Ms S Mitcheson Mr J Erstad Mr D and Mrs J Evans Mr C Farrell Mr N and Mrs L Favager Dr R and Mrs J Fernandes Mr M and Mrs C Finn Miss L Flanders Mrs A Forbes Mr A and Mrs M Foster Mrs J Francis Mr R and Mrs E Fryer Mr S and Mrs K Garrett Mr G and Mrs E Garrett Mr J and Mrs A Gibbon Mr I Gillespie Mr R and Mrs C Goddard Mr C and Mrs B Gothard Mrs C Griffths Mrs A Haigh Mrs J Halhead Mrs R Harrison Mr A and Mrs S Hart Mr P Harvey Mr S and Mrs C Hawkins Mr J and Mrs J Heal Mrs S and Mr M Hearnden Mr G and Mrs J Heywood Mr M and Mrs S Hibbert Mr R and Mrs S Holloway Mr M and Mrs M Holmes Mr J Hooker Mrs S Hooper Mr A Houston Mrs H and Mr N Howitt Mrs M Hulme Mrs E Iley Innovate Mr P and Mrs A Jarvis Jaydees Newsageants Mr D and Mrs F Jefferies Mr A and Mrs S Jones Mr R Jones Mr G and Mrs H Jones Dr J Joseph and Ms M Thalakottur Mr H Kauffmann and Miss A Dusting Miss H Keating

Mrs B Kelly Mr A and Mrs M Khaki Dr A Khan and Mrs S Burney Dr A Khan and Dr S Raoof Mr R and Mrs R Khanna Ms M Khasria Mrs K Killinger Mr S and Mrs E Kirkham Mr S and Mrs L Knight Dr S Krishnan Mr M and Mrs J Lansdown Mr P and Mrs C Latham Mr N and Mrs C Law Mr C and Mrs S Layden Ms C Lepeltier Mr S and Mrs C Levin Mr J Lipman and Mrs K Kisielowska-Lipman Dr H M Lloyd Mr M and Mrs S Lock Mr R and Mrs S Maguire Mr S Mahmood Mr I and Mrs K Mance Mr B and Mrs E Marsden Mr I and Mrs J Martin Mr L and Mrs M Maxted Mr R and Mrs C Meechan Mrs S Mehat Mr S and Mrs A Middleton Mr L and Mrs M Miles Mr D Mitson Dr A Misra and Dr S Mohapatra Mr S Mondal Mr T and Mrs D Morgan Mr B Moss and Ms H Foster Dr R and Mrs J Neal Mr R and Mrs F Neary Mr P Needham Dr A Nell and Dr T Strike Nightingale 4 Tutor Group Nightingale 5 Tutor Group Nightingale 8 Tutor Group Mr V and Mrs M Nijhawan Mr S Nithianantham and Mrs V Sivapalan Mr J Noad Dr H and Mrs M Obhi Miss D O'Shaughnessy Mr B Blackbourn and Mrs M Palich Pankhurst 2 Tutor Group Pankhurst 5 Tutor Group Pankhurst 10 Tutor Group Parks 5 Tutor Group Dr J and Mrs R Passchier Mr R and Mrs A Pearce Mr M and Mrs A Phimister 13

Mr J and Mrs K Pinner Mr W and Mrs C Plummer Mr G and Mrs V Ponting Mr T and Mrs L Potter Mr H Prince Mrs C Prince Progress Bakery Mr S and Mrs B Puttick Mr A Ramsden Mr A and Mrs A Redington Dr J Reed and Dr D Shears Mr M Reinecke Mr M and Mrs A Rivers Mr P and Mrs J Rochester Dr E Rogers Sainsbury's High Wycombe Saucy Horse Ltd Ms T Scrivener Mr T Seed and Mrs C ColemanSeed Mr P Sethuraman and Mrs G Prakash Mr A Shariff and Dr C Haynes Mr A and Mrs J Sheldon Shell Petrol Station Mrs P Siderfin Mr M and Mrs J Simpson Mr P and Mrs S Singleton Mr N and Mrs M Skidmore Mr I Smets Mr M and Mrs M Smith Mr J Soar and Mrs S Batkin Mr J Staggs Starbucks Coffee Mr A and Mrs E Stokes Mrs S Stowers Mr M Sugunaraj and Mrs P Maheshkumar Mrs R Sutcliffe Mr C and Mrs A Sutton Dr D Swallow and Ms L Lira Mr R and Mrs O Sydykova Mr N and Mrs M Symonds Mr D and Mrs A Tapping Mr O and Mrs J Tardif Mr M Tariq and Dr S De Taylor Wimpey South Thames Mr F and Mrs D Templing Tesco Express High Wycoombe Tesco High Wycombe Superstore The Traditional Sweet Shop Mr P and Mrs L Thirtle Mr K and Mrs H Thomas Mr N and Mrs J Thum Mr A and Mrs D Tilt Tin Kitchen

Mr A and Mrs J Tinnelly Toys-UK Mr M Try Mr C and Mrs L Tucker Mrs V Tutt Mr D and Mrs C Underwood Mrs L Urguhart Mr J and Mrs S Wadsworth Mr J and Mrs J Wagge Mr M and Mrs G Walastyan Mr P Walker and Ms Y Sung Mr S Watkins Mr M and Mrs L Webb Mr M and Mrs J Webster Mr D and Mrs D Weerasekara Mr R and Mrs F Weesie Wenzel's Bakery Mr M and Mrs K Wheeler Mr P and Mrs V Widdowson Mr N and Mrs A Winterbourne Mrs K Wong Mr J and Mrs L Wood Mr G and Mrs F Wright Mr J and Mrs S Yarwood Mr J and Mrs S Yeatman Mr I and Mrs T Young

British woman to represent Great Britain in hockey at an Olympics. She was recognised at world level as one of the best in the business – shortlisted for the World Player of the Year Award in 2010. Helen has been named in the FIH World All Stars Team three times, in 2009, 2010 and 2011. She was part of the team that won bronze at the 2010 World Cup in Argentina and silver in the 2012 Champions Trophy. She overcame two back surgeries to play a pivotal role in England's EuroHockey gold medal triumph in 2015 and then capped things off with a starring role in Great Britain's Olympic gold medal triumph at Rio 2016.

Helen recently graduated from the Open University with a Psychology degree.

Play Your Part for Sport Campaign Update The ‘Play Your Part for Sport’ campaign to raise the funds for this facility was launched in September 2015.

Grand Opening celebrations included a Q & A session with students prior to the opening ceremony. Over 1,500 students, staff, parents, donors, friends of WHS, and local dignitaries attended the ceremony on the pitch. Executive Headteacher Sharon Cromie and Helen Richardson-Walsh delivered emotive speeches followed by the unveiling of a commemorative plaque, a coaching session with Helen and a reception for guests in the Learning Centre. We were privileged to welcome The Mayor of High Wycombe Cllr Brian Pearce, Mr Steve Baker MP for High Wycombe, Mrs Caroline Baynes Relationship Manager England Hockey, Cllr Suzanne Brown Wycombe District Council, Cllr Mahboob Hussain Wycombe District Council and Group Captain Robb Wood Station Commander RAF High Wycombe.

Amongst all the events that took place some stand out including the many sponsored runs beginning with the Santa Fun Run featuring over 20 students, staff and parents raising £1,161. The WHS Sport-a-thon which involved 40 students and staff who ran, rowed, cycled, swam, walked and hiked 1,684 miles over 3 months securing £3.803 in sponsorship. Pedal 4 a Pitch raised £2,021 in sponsorship with 56 students, staff and parents cycling 500 miles in 7 hours in the Eden Shopping Centre supported by local businesses.

The Sponsor a Square campaign raised nearly £20,000 thanks to eighteen tutor groups, local businesses, current and former students, staff and parents who sponsored squares. The Gala Dinner and Sports Awards Evening hosted by Gaby Logan raised £4,000. The Wycombe High School Development Ambassadors raised £10.029. The Parents and Friends Association (PAFA) donated £8,000 and the school received a grant of £30,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation. The £725,000 for the pitch was attained by September 2017 when work began.

The facility was completed in January 2018.

The official grand opening took place on Friday 23 February with Helen Richardson-Walsh OLY MBE as our special guest. Helen was one of the most experienced members of the GB team, having competed in four Olympics. When she played at the 2000 Olympic Games, she was the youngest

Please follow this link for photos from the big day: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wycombehighsch/ albums/72157666265599938 14

On the evening of our grand opening celebrations, we welcomed back former students for the second Alumnae v Current Students and Staff Hockey Match. Spectators braved the cold night air cheering on their favourite teams culminating in a a 2-1 win for Current Students and Staff. A postmatch tea followed where the trophy was handed over by the Captain of the WHS Alumnae team to the Current Students and Staff.

Additional Income Generation To give you an indication of what the school generates outside of the money we receive from central government we looked back at all income we have created over the past 11 years. This is a reminder of all the effort the school puts into raising as much money as we possibly can. In total we have raised £3,812,542 averaging £381,254 per academic year.

“I wanted to say a massive thank you for letting me join your celebrations on Friday. It’s was a great afternoon and the Alumnae game was truly fun despite the cold. It was nice to meet some people I have not seen for years. Hopefully WHS will now achieve great heights in hockey again with your new fantastic facilities.” – Karen McKinnon (Class of 1987)

The largest source of income has come from the Condition Improvement Fund (a government sponsored initiative) which is now restricted. We would be grateful for any suggestions / ideas.

Mrs Dana Morgan, Director of Development and Alumnae Relations

For more photos from the Alumnae v Current Students and Staff match, please follow this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wycombehighsch/ albums/72157664232030537 We are very grateful to Innovate Ltd, our school caterer, for sponsoring the welcome drink and refreshments for the opening ceremony and post-match tea for the Alumnae Hockey Match.

‘Our Future’ 2018 - 2019 Brochure Each academic year we produce an 'Our Future' brochure with information on the Wycombe High School Fund, achievements we have been able to accomplish so far with the support of donors and future projects we are considering. Please follow this link to download the 2018-2019 version of the 'Our Future' brochure: http:// www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/userfiles/whsmvc/ Documents/Development/Our%20Future% 20Development%202018-2019.pdf

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All-Weather Pitch In a school of over 1,300 girls, every student will be involved in Sport in some way during her time here. As well as PE teaching at KS3, KS4 and KS5, over 600 students take part in extra curricular clubs, practices, and fixtures. In addition we have 19 sports teams with over 750 students participating. Previously, we had no allweather facility for our girls to take part in hockey, football, netball, cricket and athletics. In the past the Hockey and Football teams were required to hire other facilities to train and play. Due to the lack of floodlights, the Football teams are also required to hire other facilities to train and play evening matches. Due to the distance to those facilities, playing time was limited and the costs of transport and hiring of all-weather pitches for matches and training was prohibitive.

Construction of the pitch began in September 2017 and was completed before the Christmas Holidays. The pitch was designed by Neil Boddington of Boddington Planning. Neil explained that ‘It is always exciting to be involved in a great project right at the outset. There are no pre-set constraints other than, in this case, the significant slope running down into Wycombe’.

He went on to say that ‘Working with the team at WHS and the experts in my team, we produced a scheme that not only worked but kept existing grass pitches and room for the running track.’

After Agripower came on board, the design was revisited and tweaked to allow significant savings to be made. Neil also stated that ‘Turning up weekly to see the progress of the build was always exciting. This build was a race against time as we approached winter and the cold and wet weather. We had a good autumn and managed to get the pitch finished just as the weather broke in December.’

Curriculum teaching time is regularly affected by the weather, with large groups of students having to change activities and being taught in a small indoor space. This means that students miss their regular lessons which has a detrimental effect on the progress they can make. The all-weather facility means that lessons can still continue as the surface would not become dangerous and slippery. It would mean that students would be able to take part in team games all year round, whereas previously they were limited by unusable grass pitches in the winter.

In September 2015, Wycombe High School announced its plans to build an all-weather pitch to be used by both members of the school and wider community with the launch of the ‘Play Your Part for Sport’ fundraising campaign. It was our goal to ensure every student and local resident enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle. The £725,000 for the pitch was attained by September 2017.

Over the past 11 years, more than £635,000 had been pledged and donated by parents and friends to the Future Fund. The funding for the pitch came from donations to the Future Fund, fundraising events, corporate sponsorship and a pledge from the Garfield Weston Foundation.

After a lengthy tendering process, Agripower Contractors were selected by the school to construct the new all-weather pitch. Graham Longdin, Director of Agripower and project manager stated that ‘The build was fairly straight forward, but in the early tender stages there were significant earthworks and retaining structures needed to hold the pitch onto the side of the hill.’

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He also described how ‘Agripower took the initiative and re-designed the project, omitting the walls and creating the plateau by earthworks alone, reducing the cost to the school. Surface water run off was always a concern and again Agripower designed the large attenuation cell, opting for a swale and soakaway system again reducing time and cost on site.’ Graham stated that ‘The project went very much according to plan without any hitches. We hope that the school have many years of use and wish you all every success in sport going forward.’

Hockey and our PE lessons. It is fantastic that we can now officially have ‘Home’ Hockey fixtures, which is incredibly satisfying to say.’ - Tasha Saint-Smith, Director of Sport & OAA ‘The all-weather pitch is a very exciting addition to the already fantastic sports facilities that we have on offer at Wycombe High School. We enjoy the use of 6 netball courts, 12 tennis courts, a huge sports field, fitness studio, performing arts studios, a fully equipped gymnasium and a sports hall with full-sized indoor netball, volleyball and basketball courts and 4 badminton courts. The pitch brings further opportunities to our students and to the community of High Wycombe and surrounding areas. We are already using the pitch for fitness sessions, for Ultimate Frisbee, Football and Hockey. Frisbee and Football have taken on the new challenge of performing on a faster surface and our Hockey players can feel proud of owning their own, amazing pitch! Interested in coming along to one of these sports...? Now is the time to start - see you on the pitch!” – Anna Snook, PE Teacher We were incredibly lucky to have had Helen Richardson Walsh OLY MBE as our special guest at the official Grand Opening Ceremony on Friday 28 February. The entire school community, local dignitaries, donors to the ‘Play Your Part’ for Sport campaign and friends of Wycombe High School joined us on the pitch. (Please see the Development Office Update article on page 14 for more details on the event and a link to photos from the day).

The first lessons and training sessions on the pitch began on 8 January inspiring messages of thanks and appreciation from members of staff.

“We are hugely grateful to the current and former students, staff, and parents who have made this possible, raising awareness of our ‘Play Your Part’ for Sport campaign and providing an outstanding example of sportsmanship and philanthropy.’ - Sharon Cromie, Executive Headteacher ‘Our plan to develop our facilities for sport and open up opportunities to our students to participate in a wider range of sports in a suitable facility has been realised and is helping to build links with local sports clubs and extend our community outreach.’ – Vicki Williams, Subject Leader PE

We are very grateful to the 586 donors to the Future Fund and ‘Play Your Part’ for Sport campaigns who made our beautiful all-weather pitch a reality.

If you would like to see more photos of the development of the pitch please follow this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wycombehighsch/ albums/72157688901193776 ‘It’s absolutely amazing to have this very special facility and to see all of the hours of fundraising pay off! It has already made a huge difference to

Sasha Wada-Brown Year 13, Nightigale 9, Head of Development 17

Inspiring Events On 19 March 2018 we held our third annual Inspiring Women Evening. Our speakers included a mixture of STEM professionals (Amy Mason (class of 2003), Jen Hicks-Taylor (class of 1993), Nicki Grey (class of 1992) and Helen O’Neill (class of 2003). We also welcomed Rebecca Lowe (class of 1999) a journalist and Rachel Aston (class of 1996) a charity worker who lobbies for government change.

London (UCL) telling her she had the academic capabilities to do her course at UCL. The panel was asked if they had faced challenges as women. Rebecca cycled from London to Tehran in order to explore the misconceptions the media had given the Middle East and challenge them. Helen added that she had not experienced any significant problems during her career in zoology. Amy, on the other hand, has experienced a lot of discrimination within the field of Mathematics. However, this is not necessarily across the board, as some universities are addressing the gender gap in admissions.

Finally, the panel agreed that university may not the best option for everyone. As Rebecca commented, “…though a brilliant experience – in terms of personal development, as much as anything else – it wasn’t the be-all-and-endall. There are also excellent vocational options available too.” Mrs Jarrett added to this and reminded the audience of the other higher education options which Wycombe High School promotes to its students including internships and apprenticeships. She also reminded the students that if university is the route which they wish to take, Oxford and Cambridge are options, but definitely not the only option.

Mrs Jarrett, Head of School, kicked the evening off by welcoming guests and introducing the panel to the audience. The panel briefly described their journey from Wycombe High School to the present. This was followed by a Question and Answer and a networking session with refreshments provided by Innovate and sponsored by the Guild (Wycombe High School’s student and staff association).

During the Question and Answer session, a parent asked the panel about the economic strain imposed by a university degree: would they recommend risking the debt that accumulates whilst studying? There was a unanimous agreement that university - although expensive- is definitely worth the debt. Nicki commented that she would not be in the position that she was in without a degree. This was backed up by Amy, who agreed that a degree is fundamental to a career in scientific research.

Feedback from students, staff and parents was exemplified in these comments received after the event.

“After hearing Helen O’Neill speak about her experience in Zoology and her research in Africa, my son was transformed from being reluctant to think about his career to be genuinely inspired and start thinking about suitable A Level subjects to get into that field.”

A common worry for students applying to university is what matters most: the university or the course? The panel each spoke about their experiences when choosing a university. They took into consideration the town, the aspects of their courses, which accommodation they preferred and finally made a decision based upon all of these factors.

We want to thank our speakers for taking the time out of their busy lives and travelling great distances in some cases, to address our very fortunate audience. Their time is valuable and greatly appreciated.

For detailed biographies about each of these speakers, please follow this link : https:// issuu.com/wycombehighsch/docs/ wycombe_high_school_2018_inspiring_

Wycombe High School teachers also played a significant role in helping to choose a university. Amy said that she had never really considered the University of Oxford, but only applied after her teacher told her to because ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’ It was Mr Merrick (Deputy Head 1988-2000) who encouraged Nicki to go to University College

The Guild’s ‘Inspire and Career’ Lunchtime Talk Series was launched in 2011. The goal of the series is to invite former staff, students and friends of Wycombe High School to come and speak 18

about their lives and experiences to inspire students with their passion.

herself getting into Oxford and that it was important that we all tried something that was out of our comfort zone.

This year we have had talks from Michael Scott, Abigail Bridger (class of 2009) and Emma Sackville (class of 2008). Our last talk of the year features Ayesha Wynne (class of 2006) on Thursday 3 May.

On Thursday 8 February, we had the pleasure of having former student Emma Sackville in school to present a talk on her degree in Chemistry and also her PhD which she is currently working on. Emma studied Chemistry at University of Bristol.

After completing her degree, she took a year out and spent two months travelling in South America.

She is now completing a PhD which focuses on how Chemistry can solve environmental and sustainability problems. She started her talk by explaining how a PhD works and the pros and cons of choosing to complete one. She then went on to show the audience a video of the lab where she completes all her experiments and lab work. The importance of Chemistry in solving problems around the world was emphasised throughout the talk and Emma mentioned how some of her colleagues are working on interesting ideas to deal with sustainability issues. Some of these included making diesel from coffee, converting waste orange peel into paracetamol and water cleaning systems! The talk was a success with 43 students and staff attending in total.

Our first talk of the year was from Dr Michael Scott who is an Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick.

Former student Vicky Jewell (class of 2010), a Classics PhD student at Warrick, made the introduction to Michael, who is also her supervisor. Not only did he deliver a lunchtime talk for all students - John Hampden included - but he also delivered a seminar for a class of Year 9 Ancient History students and Sixth formers. He showed the audience the more depressing, but realistic, part of Greece, such as the famine and brutality of some events as we remember as amazing, like the Olympics. Some statistics, such as that the life expectancy was 25, and 2nd place athletes were disowned by their own families, shocked the audience to realise that life wasn’t all as we imagine. Like nowadays, many people made idols that were unrealistic, but a goal for so many. Although the statues that were made have been proved to be medically impossible, it didn’t stop the sculptors from making them and causing people to want to be just like them.

Our last talk of the year features Ayesha Wynne.

Since leaving school, Ayesha studied architecture, qualifying as an architect in 2016. She has worked for awardwinning architecture firms, currently working for Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, a large practice based in London. At the moment, she is the lead architect for a new-build, mixed development in Farringdon, due for completion in 2019. Ayesha will be talking about her interesting journey through university. She will be sharing her experiences and insight of how to qualify as an architect as well as introducing the construction industry. The talk will provide a great opportunity for students and guests to hear first-hand the career journey of an Architect, as well as giving the opportunity to ask questions to a professional.

On Thursday 30 November we had the pleasure of listening to Abigail Bridger talk about her journey into Law and her experiences at the University of Oxford.

Abigail began the talk by describing a typical day of her life as a barrister specialising in Family Law. She explained that even though presenting different cases to judges is an everyday occurrence for her, it is often the most important day for the client’s life. For this reason, Law can be an incredibly rewarding career path. Her experiences at the University of Oxford were incredibly valuable and provided her with very strong connections with people working in the field of Law. She emphasised that even as a school girl, she was always willing to give it a go and even contacted the Supreme Court to ask whether she could do work experience there. Abigail highlighted that whilst she was at school, she never imagined

Visit our website News section for articles and links to photos from these events by following this link: http://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/media/news

By Jessica Barnett-Smith, Year 13, Pankhurst 6 and Sumayya Zeib, Year 13, Pankhurst 5 Heads of Guild

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Student Leadership Team We spoke to our current Student Leadership team and asked them each to tell us an interesting talent they have which you might not know about, in keeping with the theme of hidden voices. This is what they had to share:

My hidden talent is that I am able to recite any Beyoncé song. It may not necessarily be in the right key but I can belt it out on command. To me she is the most inspirational woman hence; my talent is dedicated to her.

Sana Hussain – Head of Bronte

My hidden talent is that I can talk with my mouth shut. I close my mouth, blow out my cheeks with air, and speak as if I would with my mouth open. It changes my voice and makes me sound as if I'm stuck inside a box!

Lois Bown – Head Girl

My hidden talent is body percussion. Although I regularly play orchestral percussion and the drums, I thought it would be interesting to take up a form of music that I could play with my body instead of a physical instrument. The array of sounds you can make by using your body as a percussion instrument is fascinating, although it can leave you with a couple of bruises!

Scarlet Halton – Head of Curie

I can raise each eyebrow individually! I actually perfected this trick in the queue for a ride at Chessington World of Adventures when I was very bored and had lots of time to spare, and trust me... it has been very useful since!

Jasmine Pankhania – Deputy Head Girl

My hidden talent is my love for Disney films and knowledge of all things Disney. I can sing every word and recite almost every line of Beauty and the Beast, I know all the dance routines to High School Musical and this Christmas I was the winner of the Howitt family’s Disney round of Name that Tune, in which I also discovered my other secret talent - kazoo playing.

Becky Howitt – Deputy Head Girl

I'm a bit of a weirdo and I can move one eye at a time and turn my tongue upside down. It definitely freaks people out when they ask to see it!

Lamiyah Emadi – Head of Nightingale

Travel has always been a passion for me, so memorising country names and places has always been something I’m very interested in. I know all 50 states of America, and am currently trying to memorise as many names of countries in the world and where they are situated.

Sarah Nawaz – Head of Pankhurst

I suppose most people know about my love for Harry Potter, but something they might not know is that I can name all the top 200 characters by number of mentions of the series within 9 minutes!

Cecelia Alexander - Head of Austen

My hidden talent is that I particularly enjoy practising and finessing different accents, in particular Liverpudlian, Australian and South African.

Iqra Amin – Head of Parks

My hidden talent is that I enjoy doing impressions and accents. I began picking them up when imitating my mum, who's South African. I also do 20

an Essex accent, an Australian accent, a Scouse accent and a few others. I also imitate celebrities when joking about them for my own amusement.

Teagan Pooler – Head of Charities

I enjoy making textiles, particularly colour knitting, crochet and embroidery, and I have recently started making bobbin lace. My interest started when I was about 7, when I learnt to knit and do cross-stitch. One of my projects which I am most proud of is my Year 11 Prom dress, which I made from scratch.

Gillian Hargreaves – Head of ACAS

My hidden talent is that I really enjoy running. I run 5K at the Wycombe Rye Parkrun every Saturday. I am training for the Reading Half Marathon in March and so I run 4 times a week, and each week I am increasing my distance more and more.

My running has progressed significantly in the last year, and I have now achieved a personal best of 24:55 for 5K. Emily Rints – Head of Charities#

I play netball competitively outside of school at Kingsmead. I play in the adult league which is against players that are a lot older than me. I play the position of Wing Attack, Centre, and Wing Defence, so it involves a lot of running around.

Lauren Badger – Head of Student Ambassadors

My hidden talent is that I can say the alphabet backwards. I learnt how to do this while on a school trip to the Black Country Living Museum as pupils had to recite it every morning in the Victorian times. I have practiced it every day since then, and I can now recite the entire alphabet backwards in 3.68 seconds.

Phoebe Garrett – Head of Environment

Over the years I have always enjoyed taking photos of animals and the surrounding environment. I have travelled to many places around the world and I never forget to bring my camera to ensure that I ‘capture very moment’.

These photos are edited, printed and then organised in a structured layout on my wall reflecting a timeline of my most memorable events.

Natasha Moss – Head of Transition 21

My Time at WHS A retrospective account of my time at Wycombe High has proved quite difficult to write. For one, my first three years or so at this school seem to have disappeared entirely into one solid blur of embarrassing moments and various friendship dramas which seem so trivial in hindsight. Most of the memories I do have of those years are not only painfully embarrassing, but also only exist in the form of constant reminders from my friends, who won’t quite let me forget.

So, having said all that, I think it’s only fitting to now create a list of the things I will miss about Wycombe High.   

As my time at Wycombe High draws to a close, I find that I have many fond memories here.

Perhaps none of those fond memories are to do with my ever-increasing workload, but they have a lot to do with all the wonderful people I met during my time here. Not only have my friends help shape me from that vaguely-irritating Year 7 to the (hopefully) much less annoying Year 13 I am today, but they’ve given me endless positive memories of my time here. They’ve also helped to keep me sane as the workload began to increase with the addition of GCSEs, and then A Levels and UCAS applications.

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My teachers have also been invaluable in giving me the best experiences possible. They have shown me endless support in my subjects. Miss SaintSmith, who has been my tutor since Year 8, has supported me through all of my ups and downs, through GCSEs and friendship drama, through panics about University and finally handing in my UCAS application.

Without her help, I’m not sure I would have managed to get through these past few years like I have.

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The unspoken rule in the Miller Block that the Common Room is a Year 13 space, and the Study Area is for Year 12s.

The curly fries, which made a surprise reappearance in the Sixth Form Café after having disappeared in Year 7.

The community I’ve become a part of, full of strong and empowering young women.

Mrs Winser, who has been an absolute miracle worker when it came to keeping me sane over this past year or so.

All of my wonderful friends; we’ve had our ups and downs, that’s for sure, but my friends have helped to make even the worst of times bearable.

Wear it Pink day; as far as I’m aware, no other schools in the area celebrate Wear it Pink quite the way we do, and that’s definitely something I’ll miss when I go. Who doesn’t want to see the Miller Block decorated with strings of bras for a day?

The teachers who have always helped me to do my best to reach my full potential.

The annual school panto, complete with inside jokes, Dr Watson dressed as Tinkerbell, and enough laughs to make the last day of term before Christmas memorable.

House Spirit on Sports Day, especially from the house captains.

Tutor time with my lovely VT, who offered me endless support with my EPQ. There’s never a dull day with Curie 2!

Now I won’t get into the things I’m not going to miss, because I’d quite like to end this on a high note. Instead, I’ll end with a resounding thank you to anyone and everyone who has helped to make my time at Wycombe High School a time worth remembering, and looking back on with fond memories. My future remains uncertain for now, but I am glad that my past was spent here. I am confident now that, wherever I go, Wycombe High will have given me the best possible start.

But it hasn’t all been doom and gloom, as I said before. I know for a fact that I’ll miss this place when I’m gone. Yes, at times I’ve struggled when I had so much work that I just wanted to cry, but, all things considered, I certainly wouldn’t tell my past self to change her mind when choosing to come to Wycombe High.

Emily Clarke, Year 13, Curie 2, Head of News Crew 22

I can still remember sitting on the floor in the hall at the end of our induction day to Wycombe High School, a student choir were performing a rendition of ‘Walking on Sunshine’ in front of us. I can vividly recall looking up and seeing a student from my primary school in the year above me singing her heart out. I think it was then that the realisation set in that I could be her in a year’s time. It seems that we have since come a perfect circle, those same people that sat on that floor in 2011 are now once again buzzing with excitement and eagerness, awaiting the next stage in our lives.

trip abroad without my family, where I got to visit sites such as Pompeii, Herculaneum and the National Archaeological Museum. School trips abroad are something that WHS does exceptionally well, the range and number available to students in all years is something that I have not seen replicated at any other school and the students and staff who are on the trip with you become a family whilst you are away.

The different departments within the school have developed their own communities over the years. For example, I have been studying Fine Art for the past seven years at WHS and I think it is the staff in the Art Department to who I owe the biggest thank you. As you progress through the school, the classes get smaller and more closeknit, relationships with teachers become more developed as they get to know you better and, having spent many hours a week, every week for the past seven years, I like to see my art class and the staff as a family. It is incredible to see how everyone has blossomed in the years they have spent here and its hard not to credit it to the departments for their constant encouragement and motivation they have provided us with.

I can’t say that my journey through WHS has run perfectly smooth, like any student I could not escape the ups and downs of secondary school but, looking back in retrospect, my secondary school experience was a primarily positive one.

At the age of eleven, I was timid and painfully shy, afraid of everything about both the future and Wycombe High School; I was scared of the teachers, the students (particularly those in red jumpers), walking on the wrong side of the corridors, getting lost and ultimately, failing. If someone had told me that by the age of seventeen I would have a job, 11 GCSEs, a driver’s license and offers from some of the top universities in England, I would laugh and discredit the statement immediately.

For me, Sports Day has always been a highlight of my year. Even though I am not a particularly sporty person, the day has always been one of celebration, community and fun. I will always remember dressing in house colours, smearing face paint all over ourselves and watching the opening ceremony. As a lower school student, I always looked up to the Student Leadership Team, especially the house captains who always motivated their houses and made the day so good.

It was definitely strange seeing girls from our year as the house captains, stood in front of the house pens, dressed elaborately in their house colours, leading the entire student body. And so now our time at Wycombe High School is nearly up and to everyone who was sat on the floor in the hall on induction day 2011, I wish them all the best for the future.

My time at Wycombe High has, without a doubt, allowed me to ‘grow into myself’. The opportunities the school offered me have shaped and moulded me into the person I am today; I have partaken in sports teams, academic and political societies and, fulfilling my Year 6 dream, I have been a part of four different choirs over the years, one of which even took me to New York to perform at Carnegie Hall. Undeniably, my trip to New York in 2016 was a highlight of my seven years at this school, however, there are many other much less monumental experiences from my daily life at Wycombe High School that will remain with me for just as long. For example, in Year 8 I was part of Science Club where we raised chicks from eggs and got to watch them grow up. This is a prime example of how WHS surprised me with the opportunities offered to me, I never thought that there would be a club dedicated to, amongst other things, raising chicks! My Ancient History lessons in Years 9 and 10 are also fond memories for me, the atmosphere and relationship of such a small class was something that allowed us to learn in an environment where we were all wholly ourselves.

Furthermore, through Ancient History I was able to visit Italy on the Bay of Naples trip in 2014, my first

Anna Bonnerjea, Year 13, Curie 1, Head of News Crew

23

2017 Round Up 2017, a year that will be remembered for fake news, barbaric terror and women taking back their time. The world saw the highs and lows of mankind, with the global community coming together to stand up against terror, inequality, and discrimination in acts of solidarity, from the One Love Manchester concert to men and women marching through the streets to protest injustice.

February

On the 6 February, the Queen celebrated her sapphire jubilee, marking sixty-five years of her reign. As the longest reigning monarch in British history, she is the first to have a sapphire jubilee.

In 2015, Queen Elizabeth became the longestreigning monarch, aged 89. A week later, on the 13 February, Kim Jong Un’s half-brother was assassinated at the Kuala Lumpur International airport, after being attacked by two women with the VX nerve agent. One of the women had grabbed him from behind and covered his face with a cloth laced with the banned substance. He was later treated at hospital, where he was unresponsive. A spokesperson for South Korea, described the murder as a "naked example of Kim Jong-un's reign of terror". The assassination is under investigation, but is widely thought to have been ordered by the North Korean government.

The 89th Academy Awards came around and with it a highly unprecedented mistake. ‘La La Land’ was announced as the Best Picture, but a few moments later, confusion erupted as the error was corrected and ‘Moonlight’ was declared the winner.

January The year started with tragedy, setting the tone for what would be a year tainted with terror and loss.

On 1 January, a gunman shot and killed 39 people and wounded at least 70 others at a nightclub in Istanbul, where hundreds had been celebrating the New Year. It was a horrific start to the year, but the month also featured acts of human courage and unity. The Women’s march on the 21 January was the largest single-day protest in US and most of the rallies were aimed at Trump, the march came the day after his inauguration, but men and women marched in eighty one countries, not just the US. In total worldwide participation has been estimated at over five million. January also saw the emergence of ‘alternative facts’, a phrase used by presidential counsellor Kellyanne Conway to defend press secretary Sean Spicer’s false statement about the attendance numbers of Donald Trump's inauguration. Conway's use of the phrase ‘alternative facts’ was widely mocked on social media and criticised by journalists who argued that ‘alternative facts are not facts. They’re falsehoods.’

March Terror struck again near the end of the month as five people died and fifty injured after Khalid Masood mowed down members of the public with a car on Westminster Bridge. He then drove into the railings in front of Parliament Yard before crashing through the gate of Westminster Palace.

The attacker had with him two large knives which he used to fatally stab unarmed Policeman Keith Palmer, who was posthumously awarded the George Medal, the second highest award for gallantry, after successfully preventing the terrorist from entering the Palace of Westminster.

The country came together in the days after with 24

acts of solidarity such as the human chain on Westminster bridge, made up of women from all different backgrounds who came together to condemn the brutal attack. Article 50 was triggered on the 29 March by Theresa May, it marks the start of two years of negotiations to form a deal for Britain's exit from the EU. This means that, at the latest, the UK will leave the EU by March 29 2019.

detonated as Ariana Grande fans, mainly teenagers, were leaving Manchester Arena following a concert. Twenty-three people were killed, with ages ranging from eight to fifty two years old, and over five hundred were injured.

April On 3 April 2017, an explosive device on the St Petersburg Metro went off, resulting in the deaths of fifteen people, including the perpetrator, Akbarzhon Jalilov. At least 45 others were injured in the attack. A second bomb was discovered and disarmed at another station. Jalilov's DNA was found on the bag which contained the other bomb.

A snap election was called by the Prime Minister, an election which had previously been ruled out by the PM. On April 19, the Conservatives’ poll lead over Labour was at 17 points which led many in Westminster to predict a landslide victory.

June The first day of June marked President Trump’s announcement of his plan to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, meaning they will join Syria and Nicaragua as the only nations that aren't part of the accord. Two days later, a terrorist attack on London Bridge killed eight people and injured forty eight others when a van left the road and struck pedestrians. Once the van crashed, the three occupants ran to the nearby Borough Market area and began attacking those in and around the restaurants and pubs. The UK General Election took place on the 8 June, the result causing one of the biggest political upsets as the Conservative Party lost their majority, a majority which many had used to predict a landslide victory, and the result was a hung parliament. While still maintaining a 98 seat lead over Labour, the Conservative Party was forced to form an agreement with the DUP in order to reach a majority in Parliament. In the early hours of 14 June, a fire started in a fridge-freezer on the fourth floor of Grenfell Tower. The fire grew rapidly and more than 250 firefighters and 70 fire engines attempted to control the fire. The fire caused 71 deaths in 23 of the 129 flats. 223 people escaped.

The fire brought the issues such as deregulation, spending cuts and neglect from the local council into the spotlight. Despite numerous concerns raised by the tenants of Grenfell over the lack of fire safety precautions, the council failed to act and many argue that if they had, then such a horrific tragedy could have been averted.

May May kicked off with a momentous dismissal of a major American official and a landmark French election. On the 7 May the second round of the French election led to victory for Emmanuel Macron and his party, En Marche!, a centrist political party, which he founded in April 2016.

Aged thirty nine, he became the youngest president in French history. The firing of FBI director James Comey sparked a war of words, sensational media leaks, and some very angry tweets by the American President. The termination meant the abrupt removal of the top official leading a criminal investigation into whether the President’s advisors colluded with the Russian government. Trump fired Comey in a letter in which he said that he was acting on the Attorney General’s advice. During the following days, Trump gave many explanations of the dismissal that contradicted his staff and also opposed his original statement. The last days of May saw one of the most heart breaking tragedies of the 21st Century. On 22 May, a homemade bomb was

July In July, the first female Doctor Who was revealed.

Jodie Whittaker was announced as the 13th doctor, a casting decision which she hopes will be a trailblazer for women and it will open the door for 25

2017 Round Up Continued more women in the future. The BBC revealed the salaries of stars earning more than £150,000 on the 19 July, highlighting a pay gap of 9%. Later in the week, some of the BBC's most high-profile female employees called on the director of the BBC to "act now" and deal with the gender pay gap. Presenters Clare Balding, Victoria Derbyshire, and Emily Maitlis were among those who signed a letter to director general Tony Hall who said "work is already well under way" to resolve the pay gap. The Charlie Gard Case reached its tragic end, after Dr Hirano determined it was too late for any treatment to help Charlie and the parents agreed to the withdrawal of life support. The second hearing at the High Court, which had previously been arranged to hear and examine the new evidence for alternative treatment, then revolved around the arrangements for the withdrawal of life support.

On 27 July, with consent, Charlie was transferred to a hospice where mechanical ventilation was withdrawn, and he died the next day at the age of 11 months and 24 days.

protestors, killing one person. In his initial statement on the rally, Donald Trump did not criticise white nationalists explicitly, instead denouncing "hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides." His statement and defences of it, where he went on to refer to "very fine people on both sides," were heavily criticised for suggesting any moral equivalence between the white nationalist protestors and the counter protesters.

The solar eclipse on the 21 August, nicknamed "The Great American Eclipse" by various media, captivated roughly 88% of Americas adult population who turned their eyes to the sky to witness “once in a lifetime” experience, despite the fact another total eclipse is set to occur in roughly seven years.

September The world braced itself for the possible test launch of a hydrogen bomb by North Korean missiles over Japanese territory after an extraordinary exchange of insults between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in response to the President’s threat at the UN general assembly to “totally destroy” North Korea if Washington needed to defend itself. The North Korean leader said that he was considering retaliating at the “highest level”, and called Trump a “mentally deranged US dotard” who would “pay dearly” for

August The Charlottesville rally, which lasted from 11 to 12 August, was a far-right rally in Charlottesville.

White nationalists, Klansmen and neo-Nazis protested against the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, a confederate soldier, from a nearby park. Some of the marchers chanted racist and anti-Semitic slogans while carrying weapons and offensive banners, as well as Trump / Pence signs. On the morning of 12 August, the governor of Virginia announced a state of emergency. In the afternoon, a man linked to white supremacist groups drove his car into a group of counter 26

threatening to destroy the regime. One million Catalans marched for independence on 11 September, the region's national day. All the streets of Barcelona were full of pro-independence supporters who turned out ahead of the October referendum.

The country celebrated the end of a corrupt rule and parties in the street went on throughout the night once Mugabe’s resignation became official.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially announced their rumoured engagement, with the wedding set to take place in spring at Windsor chapel.

October On the evening of 1 October, 64 year old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowds at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. The shooting left fifty eight people dead and over five hundred injured. Between 10:05 and 10:15 pm, he shot more than a thousand rounds from his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

Roughly an hour after Paddock fired his last shot into the crowd of more than twenty thousand, he was found dead in his room from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

December As 2017 drew to a close, Australian Parliament approved historic legislation approving same sex marriage. The monumental vote came after over a decade of campaigning and debating that finally came to a close, prompting huge cheers and a proposal in parliament.

November

Trump finally acted upon one of his key election promises, a sweeping overhaul of the US tax system, and the largest in over thirty years. The controversial bill, which fifty-five percent of Americans oppose, has been criticised for being heavily weighted to benefit businesses rather than the middle class.

Robert Mugabe’s almost four decade presidency came to an end in the closing days of November.

Earlier in the month, a deadly mass shooting in Texas took the lives of 26 people during a Church service in Sutherland Springs. 26 year old Devin Kelley had previously been convicted of domestic assault, which should have prevented him from purchasing a firearm, however the Air Force failed to record the conviction in the FBI database.

Mugabe was ousted from power after the Zimbabwean army took control of the state broadcaster.

By Lily Birch Year 10, Bronte 8, News Crew

27

U.S. Embassy Move Sparks Protest President Trump’s controversial move plunged seven decades of US foreign policy into chaos, as he made the defiant decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Since the 1948 outbreak of the Israeli-Palestine conflict, policy has been to avoid declaring Jerusalem as a capital city due to the absence of peace deal, with violent protests in Palestine and international outcry having broken out as a result of such a declaration.

of his presidential campaign have recognized and appreciated this fulfilment of a bold election pledge.

This promise to re-locate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has been praised by the Israelis and by Trump’s evangelical supporters, who have been waiting on him to deliver on his pledge for a year. Despite Palestine erupting in riots and the absence of any peace talks, some still maintain the hope that this decision may bring renewed efforts to stabilise the Israeli - Palestine tension as a result of the new focus and attention that has now been placed on Jerusalem.

Jerusalem has been a place of pilgrimage and worship for Jews, Christians, and Muslims since the biblical era and both Israelis and Palestinians claim the city as their spiritual and political capital.

This has helped fuel the longstanding Israeli Palestinian conflict for decades. Many argued that a decision, such as Trump’s, would break with international consensus and jeopardise any future negations or peace talks, and, since his announcement on the 6 December, there have been responses of outrage across the globe.

Palestinian leaders called for a new rebellion, labelling Trump's move as a "war declaration against Palestinians." The proclamation prompted riots in Gaza, which saw furious demonstrators burning tyres and setting fire to pictures of the President.

Lily Birch, Year 10, Bronte 8, News Crew Political Correspondent

Prime Minister Theresa May called the move 'unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region’ and expressed her ‘disagreement with the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement.’

After years of caution because of the highly volatile situation in the area regrading Jerusalem’s status, Trump’s move has been labelled by critics as a conscious effort to destabilize the Middle East. However, supporters 28

The Year of the Flu Why winter flu is so bad this year The seasonal flu is an underestimated killer. As many as 646,000 people across the globe die each year. However, 2018 seems to bring a whole new meaning to the common cold. This year's flu season is already the most widespread on record since health officials began keeping track 13 years ago.

Unlike some illnesses, having the flu once does not make you immune to catching it. The virus mutates every few years, meaning many of your antibodies you made to your last infection don’t recognize the virus and you get sick again, although your body retains some immunity to similar flus you have seen before. Therefore, the strains of flu most different to previous strains dominate each hemisphere. As a result, doctors only require one new vaccine per year.

H1N1 and H3N2, and two in the influenza B group.

H3N2 is the real problem. Our strongest immunity is to the first kind of flu we caught. Between 1918 and 1968 no H3N2 viruses circulated as winter flu.

Therefore, people born before 1968 have a weaker immunity to it, and the flu is caught and spread more easily. Although good against the other strains, this season the vaccine is about 20 per cent protective against H3N2 viruses, which further contributes to the increased number of hospitalisations and deaths.

“We don’t really know what makes some winter flu viruses more severe than others,” says Colin Russell at the University of Amsterdam. It’s a mix of the virus’s ability to defeat our immune system and our systems ability to recognize and respond to its fast enough. The simplest and effective way to avoiding getting sick this year, is preventing the spread of germs.

What makes the flu so dangerous this year?

Sophie Atkinson, Year 11, Curie 3

Flu virus is a name we give a group of four closely related viruses: influenza A, influenza B, influenza C and influenza D. A record number of flu strains are currently circulating, two influenza A strains,

29

Dreams Competition First Prize: Dawn Harper, Year 12, Bronte 10 The Beast of Camp Olympus I was at a summer camp. I can't remember why but that's not really important. It was called Camp Olympus. We were staying in the forest and we had to share tents so it was anything but comfortable. There was one guy who had his own tent. We didn't know why, it wasn't as if there weren't enough people. No one could understand why he got his own tent, until the incident.

One night we were sat around the campfire, I know, so unusual. We chatted and roasted marshmallows and somehow got onto the subject of ghost stories. It started out fairly game and none of us were scared. One girl piped up with what she thought was a terrifying tale: "A young girl was walking home when she noticed a strange looking house. She crept inside, the door creaking shut behind her. Everything was dark and cobwebs covered every surface. There was a light shining under one of the doors so she tiptoed towards it. She pushed open the door but there was nothing there. She sighed in relief but as she turned around a ghost rushed at her and she was never seen again."

Nobody was scared, we had heard it all before.

As the evening progressed the stories got darker and creepier. A tree that absorbed souls, an old lady the kidnapped children, a man who posed as a police officer to kill motorists. Even some old classics were retold in a spooky narrator voice.

My favourite was 'the woman in black' retold by a five year old sat on the camp leader's shoulders.

As the night drew to a close there was only time for one more story. The boy with his own talent began to speak: "One night, in the depths of a dark forest, a group of campers sat around a fire.

Through the darkness a soft green light appeared.

One of the campers grew curious and walked through the trees towards the light. The fire disappeared as the branches moved behind her.

A twig snapped to her left, an owl hooted behind her. The green light was blindingly bright. She could see a dark shape in front of her. Was it a person? No. It was a tree stump, but it hasn't

been cut. It had been melted. But that was impossible wasn't it?

When she hadn't returned after a few minutes the other campers went to look for her. They made their way through the forest calling her name. But when they found her it wasn't a pretty sight. Small patches of green goo clung to what was left of her face. The campers decided that they should get back to their cabins. They locked the doors and after hours of terror they fell asleep; too exhausted to panic anymore. But in the morning none of them awoke. All that was left of them was a small puddle of green goo."

The boy stopped talking and the camp fell silent.

The younger children were too scared to speak and the rest of us were taken aback.

He hadn't said anything through the whole camp and now he had said that. The camp leader broke the silence and rounded everyone up for bed. We were all too creeped out to argue.

Considering the events of the night before we all slept fairly well.

The sun had risen, it's rays streaming through the trees. But the peace of the morning was broken by the panicked voice of the camp leader. "Has anyone seen Charlotte?" He was calling through the camp. Everyone was shaking their heads. No one had seen her since last night. We searched through the tents but she wasn't there. We hurried towards the campfire hoping she had just got up early. To our relief she was hunched over the campfire. The camp leader walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. But she just slumped forward. He pulled her backwards then pulled away in surprise. There was green goo dripping from her face. He went to wipe it away but it sizzled and burnt his hand. The rest of us just looked on in shock. Half of me thought that it was some kind of stupid prank, just someone trying to scare us. But the other half of me knew it wasn't a joke.

The camp leader kept us all together for the rest of the day. We tried to keep busy but it didn't go unnoticed that the boy with his own tent wasn't there, and when he made a brief appearance, he didn't seem worried. Just before we went to bed 30

we heard a scream from the campfire. When we ran over we saw a green light disappear between the trees and a body slumped over the fire. It was another victim.

We tried to sleep but it was pointless. We were too terrified to sleep. It must have been around midnight when we heard the screams. As we ran outside we saw a whole tent melt before our eyes, a figure radiating green light standing over it. It turned towards us. It's face was distorted and green, dripping with goo. But the worst thing was the eyes. It felt like they were burning into my soul. I looked around frantically. The space where the other tents had been was empty except for a few puddles of goo, sizzling and bubbling. My first instinct was to run but I didn't know my way around the woods. The monster kept its eyes locked on mine. There was something familiar about it. It started to move towards us, slowly at first but faster and faster. Goo dripped from its hands and face leaving melted leaves and twigs in its wake. That's when we ran. I hurried through the trees as fast as I could, branches ripping at my face, twigs cracking underfoot. I heard a thud behind me and a muffled scream. I knew that one of my friends was down but if I stopped to help I would be dead. I kept running. My lungs were burning. I couldn't hear any footsteps behind me anymore. I risked turning around and luckily there was nothing there.

Cautiously I made my way back to the camp. There was a phone in the kitchen that I could use to call for help. As I approached the camp I saw the monster stood by the kitchen door. It started to turn around so I hid in our tent. I could hear its squelching footsteps coming closer. I held my breath and pulled my sleeping bag over my head, hoping it would go away. It was stood over me, it's breath hot on my face. I had nowhere to go. Just when I thought that it might turn around and leave I felt a warm hand touch my face. Green goo seeped through the sleeping bag and the searing heat touched my skin. I screamed.

to think it was all just a game. Lord knows it was not and will never be. The ghosts of those who lost their lives in this hellish paradise still linger, waiting to strike. At first they were kindred souls solely focused on helping you escape this labyrinth, but all good things must come to an end. Then I hear the faint whispers grow louder again and again and again. One. Word. ’Ellie.’

Everything starts to fade away. As it all becomes fainter, I feel something much more distinct. It warms me up instantly and I recognise as the fluffy duvet that I have known for so long. My only comfort in a night of terror. My thoughts are replaced by the feeling of someone grasping me with a fierce amount of emotion. Love, fear and confusion are all present. The darkness of my mind is replaced by the view of someone’s back and the vision of my bedroom. The person pulls away and I immediately recognise a face: Mum. I can taste the salty raindrops leaking from my eyes on the tip of my tongue as they keep on falling. Mum soon launches into an explanation of what happened which makes me panic.

I cannot hear a single word she is saying.

I try reading her lips but nothing works. I cannot possibly comprehend what she is saying because of the sheer speed of speech. Then, one word emerges from the others: ’Ellie.’

Everything vanishes again and I instantaneously shoot up upon reaching a new level of light. I bump heads with someone who murmurs a trail of curse words and it is too much for me to handle. I clutch her small figure as I sob quietly watching as my tears get absorbed by the woolen fabric of her knitted cardigan. My entire body is filled with only one thing.

I woke up in a cold sweat with the sound of my parents running to my room. I knew one thing for certain. I was never watching Scooby Doo before bed ever again.

Second Prize: Ambereen Aslam, Year 10, Nightingale 3 I stare around at my surroundings trying to find the escape route. All around me are the familiar lush green walls imprisoning me. Whispers from the voices in my head grow louder and louder and louder and then, silence. Pure silence. I take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale.

Snap! My head turns as fast as a lightning bolt.

When I first entered the maze I was naïve enough

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Hidden Actress Anneliese Hanratty (Year 7, Bronte 7) has recently taken on an exciting acting role as a young Angela Carter.

went to a room with a desk and had to recite two verses of her early poems. We did many shots from different angles. Then I went in to this amazing study and had to pretend to read a book. We had to Carter, who was a prolific writer of the Gothic and get close shot and shots from far away. Then I had bizarre, is no stranger to Sixth Form English to film a scene in the kitchen this was simply me Literature students, who study her collection of short staring at the camera as they zoomed out.” stories ‘The Bloody Chamber’ for their A Level examinations.

For her future ambitions, Anneliese aspires to be like Emma Watson, as she believes her to be a Anneliese, who is a member of the Jackie Palmer great role model, especially as a figure of female stage school, was scouted for this role through her equality and empowerment. agency, due to her resemblance to a young Angela Carter.

With great opportunities like this one on her acting resume, Anneliese is really beginning to get noticed Auditioning in the BBC Headquarters in London was in the world of acting. certainly an exciting experience for the eleven year old ingénue. She was amazed by how quick the I for one look forward to seeing this bright young whole process was, as she auditioned on a Monday talent in future productions! and got the part by Wednesday.

You can see Anneliese as Angela Carter in an In the audition process, Anneliese had to embrace upcoming BBC Documentary. her inner Carter, imagining how Angela, who was exceedingly shy with a massively over-protective mother, would feel in certain situations.

Some of the more bizarre reactions she had to embrace were surrounding an obsession with her belly button and a forbiddance to venture to the bathroom alone away from her mother’s gaze.

Anneliese handled it all with grace and poise, as she got the part two days later!

The most exciting part for Anneliese was working with her director, who had previously made several Harry Potter documentaries.

One of the most surprising events was how rapid everything happened. It isn’t every Monday afternoon that an eleven year old finds herself getting fitted for ‘fat’ pads in Hackney! Anneliese was also delighted to borrow a pinafore from the National Theatre for her costume.

In her own words, here is the low down on the filming process: “I went to film in Craxton Studios in London. We were in a rather archaic setting (it looked Victorian).

First we arrived and I went to get my costume fitted.

I had padding on as Angela was a little bit overweight as a child. I then went down for filming. I had to film at a table with pudding as Angela’s mum loved this pudding so they had it every day. Next I

Miss Christine O’Donnell, English Teacher, Lead Staff Member News Crew

33

Amazing Talents Aminah Fasisal Year 9, Pankhurst 2 – Twitching her eye

‘Matilda’ once.

Who are your favourite singers?

Adele, Taylor Swift and Little Mix.

When did you realise you had this talent?

A few years ago - maybe in Year 7. My friends pointed out what I was doing and since then its become my hidden talent.

Do you take lessons / go to a performing arts school?

Yes, Jackie Palmer Stage School.

How did you realise you have this talent?

I tried to wink and twitched my eye instead.

Have you ever appeared in a show?

Yes, I appeared in various shows with JPSS and I used to sing solo at my previous school.

What do your friends and family think of your talent?

My friends find it amusing, my class find it scary and family find it just plain weird.

What do you do with it?

Just use it for fun and as a small party trick!

Why do you like your talent ?

When I do it, it feels really nice to see people’s responses. It useful because it is funny, it’s a way to make people laugh and smile. They do get bored of it after a while however initially they were quite scared.

Michelle Gawron Year 7, Austen 5 - Singer When did you realise you had this talent?

When I was younger, I sang all the time. My parents said that I had a nice range. I went to a music teacher to improve my range. I go to Jackie Palmer Stage School (JPSS) and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). I have achieved Grade 1(distinction) and am now persuing Grade 3.

What are your plans for the future?

School and singing. I think I might do music GCSE, for singing.

Nina Bernatowicz Year 9 Curie 3 - Korean and Polish Speaker

What do your friends and family think of your talent?

My sisters hate it because they say I sing too often.

Why did you decide to learn Korean?

I have always wanted to learn a completely new language...with a challenge. It looked easy to write, no difficult characters.

Does anyone in your family sing?

My little sister sings, they are unaware of her voice as she is under 6. My mum sings a lot but her voice is out of tune and my dad does not like it. I get my love of singing from my mum and talent from my grandma.

When did you decide to learn Korean?

About a year ago it crossed my mind, though I only recently started to learn.

What do your friends and family think of your talent?

They do support it, since I already speak two languages, they think I will be good at it. They were happy and definitely were not against the idea.

What's your favourite song (in general)?

Up beat happy and slow sad songs - depends on my mood. I also like radio songs, especially Kiss FM radio as the songs are fresher.

Who inspired you?

The culture. Not a single person. The difference in culture drew me in. I would like to go there once and knowing their language would help. Kpop

What's your favourite song to sing?

Slow ballads with exaggerated high notes, punchy songs are good too. I sang ‘Naughty’ from 34

groups also inspired me, for example: BIGBANG, BTS, Exo, Got7, Seventeen.

What is your favourite thing about Korean culture?

Everything, so different compared to Europe and America, it is very unique compared to other foreign countries.

What is your favourite thing about Polish culture?

The food and the people who, despite stereotypes, are generally nice people. The elderly are nice and everyone is respectful of each other.

Their talent in performance...

Hallo, mam na imie Nina. Mam trzynaszcie lat, uwielbiam muzykę i mojego psa Lola.

Kimberley jest moją koleżanką bo ona jest bardzo fantastyczna i super koleżanka ogólnie tak naprawde c: Alice Flanders Year 7 Curie 10 – Singer When did you realise you had this talent?

I knew I always had it but found out at seven.

How did you realise you had this talent?

I was asked to do a talent show in Year 3.

What do your friends and family think of your talent?

They think my voice is nice.

Have you ever performed on a stage?

Yes, it was in primary school. I performed ‘Let it go’ on my fireworks night when I was Year 3.

Favourite Song ‘Havana’ by Camila, she is my favourite singer due to her confidence.

By Kimberley Andrews, Year 9, Bronte 3, News Crew

35

The Film We’re All Talking About...

‘Most astoundingly entertaining film ever’- 5 Stars!

Personally, I think seeing a film at the cinema is a total waste of time. Over priced, time consuming, and, more often than not the film is a complete bore. Long story short, I avoid the cinema at all costs!

The film progressed at the perfect pace, characters were developed enough for the audience to fall in love with them, but not so much that it was tedious. The expertly crafted songs helped to move the story forward, but in such a way it felt no time was passing. This film touched every emotion, from exhilaration to heart wrenching sadness. At one point I looked around and every member of the audience (yes, even the five year olds) had their eyes fixated on the screen, wonder and excitement in them. Each song provoked in me an urge to break into song and dance. It took me to a place so incomprehensibly magical.

However, recently one of my friends came to stay with me from Manchester, and was practically on her knees begging me to go with her to the cinema to see a newly released film called ‘The Greatest Showman.’ Due to a mixture of guilt, the realisation that she was my guest, and, quite frankly my inability to say no, I ended up agreeing!

To say I was unenthusiastic would be an understatement, and the title of the film put me off even more! I had visions of an over the top, raucous musical with a ton of barely decent songs and a plot with no substance. However, ever heard of the phrase ‘never judge a book by its cover?’ That appears to be very true!

As for the acting, I could not have asked for more.

Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya were the perfect combination needed to take this exceptional film to another level. Although songs were a large part of the film, and dialogue was fairly minimal, each event was clearly portrayed and acted with utmost control and skill. Truly admirable performances!

From the moment the film began, I was engrossed. The sight of Hugh Jackman (dressed in a spectacularly vibrant costume) singing and dancing as if there were no tomorrow provided me with an instantaneous feeling of exhilaration. I had been right, it was very similar to a west end musical, however, the songs were upbeat and meaningful and the plot was touching.

Without sounding over the top, this film truly changed the way I feel about films. Are you looking for a film which will take you out of yourself for a couple of hours? If so, then this is it.

A remarkable creation with impeccable acting!

Zara Ally, Year 10, Austen 9, News Crew

36

Arkwright Scholarship - Why I Applied Running for Arkwright has, so far, been an amazing high point of 2018. In Year 11, students are under a lot of pressure to maintain good grades, and begin filling out their CV with extra-curricular activities which demonstrate their interest in future careers. Like many students beginning Year 11, I was unaware of what career path I wanted to take when I was older, and even which A levels I wanted to pursue.

The Arkwright Scholarship gives students the opportunity to demonstrate and develop their STEM based skills by making a project. I chose to build a 3D printed robotic hand and forearm controlled by a glove and Arduino*. This was a difficult project, which required learning many skills I did not yet possess. For example, using a 3D printer, soldering a circuit board, and programming an Arduino software. Although challenging, carrying out this project has been extremely rewarding. It has given me the opportunity to acquire the knowledge for an engineering based career, which I had not previously considered. It was also a great form of escapism from mock revision. Furthermore, applying for the Arkwright scholarship involves writing an application. This application form asks students to list their achievements and reasons they want to follow a STEM based career. As a pupil who had not yet fully considered STEM as a career path, it forced me to look into past projects and their association with STEM. My main motivation for applying was my interest in science, which I found was incredibly useful in the application process. Students interested in an Arkwright scholarship do not need to be solely interested in engineering, like me who can enjoy science at a basic or advanced level and further develop this during the application.

The Arkwright scholarship is a prestigious club which supports students who are interested in STEM. As a result of being a successful applicant, students are given ÂŁ600 during the course of their A level study.

They also benefit from a vast range of opportunities such as open days, work experience, courses, and guidance from experienced mentors. Moreover, the Arkwright scholarship is a recognition of excellence by universities, making it great for UCAS applications. I hope to gain a further insight into STEM based careers, if I were to be a successful applicant, resulting in a greater understanding in what I want to do beyond A levels. * Arduino is an open source computer hardware and software company, project, and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and control objects in the physical and digital world.

Sophie Atkinson, Year 11, Curie 3

37

The Importance of Music On the subject of hidden voices, I feel it is important to talk about arts, in this case, music .

Activities such as drawing, painting, and writing are amazing ways of expressing oneself, and revealing hidden talents also. Believe it or not, music has also actually had many health benefits, and that is with just listening to it, without even picking up an instrument! Music can help people in so many different ways. Of course, playing instruments also has major benefits. As a clarinet player, I can actually say that playing before I go to bed helps me to calm down, probably due to the fact playing woodwind and brass instruments, are, of course, great breathing exercises. Playing an instrument is said to improve hand eye coordination, improves reading and comprehension skills, and sharpens concentration. Research has shown that participants in a study who performed live music, even had a higher pain threshold and singing is also said to aid language learning!

Finally, music can also improve sleep. A study with students proved, using various methods, that students who listened to music before bed, rather that ones who listened to an audio book, or just went to sleep, had improved sleep quality.

As well as all the healing benefits of actually listening to music, playing instruments has health benefits also, and, like the other art forms, is a way to express oneself and reveal hidden talents.

Some of you may recognise the name “Chiltern music Therapy”, a nominee when we were selecting the house charity for Curie. It is an organisation close to home, helping people by providing three main services: community, education, and healthcare. The charity has set up groups such as “silver singers” a weekly choir for elderly people, including ones with age related illnesses like dementia. They also have educational services, helping children of a variety of different ages to learn through music. Chiltern Music Therapy also helps with conditions like mental illnesses, autism, learning difficulties, and attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

With this condition, dopamine levels (neurotransmitter responsible for regulation attention) are quite low, and music is proven to increase these levels.

Elsie Watkins, Year 10, Curie 7, News Crew

Recent research in the US claims that listening to music can actually improve memory- doctor’s aid patients with memory loss by playing songs from a certain period, to bring back memories from that era also. Although you probably don’t suffer from an illness like this, you may experience a sort of flashback, or simply just feel a certain emotion when you hear a particular song, because I know I do. At the university of Kansas medical centre, they have even conducted studies which imply music keeps your brain younger. Adults between 60 and 83 were tested, and the ones with the most musical experience were the best at cognitive tests.You may have heard of endorphins, the chemicals released during exercise . They are also released when one listens to music, and can, as well as providing a feeling of happiness, can also reduce anxiety and ease pain.

38

Duke of Edinburgh Experience Interviewer: Zara Ally, Year 10, Austen 9, News Crew Interviewee: Isabelle Heron, Year 10, Nightingale 2 Zara: If you could sum up your DofE experience in one word what would it be?

Isabelle: Remarkable!

Zara: What made you decide to do DofE? Isabelle: I think it is a wonderful way to gain confidence and survival skills,and a really good achievement to have under your belt.

Zara: What was the best moment of your DofE expedition?

Isabelle: When we could see the finish line and we were all in such high spirits, it was an amazing feeling.

Zara: What was the hardest part of your DofE expedition?

Isabelle: For me it was on the practice when we got quite lost and it was near the end of the day, so we were all cold, aching, and exhausted.

Zara: At the hardest point of your expedition, did you feel like giving up?

Isabelle: At some points it felt really hard to keep going, however I knew it would be worth it at the end so giving up was not an option.

Zara: And finally, are you glad you did the DofE and why?

Isabelle: Yes I am, because looking back we made some unforgettable memories and it felt so good to finish.

Zara:Thank you very much for your time, and very well done on completing your DofE!

39

Equality in the World There are many parties and groups in this world that aim to promote everyone’s equal rights. In the UK we have some human rights like the right to freedom of expression and the right to marriage and the right to start a family. However, some people still discriminate against other people, not just abroad, but here in England too! Therefore, there are many Equality Parties which aim to spread the word about how important it is that we all are respected and have the same rights and aren’t discriminated based on our race, sex, culture, sexuality, and gender identification.



It is important as a school community that we come together to address how everyone deserves to be able to truly be who they are and love who they wish to love in life without feeling threatened or judged. After all, as the famous saying goes, love is love and love cannot change itself.

LGBT+ LGBT+ (full name of being LGBTQA+) is an a community of people with sexualities/gender identities other than heterosexual and cisgender.

LGBT stands for…

Lesbian (attraction to someone of your own gender in women)

Gender Equality in Work ‘I raise up my voice - not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard… we cannot succeed when half of us are held back’ – Malala Yousafzai

Gay (attraction to someone of your own gender in men) Bisexual (attraction to two or more genders)

In a fair world, both men and women would receive equal pay for the same job, however, in many industries around the globe, this is not the case. Men receive 36% more money than women for doing the same job (as of 2015) and in America for every dollar a man earns a women only earns 79 cents - 21 cents less. In other countries, such as South Korea and Germany, the average difference between the pay for women and men is so high it is expected to take between 100 and 300 years for it to become equal compared to only 20 to 50 years for the United Kingdom and Australia. Therefore, in industries with a high difference between the gap for different genders, such as computing and business, women are often employed as they are ‘cheaper’. It is important that the pay for women and men is equal, as it is only fair everyone is paid the same amount for doing the same job despite their race, sex, or gender identification.

At work, women, such as receptionists, are taken advantage of and made to wear exposing uniforms and uncomfortable footwear every day.

For example, sexist dress codes which insist that women must wear high heels to work are still continuing to take place after the government refused to ban it. New guidelines on dress codes were set to be issued in summer 2017 due to public outcry after a worker was sent home for refusing to wear high heels to work; her dress code insisted she wore two to four inch heels to

Transgender (denoting or relating to a person whose gender identity and gender does not correspond with their assigned sex at birth) Various charities work as a part of this community to raise awareness of how diverse we all are and create a safe world where people can express themselves without feeling threatened or unsafe.

Their aims include ensuring every country gives consent to same-sex marriage, and the LGBT+ community celebrates gay pride and gay pride month which take place in most countries around the globe. The term "pride", or sometimes gay pride, is used to express the LGBT+ community's identity and collective strength; pride parades (which take place in pride month) provide a prime example of the use and a demonstration of the meaning of the term. Some have also focused on building on small scale and large scale LGBT+ communities, or worked towards liberation for the broader society from biphobia, homophobia, and transphobia. There is a struggle for LGBT+ rights today in many countries around the globe issues like religion and cultural traditions effecting LGBT+ rights.  

been verbally or physically attacked due to their sexual orientation or gender identity in the last 12 months, according to figures shown in an article written in September 2017 which talks about the rate of homophobic abuse in the UK. 5,000 LGBT+ people in Britain, reveal verbal and physical attacks are taking place against the LGBT+ community in all spheres of public life.

One in six gay and bisexual people have experienced homophobic or biphobic hate in the last three years More than one in five LGBT+ people have 40

work every day. A petition calling for the government to at least rule a change in the law after this event gained over 152,400 supporters.

However, despite this, the government ruled out a change in the law, as it believed the existing legislation was “adequate” and “already prevented companies from gender based discrimination”.





Young women are also facing sexism and sexual harassment while carrying out their jobs. In 2016, research from the Trades Union Congress and the Everyday Sexism Project found 52% of women had experienced unwanted behaviour at work including groping, sexual advances, and inappropriate jokes. Among young women aged 16-24 the proportion was 63%. The research also showed a ‘disturbing gap between male and female perception of sexual harassment in the work place’ – Joe Levenson, the Director of campaigns at Young Women’s Trust.

wheelchair ramps.

Discrimination arising from disability – it protects you from being treated badly because of something connected to your disability- such as a guide dog.

Harassment – When someone treats you in a way that makes you feel humiliated

It is your right to stand up for yourself if being discriminated against.

Having a disability is not a choice, so why do we discriminate against something that someone physically cannot help? They have done nothing wrong. We need to put ourselves in other people’s shoes more often and wonder what it’s like to be them. People that live with these disabilities should be recognised as heroes, not unworthy. It is only fair. Next time you see someone who is clearly struggling, let them know you’re proud of them. Fight crime with a kind soul.

While gender equality in the workplace is generally accepted, discrimination persists in many organizations despite regulations to the contrary. It is very important that, as a community, we come together to fight further for women’s rights in the workplace to create an environment that address these issues and fixes them to create an open and friendly atmosphere.

Equality - The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities.

So why do we still judge? Aren’t we all equal despite our gender, sexuality, race, and disability?

If we are all human why don’t we see each other as peers? After all, life is a journey. You have a voice, you can make a change, just find your hidden voice and show the world the right way to live. Make the world a better place.

Disabled Rights A disability refers to a long-term physical or mental condition which has a substantial impact on your daily life and ability to do so.

Kimberley Andrews, Year 9, Bronte 3, News Crew

The Equality Act 2010 says that you must not be discriminated against because:   

You have a disability Someone thinks you have a disability (discrimination by perception) You are connected to someone that has a disability (discrimination by association)

It also states it is not unlawful to treat a disabled person more favourably than someone else without a disability.

Although this is the law, discrimination, such as being treated at a disadvantage in a way that relates to your illness, still often occurs. The main five types of discrimination that have been recognised on “equalityhumanrights.com” are… 

 

Direct – when someone treats you worse than someone without a disability Indirect – when something, such as a work policy, has an unfair disadvantage relating to disabled employees Failure to make reasonable adjustments – if an employer does not make a reasonable adjustment for a disabled worker e.g. appropriate accessibility provisions such as

Pride 2017

41

2017 Leavers’ Destinations University

Course / Gap Year / Employment

Reading University

Business & Management

Imperial College London

Aeronautical Engineering (deferred)

Reading University Manchester University

Art and Psychology Medicine

Oxford Brookes University

Life Sciences Foundation Year

Reading University

Philosophy, Politics, Economics

Birmingham University

Biomedical Science

Birmingham University

History

Exeter University

Geography with European Study

Wolverhampton University

Biomedical Science

Loughborough University

Politics with International Relations

Loughborough University

History & International Relations

Kings College, London

Dentistry

Manchester Metropolitan University

Psychology

Liverpool University

Veterinary Science

Birmingham University

Politics

Brighton University

Primary Education with Mathematics Apprenticeship - Audit Trainee BDO

Westminster University

Biomedical Science

Bath University

Business Administration

Loughborough University

Industrial Design and Technology Psychology

Sussex University

Gap Year - Applying for university Manchester University

English & American Studies

Birmingham University

History

Leeds College of Music

Classical Music

Nottingham University

Criminology & Sociology

Reading University

Philosophy

Warwick University

Economics

Surrey University

Veterinary Science

Cardiff University

Physiotherapy

Sussex Univeristy

Psychology

Sheffield University

Medicine Ancient History (deferred)

Oxford Brookes University

International Relations and Politics

Cambridge University,Fitzwilliam College

Geography

London School of Economics

BSC Government

Bath University

Mathematics

Sheffield University

Architectural Engineering 42

University

Course / Gap Year / Employment

Cambridge University, St Catherine's College

Modern & Medieval Languages

Cambridge University, Clare College

Economics

Birmingham University

Environmental Geology

Newcastle University

Geography

Leeds University

Graphic Communications & Design

Liverpool University

Veterinary Science

Durham University

International Relations

Warwick University

Psychology

Fashion Retail Academy

Level 4 Fashion Retail

Queen Mary University London

Dentistry

Sussex University

Medical Neuroscience

Surrey University

Psychology International Development & Spanish (deferred)

Southampton University

Adult & Mental Health Nursing

Bristol University

Law

Exeter University

History

Bath University

Education with Psychology

Bristol University

Veterinary Science

Oxford Brookes University

Primary Education

Liverpool University

Business Economics

Exeter University

Classics

Leeds Trinity University

Philosophy & Ethics of Religion

Bath University

Mathematics

Sussex University

Product Design

Bristol University

Mathematics

Nottingham University

Engineering & Physical Sciences Foundation

Kings College, London

Music

Swansea University

Genetics

Bournemough University

Product Design

Loughborough University

Psychology

Queen Mary University London

Biomedicine

Winchester University

Sports Business with Marketing

Bristol University

Management

Durham University

French and Spanish

Exeter University

Mathematics

University of East Anglia

International Relations

Cardiff University

History

Sussex University

Accounting and Finance BSc

Kent University

Physics with Foundation Year

Sheffield University

Biochemistry

Leeds University

Geography & Management

University of West London

Child Nursing 43

University Queen Mary University London Nottingham Trent University London Metropolitan University Cardiff University Cardiff University Birmingham University Anglo-European college of Chiropractic

Course / Gap Year / Employment English Gap Year Sociology Banking & Finance Law Human Social Sciences Law with Criminology Chiropractic

Reading University Sussex University

Pharmacy Markieting & Management with Psychology

Psychology (deferred) Leciester University

Gap Year Biological Sciences (with Foundation Year)

University College London

Biomedical Science

Nottingham University Liverpool University

City, University of London Bath University Durham University Nottingham University Bristol University

Politics & Economics Psychology Gap Year Extended Degree in Science Biomedical Science International Law & Globalisation Law with Social Sciences Natural Sciences Biochemistry Medicine Gap Year Gap Year Biomedical Engineering Foundation Politics with International Relations Politics Psychology & Philosophy English & Philosophy

Nottingham University Loughborough University London School of Economics Cambridge University

Modern Languages with Business Design Engineering Mathematics with Economics Human, Social, and Political Science

Oxford Brookes University

Art Foundation

Brunel University Nottigham Trent University Exeter University (Cornwall) Brunel University University of East Anglia Queen Mary University London Cardiff University Lincoln University Edinburgh University Nottingham University

Primary Education Gap Year Physics History Industrial Design and Technology Law with European Legal Systems Politics & International Relations Neuroscience Mathematics Physics Veterinary Medicine

Newcastle University

Combined Honours

Hertfordshire University Reading University Birmingham University Warwick University Cambridge University King's College, London Leicester University

44

University

Course / Gap Year / Employment Gap Year - Applying to university

Maastricht University Durham University Sussex University

Science Programme Criminology Product Design Gap Year Biochemistry English Law with Psychology Environmental Science Psychology Chemistry Geography & International Development (deferred)

Birmingham University Birmingham University Nottingham Trent University Birmingham University Cardiff University Glasgow University

Gap Year - Applying to university Apprenticeship - Pharmaceutical Analysis Bucks New University

Art Foudation

Reading University

Biochemistry

Nottingham University

Music & Music Technology

Birmingham University

Business Management

Sussex Univerity London School of Economics Royal Holloway University Oxford Brookes University Southampton University

Psychology Actuarial Sciences Biomedical Science Criminology French and Spanish Apprenticeship - Trainee Engineer De La Rue

Exeter University

Geography School Leaver programme - Ernst & Young

Cardiff University

Medicine

Southampton University

Archaeology and History Gap Year - Applying for university

Reading University

Biomedical Science

Anglia Ruskin University

Optometry Gap Year - Applying for Psychology

Bradford University

Clinical Sciences Medicine Foundation Apprenticeship - Banking and Finance with Natwest

Westminster University King's College London

Biomedical Science Gap Year - Applying for Dentistry Philosophy Religious Studies & Ethics

Nottingham Trent University

English & Philosophy

British and Irish Modern Music Institute

Honours Degree in Music Production

Birmingham University Swansea University Sussex University Portsmouth University

Sport Science Sports & Exercise Science Psychology English Literature & Creative Writing

Nottingham Trent University Birmingham University

Interior Architecture & Design Social Policy & Sociology 45

University Exeter University Warwick University Birmingham University

Course / Gap Year / Employment Archaeology Computer Science International Relations

Nottingham University City, University of London

English & beginners French Ophthalmic Dispensing

Royal Holloway University Queen Mary University London

Management with Marketing Economics

Kings College, London

English Gap Year - Foundation course Jackie Palmer Academy

Reading University Bristol University

Psychology English & Classical Studies Gap Year - Applying for Theatre Studies

Sussex University University College London Coventry University

Italian & Spanish Biomedical Science Food Science & Nutrition

Bristol University

Biochemistry

Sussex University Durham University Cardiff University Exeter University Exeter University (Cornwall) Leeds University Loughborough University Guildford School of Acting, Surrey University Durham University Sheffield University

Psychology English Literature Mathematics International Relationships Geography Law Psychology Theatre Production English Physics

University of East Anglia

English Literature and Philosophy

Nottingham Trent University Birmingham University

Business Management and Marketing Biochemistry Gap Year - Applying to university Pharmacy Biomedical Science

Sussex University Oxford Brookes University

46

For more Year 13 Leavers’ Ball photos, please follow this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ wycombehighsch/albums/72157683330461531 47

48

WHS Guild Magazine 2018

Subject

Front Cover: Tree Planting in Memory of Mary Christie Inside Cover: Enjoying the Mary Christie Centenary Reunion 24 June 2017 2

Guild Magazine Contents President: Sharon N Cromie Vice President: Suzie Clarke Committee: Rachel Sutcliffe, Rosy Amin-Mannion, Lynda Amold, Jill Boyd, Marian Brocklesdy, Muriel Pilkington, Anne-Marie Pringle, Liz Taylor, Anne Turnball and Dana Morgan.

Treasurer: Kathleen L. Piercey Heads of Guild: Jessica Barnett-Smith Year 13, Pankhurst 6 and Sumayya Zeib, Year 13, Pankhurst 5 Magazine Editor: Jill Boyd Proof Reader: Dana Morgan Minutes of the Annual General Meeting 2017

4

Annual General Meeting 2018

5

Group Leaders

6

Where Are They Now

6

Original Contributions Mary Christie Centenary Reunion

7

A Walk in Mary Christie’s Footsteps

8

1942

8

Professor Sally Mapstone ’s Speech 15 March 2017

9

The Heritage Trail

12

From the archives—Why Your News and Memories are Important

13

Empty Benches

14

White Linen

14

Independent Custody Visiting

15

In Memoriam

16

Members’ News 1940s

17

Members’ News 1950s

19

Members’ News 1960s

25

Members’ News 1970s

38

Members’ News 1980s

40

Members’ News 1990s

41

Members’ News 2000s

43

Member’s News 2010s

46

2018 Guild Survey Synopsis

47

Privacy Statement: What you need to know

48

Editorial Welcome to the 2018 magazine. This time last year I hoped that someone else would be writing this editorial, however here I am again. I have really enjoyed my many years reading all the interesting news and articles you have contributed, but this is my plea for a volunteer to take over editing the magazine as I feel a new approach is overdue. I have to apologise for the mistakes that I made last year, needing an extra page for the 1953 group news and missing the 1961 news altogether. I hope that this year I haven’t forgotten anyone.

Thank you to everyone who has once again contributed news, some very interesting articles and a variety of photographs. Also Dana Morgan for all her hard work at school, without her we would not have a magazine.

Jill Boyd (Patman)

3

Subject

Wycombe High School Guild

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting 24 June 2017 1. Welcome and Introductions: Around 30 present including the President, Sharon Cromie: the Vice President, Suzie Clarke: committee members: Rachel Sutcliffe, Jill Boyd, Lynda Arnold, Dana Morgan, Anne-Marie Pringle, Kathy Piercey, Marian Brocklesby and Muriel Pilkington.

2. Apologies: Branwen Kelly, Esme Harrison, Pam Moores.

3. Notification of Any Other Business: None.

4. Minutes of the last AGM: These were accepted and signed off.

Jill Boyd was thanked for her work in the archive.

Miss Hilary Brash will join the archive group in September.

5. Election of Committee: Rachel Sutcliffe has been succeeded as Vice President by Suzie Clarke.

Anne-Marie Pringle has also joined the committee.

6. Treasurers Report and Audited Accounts 2016: Kathy reports that there was just over £9,000 in the bank at the end of December 2016. The majority comes from new Year 7 members.

7. Guild Administration Update: Dana Morgan reports there are two Heads of Guild from Year 12, there have been five ‘Inspire and Career Lunchtime Talks’ this year, two Inspirational Women Evenings, five sponsored fundraising Movie Nights plus the Guild have sponsored other occasions which have raised £4,415 for the school this year. There are now 2274 Guild members.

8. Fundraising Update: Most of the fundraising this year has gone towards an all-weather sports pitch.

Estimated cost £600,000 Already raised £500,000 Still to go £100,000 Total raised this year £108,905 9. Archive Update: Rachel thanked the volunteers for all their hard work especially Jill Boyd, Janet Paterson, Penny Waterfield and Liz Taylor.

10. News from School: This is the first year for the new grades in GCSE & A Levels.

There have been 90 educational visits this year.

WHS is the 13th worst funded school in England.

New all weather pitches should be ready for October.

The Entrance Lobby has been refurbished also the Dining Area and more outdoor benches acquired.

WHS continues to thrive.

11. Any Other Business: It was voted that Suzie Clarke should become 2 nd signatory on cheques according to the constitution.

12. Date of next meeting: 25 June 2018

4

Wycombe High School Guild Annual General Meeting 25 June 2018 Programme 12.00 pm

Light refreshments served

13.35 pm

Annual General Meeting

After the AGM you may choose to have a tour of the school including the new All-Weather Pitch and to visit the Art Exhibition in the Learning Centre.

Please let us know whether you wish to attend the AGM and have refreshments beforehand by completing and returning the enclosed form to the Guild Administrator at WHS by Wednesday 15 June 2018 please Provisional Agenda

1.

Apologies:

2.

Minutes of the last AGM (24 June 2017) and Matters Arising not on the Agenda

3.

Election of Committee

4.

Treasurer’s Report and Audited Accounts 2017

5.

Guild Administration Update

6.

Fundraising Update

7.

Archive Update

Keep in Touch!

If you are a Facebook fan or member of LinkedIn, we encourage you to join the Official Wycombe High School Groups linked below and to follow us on Twitter. http://www.facebook.com/groups/151196355718/ http://www.linkedin.com/groups/4143123 @Wycombe High School @WycHighAlumnae Our website (http://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/) is another great way of keeping in touch. Our News pages frequently feature alumnae and you can filter news by the subjects that interest you. We invite you to check out our YouTube, Flickr and SoundCloud accounts by clicking on their respective logos while you are visiting our website.

Change of Address If you move and change your contact details (including e-mail address) PLEASE remember to inform the Guild Administrator. We would be very grateful if you could take the time to send us your correct e-mail address to guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk.

Annual Magazine If you would like a printed copy of the Magazine please contact the Guild Administrator at guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk who will send you a magazine order form. If you prefer to read the magazine 5

Subject Group Leaders electronically please follow this link (https://issuu.com/wycombehighsch/ stacks/2be394448be6421cb3bc4a4af35b4274).

In addition to original contributions, an important part of the annual magazine is news and original content from members. This is collected by Group Leaders who have an important part to play in fostering communication with Guild members. The Guild Administrator contacts all Guild members who then send in their news and original content to their respective Group Leader. Group Leaders edit their group’s responses for publication and forward the content to the Guild Administrator. HOWEVER, WE STILL NEED MORE GROUP LEADERS, so if you are in one of the groups listed below and would like more news in the next edition of your magazine, please volunteer your services, so that we have a Group Leader for each year. Your contact details will be shared with your contemporaries for the transfer of news and original content.

Year Groups Needing Leaders to Collect and Edit News: 1958, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983,1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010. If you wish to volunteer to do so, please contact The Guild Administrator at WHS.

Where are they now?

1942 Esme Baker (Wheelband)

1977 Ann Heyes

1989 Mary Mclaughlin

1943 Isabel Farnden (Jarvis)

1977 Jane Steynor (Cooper)

1989 Fiona Middleton

1944 Liz Cashdan (Trilling)

1977 Sharon Walters

1989 Helen Pook

1944 Patricia Harris (Gilder)

1978 Suzanne Budd (Wheal)

1989 Dr Lindsey Reynolds

1944 Margaret Le Quesne (Hinton)

1980 Julia Bryan

1989 J Webb

1944 Elsie Rees (Bristow)

1981 Emma Courtney (Hancock)

1992 Elizabeth Richards (Woodmore)

1948 Elizabeth Bird (Lilley) (Gray)

1983 Sarah Gregor (King)

1994 Elizabeth Kelly

1949 Dorothy Russell (Gray)

1983 Violet Gregson

1994 Mary Phillips (Griffiths)

1951 Margaret Mahony (Bowler)

1983 Shivaun Mason (Crittenden)

1995 Maureen Allan

1954 Sheila Slade (Green)

1984 Doreen Perry

1995 Mary Clements

1955 Elfa Allnutt (Davies)

1984 Dorn Nixon (Matthews)

1995 P Devenish

1955 Joan Cyster (Pusey)

1985 Michelle Fieldhouse (Claesens)

1996 E Holmes

1959 Pauline Holton (White)

1985 Louise Goodchild

1997 Janice Holmes

1962 Jenny Whittle (Morford)

1985 Louise Haisman (Weedon)

1997 Helen Shaw (Jones)

1963 Jennifer Thomas Crangle

1986 Pippa Hodge

1998 B Blackett

1965 Susan Coysh (Pearson)

1987 Sophie Ackah (Currell)

1998 Rebecca Cooper

1966 Deborah Powton

1987 Louise Hale (White)

1998 Sarah Morri

1967 Caroline Crowhurst (Thynne)

1987 Nicola Hickman

1999 Hayley Carr

1968 Jacqueline Chatterjee (Nobbs)

1987 Nicky Jackson (Wallington)

1999 Nicola Pickering

1968 Jeni Colbourne (Thursby)

1987 J Rutherford

1999 Jane Stoakley

1969 Jennifer Curd (Lloyd)

1987 Janice Stockbridge

2003 Zoe Barber

1970 Patricia Graves

1987 Rachel Stoneham

2007 Flo Hopwood

1971 Margaret Barrett (Cockcroft)

1988 Nicola Conron

2012 Hayley Adonis

1971 Barbara Miles

1988 Michelle Hawkins

2013 Anne-Marie Jay

1972 Gillian Otto (Stephenson)

1988 Kirsty Higham

2017 Vatsala Mittal

1973 Marion Astill Limmer (Jackson)

1988 Helen Powell

1974 Barbara Sheldon

1988 Sarah Skingley

1974 Alison Sinden (White)

1988 Deborah Smith

1974 Noreen Valentine

1988 Hilary Thompson (Bowker)

1975 Elizabeth Byers (Hills)

1988 Charlotte Thompson

1975 Gail Griffith

1988 Georgina Vickers

1975 Lynn Power (Sibley)

1989 Susannah Bruce

1977 Nicola Allen

1989 Claire Hamp (Sloper)

6

Original Contributions arrived with some attending the AGM where we heard from Mrs Cromie (headmistress), Dana Morgan (Director of Development and Alumnae Relations) and others. Once that was over most went to the Amphitheatre to listen to a very inspirational speech given by Ms Carolyn Fairbairn, a former WHS student (class of 2003), who is the first female Director General of the CBI (Confederation of British Industry).

By this time many of us had found “Old Girls” from our “era”. Following her speech we were happy to join together as a group for the many photographs that were taken and also to participate in the tree planting ceremony in honour of Mary Christie.

Mary Christie Centenary Reunion 24 June 2017 My bags were packed and I was finally off to Europe! The last time I had visited WHS was for the Centenary Reunion of the school’s founding in July of 2001, so when the opportunity came to attend yet another centenary celebration, I jumped at the chance.

This time it was to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Mary Christie, the first headmistress of Wycombe High School.

While in High Wycombe, I took advantage of an offer to be hosted by an Old Girl, Margaret Davies (mid ‘40's Group), who lives very close to the “new school”. In fact, Margaret had never been to any reunion at all so she was excited to accompany me to the event. The evening before, it was exciting for us both the to look through some old newspaper clippings she had saved and to discover that, even though I had not begun the 1st Form until 1957, that we “shared” a few members of staff - Frau Herring (German), Dr. Numbers (Science) and Mrs. Davidson (French)!

Soon it was time for the quite delicious, catered picnic style lunch and more time to sit and reminisce before heading off on a tour of the school. Our tour guide was positively delightful and seemed to enjoy hearing all the “Old Girls” reminiscences as she led us around the school. My, how some things have changed and been added to over the years ... but some things have stayed the same! It was incredible to tour the newly opened Music Building - Millicent Brown and Joan Harborne (nee Russell) must be green with envy when they think of the old music room they used! How good to see that the Biology pond still exists (Mr. Jones’ (Jonesie) “baby”), but sad to hear that the swimming pool for which we raised so much money in the early ‘60's had sprung an irreparable leak and now sits empty by the gym. The art exhibition was also a big hit with the groups - not just paintings, but textile displays and fashion designing too - something not even contemplated during my time at WHS!

The Mary Christie Reunion was a wonderful experience for me - so much planning had obviously gone into the day but despite much publicity of the event both locally and through the school and Guild the turnout was a little disappointing for attendees as well as the organisers. Maybe summer and previously planned holidays had something to do with that?

During the afternoon, a talented group of actresses gave several enjoyable performances of “Mary Christie - This is your Life”. It just seemed that there was much to do and not enough time to do it! The afternoon events were followed with a time to get together once again with members of our own Groups and retired staff over a much welcome cup of tea and cake. Not only was I lucky enough to reunite with several of my own 1962 Group, but also someone from 1963 as well as some “old” staff. As

The morning began with a guided walk in High Wycombe and although I did not take the opportunity to participate in following Mary Christie’s footsteps I was told that it was extremely interesting and well worth it. Later in the day Old Girls and several retired staff members 7

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Group Leader for 1962 (and now 1964 too) having the opportunity to chat with Mrs Cromie for quite a while was well worth it and after several years of exchanging e-mails with Dana Morgan and Jill Boyd (Guild News Editor) I could finally put faces to names.

premises, pioneering education for girls in Buckinghamshire. Walking under the railway bridge, we were told its history and walked on past where Glenisters chair manufacturing works used to be (now a Morrisons Supermarket), before turning into Benjamin Road and climbing the hill. We stopped for a while to see the view and to hear about the school building standing before us at the end of the road.

The culmination of a wonderful day was the gathering of everyone in what used to be known as the cafeteria (now The Forum), for the singing of Forty Years On our school song. Our year 11 and 12 volunteers for the day joined us and listened to our rousing rendition! I’m not sure when the song “went by the wayside” - it seems rather a shame even though it certainly wasn’t written with a girls’ school in mind as it was written in 1872 for Harrow! It is specifically about life at school and is meant to give current students an idea of what it will be like in forty years when they return to their old school, and to remind them about their school life. However a few stanzas of the song do live on in a small mural on one of the walls and it was very nice to see that traditions have not been forgotten.

In conclusion .... those who for various reasons did not attend the Reunion certainly missed out on a very enjoyable day. I would certainly encourage current students to keep in touch with one another after leaving the school that gives you such a firm foundation for the rest of your life. For current Guild Members, please do your best to attend the functions as they occur - keep in touch with other members of your Group and go to Reunions together. Try it! You might like it!

Wycombe High School and later Lady Verney High School girls were educated there. Miss Christie’s influence was immense! Interesting particularly to me was how she worked with the board of governors, one member of which was my great grandfather, James Bailey. Our walk continued to the nearby cemetery gate and a few steps into the quiet, peaceful surroundings of Mary Christie’s grave.

Leaving by the same gate, we walked along the road towards Amersham Hill, stopping briefly to look through a heavily padlocked iron gate, which was a side entrance leading down into the school grounds. One of the walkers told me she remembered going to school via that gate and down the now all but invisible, overgrown steps. Some houses which Mary Christie had occupied were pointed out to us along our way, until we crossed over Amersham Hill and walked down over the bridge and past the railway station, turning left on to the footpath which runs parallel with London Road where the walk ended in front of the old Grammar School buildings. The very knowledgeable Guide had given us a detailed and informative history at each place of interest where Mary Christie walked more than a hundred years ago.

Jo Karl (1962 Group) A Walk in Mary Christie’s footsteps I travelled to High Wycombe the day before the Reunion and stayed with Pam so that we could both go next morning on the walk, led by William Reid, in the footsteps of Mary Christie. We met the other walkers and the Guide at Frogmoor - I haven’t seen

this part of Wycombe for many years and hardly recognised it; trees and flower beds have gone leaving the place bare and uninviting on that chilly, damp morning. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a very interesting time, stopping to look at the old building where WHS began when Miss Christie was appointed to teach a very small group of girls in the then council-owned

Christine Griggs (Bailey) 1962 group 8

1942

made sure she knew the name of every girl in the school.

I had my eleventh birthday in the Spring of 1942. In many ways, not much had changed in the world within my memory. We still lived in the house where I was born. Seasonal change could be relied on. The war, which had been going on since I was eight, was very much background to daily life. We had all grown accustomed to air raid precautions and food rationing.

Clothing coupons limited shopping for clothes, so we learned young to “Make do and Mend” as urged by the posters. We were never hungry or cold.

“Play time” became “break”. Time outside was spent on the field, on the little field, or in the little wood. This last was an area in the highest corner of the school grounds adjacent to the steps leading down from Hampden Road, opposite the cemetery. It consisted of a few square yards of well trodden earth and several semi-mature trees.

Lessons were taken by a variety of teachers (mistresses as they were all female) in a variety of rooms. This was something else very different from my previous As a family, we used to gather round the piano and sing. experience. I made new friends. Some girls had a Jewish I still have many of those 40s songs in my head. The background, and others had been to Primary School in horror and devastation of the war, then far from over, Guernsey. Any significance, if it arose, was lost on me. was somehow not a reality to the naive immature eleven We all moved on together. The war continued, and year old that I was. gradually it gained reality for me. Geography and History lessons filled in gaps in my knowledge of the world. We Two major changes in my life were to take place that were encouraged to keep fully aware of current events. summer. At eleven, I was old enough to join the Girl Guides, the 7th High At home, the war was Wycombe Union Baptist affecting the family’s Company. Sister Nancy , plans for the future. At at 14, was already a nineteen, my brother patrol leader. Film for Jack joined the Royal Air cameras was very hard Force, and Bob, three to come by, so it was an years younger and still important moment for at the Royal Grammar us when our Aunty Bess School, was in the Air took a photo of us in our Training Corps. The Guide uniforms. My second family emerald green tie was, photograph from sadly, on the 1942, professional this “unobtainable” list. time, shows the boys However, our ever proudly displaying their resourceful aunt folded uniforms. a triangular bandage (Be It was towards the end Prepared) into the of 1942 while I was still necessary size and in my first term at the High School, that I was asked to go shape. “The photograph round the school during the last period of the afternoon, will be black and white” she said, “so it probably won't to make sure that all the pupils had had the milk look wrong.” Guides were allowed to help at the hospital provided daily in cute glass bottles, one third of a pint for the war effort. This involved either cutting gauze for per pupil. This was quite a daunting task for me, as I was swabs or washing up in the hospital kitchen. We felt barely familiar with the geography of the buildings or the quite important. names of all of the staff. All went well initially, and The second major change that year was in September, gaining confidence, I proceeded to the next class. when having said goodbye to Priory Road Junior School “Excuse me Miss X,” I said “Sorry to disturb you but in July, I attended Wycombe High School for the first please will you check that everyone’s had their milk.” I time. was asked to repeat the request. I did so. Instead of addressing the class to ask, as the previous teachers had Over the next seven years, the school would become not done, about the milk, Miss X glared at me and said “Has only a place of learning, but the happy and secure setting every-ONE....singular!! had THEIR milk....plural!!. Now for my friendships, adventures and experiences of that what should it be? Subsequent teachers were asked special growing up time. I wept when I left in 1949. But awkwardly about everyone having her milk or all the girls in 1942 I was a new girl. Miss Dessin was the having theirs. No doubt at end of the school day the headmistress. She was regarded with awe by everyone. necessary forms will have been filled in and unused milk It was an honour to be spoken to by Miss Dessin, but she and empty bottles collected and returned to the depot.

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Miss X probably never gave the interruption to her lesson another thought.

Edinburgh and then St Andrews on the 6.30 am flight from Heathrow tomorrow morning!

1942 was significant for me because of the new beginnings, the new opportunities, the new responsibilities. It was a case of “One more step along the world I go.” which I love to sing along with today's young people. Dated pictures the family album reinforce the memories, and I shall always think of my High School days with huge gratitude and equally huge affection.

We can all participate in moments of history that connect us vitally to the present. A week ago today, on International Woman’s Day, I joined a group of women undergraduates on a ‘sit-out’ in St Mary’s Quadrangle, one of the beautiful spaces in the University of St Andrews. It was a day for celebrating and affirming the achievements of our university women – our undergraduates, our postgraduate community, our staff and our academics. It was wonderful to see them claiming their space within the ancient walls.

Hilary Stephenson (Salter) 1947 Group

Professor Sally Mapstone: Guest Speaker at Wycombe High School Wednesday 15 March 2017

And it is sobering to remember that, in the long history of the University of St Andrews, a university that was founded in 1413 and so has been in existence for over 600 years, the arrival of women undergraduates is a very recent thing. In the early years of the history of the University the regulations required that no woman was to be allowed within its buildings, apart from the laundress, and she had to be fifty years of age at least!

A scant 125 years ago, in 1892, just over forty women matriculated to study arts, sciences and medicine. It had been a hard fight to be allowed through the gates – gates which thirty years earlier an outraged male establishment proposed actually guarding against Elizabeth Garret. Miss Garret, described in correspondence between St Andrews and Edinburgh university leaders as a ‘pertinacious female aspirant to the medical profession,’ had managed to matriculate in 1862 but her presence at the university was ruled to be illegal.

I’m thrilled to be joining you today to pay tribute to a woman who is very special to Wycombe High School and to the University of St Andrews, and to affirm the value of education for and by women.

Matriculation signalled admission to the University. In the dramatic dispute which followed Elizabeth Garrett’s signature was scored out of the University’s matriculation register. This was a difficult moment in the University’s history, but it opened up the question of women’s academic presence at St Andrews which did not go away, and which had a number of powerful advocates. Thirty years later this led to the passing of an ordinance which officially admitted women to the University, which a few years later also built a University Hall of Residence for women students to accommodate them.

I should also say that I am delighted to be at Wycombe High School. I was myself educated at a – then – grammar school not so far away, Vyners Grammar School in Ickenham, Middlesex (it is now a comprehensive), and I have recollections of occasionally playing tennis against Wycombe High School girls on long summer evenings, so it is a pleasure to be here again. Yours is a diverse, thriving school, very much in the now, but also alert, as it should be, to key moments in its history, and I thank you very warmly for giving me the opportunity to participate with you in that.

I am most grateful to Mrs Cromie for issuing the original invitation, and to Mrs Morgan for following up and liaising with my office, on logistics that have been quite complicated. I started this week in Manchester, and then went down to London for meetings and business before coming back here. I am back to

One of the forty accelerated her studies and graduated in 1895. Agnes Forbes Blackadder, our first female graduate, became an eminent dermatologist and worked behind the lines in France treating victims of poison gas in the First World War. 10

In 1896, eleven more women graduated – the first to follow the standard four-year curriculum alongside the male students. Among their number was Mary Christie, your first headmistress, whom we are celebrating this evening. We know that she took classes in Logic, Metaphysics, French, Botany, Chemistry and Mathematics. We also know that she was a very clever student, as she was awarded a number of competitive bursaries in the course of her undergraduate career.

One of the most pressing challenges facing us as educators is to increase the proportion of young women considering careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – STEM for short. The UK and Scottish governments have made this a priority, but it is intrinsically important too – women and girls should engage with life choices fully and with a genuine sense of all the possibilities available to them.

We know that young women in a single-sex school are more likely to choose STEM subjects. And when they choose them, they can achieve better results than girls in mixed-sex education. So It is perhaps no surprise that, as an academic who spent forty years of her career based at St Hilda’s College Oxford, the last Oxford college to admit men, I am a great supporter of the availability of all-female education to those who want it. St Hilda’s incidentally was founded in 1893, close to the time that Mary Christie went up to the University of St Andrews – those were decisive times for women’s education across Great Britain.

My own career started in mixed education. Vyners School, which I have mentioned, was co-educational, and when I went up to the University of Oxford in the mid-1970s, I attended one of the then only five colleges that admitted both men and women. It was more by accident then design that I became a Fellow (as Oxford puts it) of St Hilda’s in 1984, but I then had the opportunity to see for myself the personal and social benefits that single-sex colleges bring to young women. For example, my subject, in broad terms is English literature (though my actual area of expertise is Medieval Scottish Literature), and I was in overall charge of the students studying English at St Hilda’s.

For a couple of years in the 1990s our students achieved better results in English than any other college at Oxford University, with two-thirds of them gaining first class degrees. Some people were astonished. I was not. I had seen what the effect of role models and critical mass could do. The first and second years saw the women in the years above them achieving brilliantly, and believed that they could do the same – at one level it really was as simple as that.

But they also saw those women achieving in a locally all-women environment.

The graduation address to those pioneers, the then Principal of the University, Sir James Donaldson, said “The attendance of women students at the regular classes of the University was deemed by many a doubtful experiment. But the women students have justified the bestowal of the privileges on them. They have exercised a healthy influence on all. They have worked with great diligence and the list of distinctions which they have gained this year is proof that they can reach the highest eminence not only in languages but in Mathematics, Natural Philosophy and Logic – subjects for which some people think that women have no great capacity. And now at the end of their course several have received the recognition of the University in the degree of Master of Arts. Their success is indication that the movement will go on and that the advantages of a University education will be open to every woman who has the ability. Your conduct, your abilities and your success have shown what can be done, and no woman need now hesitate to take her place in any class of the University, if she has the impulse to do so.”

Should we be surprised that, after being one of the first women in Scotland to receive an education alongside and on equal terms with men, Mary Christie went on to become the headmistress of a girls grammar school, and at the remarkably early age of twenty-six? Perhaps the seeds of that decision can be seen in my predecessor’s words. The women ‘exercised a healthy influence on all’. It was not enough that they should be academically brilliant, or that they should go on to enjoy fulfilling careers. They were to be a civilising influence on their male peers, an argument we still see put forward as a justification for mixed-sex schooling.

Of course, one can, and one should argue that the world is a mixed place and everyone needs to be able to fend for themselves within that. But the world is still a place where male presence and, to some extent, male ways of being and seeing can dominate – believe me, I still experience this even at my level.

Why should young women have to compromise their own freedoms to be a positive influence on young men? There is much research to indicate that young women achieve better at GCSE if taught in a single-sex environment. It’s also the case that mixed education can lead to a stereotypical implementation of ‘male’ and ‘female’ subject choices.

Working in an all-female environment enables young women to develop superlatively the skills to say what 11

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they mean and go out and get it. Young women in an all-female environment tend to have more confidence in their own ability and higher aspirations for their education and their careers.

Principal Donaldson told Mary and her classmates that their admission to university was “a doubtful experiment”. 125 years after her matriculation, and 100 years after her sadly early death in 1917, we still need to champion the cause of women’s education.

I am delighted that excellent schools like this one are educating, challenging and supporting our young women to be the very best that they can be, and that our first female graduates from St Andrews, of whom Mary Christie was such a distinguished example, are still remembered and celebrated for their outstanding professional achievements.

And it can still be the case that if young women from conservative religious backgrounds cannot attend a single-sex school or college, they may not receive all the educational opportunities they deserve. I have seen this myself. Everybody deserves the right to be the best they can be. At St Andrews our university motto, which comes out of Homer’s Iliad, is ‘Ever to Excel’. Everyone can do that bit better every day, and no one should be deprived of the opportunity to do that.

The Heritage Trail After regularly working in association with Jill Boyd in Wycombe High School’s archive, Kristen Bailey and I were excited to get the chance to work with members of Bucks New University and other volunteers, composing information to be used in a Heritage Trail of High Wycombe in the First World War. This culminated in a visit to Wycombe Museum where those who worked on the app were thanked for their hard work. Our personal involvement included researching information about Mary Christie and the high school in World War One, when we were moved multiple times to make space for military hospitals.

Overall, this experience has been invaluable and has not only allowed us to work with app designers and students at a local university but has also let us explore the heritage of where we live. Please use the QR code or the web address wycombetrails.org to access the app and explore for yourself High Wycombe’s heritage.

It’s worth noting how many of our first female graduates made their careers in education. As well as the first headmistress of Wycombe High School, they include a Secretary and Acting Dean of the London School of Economics and a Principal of the Fulham Training School for Women Teachers. Although it is true that a limited range of careers was open to professional women in the 1890s, I like to imagine that these pioneering young graduates had a keen appreciation of the opportunities an education could offer and a desire to be role models for the next generation.

I understand that many members of The Guild, which was established under Miss Christie’s headmistressship, are here this evening. You, too, are a wonderful pool of role models. There are so many inspiring stories among your alumnae and I should like just to pick out one or two that caught my eye.

How wonderful to see that Isa Guha (class of 2001) became the first female summariser for Test Match Special on BBC4. Her fantastic career as a fast bowler shows that there should be no boundaries for women in sport. Or Trishna Bharadia (class of 1998), who overcame a fear of public speaking to become the MS Society’s Volunteer of the Year 2013 and a Sue Ryder Woman of Achievement. Her participation in the People’s Strictly was a powerful rebuke to those who think disability should be hidden away. And Carolyn Fairbarn (class of 2003), the first female Director General of the CBI. Carolyn has had an outstanding career as an economist, journalist and political consultant and has spoken forthrightly about the challenges faced by women in the professional world.

The importance of female role models cannot be overstated. Inspiring alumnae, and committed head teachers, like Miss Christie and Mrs Cromie, can give girls and women a sense of what they can achieve, and indeed show us all what women can do.

Rachel Ervine, Jill Boyd, Sally Scagell (local historian) and Jackie Kay (1973 ) Author of the Heritage Trail Rachel Ervine Year 11 Pankhurst 6

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From the Archives

The first combined School and Guild magazine was published in 1911. There were several years in the 1980s and 1990s when the Guild did not contribute and the school had its own magazine or yearbook.

Maybe that is why we still have few contributions from members who left during that time. The Guild magazine was started again in 1996 and continued as a separate publication until re-joining the school magazine in 2011, a hundred years later.

Why Your News and Memories Are Important In 1927 a Guild member wrote a poem: News The Problem What shall I tell my starving Group Leader?

She's hungry for news, so I really must feed her. could tell her I've taken up arts and crafts,

As many of you know, I regularly mount displays of WHS history for which the magazines are a valuable source to me. I use a lot of photographs in my displays, but without the written accounts it can sometimes be difficult to interpret them. Memories of school days are also important. Recently, while working in the Archive, we were reading old exercise books containing round robin letters written to each other in the 1970s by members of the 1912 and 1913 Groups. These letters contain memories of schooldays as well as accounts of lives after leaving school. I hope volunteers in the Archive in 50 years’ time will also find interesting but more recent material. We had a good response to a request for memories when the School History was written in 2001 and since then a few older members have written about their schooldays for the Magazine.

However, although we know quite a lot about life at school early in the twentieth century, we know less about how girls enjoyed (or not) their schooldays since the 1970s.

'Cos I did beat you at a game of draughts.

And I might say I'd just received my M.A., 'Cos I did get my allowance the other day.

Ah! I'll tell her I've sailed for distant shores, Then I'd surely meet her in Harrods' Stores.

I think I will just solve the doubt, By asking her to leave me out.

This sentiment seems to continue among today’s members. Each year, when we ask for news and articles for the magazine, many either don’t answer at all or feel that they have nothing of interest to say.

This is a shame, because as well as being of interest to other members, contributions from former students or staff are of great importance for the history of the school. One of the reasons given to the Heritage Lottery Fund in our bid for a grant to set up the Archive was its contribution to social history and the changing education of girls through the years. As ‘Old Girls’, or as I now have to say ‘Alumnae’, of WHS we are very lucky to have an Archive containing such a large amount of interesting and useful material.

Although much of it has been collected by Head Teachers and staff through the years, a considerable quantity is also contributed by former pupils, either as objects, or memories and news for magazines.

As well as showing how the role of women has changed in over a century, magazines include accounts of changes in education and sport at school.

We often have queries from past pupils or others researching a variety of topics and at present are usually able to find a reference in an old magazine or other archive material. Recently two Archivists from the Centre for Bucks Studies visited, looking for information about Barbara Gubbins, an old girl who became a pilot after WW2 and unfortunately was killed in a plane crash. I hope that future Archive volunteers will be able to answer queries about 21st Century pupils.

Most news now comes from older members who have not grown up with social media. This year there are very few contributions from those at WHS after the 1960s. The increase in keeping in touch through social media means that news is shared by a smaller group and will not be available for future generations in the same way that written information could be preserved in the past.

Although for many years the majority of girls left school at 16 and followed less academic careers until they were married, they still led interesting lives which can be followed by reading magazines. Many of them married men with interesting careers. In 1926 Molly Bloxam married Barnes Wallis, at the time an unknown aeronautical engineer. Molly wrote several articles about her husband’s work including the building and launching of the R100 airship. Now girls are as likely to design their own airships!

Since the first magazine, editors have needed to encourage members to send in their news and articles. In 1924 the editor wrote, “Many members will probably exclaim at the meanness of the Guild section of the magazine. Will they ask themselves a few questions before they attack the Editor? Have I sent my contribution? Is my life so hum-drum that I have nothing of Interest to record, even ­as a news item?”

In the magazines it is also possible to follow careers 13

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through University to work. Ivy Watkins, who was at school during the First World War, studied medicine and became a doctor in Hong Kong. She wrote news for many years as well as several interesting articles about medicine in the East. May Towerton, who later became a Wycombe Councillor, Chair of Governors at WHS and has a local school named after her, started her career as an Agricultural student at Reading University College in 1913. She wrote an article about her course including the practical gardening. In 1916 she wrote about being one of the first 10 women working in a munitions factory. In the early 1930s an old girl spent 2 years in Liverpool writing a report on the results of marriages between ”Negro” seamen coming into our country and the white women living in our ports. This same girl then got a post as HM Inspector of factories. In 1944 there were reports of an old girl who had been repatriated from a German prison camp and another who was looking forward to the day her husband would return from his prison camp in Japan.

contact the Guild Administrator at guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk Jill Boyd (Patman) 1956 Group Empty Benches Empty benches on a sunny day; no one’s ventured out and winter still has spring caught in a hammerlock, the wind is chill.

In the unused splendour

of Victorian cast-iron skill there’s something melancholy: tears spill in pity at the loneliness of those who sometimes sit and sometimes sleep on these old benches, through the passing years…

In the 21st century most girls go to University and are able to find rewarding careers which years ago would not have been open to women. Recently the Inspiring Women’s Evenings and the Inspire Lunchtime talks at school have introduced several alumnae who have spoken about their lives and interests. Unfortunately these are a minority of contributions and most careers now go unrecorded.

I keep looking around for life; not even a bird sings, the silence so heavy, so deep, and yet the sun persists. Perhaps the spring will leap out soon with burst of crocus flowers

WHS girls have always been keen travellers both for careers and holidays. In 1922 Edith Monk wrote a detailed description of her voyage to New York with her sister and life living in Philadelphia. In 1939 an old girl working in Czechoslovakia wrote of the difficulties living in Bohemia with the hatred between Czechs and the Sudeten Germans and the threat of Nazi invasion.

In 1934 a girl taught from 1928 to 1931 in a school in Southern Rhodesia and from 1931 in a college on The Gold Coast for the London Missionary Society.

Hobbies and pastimes are also interesting. Gardening, walking and continuing sporting and musical interests which were started at school have been regular topics. Now travel to exotic places and joining the U3A are among the pastimes enjoyed.

and snowdrops: its bouquet of trust that soon this place will live again.

It must. © Jennie Liebenberg (1963 Group) February 2017

I have only been able to mention a few articles from over 100 years of Magazines. I hope that future generations will continue to enjoy the material in the Archive but I fear that may be difficult unless the contributions keep coming. We have material dating back to the foundation of the school in 1901 and I really hope that in another 100 years it will still be possible to refer to magazines to find information.

White Linen I have always dreamed that if I won the lottery I would have clean sheets every day – crisp, white, cotton sheets – laundered by someone else of course. In these environmentally aware days that is probably not a very acceptable ambition but as I won’t be winning

If you wish to discover more, visitors are always welcome in the Archive. To arrange a visit please 14

the lottery I don’t need to worry about my green credentials. Still, there is something about freshlyironed white cotton that I find irresistible. And if you are starting to wonder where this is leading, let me explain.

Lord Scarman was appointed to conduct an investigation and recommended that members of the public should be appointed to inspect the way the police detained people. This eventually developed into today’s Independent Custody Visitor scheme.

One of the things I have done for the last few years is laundering altar linen. Each altar has three cloths.

The first cloth, or cere, is of rough, unbleached linen, the same size as the altar top, which acts as a cushion to protect the wood from spillages or bumps. Then come the ‘fair linen’ cloths. The under cloth is long and reaches almost to the floor on either side of the altar, often with embroidery or lace at the ends. The final cloth is usually shorter and has five crosses on it – one in each corner and one in the centre – representing the five wounds of Christ. It symbolises the shroud in which Christ was placed in the tomb.

Many of his recommendations were included in the 1984 Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) which was revised in 2008. Code C of PACE deals with the “Detention, Treatment and Questioning of Persons by Police Officers” and contains detailed procedures for the police to follow. These guidelines and codes of practice also provide a way of measuring actions taken by the police and checking that detainees are treated properly, so they are vital for ICVs as they inspect police custody units, as is the requirement of the 2000 European Human Rights legislation that detainees are treated according to UK legislation and that their basic human rights are respected.

I iron the cloths whilst wet and hang them over the banister on towels overnight to dry. The smell of damp fabric and warm starch takes me back to the washdays of my childhood and the pleasure of handling beautiful material and smoothing away the creases is relaxing and rewarding – an antidote to the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Each Police and Crime Commissioner has a duty to run an ICV scheme in their area, recognising that police custody is a high pressure environment where police interact with vulnerable people and difficult situations. If there were any doubt about whether such schemes are necessary, recent statistics published by the Independent Police Complaints Commission show that in the year 2016 / 17 it investigated 14 deaths in or following police custody, 55 apparent suicides following police custody and 124 other deaths following police contact.

When we strip the altars for Good Friday we remember the stripping of our Lord – his clothes, his dignity and ultimately his life – and the winding shroud of His burial. As Easter dawns the white linen has been replaced, lying neat and serene as the folded grave clothes in the empty tomb.

Katrina Huertas 1966 Group

How does it work? I am part of a local team who mainly visit High Wycombe Police Station. We visit in pairs and there should be a visit once a week at any time we like apart from during the Custody staff’s change of shift – even the middle of the night if we choose to do so. We arrive unannounced and expect to gain access to the Custody Suite almost immediately so that we “see it as it is”.

Independent Custody Visiting Early last year I was sad to have to retire as a magistrate because I had reached seventy, the maximum permitted age. Fortunately a new opportunity to become an Independent Custody Visitor (ICV) arose which allowed me to stay in the criminal justice world doing a job without such an age restriction. This would involve “checking on the welfare of people in police custody by visiting local police stations unannounced”. Recruitment, vetting and training completed, I was soon walking into High Wycombe Police Station in the company of an experienced “ICV” ready for my first visit.

Each Custody Suite is managed by an experienced Custody Sergeant but usually has a small number of Detention Officers on duty – one of whom escorts us on our visit. The police welcome our visits because they view them as an important and positive way of ensuring that custody suites are well run.

We start by checking the custody situation. On a busy day we could find that there are up to a dozen detainees and it would be rare to find none at all.

Our aim is to visit each of these in their cell unless there is a very good reason not to. These could include their being with their solicitor, seeing a doctor or being interviewed. Sometimes the Custody Sergeant may assess that it would be too risky to

In 1981 there were outbreaks of civil unrest in many cities, the most significant taking place in April in Brixton when hundreds of young people attacked property and the police. This was centred around protests about oppressive policing and alleged harassment, particularly of young black people.

15

Subject

In Memoriam

allow us into a cell, but we would then make more enquiries about what was happening with that person even if we could not talk to them ourselves. If someone is behaving aggressively and needs to be restrained, we can ask to observe.

Muriel Binstead

So we might have a list of say four people in custody who we can visit. We are taken to the cells, inspecting empty ones for cleanliness as we go, and will come to our first occupied cell. The cell is then checked by the Detention Officer before the door is unlocked and opened.

(Richardson)

1939 group

Laura Davis (Parrott)

1937 Group

2018

Bridget Jackson

1958 Group

Aug 2017

Irene Leeser

1942 group

Aug 2017

(Davies)

1936 Group

Mar 2017

E. Nowicka (Jordan)

1946 group

Jun 2017

Jean Rolfe (Fleming)

1939 Group

Mar2017

Delwyn Spargo (Keen)

1969 Group

Jan 2018

Gwen Spear (Watling)

1929 group

Apr 2017

Molly Thurlow (Yarker) 1957 Group

Jan 2017

Elizabeth Waghorn

Mar 2017

Dr Marion Metcalfe

We enter, keeping our backs to the door while the Detention Officer retreats to where they can see us but not hear us. If a detainee is deeply asleep we won’t disturb them, but otherwise we start by making it clear that we are not from the police. We introduce ourselves as ICV’s who have come to check on their welfare and we ask them if they are happy for us to talk to them. One of us will lead each visit, and probationary ICVs are encouraged to do this as soon as possible. We check how long they have been there, have they had legal advice, does anyone know they are there, do they know why they are there themselves (we don’t need to know ourselves), do they need any medical attention, what about food and drink, are they warm enough, have they been treated reasonably etc. If there are any issues we will raise them with the Detention Officer and minor things are usually sorted out immediately. Once we have visited all the detainees, we check the kitchen and the medical room – the shelf life of the food, cleanliness etc. and cupboards containing the religious books such as the Bible and the Qur’an. Finally we write a short report which is signed by us, the Detention Office and the Custody Sergeant and sent to the Chief Inspector and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office. “Isn’t this mollycoddling them?” No. Detainees are involved in a recognised legal justice process. Their liberty has been curtailed and this may eventually result in a more extended loss of liberty, but until then they are innocent until proved guilty.

In a civilised country they should be treated with courtesy and dignity. In many parts of the world being arrested means barbaric treatment, and it is a privilege to play a part in ensuring that this country upholds the human rights of those who may well not give a damn about anyone else’s!

1962 Group

Dr Irene Leeser MBE

We were very sorry to hear of the death, at the age of 90, of Dr Irene Leeser on 6 August 2017. Irene Leeser was born in Germany in 1926 where her father Otto was a doctor in Stuttgart. Her family came to England via Holland before World War Two and lived in Loudwater. Otto became Director of the London Homeopathic Laboratory. Irene started at WHS in September 1937 and left in July 1945.

The Speech Day Programme from February 1946 shows that Irene won several prizes and scholarships

Penny Gerrard (1963 Group) 16

Group News 1940

including a Prefect’s Leaving Prize, the Margaret Bowers Memorial Prize for Science, a Mary Christie Exhibition, a Bucks County Council Scholarship and an Open Bursary in Medicine to St. Andrew’s University.

She was following in Mary Christie’s footsteps.

Ruth Rowley (Tomlinson) “I have fond memories of the old school, of Eva Dessin and Miss Horder and others whose names have gon with age. I shall be 95 this year in June. I left school in 1940 after two years in the Vth form to start my nursing career in London. I passed my SRN exam and worked in a number of hospitals for short periods including Wycombe General. Now in my old age I am cared for by my husband. I now have five children, 14 grandchildres and 17 great grandchildren, so my memories of WHS are distant.” Ruth’s husband added that her memory is patchy and arthritis, particularly in her knees, make moving around quite painful. However they celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary in August 2017 with a party for family and friends, nearly all their grandchildren were there.

1945 Hazel Lee (Bristow)

After qualifying as a doctor, Irene chose to practice with the Stewards Association in India where she served for 43 years. While there she founded the Women’s Hospital in Ambajipeta which includes the Leeser Wright Eye Care Centre.

Dull, cold January brought pleasure again as letters, emails and phone calls came in from ever-optimistic 'War Girls', aware of their exalted 'top-of -the-tree' status, as well as accepting that life, although slower, can still bring its excitements.

First reply - as usual – came via email from Sonia Taylor (Herbert) describing travels again to Deauville to meet up with old friends then later in June to Annecy and Chamonix. Her sister Greta's annual visit here was prevented by surgery but in the autumn Sonia went over to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to enjoy with Greta the glorious Fall colours. Sonia still participates in various U3A sessions and her New Year resolution for 2018 is to increase her activities there. A second great-grandchild Ethan was welcomed at the Christmas family reunion.

The Stewards Association website describes the hospital; “Women's Hospital Ambajipeta was started by Dr.I.Leeser and her collegue Miss S.Wright. Hundreds of women patients were blessed. Mr C Ermiah is the present C.E.O. Despite the missionary doctor Irene Leeser leaving the hospital many years ago after serving over 40 years, the hospital is still known to the public in her name.

The Leeser Wright Eye care centre averages 1100 cataract and other eye surgery. This hospital is considered as a department of the Women’s Hospital.”

Joan Drew wrote happily that she had that week reserved a flat in the new Churchill retirement living block just down the road in Marlow. Built on the site of the old police station Joan's new address will be Peel Lodge! Despite her cataract operations Joan still cannot drive so a central location in the town is excellent. Good luck with the move in June!

In 1997 Irene was awarded an MBE for medical services in Andhra Pradesh, India. A friend from her school days describes Irene as a lovely lady with a quiet sense of fun and a committed Christian. A past pupil that WHS can be very proud of.

Pam Eacott (James) says that life goes on happily in Norfolk although more slowly. With encouragement 17

from her daughter and grand-daughter, Pam is trying to walk more than drive and also to enjoy her garden and the Nature Reserves literally over the garden fence! She writes that a second grand-child was due any day.

where she has found a star role as 'bingo caller'! She anticipates visits from her family in the USA with both her musician son and grandson making plans for a Summer stay.

As I prepare these notes for Jill, the Guild Editor, our field of snowdrops is in full bloom, promising that Spring is actually on its way. It was also delightful to receive a calendar from the very gifted Art pupils at the High School - both of which spurs me on to continue with my Art Group each week. I still keep contact with our local church even if the pews are not upholstered to suit my arthritic hips! We have given home to a small, young and lively 'monthly' church house group.

Phyllis Wickens (Potter) in Cirencester is gradually adapting to a life alone, her 92 year old husband having passed away in November. Her exploration of country paths, particularly on old railway tracks, has diminished since her son's death but she still takes every opportunity that presents itself!

Gladys Richmond (Gardner) has moved to a lovely flat in Buckinghamshire to be nearer to her daughter, after the death of her husband. They enjoyed a cruise together to Amsterdam and Bruges for the Christmas markets. She is still in touch with several old school friends, including Joyce Hazelby (Wickens) who is reasonably fit.

Despite scoring well in the eye-tests I am not driving at present which - after a point-free enjoyment of a car for 73 years - I find hard to bear. Buses (once 19 a day) no longer exist in our rural location. However I am blessed with a personal chauffeur in the shape of my ever-cheerful husband Mike although, our twice-ayear visits to a favourite Aberdovey hotel excepted, trips tend to be with friends and family around the county. We had the excitement of our granddaughter's wedding in September – to another Royal Air Force aviator also called Mike. Becky, like her Gran, is now thoroughly enjoying life as an 'Air Force Wife'.

June Nunn is still busy in Camberley with her various cultural and musical interests which give much pleasure. She is well and still drives locally but says that the volume of traffic makes it far less enjoyable.

June is in contact with Joan Skiller (White) in Christchurch and with Joan Jordan (Styles) in Gosport and is trying to locate June Raeburn (Whitney).

1946

Pat Coveney (Townsend) has had a less mobile year after a nasty fall. She is settled in Kempton (Bedford) with her son's family and enjoys car trips out with her daughter-in-law.

Jessie Sims (Fleming) wrote to me after the Magazine was published last year to say she was disappointed that her news was not included. It seems she posted it to her group Leader but it went astray. I apologise to Jessie and I am including it this year. Jessie had written about her sister Jean Rolfe who died in March 2017. Jean started WHS in 1934 at the age of 10 and a half and left in 1939. She was born in 1924. Jean rode her bicycle over 2 miles to get to Denham station to go to school. Jessie said that Jean had happy memories of WHS.

Out of the blue came an email from Nancy Grace (Salter) followed by a long phone call – a lovely surprise as Nancy had rather disappeared from the mailing list. She reported a quiet life as her husband is less mobile but she has plenty of family contacts with eight grandchildren - and two weddings awaited.

Three of the Sixth Form leavers – Audrey Garnett (McMorran), Joy Watson (Wallace) and myself - meet up in London for a happy lunch together twice a year – a day when 'Black Cab' drivers make a fortune!

Audrey visited her sister Beryl for a Bavarian Christmas in a lovely wood-built farmhouse. In May she looks forward to visiting her grand-daughter in Berlin for a family reunion and attending a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In July Sicily calls – and where warm swimming awaits. Audrey swims regularly near her Sussex home and visits Joan Way (Millbourn) in Worthing who sadly is housebound.

Jessie also wrote of Peter Fleming, one of her father’s many brothers who was wounded in the First World War and had spent time in WHS when it was used as a Military Hospital. She and Jean did not know that until after he died. Jessie also has happy memories of WHS when they shared the school with Ealing High School and because of that walking up and down to the Baptist Hall for lessons.

1947 Doris Horne (Maslem) is still living in White Plains in Denham. She is looking forward to some new hearing aids so that it will be easier to enter into conversation with the other residents.

Joy Watson (Wallace) says she is surrounded by friendly faces in her sheltered flat (in Wooburn Green) 18

1951

Hilary Stephenson (Salter) “Again, Bill and I are grateful to be still together and reasonably fit, now into our 27th year of retirement. During 2017 we enjoyed several short breaks, visiting Guernsey in May, Scotland in July and Bournemouth in October.

From there we were able to spend a morning with my sister-in-law in Dorchester.

Pauline Brooking

1952 Ruth Whitehouse (Why) Josie Abbott It doesn’t seem possible we are all in our eighties and we left the Fifth Form 65 years ago. I guess my best news is that Angela came over from Canada in November, accompanied by her younger daughter Emma who I hadn’t seen for 16 / 17 years!

Emma has just graduated from University with a Music degree. It was so lovely to get to know her.

The only person from WHS I keep in touch with is Beryl Vaux (Sturgess), though it is only at Christmas and birthdays. Best wishes to all in our Group, especially those in Form V. Leila Tyrrill (Bickle) Life has continued much the same in France, where we have been happily settled for nearly 11 years. We have not been affected by Brexit, apart from the pound in our pockets! Age has caught up with us in the last few months and we have to programme our lives accordingly, with the help of a superb GP. We take our part in the fortnightly English church services, with much reduced congregations.

My fingers are still able to provide the musical accompaniments - no-one else is able to play a keyboard! Our most successful holiday was to the French Alps in early summer. We took three days to drive to a delightful lakeside village and from there explored neighbouring villages and mountain peaks.

We were very pleased to discover that we had free access to the mountain lifts because of our great age!

We have also enjoyed cruising on French rivers with a French company. Our regular visits to the UK continue. Now my sister Coralie and her husband live in Aylesbury we are able to meet more often, and, of course we can also catch up with the lives of our daughters and their families. I still have such happy memories of my time at WHS - even the occasions when I had to visit Miss Downs because of some overexuberant behaviour!

Our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren continue to give us enormous pleasure. Several of them have developed a passion for Antarctica, which means that we were not quite all together at Christmas. Twenty five family members were together for music, merriment, and memories on Boxing Day.

The family on Boxing Day Life at our riverside apartment in Shrewsbury is very pleasant. We are seriously feeling our age, but fully aware of how fortunate we are. We look forward to welcoming our fourth great grandchild in May, and celebrating with my sister Nancy on her 90th birthday in June.

Gillian Bradshaw (Nash) I have no health problems but living alone can be a bit stressful at times. I still play for two choirs, practise a lot (one hour a day), sew, read and walk, and when spring comes mow a lot! My younger son is a tower of strength. He intends to resign from his job with Ford in March to do the things he enjoys and then I won’t feel so much of a burden to him.

Best wishes to anyone who remembers me.”

1948 1949 1950 Mary Ludlow (Haines)

Freda Mulvany (Joynson) Rereading entries in former magazines has made me realise how fortunate I am to 19

Subject

1953

still be in good enough health to continue doing much of the same. Walking is still very important but not so fast these days especially on those hills, but I’m glad I can still manage Portland’s coastline on 25 December morning. Days are always busy with friends and family but especially jolly this year with the arrival of Victor, now seven months old. So now it seems I am Great Granny known affectionately as Great Granola! I continue to be involved with four U3A Groups, Singing for Fun, Ukuleles, Watercolours and the one I lead, Music Making for Instruments. It’s now five years since we started the Dorset Community Orchestra and with seventy members I enjoy the challenge of playing piano and keyboard with them. After three years of mentoring a thirty year old Algerian at the Verne, Portland’s Immigration Centre, he was deported to Algeria from where he escaped to Spain and thankfully is allowed to work. The Verne is just now reverting to a prison again, but I continue to do some work with our Weymouth Rough Sleepers. This year I had a special stay with Ruth happily installed in their new home in the Cotswolds. Then back to Ireland and the Republic to walk the Giants Footsteps, this time with a friend. Hull, this year’s City of Culture, was splendid and so welcoming, followed by a coach tour once again to Scotland. One granddaughter, now a 2nd Officer for the Holland and America Cruise line, tells us yet another discounted trip for us is on the horizon. Kevin and Susie, still wowing the world with their Architectural Miniatures, are at present making the Elizabethan house Trerice near the north Cornish coast. You may have seen their artefacts at Christmas in BBC’s The Miniaturist drama. Speaking at funerals has increased so please keep strong and healthy and I send good wishes.

Wendy Porter (Batts) Hilary Chaston (Geeves) I’m afraid I have no real news, just some family health problems. Apart from getting old, life is much the same. I still enjoy singing and Townswomen’s Guild: I was a founder member of our TG 50+ years ago. My very best wishes to all members of our year group.

Angela Crew (Richmond) celebrated her 80th birthday in May with a tea party at home with friends and neighbours and, later, with a family tea at the Bath Spa Hotel. Angela’s daughter, Jane, also treated her to a lovely weekend in Sidmouth. During the summer months, Angela suffered from severe breathlessness, thankfully now resolved.

Cynthia Dean (Smith) writes: ‘In June six of us had a really enjoyable cruise on the River Rhone. We visited Arles (of Van Gogh fame) and had a lovely coach ride through lavender fields and the Ardeche Gorge. We also went to the old part of Lyon and walked through a couple of the traboules which are passages between houses (disguised with doors at either end). They were first used by silk merchants and much later by the Resistance in WW2 to outwit the Gestapo. I have now joined the High Wycombe Arts Society and another interesting event in 2017 was to see Emily, the daughter of a cousin, sing and dance with the DDarlings in a show at the Wycombe Swan called ‘The Songs That Won The War.’ Joan Fowler (Archer) enjoyed the 2017 reunion and hopes to be at the AGM on 25 June. She has retired from selling Avon after 27 years, but still dances twice weekly and goes away on Old Time dance weekends.

Joan also attends the local church and several clubs and has enjoyed holidays in Cumbria, Cotswolds and the New Forest.

Ruth Whitehouse (Why) the past year has been a memorable one, starting with the celebration of my 80th birthday in January. In May Derrick and I decided to move from Northampton, where we had lived for 43 years, into a McCarthy & Stone Retirement home in Moreton-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds. Derrick was born and grew up here and I have known it for 60 years so it was an easy decision to make. However, the move entailed down-sizing from a 4-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom apartment so you can imagine the number of times we visited the recycling centre and various charity shops! The move has proved very successful and we are making lots of new friends. We welcomed Freda as one of our first visitors. We both enjoy good health apart from getting slower, so hope to be here for many years more. Best wishes to all who remember me and thank you to those who sent news.

Angela Haigh (Green) writes: ‘I’m still in touch with Wendy (Batts), Cynthia (Smith), Jo and Zita (Menday) and Sheila (Kirwan). We all met up in London last year and hope to do so again in 2018. Brian and I still enjoy travelling and marvelling at archaeology, our favourite trip in 2017 being to the beautiful Orkney and Sheltand Isles which (literally) blew us away.

Currently, very much as a beginner, I’m doing a stimulating course online on drawing and watercolour, and enjoying it immensely.’

Jo Harrington (Menday) writes: ‘It’s been the usual pattern of family life, with the youngest grandchild still believing in Father Christmas, the occasional sea and sand visits (feeling too old for all that!) and watching them all ice skating outdoors at Somerset 20

House in December from a warm, indoor spot. There have also been activities linked to the local choral society, such as the visit to the Cinque Terre where Italian audiences are so enthusiastic. For me, the most moving event of 2017 was a visit to Passchendael to commemorate the centenary of the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres on 31 July. I had won tickets to the ceremony attended by the Cambridges, Prince Charles and the King and Queen of the Belgians. The photo shows me and Zita placing a wreath by the wall listing Uncle Joseph, after whom I was named. A very moving ceremony, but what a waste of life! I am planning to go to Venice for a few days at the end of February and hope not to have to paddle through St Mark’s Square.

Wendy Porter (Batts) These days I live life in the slow lane, but there are still plenty of church and community events I can be part of. Cultural visits have been nearer home – the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge and Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury. As well as meeting up in London, I enjoyed staying with Cynthia on a couple of cold, wet days in July. By the end of this year all our group will be 80 or more, so congratulations everybody, let’s enjoy ourselves!

1954 Ann Sharp (Knowles) 50 Rock gardens, Bognor Regis PO21 2LF Ann Sharp (Knowles) I was sorry not to hear from anyone and assume you are all leading busy lives and hope you are all well. Most of us reach our ninth decade this academic year. I can’t believe we can be so old and as I still feel 25 inside decided to ignore my birthday. But the effect of it was that I decided to have a new boiler, washing machine and decorating done so that hopefully I can get my money’s worth out of them! I still enjoy going to and from Bognor and Kington Langley and it keeps me very busy in catching up at each end! Our lunches continue in Sussex with Judy Clark (Wright), Rosemary Smith (Stimpson) and Jo Hyde (Tubb) and I went to the 80th Birthday party of Jennifer Tucker (Soper) in Cirencester and met Gillis Burgess (Pye) whom I hadn’t seen for six years who was in the process of moving to Taunton. I’ve had lots of long and short breaks at home and abroad and visits to friends and went to Ireland and Spain for the first time. Do contact me if you are in Sussex or Wiltshire.

Zita Miller (Menday) My mini house is now better organised with fitted bookcases, some glass-fronted, and the garden mainly pruned and mowed by a gardener, so I am freer for socialising and travel, with two holidays booked in England and two abroad, including a visit to Ravenna.

Jean Morley (Foster) ‘Ben and I celebrated our Diamond Wedding Anniversary in October with the family and had a wonderful time. Our grandson is almost ten now and keeps us amused with all his interests and activities. I still go to my patchwork class where we make and sell for the NSPCC and my daughter and I make lots of things for Ben’s school to raise funds. So far, in three years we have raised over £2000 at the class market days. We both “house sit” for my daughter and family at school holiday times, looking after two lurchers and other animals. This makes a lovely break for us too.’

1955 Rachel Sutcliffe (Avis)

Jill Mallott (Emerson) Hello to you all from Australia.

Due to the distance I am unable to attend any reunions or any other "get togethers ". I am still interested in receiving WHS news, which of course, can now be forwarded by e-mail. I, with my family, have been in Bunbury, Western Australia, since March 1971. I wish you all well for the future and the activities planned.

Ann Weaver (Saunders) is visited every day by her daughter, Andrea and, although Ann was unable to accompany her, Andrea went to Germany in October to visit her mother’s friend, Karin, and celebrate her 80th birthday. Their friendship started with a school exchange trip in 1953 and although neither is able to travel any more, it is good that they are able to keep in touch by phone after all these 64 years! Andrea’s three children often pop in to see their grandmother, but Nick and his family live in Suffolk so visit mainly in the holidays.

Rachel Sutcliffe (Avis) I was most disappointed to receive no replies to the request for news posted to all Guild members, so I can only give some from those with whom I am in contact. The lunch group continues to meet locally once a month - Jill Boyd (Patman), Marian Brocklesby and Branwen Kelly (Davies). Unfortunately, Joan Fairall (Brett), Barbara Kershaw (Tabner) and Margaret Lynch (Stevens) have not been able to join us recently.

21

Subject Pam Moores and I phone one another about once a week. She is making a slow recovery from various medical treatments and is still unable to drive, as movement is limited. However, she is hoping to make it to Bucks later this year to catch up with friends.

Diane Simmance (Leighton) wrote in her Christmas card that she was still living in France.

As for me, this past year has been rather stressful.

David had heart by-pass surgery at the beginning of August and has made an excellent recovery. He is much fitter than ever. I’ve had some health problems – osteroarithitis in the feet which fortunately can be managed by regular steroid injections. I’ve also been diagnosed with fast heart rhythms, after a couple of emergency admissions to hospital. So far medication seems to be keeping it under control….. As ever, all the family continue to be a wonderful support, though still busy with their respective careers. I feel very blessed that they live nearby.

A science class in the new school in 1956

1956 Rachel Sutcliffe (Avis) Jill Boyd (Patman) I remembered to add my own news this year . After a busy year involved with the Mary Christie Centenary celebrations, we enjoyed a relaxing cruise along the Danube to the Black Sea at the end of September . Unfortunately we explored Vienna and Budapest in the pouring rain. I also won tickets in the draw for the Passchendaele Centenary Commemoration in July, my Grandad was killed there. My niece and I attended the moving ceremony.

I recently had a cataract operation before they became bad enough to stop me driving .

Because of the health problems during the past few months, I have been unable to be as involved as previously with the Guild, the WHS Archive and as a governor of WHS, though I hope to do so soon since I am feeling much better.

It will also help when I can walk the dogs more, though I can’t go as far or as fast as before. Dogwalking in the woods near home is most therapeutic!

We still look after Daisy, Kristin’s springer spaniel, when she is at work or away, though we were very sad that Molly, our rescue Labrador cross, had to be put to sleep at the beginning of December. Having come to us at 6 months old, she was the dog we had had the longest – over 16 years.

1957 Sue Neville (Clark) After an excellent turnout (namely Gian Austin, Margaret Burns, Carol Larkin, Celia Soden, Robin Spey, Helen Stevens, Penny Waterfield, Marie nee Stafferton, and myself) for the 2017 reunion, replies from the group for the 2018 magazine are disappointingly low.

I should like to conclude by thanking those Guild members who give their time to help in the Archive – Janet Paterson, Liz Tayler, Penny Butcher and especially Jill Boyd - for their support. All the displays of photographs and records at school and Guild events are produced by Jill. Best wishes to all.

Margaret Baker (Pilgrim) writes that she is almost housebound now with poor sight and spinal problems.

Her news is of son Richard who teaches music four days a week, performs freelance as a trombonist, runs his own band RBQ, and works with a touring Neil Diamond tribute band. A musical grandson is a cellist with the National Youth Orchestra.

Margaret Burns (Bowman) is possibly the first greatgrandmother in our group as her eldest grandson Johnny now has a one-year-old boy, Joseph Janez. In spite of that accolade, last year she had an interesting spring trip touring in Japan and an autumn visit to old friends in the USA. Back home, her collie Bridget 22

1959

keeps her active and she still performs in Murder Mystery plays.

Judith Goodchild (Palmer)

Carol Larkin has had another unhappy year, but is looking forward to a better 2018 when hopefully she will be able to resume many of her old interests.

Thank you to everyone who sent me letters and emails. I love hearing about all your activities and your busy lives. Please keep the news coming.

Valerie Davis (Austin) It was so good to hear from Val after a number of years.

The last few years have been tough ones for Val. Her husband Paul is now quite poorly suffering with both vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease on top of several other major problems. He is still at home but has to be accompanied everywhere owing to memory loss and confusion. Needless to say he finds this very frustrating having been in control all his life so Val says it is her turn now to take care of Paul and make sure he is as comfortable as possible.

Last year Val hit another milestone birthday so decided to “get up and go” and make every day count.

She suffered from extreme insomnia, making her tired, anxious and depressed so she took a course of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and she says this has almost sorted out her problem. She is now exercising in the gym under the guidance of a trainer, attends an aerobic class and walks several times a week with her neighbour. She has also found a new eating regime not a diet - and has lost a lot of weight and feels much better. In “her Autumn years” Val says she has taken up playing the violin. Her elderly teacher says he won’t allow any squeaky noises!!!

In closing Val asks does anyone ever hear of ‘the girls from Priory Road School’ - Janet Cook, Barbara Clark and Susan Bennet and also Charmian Hickox, Dilly Waldron and Frances Maxwell-Brown?

Celia Soden (Blaney) has just had a hip replacement, but is awaiting a postponed knee replacement.

Getting to this position has been a lengthy process.

Celia is having a holiday in the USA. Robin Spey (Byers) is kept busy with her family, but still pursues her own interests. She mentions printing & woodcut workshops and also her Russian Studies, taking in all the centenary events of the revolution in 1917.

Helen Stevens (Boardman) still enjoys the volunteer gardening she does for the National Trust. At the moment her husband is in hospital, so much time is spent visiting him.

Penny Waterfield (Butcher) is thinking about downsizing to be nearer her daughter in Solihull.

However, she would hope to retain a small base in Amersham too. Between the numerous medical appointments, she and Richard fitted in a trip to the Keukenhof Gardens in Holland. Penny's twin granddaughters are at university.

As for myself, I am still too busy, having failed to drop enough commitments. I am now a very regular bridge player. Of course, I keep abreast of all the grandchildren activities, though these are rarely local.

Two trips each year to Mallorca are the norm, the Easter one comprising a full dozen of us. Best wishes to everyone in the group.

1958

Shirley Dorman (Smith) Shirley writes that the first few months of 2017 were relatively quiet as her husband was steadily recovering from prostate surgery of the previous Autumn. Holidays started again when she and Mel visited their son Gavin in March, April saw them on a 5-6 day break in Toulouse and finally in May a longer break to Kos - life was back to normal! In July and August visits from various family members kept Shirley busy, the highlight of these being Stuart (her son) and Sebastian (her grandson) visiting from Colorado for a couple of weeks. Lots of activities were planned for entertainment. Sadly, at the end of August, Shirley and Mel lost their much loved dog, Bess. They miss her enormously and are frequently reminded of her but are not tempted to have another pet. In mid-

1958 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1958 / 1959 groups at 2007 Reunion

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December another holiday loomed, this time to Madeira for some much needed sun and then Shirley and Mel returned for all the Christmas activities, one of which was Christmas lunch with both her sisters and their respective partners - the first time for over 50 years that the sisters had been together at Christmas. (There is a photograph of the three ladies appearing under the 1963 Group news. Shirley is on the left, Christine in the centre and Penny on the right). In between all this activity Shirley volunteers for various sessions in the local library which she says she enjoys enormously. She is involved with story time slots for pre-school children and lots of nursery songs.

Rosalie hears every Christmas from Juliet Hickey (Hughes) who still lives near San Francisco.

Unfortunately Juliet’s husband has health problems.

Like the rest of the 1959 group, I have been busy during the last year travelling all over. At our time of life, Dave and I take every opportunity offered to go places, accept invitations and enjoy life to the full, never forgetting how fortunate we are to be able to do it. We have visited lots of places in the UK this last year, as usual using our membership cards to the full.

Our first journey, early in the year was to Grimes Graves in Norfolk. This was followed by several two and three day breaks with friends to Liverpool to visit the Beatles houses, and to Birmingham to The Back to Backs. We then spent a week on the Isle of Wight, followed by a week in Suffolk and then back to Norfolk to visit Holkham Hall. Our summer break was to Spain and France and one week was spent with the whole family in a beautiful Provencal Maas in Grasse in southern France. In the Autumn we travelled across to Wales to visit the Dolaucothi gold mine amongst other places and then we returned home to prepare for our Christmas trip to Hong Kong. Dave and I stayed with our eldest daughter Claire in Hong Kong and our younger daughter Estelle, her husband and our two grandchildren all came out to join us so we had a family Christmas the other side of the world.

Like Rosalie, Dave and I enjoy travelling.

When I am at home, I still enjoy two sessions of gym a week, I walk with a walking group, attend various clubs and in the summer my garden keeps me busy. I consider myself very fortunate that I still have good health and that I can enjoy ‘my old age’ I heard from Joy Palmer (Messenger) at Christmas.

Joy and Robert are well and have had a busy and exciting year.

Sandra Ingle (Butters) 2017 has been somewhat of a turbulent year for Sandra. During the first 8 weeks she and Charles were away travelling for 6 of them. A fortnight in the Lake District was followed by a visit to Hong Kong then on to Australia where they called at Perth, Cairns, then to Ayers Rock and finally down the east coast to Melbourne. In March, Sandra caught up with her daughter and granddaughter Gemma who were visiting the UK. Gemma had secured a place in the 6th form at Shrewsbury school and commenced her studies there in September 2017. This is great news as it means Sandra will see a lot more of Gemma than previously. In April a very dear friend of Sandra’s suddenly passed away leaving a very large gap in her life. Following a holiday in Scotland, life was brought back into perspective and now she and Charles are taking every opportunity offered to “do” and “go”English holidays, weekends away, theatre and concert attendances, Chatsworth at Christmas and so on.

Rosalie Zobell Rosalie still lives in Brussels but was particularly dismayed by the Brexit decision. She has worked for 20 years for the European Commission and as Director of an EU research funding programme she remarked that the UK got significantly more money out than it put in and she still finds it hard to understand the referendum result. Last January Rosalie became a Belgian citizen, as well as remaining British and this decision allows her to stay in Brussels and retain her rights as a European. Rosalie’s travels take her frequently to London on ‘grandparent duty’ and she also visits the UK each year, for a week, as a member of a National Trust group living in Belgium.

She also went on a family holiday to Devon and then to Edinburgh on a bobbin lace course. Her worldwide travel took her to New York, then a spring cruise with a friend from Vancouver to Alaska and then a long weekend to Exhuma in the Bahamas with her son and his partner. Rosalie says she loves travelling and while she is still able she will carry on doing it!!

I also heard from Val Cope (Hughes). Val says she doesn’t see a lot of her family but they are all OK. Her son Paul is waiting for a hip replacement and her daughter Marie is a successful novelist.

It only remains now for me to send all good wishes for the year ahead to all the members of the 1959 group.

1958 / 59 groups at 2013 Reunion 24

1960

work done in the garden and now have a successful small vegetable patch. Martin still works for the National Trust, while Anne continues to enjoy volunteering both at Clouds Hill and at the local hospice book shop, and they both are involved with local amateur drama. Anne plays bridge as often as she can and she and Martin occasionally play socially with neighbours. They sold their boat but are planning a flotilla sailing holiday in Greece next summer.

“We’ve had quite a few friends and family to stay during the year. We’ve also had several holidays - a week in Florida with daughter, Emma and her family to celebrate wedding anniversaries and a couple of birthdays. We spent two weeks in the Peloponnese in June, a week in Yorkshire in August, a week in Vienna and a week in Lisbon, both in September. I recently went on my own to New York to stay with Emma and family for ten days, during which we all went to Philadelphia for a long Thanksgiving weekend. I had a wonderful day at the Hawk Conservancy, flying a variety of birds of prey in August and Martin had a session of clay pigeon shooting when we were in Yorkshire.” Emma and her family also visited Anne and Martin for Christmas.

Kathleen Gomm (Atkins)

1961 Sue Filby (Child)

Cecelia Adamson writes:- ‘There is not much of huge excitement, but I am still doing alright. I enjoy walking (in Blenheim), gardening and allotment, catching up with family and friends, having had many years of not being able to. I am going to Venice at the end of February on a History of Art study tour and with the same tutor to Northumbria in September. Both trips will be a treat and I am looking forward to them both.

Suzanne Warren sent the following ‘Last year was a very eventful year for us. Our son Andrew was married to Rachael in April. The wedding took place in Edinburgh, so we all travelled there for the weekend.

David and I made a week’s holiday of it and did some sightseeing and visited friends on the way there and back. In May I had major heart surgery so most of the summer was spent recovering. By October I was fit enough to join some of our Bank Pensioners group for a week at the Manor House Hotel in Okehampton. In November we went on a cruise to the Mediterranean which was very good: we experienced some lovely late summer sunshine and mainly calm seas. On our return we had another family wedding to attend, this time in Stafford, so another weekend away. I still keep in touch with several friends from WHS. ‘

Bryony Coles (Orme) “Late in 2016 my husband John had a heart attack, and thankfully he has recovered steadily since, with lots of support from the NHS and from family and friends.” They now enjoy local explorations within Devon rather than long-distance expeditions. During Devon Open Studios in September they set off to visit nearby studios they had not heard of before, and discovered a whole new landscape just a few miles from home. Bryony and John have visited Hay-on-Wye, enjoying the mix of second-hand book shops and dramatic scenery. Bryony was sorry to miss the Mary Christie Reunion in June.

My own news Ray and I are very active in our church fellowship. I am still a lay chaplain at our local hospital and Ray continues to enjoy writing and has published another book recently. We enjoyed holidays in Guernsey and in South Wales earlier in the year. We love being grandparents to our five grandchildren and our favourite times are spent with our lovely family.

Pam(ela) Cuff (Seymour)’s father died in January and she is still trying to resolve some problems with the solicitor. (Our condolences, Pam to your family- Gill and Jackie in the 1963 Group). Pam’s eldest granddaughter gained distinction in her exams and started university in September. “Our eldest son and family have settled in the village (Kilve), and the pub officially opened at the end of June. It seems to be thriving, and hopefully Paul will be able to give up his ‘day job’ later this year. Our daughter-in-law gave up her nursing job at the end of May to work at the pub full time alongside their two friends and co-partners in the business. Sally, our daughter, is now threatening to move back to Kilve in the next couple of years. Her intention is to continue her work as a paramedic, enjoy her horse, and help out at the pub! Mark, our other son, is happily settled in Sheffield and will NOT be returning to the village! His youngest started pre school in September. Pam and husband, Roger,

I would like to apologise to the 1961 group, particularly Sue and Suzanne, for missing your news in last year’s magazine. I have no excuse, just a senior moment. Jill Boyd (Editor)

1962 Jo Karl (Harvey) Anne Brown (Cummings) is happy that health-wise, they are generally OK and she had a successful second cataract operation in March. Anne drives to Risborough about every three weeks to visit her mother (95) in her care home. She and Martin are settled in their house in Dorchester, they have had a new en-suite bathroom installed in the house, some 25

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celebrated Pam’s 70th birthday in Devon in March, despite both of them being ill, and later on shared a combined birthday party in the pub with two friends one who was also 70, and the other 65! In September they enjoyed a break in France and were also feeling the benefit of not having to travel to Wycombe any more. They look forward to 2018 in the hope it will be both healthier and happier than 2017!!

Lorraine Grieve (Holgate) sends her very best wishes for good health and happiness to everyone in our year group. They have enjoyed a good year and the family is fit and well. Her son and his family spent Christmas and New Year in New York, and in spite of the cold, enjoyed seeing all the sights and also skating in Central Park. Their daughter took their youngest grandson on a five week trip in the summer to Cambodia, China, Borneo, Malaysia and Japan seeing many favourite places in one trip! “I really enjoyed meeting up with Jo (Harvey), Joanna (Waldron), Christine (Bailey), Pamela (Nye) and Sally Neville (Thursby - 1963 Group) at the Mary Christie Centenary Reunion this year and hearing their news. It is hardly believable that so many years have flown by since we left! Such a lot of effort was made by the staff and pupils to make the day the huge success that it was.

For me, it brought back many good memories, as well as creating new ones as the school is so very different from when we were there! Our really inspirational speaker was Carolyn Fairburn, Director General of the CBI.” Lorraine continues to grow fruit and vegetables on her allotment. She enjoys volunteering in the Allotment shop where she meets other enthusiasts and shares growing tips . “Our U3A French group were delighted to host our French friends from Caen this year. We visited Winchester, and enjoyed a tour of the Cathedral in both languages. Earlier this year, friends and I went to the Himalaya, with a company called Village Ways. We walked between villages, staying in small, purpose built houses, and the ‘committee ‘of local people cooked meals for us, and also encouraged us to learn to cook. We tried a whole variety of foods, all home grown, and I learned to make soups, curry chapatis, and cannabis soup!

Cannabis seeds are edible and we ground them into a paste before making the soup. Our guides were local, and taught us all about the birds, animals and plants while we walked. We learned a Krishna chant, which we sang continually and we were warmly welcomed into local family homes, even joining in a wedding celebration! We saw beautiful starlight skies there, also experienced sunshine, rain, hailstones, snow and thunder storms. It all added up to an amazing trip!”

Lorraine enjoyed even more travelling with a group celebrating a friend’s 80th birthday on a cruise on the Danube in April sailing from Budapest through Hungary and Slovakia, Austria almost to Germany, then back again. Later in the year she and David drove their motorhome (mostly in pouring rain!) along the east coast of Scotland. They plan to return this year and hope to climb Ben Nevis this time. David recently bought a classic car- a Ford Zodiac- so there will be more fun ahead! She continues as a school governor finding it very rewarding to see children with additional needs grow into confident young people.

Jill Dibling (Stromqvist) had a quiet 2017 but remarked that it seemed to fly by! She still volunteers in the mental health field but her best achievement is that she had time to do some more painting. Jill now enjoys doing more abstract “stuff” and it appears that she is not too bad at it as she “shifted” six canvasses last year. (Congratulations, Jill – Jo). That means she has more to spend on paints and can splash out on some other things occasionally. “The family seems to be getting on pretty much OK - I am now mother to a practicing Homeopath, a Forensic Scientist , an Assistant Film Director and a mature Art Student and the grandchildren are getting quite grown-up”.

Joanna Fink (Waldron) made the trip to the Mary Christie Reunion in June – she has an added incentive she says because she returned to teach German at WHS for fourteen years after having been a pupil for seven years. 55 years on the old school friends were few in number, as were her former pupils, but a few of her ex-colleagues (Esme Harrison, Carole Merrett and Joan Harborne (Russell) attended and it was good to catch up with everyone. (Christine Griggs (Bailey) Pam Linsey ( Nye), Lorraine Grieve (Holgate) and Jo Karl (Harvey) from the 1962 Group along with Sally Neville (Thursby) (1963 Group) were in attendance from our “era”). The rest of her year, when Joanna wasn’t at home or with friends in and around Maybole, was mainly family orientated. In March some young German relatives visited, travelling the length and breadth of Ayrshire and beyond and took the ferry across to the Isle of Arran for the day.

One day Joanna joined them and they drove to see beautiful Culzean Castle, in its splendid coastal cliff top setting and “one of the jewels in the National Trust for Scotland’s crown.” From 1945 until his death in 1969 General Dwight D. Eisenhower and his family used the upper floors of Culzean Castle as a holiday home. They also saw Ailsa Craig, with its innumerable gannets, and also a source of granite for innumerable curling stones. In April Joanna visited her grandchildren in Germany. Melissa and Dennis are now both in their late teens – their baby half-brother, Milo was born in May in the Republic of Ireland where son Danny and his second wife Michi now live. In August her sister-in-law died (our condolences, Joanna – Jo), and Joanna went to the funeral which was attended by many friends and family members.

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Christine Griggs (Bailey) wrote to say “2017 was another very busy year, with orchestras in Banbury, Leicester, Nottingham and Warwick, as well as chamber music concerts too. The Reed Warblers Oboe Quartet gave a recital at Chipping Sodbury Music Society in March and played a ‘Tea Concert’ in June in Northampton and in December performed as guests of Northampton Concert Orchestra in “Christmas Music around the World”. Christmas Eve with Coventry Cathedral choir and orchestra was a delightful occasion. Another memorable day was making music with three Bass Oboes, a very rare opportunity! The grandchildren are growing up fast, the eldest in 3rd year at university, the youngest started school, and the other three, (two in England and one in New Zealand) are in secondary school. Alan and I enjoyed a lovely cruise in the Spring on the River Duoro, Portugal, a visit to Croatia in September, and a very quiet week in the south-west Wales countryside. The wonderful Grand Reunion in June at WHS was especially memorable; the ‘Walk in Miss Christie’s footsteps’ and the dinner with some members of 1962 group were highlights of the day.”

amazing scenery, and a flight to Seattle and home from there. The icing on the cake was that he’d booked them to fly first class too. It was truly an amazing way for them to celebrate. Wendy is still in contact with several of our Group and hopes to plans trips to meet up with them this year.

Gill(ian) Sugden (Sleep) shared that her news this year is not very happy as her younger daughter Isabel's husband left her in June. As she and the children were living a couple of miles away from Gillian, in August they moved even closer, and Gillian has been very involved in helping her. “It's nice having them within walking distance (especially as they now have a puppy) but I wish it was in happier circumstances. Otherwise life goes on as usual and my elder daughter and her family are doing well.”

Helen Wharton (Goodchild) says she really has no news this year - just the same as last year- but all is well with the family and they are still traveling. Helen sends her best wishes to the 1962 Group.

Judi Wild (Poholka) notes that 2017 was quite a year!

Very sad in some ways, but also very exciting in regards to her art career. “I lost a number of very special friends in the last year, including my dear sweet mother, who was my greatest fan. She always instilled in me: "no such thing as can't". On the brighter side, I finally finished my latest painting "Spirits of the Great Blue Heron" and celebrated by hosting an art show / reception here at our newly renovated home on Vancouver Island (Canada).” Just seeing the look of appreciation on the guests’ faces made all the hundreds of secluded hours locked away in my art studio worth it the effort. (To see Judi’s work visit her website judiwildartist.com – Jo)

Jenny Johnson (Steel) says 2017 has gone by in a flash! “Our eldest grandson has now passed his driving test and been accepted for University this September. All of them are now at secondary level and two are preparing for GCSE’s while my granddaughter in Texas has only one more year of High School, then off to College. We are very lucky that we are both in good health and still enjoying our retirement in our village in Wiltshire. I am still playing bridge, going along to the book club and garden club and WI. I am on the Village Hall committee organising tea parties and the catering for the local Horse Show, skittles evenings and providing food for the monthly get together. We had a couple of lovely holidays last year in Italy, one on the north shores of Lake Garda with our friends and one on the Amalfi coast, going to Herculaneum for the first time which was fascinating, more so than Pompeii, as so much is still in situ, also to the Isle of Capri.

Unfortunately that coincided with the Reunion in June so I was unable to attend.” Jenny is planning a trip to Spain this May and can’t wait to start gardening again in the Spring.

Barbara Woodhead (Furby) “David and I are both fine, travelling as usual to France for several weeks over the year and this November visiting Berlin, a first for us going as a couple although both of us had been there separately for work purposes many moons ago.

A very impressive city in all respects. In the autumn too we had a great weekend celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary with family and friends. Otherwise our life in London carries on with classes at the City Lit, exhibitions, walking on Hampstead Heath and curling up with a good book might not be that exotic but suits us!”

Wendy Morris (Ellwood) and her husband Ted continue to enjoy retirement with the freedom to do what they like when they like. They celebrated their Golden Wedding in July, (Congratulations to you both – Jo) and Ted managed to plan an Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver B.C. to Anchorage to surprise Wendy! The highlight of the cruise was being up close to the Hubbard Glacier - a wonderful experience. The trip ended with a train journey from Seward to Anchorage,

Now for my own news ...... 2017 has been a year of mixed blessings. At the beginning of the year one of Tom’s brothers passed away after fighting a long battle with cancer and another underwent some serious surgery - this did give us the opportunity though to see many family members whom we don’t see very often and to spend time helping where we could. We continue to enjoy our winters in Phoenix 27

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arriving in early October and staying until after Easter.

Our time is filled with volunteering at a couple of primary schools usually working on classroom prep for various projects or adorning bulletin boards. It’s all a lot of fun and very worthwhile especially as the projects come together. Tom enjoys his time spent with the Knights of Columbus both in Oregon and Phoenix writing newsletters and helping with different family events - picnics, the Christmas pizza party, pancake breakfasts, parish meals - in fact, I enjoy helping with these events too. I continue to sing in an ever growing church choir – it is so fulfilling for me and I am so grateful for the experience. Tom and I try to take advantage of being close to a wonderful dinner theatre where great musicals are performed and this last year enjoyed performances of ‘Man of La Mancha’ and the rock musical ‘Jesus Christ Super Star’.

continues his career as an airline pilot.

Thank you all so much for keeping in touch. Even though we are in Arizona for half the time our mail is sent on to us. If anyone has plans to visit the USA please let us know (via the Guild Administrator) – there is a spare bedroom both in Arizona and the beautiful Oregon coast! Or if you’re just passing through there’s always a possibility we could travel to meet up with you.

In June I made a trip back to the Netherlands and England - the main reason for the visit was to go to the Mary Christie Reunion. I spent time with my Dutch pen pal and her family for a few days before flying to England to stay with more friends and then I headed off to the Reunion. I was hosted by another Old Girl, Margaret Davies. Amazingly we discovered that we had “shared” teachers … Frau Herring, Dr. Numbers and Mrs. Davidson!! It was wonderful to reconnect with old friends that day - Christine Griggs (Bailey), Pam Linsey (Nye), Joanna Fink (Waldron), Lorraine Grieve (Holgate) from our own Group and Sally Neville (Thursby) from the 1963 Group. Esme Harrison (History and English), Carole Merrett (French) and Joan Harborne (Russell) (Music) also attended the Reunion – it was good to spend time with Esme and Carole and Joanna not only then but the following afternoon as well.

2011 Reunion

1963 Jennifer Liebenburg Joyce Goodman The French building project in Brittany that I am doing with a friend (renovating four barns, a house and cultivating a field) continues to progress. During the year I met up with my friend from the Sixth Form, Lynn Michell, who set up Linen Press to publish writing by women. Both Lynn and I have published books separately in the past and are currently collaborating on a commission to write the biography of a woman artist, who is fascinating in her own right but who also has a fascinating family background. More will be revealed about our biography in next year’s news but for the curious you will be able follow progress on the biography and find out about my other publications via my twitter account @joycehisted.

Our youngest daughter, Sam and grandson, Ethan (now 12) visited us and sister Terri for a few days in Arizona, and Terri and youngest granddaughter, Hailey (14) came to stay on the Oregon Coast as did our oldest grandson Eric (26). So you can imagine there was a lot of travelling around to local places of interest. We even “travelled” to our front porch to watch the total solar eclipse! The Oregon coast was in the path of totality. Our other travels involved a short trip into Washington State and a wedding in Pennsylvania (more family to see!).

Ruth Bowler (Davy) 2017 was a year of ups and downs with a few health niggles but at least I can get about better with the new knees and one hip replacement!! I have spent a lot of time looking after an elderly aunt so social activities have been curtailed somewhat!! Holidays were restricted to long weekends away in Wales and Somerset but very enjoyable!

Our adult grandchildren, Eric and Katie (23) decided to move back home (near Washington DC) and are now making plans for more college work – Eric is substitute teaching and will soon begin his Master’s degree in education and Katie hopes to become a dietitian / nutritionist. Meanwhile Mum (oldest daughter, Cathy) still lectures at a local university (leading a short summer course in Milan as well) and Dad (John)

I am still heavily involved in War Memorial research and have recently completed WW1 for Wycombe Marsh. I am now looking at WW2.

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The grandchildren are growing fast, now 14 and 12.

Verity has inherited my love of Nature and wildlife while Ethan (the older) is into karate and keeping fit!!

We are very much involved in their lives, which is wonderful.

my rather rusty Spanish. My second cousin speaks reasonable English, but his wife does not, so we tried our best to make her feel at home. The other big event of the year was my landmark 70th birthday, celebrated in early December with a small party here.

My husband celebrated his in August while we were in Canada.

I keep in touch with Janet Bell (Bowles) who lives in Leicestershire and try to see Maggy Jackson (Giles), Jane Tucker ( Howe) and Ethne Hawkins (Shepherd) at least twice a year.

Some readers may remember I have two sisters who also attended WHS, and this year for the first time in over 50 years we spent Christmas Day together at my home in North Yorkshire. Shirley and Penny and their husbands joined us for lunch when the accompanying photo of the three “Smith” girls was taken.

Gillian Stellatos (Seymour) 2017 was a bad year. It is just a year since we lost my father and I still feel the loss acutely. As I said last year, we are beginning to feel our age - Dionysis turned 80 last July and I shall be 70 this coming July. We have both experienced health problems this year and as a result we have been forced to alter our lifestyle: for me no more trips out on the boat or swims in the sun. It isn't easy to avoid the sun in Cephalonia and I am learning to live with total sunblock, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

After dealing with all the upsetting events I decided I needed some 'time out' on my own, so I took myself off to Krakow for 4 days in November. I put everything aside and indulged myself in the city, its people and its history. I had wanted to visit for years, the weather was kind, I walked for miles and thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from the whole experience. I would thoroughly recommend the Free Walking (Walkative) Tours (with the yellow umbrellas). The young Polish graduates who conduct the tours have extremely good English, are full of enthusiasm, humour and are very knowledgeable.

Sally Neville (Thursby) The death of our mother days before she was due to turn 93 in November is taking me a lot of getting used to but did cause my sister, Jeni, to come to life in my direction before Christmas telephonically and for the cremation which went off extremely well. Disposal of ashes in Bucks is planned for spring of 2018 to join those of our father. Lovely to have our father’s godson and wife, also my niece, Kate, able to be with us for the very quiet funeral in Surrey. Also, I met my nephew-in-law for the first occasion but have yet to be introduced to my great-niece, Isabella, who has now started school. I continue to be overwhelmingly grateful for my relatively modest pension from having worked in the NHS as a chiropodist / podiatrist including dabbling in management. In my retirement I dabble in the current fashion for exploring one’s family history. It persistently amuses me that a great grandfather of my current and third husband was a Canon in the Church of England compared with two of my great grandmothers having the surname of Cannon. In spite of my well known childhood inability at needlework, I go to lacemaking classes where I make progress at an extreme rate of slowness but derive much perverse pleasure in having the

Both children and their families are thriving and Spyros is opening his own car-hire business this summer, so if anyone from Wycombe High School should visit Cephalonia, please look out for 'Just Rent It' and you can be assured of a warm welcome, a reliable car and good prices.

I hope that 2018 may be a better year for us all.

Christine Johnson (Smith) 2017 seems to have flown by. It may be because my husband and I lead such busy lives, travelling to our French home and to family in Canada that sometimes we spent only a week in England before departing on our next trip. This summer we took a few days in Iceland en route to our son in Alberta and were fascinated by the geysers, amazing waterfalls and deep craters and enjoyed a swim in the geothermal Secret Lagoon. We visited the Lava Centre and found out a great deal about the island’s geology. We may well stop off again to see more when the opportunity arises. Another highlight this year was a visit to Britain by some of my Argentine relatives, occasioning a hasty brush up of 29

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opportunity to learn a bit about the work of some of my female ancestors.

over / merger and now works for a conglomerate called Wood Group, but stays doing the same role in IT, thank goodness. Debbie has recently, belatedly, been given recognition for her capabilities and been promoted to IT Manager. Debbie is really settled in this company who specialise in Building Surveys, and her commute from Moulsford to Stokenchurch is far more pleasant than Twyford into Reading

Penny Gerrard (Coysh) 2017 was a year of milestones and new beginnings starting when I turned 70 and was deemed “too old” to be a magistrate any more. Luckily I was able to take on a new job as an Independent Custody Visitor for the Police and Crime Commissioner where age is fortunately irrelevant. (Please see Penny’s article in the original contributions section- ed.) I shared my birthday celebration with Diana Jacobs (Holloway) in San Diego with our respective daughters. My husband Francis and I marked our Golden Wedding in July with a fabulous trip to Eastern Canada and the USA – the highlight of which was a long awaited visit to Washington. Back home we managed to bring our extended family together for a great anniversary party awash with grandchildren and great nephews. The noise! Add to that our daughter and son-in-law’s Silver Wedding, our oldest granddaughter’s Graduation and start of her MSc Course at Lancaster, the second one’s 18th birthday and start at Worcester University and our youngest granddaughter starting school, and you can see it was a very special year. Seven year old Harry was between major milestones, but did achieve Man of the Match in his football team. I continued to work as Church Secretary at the Pastures and have also enjoyed being Chairman of the High Wycombe and District U3A. After so much excitement we were glad to give ourselves a couple of wonderfully relaxing weeks by the sea in Andalucia just soaking up the peace and quiet and are really looking forward to what 2018 brings.

Jane’s grandchildren, Jack and Matty, continue to grow apace! Jack is in Year two now and his reading is progressing so fast he’s almost to the stage expected for the end of Year 2 – not bad for a child with two dyslexic parents! Jack is now a Beaver and enjoys all the activities taking place at their weekly meetings.

He is also showing an interest in science, much to Jane’s delight! Matty is now in full-time Pre-school, much to Lou’s delight, as someone else is having to manage his exceptional energy levels! His report from Parent’s Evening was that he was doing well, understanding all he was told, but – as we knew – his speech was not up to expectations and he may need speech therapy at some point in the future.

Jane and Bob have decided to wait a year before deciding what organisations to join and what volunteering to do in their new surroundings, though they are on the list to become members of the local branch of the U3A, and of course there’s plenty of work to do to establish the new garden!

News of other WHS Guild members The response to requests for news this year has been considerably lower than usual, but I have been in contact with some ‘old girls’ who haven’t submitted news, for instance, Ethne Hawkins (Shepherd). She is well and involved in various activities that allow her to indulge in her particular interests, and of course there are always her grandchildren to visit and be visited by, keeping up with all their pursuits and accomplishments. I (Jen) also hear regularly from Yvonne Bramwell (Hughes) and Pam Collinge (Clark) who are both using their retirement years to explore the world with their respective husbands.

Jane Tucker (Howe) Jane and Bob moved house in October 2017, having lived in Wycombe for decades, and are now settled very comfortably in Chinnor, where they are nearer to their abiding passion – the Chinnor Steam Railway, and have joined St Andrew’s Church. Since then they have added a conservatory onto the bungalow, which is proving a blessing.

Jane also reports on her family. Neal, who had suffered a great deal of stress as a prison officer, resigned from that post and is now happily employed as a school caretaker responsible for maintenance of buildings and grounds. He is virtually his own boss and has much more amenable working hours. Jane says he is much more relaxed, looks far healthier and happier and is generally back to being his old self. She commends Neal’s wife for being so supportive to him throughout the unsettled period. There’s also a future possibility of his role being upgraded to Site Manager.

Jen Liebenberg (Jones) The outstanding feature of 2017-18 has to be my two month sojourn in the Western Cape, South Africa, visiting my three children, three grandchildren and one new greatgrandchild, and celebrating my 70th birthday with family and dear friends from when I lived in the Cape.

My birthday celebration was held in a local restaurant with an excellent buffet for three dozen people.

While in the Cape I was also visited a game reserve, where for the first time I could experience being driven in a 4 x 4, travelling over very rough terrain and seeing dozens of different antelope species, zebra, elephants, and smaller animals. There was also a

Her other son, Graham, has survived yet another take30

lovely few days’ stay in the Southern Cape, by the sea, where we saw literally dozens of dolphins frolicking in the waves, right by the shoreline. It was of course also wonderful to spend uninterrupted time with my daughters, son and grandchildren and to get to know my then 18 month old great-grandson, a bundle of cheerful mischief!

Portmeirion which was amazing. I keep in touch with Clare Walker (Sulston) and have also heard from Christine Dewbury (Elvery), who had recently been to the States to see her first grandchild.”

Mollie Robinson (Clark) retired from work, mainly in the charity sector, a few years ago and has since been occupied with supporting family with 6 grandchildren, helping out at a local Abbey, doing a little pastoraltype work and also managing to pursue some of her own interests. These include reading, gardening, and photography. Molly is a keen visitor of the Hebrides but lives in South Bucks.

Back home in North East Lincolnshire I keep myself fully occupied with church activities and outreach, the Grimsby Folk Club and the U3A and its creative writing group, of which I’m a keen member. I’ve also joined the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and we’re very blessed to have Donna Nook within driving distance, where this year 2000 seal pups were born – a record birth rate! Life is never dull.

Lynne Russell (Thelwell) says “2017 was a year of happy change for me. My daughter, Janie, gave birth to Edward Alexander (Ted) in June, a baby brother for George who was 21 months at the time. Before the birth, I spent time with my son, Nic, in London.

Throughout the year Nic visits on family occasions, but it is always fun and enjoyable just to spend time with him and his partner, Monika. We saw a London show and visited the usual sights, museums and galleries. I cut down on my voluntary work resigning from the Church Committee, from organising the Church Coffee Mornings and from organising the Church 100 Club. I also had an early holiday on the South Coast, catching up with family and friends.” “After Ted's birth I gave my time to Janie and her family. Two babies under two bring joy and delight, and, as they are on different regimens, they also demand the full time attention of a lot of carers. Babies are not babies for very long, and I was not going to waste the opportunity of spending as much time as possible with them, before they become interested in football and play dates. I am thoroughly enjoying being a grandma and being involved with my dearest grandsons.” Lynne’s toddler grandson, George “helped” decorate the Christmas tree and Lynne gradually “adjusted” his decorations afterwards! Shortly after Ted's birth Lynne suffered a torn retina but thankfully this was treated successfully using lasers. She was happy that treatment was not as complicated as the detached retina she had in 2003. In October many friends and family members came to stay for a weekend to celebrate her sister Jane's 60th birthday. “I greet 2018 enjoying my dearest grandsons, with my eyes intact and sight back to normal. My voluntary work is much less than it was, although not organising it, I am still on the Church Coffee Rota, the Church Flower Rota, and I am still a School Governor. 2018 is also my 70th, there are treats planned throughout the year, should be fun.”

1964 Jo Karl (Harvey) Happy 70th to all who are celebrating in 2018!! (and belated wishes to those who already celebrated in 2017!)

Lynda Arnold (Parker) noted “many of my family celebrated “milestone” birthdays – granddaughter Georgina (18), daughter-in-law Carolyn (40), eldest daughter Angie (50) and I was 70! Our children threw me a surprise party and lots of family and friends turned up including Pat Woods (Cheese) and her husband Chris from Gloucestershire! It was a lovely sunny afternoon and the only downside was I felt I couldn’t spend enough time with everyone. Hopefully 2018 will be a good year - we have another grandchild on the way and due in June which will bring our total up to 6!

Chris(tine) Dewbury (Elvery)’s big news is that she is a Granny for the first time. Her daughter and Japanese husband who live in California had a baby boy in August and came to visit Chris at Christmastime. She is hoping to see them again in the Spring, either in Japan or California saying that either is a long way to go but well worth it. Chris remains in touch with three other WHS old girls (all in the 1964 group): Diana Phillips (now O’Reilly), Pat Cheese (now Woods) and Vivienne O’Carroll and in April they plan to meet in Liverpool for their annual reunion.

Margaret Pike (Rosier) took her usual trip to Italy to see her daughter Alison. They swam in a cave with light coming through the top and then visited the delightful fishing port of Trani. Margaret also enjoyed some good weather while on a wonderful walking holiday with a friend in the Yorkshire Dales. “My brother has moved to Shropshire and my son and I visited back in September. One day we went to

Mary Watkins (Hewison) and her husband Dave downsized in 2014 and moved from their cottage in Marsh Gibbon where they lived for 35 years to Thame.

They now have a 10 minute walk to the varied shops and a very regular bus service to Aylesbury, High 31

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Wycombe and Oxford which will come in handy in years to come. “We lead quite a quiet life, mainly dividing our time between our 3 children and their partners and our 7 grandchildren. We enjoy walking, gardening, reading and caravanning. Last year we spent 5 weeks touring Scotland and had shorter trips to South Wales and Dorset. We also spent 2 weeks in Marbella. Dave has joined 2 local badminton groups and I go to a hand sewing group where we mainly make quilts. We also belong to a classic car club, meeting up at least once a month and have a trip away in September each year. As well as visiting various places in the UK, we have taken our cars to Southern Ireland and the Black Forest.”

Vanessa Douglas-Green (Coombes)

Rosemary Wigmore (Hewitt) wrote , “I had my 70th just before Christmas and Charles, my husband, and I had a lovely short cruise on the Rhine to celebrate, following a family party. Then after getting home we had to get ready for the family again for Christmas and New Year.” They are preparing for a trip to Norway at the end of March this year and hope to see the Northern Lights. Rosemary plans to send more news for next year’s magazine.

Choir in 1965 Julia Forbes-Leith (formerly Lambert) (née Slow I’m now librarian for our local beekeepers’ association, which I’ve been told has the best (bee) library in the North West. I will have to remember the skills I gained during my Sixth Form experience helping In the school library. I’m also volunteering for Beanstalk, a charity which provides one-to-one support, through schools and pre-school groups, for readers and would-be readers who are falling behind with their skills. I would urge any WHS alumni with a few hours to spare to see if they can help with this rewarding work. No teaching skills required!

Patricia (Pat) Woods (Cheese) responded to a letter I sent out and says that she, Christine Dewbury (Elvery), Diana Phillips and Vivian O’ Carroll meet up at their own little Reunion every year and this year are planning to explore Liverpool. She and her husband, Chris, moved to Gloucestershire in 1982 when he was posted to the area as Senior Engineer with the Red Arrows. Their eldest daughter lives in Yorkshire and is a consultant anaesthetist in the army and daughter, Jo (a barrister) lives close by with her husband and two sons. Jo’s husband is in the Navy and Pat enjoyed holidays with them when they had a 2 year posting to Rhode Island (USA). Pat’s third daughter (a GP) and husband live in London and is currently on maternity leave after their son, Luke was born last year. Pat’s husband, Chris, is fully retired and says that village life keeps them busy. They were about to take a cruise along the Norwegian Coast hoping to see the Northern Lights. (Amazingly my mum actually taught Pat at Gordon Road Infant School in High Wycombe in the early 50’s! It’s a small world! - Jo).

Liz Taylor (née Highley) This year is galloping by, Feb already! I must start thinking about my allotment. I did some gardening at home yesterday, and my legs are aching. I hate getting old! Still, if you don't use it, you lose it, right? Most mornings I walk about 1.5 miles to get my newspaper, then at least I know I've had some exercise but later on I usually walk in the opposite direction to do some shopping.

We go to the flat as often as we can. We're having a new bathroom installed next week, so we're off there. Don't want to be at home with all the mess! I didn't manage to meet up with Margie Morbey (Fowler) last year, but hope to do so this year. Pam Read (Robins) paid us a visit from South Africa last summer. They're hoping to come back to good old Blighty this year, after being there for 30 odd years, so hopefully we'll see more of them. It was great meeting up with Vanessa, Julia and Mary again.

From Jo ..... I thank all of you who are helping put the 1964 Group “back on the map” after a few years of being missing in the Guild Mag. If any of you have contact with other members of the Group, please encourage them to join in participating and ask them to e-mail the Guild Administrator who will pass the message onto me.

Last year I visited Miss Brown (Music), who was a resident in the care home near me. I'm not sure she remembered me, but we had a good conversation about the old days! I now gather she's been moved to another care home which can better cater for her needs. Apart from grey hair, she looked hardly any different to when she taught me!

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The grandchildren are growing up fast. Jessica (9) Millie (5) and Jack (3). They keep us constantly amused, especially Millie, who is such a little diva. I have to stop myself from howling with laughter at some of the things she does and says, as she says them in all innocence. It would be lovely if they could stay like that for a little longer! Luckily, none of them have phones...yet!

Anne Shakeshaft (Pearson) Life here has been quite hectic. We are trying to organise another tour of the play ‘Defender of the Dead’ in Hampshire. Of course, with cuts in Arts Council funding and funding for local councils it's quite a challenge! Perhaps I should retire ... but I don't feel like folding up my director's chair (or writer's pen) yet!

When I'm not trying to get a show on the road Derek and I have fun entertaining friends and family down by the sea. We've also acquired a new cat - Mr. Marmalade - a splendid ginger ex-tom - who rules us with a paw of iron. I also sew cross-stitch birth samplers for the younger members of our extended family! (Quite a few lately - the younger friends we have are doing their best to help the population explosion!)

My mum celebrated her 90th Birthday recently (and we celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary - I was a late starter!) My mother still lives in High Wycombe so we return there every four weeks.

Mary Cadman (Herman) I am pleased that John’s health has held up so we have managed to go on several good holidays in the last year including many in our new camper van. We spent a happy week with two of our grandchildren in Devon and then went straight on to Austria (Devon and Austria - that well-known two - Centre holiday!)

We also went to France and Italy in the camper van as well as various UK destinations, and then Cyprus and Seville by air. Seville is a magical city, especially in January without the excessive heat and crowds. We had a hard week’s fell walking in the Lake District with two daughters and their husbands and it is so wonderful to go away with our “children” as friends and have a happy time together.

John and I continue to play Bridge competitively together, and I am pleased Chalfont Wind Band where I play my clarinet is going from strength to strength under our excellent Grenadier Guards musical director, Dwight. I continue to support bereaved families through The Lullaby Trust and also volunteer with Child Bereavement UK - anything I can do to help other families suffering from the loss of a child is worthwhile for me. We look forward to a good year in 2018 with more trips abroad and a more settled family environment as our divorced daughters come to terms with bringing up all our six grandchildren on their own.

Vanessa Douglas-Green (Coombes I was very happy when both my sons announced their engagements. Jonathan and Hannah are to marry in April, Dominic and Joanne have yet to announce a date. My activities were cut short when I slipped in the shower in March and damaged my knee. I was shocked to discover it was arthritis as well as meniscus tear. I went ahead with a half knee replacement in October and am getting stronger each week. As a result, holidays were a bit closer to home. I enjoyed Bruges, Ladies Final Day at Wimbledon and supporting Jonathan at the British Transplant Games in North Lanarkshire. My sister, Cecilia (1967 Group), continue to enjoy trips to the Theatre Royal in Bath.

In October, Julia Forbes-Leith (formerly Lambert) (Slow), Liz Taylor (Highley), Mary Cadman (Herman) and I had another mini reunion by meeting for lunch in Maidenhead. We chatted for three hours and plan to do the same in May, hoping that some more of our year will join us, just let me know if you are interested.

Judy Palmer (Barlow) I am still enjoying retirement and busy with grandchildren. Our son has returned to the UK with his family so it's lovely to be able to visit without getting on a boat or plane, he's living near Reading so may even go to Wycombe one day. Our daughter and family live in Staffordshire so everyone is within easy distance of one another.

We made the rash decision to build over our garage and started the process in February 2017, because of planning and our council's insistence on bat surveys for everyone, building only started in November! So of course we had the heaviest December snowfall for years followed by various named storms with terrible winds, I shall never mock Grand Designs again.

We still meet up with Sue Young (Barrett) and her husband, they now live on the edge of the Forest of Dean which is fabulous for walks and checking out pubs for lunch!

2011 Reunion

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me as she has gone into residential care within walking distance of my house. She reached 100 years in December and although frail is remarkably compus mentis. My only WHS friend, Louise Giles (Knox), has moved from Cornwall to Southampton so we are now within 30 miles of each other which is wonderful. Having told my long-time boss that I would finally give up work in June, he persuaded me to continue so I still do administrative tasks, although from home and on a very part-time basis. He’s older than I am so I’m not sure how much longer he aims to carry on! My family are all well and I had a lovely trip to Madrid last May with my younger daughter. My son and his partner have just bought a studio flat in the French Pyrenees to I’m looking forward to seeing that this summer. Life is good and I hope that you are all well and happy.

Hilary Moore (Evans) We still live in Derbyshire and are using the motor home extensively both at home and on the Continent. We spent a nostalgic 3.5 weeks last year entering France via Caen and exiting via Santander in Spain visiting some of our favourite areas en route. We visited the Loire, Dordogne, Millau, Biarritz and Donastia – San Sebastian on the way, doing some walking, canoeing, cycling and eating. In England we travelled from Northumberland to Dorset and Wales to Norfolk. Winter breaks are spent in the Canaries to top up with vitamin D. We certainly have no time for work; although we still do some exam marking to keep the brain in gear. We have four healthy grandchildren ranging in age from 10 to 15, who all live locally so we see them frequently. We never get back to Bucks.

Janet Paterson (Pearson) Exciting family landmarks in 2017 – greeting a new grandson in January and my eldest grandson gaining enough marks to be awarded a grammar school place for September 2018. We had several memorable and varied holidays in Costa Rica and Panama, The Greek island of Skyros plus short breaks in Devon and Norfolk. We spent Christmas in Allasio on the Italian Riviera. I was invited to become involved in a new gardening project at a residential home for severely handicapped adults in Chesham.

There are 23 residents, all wheel chair bound and the majority suffer from cerebral palsy. In spite of their many difficulties they are fun to be with and achieved quite a lot in their garden last Summer. The project is giving me enormous pleasure too. I met up with Gill Sears and Janet Mead at the school reunion in the Summer and the Ladies that Lunch met again in the Autumn. It was good to catch up with Christine Duggin, Christine Goodearl, Janet Mead, Janis Mould, Linda Spicer, Gill Sears, and Jacki Stoker.

Margaret Payne (Moore) I’m afraid I have very little news this year. Geoff and I remain well and spend our time dashing around the UK to visit our daughter and

Shelagh Williams (Monaghan)

Judith Barton (Loten) Life goes on here in Southampton and I’m still busy filling my time with dancing, Brownies and volunteering at the local library. I also do a lot of knitting and crocheting for the local maternity unit. Last April I went on an escorted tour to Canada. I was very surprised to be the only ‘Brit’ on the tour, most people were Australians with a few from the USA, New Zealand and Singapore, but they were all very friendly and I really enjoyed myself. The scenery was stunning and there was plenty of snow around so I ended up demonstrating how to make large snowballs, as some of them had never seen that much snow. In August I went on a Mediterranean cruise visiting Corfu, Croatia and Venice. I’d like to go back and visit Venice again when it’s not so hot and full of tourists. Having the family nearby means that, when I do any baking, there are plenty of people around to help me eat the cakes I make!

Janet Dowlman (Mead) 2017 was a fairly uneventful year for me. In May I went on a trip to Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the bulb fields with a friend. We enjoyed cruising down the river even though the weather wasn’t too good. Later in the Summer I took my son and four of my grandchildren to West Bay in Dorset, which was great fun. In October I met some of the ladies from my class in West Wycombe for a meal.

It is really good to keep in touch after all these years and we are determined to continue having an annual reunion. I am still working full time, but have definitely decided to retire next year. I feel ready for it now, particularly as battling through the traffic gets harder each day.

Louise Giles (Knox) I have just received the Guild Newsletter from 2 houses ago!

I don’t know if you heard that Maureen Simpson (Dickie/Calver) from our group sadly died in November 2016? Katrina Huertas (Houghton)) and I went to see her in hospital just a few days before she died – what timing! We had a good visit and really made her laugh! I was lucky enough to do the eulogy at her funeral….Katrina is now living in Chichester , which means that we can now meet up on a regular basis!

Katrina Huertas (Houghton) I have now been in Chichester for a year, after 35 years in Woking. A great move and I’m thoroughly enjoying city life as well as the beautiful Downs and nearby coast. What’s not to like? Not knowing anyone I have joined the U3A and am now in a regular book group and rambling group. I’ve found a church within walking distance which suits my tastes and also enjoy the cathedral’s musical offerings. I brought my aunt with 34

family in Aberdeen plus our son and family in Durham.

We now have an additional granddaughter as our son and his wife had another daughter, Beatrice, in August. They now have five children and our daughter and her husband have two. It is a very uneven split with six granddaughters and one grandson.

Jenny Smith (Russell) I still enjoy my Thursday walks with three friends, always incorporating a good cafe or a pub for lunch of course! On two occasions, instead of walking, we chose to go to the cinema and saw “United Kingdom” about Seretse Khama and “Victoria & Abdul” both of which I would recommend.

I have also been on several coach trips to events such as The Hampton Court Flower Show, The National Memorial Arboretum and Blenheim for the Christmas Light Trail. I have been trying my best with the garden again and was especially pleased with the sweet peas, which continued to flower for about eight weeks. The fruit trees produced hardly any plums, but there was a plentiful supply of Bramley apples and, much to my delight, four beautiful peaches appeared on our tree.

My friends finally managed to persuade me to have a mobile phone and, as one of them was acquiring a new one, she gave me her old one. I have to admit that I do find it useful for sending and receiving texts and photos, but do not intend to invest in a smart phone. However, who knows what I may try next?

Linda Stewart (Sandford) Another year has gone by and not very much to report unfortunately. We managed a short break to the Forest of Dean in April – the carpets of bluebells were beautiful and we had a lovely time there. Alan has been in poor health for much of the year and has spent some time in hospital followed by numerous outpatient appointments. He has seen a variety of consultants, who all agree that he is unwell , but no-one can come up with a diagnosis. He is on medication now which is helping considerably, but we have more appointments pending and are desperately hoping for some firm results and good news. We have been invited to spend 3 weeks in Canada this summer; staying with my relatives in different parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan. They have planned a big family reunion at one of the ranches which I would dearly love to attend as, at the last count, I have over 100 relatives out there most of whom I have not met. We would also be there for the Calgary Stampede which could be fun. Whether we get there or not depends entirely on Alan’s health. I hope that by this time next year I will be able to write a report on our amazing Canadian adventure!

much of them as we would like. However we enjoyed several short visits and a family holiday in south Cornwall which was great fun. We had a super city break to Seville at the beginning of February. The trees lining the streets were laden with oranges, tourist numbers were low and the sunny, cool days were great for exploring the sights. In June we took a Baltic cruise, visiting eight countries in total, so an easy way to see so many varied and wonderful places, albeit briefly. The weather was warm and sunny with calm seas (thankfully!) throughout, except when docked in St Petersburg where we endured monsoon rain, brisk winds and temperatures no higher than 13C, whilst the UK was sweltering in 35C heat! Still we were not there to sunbathe and you do not want heat when you are walking through museums. I think the highlight had to be the breathtaking Fabergé collection. At home there is always a lot going on with interesting talks, walks and courses. I continue with Pilates and run a ‘Culture Club’ for a local ladies’ group. This includes an outing each month for the group to see a ballet, play, an opera or a classical concert. We helped my Mother –in- law move from Oxford into an assisted living development very close to us. In spite of being knocked over by a reversing car about 18 months ago, she is just fine, a bit slow with walking and no signs of dementia for which we are very grateful. We are now thinking about plans for her 95th birthday. Her sister is 97, but maybe these great ages are not so unusual these days. I enjoy reading everyone’s news each year and hope to meet up again soon with friends from our year group.

Kathryn Walker (Ware) On the family front our eldest daughter Jenny is getting married this year to partner Ed, but they haven’t set a date. Their son, William aged 7, has Type 1 diabetes, but is doing well.

Our son Simon’s wife Paula was given a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis at New Year, which was a great shock to all the family. She has three young children, but is being strong and positive. We have our fingers firmly crossed that it is not the aggressive variety and so far she has reasonably mild symptoms and is able to work. Our middle daughter Alison doing well and has embarked on an Open University degree course.

Barrie and I keep well and have just returned from a holiday in India. We travelled by train from Delhi to Mumbai stopping off daily at different cities / towns such as Agra, Jaipur etc to see the Taj Mahal and other wonderful sights. We also went on a safari and were lucky enough to see a tiger. 2017 was a sad one for me as I lost my mother aged 93 in May and my father aged 91 in December. I feel very privileged to have had them around for so long. Another sad moment was when the Family home in Hazlemere for 60 plus years was sold – so many memories. I continue to

Doreen Vine-Chatterton (Russell 2017 was a busy year. My grandson is now 16 months old and keeping everyone on their toes. As my son and family live in southern Ireland we do not see as 35

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keep in touch with Marilyn Collins (Ryall), we have been friends since starting at the High School in September 1961. I still enjoy living in the Lake District, which is now a UNESCO world heritage site ( and rightly so) and am looking forward to the gardening season. Whilst I know gardening is an all year round occupation, I cannot get into mine during the winter months unless I wear waders!!! Hopefully the water levels will recede soon and the mud will dry. Spring though is very much in evidence with the arrival of the beautiful snowdrops. They thrive here in Cumbria in gardens, woodland, roadside verges etc.

However, these have now decreased to a more manageable level and we are able to spend longer in the mountains. We also managed a brief trip to Rome in June and visited Sicily again in late October. We enjoy exploring different parts of the island as well as visiting Stephen’s parents-in-law in beautiful Taormina. Stephen has recently taken up a new position with the Legal Department at Barclays International in London. He is not a great fan of Canary Wharf, but does admit that during the Summer months it will be rather pleasant to travel by river and walk the remaining 15 minutes or so to his office. Philip is now living in Germany where he works for the Boston Consulting Group. He and his girlfriend, Simone, are based in Frankfurt, but both spend most weeks travelling as she too is a management consultant. Apart from reading and gardening, which are my main interests, I am hoping to join a local choir this year and a pilates class has also been added to my “to do” list. Doreen, Sue Jellis (Grafton) and I are currently planning to meet up for lunch in London in March and I am quite certain that catching up will take some considerable time! I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and healthy 2018 and I look forward to reading about your exploits again next year..

Gill Wilkinson (Sears) Rex and I are still enjoying every day of retirement together. We are looking forward to celebrating 48 years of marriage this year on my 69th Birthday in November – still in the only house we have ever lived in, a bungalow bought for £5,000 in 1969. Our best news in 2017 was the birth of our first great grandchild, born a few weeks early in October. He is a beautiful mixed-race little boy (Mum is from Jamaica) and his name is Phoenix. Rex and I are full of admiration for two 19 year olds bringing home a 4lb 11oz baby and making a brilliant job of being parents. They live in their own flat and have asked for very little help from anyone (although there have been plenty of offers). It has shown me never to underestimate the young and reinforced what we always knew that all a baby needs is to be warm, clean, fed, wanted and loved. While we don’t mind being great grandparents, it doesn’t seem right that our son (48) is a granddad! Where have all the years gone? We are equally proud of our eldest granddaughter Kayley, now 18, who last year secured an engineering apprenticeship with BMW Sytner in Slough. She is the only girl in the workshops “on the spanners” and covers the theory part of her training at the BMW Academy in Reading. On residential courses, if she is the only girl, she gets a room to herself while all the boys share dormitories. However, if there is another female from a different area there they share a room. Let’s hope it soon won’t be unusual for a female to be in what used to be a “Man’s World”.

1967 1967 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Shelagh Williams (Monaghan) I have enjoyed taking up the reins again this year with some much appreciated help from Doreen. It is so interesting to read your news and hear about your families, travels, new interests and, in some cases, house moves. Nigel is progressing well – apart from not taking enough exercise – under the watchful eyes of Harefield Hospital and the local GP. After a five month break from September 2016 to February 2017, we managed to resume visiting our flat in the Austrian Tirol. Initially these visits were shorter than usual due to Nigel’s frequent medical appointments in the UK.

Tom sawyer 1967

1968 Anne Greatorex (True): Anne Greatorex (True) - In 2017 we managed to do a few good holidays, including India, Spain (Andalucia), Cuba, a city break to Copenhagen, our usual jaunt to Turkey, plus a visit to my brother in Switzerland. The arrival of granddaughter Madeleine Rose in June has been a source of great delight! We still work part time managing our student properties, and I'm 36

involved with the WI and their various activities. I had another go at learning to play the piano - not got very far, but my ambition is to play some Christmas songs to Madeleine this December! No holidays booked for this year, as husband Jeff is waiting to hear a date for his hip replacement. I will be looking after Maddie one day a week when Lauren returns to work - a whole day just playing!

base of snow still exists and has survived some torrential episodes of rain. This caused severe chaos and disruption with landslides, flooding and trees down. Local villages were evacuated, roads closed and most ski lifts closed. Please pass on my love and best wishes to all ‘the gang’.

Susan Deaney (Sherwood) continues to enjoy her grandson Thomas, and has celebrated the arrival of secnd grandson, Max.

I have met up during the year with Liz Pickworth, Susan Deaney, Viv Owen and Suzanne Foster at various theatre events, mostly Shakespeare plays at the Globe theatre in London. Always enjoyable, especially as we usually manage to have a meal and good chat together.

1969 1969 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Vivienne Owen I enjoyed a visit to Lille in France, an ideal city for a short break. The highlight of the trip was a visit to a museum in nearby Roubaix called La Piscine. It used to be a swimming pool and they've retained most of the features of the original building, which is in the Art Deco style. It's a really lovely setting for the statues and paintings on display. It is easy to get to from Lille, as it's on the metro.

Liz Pickworth (Hopkins) My contribution for WHS Guild is much the same as last year i.e. still enjoying my voluntary work with Ashby de la Zouch Agricultural Society and North West Leicestershire NFU Ladies Group and of course, horse riding.

Barbarina 1969

Travel wise 2017 was an exciting year for me. I went to Norway, spent a week horse riding in the Pyrenees, travelled back home in style from New York on the Queen Mary 2 and spent nearly a month in Australia and Dubai.

1970 1970 Group is without a leader. . If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Suzanne Foster (Sworder) We only made Peru and Spain oh, and a weekend in East Anglia! (Suzanne also spends two days a week having fun and playtime with her granddaughters.)

1971 1971 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Debbie Day (Sing) We are hoping to go to India in August - a big adventure for us - as we are going with friends who have been going for years and plan lots of non-tourist things in the southern third of this vast country.

In 2017 we enjoyed our summer potter around the NE rivers and canals of France, with the weather being 100% better than last year. We laid the boat up again at the end of July and returned to Taninges for a fabulous 3 weeks of walking where we normally ski. It is amazing to discover that one of our favourite runs is actually a golf course in the summer!

2008 Reunion

Now we are back in the French Alps. It has been another strange winter with a very good snow fall at the end of November which gave us excellent skiing when our local ski resorts opened early. This good 37

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anniversary for a meeting on 28 April to which we have invited Leslie Webster, former senior keeper of the Anglo-Saxon and Viking Collections in the British Museum. Her talk will be on "Buckinghamshire's Saxon Prince: the burial at Taplow". It would be great to see any local WHS alumnae at our Society events which include Open Days at Pann Mill on the corner of the Rye - Wycombe Sound radio are planning to do a full-day outside broadcast from the Mill at our Open Day on 13 May 2018 - details of all our events can be found at www.highwycombesociety.org.uk.

1972 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1973 Deb Kellie (O’Connell) Jackie Kay jackiehkay@aol.com While officially "retired" from paid work, I have continued in my local voluntary roles as Chairman and Newsletter Editor of the High Wycombe Society. As a result, I get many diverse invitations to participate in events and activities in High Wycombe.

Locally-based alumnae may also be interested to know that I am chair of the committee which underpins a relatively new venture - now in its third year, Sunday Assembly High Wycombe is a secular congregation that celebrates life - its motto "live better, help often, wonder more" - we hold our meetings at Wycombe Museum at 11 a.m. on the second Sunday of every month. All are welcome to come along - to join in songs, listen to guest speakers and take part - meetings adjourn to the museum cafĂŠ for refreshments and often quite lively discussions afterwards.

Jane Jee (Hazlewood) After gaining a law degree and qualifying as a barrister, Jane gained broad experience in card-based, e-money, internet and mobile payments having worked in commercial (marketing) and legal roles in the sector for over 30 years.

A highlight for me in 2017 was being present in the High Street in the very early hours one Saturday morning when the Red Lion statue was returned to its portico after restoration and at the formal unveiling the next day. This was the culmination of an eighteen -month project and campaign which began when I wrote to the press about its condition in December 2015.

Another highlight of the year was the launch of a WWI heritage trail in the form of an app (www.wycombetrails.org) which was the end-result of a collaborative project involving Wycombe District Council (WDC), Bucks New University and a number of volunteers - I researched and wrote quite a lot of the script and helped on filming days. [Jill Boyd tells me that there will be a separate write-up of this in another part of the magazine. The co-ordinator at WDC was a WHS alumna, and a current pupil also played the part of a school pupil of the time.]

Jane was Managing Director at Access, the credit card issuing and acquiring organisation, and later became Divisional Manager at Mondex International where she became familiar with e-money regulation.

2018 is a special year for the High Wycombe Society as it was in the Autumn of 1968 after months of speculation that a formal meeting was held in the Guildhall to discuss the formation of the Society. As part of our Golden Anniversary programme we are planning to hold an event at Wycombe Abbey in the Summer (tickets will be on sale to the public). Before that, we are joining with the Bucks Archaeological Society who are also celebrating a significant

Jane has undertaken a broad range of legal and compliance work for a wide variety of companies including internet payment gateways (WorldPay and UC Group), mobile phone payment companies, emoney issuers, pre-paid card companies and money transmitters.

38

1978

In 2014 Jane obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Governance, Risk and Compliance from the International Compliance Association (ICA) and is a Fellow of the ICA. Jane now teaches post-graduate students about regulatory developments and the increasing use of technology in the field of payments and compliance.

1978 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1979

Jane is has been CEO at Kompli-Global Limited since 2016 and regularly speaks at conferences on antimoney laundering legislation affecting financial institutions and other regulated entities as well as the benefits which RegTech can bring in reducing costs and increasing efficiency of the compliance function.

1979 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1980 1980 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Jane passonately believes that good compliance makes good business sense. A thorough knowledge of your customer enables you to retain their business and potentially better target your offerings.

I974 1974 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk Savita Kalhan I went to Wycombe High from 1974 to 1982, and then went to Uni in Wales. I'd love to share my news - my second book for teens / young adults, ‘The Girl in the Broken Mirror’, will be published on 1 May by Troika Books.

1975 1975 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1976

Here is a little about the book -

Sian Hodges (Morris)

Jay’s creative writing exercise is to write a fairy tale, to end with ‘they lived happily ever after’.

But the way her life is panning out she’s not sure it will ever reach that stage. She and her mother are moving in with distant relatives, and they have super strict rules for girls. Jay is expected to have only Indian friends, if she has any at all.

How can she see her school friends, Chloe and Matt?

1977 Linda Dubber (Hill)

Debbie Pearson Hilary Hancock (Williams), Lindsay Pirie, Michelle Spencer (Hatfield) and Debbie Pearson, all of 5G 1977, spent 5 days in Spain last September. Hil lives in Cornwall, Lindsay in London, Michelle in Marlow and Debbie in Southampton, so we don’t see each other as often as we would like. It was fun to enjoy great food and wine together in the sunshine.

We’re hoping to go to The Isle of Wight later this year.

But this is only the beginning of a nightmare for Jay. When her life implodes, how can she hide the shame - and how will she find a way to keep going?

‘The Girl n the Broken Mirror’ is ultimately about hope and understanding, and where help can be found – even in the darkest situation.

‘Captivating new book from Kalhan explores one young girl’s coming of age and negotiation between cultures’ - BUZZFEED

39

Subject

1989

‘The honesty in ‘The Girl in the Broken Mirror’ was very refreshing, and very hardhitting, which is much needed.

Jay is a wonderfully welldrawn character with an engaging voice… Harrowing and touching.' BALI RAI

1989 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1990 1990 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1991

1981

1991 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1981 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Mary Deaves (May) and Vera May (Flitney)

1982

Life in Swindon remains busy. I continue in my role at Bible Society, my husband still works for Great Western Railway, and our son is now seven months into his accounting apprenticeship. I regularly make trips to Buckinghamshire - but now to Booker, where my parents moved last year. Dad is in a flat next door to the dementia care home where mum is. Neither of them are in the best of health (mind or body). But on a good day mum still remembers her days at Wycombe High!

1982 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1983 1983 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk .

1984 1984 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1985 Louise Grafton-Mitchell (Grafton)

1986

1992

1986 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Catherine Aouchiche (Sharp) Nicki Gray After A Levels I was offered a place at both Sussex University and University College London.

It was Mr Merrick (Deputy Head) who encouraged me to go to UCL, he told me that I had the academic capabilities to do the course there.

1987 Katy Kelly lighthouselady22@gmail.com

1988 1988 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

40

After graduation I worked in London at Cancer Research UK where I was investigating the genetic basis of prostate cancer. Whilst there I developed an interest in bioinformatics and moved to Oxford to work for the Oxford University Bioinformatics Centre.

Now I am a bioinformatician based at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine where I am involved in various research. My main focus is aiming to understand how mature blood cells are normally made from stem cells and how this is perturbed in common blood disorders. My role also includes teaching and training Institute staff in Bioinformatics and I also tutor Oxford University undergraduate students. I still live in High Wycombe, finding it an ideal location between Oxford and London. (We are very grateful to Nicki who spoke at our Inspirational Women Evening).

Rachel Aston When I left school, I surprised myself by taking a year out. I temped for a few months at a telecoms firm in Wycombe, and then worked as a livein volunteer at a hostel for homeless people in Cambridge for 7 months. I then went to the University of Essex to study politics. I didn’t know Essex University existed until I went to the University Fair in London. I got talking to the students on the Essex University stall and they told me about its excellent reputation for politics, so I went to an open day at the campus and knew it was the right place for me. After graduation I worked for a couple of years, and then decided to go back to university to do a Masters degree in international relations, at the University of Leeds. I selected Leeds by looking at the different courses in university prospectuses, starting in the very South of the country and working my way North.

Leeds was the first course that really appealed. I'm now a political lobbyist, currently working for an international disability charity. My job is to influence the UK government to ensure that in its international policy negotiations and through the aid and development programmes, people with disabilities are included in all aspects of life. Between my degrees and for a while after my Masters I worked for a number of youth and housing organisations providing frontline support. (We are very grateful to Rachel who spoke at our Inspirational Women Evening).

1993 1993 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk Jen Taylor went to Birmingham to read Geology, far enough away she saya, but not too far, easy to get back by train. It is an excellent campus and department, and a great city. She worked for a long time as an Environmental Health Officer in East London, for the past 2.5 years as Environmental Consultant, managing the impacts of road and rail projects. Currently, she is the Principal Environmentalist at Amey plc, a leading supplier of consulting and infrastructure support services both in the UK and internationally. (We are very grateful to Jen who spoke at our Inspirational Women Evening).

1997

1994

1997 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1994 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1998

1995

1998 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1995 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1999 1999 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

1996 Jo Anthony 41

Subject Rebecca Lowe

There are so many STEM options out there and I want young women to be aware of what they can achieve whether that's in the research and development of new products / techniques or the application of their knowledge. By studying science, I thought my path was laid out for me - research or lab work. Although what I do now is not explicitly scientific day to day, I am using analytical thinking and applying core scientific knowledge I gained whilst studying science.

Katrina Penman

After school I took a gap year, spending the first few months earning money in a Rover 75 car factory and the final nine months at a private school in Dallas, Texas, as part of a scholarship exchange scheme by the English Speaking Union. It was a fascinating, surreal cultural experience, during which I had the privilege of experiencing the oil rich Texan haute monde at close quarters and learning about the enduring importance of free soda refills, BBQ brisket and cup holders.

I read English literature at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. I chose the university because of its reputation and the college because it had the cheapest student bar. Both transpired to be good decisions.

This year we are touring the production "El JardĂ­n Musical" with the Teloncillo theatre company, which premiered one year ago and for which I am the writer and music director. Currently touring in Madrid, northern and central Spain. In addition to this I write and perform programmes of music for early years at the Auditorium in Valladolid and I write for and teach on the music outreach programme "In Crescendo" based at this auditorium. El JardĂ­n Musical

I am now working as a freelance journalist and writer in London, specialising in human rights and the Middle East. (We are very grateful to Rebecca who spoke at our Inspirational Women Evening).

Helen Ramsbottom

2000 2000 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

2001 2001 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

I am a forensic examiner for Metropolitan police - I work in the lab which services the whole of the Met, mainly working in serious violent crimes. After school I went on to study a BSc in natural sciences at Bath and an MSc in crime and forensic science at UCL. I recently saw 'She Started It', a documentary on women and tech start-ups in Silicon Valley. A Q&A after the screening, with successful women in business, motivated me to get more involved in STEM.

2002 2002 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

2003 2003 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk 42

Helen O'Neill I took a gap year after I finished school. I hadn’t finally decided what I wanted to study at university by the time it came to applying in Year 13 so I chose to wait until the following year before applying – that way I knew what my grades were and so got unconditional offers for the courses I applied for. During my gap year I worked full time at a riding stable and at Boots the Chemist, which helped me to save some money before going to uni. After my gap year I went to the University of Liverpool to study Zoology. I’ve always been interested in the sciences, but Zoology was my real passion. I chose Liverpool because of the way the course was structured – starting as a Biology degree but then specialising in Zoology, but also because I loved the atmosphere of both the city and the university when I went to visit. After finishing my BSc, I went straight into studying for a Master’s degree in Conservation Science at Imperial College London. During my MSc I completed a six-month research project on the Critically Endangered Saiga antelope in Russia. After my MSc I carried on doing fieldwork and conservation, working in both the UK and in Madagascar before getting the post of Project Manager for the Serengeti Cheetah Project in Tanzania. I have just finished my PhD in Environmental Science at University College London. My research focussed on how African wild dogs and cheetahs live in a human-dominated landscape in Kenya. I spent most of the first two years of PhD conducting fieldwork in Kenya, monitoring my study animals. Since then I’ve been based at the Institute of Zoology, at their offices at London Zoo, where I’ve been analysing my data and writing up my research. (We are very grateful to Helen who spoke at our Inspirational Women Evening).

studied. I liked it so much I even went back to teach there after my PhD. Now I work as a statistical researcher, looking into how statistics can answer medical questions. This involves lots of looking at data and calculating statistics, but also a good deal of programming in statistical computer languages. My paper on the socalled "weekend effect" in hospital mortality was published by the Lancet in May, and I've also done work on E. coli and the spread of antibiotic resistance. Currently I am investigating the factors that cause cardiovascular disease with the University of Cambridge. I've only recently moved there so it is still very new to me, but I'm really enjoying it. (We are very grateful to Amy who spoke at our Inspirational Women Evening).

2004 2004 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

2005 2005 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

2006 2006 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Amy Mason

At one of Myanmar's holiest sites, the Golden Rock.

After school I went straight to the University of Oxford, where I studied Mathematics at Magdalen College. There I was involved with a garden production of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, a huge charity production of ‘Into the Woods’ at the New Theatre and many more. I loved the people I met there, and the subjects I

Verity Ramsden (Thomas) After a few years living in Oxfordshire, in 2014 I moved to Myanmar (also known as Burma), and spent three amazing years there. Despite all you may have read in the news recently, it is a truly beautiful country and my husband (Nic) and I had so much fun living there and exploring all the amazing geography, history, music, food, religion, and culture to be found there.

43

Subject

2007 Gemma White

Conducting our Myanmar choir, The Strand Singers, in a concert we did with visiting members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra

At the end of 2017, however, Nic's job was relocated to Uganda, so we began a new life in Kampala just over a month ago. All the while, I have been working as a Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors registered Chartered Surveyor (valuing real estate), studying for a part-time Masters Degree at Henley Business School in 'Conservation of the Heritage Environment', wearing lots of vintage clothing, and participating in as many choirs and theatrical productions as I can find. I recently, accidentally, became the only female member of the Namirembe Cathedral Choir!

Erin Orford is in full training with Equestrian Team GBR for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and beyond. She is also a qualified coach, a judge and an athlete mentor for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. In addition to this, Erin works part time managing the digital communications for COINS Foundation.

(We are very grateful to Erin who was our special guest speaker at the 2017 A Level Prize Giving Evening Monday 18 December).

2008 Ruth Brewer-Raettig Joanna Cross has recently published her first book titled: ‘The Secrets of Juriat' From her earliest school days, Joanna would spend her time writing snippets of stories or poems and has even been known to continue a creative writing test question at home!

During her undergraduate degree she won a competition, judged by Philip Pullman, to include one of her short stories in a literary mobile phone app. As well as writing, her hobbies include music, dancing, crafting and archery.

Ayesha Wynne Since leaving Wycombe High School, Ayesha studied architecture, qualifying as an architect in 2016. She has worked for award-winning architecture firms, currently working for Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, a large practice based in London.

She has worked on both small and large scale projects, including private houses, schools and offices. At the moment, she is the lead architect for a new-build, mixed development in Farringdon, due for completion in 2019. (We are very grateful to Ayesha who recently delivered an ‘Inspire and Career’ Lunchtime Talk entitled 'My Career - UNDER CONSTRUCTION').

Her new book is aimed at children aged 9-12. The story revolves around an eleven year old girl who spends most her time in a library. However, her fascination for ancient books leads to an adventure involving a secret portal to a new land. She is prevented from coming back home by a powerful being called Juriat and has to find a way to overcome this challenge.

Follow this link to purchase a copy of Joanna’s new book: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Juriat44

2012

Natalie-Silver-Adventures-ebook/dp/B0794345J3/ ref=la_B0794V3C5N_1_1? s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1516711874&sr=1-1

Neelam Tailor Sarah Crockford

“I graduated from Wycombe High School in 2012, after which I completed my BA in Linguistics at the University of Leeds and my MSc in Educational Neuroscience at UCL’s Institute of Education. I am currently in the first year of my PhD in Linguistics at the University of Cambridge, where I’m a member of Trinity College. My research focuses on how bilingual autistic individuals process, use and manage multiple languages, both at a behavioural and neural level. As during my time at WHS, I continue to pursue my musical interests by singing in Magdalene College Choir."

Emma Sackville After school I went straight to Bristol University for a 4 year Masters degree in Chemistry. I was narrowing down between Imperial and Bristol but went on a day trip to Bristol, wandered round the city and loved it! The Chemistry course at Bristol was also really good and they'd had new teaching labs built. I had a year out after finishing my undergraduate degree. I worked for a bit and went travelling round South America, which I'd wanted to do since doing Spanish at school. I then decided I missed being in the lab so went back to do a PhD in Sustainable Chemistry. As part of that I've been able to do a whole range of other things including some science radio, some science presenting competitions, a bunch of conferences and spent a few months in Australia

2013 Sara Ahmed Anisah Amin Gavin Green, Taught ICT from 2000 to 2013.

I am providing computer software training for academic and admin staff at Middlesex University several times a month throughout the year plus a range of other organisations. Life is treating me very well and my Software Training business is going from strength to strength.

2014 2009

Tahmeenah Jamadar

2009 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk

2015 Maddy Millar

2010

Georgia Sanders

Sophie Cole

Dr Ann Watson-Broughton, former teacher of Religious Studies and Philosophy and Ethics (20082015), recently moved up to Newcastle upon Tyne. She is now much nearer the city with good transport links and easy access to the airport to visit her son, daughter in law and two grandchildren in Budapest. Ann lives with her husband and new

2011 Heather Ashford

45

Subject

puppy. She misses WHS and appreciates our updates via E High Flyer etc.

know anyone out there and couldn’t speak any Chinese. However it turned out to be the best six weeks of my life. I had such an amazing time and tried so many new things! I then taught myself Business Studies A2 and took the exam in summer. I am now in my second year of my Marketing degree at Bournemouth University and am really enjoying it. It’s very different to school and sixth form - there’s a lot more independence. University has allowed me to learn more about a subject I am really interested in and Bournemouth is a great area for students!

2016 Sophie Ashmore Annie Halhead Megan Clark I'm studying Interior Architecture and am now finalising my work for my final year at university. I am currently designing a Gin Distillery for Hendricks, I'm proposing an alcoholic experience based in Lincoln and the design is almost complete! ! I've got a job at a local High Wycombe company, Optima (an international leader in glass partitioning systems and solutions) where I will be in user experience design roles and interior architect roles. Also even more exciting, my design work is going to be exhibited in the Free Range show in London 12 - 16 July. It's free to attend so if you know anyone interested in studying Design, Architecture or Interior Architecture almost all UK Universities exhibit there! Really good for students deciding between which Uni to study at. For more information, follow this link: http://www.freerange.org.uk/cgi-bin/news.pl

Emily Morgan Second year has been an incredible, if sometimes daunting, challenge to undertake. The stakes are a little bit higher (as this year actually counts) and everything gets a tad more technical when it comes to the course content and workload. Despite this, I've enjoyed every minute. I've had the chance to create not one, but three practical film projects this term and it's been incredibly fun (and challenging); as well as a good test of my skill. On the extracurricular side of things, I've enjoyed my first year as captain of the women's squash team immensely! It's taught me a lot about my abilities as a leader and my organisational skills. Additionally, my time with pole fitness has put me in the best shape of my life. Not only am I learning new moves (and gaining strength and flexibility with those), I am now also teaching incoming polers; which is so incredibly rewarding! Overall, this year has been a blast and I can't wait to start the next one!

Georgia Kilsby

I left Wycombe High in 2015 and took a gap year where I obtained and carried out 11 weeks worth of work experience in seven different companies. I then went and worked in Shanghai for six weeks in the Marketing department of an interior design company which was ridiculously daunting at first as I didn’t 46

2018 Guild Survey Synopsis

tour of the school and recommendations for

Our most recent survey was in 2014. It was agreed

catering. Former students and staff are also

at the last Guild committee meeting we would

welcome to attend any school event including plays,

survey our members to ensure were meeting your

the ‘Inspire and Career’ events, musicals, concerts,

needs. In January, we sent out the annual call for

festivals and exhibitions. We do our best to inform

news along with a survey.

you of these events through E High Flyer, our halftermly electronic newsletter distributed to all

We surveyed 1,338 Guild members from 1930 to

current and former students for whom we have an

2017 groups representing 168 members of staff and

email address.

1,338 former students. We did not include current

students and staff. Every former student and staff in

Networking events by region is something you

the Guild database received a hard copy of the

would like to see developed. We are hugely grateful

survey. After the mailing was posted, we created an

to Branwen Kelly, Class of 1954, who launched a

online version of the survey. We received a

Wales group. We welcome more volunteers to

selection of online, email and post replies.

come forward to lead these networking events working with the Guild Administrator. We

The results of the 2018 survey have provided us

welcomed back local former students and staff on

with feedback, which will help improve the range of

Thursday 26 April for the second Guild Wine and

events we produce and how we communicate with

Cheese Evening. It was a wonderful evening of

each other. We had an overall response rate of 12%

drinks, nibbles, a catch up with friends past and

with our greatest response coming from the 40s -

present including a tour which showed how the

50s, and the least response from the 70s - 2010s

school has developed over the years. Please visit

groups. The decade response rate indicates we

our school website for future events.

need to engage more with the Generation X (1961 –

We are very grateful for all the responses and

1981) and Millenials aka Genearation Z (1981 ^)

feedback which will help inform future events,

groups.

activities and publications. For detailed results of the survey, please follow this link: https:// issuu.com/wycombehighsch/docs/ wycombe_high_school_guild_survey_20

Mrs Dana Morgan, Director of Development and Alumnae Relations

Annual reunions continued to be preferred. Our next Annual General Meeting (AGM) is Monday 25 June from 12.00 to 4.00 pm. The AGM is followed by the annual Art Exhibit which, in and of itself, is worth the trip back to school. In additional, individual groups are always welcome to host all or part of a reunion at school. We are more than happy to work with you to help organise facilities, a 47

Subject

Privacy Statement: what you need to know

people who might be interested in an event, such as a

What is a Privacy Statement?

Guild Reunion, or a fundraising activity.

A Privacy Statement explains what personal data we hold

Who do we share your personal data with?

about you, why we hold it, how we protect it and how you

The School Fund and Guild share your personal data with

can have your data removed from our records if you so

the School in its role as a Data Processor. We also share

wish.

your data with service providers such as MailChimp for

Why are we including this information?

bulk e-mail. We do not sell or market your data.

A new law – the General Data Protection Regulation

How long do we keep your data?

(GDPR) – comes into force on 25 May 2018 and affects the

We keep your data for as long as we need it for the pur­

way organisations manage data about individuals. This is

poses for which it was collected. This will vary depending

why this Privacy Statement is included in the annual news­

upon the type of data you have provided. If you opt out

letter.

from communications we will keep the minimum infor­

Who are we?

mation necessary to ensure we don’t inadvertently con­

We are:

tact you in the future.



Wycombe High School, which is part of Wycombe

What are our responsibilities and your rights?

High School Academies Trust (the School);

We always take exceptional care with your personal data

Wycombe High School Fund (the School Fund),

and take all appropriate steps to protect it. When we con­

which amongst other things raises funds for the

tact you by electronic means, we do this with your con­

benefit of students at the School;

sent. When we write to you it will be because you are a





member of the Guild, a donor to the School Fund or be­

Wycombe High School Guild (the Guild) of former

cause your daughter is at the School. However, you have

students and staff.

the right to ask us not to use your personal data for fund­

The School, the School Fund and the Guild are all Data

raising or marketing purposes. You can do this by e-mail

Controllers in terms of the GDPR; each holds personal

to office@whs.bucks.sch.uk.

data about individuals. Wycombe High School acts as a

You also have the right to see copies of the information

Data Processor for the School Fund and the Guild, pro­

we hold about you. You can do so by e-mail to

cessing personal data on behalf of those entities.

office@whs.bucks.sch.uk or by writing to Dr David Palmer,

What data do we hold about you and why?

Data Protection Officer, at the school’s address. If you are

The data we hold about you will include information you

unhappy with the way we are processing your personal

give us when you complete forms, such as the Guild Mem­

data you can raise a complaint with the Information Com­

bership Form or the School Fund Gift Form, information

missioner’s Office, the independent regulator which exists

given at an event or in response to e-mail communica­

to protect people’s information rights.

tions.

You can see copies of our Privacy Policies at: http://

This information is important to us because it enables us

www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/parents/policies.

to send you news about the activities of the School, the School Fund and the Guild. It also lets you know how you

can support us. We may contact you by post and, where you have given permission, by e-mail and social media.

We also use the data you give us to keep our records upto-date. We may also use your data to identify groups of

48